e than sixpence. And I tell you what: we shall have to keep
accounts. I'll buy an account-book. You're very good at
arithmetic--you'll like keeping accounts," said the Terror suavely.

Since her mouth was full of luscious jam tart, Erebus did not feel that
it would be delicate at that moment to protest. Therefore on leaving
the shop the Terror bought an account-book. His distrust of literature
prevented him from paying more than a penny for it. From the
stationer's he went to an ironmonger's and bought a saw, a brace, a
gimlet, a screw-driver and two gross of screws--his tool-box had long
needed refilling. Then they mounted their machines proudly (they had
learned to ride on the machines of acquaintances) and rode home. After
their visit to the confectioner's they rode rather sluggishly.

They were not hungry, far from it, at the moment; but half-way home the
Terror turned out of the main road into the lanes, and they paused at a
quiet orchard, in a lovely unguarded spot, and filled the cat-basket on
Erebus' bicycle with excellent apples. The tools had been packed into
the Terror's basket. They did not disturb the farmer's wife at the
busy dinner-hour; the Terror threw the apples over the orchard hedge to
Erebus.

As he remembered his bicycle he said dreamily: "I shouldn't wonder if
these bicycles didn't pay for themselves in time."

"I said there were orchards out here where they didn't know us," said
Erebus, biting into a Ribston pippin.

They reached home in time for lunch and locked away their bicycles in
the cow-house. At lunch they were reticent about their triumphs of the
morning.

After lunch they went to the cow-house and took measurements. It had
long been unoccupied by cows and needed little cleaning. It was quite
suitable to their purpose, a brick building with a slate roof and of a
size to hold two cows. The measurements made, they went, with an
important moneyed air, down to the village carpenter, the only timber
merchant in the neighborhood, and bought planks from him. There was
some discussion before his idea about the price of planks and that of
the Terror were in exact accord; and as he took the money he said, with
some ruefulness, that he was a believer in small profits and quick
returns. Since immediate delivery was part of the bargain, he
forthwith put the planks on a hand-cart and wheeled them up to Colet
House. The Twins, eager to be at work, helped him.

For the rest of t