Sylvie and Bruno (Illustrated) — Part 102

And at last the Professor opened his eyes, and sat up, blinking at us with eyes of utter bewilderment. “Would you have the kindness to mention,” he said, addressing me with his usual old-fashioned courtesy, “whereabouts we are just now—and _who_ we are, beginning with me?”

I thought it best to begin with the children. “This is Sylvie, Sir; and _this_ is Bruno.”

“Ah, yes! I know _them_ well enough!” the old man murmured. “It’s _myself_ I’m most anxious about. And perhaps you’ll be good enough to mention, at the same time, how I got here?”

“A harder problem occurs to _me_,” I ventured to say: “and that is, how you’re to get back again.”

“True, true!” the Professor replied. “That’s _the_ Problem, no doubt. Viewed _as_ a Problem, outside of oneself, it is a _most_ interesting one. Viewed as a portion of one’s own biography, it is, I must admit, very distressing!” He groaned, but instantly added, with a chuckle, “As to _myself_, I think you mentioned that I am——”

“Oo’re the _Professor_!” Bruno shouted in his ear. “Didn’t oo know _that_? Oo’ve come from _Outland_! And it’s _ever_ so far away from here!”

The Professor leapt to his feet with the agility of a boy. “Then there’s no time to lose!” he exclaimed anxiously. “I’ll just ask this guileless peasant, with his brace of buckets that contain (apparently) water, if he’ll be so kind as to direct us. Guileless peasant!” he proceeded in a louder voice. “Would you tell us the way to Outland?”

The guileless peasant turned with a sheepish grin. “Hey?” was all he said.

“The—way—to—Outland!” the Professor repeated.

The guileless peasant set down his buckets and considered. “Ah dunnot——”

“I ought to mention,” the Professor hastily put in, “that whatever you say will be used in evidence against you.”

The guileless peasant instantly resumed his buckets. “Then ah says nowt!” he answered briskly, and walked away at a great pace.

The children gazed sadly at the rapidly vanishing figure. “He goes very quick!” the Professor said with a sigh. “But I _know_ that was the right thing to say. I’ve studied your English Laws. However, let’s ask this next man that’s coming. He is _not_ guileless, and he is _not_ a peasant—but I don’t know that either point is of vital importance.”