selling roses from big baskets-full, and Anthea bought four roses,
one each, for herself and the others. They were red roses and smelt
of summer--the kind of roses you always want so desperately at about
Christmas-time when you can only get mistletoe, which is pale right
through to its very scent, and holly which pricks your nose if you try
to smell it. So now everyone had a rose in its buttonhole, and soon
everyone was sitting on the grass in Regent's Park under trees whose
leaves would have been clean, clear green in the country, but here were
dusty and yellowish, and brown at the edges.

'We've got to go on with it,' said Anthea, 'and as the eldest has to go
first, you'll have to be last, Jane. You quite understand about holding
on to the charm as you go through, don't you, Pussy?'

'I wish I hadn't got to be last,' said Jane.

'You shall carry the Psammead if you like,' said Anthea. 'That is,' she
added, remembering the beast's queer temper, 'if it'll let you.'

The Psammead, however, was unexpectedly amiable.

'_I_ don't mind,' it said, 'who carries me, so long as it doesn't drop
me. I can't bear being dropped.'

Jane with trembling hands took the Psammead and its fish-basket under
one arm. The charm's long string was hung round her neck. Then they all
stood up. Jane held out the charm at arm's length, and Cyril solemnly
pronounced the word of power.

As he spoke it the charm grew tall and broad, and he saw that Jane was
just holding on to the edge of a great red arch of very curious shape.
The opening of the arch was small, but Cyril saw that he could go
through it. All round and beyond the arch were the faded trees and
trampled grass of Regent's Park, where the little ragged children were
playing Ring-o'-Roses. But through the opening of it shone a blaze of
blue and yellow and red. Cyril drew a long breath and stiffened his
legs so that the others should not see that his knees were trembling and
almost knocking together. 'Here goes!' he said, and, stepping up through
the arch, disappeared. Then followed Anthea. Robert, coming next,
held fast, at Anthea's suggestion, to the sleeve of Jane, who was thus
dragged safely through the arch. And as soon as they were on the other
side of the arch there was no more arch at all and no more Regent's Park
either, only the charm in Jane's hand, and it was its proper size again.
They were now in a light so bright that they winked and blinked and
rubbed their eyes. During