else that the
Servant of the great Name can do for those who speak that name?'

'No--oh, no,' said Cyril. 'It's all right now. Thanks ever so.'

'You are a dear,' cried Anthea, not in the least knowing what she was
saying. 'Oh, thank you thank you. But DO go NOW!'

She caught the hand of the creature, and it was cold and hard in hers,
like a hand of stone.

'Go forward,' said Nisroch. And they went.

'Oh, my good gracious,' said the Queen as they stood before her. 'How
did you get here? I KNEW you were magic. I meant to let you out the
first thing in the morning, if I could slip away--but thanks be to
Dagon, you've managed it for yourselves. You must get away. I'll wake
my chief lady and she shall call Ritti-Marduk, and he'll let you out the
back way, and--'

'Don't rouse anybody for goodness' sake,' said Anthea, 'except Jane, and
I'll rouse her.'

She shook Jane with energy, and Jane slowly awoke.

'Ritti-Marduk brought them in hours ago, really,' said the Queen, 'but
I wanted to have the Psammead all to myself for a bit. You'll excuse the
little natural deception?--it's part of the Babylonish character, don't
you know? But I don't want anything to happen to you. Do let me rouse
someone.'

'No, no, no,' said Anthea with desperate earnestness. She thought she
knew enough of what the Babylonians were like when they were roused.
'We can go by our own magic. And you will tell the King it wasn't the
gaoler's fault. It was Nisroch.'

'Nisroch!' echoed the Queen. 'You are indeed magicians.'

Jane sat up, blinking stupidly.

'Hold It up, and say the word,' cried Cyril, catching up the Psammead,
which mechanically bit him, but only very slightly.

'Which is the East?' asked Jane.

'Behind me,' said the Queen. 'Why?'

'Ur Hekau Setcheh,' said Jane sleepily, and held up the charm.

And there they all were in the dining-room at 300, Fitzroy Street.

'Jane,' cried Cyril with great presence of mind, 'go and get the plate
of sand down for the Psammead.'

Jane went.

'Look here!' he said quickly, as the sound of her boots grew less loud
on the stairs, 'don't let's tell her about the dungeon and all that.
It'll only frighten her so that she'll never want to go anywhere else.'

'Righto!' said Cyril; but Anthea felt that she could not have said a
word to save her life.

'Why did you want to come back in such a hurry?' asked Jane, returning
with the plate of sand. 'It was awfully jolly in Babylon, I think! I