to Maud's efforts to describe her own
doings for half an hour on end, and remain almost as much in the dark as
at the beginning! On the present occasion she was full of excitement
about a wonderful conjurer whose tricks she had witnessed at a
children's party in town three nights before, and which she was anxious
to enumerate for the benefit of the family.

"...He was the most egg-strawdinary creature you ever saw. He did the
most egg-strawdinary things. I'll tell you what he did... You know the
Westons' drawing-room? You go upstairs--crimson carpets, and such wide
brass rods. Then there's a statue holding up a lamp, and the first
door's the drawing-room. All the doors were taken down to make more
room, and there were rows and rows of forms... He was like a Frenchman
with a pointed moustache, but his clothes weren't very clean... He
rolled up his sleeves, and there was a ring on his finger, and yards and
yards of ribbon came out of his thumb. He had a little table in front
of him with bulgy legs. It stands in the corner with silver on it.
Then he asked a boy in the front row for a watch... Mr Weston said he
wouldn't have lent _his_, but he got it back all right. It was egg-
strawdinary! Meta Rawlins sat by me. She had a pink sash. She says
her father can do it a little bit, only of course not as well as this
one. Then there was an egg. If he had broken it, it _would_ have made
a mess on the carpet! Meta said perhaps it was stone. He talked all
the time, so funny and quick, and one of his front teeth was out. He
asked if any boy or girl would go up to help him, and Brian Hackett
went. He looked so silly. He had to hold things in his hand, and when
he asked for them, they weren't there. It was egg-strawdinary! We had
supper in the dining-room, jellies and cream, and presents in the
trifle. I saw the conjurer having his in the library. I never saw
anything so egg-strawdinary in all my life!"

Gurth and Hereward exchanged expressive glances, Rowena frowned
impatience, Mrs Saxon smiled a faint amusement, and Maud continued to
prattle on, blissfully unconscious of the fact that no one troubled to
listen.

It was after everyone had been fed and refreshed that the explanation of
the mysterious summons from town was given, in response to an outspoken
question from Dreda, whose impetuous nature was ever impatient of
suspense.

"Mother, what has happened? There must be something, or you would never