`THEY shooked hands,' said Bruno, who was trotting atmy side, in answer to the unspoken question.

`And they looked ever so pleased!' Sylvie added from theother side.

`Well, we must get on, now, as quick as we can,' I said.`If only I knew the best way to Hunter's farm!'

`They'll be sure to know in this cottage,' said Sylvie.

`Yes, I suppose they will. Bruno, would you run in andask?'

Sylvie stopped him, laughingly, as he ran off. `Wait aminute,' she said. `I must make you visible first, you know.'

`And audible too, I suppose?' I said, as she took thejewel, that hung round her neck, and waved it over his head, and touchedhis eyes and lips with it.

`Yes,' said Sylvie: `and once, do you know, I made himaudible, and forgot to make him visible! And he went to buy some sweetiesin a shop. And the man was so frightened! A voice seemed to come out ofthe air, "Please, I want two ounces of barley-sugar drops!" And a shillingcame bang down upon the counter! And the man said "I ca'n't see you!" AndBruno said "It doosn't sinnify seeing me, so long as oo can see the shilling!"But the man said he never sold barley-sugar drops to people he couldn'tsee. So we had to -- Now, Bruno, you're ready!' And away he trotted.

Sylvie spent the time, while we were waiting for him,in making herself visible also. `It's rather awkward, you know,' she explainedto me, `when we meet people, and they can see one of us, and ca'n't seethe other!'

In a minute or two Bruno returned, looking rather disconsolate.`He'd got friends with him, and he were cross!' he said. `He asked me whoI were. And I said "I'm Bruno: who is these peoples?" And he said "One'smy half-brother, and t'other's my half-sister: and I don't want no morecompany! Go along with yer!" And I said "I ca'n't go along wizout mineself!' And I said "Oo shouldn't have bits of peoples lying about like that!It's welly untidy!" And he said "Oh, don't talk to me!" And he pushtedme outside! And he shutted the door!'

`And you never asked where Hunter's farm was?' queriedSylvie.

`Hadn't room for any questions,' said Bruno. `The roomwere so crowded.'

`Three people couldn't crowd a room,' said Sylvie.

`They did, though,' Bruno persisted. `He crowded it most.He's such a welly thick man -- so as oo couldn't knock him down.'

I failed to see the drift of Bruno's argument. `Surelyanybody could be knocked down,' I said: `thick or thin wouldn't matter.'

`Oo couldn't knock him down,' said Bruno. `He's more widethan he's high: so, when he's lying down he's more higher than when he'sstanding: so a-course oo couldn't knock him down!'

`Here's another cottage,' I said: `I'll ask the way, thistime.'

There was no need to go in, this time, as the woman wasstanding in the doorway, with a baby in her arms, talking to a respectablydressed man -- a farmer, as I guessed -- who seemed to be on his way tothe town.

`-- and when there's drink to be had,' he was saying,`he's just the worst o' the lot, is your Willie. So they tell me. He getsfairly mad wi' it!'

`I'd have given 'em the lie to their faces, a twelvemonthback!' the woman said in a broken voice. `But a' canna noo! A' canna noo!'She checked herself on catching sight of us, and hastily retreated intothe house, shutting the door after her.

`Perhaps you can tell me where Hunter's farm is?' I saidto the man, as he turned away from the house.

`I can that, Sir!' he replied with a smile. `I'm JohnHunter hissel, at your sarvice. It's nobbut half a mile further -- theonly house in sight, when you get round bend o' the road yonder. You'llfind my good woman within, if so be you've business wi' her. Or mebbe I'lldo as well?'

`Thanks,' I said. `I want to order some milk. PerhapsI had better arrange it with your wife?'

`Aye,' said the man. `She minds all that. Good day t'ye,Master -- and to your bonnie childer, as well!' And he trudged on.

`He should have said "child", not "childer",' said Bruno.`Sylvie's not a childer!'

`He meant both of us,' said Sylvie.

`No, he didn't!' Bruno persisted. `'cause he said "bonnie",oo know!'

`Well, at any rate he looked at us both,' Sylvie maintained.

`Well, then he must have seen we're not both bonnie!'Bruno retorted. `A-course I'm much uglier than oo! Didn't he mean Sylvie,Mister Sir?' he shouted over his shoulder, as he ran off.

But there was no use in replying, as he had already vanishedround the bend of the road. When we overtook him he was climbing a gate,and was gazing earnestly into the field, where a horse, a cow, and a kidwere browsing amicably together. `For its father, a Horse,' he murmuredto himself. `For its mother, a Cow. For their dear little child, a littleGoat, is the most curiousest thing I ever seen in my world!'

`Bruno's World!' I pondered. `Yes, I suppose every childhas a world of his own -- and every man, too, for the matter of that. Iwonder if that's the cause for all the misunderstanding there is in Life?'

`That must be Hunter's farm!' said Sylvie, pointing toa house on the brow of the hill, led up to by a cart-road. `There's noother farm in sight, this way; and you said we must be nearly there bythis time.'

I had thought it, while Bruno was climbing the gate, butI couldn't remember having said it. However, Sylvie was evidently in theright. `Get down, Bruno,' I said, `and open the gate for us.'

`It's a good thing we's with oo, isn't it, Mister Sir?'said Bruno, as we entered the field. `That big dog might have bited oo,if oo'd been alone! Oo needn't be flightened of it!' he whispered, clingingtight to my hand to encourage me. `It aren't fierce!'

`Fierce!' Sylvie scornfully echoed, as the dog -- a magnificentNewfoundland -- that had come galloping down the field to meet us, begancurveting round us, in gambols full of graceful beauty, and welcoming uswith short joyful barks. `Fierce! Why, it's as gentle as a lamb! It's --why, Bruno, don't you know? It's --'

`So it are!' cried Bruno, rushing forwards and throwinghis arms round its neck. `Oh, you dear dog!' And it seemed as if the twochildren would never have done hugging and stroking it.

