nded him.

'I see I shall have to do some of my thinking,' he added.

They stopped in a quiet road close by Dymchurch; the engine was made
small again, and Edward went home with it under his arm.

It was the next day that they found the shilling on the road. They could
hardly believe their good luck. They went out on to the shore with it,
put it on Edward's hand while Gustus looked at it with the glass, and
the shilling began to grow.

'It's as big as a saucer,' said Edward, 'and it's heavy. I'll rest it on
these stones. It's as big as a plate; it's as big as a tea-tray; it's as
big as a cart-wheel.'

And it was.

'Now,' said Gustus, 'we'll go and borrow a cart to take it away. Come
on.'

But Edward could not come on. His hand was in the hollow between the two
stones, and above lay tons of silver. He could not move, and the stones
couldn't move. There was nothing for it but to look at the great round
lump of silver through the wrong end of the spy-glass till it got small
enough for Edward to lift it. And then, unfortunately, Gustus looked a
little too long, and the shilling, having gone back to its own size,
went a little further--and it went to sixpenny size, and then went out
altogether.

So nobody got anything by that.

And now came the time when, as was to be expected, Edward dropped the
telescope in his aunt's presence. She said, 'What's that?' picked it up
with quite unfair quickness, and looked through it, and through the open
window at a fishing-boat, which instantly swelled to the size of a
man-of-war.

'My goodness! what a strong glass!' said the aunt.

'Isn't it?' said Edward, gently taking it from her. He looked at the
ship through the glass's other end till she got to her proper size again
and then smaller. He just stopped in time to prevent its disappearing
altogether.

'I'll take care of it for you,' said the aunt. And for the first time in
their lives Edward said 'No' to his aunt.

It was a terrible moment.

Edward, quite frenzied by his own courage, turned the glass on one
object after another--the furniture grew as he looked, and when he
lowered the glass the aunt was pinned fast between a monster table-leg
and a great chiffonier.

'There!' said Edward. 'And I shan't let you out till you say you won't
take it to take care of either.'

'Oh, have it your own way,' said the aunt, faintly, and closed her eyes.
When she opened them the furniture was its right size and Edward was
gone.