id the little man, bending forward excitedly, "that story
won't do for me. I am the Ambassador Extraordinary of his Magnificence
the little Panjandrum, and you tell me that you have seen the Dodo; that
is enough. Now then! Where is it? It's no use telling me that it has
gone off to keep an appointment with something with a long name. I say,
where is the bird? If you don't instantly produce that Dodo I shall take
you before the Court of Inquisitives, and let them deal with you."

"But I tell you," began Dick, while Marjorie clung to his arm in
affright, and Fidge scowled angrily at hearing his idolized big brother
spoken to in this peremptory manner, "I tell you that we only saw it for
a----"

"That's quite enough. Don't argue the point. I shall give you one week
from now, and if at the end of that time you do not appear at the Palace
of the little Panjandrum with the Dodo, I shall apply to the Grand
Panjandrum himself to have you subtransexdistricated, so there!"

"But----"

"Not another word. Ink! Paper! Pens!" he commanded, getting off his
ostrich and squatting down before a flat stone, while the little gnomes
ran hither and thither, getting in each other's way, and tripping and
stumbling about in all directions in their eagerness to do the
Ambassador's bidding.

"Sit down!" he ordered, and the children sat down on the ground in front
of him. There was a slight difficulty about the ink at this point, for
the gnomes, not being quite strong enough to carry the inkstand, turned
it over on its side to roll it forward, and of course spilled all the
ink. They managed, however, to gather up some of it in their caps, and
so kept the Ambassador supplied.

"Now then! Know all men by these presents," he began, writing the words
down as he spake them.

"He's going to give us some presents," whispered Fidge, giving Dick a
nudge. Dick shook his head reprovingly, and the little man continued--

"That whereas three children, named respectively--what did you say your
name was?"

"Richard Greville Verrinder, Sir."

"Richard Greville Verrinder, and--what's your sister's name?"

[Illustration: "Dick suddenly shot up to the height of over six feet."]

"Marjorie Evelyn Verrinder."

"Marjorie Evelyn Verrinder, and----"

"Harold Ellis Verrinder," prompted Dick.

"Who's that?" inquired the Ambassador, sharply.

"My little brother," was the reply.

"You said his name was Fidge."

"Oh, yes, but that's his nickname, you kn