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than I have just used. Let us call him 'That' short for 'That-which-had-been Jimmy'.
"What are we to do?" whispered Mabel, awestruck; and aloud she said: "Oh, Mr. James, or
whatever you call yourself, do give me the ring." For on That's finger the fatal ring showed plain.
"Certainly not," said That firmly. "You appear to be a very grasping child."
"But what are you going to do?" Gerald asked in the flat tones of complete hopelessness.
"Your interest is very flattering," said That. "Will you tell me, or won't you, the way to the nearest
railway station?"
"No," said Gerald, "we won't."
"Then," said That, still politely, though quite plainly furious, "perhaps you'll tell me the way to the
nearest lunatic asylum?"
"Oh, no, no, no!" cried Kathleen. "You're not so bad as that."
"Perhaps not. But you are," That retorted; "if you're not lunatics you're idiots. However, I see a
gentleman ahead who is perhaps sane. In fact, I seem to recognize him." A gentleman, indeed, was now
to be seen approaching. It was the elderly Ugly-Wugly.
"Oh! don't you remember Jerry?" Kathleen cried, "and Cathy, your own Cathy Puss Cat? Dear, dear
Jimmy, don't be so silly!"
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"Little girl," said That, looking at her crossly through his spectacles, "I am sorry you have not been
better brought up." And he walked stiffly towards the Ugly-Wugly. Two hats were raised, a few words
were exchanged, and two elderly figures walked side by side down the green pine-walk, followed by
three miserable children, horrified, bewildered, alarmed, and, what is really worse than anything, quite at
their wits end.
"He wished to be rich, so of course he is," said Gerald; "he'll have money for tickets and everything.
And when the spell breaks it's sure to break, isn't it? he'll find himself somewhere awful perhaps in a
really good hotel and not know how he got there."
"I wonder how long the Ugly-Wuglies lasted," said Mabel.
"Yes," Gerald answered, "that reminds me. You two must collect the coats and things. Hide them,
anywhere you like, and we'll carry them home tomorrow if there is any tomorrow " he added darkly.
"Oh, don t!" said Kathleen, once more breathing heavily on the verge of tears: "you wouldn't think
everything could be so awful, and the sun shining like it does.
"Look here," said Gerald, "of course I must stick to Jimmy. You two must go home to Mademoiselle
and tell her Jimmy and I have gone off in the train with a gentleman say he looked like an uncle. He does
some kind of uncle. There'll be a beastly row afterwards, but it's got to be done.
"It all seems thick with lies," said Kathleen; "you don't seem to be able to get a word of truth in
edgewise hardly."
"Don't you worry," said her brother; "they aren't lies they're as true as anything else in this magic rot
we've got mixed up in. It's like telling lies in a dream; you can't help it."
"Well, all I know is I wish it would stop."
"Lot of use your wishing that is," said Gerald, exasperated. "So long. I've got to go, and you've got to
stay. If it's any comfort to you, I don't believe any of it's real: it can't be; it's too thick. Tell Mademoiselle
Jimmy and I will be back to tea. If we don't happen to be I can't help it. I can't help anything, except
perhaps Jimmy." He started to run, for the girls had lagged, and the Ugly-Wugly and That (late Jimmy)
had quickened their pace.
The girls were left looking after them.
"We've got to find these clothes," said Mabel, "simply got to. I used to want to be a heroine. It's
different when it really comes to being, isn't it?"
"Yes, very," said Kathleen. "Where shall we hide the clothes when we've got them? Not not that
passage?"
"Never!" said Mabel firmly; "we'll hide them inside the great stone dinosaurus. He's hollow."
"He comes alive in his stone," said Kathleen.
"Not in the sunshine he doesn't," Mabel told her confidently, "and not without the ring."
"There won't be any apples and books today," said Kathleen.
"No, but we'll do the babiest thing we can do the minute we get home. We'll have a dolls tea-party.
That'll make us feel as if there wasn't really any magic."
"It'll have to be a very strong tea party, then," said Kathleen doubtfully.
And now we see Gerald, a small but quite determined figure, paddling along in the soft white dust of
the sunny road, in the wake of two elderly gentlemen. His hand, in his trousers pocket, buries itself with a
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