And now all eyes were turned on the Priest and the children, and the whole audience, after a moment’s breathless surprise, shouted applause. Only the lady on the other side of Rekh-marā drew back a little. She _knew_ no one had passed her, and, as she said later, over tea and cold tongue, “it was that sudden it made her flesh creep.” Rekh-marā seemed very much annoyed at the notice he was exciting. “Come out of this crowd,” he whispered to Robert. “I must talk with you apart.” “Oh, no,” Jane whispered. “I did so want to see the Mascot Moth, and the Ventriloquist.” “How did you get here?” was Robert’s return whisper. “How did you get to Egypt and to Tyre?” retorted Rekh-marā. “Come, let us leave this crowd.” “There’s no help for it, I suppose,” Robert shrugged angrily. But they all got up. “Confederates!” said a man in the row behind. “Now they go round to the back and take part in the next scene.” “I wish we did,” said Robert. “Confederate yourself!” said Cyril. And so they got away, the audience applauding to the last. In the vestibule of St George’s Hall they disguised Rekh-marā as well as they could, but even with Robert’s hat and Cyril’s Inverness cape he was too striking a figure for foot-exercise in the London streets. It had to be a cab, and it took the last, least money of all of them. They stopped the cab a few doors from home, and then the girls went in and engaged old Nurse’s attention by an account of the conjuring and a fervent entreaty for dripping-toast with their tea, leaving the front door open so that while Nurse was talking to them the boys could creep quietly in with Rekh-marā and smuggle him, unseen, up the stairs into their bedroom. When the girls came up they found the Egyptian Priest sitting on the side of Cyril’s bed, his hands on his knees, looking like a statue of a king. “Come on,” said Cyril impatiently. “He won’t begin till we’re all here. And shut the door, can’t you?” When the door was shut the Egyptian said— “My interests and yours are one.” “Very interesting,” said Cyril, “and it’ll be a jolly sight more interesting if you keep following us about in a decent country with no more clothes on than _that!_” “Peace,” said the Priest. “What is this country? and what is this _time?_” “The country’s England,” said Anthea, “and the time’s about 6,000 years later than _your_ time.” “The Amulet, then,” said the Priest, deeply thoughtful, “gives the power to move to and fro in time as well as in space?” “That’s about it,” said Cyril gruffly. “Look here, it’ll be tea-time directly. What are we to do with you?” “You have one-half of the Amulet, I the other,” said Rekh-marā. “All that is now needed is the pin to join them.” “Don’t you think it,” said Robert. “The half you’ve got is the same half as the one we’ve got.”