we'll have got a magic--oh, I
don't know--a magic flower in a pot for you.'

'If you can do that you can do anything,' said the soldier, and he went
out and barred the door.

Then, of course, they held up the Amulet. They found the East by holding
it up, and turning slowly till the Amulet began to grow big, walked home
through it, and came back with a geranium in full scarlet flower from
the staircase window of the Fitzroy Street house.

'Well!' said the soldier when he came in. 'I really am--!'

'We can do much more wonderful things than that--oh, ever so much,' said
Anthea persuasively, 'if we only have our monkey. And here's twopence
for yourself.'

The soldier looked at the twopence.

'What's this?' he said.

Robert explained how much simpler it was to pay money for things than
to exchange them as the people were doing in the market. Later on the
soldier gave the coins to his captain, who, later still, showed them to
Pharaoh, who of course kept them and was much struck with the idea.
That was really how coins first came to be used in Egypt. You will not
believe this, I daresay, but really, if you believe the rest of the
story, I don't see why you shouldn't believe this as well.

'I say,' said Anthea, struck by a sudden thought, 'I suppose it'll be
all right about those workmen? The King won't go back on what he said
about them just because he's angry with us?'

'Oh, no,' said the soldier, 'you see, he's rather afraid of magic. He'll
keep to his word right enough.'

'Then THAT'S all right,' said Robert; and Anthea said softly and
coaxingly--

'Ah, DO get us the monkey, and then you'll see some lovely magic.
Do--there's a nice, kind soldier.'

'I don't know where they've put your precious monkey, but if I can get
another chap to take on my duty here I'll see what I can do,' he said
grudgingly, and went out.

'Do you mean,' said Robert, 'that we're going off without even TRYING
for the other half of the Amulet?'

'I really think we'd better,' said Anthea tremulously. 'Of course the
other half of the Amulet's here somewhere or our half wouldn't have
brought us here. I do wish we could find it. It is a pity we don't
know any REAL magic. Then we could find out. I do wonder where it
is--exactly.'

If they had only known it, something very like the other half of the
Amulet was very near them. It hung round the neck of someone, and
that someone was watching them through a chink, high up in the wall,
spec