uite a start when Anthea suddenly realized that they HAD come
back, and that they were not alone. Behind them was quite a crowd of
men in uniform, and several gentlemen were there. Everyone seemed very
angry.

'Now go,' said the nicest of the angry gentlemen. 'Take the poor,
demented thing home and tell your parents she ought to be properly
looked after.'

'If you can't get her to go we must send for the police,' said the
nastiest gentleman.

'But we don't wish to use harsh measures,' added the nice one, who was
really very nice indeed, and seemed to be over all the others.

'May I speak to my sister a moment first?' asked Robert.

The nicest gentleman nodded, and the officials stood round the Queen,
the others forming a sort of guard while Robert crossed over to Anthea.

'Everything you can think of,' he replied to Anthea's glance of inquiry.
'Kicked up the most frightful shine in there. Said those necklaces and
earrings and things in the glass cases were all hers--would have them
out of the cases. Tried to break the glass--she did break one bit!
Everybody in the place has been at her. No good. I only got her out by
telling her that was the place where they cut queens' heads off.'

'Oh, Bobs, what a whacker!'

'You'd have told a whackinger one to get her out. Besides, it wasn't. I
meant MUMMY queens. How do you know they don't cut off mummies' heads to
see how the embalming is done? What I want to say is, can't you get her
to go with you quietly?'

'I'll try,' said Anthea, and went up to the Queen.

'Do come home,' she said; 'the learned gentleman in our house has a much
nicer necklace than anything they've got here. Come and see it.'

The Queen nodded.

'You see,' said the nastiest gentleman, 'she does understand English.'

'I was talking Babylonian, I think,' said Anthea bashfully.

'My good child,' said the nice gentleman, 'what you're talking is
not Babylonian, but nonsense. You just go home at once, and tell your
parents exactly what has happened.'

Anthea took the Queen's hand and gently pulled her away. The other
children followed, and the black crowd of angry gentlemen stood on the
steps watching them. It was when the little party of disgraced children,
with the Queen who had disgraced them, had reached the middle of the
courtyard that her eyes fell on the bag where the Psammead was. She
stopped short.

'I wish,' she said, very loud and clear, 'that all those Babylonian
things would come out