de Talbot," he said slowly, "should think foul scorn to--to
keep a chap--I mean one who has done him no hurt--when he wants to cut
off quietly--I mean to depart without violence."

"This to my face! Beshrew thee for a knave!" replied Sir Wulfric. But
the appeal seemed to have gone home. "Yet thou sayest sooth," he added
thoughtfully. "Go where thou wilt," he added nobly, "thou art free.
Wulfric de Talbot warreth not with babes, and Jakin here shall bear thee
company."

"All right," said Robert wildly. "Jakin will enjoy himself, I think.
Come on, Jakin. Sir Wulfric, I salute thee."

He saluted after the modern military manner, and set off running to the
sand-pit, Jakin's long boots keeping up easily.

He found the Fairy. He dug it up, he woke it up, he implored it to give
him one more wish.

"I've done two to-day already," it grumbled, "and one was as stiff a bit
of work as ever I did."

"Oh, do, do, do, do, _do_!" said Robert, while Jakin looked on with an
expression of open-mouthed horror at the strange beast that talked, and
gazed with its snail's eyes at him.

[Illustration: "Oh, do, do, _do_!" said Robert]

"Well, what is it?" snapped the Psammead, with cross sleepiness.

"I wish I was with the others," said Robert. And the Psammead began to
swell. Robert never thought of wishing the castle and the siege away. Of
course he knew they had all come out of a wish, but swords and daggers
and pikes and lances seemed much too real to be wished away. Robert lost
consciousness for an instant. When he opened his eyes the others were
crowding round him.

"We never heard you come in," they said. "How awfully jolly of you to
wish it to give us our wish!"

"Of course we understood that was what you'd done."

"But you ought to have told us. Suppose we'd wished something silly."

"Silly?" said Robert, very crossly indeed. "How much sillier could you
have been, I'd like to know? You nearly settled _me_--I can tell
you."

Then he told his story, and the others admitted that it certainly had
been rough on him. But they praised his courage and cleverness so much
that he presently got back his lost temper, and felt braver than ever,
and consented to be captain of the besieged force.

"We haven't done anything yet," said Anthea comfortably; "we waited for
you. We're going to shoot at them through these little loopholes with
the bow and arrows uncle gave you, and you shall have first shot."

"I don't think I would," sa