THE WIZARD AT HOME
"How do you do?" said the Wizard, as if he remembered he had forgotten
to ask. The Twins shyly shook hands with him and said they were quite
well, thank him. They didn't want to a bit, but he seemed to expect it.
"Let's talk matters over," he added with a smile. It was such a winning
smile that the children began to feel less uncomfortable. "You're not
always quite content, I believe," and he rubbed his hands cheerfully
together. "That mother of yours interferes rather too much, eh?" With a
rapid movement he pushed his spectacles away on to the top of his bumpy
baldness, revealing a pair of small eyes with a red, slumbering glow in
them.
As Cyril didn't reply Dulcie ventured to remark, "If you please, my
brother thinks she says 'don't' too often."
"But how do you know that?" interrupted Cyril, who, though surprised,
took a more practical view of the situation.
"Because," slowly replied the Wizard, taking off his spectacles and
scratching his big nose with them--"because I was an optician in my
youth and made these glasses, through which I have only to look to see
people as they really are and not what they appear to be. ["How clever!"
broke in Dulcie under her breath.] I found out at a glance that you are
discontented with your lot, and prefer to be free. You are tired of
control, eh? Isn't that the state of Home Affairs?"
"Yes," said Cyril, once more full of his wrongs. "It's only children who
are not allowed to do what they want. Grown-ups do as they like; so does
our dog; he goes out and comes in when he likes, eats when he wants,
leaves what he likes--or rather, what he doesn't like; so does our cat.
You see," he continued, growing quite chummy, "we are never allowed to
do this, that, and the other, like other people--animals, I mean--and
they are free and happy, and they needn't bother with lessons. It's so
stupid being a child!" he concluded plaintively, and Dulcie nodded a
similar opinion.
"Just as I thought. Well, I shouldn't put up with it if I were you,"
replied their new friend, smiling again, and scratching his nose with
his spectacles in his thoughtful, insinuating manner. "I should advise
you to go your own way, seek your own fortunes, and find your own
happiness for yourselves. We must see what we can do to help you to
freedom. Eh?"
The little guests did not think to thank him, for their eyes had begun
to roam with curiosity over the strange things that were all about. The
cave dwelling was queerly furnished, if it could be called furniture.
There were animals of all sizes and shapes, standing around stuffed,
staring, and immovable. Snakes, fish, small birds; an elephant just like
life standing rigidly next to a number of grinning stuffed monkeys;
while a crocodile with open jaws looked snaps at a startled fawn with
wide-set eyes. It was like a frozen Zoological Gardens.
"Once upon a time," remarked the Wizard, following the children's source
of interest, "all those poor creatures were children like you. Ah! their
end was sad, very sad; very sad indeed!"
The Twins didn't like that remark at all, nor did they relish the
winning smile this time that accompanied it. Then bursting out laughing
he exclaimed--
"Now I'll show you something funny," and he brought out from a corner
what looked like a cinematograph. "Look!" he said as he touched a spring
and set it going.
There was a hissing sound, and the gloom at the end of the cave passed
away, and there marched along in living procession all the inhabitants
of their Noah's Ark.
Dulcie and Cyril were transfixed with delight at this charming
entertainment.
[Illustration: _"All those poor creatures were children"_]
"And we don't pay anything to come in!" remarked Cyril softly to his
sister. "It can't pay him. They're all going in for safety, you see--all
the birds, all the beasts----"
"Where are the fishes?" anxiously interrupted his little sister in a
whisper.
"Don't be such a Billy," retorted Cyril with a frown; "the fishes are
used to being drowned."
After Noah went into the Ark and had shut the door, the gloom
reappeared. The show was over.
"That's a little idea of my own," remarked the Wizard as he put the
machine away. "Amusing, isn't it?"
The Twins nodded. Then he invited the children to look through a hole in
the wall of the cave, and they saw a small room.
"That's my hospitable bedroom," he said, "that I've endowed myself with.
When I'm down in the mumps from being crouped up here so long, I go
there and wrap myself up in thoughts all nice and smug. It is fitted
with the epileptic light, rheumatic bells, and all the latest
infections.
"Now, what were we talking about before? Ah yes! My inventions. None of
your modern up-to-date rubbish, only inventions of the future for me.
None of your wireless telephony and wireless telegraphy for me. Listen
to this." He called out--
"Number A. 1. Sea Power! Have you been successful in that last little
financial venture, Sire?"
There were rushing sounds, as of waves, at the far end of the cave, and
a muffled voice replied--
"No, Cabalistic One, I have lost again. Just my luck! Dash--sh--sh--"
which resolved itself into the swish-swish of rolling surf. Then all was
quiet again.
"The reply of a friend of mine residing far away at a place called 'The
Billows,'" explained the Wizard in an offhand way. "I help him in his
little transactions, which are sometimes rather--in fact very--!" and
raising his arm he smothered a laugh in his yellow satin sleeve which
was not pleasant to hear. "I always like to laugh up there," he
explained, as the children looked surprised.
Dulcie's hand stole into her brother's and she whispered him to "Come
away, come away, do, quick, and let's go home."
"But you haven't seen any of my marvellous jewellery yet," replied their
host, as though she had spoken aloud.
"Don't be timid"--he was looking at them through those horrid spectacles
again, which laid bare all their thoughts. "You know I am only answering
that knock of yours. Had you not required an answer, there would have
been no information forthcoming. I should just like to show you these
bracelets I have here." He pushed his glasses across his baldness and
took two jewelled golden circlets out of a satchel which hung from the
cord of his gown. "Other children have taken great interest in them,"
said the Wizard slowly--"in fact have worn all the gems out. But I've
often had them done up again; and you are both welcome to them--very
welcome to them, if you like. You see, _they_ are able to inform their
wearers how to play at 'Birds, Beasts, and Fishes' _properly_."
"We know already," replied the boy and girl together, now restlessly
impatient to be gone.
[Illustration: _He took two jewelled circlets out of a satchel_]
"I don't mean that tiresome educational game you were playing when you
were waiting in because of those few drops of rain. I mean the _real_
thing--to be actually the real animals themselves in the realms of the
Birds, Beasts, and Fishes. Only in that way can children realise how
much nicer it is to be one of them, and to live a life free from the
'don'ts' and vexatious care of their elders. Ah! _Now_ you're
interested!"
The Twins were staring at him open-mouthed.
"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.
So they wandered gaily on, laughing at anything and everything in the
happiness of their escape. They _were_ happy, anyhow; happy in their
absolute freedom. And were they not in the possession, too, of the
precious bracelets which were going to lead them into all sorts of
delightful adventures as soon as they chose! They could talk of nothing
else--and babbled on of how they would cross the brook as animals, and
how they would be wiser than all the other poor creatures, by keeping a
gem in reserve and change to themselves on the other side.
Little could they guess of the troubles and adventures that awaited
them!