by Joan Aiken
"Oh dear," said Mr. Dunnage. "That looks like the sword that was stuck in the table. But how in the world did that bird get hold of it?"
"Well now, indeed," said Professor Lloyd-Williams, "that certainly does look like the sword Excalibur; for a bardic description says that it was 'longer than three men's arms, with a three-edged blade, and three red rubies in the hilt.'"
"There's only one red stone," pointed out Mr. Dunnage.
"The others might have fallen out," said the professor. "And the bird, no doubt, is one of the Ravens of Owain, who were supposed to have set upon King Arthur's warriors in battle—"
"How the deuce are we going to get the sword away from the bird?" said Mr. Dunnage.
Dick Otter, coming up to the two men, said, "Oh, sir, if the sword really is King Arthur's sword Excalibur, can you say what it would be worth?"
"How can I tell?" said Professor Lloyd-Williams. "It is unique. Perhaps a hundred thousand pounds. Perhaps a million."
At this moment Arabel discovered where Mortimer had got to and, standing by one of the plane trees to which the rope was tied, she called, "Mortimer! Mortimer? Please, I think you had better come down from there!"
By now Mortimer had walked about halfway across the rope, but he wasn't as good at balancing as Sandy, and he had been swaying about quite a lot. Arabel's voice distracted him, and he now toppled right off the rope, letting go of the sword, which fell point downward, stuck into the ground, and broke into four pieces.
A terrible wail went up from the professor and Mr. Dunnage.
"Oh! The sword Excalibur!" They rushed forward to rescue the bits of sword.
Mortimer hoisted himself irritably up from the grass, and looked round for Arabel. In the general excitement over the broken sword, she was able to pick him up and carry him off toward the garden gate.
"I think perhaps we'd better go home, Mortimer," she said. "Perhaps we can get a policeman to see us across the road."
However, just as they reached the entrance, they saw her father, Mr. Jones, who had taken an hour off from taxi driving to come home for his tea.
"Hello, Arabel dearie," he said. "Your ma's sent me to fetch you. And you'd best be ever such a good quiet girl at tea—and Mortimer, too, if he can—because she's terribly put out."
"Why is Ma put out, Pa?" asked Arabel, as they crossed the pavement and went through their front gate.
"Because Granny Jones phoned to say she's got a sore throat and she's not coming after all. Seems your ma had just finished making you a pink dress."
Arabel was sorry that Granny Jones was not coming, but very glad that she did not have to wear the pink dress.
"It's lucky Ma doesn't know about your driving the LawnSabre, Mortimer," she said, as she went up to the bathroom to wash her hands before tea. "I don't think she'd have liked that."
"Kaaark," said Mortimer, who had almost forgotten about the LawnSabre, and was thinking about jam tarts, hoping very much there would be some for tea. He lifted one of his wings, which felt fidgety, and shook it. Out from under his wing fell the red shining stone from the hilt of King Arthur's sword. It dropped into the washbasin, rolled around with the soapy water, and went down the plughole.
