urned kind golden eyes on her and opened a friendly beak to
say--

'When it is, as you say, a "know time", there is no more to be said. And
your noble brothers would never leave you.'

'Of course not,' said Cyril rather quickly. And Robert said so too.

'I myself,' the Phoenix went on, 'am willing to help in any way
possible. I will go personally--either by carpet or on the wing--and
fetch you anything you can think of to amuse you during the evening. In
order to waste no time I could go while you wash up.--Why,' it went on
in a musing voice, 'does one wash up teacups and wash down the stairs?'

'You couldn't wash stairs up, you know,' said Anthea, 'unless you began
at the bottom and went up feet first as you washed. I wish cook would
try that way for a change.'

'I don't,' said Cyril, briefly. 'I should hate the look of her
elastic-side boots sticking up.'

'This is mere trifling,' said the Phoenix. 'Come, decide what I shall
fetch for you. I can get you anything you like.'

But of course they couldn't decide. Many things were suggested--a
rocking-horse, jewelled chessmen, an elephant, a bicycle, a motor-car,
books with pictures, musical instruments, and many other things. But
a musical instrument is agreeable only to the player, unless he has
learned to play it really well; books are not sociable, bicycles cannot
be ridden without going out of doors, and the same is true of motor-cars
and elephants. Only two people can play chess at once with one set of
chessmen (and anyway it's very much too much like lessons for a game),
and only one can ride on a rocking-horse. Suddenly, in the midst of the
discussion, the Phoenix spread its wings and fluttered to the floor, and
from there it spoke.

'I gather,' it said, 'from the carpet, that it wants you to let it go
to its old home, where it was born and brought up, and it will return
within the hour laden with a number of the most beautiful and delightful
products of its native land.'

'What IS its native land?'

'I didn't gather. But since you can't agree, and time is passing, and
the tea-things are not washed down--I mean washed up--'

'I votes we do,' said Robert. 'It'll stop all this jaw, anyway. And it's
not bad to have surprises. Perhaps it's a Turkey carpet, and it might
bring us Turkish delight.'

'Or a Turkish patrol,' said Robert.

'Or a Turkish bath,' said Anthea.

'Or a Turkish towel,' said Jane.

'Nonsense,' Robert urged, 'it said beautiful and d