There was an awful silence. Then Pharaoh spoke. “Take the sacred house of the beast from them,” he said, “and imprison all. Tonight after supper it may be our pleasure to see more magic. Guard them well, and do not torture them—yet!” “Oh, dear!” sobbed Jane, as they were led away. “I knew exactly what it would be! Oh, I wish you hadn’t!” “Shut up, silly,” said Cyril. “You know you _would_ come to Egypt. It was your own idea entirely. Shut up. It’ll be all right.” “I thought we should play ball with queens,” sobbed Jane, “and have no end of larks! And now everything’s going to be perfectly horrid!” The room they were shut up in _was_ a room, and not a dungeon, as the elder ones had feared. That, as Anthea said, was one comfort. There were paintings on the wall that at any other time would have been most interesting. And a sort of low couch, and chairs. When they were alone Jane breathed a sigh of relief. “Now we can get home all right,” she said. “And leave the Psammead?” said Anthea reproachfully. “Wait a sec. I’ve got an idea,” said Cyril. He pondered for a few moments. Then he began hammering on the heavy cedar door. It opened, and a guard put in his head. “Stop that row,” he said sternly, “or—” “Look here,” Cyril interrupted, “it’s very dull for you isn’t it? Just doing nothing but guard us. Wouldn’t you like to see some magic? We’re not too proud to do it for you. Wouldn’t you like to see it?” “I don’t mind if I do,” said the guard. “Well then, you get us that monkey of ours that was taken away, and we’ll show you.” “How do I know you’re not making game of me?” asked the soldier. “Shouldn’t wonder if you only wanted to get the creature so as to set it on me. I daresay its teeth and claws are poisonous.” “Well, look here,” said Robert. “You see we’ve got nothing with us? You just shut the door, and open it again in five minutes, and we’ll have got a magic—oh, I don’t know—a magic flower in a pot for you.” “If you can do that you can do anything,” said the soldier, and he went out and barred the door. Then, of course, they held up the Amulet. They found the East by holding it up, and turning slowly till the Amulet began to grow big, walked home through it, and came back with a geranium in full scarlet flower from the staircase window of the Fitzroy Street house. “Well!” said the soldier when he came in. “I really am—!” “We can do much more wonderful things than that—oh, ever so much,” said Anthea persuasively, “if we only have our monkey. And here’s twopence for yourself.” The soldier looked at the twopence. “What’s this?” he said.