“Oh, of course. I forgot,” said Sylvie. “Bruno—_Esquire_!”
“And did you come here to meet _me_, my children?” I enquired.
“You know I _said_ we’d come on Tuesday,” Sylvie explained. “Are we the proper size for common children?”
“Quite the right size for _children_,” I replied, (adding mentally “though not _common_ children, by any means!”) “But what became of the nursemaid?”
“Then it wasn’t solid, like Sylvie and you?”
“No. Oo couldn’t _touch_ it, oo know. If oo walked _at_ it, oo’d go right froo!”
“I quite expected you’d find it out, once,” said Sylvie. “Bruno ran it against a telegraph post, by accident. And it went in two halves. But you were looking the other way.”
I felt that I had indeed missed an opportunity: to witness such an event as a nursemaid going ‘in two halves’ does not occur twice in a life-time!
“When did oo guess it were Sylvie?” Bruno enquired.
“I didn’t guess it, till it _was_ Sylvie,” I said. “But how did you manage the nursemaid?”
“_Bruno_ managed it,” said Sylvie. “It’s called a Phlizz.”
“The Professor teached me how,” said Bruno. “First oo takes a lot of air——”
“Oh, _Bruno_!” Sylvie interposed. “The Professor said you weren’t to tell!”
“Indeed it’s troubling you too much, Sir! She can walk very well on the flat.”
Bruno laughed merrily as I turned hastily from side to side, looking in all directions for the speaker. “That were _me_!” he gleefully proclaimed, in his own voice.
“She can indeed walk very well on the flat,” I said. “And I think _I_ was the Flat.”
By this time we were near the Hall. “This is where my friends live,” I said. “Will you come in and have some tea with them?”
Bruno gave a little jump of joy: and Sylvie said “Yes, please. You’d like some tea, Bruno, wouldn’t you? He hasn’t tasted _tea_,” she explained to me, “since we left Outland.”
“And _that_ weren’t _good_ tea!” said Bruno. “It were so _welly_ weak!”
Lady Muriel’s smile of welcome could not _quite_ conceal the look of surprise with which she regarded my new companions.
I presented them in due form. “This is _Sylvie_, Lady Muriel. And this is _Bruno_.”
“Any surname?” she enquired, her eyes twinkling with fun.
She laughed, evidently thinking I said it in fun; and stooped to kiss the children—a salute to which _Bruno_ submitted with reluctance: _Sylvie_ returned it with interest.