"Or in our pockets," said Jane, thinking of the biscuits. "Who puts mutton in their pockets, goose-girl?" said Cyril. "But I know--at any rate, I'll try it!" He leaned over the table with his face about an inch from it, and kept opening and shutting his mouth as if he were taking bites out of air. "It's no good," said Robert in deep dejection. "You'll only---- Hullo!" Cyril stood up with a grin of triumph, holding a square piece of bread in his mouth. It was quite real. Everyone saw it. It is true that, directly he bit a piece off, the rest vanished; but it was all right, because he knew he had it in his hand though he could neither see nor feel it. He took another bite from the air between his fingers, and it turned into bread as he bit. The next moment all the others were following his example, and opening and shutting their mouths an inch or so from the bare-looking table. Robert captured a slice of mutton, and--but I think I will draw a veil over the rest of this painful scene. It is enough to say that they all had enough mutton, and that when Martha came to change the plates she said she had never seen such a mess in all her born days. The pudding was, fortunately, a plain suet one, and in answer to Martha's questions the children all with one accord said that they would _not_ have molasses on it--nor jam, nor sugar--"Just plain, please," they said. Martha said, "Well, I never--what next, I wonder!" and went away. Then ensued another scene on which I will not dwell, for nobody looks nice picking up slices of suet pudding from the table in its mouth, like a dog. The great thing, after all, was that they had had dinner; and now everyone felt more courage to prepare for the attack that was to be delivered before sunset. Robert, as captain, insisted on climbing to the top of one of the towers to reconnoitre, so up they all went. And now they could see all round the castle, and could see, too, that beyond the moat, on every side, tents of the besieging party were pitched. Rather uncomfortable shivers ran down the children's backs as they saw that all the men were very busy cleaning or sharpening their arms, re-stringing their bows, and polishing their shields. A large party came along the road, with horses dragging along the great trunk of a tree; and Cyril felt quite pale, because he knew this was for a battering-ram. "What a good thing we've got a moat," he said; "and what a good thing the drawbridge is up--I should never have known how to work it." "Of course it would be up in a besieged castle." "You'd think there ought to have been soldiers in it, wouldn't you?" said Robert. "You see you don't know how long it's been besieged," said Cyril darkly; "perhaps most of the brave defenders were killed early in the siege and all the provisions eaten, and now there are only a few intrepid survivors,--that's us, and we are going to defend it to the death." "How do you begin--defending to the death, I mean?" asked Anthea.