st,' whispered the Phoenix.

An attentive clerk in decent black, who controlled his mouth but not his
eyebrows, now came towards them. He leaned forward on the counter, and
the children thought he was going to say, 'What can I have the pleasure
of showing you?' like in a draper's; instead of which the young man
said--

'And what do YOU want?'

'We want to see the High Priest.'

'Get along with you,' said the young man.

An elder man, also decent in black coat, advanced.

'Perhaps it's Mr Blank' (not for worlds would I give the name). 'He's a
Masonic High Priest, you know.'

A porter was sent away to look for Mr Asterisk (I cannot give his name),
and the children were left there to look on and be looked on by all
the gentlemen at the mahogany desks. Anthea and Jane thought that they
looked kind. The boys thought they stared, and that it was like their
cheek.

The porter returned with the news that Mr Dot Dash Dot (I dare not
reveal his name) was out, but that Mr--

Here a really delightful gentleman appeared. He had a beard and a kind
and merry eye, and each one of the four knew at once that this was a man
who had kiddies of his own and could understand what you were talking
about. Yet it was a difficult thing to explain.

'What is it?' he asked. 'Mr'--he named the name which I will never
reveal--'is out. Can I do anything?'

'Inner sanctuary,' murmured the Phoenix.

'I beg your pardon,' said the nice gentleman, who thought it was Robert
who had spoken.

'We have something to tell you,' said Cyril, 'but'--he glanced at the
porter, who was lingering much nearer than he need have done--'this is a
very public place.'

The nice gentleman laughed.

'Come upstairs then,' he said, and led the way up a wide and beautiful
staircase. Anthea says the stairs were of white marble, but I am not
sure. On the corner-post of the stairs, at the top, was a beautiful
image of the Phoenix in dark metal, and on the wall at each side was a
flat sort of image of it.

The nice gentleman led them into a room where the chairs, and even the
tables, were covered with reddish leather. He looked at the children
inquiringly.

'Don't be frightened,' he said; 'tell me exactly what you want.'

'May I shut the door?' asked Cyril.

The gentleman looked surprised, but he shut the door.

'Now,' said Cyril, firmly, 'I know you'll be awfully surprised, and
you'll think it's not true and we are lunatics; but we aren't, and it
is. Robe