w between them. But
Oswald knows when to be generous; so he said--

'Look here! I'll pay sixpence of the scissors, and H. O. shall pay the
rest, to teach him to be careful.'

H. O. agreed: he is not at all a mean kid, but I found out afterwards
that Alice paid his share out of her own money.

Then we wanted some new paints, and Noel wanted a pencil and a halfpenny
account-book to write poetry with, and it does seem hard never to have
any apples. So, somehow or other nearly all the money got spent, and we
agreed that we must let the advertisement run loose a little longer.

'I only hope,' Alice said, 'that they won't have got all the ladies and
gentlemen they want before we have got the money to write for the sample
and instructions.'

And I was a little afraid myself, because it seemed such a splendid
chance; but we looked in the paper every day, and the advertisement was
always there, so we thought it was all right.

Then we had the detective try-on--and it proved no go; and then, when
all the money was gone, except a halfpenny of mine and twopence of
Noel's and three-pence of Dicky's and a few pennies that the girls had
left, we held another council.

Dora was sewing the buttons on H. O.'s Sunday things. He got himself a
knife with his money, and he cut every single one of his best buttons
off. You've no idea how many buttons there are on a suit. Dora counted
them. There are twenty-four, counting the little ones on the sleeves
that don't undo.

Alice was trying to teach Pincher to beg; but he has too much sense
when he knows you've got nothing in your hands, and the rest of us were
roasting potatoes under the fire. We had made a fire on purpose,
though it was rather warm. They are very good if you cut away the burnt
parts--but you ought to wash them first, or you are a dirty boy.

'Well, what can we do?' said Dicky. 'You are so fond of saying "Let's do
something!" and never saying what.'

'We can't try the advertisement yet. Shall we try rescuing some one?'
said Oswald. It was his own idea, but he didn't insist on doing it,
though he is next to the eldest, for he knows it is bad manners to make
people do what you want, when they would rather not.

'What was Noel's plan?' Alice asked.

'A Princess or a poetry book,' said Noel sleepily. He was lying on his
back on the sofa, kicking his legs. 'Only I shall look for the Princess
all by myself. But I'll let you see her when we're married.'

'Have you got en