Chapter 6 THE MYSTERY OF THE CRAB

At the base of that Cliff where the wild flowers grew, the golden sands were still bathed in hot sunshine, and roughly caressed by the incoming waves. Upon the crest of one of these a Periwinkle was borne, and tossed, and flung, until it was landed high and wet on a soft bed of seaweed. But not for long-for very soon a little girl arose from that bed of seaweed, smoothed back her clinging hair, and cried out with joy as she recognised her surroundings. It was Dulcie, glad to be herself once more, and on the same beautiful sands again; and her first thought was of course for Cyril.

She was dripping wet. To wipe her face she took out her handkerchief, which of course was wet also. In order to dry it she tied it to a piece of stick; thus it could serve as a flag, too, which she could wave to attract Cyril if he were about that coast, and show him where she was.

Remembering that, according to some wiseheads, sea water kindly gives no chills, she had no fear for herself; so she lay down upon a patch of nice warm pebbles, of which she took a handful, and began idly throwing them one by one into the tide, which was running up to her feet faster than it retreated at the ebbing of the waves.

She was beginning to tire of this pastime when-plash! the last stone she threw fell plump into a sandy pool, out of which there hurried an enormous Crab. Dulcie was frightened, for the ugly creature had espied his disturber and was coming towards her at a quick amble, sideways. She turned and fled towards the Cliff, and a turn of the head showed her that her dreadful pursuer was not far behind. Up the arduous steps she climbed, stumbling every now and again in her hurry and excitement-those steps down which she had tripped so gaily with her brother. Again she turned to look behind her, this time with a feeling that here she must be safe.

But the great Crab was coming up the steps too. Flushed and gasping, she arrived at last on top of the Cliff amongst the wild flowers once more.

There, too, over the top appeared the terrifying creature. It was seemingly quite fresh, and was gaining rapidly upon her, for now she was quite tired out.

She could run no more. So poor Dulcie turned, and facing her pursuer, she cried-

"Oh, please, please go away-oh do, please!"

But the ugly Crab never lessened its pace one bit; it came nearer and nearer-so close that she could notice how it was shaking all over; and how repulsive-till-till she saw that it was wearing something glittering around its body-a band of gold with one last catseye and the others all gone. It must be Cyril. Why didn't he change? Dulcie couldn't imagine. The creature stopped motionless, and tears were dropping from its ugly eyes.

"What can be wrong?" cried Dulcie with a sob of horror and fear. But she conquered her fear now that she was persuaded it was Cyril, and she approached still closer. She stroked it-actually stroked it-and although it was just a great horrid Crab the expression it wore was heart-rending.

"It's the Wizard's trick!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Poor Cyril's last catseye won't work!" She never thought how many she still had, for she was weeping bitterly over her brother in this dreadful guise, and she could hardly wonder what the end would be, if this indeed were not the horrible end of all.

"Oh, Cyril," she sobbed, addressing it. "Oh, Cyril, how dreadfully changed you are! Whoever heard of having a crab for one's brother If only we had remained Twins all this never could have happened!" And she walked round and round it, wringing her hands in despair. But evidently the poor quaking thing was powerless to give a shred of comfort, and its whole appearance was helpless and hopeless in the extreme.

"It's no use stopping here like this," she decided at last; "we'd better go on," and not quite thinking what she was doing, she whistled to it, as she whistled to Towzer, and they moved slowly forward-Dulcie, red-eyed and dejected, and the Crab following her at a side-way amble.

The strange pair had not proceeded far when Dulcie musingly muttered-

"I wish I were a crab too, then of course I should know all that has happened!"

Strange to relate, she didn't turn into a crab, but remained a little girl as usual. She might have sought the reason of this had not a sight arrested her attention which caused her to run forward with a cry of joy. It was the sudden appearance of the Bird-Fairy, in whose outstretched hand there glistened a jewel-a catseye; but how different was its gleam to the one the poor Crab wore. "Take it," she said hurriedly in her pretty soft voice-"and listen: I have wrested it from the Wizard, whose magnetic power succeeded in recovering one unused, though he had tried for several."

She stroked it-actually stroked it

"Why did he do it?" interrupted Dulcie innocently.

"Because he wanted to confuse me, and also to add one more to his dreadful Zoological Collection. Now replace the stone quickly and give me the sham one-for it belongs to the red-haired young lady, and is stolen property."

The child busily and anxiously obeyed her directions.

