"How's your left whisker this morning?" said Anthea politely. "Nothing to boast of," said it; "it had rather a restless night. But thank you for asking." "I say," said Robert, "do you feel up to giving wishes to-day, because we very much want an extra besides the regular one? The extra's a very little one," he added reassuringly. "Humph!" said the Sand-fairy. (If you read this story aloud, please pronounce "humph" exactly as it is spelt, for that is how he said it.) "Humph! Do you know, until I heard you being disagreeable to each other just over my head, and so loud too, I really quite thought I had dreamed you all. I do have very odd dreams sometimes." "Do you?" Jane hurried to say, so as to get away from the subject of disagreeableness. "I wish," she added politely, "you'd tell us about your dreams--they must be awfully interesting"-- "Is that the day's wish?" said the Sand-fairy, yawning. Cyril muttered something about "just like a girl," and the rest stood silent. If they said "Yes," then good-bye to the other wishes they had decided to ask for. If they said "No," it would be very rude, and they had all been taught manners, and had learned a little too, which is not at all the same thing. A sigh of relief broke from all lips when the Sand-fairy said-- "If I do, I shan't have strength to give you a second wish; not even good tempers, or common-sense, or manners, or little things like that." "We don't want you to put yourself out at all about _these_ things, we can manage them quite well ourselves," said Cyril eagerly; while the others looked guiltily at each other, and wished the Fairy would not keep all on about good tempers, but give them one good scolding if it wanted to, and then have done with it. "Well," said the Psammead, putting out his long snail's eyes so suddenly that one of them nearly went into the round boy's eye of Robert, "let's have the little wish first." "We don't want the servants to notice the gifts you give us." "Are kind enough to give us," said Anthea in a whisper. "Are kind enough to give us, I mean," said Robert. The Fairy swelled himself out a bit, let his breath go, and said-- "I've done _that_ for you--it was quite easy. People don't notice things much, anyway. What's the next wish?" "We want," said Robert slowly, "to be rich beyond the dreams of something or other." "Avarice," said Jane. "So it is," said the Fairy unexpectedly. "But it won't do you much good, that's one comfort," it muttered to itself. "Come--I can't go beyond dreams, you know! How much do you want, and will you have it in gold or notes?" "Gold, please--and millions of it"-- "This gravel-pit full be enough?" said the Fairy in an off-hand manner. "Oh _yes_"-- "Then go out before I begin, or you'll be buried alive in it."