Chapter 7 THE MAGIC BRACELETS

"How nice it is to be one's very own self again!" observed Dulcie contentedly. "I don't think I told you, Cyril, that a star-fish stared so rudely at me and said something about 'a Winking, Blinking, silly Periwinkle,' which upset me very much at the time, but now it does seem absurd," and she laughed. Then she told of her escape from the net, and Cyril got very excited at her imprisonment within it, remarking it was a jolly good thing her last catseye had proved all right or she would have remained a Periwinkle for ever.

"Oh, Cyril!" she exclaimed, catching her breath, "I never thought of that-was it my last? That idea never came to me in the net; I never thought at the time to see how many were left. Why! Wherever is my bracelet!"

"I say! Where's mine?" cried Cyril.

The Magic Bracelets were gone.

The children looked at one another, aghast.

"I remember now," she exclaimed in awe-struck tones, "wishing to be a crab so as to keep you company, and know the mystery, and I was too miserable to think about the real Wishes-and never noticed or thought about not having changed-and oh! if I had happened to have one catseye only, I should have changed into a horrid crab and remained one for really ever and ever!"

"Oh, bother. What's the good of going on like that, Sis?" said her brother impatiently, for her voice verged very near a whimper. "Much better smile and thank your stars you're only a girl. Now what shall we do? You suggest something, Dulcie."

"Go home," was her prompt reply, wistfully and not without anxiety.

"Yes, but it's all very well to say 'Go home'; the only way back must be the way we came, and you know what that means; even if we can find it."

From Dulcie's looks she evidently didn't relish the prospect. The very idea of the Wizard made her tremble.

"I must say," continued her brother, "I don't know how we're going to manage it. We can't, so he said, cross the Brook-and you could see he meant it. So it's impossible, unless we roam about till we grow older, and then we shouldn't know the exact date when we leave off being children under ten."

"We shouldn't know the date at all," said Dulcie disconsolately; "we don't even know what time it is now."

"It feels like tea-time," remarked Cyril.

"Oh no, the sun's too hot for that."

"Let's go through our changes and see if we can make it all out," said Cyril; "that's the first thing to do."

They went carefully through their various experiences from the beginning.

"I counted there were ten in each bracelet, so we ought each to have five catseyes left, instead of none and no bracelets at all!" he concluded miserably. And they were both full of trouble. But soon, Dulcie exclaimed-

"Why, we are Billies! We must count five more for getting back each time into our own shapes."

Of course, there had been the mistake, and the fact being brought to light proved a great relief.

"Still," said Cyril, "we ought to have been more careful, and saved two for the end; then we could have crossed the Brook as animals or something and taken our own shapes again on the other side, as we'd made up our minds to do."

"Ah, but perhaps we shouldn't have had the power on the other side," remarked his sister.

That was a new view of the case. The children were perplexed.

"Anyway, we're in a nice fix," replied Cyril.

Then they decided it was no use stopping there, especially as Cyril said he wanted his tea badly-so the only thing was to find their way back, and try and dodge the Wizard if they could. They wandered off, not particularly hopeful, and very nervous. Cyril thought he should know the way once they found the Bird-Fairy's glade. Dulcie took his arm, and they walked on in silence, which she broke at last.

"I wish some one would come and take care of us!"

"I wish some one would bring me my tea!" said her brother.

"I wish some one would come and tell us what to do!" sighed Dulcie, who had begun to find out that it was of no use relying absolutely on Cyril any more. "If only we were at home!"

"I'll try to take you there, so cheer up, do," answered the boy sturdily.

The sea breezes were gone. The Twins had reached the Jungle. To give themselves courage he whistled "Rule Britannia" and she hummed it, but held his arm very tight, and every now and then looked furtively around. There was no sight or sound of anything living. Nevertheless, they hurried on, until they broke into a smart run, and ran, and ran.... They halted abruptly. Cyril hadn't the slightest idea whereabouts they were, or which direction to take. It was no use asking Dulcie if she remembered; she only shook her head disconsolately. When they fled from the Jungle before, they had been far too scared to notice anything at all in the way of landmarks.

"We've got to get out of this and reach the Town," observed the boy thoughtfully; "and then we've got to get to the back of the cave."

"But, Cyril, you've forgotten that after the Town comes the Wood, and then that horrid place."

"So I have. Well, it's quite impossible, that's all-out and out impossible." His face was growing very red.

"Don't you remember, Cyril, my saying how gloomy this place looked when we entered it the first time? Well, it looks gloomy enough here for anything, so it may turn out all right, and after all, we may be near to where we entered. Come along-it really does seem brighter over there. The Town may be quite close."

It certainly was brighter beyond. But no streets were there. Instead, to their bewilderment, the little travellers found themselves already in the daisy glade once more. They were positively in the beautiful Wood again. The first object that caught their eye was something white. It was Cyril's lost handkerchief which Dulcie picked up-it was a brand new one-and tucked it in his pocket at once.

"I say, isn't it curious how I've brought you back so easily?" remarked her brother.

"It must be some short cut you found-by accident," replied his sister decisively. And that settled that. In the absolute silence which had reigned around, a peculiar rustling now attracted their attention. Dulcie hung back, and Cyril held her hand as he advanced cautiously. They came to a sudden standstill as, from a clump of trees, a tall figure in a yellow satin gown emerged and confronted them.

"Pray walk in!" said the Wizard, and taking the boy and girl by a hand he led them-not through the Wood and along the country road-but somehow straight through the back entrance into his Cave Dwelling.

"I'm so pleased to see you again," remarked their host, smiling as he took off his spectacles and scratched his nose with them. "I see you've not found freedom yet! Ha, ha! Pray make yourselves quite at home."

Out of his satchel he drew forth the two bracelets in which were no catseyes.

"Used them quite all, I see!" he remarked blandly. "These others, poor things, thought they could change back the other side of my domain!" And the Wizard laughed most unpleasantly loud-just like his knocker.

"Please, sir," ventured Dulcie coaxingly after his hilarity was over-"please, sir, do let us go home."

"But your brother-I'm sure he wouldn't be satisfied."

"Indeed I would," said Cyril.

"Tush! Nonsense!" exclaimed the Wizard. "I never say 'Don't' here-so you are going to live with me and be oh so happy and free! free to do everything I tell you. You would have been more useful as a Crab. But now you shall both tend my little Zoological Collection-they are not always so still, oh no! You shall help me do my tricks. You shall help me ruin that fishy old King; and help me keep that Bird-Fairy in order till she shall rue the day that she ever tried to--"

The Twins heard no more. Locked in one another's arms they had suddenly sunk down in placid slumber. The astonished Wizard stopped in his flow of eloquence. He walked round and round them. His face grew blacker and blacker, whilst the Twins slept calmly on, Dulcie's head resting peacefully on Cyril's shoulder.

"Well I'm blessed!" muttered the Wizard, "or should be if I weren't so...."

Taking the boy and girl by a hand, he led them

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