"Stolen property?" repeated Dulcie in surprise.

But the Bird-Fairy had flown away and disappeared. The Crab had disappeared too. Cyril stood before her, white and trembling, and the next second his little sister was safe and snug in his arms.

For some time the Twins sat silent, huddled close together on the variegated carpet of clover, and cowslips, and poppies, and bluebells.

"That was awful!" exclaimed Dulcie at last. Cyril shivered.

"You saw the Bird-Fairy; did you hear what she said?"

"Yes, I understood what she said-I s'pose I understood 'cos she's a Fairy."

"Well, what do you think of it, Cyril?"

"I dunno; floors me completely. All I know is that I shouldn't like to go through that scare again."

"It was very kind of her, wasn't it?"

The boy nodded thoughtfully and answered-

"Yes, and I wonder why she did it!"

Now Dulcie thought of it, he looked quite dry. She felt his knees, according to her custom, after his being out in the rain-he certainly was quite dry. She said how surprised she was that he should be so.

"How did you manage it after being in the pool?" she asked.

"It must be running in the sun," he explained.

It had done the same for her, and her serge frock was none the worse for the sea water. By degrees they cheered up. They were so happy to be together again on that lovely Cliff, with the sea beyond sparkling so cheerfully in the bright light as though it wanted to share in their renewed gaiety.

"Cyril," said Dulcie, "I'm longing to hear what happened to you when we were parted so suddenly in the Ocean during that awful storm."

"All right," replied Cyril promptly. "When I looked round and found you were not on my serpentine back, I didn't know where I was when you went overboard, and therefore didn't know a bit where to search for you. I changed into a crab so as to move about in a small space and more easily for the purpose. I dodged the nets which were about-I had learned the lesson we saw given during those sports--"

"I wish I had paid more attention," sighed Dulcie.

"And was washed ashore," continued her brother, not heeding the interruption, "right into that pool where stones came whizzing around; it was rather beastly. I'm getting used to have stones shied at me, but that last one was the best aimed, and caught me a good crack on the back of my shell and nearly startled me out of it; it quite startled me out of the water. At the same moment I caught a glimpse of your handkerchief with the blue border, and of you racing off full pelt. I wished to change to myself-nothing happened. I couldn't make it out. I wished till I was red all over. Still nothing-nothing. Then I had an awful feeling that it was hopeless and I was in the Wizard's power."

"Poor Cyril!"

"Then I tore after you, shaking with fright as much as you were. I thought you were too frightened to look at me; and that you'd never do so and never recognise me."

"But I did!"

"And you saved me, dear little Sis!" Cyril had grown quite pink in the face, and was trying to keep back unmanly tears.

"Did you, too, see the Fish-King during the storm?" she interrupted, to change the subject.

"Yes. But he didn't get that ship he was after, for I stuck my huge self between him and it, and switchbacked myself when he clung to me, like one of those bucking horses, so he had no chance."

"Did he recognise you, do you think?"

"How could he? I didn't look much like the Philosopher he knew."

"How about that ship?"

"I was glad to see it right itself and drift away; the cries stopped, and the passengers pointed in my direction so excitedly."

"Perhaps they were grateful," suggested his sister.

"Or perhaps they thought it was I who had caused them to toss."

"But our host-it was scarcely fair to him."

"He didn't seem to mind. He simply dived down and disappeared."

"Now, those people," said Dulcie, "if you saw them, they must have seen you, and therefore"-with a wise look-"therefore they are sure to put you in the newspapers."

"What a lark!"

"And people who read about it are sure not to believe there was seen a real live Sea-serpent, and wearing a nose-ring, too! And then I s'pose they'll all be duffers, eh, Cyril? And it'll be called the Silly Season!"

Dulcie laughed, and Cyril laughed too, but something out at sea just then caught his eye. He jumped up excitedly and began waving his arms about frantically.

"Look! look!" he shouted.

Dulcie, kneeling by his side and shading her eyes with her hand, saw that old clump of rocks again, and upon them stood his Majesty the Fish-King waving his crown at them. The tide rose higher and higher. He made three low bows in their direction-Dulcie fluttered her handkerchief and curtsied, Cyril bowed his best-the Fish-King made a final gesture of farewell, the Twins kissed their hands; his Majesty put his crown firmly on his head with a smack, and disappeared with the rocks beneath the surging spray. And they felt they would never see him more.

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