'Ask Mr Wilson and Mr Sterry to step
up here for a moment, please.'

Mr Sterry and Mr Wilson were in their turn overcome by
amazement--quickly followed by conviction. To the surprise of the
children every one in the office took the Phoenix at its word, and after
the first shock of surprise it seemed to be perfectly natural to every
one that the Phoenix should be alive, and that, passing through London,
it should call at its temple.

'We ought to have some sort of ceremony,' said the nicest
gentleman, anxiously. 'There isn't time to summon the directors and
shareholders--we might do that tomorrow, perhaps. Yes, the board-room
would be best. I shouldn't like it to feel we hadn't done everything in
our power to show our appreciation of its condescension in looking in on
us in this friendly way.'

The children could hardly believe their ears, for they had never thought
that any one but themselves would believe in the Phoenix. And yet every
one did; all the men in the office were brought in by twos and threes,
and the moment the Phoenix opened its beak it convinced the cleverest
of them, as well as those who were not so clever. Cyril wondered how the
story would look in the papers next day. He seemed to see the posters in
the streets:

PHOENIX FIRE OFFICE
THE PHOENIX AT ITS TEMPLE
MEETING TO WELCOME IT
DELIGHT OF THE MANAGER AND EVERYBODY.

'Excuse our leaving you a moment,' said the nice gentleman, and he went
away with the others; and through the half-closed door the children
could hear the sound of many boots on stairs, the hum of excited voices
explaining, suggesting, arguing, the thumpy drag of heavy furniture
being moved about.

The Phoenix strutted up and down the leather-covered table, looking over
its shoulder at its pretty back.

'You see what a convincing manner I have,' it said proudly.

And now a new gentleman came in and said, bowing low--

'Everything is prepared--we have done our best at so short a notice; the
meeting--the ceremony--will be in the board-room. Will the Honourable
Phoenix walk--it is only a few steps--or would it like to be--would it
like some sort of conveyance?'

'My Robert will bear me to the board-room, if that be the unlovely name
of my temple's inmost court,' replied the bird.

So they all followed the gentleman. There was a big table in the
board-room, but it had been pushed right up under the long windows at
one side, and chairs were arranged in rows acro