THE PHOENIX AND THE CARPET

CONTENTS

1 The Egg
2 The Topless Tower
3 The Queen Cook
4 Two Bazaars
5 The Temple
6 Doing Good
7 Mews from Persia
8 The Cats, the Cow, and the Burglar
9 The Burglar's Bride
10 The Hole in the Carpet
11 The Beginning of the End
12 The End of the End




CHAPTER 1. THE EGG


It began with the day when it was almost the Fifth of November, and a
doubt arose in some breast--Robert's, I fancy--as to the quality of the
fireworks laid in for the Guy Fawkes celebration.

'They were jolly cheap,' said whoever it was, and I think it was Robert,
'and suppose they didn't go off on the night? Those Prosser kids would
have something to snigger about then.'

'The ones _I_ got are all right,' Jane said; 'I know they are, because
the man at the shop said they were worth thribble the money--'

'I'm sure thribble isn't grammar,' Anthea said.

'Of course it isn't,' said Cyril; 'one word can't be grammar all by
itself, so you needn't be so jolly clever.'

Anthea was rummaging in the corner-drawers of her mind for a very
disagreeable answer, when she remembered what a wet day it was, and how
the boys had been disappointed of that ride to London and back on the
top of the tram, which their mother had promised them as a reward for
not having once forgotten, for six whole days, to wipe their boots on
the mat when they came home from school.

So Anthea only said, 'Don't be so jolly clever yourself, Squirrel. And
the fireworks look all right, and you'll have the eightpence that your
tram fares didn't cost to-day, to buy something more with. You ought to
get a perfectly lovely Catharine wheel for eightpence.'

'I daresay,' said Cyril, coldly; 'but it's not YOUR eightpence anyhow--'