In some such sudden, yet quite natural way, this stupendous thing they expected would come up. It would suddenly be there. Everybody, moreover, expected it. Grown-ups pretended they didn't, but they did. Catch a grown-up when he wasn't looking, and he _was_ looking. He didn't like to be caught, that's all, for as often as not he was smiling to himself, or just going to--cry. They shared, in other words, the great, common yearning of the world; only they knew they yearned, whereas the rest of the world forgets. "I think," announced Judy one day--then stopped, as though unsure of herself. "Yes?" said her Uncle encouragingly. "I think," she went on, "that the Night-Wind knows an awful lot, if only--" she stopped again. "If only," he helped her. "We," she continued. "Could," he added. "Catch it!" she finished with a gasp, then stared at him expectantly. And his answer formed the subject of conversation for fully half an hour in the bedroom later, and for a considerable time after Jackman had tucked them up and taken the candle away. They watched the shadows run across the ceiling as she went along the passage outside; they heard her steps go carefully downstairs; they waited till she had safely disappeared, for the door was ajar, and they could hear her rumbling down into the lower regions of Mrs. Horton's kitchen--and then they sat up in bed, hugged their knees, shuddered with excitement, and resumed the conversation exactly where it had been stopped. For Uncle Felix had given a marvellous double-barrelled answer. He had said, "We can." And then he had distinctly added, "We will!" CHAPTER VII IMAGINATION WAKES For the Night-Wind already had a definite position in the mythology of the Old Mill House, and since Uncle Felix had taken to reading aloud certain fancy bits from the storicalnovul he was writing at the moment, it had acquired a new importance in their minds. These fancy bits were generally scenes of action in which the Night-Wind either dropped or rose unexpectedly. He used the children as a standard. "Thank you very much, Uncle," meant failure, the imagination was not touched; but questions were an indication of success, the audience wanted further details. For he knew it was the child in his audience that enjoyed such scenes, and if Tim and Judy felt no interest, neither would Mr. and Mrs. William Smith of Peckham. To squeeze a question out of Maria raised hopes of a second edition!