and you might be recognized, and eloped with by gypsies, so that
you should go on doing conjuring for ever and ever."

"I should take it off," said Jimmy; "it's no use going about
invisible, and people seeing us with Mabel and saying we've
eloped with her."

"Yes," said Mabel impatiently, "that would be simply silly. And,
besides, I want my ring."

"It's not yours any more than ours, anyhow," said Jimmy.

"Yes, it is," said Mabel.

"Oh, stow it!" said the weary voice of Gerald beside her. "What's
the use of jawing?"

"I want the ring," said Mabel, rather mulishly.

"Want" the words came out of the still evening air "want must be
your master. You can't have the ring. I can't get it off!"

The difficulty was not only that Gerald had got the ring on and
couldn't get it off, and was therefore invisible, but that Mabel, who
had been invisible and therefore possible to be smuggled into the
house, was now plain to be seen and impossible for smuggling
purposes.

The children would have not only to account for the apparent
absence of one of themselves, but for the obvious presence of a