When they were alone Jane breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now we can get home all right,” she said.
“And leave the Psammead?” said Anthea reproachfully.
“Wait a sec. I’ve got an idea,” said Cyril. He pondered for a few moments. Then he began hammering on the heavy cedar door. It opened, and a guard put in his head.
“Look here,” Cyril interrupted, “it’s very dull for you isn’t it? Just doing nothing but guard us. Wouldn’t you like to see some magic? We’re not too proud to do it for you. Wouldn’t you like to see it?”
“Well then, you get us that monkey of ours that was taken away, and we’ll show you.”
“How do I know you’re not making game of me?” asked the soldier. “Shouldn’t wonder if you only wanted to get the creature so as to set it on me. I daresay its teeth and claws are poisonous.”
“Well, look here,” said Robert. “You see we’ve got nothing with us? You just shut the door, and open it again in five minutes, and we’ll have got a magic—oh, I don’t know—a magic flower in a pot for you.”
“If you can do that you can do anything,” said the soldier, and he went out and barred the door.
Then, of course, they held up the Amulet. They found the East by holding it up, and turning slowly till the Amulet began to grow big, walked home through it, and came back with a geranium in full scarlet flower from the staircase window of the Fitzroy Street house.
“Well!” said the soldier when he came in. “I really am—!”
“We can do much more wonderful things than that—oh, ever so much,” said Anthea persuasively, “if we only have our monkey. And here’s twopence for yourself.”
Robert explained how much simpler it was to pay money for things than to exchange them as the people were doing in the market. Later on the soldier gave the coins to his captain, who, later still, showed them to Pharaoh, who of course kept them and was much struck with the idea. That was really how coins first came to be used in Egypt. You will not believe this, I daresay, but really, if you believe the rest of the story, I don’t see why you shouldn’t believe this as well.
“I say,” said Anthea, struck by a sudden thought, “I suppose it’ll be all right about those workmen? The King won’t go back on what he said about them just because he’s angry with us?”
