finger made a noise upon the glass.



"If I was rich," said Gip, dabbing a finger at the Disappearing Egg,

"I'd buy myself that. And that"--which was The Crying Baby, Very Human

--and that," which was a mystery, and called, so a neat card asserted,

"Buy One and Astonish Your Friends."



"Anything," said Gip, "will disappear under one of those cones.

I have read about it in a book.



"And there, dadda, is the Vanishing Halfpenny--, only they've put it

this way up so's we can't see how it's done."



Gip, dear boy, inherits his mother's breeding, and he did not propose

to enter the shop or worry in any way; only, you know, quite unconsciously

he lugged my finger doorward, and he made his interest clear.



"That," he said, and pointed to the Magic Bottle.



"If you had that?" I said; at which promising inquiry he looked up

with a sudden radiance.



"I could show it to Jessie," he said, thoughtful as ever of others.



"It's less than a hundred days to your birthday, Gibbles," I said,

and laid my hand on the door-handle.



Gip made no answer, but his grip tightened on my finger, and so

we came into the shop.



It was no common shop this; it was a magic shop, and all the prancing

precedence Gip would have taken in the matter of mere toys was wanting.

He left the burthen of the conversation to me.



It was a little, narrow shop, not very well lit, and the door-bell

pinged again with a plaintive note as we closed it behind us.

For a moment or so we were alone and could glance about us.

There was a tiger in papier-mache on the glass case that covered

the low counter--a grave, kind-eyed tiger that waggled his head

in a methodical manner; there were several crystal spheres, a china

hand holding magic cards, a stock of magic fish-bowls in various

sizes, and an immodest magic hat that shamelessly displayed its springs.

On the floor were magic mirrors; one to draw you out long and thin,

one to swell your head and vanish your legs, and one to make you short

and fat like a draught; and while we were laughing at these the shopman,

as I suppose, came in.



At any rate, there he was behind the counter--a curious, sallow,

dark man, with one ear larger than the other and a chin like

the toe-cap of a boot.



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