'I think Panther's right,' said Cyril: 'I think we are the sort of
people things do happen to. I have a sort of feeling things would
happen right enough if we could only give them a shove. It just
wants something to start it. That's all.'

'I wish they taught magic at school,' Jane sighed. 'I believe if
we could do a little magic it might make something happen.'

'I wonder how you begin?' Robert looked round the room, but he got
no ideas from the faded green curtains, or the drab Venetian
blinds, or the worn brown oil-cloth on the floor. Even the new
carpet suggested nothing, though its pattern was a very wonderful
one, and always seemed as though it were just going to make you
think of something.

'I could begin right enough,' said Anthea; 'I've read lots about
it. But I believe it's wrong in the Bible.'

'It's only wrong in the Bible because people wanted to hurt other
people. I don't see how things can be wrong unless they hurt
somebody, and we don't want to hurt anybody; and what's more, we
jolly well couldn't if we tried. Let's get the Ingoldsby Legends.
There's a thing about Abra-cadabra there,' said Cyril, yawning.
'We may as well play at magic. Let's be Knights Templars. They
were awfully gone on magic. They used to work spells or something
with a goat and a goose. Father says so.'

'Well, that's all right,' said Robert, unkindly; 'you can play the
goat right enough, and Jane knows how to be a goose.'