ne, now--five minutes long,
ascending scale with a sob at the end, guaranteed to scare a statue.
Yours for ten and six. I call that a real bargain, now!"

"Bah!" said the Phoenix impatiently. "Enough of these squeaks! We want
a real _Wail_, my dear Banshee--such a Wail as never before was heard
on the face of this earth. And stop this babbling about shillings and
pence. We are prepared to pay in gold." The Phoenix took the four
pieces of gold from David and carelessly tossed them into the air.

The Banshee's eyes flew wide open, and she twirled herself around like
a top. "Och, the sweet music of its tinkling!" she exclaimed. "The
lovely sheen of light upon it! _There's_ a sight for eyes used to
naught but silver! Ah, but dearies, I've no Wail worth four pieces of
gold. I'll have to make one up special." She hobbled rapidly around
the chamber until she had found a box as large as a bird cage, and an
ear trumpet. She opened the box, shook it to make sure it was empty,
and put in two heads of cabbage. ("Such monstrous appetites these
Wails do have!" she explained.) She fastened the lid carefully with a
catch-lock, and inserted the ear trumpet in a hole in one side of the
box. Then she disappeared through a sound-proof door, which they had
not seen before on account of the smoke.

Fifteen minutes later the Banshee came out with the box, plugging up
the hole in its side with a bit of wax. She was pale and trembling,
and beads of sweat covered her face. She smiled weakly at them, seized
an earthen-ware jug, and drained it in one gulp. The color began to
return to her face.

"Wsssht!" she gasped, wiping her brow with the sleeve of her Mother
Hubbard. "Ah, dearies, that was the effort of me life! 'Tis a Wail to
make one burst with pride, though I do say it meself. Thirteen minutes
long by the clock, with a range of ten octaves! 'Twould frighten the
Old Nick himself!"

"Splendid!" said the Phoenix. "The fact is, I sometimes suspect that
that is precisely with whom we are dealing at home."

The light suddenly dawned on David. "Phoenix!" he cried. "I bet we're
going to give the Wail to the Scientist!"

"Precisely, my boy!" The Phoenix beamed.

"Oh, golly golly golly!" David sang as he danced around.

"And I'll guarantee it, dearies!" the Banshee cackled. "One hundred
per cent satisfaction or your money back!"

"Defeat and confusion to the enemy!" the Phoenix shouted, giving the
special squawk which was its battle cry.