ever saw! Why didn't you let me see
them the other night? The eldest is the image of poor Janey--and as to
young Oswald, he's a man! If he's not a man, I'm a nigger! Eh!--what?
And Dick, I say, I shouldn't wonder if I could find a friend to put a
bit into that business of yours--eh?'

Then he and Father went into the study and the door was shut--and we
went down and looked at the parcels. Some were done up in old, dirty
newspapers, and tied with bits of rag, and some were in brown paper and
string from the shops, and there were boxes. We wondered if the Uncle
had come to stay and this was his luggage, or whether it was to sell.
Some of it smelt of spices, like merchandise--and one bundle Alice felt
certain was a bale. We heard a hand on the knob of the study door after
a bit, and Alice said--

'Fly!' and we all got away but H. O., and the Uncle caught him by the
leg as he was trying to get upstairs after us.

'Peeping at the baggage, eh?' said the Uncle, and the rest of us came
down because it would have been dishonourable to leave H. O. alone in a
scrape, and we wanted to see what was in the parcels.

'I didn't touch,' said H. O. 'Are you coming to stay? I hope you are.'

'No harm done if you did touch,' said the good, kind, Indian man to all
of us. 'For all these parcels are _for you_.'

I have several times told you about our being dumb with amazement and
terror and joy, and things like that, but I never remember us being
dumber than we were when he said this.

The Indian Uncle went on: 'I told an old friend of mine what a
pleasant dinner I had with you, and about the threepenny-bit, and the
divining-rod, and all that, and he sent all these odds and ends as
presents for you. Some of the things came from India.'

'Have you come from India, Uncle?' Noel asked; and when he said 'Yes'
we were all very much surprised, for we never thought of his being that
sort of Indian. We thought he was the Red kind, and of course his not
being accounted for his ignorance of beavers and things.

He got Eliza to help, and we took all the parcels into the nursery and
he undid them and undid them and undid them, till the papers lay thick
on the floor. Father came too and sat in the Guy Fawkes chair. I cannot
begin to tell you all the things that kind friend of Uncle's had sent
us. He must be a very agreeable person.

There were toys for the kids and model engines for Dick and me, and a
lot of books, and Japanese china tea-sets