d bird followed them in the air, swooping downwards every
now and then, and pecking at them with its beak, or trying to tear
them with its ugly claws. At length, however, they managed to conceal
themselves behind a buttress in the wall; and the bird flapped by, and
left them.

CHAPTER V.

REGENERATION.

'It will not do to stay here,' said Calladon, as soon as he had caught
his breath. 'That creature probably owns the jewels, and we should
never be safe from him. And I have lost ever so many of the stones
while----' Here Calladon broke off suddenly, and uttered a cry.

'What is the matter?' asked Callia. 'Is the creature here again?'

But Calladon was staring at the mirror which still hung round Callia's
neck, and he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

'Tell me, Callia,' he said; 'tell me quick! Am I the same as I was
before?'

'Just the same, except that you look very much scared at something.'

Calladon gave a shudder. 'Then the glass tells what is false,' said
he. 'It makes me seem like a hideous little deformed dwarf, with a
hump on my back, and one shoulder higher than the other, and a
hateful face all covered with sores and bruises. If I look like that,
I must be more horrible than anything we are likely to see here.'

'The mirror tells lies, that is all,' replied Callia, scornfully. 'If
I were you, I would not look in it again. I can tell you all you need
to know about yourself. But I think we had better attend to getting
away from here now. There seems to be a hole through the wall just
where we are standing. It must lead into the next room.'

'Let us creep through then,' said Calladon. 'That flying creature will
not be likely to follow us there; and as well as I can see, it looks
more comfortable there than here. At all events, it is further from
Abra, and that is reason enough for going.'

'Mind that the lamp doesn't go out, then,' said Callia, 'and come
along!'

They crawled through the opening (which was, in reality, one of the
five windows of Cada) and found themselves standing in something soft
and slippery, like mud. The walls were covered with damp mould an inch
thick; spotted toadstools grew in the crevices of the stones, and
festoons of decaying weeds hung from the roof. There was a low
crackling sound in the air, like the noise of burning wood, and hot
puffs of steamy vapour were wafted into the children's faces, smelling
like the inside of a pig-sty. Strange to say, however, neit