ent on half to himself. 'There's the fruit
supply, and the Dwellers by the sea, and---- But that must wait. We try
to give you as much variety as possible. Yesterday's was an out-door
adventure. To-day's shall be an indoor amusement. I say to-day's but I
confess that I think it not unlikely that the task I am now about to set
the candidate for the post of King-Deliverer, the task, I say, which I
am now about to set you, may, quite possibly, occupy some days, if not
weeks of your valuable time.'

'But our people at home,' said Philip. 'It isn't that I'm afraid, really
and truly it isn't, but they'll go out of their minds, not knowing
what's become of us. Oh, Mr. Noah! do let us go back.'

'It's all right,' said Mr. Noah. 'However long you stay here time won't
move with them. I thought I'd explained that to you.'

'But you said----'

'I said you'd set our clocks to the time of _your_ world when you
deserted your little friend. But when you had come back for her, and
rescued her from the dragon, the clocks went their own time again.
There's only just that time missing that happened between your coming
here the second time and your killing the dragon.'

'I see,' said Philip. But he didn't. I only hope _you_ do.

'You can take your time about this new job,' said Mr. Noah, 'and you may
get any help you like. I shan't consider you've failed till you've been
at it three months. After that the Pretenderette would be entitled to
_her_ chance.'

'If you're quite sure that the time here doesn't count at home,' said
Philip, 'what is it, please, that we've got to do?'

'The greatest intellects of our country have for many ages occupied
themselves with the problem which you are now asked to solve,' said Mr.
Noah. 'Your late gaoler, Mr. Bacon-Shakespeare, has written no less than
twenty-seven volumes, all in cypher, on this very subject. But as he has
forgotten what cypher he used, and no one else ever knew it, his volumes
are of but little use to us.'

'I see,' said Philip. And again he didn't.

Mr. Noah rose to his full height, and when he stood up the children
looked very small beside him.

'Now,' he said, 'I will tell you what it is that you must do. I should
like to decree that your second labour should be the tidying up of this
room--_all_ these papers are prophecies relating to the Deliverer--but
it is one of our laws that the judge must not use any public matter for
his own personal benefit. So I have decided that