And besides----'

Polly refused to explain this dark hint and only added, 'Look out for
surprises.'

'I thought,' said Philip, draining the last of his second mug of cocoa,
'I thought there were no birds in the desert except you, and you're more
a person than a bird. But look there.'

Far away across the desert a moving speck showed, high up in the blue
air. It grew bigger and bigger, plainly coming towards the camp. It was
as big as a moth now, now as big as a teacup, now as big as an eagle,
and----

'But it's got four legs,' said Lucy.

'Yes,' said the parrot; 'it would have, you know. It is the Hippogriff.'

It was indeed that magnificent wonder. Flying through the air with long
sweeps of his great white wings, the Hippogriff drew nearer and nearer,
bearing on his back--what?

'It's the Pretenderette,' cried Lucy, and at the same moment Philip
said, 'It's that nasty motor thing.'

It was. The Hippogriff dropped from the sky to the desert below as
softly as a butterfly alighting on a flower, and stood there in all his
gracious whiteness. And on his back was the veiled motor lady.

'So glad I've caught you up,' she said in that hateful voice of hers;
'now we can go on together.'

'I don't see what you wanted to come at all for,' said Philip
downrightly.

'Oh, _don't_ you?' she said, sitting up there on the Hippogriff with her
horrid motor veil fluttering in the breeze from the now hidden sea.
'Why, of course, I have a right to be present at all experiments. There
ought to be some responsible grown-up person to see that you really do
what you're sure to say you've done.'

'Do you mean that we're liars?' Philip asked hotly.

'I don't mean to _say_ anything about it,' the Pretenderette answered
with an unpleasant giggle, 'but a grown-up person ought to be present.'
She added something about a parcel of birds and children. And the parrot
ruffled his feathers till he looked twice his proper size.

Philip said he didn't see it.

'Oh, but _I_ do,' said the Pretenderette; 'if you fail, then it's my
turn, and I might very likely succeed the minute after you'd failed. So
we'll all go on comfortably together. _Won't_ that be nice?'

A speechless despair seemed to have fallen on the party. Nobody spoke.
The children looked blank, the dogs whined, the camel put on his
haughtiest sneer, and the parrot fidgeted in his fluffed-out feather
dress.

'Let's be starting,' said the motor lady. 'Gee-up, pony!' A shiver