as overruled. And they promised. And none of them, not even
the Psammead, at all foresaw, as you no doubt do quite plainly, exactly
what it was that WOULD happen on that memorable date.

CHAPTER 14. THE HEART'S DESIRE

If I only had time I could tell you lots of things. For instance, how,
in spite of the advice of the Psammead, the four children did, one very
wet day, go through their Amulet Arch into the golden desert, and there
find the great Temple of Baalbec and meet with the Phoenix whom they
never thought to see again. And how the Phoenix did not remember them at
all until it went into a sort of prophetic trance--if that can be called
remembering. But, alas! I HAVEN'T time, so I must leave all that out
though it was a wonderfully thrilling adventure. I must leave out, too,
all about the visit of the children to the Hippodrome with the Psammead
in its travelling bag, and about how the wishes of the people round
about them were granted so suddenly and surprisingly that at last the
Psammead had to be taken hurriedly home by Anthea, who consequently
missed half the performance. Then there was the time when, Nurse having
gone to tea with a friend out Ivalunk way, they were playing 'devil in
the dark'--and in the midst of that most creepy pastime the postman's
knock frightened Jane nearly out of her life. She took in the letters,
however, and put them in the back of the hat-stand drawer, so that they
should be safe. And safe they were, for she never thought of them again
for weeks and weeks.

One really good thing happened when they took the Psammead to a
magic-lantern show and lecture at the boys' school at Camden Town. The
lecture was all about our soldiers in South Africa. And the lecturer
ended up by saying, 'And I hope every boy in this room has in his heart
the seeds of courage and heroism and self-sacrifice, and I wish that
every one of you may grow up to be noble and brave and unselfish, worthy
citizens of this great Empire for whom our soldiers have freely given
their lives.'

And, of course, this came true--which was a distinct score for Camden
Town.

As Anthea said, it was unlucky that the lecturer said boys, because now
she and Jane would have to be noble and unselfish, if at all, without
any outside help. But Jane said, 'I daresay we are already because of
our beautiful natures. It's only boys that have to be made brave by
magic'--which nearly led to a first-class row.

And I daresay you would li