the astonished Princes. "You 'old 'im quiet till I get back. Don't let 'im go woteveryou do!"
And off he went, leaping over the flower-beds. "'Orn and all!" they heard him shouting, as he darted among the laurels.
The Princes, their eyes round with surprise, gazed after his disappearing figure.
"Your gardener seems very excitable," said Florimond to Jane.
She was just about to explain that the Park Keeper was not their gardener, when a shrill voice interrupted her.
"Wait! Wait! Not so fast! My arms are nearly out of their sockets. Oh, what shall I do? There goes my scarf!"
Into the Rose Garden plunged Miss Lark, with the two dogs straining at their leads. Her hat was wobbling dangerously and her hair hung in wisps around her face.
"Oh, goodness! There they go again! Andrew! Willoughby! Do come back!"
But the dogs merely laughed. They tugged the leathers from her hands and, bounding gaily towards the Princes, they leapt up at Amor.
"Oh, Jane! Oh, Michael!" Miss Lark panted. "Do help me, please, to catch the dogs. I don't like them talking to strangers. Look at that queer boy kissing Andrew! He may have a cold and the dogs will catch it. Who
are
these children? What very odd clothes! And their hair is much too long!"
"This is Florimond," said Jane politely.
"This is Veritain," added Michael.
"And this is Amor!" said Amor, laughing, as he kissed Willoughby's nose.
"Peculiar names!" exclaimed Miss Lark. "And yet——" Her face had a puzzled expression. "I seem to have heard them before. Where can it have been? In a pantomime?"
She peered at the Princes and shook her head. "They're foreigners, without a doubt. And what have they got there—a donkey? Gracious!" She gave a shriek of surprise. "It can't be! Yes! No! Yes—it is! A Unicorn—how
wonderful!
"
She clasped her hands in ecstasy and trilled away like a lark. "Horn and all! A Unicorn! But why isn't somebody looking after it?"
"We are looking after him," said Florimond calmly.
"Nonsense! Ridiculous! Absurd! He should be in charge of responsible people. I shall go myself to the British Museum and find the Chief Professor. Andrew and Willoughby, leave that boy and come along with Mother! Quickly, quickly!" She seized the leads. "We must go at once for help!"
The two dogs exchanged a wink and dashed away at full speed.
"Oh, not so quickly as that," cried Miss Lark. "You will have me head-over-heels. Oh, dear, oh, dear—there goes my bracelet! Never mind!" she called over her shoulder, as Veritain stooped to pick it up. "Keep it! I've no time to waste!"
And off she stumbled behind the dogs with her hair and necklaces flying.
"Officer!" they heard her calling to the Policeman. "There's a Unicorn in the Rose Garden. Be sure you don't let him escape!"
"Escape?" said Amor. "But why should he want to! He'd never be happy away from us."
He smiled lovingly at Michael as the Unicorn thrust his head between them and tickled their cheeks with his mane.
"A Unicorn!" The Policeman stared. "Miss Lark's gettin' queerer and queerer!" he muttered, as he watched her fluttering down the path. "'Ere! Look where you're going, Mr. Mudge! You can't do that to the Law."
For a large fat man had bumped into him and was breathlessly hurrying by. The Policeman seized him by the arm.
"A Unicorn, the old girl said!" Mr. Mudge panted heavily.
"A Unicorn?" cried the passing strangers. "We don't believe it! We must write to
The Times!
"
"Of course, I know there's no sich thing. Somebody's having a bit of a joke." Mr. Mudge mopped his poppy cheeks. "But I thought as I'd go and see."
"Well, you go quietly," the Policeman advised him. "And treat the Law with respect."
He released Mr. Mudge's arm and strode on ahead of him.
"Come, let us go deeper into the picture," Florimond was saying. He took Jane gently by the hand and Veritain came to her other side.