`And how ever did he get here?' said Bruno. `Ask him,Sylvie. I doosn't know how.'

And then began an eager talk in Doggee, which of coursewas lost upon me; and I could only guess, when the beautiful creature,with a sly glance at me, whispered something in Sylvie's ear, that I wasnow the subject of conversation. Sylvie looked round laughingly.

`He asked me who you are,' she explained. `And I said"He's our friend". And he said "What's his name?" And I said "It's MisterSir". And he said "Bosh!"'

`What is "Bosh!" in Doggee,' I enquired.

`It's the same as in English,' said Sylvie. `Only, whena dog says it, it's a sort of whisper, that's half a cough and half a bark.Nero, say "Bosh!"'

And Nero, who had now begun gamboling round us again,said `Bosh!' several times; and I found that Sylvie's description of thesound was perfectly accurate.

`I wonder what's behind this long wall?' I said, as wewalked on.

`It's the Orchard,' Sylvie replied, after a consultationwith Nero. `See, there's a boy getting down off the wall, at that far corner.And now he's running away across the field. I do believe he's been stealingthe apples!'

Bruno set off after him, but returned to us in a few moments,as he had evidently no chance of overtaking the young rascal.

`I couldn't catch him!' he said. `I wiss I'd started alittle sooner. His pockets was full of apples!'

The Dog-King looked up at Sylvie, and said something inDoggee.

`Why, of course you can!' Sylvie exclaimed. `How stupidnot to think of it! Nero'll hold him for us, Bruno! But I'd better makehim invisible, first.' And she hastily got out the Magic Jewel, and beganwaving it over Nero's head, and down along his back.

`That'll do!' cried Bruno, impatiently. `After him, goodDoggie!'

`Oh, Bruno!' Sylvie exclaimed reproachfully. `You shouldn'thave sent him off so quick! I hadn't done the tail!'

Meanwhile Nero was coursing like a greyhound down thefield: so at least I concluded from all I could see of him -- the longfeathery tail, which floated like a meteor through the air -- and in avery few seconds he had come up with the little thief.

`He's got him safe, by one foot!' cried Sylvie, who waseagerly watching the chase. `Now there's no hurry, Bruno!'

So we walked, quite leisurely, down the field, to wherethe frightened lad stood. A more curious sight I had seldom seen, in allmy `eerie' experiences. Every bit of him was in violent action, exceptthe left foot, which was apparently glued to the ground -- there beingnothing visibly holding it: while, at some little distance, the long featherytail was waving gracefully from side to side, showing that Nero, at least,regarded the whole affair as nothing but a magnificent game of play.

`What's the matter with you?' I said, as gravely as Icould.

`Got the crahmp in me ahnkle!' the thief groaned in reply.`An' me fut's gone to sleep!' And he began to blubber aloud.

`Now, look here!' Bruno said in a commanding tone, gettingin front of him. `Oo've got to give up those apples!'

The lad glanced at me, but didn't seem to reckon my interferenceas worth anything. Then he glanced at Sylvie: she clearly didn't countfor very much, either. Then he took courage. `It'll take a better man thanany of yer to get 'em!' he retorted defiantly.

Sylvie stopped and patted the invisible Nero. `A littletighter!' she whispered. And a sharp yell from the ragged boy showed howpromptly the Dog-King had taken the hint.

`What's the matter now?' I said. `Is your ankle worse?'

`And it'll get worse, and worse and worse,' Bruno solemnlyassured him, `till oo gives up those apples!'

Apparently the thief was convinced of this at last, andhe sulkily began emptying his pockets of the apples. The children watchedfrom a little distance, Bruno dancing with delight at every fresh yellextracted from Nero's terrified prisoner.

`That's all,' the boy said at last.

`It isn't all!' cried Bruno. `There's three more in thatpocket!'

Another hint from Sylvie to the Dog-King--another sharpyell from the thief, now convicted of lying also--and the remaining threeapples were surrendered.

`Let him go, please,' Sylvie said in Doggee, and the ladlimped away at a great pace, stooping now and then to rub the ailing anklein fear, seemingly, that the `crahmp' might attack it again.

Bruno ran back, with his booty, to the orchard wall, andpitched the apples over it one by one. `I's welly afraid some of them'sgone under the wrong trees!' he panted, on overtaking us again.

`The wrong trees!' laughed Sylvie. `Trees ca'n't do wrong!There's no such things as wrong trees!'

`Then there's no such things as right trees neither!'cried Bruno. And Sylvie gave up the point.

`Wait a minute, please!' she said to me. `I must makeNero visible, you know!'

`No, please don't!' cried Bruno, who had by this timemounted on the Royal back, and was twisting the Royal hair into a bridle.`It'll be such fun to have him like this!'

`Well, it does look funny,' Sylvie admitted, and led theway to the farmhouse, where the farmer's wife stood, evidently much perplexedat the weird procession now approaching her. `It's summat gone wrong wi'my spectacles, I doubt!' she murmured, as she took them off, and begandiligently rubbing them with a corner of her apron.

Meanwhile Sylvie had hastily pulled Bruno down from hissteed, and had just time to make His Majesty wholly visible before thespectacles were resumed.

All was natural, now; but the good woman still lookeda little uneasy about it. `My eyesight's getting bad,' she said, `but Isee you now, my darlings! You'll give me a kiss, won't you?'

Bruno got behind me in a moment: however Sylvie put upher face, to be kissed, as representative of both, and we all went in together.