re you alone?" said the hollow voice of Mr. Sagittarius.

"Quite, quite alone," said the Prophet, reassuringly.

"It's all right, pater familias!" cried Capricornus. "He's brought all
the rashes and the first tooth and everything. I made him."

"I don't think he wanted to," added the little Corona, suddenly
developing malice.

"I've taken this long journey, Mr. Sagittarius," said the Prophet,
with a remnant of self-respect, "at your special request. Am I to be
permitted to come in?"

"If you're sure you're quite alone," returned the sage, showing a
slightly enlarged segment of face.

"I am quite sure--positive!"

At this the door was opened just sufficiently to admit the passage of
one thin person at a time, and, in single file, the Prophet, Corona and
Capricornus passed into the lodge.

CHAPTER XV

THE PROPHET CREATES A DIVERSION AT HIS OWN EXPENSE

On stepping into a small vestibule, paved with black and white lozenges,
and fitted up with an iron umbrella stand, a Moorish lamp and a large
yellow china pug dog, the Prophet found himself at once faced by Mr.
Sagittarius, whose pallid countenance, nervous eye and suspicious
demeanour plainly proclaimed him to be, as he had stated, very rightly
and properly going about in fear of his life.

"Go to the schoolroom, my darlings," he whispered to his children. "Why,
what have you there?"

"Choclets," said Capricornus.

"From the pretty lady, mulius pulchrum," added the little Corona.

"Who is a mulibus pulchrum, my love?" asked Mr. Sagittarius, before
Capricornus had time to correct his sister's Latin.

"It was Miss Minerva," said the Prophet. "We happened to meet her."

"Indeed, sir. Run away, my pretties, and don't eat more than one each,
or mater familias will not approve."

Then, as the little ones disappeared into the shadows of the region
above, he added to the Prophet,--

"You've nearly been the death of Madame, sir."

"I'm sure I'm very sorry," said the Prophet.

"Sorrow is no salve, sir, no salve at all. Were it not for her books I
fear we might have lost her."

"Good gracious!"

"Mercifully her books have comforted her. She is resting among them now.
Madame is possessed of a magnificent library, sir, encyclopaedic in its
scope and cosmopolitan in its point of view. In it are represented every
age and every race since the dawn of letters; thousands upon thousands
of authors, sir, Rabelais and Dean Farrar, Lamb and the Hindoos,
Mettlel