ecious packet to the Terror in the orchard.

The Terror took it from her with flawless serenity and opened it slowly.

But as he counted the postal orders, a faint flush covered his face;
and he said in a somewhat breathless tone: "Thirty pounds--well!"

Erebus executed a short but Bacchic dance which she invented on the
spur of that marvelous moment.

"It's splendid--splendid!" she cried. "It's the best thing you ever
thought of!"

The Terror put the postal orders back into the envelope, and put the
envelope into the breast pocket of his coat. A frown of the most
thoughtful consideration furrowed his brow. Then he said firmly: "The
first thing, to do is to get the bicycles. If once we've got them, no
one will take them away from us."

"Of course they won't," said Erebus, with eager acceptance of his idea.

The breakfast-bell rang; and they went into the house, Erebus spurning
the earth as she went, in the very manner of Wiggins.

In the middle of breakfast the Terror said in a casual tone and with a
casual air, as if he was not greatly eager for the boon: "May we have
the cow-house for our very own, Mum?"

"Oh, Terror! Surely you don't want to keep ferrets!" cried Mrs.
Dangerfield, who lived in fear of the Terror's developing that
inevitable boyish taste.

"Oh, no; but if we had the cow-house to do what we liked with, I think
we could make a little pocket-money out of it."

"I am afraid you're growing terribly mercenary," said his mother; then
she added with a sigh: "But I don't wonder at it, seeing how hard up
you always are. You can have the cow-house. It's right at the end of
the paddock--well away from the house--so that I don't see that you can
do any harm with it whatever you do. But how are you going to make
pocket-money out of it?"

"Oh, I haven't got it all worked out yet," said the Terror quickly.
"But we'll tell you all about it when we have. Thanks ever so much for
the cow-house."

For the rest of breakfast he left the conversation to Erebus.

The Terror was blessed with a masterly prudence uncommon indeed in a
boy of his years. He changed but one of the six postal orders at
Little Deeping--that would make talk enough--and then, having begged a
holiday from the vicar, he took the train to Rowington, their market
town, ten miles away, taking Erebus with him. There he changed three
more postal orders; and then the Twins took their way to the bicycle
shop, with hearts that beat high