Five Children and It

was now no hope. Martha had brought in the dinner, and the dinner was invisible, and unfeelable too; for, when

ril felt in

cried. 'Look h

t still biscuits. Three whole ones, and a

ite forgotten,' he explained as he divided t

y, because they had been in Cyril's pocket all the morning with a ha

explaining about invisibleness and all that. How is it the biscuit

ss it's because WE had them. Nothing about us h

ould be real,' said Robert. 'Oh

uppose it isn't ours till

' said Jane, thinki

heir pockets, goose-g

any rate,

n inch from it, and kept opening and shutting

Robert in deep deje

ll

neither see nor feel it. He took another bite from the air between his fingers, and it turned into bread as he bit. The next moment all the others were following his example, and opening and shutting their mouths an inch or so from the bare-looking table. Robert

ildren all with one accord said that they would NOT have treacle on it - nor jam, nor sugar - 'J

. Robert, as captain, insisted on climbing to the top of one of the towers to reconnoitre, so up they all went. And now they could see all round the castle, and could see, too, that beyond the moat, on every side, the tents of the besieging party were pitched. Rather uncomfortable shivers ran down the chil

; 'and what a good thing the drawbridge is up

uld be up in a b

have been soldiers in it,

brave defenders were killed quite early in the siege and all the provisions eaten, and now the

fending to the death,

- and then shoot at them whe

said Anthea. 'Father showed me the holes on purpose for pouring it down th

ly a game; it IS only a g

one a

heavily' - for these swords and lances and crossbows were far too weighty even for Cyril's manly strength; and as for the longbows, none of the childr

eads. I say - there are lots of stones on the other side of the courtyard. If we took

above the gate; and another heap, a shiny spiky

said, 'May we have just biscuits for tea? We're going to play at besieged castles, and we'd like the biscuits to pr

dfuls of air, which turned to biscuit as Martha crammed it into

pour on the besiegers instead of hot lead, wit

as real deadly dangerous work. To the others, who had only seen the camp and the besiegers from a distance, the whole thing seemed half a

eep well in the courtyard, drunk out of horns. Cyril insisted on putting by

of little stone cupboard without a door, a sudden sound m

said Robert, 'and they

to the narr

ng about like ants. There's that Jakin dancing about where the brid

their tongues out at anybody. They looked at

y ARE brav

's been getting ready to be brave all the afternoon. And I wasn't

you is the bravest? I think Cyril was a perfect si

s beginning sternly, b

really, because they can't possibly get in, and if they do t

RE civilized?' asked Jane, panting. '

hy, look at the little flags on their lances, how bright they are - and how f

lances, the gleam of armour, and the bright colours of scarf and tunic - it was just like a splendid coloured picture. The trumpets

rrower than at first, and blew the longest and loudest blast they had yet heard

his voice came plainly to t

Robert bellow

ty leader Sir Wulfric de Talbot, we summon this castle to surren

ert, 'of course

r, N

answer

ate be on yo

to make more noise. One, two, three! Hip, hip, hooray! Again - Hip, hip, hooray! One more - Hip, hip, h

ss the moat - and then the beleaguered for

reat gate, and Jane took a very little courage as

readfully thin

eet on the stair outside - heavy feet and the clank of steel. No one breathed for a moment. The steel a

pping with moat-water, and he was fiddling about with the machinery which Robert felt sure worked the drawbridge. Robert banged the door suddenly, and turned the great

how the man had managed to climb up out of the water. But he saw the clinging fingers, and hit them as hard as he could with an iron bar that he caught up from the floor. The man fell wit

house, breathing hard and looking a

aid Robert - 'it won

The pavement they stood on seemed to tremble. Then a crash

'There's still the portcullis; I'm almos

the hoofs of horses and the tramp of armed men. 'Up

ickly, and under his directions began to drop stones out through the

the stone she was just going to drop

t up the sto

I'd give something for a jolly good boi

then the thundering thump of the battering-ra

ere - they're all jawing underneath again. Pity there's no time to get more stones!

; 'don't you think w

ver surrender. Oh, I'll be a soldier when I grow up - you just see i

parley,' Jane pleaded. 'I don't believe

d the pot over the nearest lead-hole, and poured. They heard a splash below, but no one

te-house - that's for when the enemy has got past the door and the portcullis, and almost all is lost. Here, hand me the pot.' He crawled o

denly stopped and went out like the snuff of a candle; the little dark room seemed to whirl round and turn topsy-turvy, and when the children came to

ng force were all gone - and there was the garden with its tangle of dahlias and mari

drew a de

bert. 'I told you so! And, I sa

w I wished for a ca

lowly. 'But I wouldn't wish for i

!' said Jane unexpectedly.

was beginning, but

ittle scrap of a row about this. Nobody's raging downstairs, we're safe and sound, we've had an awfully jolly day - at least, not jolly exactly, but you know what

pened suddenly

g up to some doggery! A person can't take a breath of air on the front doorstep but you must be emptying the wash-hand jug on to their heads! Off you go to bed, the lot of you, and try to get

not their faults. You can't help it if you are pouring water on a besieging foe, and your castle suddenly changes int

er didn't change into not

d over.' 'I expect the castle well was the same as ours in

good to be true. Come on, Bobs, my military hero. If we lick into bed sharp she won't be

tle won't come creeping bac

will - not in the night, but in a minute. Here, turn

Talbot,' said Jane dreamily, 'if he could have kno

- frightfully. Do stand still - you're