the sum
mentioned in this document strikes me as excessive: Albert really is
_not_ worth three thousand pounds. Also by a strange and unfortunate
chance I haven't the money about me. Couldn't you take less?'

We said perhaps we could.

'Say eightpence,' suggested Albert-next-door's uncle, 'which is all the
small change I happen to have on my person.'

'Thank you very much,' said Alice as he held it out; 'but are you sure
you can spare it? Because really it was only play.'

'Quite sure. Now, Albert, the game is over. You had better run home to
your mother and tell her how much you've enjoyed yourself.'

When Albert-next-door had gone his uncle sat in the Guy Fawkes armchair
and took Alice on his knee, and we sat round the fire waiting till it
would be time to let off our fireworks. We roasted the chestnuts he
sent Dicky out for, and he told us stories till it was nearly seven. His
stories are first-rate--he does all the parts in different voices. At
last he said--

'Look here, young-uns. I like to see you play and enjoy yourselves, and
I don't think it hurts Albert to enjoy himself too.'

'I don't think he did much,' said H. O. But I knew what
Albert-next-door's uncle meant because I am much older than H. O. He
went on--

'But what about Albert's mother? Didn't you think how anxious she would
be at his not coming home? As it happens I saw him come in with you, so
we knew it was all right. But if I hadn't, eh?'

He only talks like that when he is very serious, or even angry. Other
times he talks like people in books--to us, I mean.

We none of us said anything. But I was thinking. Then Alice spoke.

Girls seem not to mind saying things that we don't say. She put her arms
round Albert-next-door's uncle's neck and said--

'We're very, very sorry. We didn't think about his mother. You see we
try very hard not to think about other people's mothers because--'

Just then we heard Father's key in the door and Albert-next-door's uncle
kissed Alice and put her down, and we all went down to meet Father. As
we went I thought I heard Albert-next-door's uncle say something that
sounded like 'Poor little beggars!'

He couldn't have meant us, when we'd been having such a jolly time, and
chestnuts, and fireworks to look forward to after dinner and everything!

CHAPTER 8. BEING EDITORS

It was Albert's uncle who thought of our trying a newspaper. He said he
thought we should not find the bandit business a paying in