o look for
treasure in the past. And once a film of a photograph that we'd stuck up
behaved like a cinematograph, and then we saw the treasure being hidden
away."
"Then let's just go where that was--mark the spot, come home and then
dig it up."
"It wasn't buried," Elfrida explained; "it was put into a sort of
cellar, with doors, and we've looked all over what's left of the Castle,
and there isn't so much as a teeny silver ring to be found."
"I see," said Dickie. "But suppose I just worked the magic and wished to
be where the treasure is?"
"I won't," cried Edred, and in his extreme dislike to the idea he kicked
with his boots quite violently against the stones of the tower; "not
much I won't. I expect the treasure's bricked up. We should look nice
bricked up in a vault like a wicked nun, and perhaps forgotten the way
to get out. Not much."
"You needn't make such a fuss about it," said Elfrida, "nobody's going
to get bricked up in vaults." And Dickie added, "You're quite right, old
chap. I didn't think about that."
"We must do _something_," Elfrida said impatiently.
"How would it be," Dickie spoke slowly, "if I tried to see the
Mouldierwarp? He is stronger than the Mouldiwarp. He might advise us.
Suppose we work the magic and just ask to see him?"
"I don't want to go away from here," said Edred firmly.
"You needn't. I'll lay out the moon-seeds and things on the floor
here--you'll see."
So Dickie made the crossed triangles of moon-seeds and he and his
cousins stood in it and Dickie said, "Please can we see the
Mouldierwarp?" just as you say, "Please can I see Mr. So-and-so?" when
you have knocked at the door of Mr. So-and-so's house and some one has
opened the door.
Immediately everything became dark, but before the children had time to
wish that it was light again a disc of light appeared on the curtain of
darkness, and there was the Mouldierwarp, just as Dickie had seen him
once before.
He bowed in a courtly manner, and said--
"What can I do for you to-day, Richard Lord Arden?"
"He's not Lord Arden," said Edred. "_I_ used to be. But even _I'm_ not
Lord Arden now. My father is."
"Indeed?" said the Mouldierwarp with an air of polite interest. "You
interest me greatly. But my question remains unanswered."
"I want," said Dickie, "to find the lost treasure of Arden, so that the
old Castle can be built up again, and the old lands bought back, and the
old cottages made pretty and good to li
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