JANE.

Ps. - If you could have a wish come true, what would you have?


Then the postman was heard blowing his horn, and Robert rushed out
in the rain to stop his cart and give him the letter. And that was
how it happened that, though all the children meant to tell their
mother about the Sand-fairy, somehow or other she never got to
know. There were other reasons why she never got to know, but
these come later.

The next day Uncle Richard came and took them all to Maidstone in
a wagonette - all except the Lamb. Uncle Richard was the very best
kind of uncle. He bought them toys at Maidstone. He took them
into a shop and let them choose exactly what they wanted, without
any restrictions about price, and no nonsense about things being
instructive. It is very wise to let children choose exactly what
they like, because they are very foolish and inexperienced, and
sometimes they will choose a really instructive thing without
meaning to. This happened to Robert, who chose, at the last
moment, and in a great hurry, a box with pictures on it of winged
bulls with men's heads and winged men with eagles' heads. He
thought there would be animals inside, the same as on the box.
When he got it home it was a Sunday puzzle about ancient Nineveh!
The others chose in haste, and were happy at leisure. Cyril had a
model engine, and the girls had two dolls, as well as a china
tea-set with forget-me-nots on it, to be 'between them'. The boys'
'between them' was bow and arrows.