The Phoenix and the Carpet, E. Nesbit [good inspirational books .txt] 📗

said Uncle Reginald, “I must fly. I’ve a case in the County Court. That’s the worst of being a beastly solicitor. One can’t take the chances of life when one gets them. If only I could come with you to the Painted Hall and give you lunch at the ‘Ship’ afterwards! But, alas! it may not be.”

The uncle felt in his pocket.

“I mustn’t enjoy myself,” he said, “but that’s no reason why you shouldn’t. Here, divide this by four, and the product ought to give you some desired result. Take care of yourselves. Adieu.”

And waving a cheery farewell with his neat umbrella, the good and high-hatted uncle passed away, leaving Cyril and Anthea to exchange eloquent glances over the shining golden sovereign that lay in Cyril’s hand.

“Well!” said Anthea.

“Well!” said Cyril.

“Well!” said the Phoenix.

“Good old carpet!” said Cyril, joyously.

“It was clever of it⁠—so adequate and yet so simple,” said the Phoenix, with calm approval.

“Oh, come on home and let’s mend the carpet. I am a beast. I’d forgotten the others just for a minute,” said the conscience-stricken Anthea.

They unrolled the carpet quickly and slyly⁠—they did not want to attract public attention⁠—and the moment their feet were on the carpet Anthea wished to be at home, and instantly they were.

The kindness of their excellent uncle had made it unnecessary for them to go to such extremes as Cyril’s Etons or Anthea’s Sunday jacket for the patching of the carpet.

Anthea set to work at once to draw the edges of the broken darn together, and Cyril hastily went out and bought a large piece of the marble-patterned American oilcloth which careful housewives use to cover dressers and kitchen tables. It was the strongest thing he could think of.

Then they set to work to line the carpet throughout with the oilcloth. The nursery felt very odd and empty without the others, and Cyril did not feel so sure as he had done about their being able to “tram it” home. So he tried to help Anthea, which was very good of him, but not much use to her.

The Phoenix watched them for a time, but it was plainly growing more and more restless. It fluffed up its splendid feathers, and stood first on one gilded claw and then on the other, and at last it said⁠—

“I can bear it no longer. This suspense! My Robert⁠—who set my egg to hatch⁠—in the bosom of whose Norfolk raiment I have nestled so often and so pleasantly! I think, if you’ll excuse me⁠—”

“Yes⁠—do,” cried Anthea, “I wish we’d thought of asking you before.”

Cyril opened the window. The Phoenix flapped its sunbright wings and vanished.

“So that’s all right,” said Cyril, taking up his needle and instantly pricking his hand in a new place.

Of course I know that what you have really wanted to know about all this time is not what Anthea and Cyril did, but what happened to Jane and Robert after they fell through the carpet on to the leads of the house which was called number 705, Amersham Road.

But I had to tell you the other first. That is one of the most annoying things about stories, you cannot tell all the different parts of them at the same time.

Robert’s first remark when he found himself seated on the damp, cold, sooty leads was⁠—

“Here’s a go!”

Jane’s first act was tears.

“Dry up, Pussy; don’t be a little duffer,” said her brother, kindly, “it’ll be all right.”

And then he looked about, just as Cyril had known he would, for something to throw down, so as to attract the attention of the wayfarers far below in the street. He could not find anything. Curiously enough, there were no stones on the leads, not even a loose tile. The roof was of slate, and every single slate knew its place and kept it. But, as so often happens, in looking for one thing he found another. There was a trap-door leading down into the house.

And that trap-door was not fastened.

“Stop snivelling and come here, Jane,” he cried, encouragingly. “Lend a hand to heave this up. If we can get into the house, we might sneak down without meeting anyone, with luck. Come on.”

They heaved up the door till it stood straight up, and, as they bent to look into the hole below, the door fell back with a hollow clang on the leads behind, and with its noise was mingled a bloodcurdling scream from underneath.

“Discovered!” hissed Robert. “Oh, my cats alive!”

They were indeed discovered.

They found themselves looking down into an attic, which was also a lumber-room. It had boxes and broken chairs, old fenders and picture-frames, and rag-bags hanging from nails.

In the middle of the floor was a box, open, half full of clothes. Other clothes lay on the floor in neat piles. In the middle of the piles of clothes sat a lady, very fat indeed, with her feet sticking out straight in front of her. And it was she who had screamed, and who, in fact, was still screaming.

“Don’t!” cried Jane, “please don’t! We won’t hurt you.”

“Where are the rest of your gang?” asked the lady, stopping short in the middle of a scream.

“The others have gone on, on the wishing carpet,” said Jane truthfully.

“The wishing carpet?” said the lady.

“Yes,” said Jane, before Robert could say “You shut up!” “You must have read about it. The Phoenix is with them.”

Then the lady got up, and picking her way carefully between the piles of clothes she got to the door and through it. She shut it behind her, and the two children could hear her calling “Septimus! Septimus!” in a loud yet frightened way.

“Now,” said Robert quickly; “I’ll drop first.”

He hung by his hands and dropped through the trap-door.

“Now you. Hang by your hands. I’ll catch you. Oh, there’s no time for jaw. Drop, I say.”

Jane dropped.

Robert tried to catch her, and even before they had finished the breathless roll among the piles of clothes, which was what his catching ended in, he whispered⁠—

“We’ll hide⁠—behind those fenders