"These bracelets," continued the Wizard, whilst the ten catseye gems in each of them gleamed curiously as he spoke--"see--aren't they beautiful-- "THESE BRACELETS WILL EMPOWER THE WEARERS TO BECOME BIRD, BEAST, OR FISH, AT EACH WISH; TO REGAIN HIS SHAPE, OR HER SHAPE, AT WILL, AND TO LIVE IN ANY ATMOSPHERE--OR IN NONE! At every change of form a catseye will disappear and return to me. With the last wish the wonderful adventures will be over, and the shape last chosen will remain to the end of existence. All these silly animals in my dwelling came at the last to seek my help as they were dissatisfied. I did what I could, which wasn't much. Of course I don't want so many of them here," he added carelessly, scratching his nose with his glasses, "though they do help with my experiments--they do that--oh yes--but I always advise getting experience first. They somehow got to know that _as children under ten_ they could only pass _into_ my MOONLIGHT and never _out of it_; and that my faithful BROOK would not see them twice. So they came for help in their last shapes as animals. Oh!" he added, pulling himself up with evident pretence, "I helped them right enough! They should have kept a pair of catseyes--I warned them--and they might have crossed my BROOK in some other shape than their own and changed to themselves the other side. But somehow they were not fortunate enough to manage that. Some people are so thoughtless. Pray excuse me, my dears, there's some one at the knocker," and throwing the bracelets into a corner where they glittered strangely, the Wizard vanished. "Come away, do come away," implored Dulcie, plucking at her brother's sleeve. "I'm so frightened," she whimpered. "Don't touch them. Oh! I want to go home." "But, sis, you heard what he said. We can't cross his horrid brook twice whilst we are under ten. Crying won't help," replied the boy sturdily. Nevertheless, he looked terribly frightened himself, although he patted her shoulder comfortingly. "_I feel I must!_" he muttered; "besides, it's our only way out of here, and get out of here we must, and escape in some other shape." Cyril hastily picked up the bracelets, put one on his wrist and the other on Dulcie's, and taking her by the hand dragged her right into the gloomy part of the cavern farther and farther away from the hateful dwelling and its awful master. He couldn't tell where he was leading her, but he ran blindly on until at last there was daylight in the distance. And the Twins found themselves surrounded by haystacks, windmills, and other country objects. "Ah!" exclaimed Cyril with delight, "see how I've saved you, Dulcie!" "And a good job too," she replied with conviction.