“And is Hugh there?” called a distant voice.
“Yes, he’s dead. But he’s a voice from the tomb, and he’s telling us a story.”
“Well, five minutes more,” called the distant voice.
“Thank you, darling mummy!” shrieked Daisy.
“Oh, you little liar!” said Hugh.
“Well, but I said you were telling us a story because you were just going to. Weren’t you?”
“That’s no reason why you should tell mummy a story,” said he.
“Oh, then make it true! Do tell us a story!”
Chopimalive sat down heavily on the middle portion of the tomb, and the corpse gave a short, involuntary grunt.
“Oh, Hughie, just a short one!” he said. “We’ve got to go to bed. Do people go to bed later and later as they get older?”