"Hurry up, Michael! Let's try the swings. And then we can paddle in the Lake." Amor gave a tug to Michael's hand. "But who are
And off he went, leaping over the flower-beds. "'Orn and all!" they heard him shouting, as he darted among the laurels.
The Princes, their eyes round with surprise, gazed after his disappearing figure.
"Your gardener seems very excitable," said Florimond to Jane.
She was just about to explain that the Park Keeper was not their gardener, when a shrill voice interrupted her.
"Wait! Wait! Not so fast! My arms are nearly out of their sockets. Oh, what shall I do? There goes my scarf!"
Into the Rose Garden plunged Miss Lark, with the two dogs straining at their leads. Her hat was wobbling dangerously and her hair hung in wisps around her face.
"Oh, goodness! There they go again! Andrew! Willoughby! Do come back!"
But the dogs merely laughed. They tugged the leathers from her hands and, bounding gaily towards the Princes, they leapt up at Amor.
"Oh, Jane! Oh, Michael!" Miss Lark panted. "Do help me, please, to catch the dogs. I don't like them talking to strangers. Look at that queer boy kissing Andrew! He may have a cold and the dogs will catch it. Who
are
these children? What very odd clothes! And their hair is much too long!"
"This is Florimond," said Jane politely.
"This is Veritain," added Michael.
"And this is Amor!" said Amor, laughing, as he kissed Willoughby's nose.
"Peculiar names!" exclaimed Miss Lark. "And yet——" Her face had a puzzled expression. "I seem to have heard them before. Where can it have been? In a pantomime?"
She peered at the Princes and shook her head. "They're foreigners, without a doubt. And what have they got there—a donkey? Gracious!" She gave a shriek of surprise. "It can't be! Yes! No! Yes—it is! A Unicorn—how
wonderful!
"
She clasped her hands in ecstasy and trilled away like a lark. "Horn and all! A Unicorn! But why isn't somebody looking after it?"
"We are looking after him," said Florimond calmly.
"Nonsense! Ridiculous! Absurd! He should be in charge of responsible people. I shall go myself to the British Museum and find the Chief Professor. Andrew and Willoughby, leave that boy and come along with Mother! Quickly, quickly!" She seized the leads. "We must go at once for help!"
The two dogs exchanged a wink and dashed away at full speed.
"Oh, not so quickly as that," cried Miss Lark. "You will have me head-over-heels. Oh, dear, oh, dear—there goes my bracelet! Never mind!" she called over her shoulder, as Veritain stooped to pick it up. "Keep it! I've no time to waste!"
And off she stumbled behind the dogs with her hair and necklaces flying.
"Officer!" they heard her calling to the Policeman. "There's a Unicorn in the Rose Garden. Be sure you don't let him escape!"
"Escape?" said Amor. "But why should he want to! He'd never be happy away from us."
He smiled lovingly at Michael as the Unicorn thrust his head between them and tickled their cheeks with his mane.
"A Unicorn!" The Policeman stared. "Miss Lark's gettin' queerer and queerer!" he muttered, as he watched her fluttering down the path. "'Ere! Look where you're going, Mr. Mudge! You can't do that to the Law."
For a large fat man had bumped into him and was breathlessly hurrying by. The Policeman seized him by the arm.
"A Unicorn, the old girl said!" Mr. Mudge panted heavily.
"A Unicorn?" cried the passing strangers. "We don't believe it! We must write to
The Times!
"
"Of course, I know there's no sich thing. Somebody's having a bit of a joke." Mr. Mudge mopped his poppy cheeks. "But I thought as I'd go and see."
"Well, you go quietly," the Policeman advised him. "And treat the Law with respect."
He released Mr. Mudge's arm and strode on ahead of him.
"Come, let us go deeper into the picture," Florimond was saying. He took Jane gently by the hand and Veritain came to her other side.
"Hurry up, Michael! Let's try the swings. And then we can paddle in the Lake." Amor gave a tug to Michael's hand. "But who are
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