ercise in the London streets. It had to
be a cab, and it took the last, least money of all of them. They stopped
the cab a few doors from home, and then the girls went in and engaged
old Nurse's attention by an account of the conjuring and a fervent
entreaty for dripping-toast with their tea, leaving the front door open
so that while Nurse was talking to them the boys could creep quietly
in with Rekh-mara and smuggle him, unseen, up the stairs into their
bedroom.

When the girls came up they found the Egyptian Priest sitting on the
side of Cyril's bed, his hands on his knees, looking like a statue of a
king.

'Come on,' said Cyril impatiently. 'He won't begin till we're all here.
And shut the door, can't you?'

When the door was shut the Egyptian said--

'My interests and yours are one.'

'Very interesting,' said Cyril, 'and it'll be a jolly sight more
interesting if you keep following us about in a decent country with no
more clothes on than THAT!'

'Peace,' said the Priest. 'What is this country? and what is this time?'

'The country's England,' said Anthea, 'and the time's about 6,000 years
later than YOUR time.'

'The Amulet, then,' said the Priest, deeply thoughtful, 'gives the power
to move to and fro in time as well as in space?'

'That's about it,' said Cyril gruffly. 'Look here, it'll be tea-time
directly. What are we to do with you?'

'You have one-half of the Amulet, I the other,' said Rekh-mara. 'All
that is now needed is the pin to join them.'

'Don't you think it,' said Robert. 'The half you've got is the same half
as the one we've got.'

'But the same thing cannot be in the same place and the same time, and
yet be not one, but twain,' said the Priest. 'See, here is my half.' He
laid it on the Marcella counterpane. 'Where is yours?'

Jane watching the eyes of the others, unfastened the string of the
Amulet and laid it on the bed, but too far off for the Priest to seize
it, even if he had been so dishonourable. Cyril and Robert stood beside
him, ready to spring on him if one of his hands had moved but ever so
little towards the magic treasure that was theirs. But his hands did not
move, only his eyes opened very wide, and so did everyone else's for
the Amulet the Priest had now quivered and shook; and then, as steel is
drawn to the magnet, it was drawn across the white counterpane, nearer
and nearer to the Amulet, warm from the neck of Jane. And then, as one
drop of water mingles with anoth