Rachel gave a shriek of delight, and seizing Diana’s hand, dragged her to meet him.
“This is Diana. She’s the seventh child of the seventh child, and she was born on the seventh of May, and everything that happens to her has sevens in it, and she has dreams, and—” Rachel tripped over her words in her excitement, and Mr. Sheston laughed.
“Your Aunt Hester told me to walk up,” he said in an ordinary everyday voice. “So this is Diana? How do you do, Diana?” He shook hands with her, and turned to Rachel. “I came to see whether you felt inclined for the Museum this afternoon. But as you have a friend with you—perhaps another time?”
Diana gave a little gasp, and grew very pink, but seemed too shy to speak.
But Rachel, who had seen a twinkle in Mr. Sheston’s eyes, laughed happily.
“It’s just what Diana wants more than anything. Oh, do let’s put on our things at once.”
She was running to the door when the old gentleman stopped her.
“Plenty of time. Plenty of time,” he said quietly. “Haven’t you yet learnt that ‘time’ is as ‘magic’ as most other things? What have you two been talking about?”
The children glanced at one another.
“I was telling her all about it,” said Rachel. “About the Pyramid, you know, and Babylon, and the statue at Rhodes. I wouldn’t have told anyone else, but when I found that she was a ‘seven’ girl too——”