one of you?" George demanded, with his mouth
full.

Taffy shook himself out of his waking dream--"I was wondering where
it goes to," he said, and nodded toward the running water.

"It goes down to Langona," said George, "and that's just a creek full
of sand, with a church right above it in a big grass meadow--the
queerest small church you ever saw. But I've heard my father tell
that hundreds of years back a big city stood there, with seven fine
churches and quays, and deep water alongside and above, so that ships
could sail right up to the ford. They came from all parts of the
world for tin and lead, and the people down in the city had nothing
to do but sit still and grow rich."

"Somebody must have worked," interrupted Honoria; "on the buildings
and all that."

"The building was done by convicts. The story is that convicts were
transported here from all over the kingdom."

"Did they live in the city?"

"No; they had a kind of camp across the creek. They dug out the
harbour too, and kept it clear of sand. You can still see the marks
of their pickaxes along the cliffs; I'll show them to you some day.
My father knows all about it, because his great-great-great-great--
grandfather (and a heap more 'greats,' I don't know how many) was the
only one saved when the city was buried."

"Was he from the city, or one of the convicts?" asked Honoria, who
had not forgiven George's assault upon her doll.

"He was a baby at the time, and couldn't remember," George answered,
with fine composure. "They say he was found high up the creek, just
where you cross it by the foot-bridge. The bridge is covered at high
water; and if you try to cross below, especially when the tide is
flowing, just you look out! Twice a day the sands become quick
there. They've swallowed scores. I'll tell you another thing:
there's a bird builds somewhere in the cliffs there--a crake, the
people call it--and they say that whenever he goes crying about the
sands, it means that a man will be drowned there."

"Rubbish! I don't believe in your city."

"Very well, then, I'll tell you something else. The fishermen have
seen it--five or six of them. You know the kind of haze that gets up
sometimes on hot days, when the sun's drawing water? They say that
if you're a mile or two out and this happens between you and Langona
Creek, you can see the city quite plain above the shore, with the
seven churches and all."

"_I_ can see it!" Taffy blurte