,' said the gentleman; 'do sit down.'

'He has found out there are four of us,' said Robert, as the gentleman
cleared three more chairs. He put the things off them carefully on the
floor. The first chair had things like bricks that tiny, tiny birds'
feet have walked over when the bricks were soft, only the marks were in
regular lines. The second chair had round things on it like very large,
fat, long, pale beads. And the last chair had a pile of dusty papers on
it. The children sat down.

'We know you are very, very learned,' said Cyril, 'and we have got a
charm, and we want you to read the name on it, because it isn't in Latin
or Greek, or Hebrew, or any of the languages WE know--'

'A thorough knowledge of even those languages is a very fair foundation
on which to build an education,' said the gentleman politely.

'Oh!' said Cyril blushing, 'but we only know them to look at, except
Latin--and I'm only in Caesar with that.' The gentleman took off his
spectacles and laughed. His laugh sounded rusty, Cyril thought, as
though it wasn't often used.

'Of course!' he said. 'I'm sure I beg your pardon. I think I must have
been in a dream. You are the children who live downstairs, are you not?
Yes. I have seen you as I have passed in and out. And you have found
something that you think to be an antiquity, and you've brought it to
show me? That was very kind. I should like to inspect it.'

'I'm afraid we didn't think about your liking to inspect it,' said the
truthful Anthea. 'It was just for US because we wanted to know the name
on it--'

'Oh, yes--and, I say,' Robert interjected, 'you won't think it rude
of us if we ask you first, before we show it, to be bound in the
what-do-you-call-it of--'

'In the bonds of honour and upright dealing,' said Anthea.

'I'm afraid I don't quite follow you,' said the gentleman, with gentle
nervousness.

'Well, it's this way,' said Cyril. 'We've got part of a charm. And the
Sammy--I mean, something told us it would work, though it's only half a
one; but it won't work unless we can say the name that's on it. But, of
course, if you've got another name that can lick ours, our charm will
be no go; so we want you to give us your word of honour as a
gentleman--though I'm sure, now I've seen you, that it's not necessary;
but still I've promised to ask you, so we must. Will you please give us
your honourable word not to say any name stronger than the name on our
charm?'

The gentleman ha