It said it wanted a week's rest, and asked that it might not be disturbed.

And it hid its golden gleaming self, and nobody could find it.
So that when Wednesday afternoon brought an unexpected holiday, and every one decided to go somewhere on the carpet, the journey had to be undertaken without the Phoenix.

They were debarred from any carpet excursions in the evening by a sudden promise to mother, exacted in the agitation of parting, that they would not be out after six at night, except on Saturday, when they were to go to the bazaar, and were pledged to put on their best clothes, to wash themselves to the uttermost, and to clean their nails--not with scissors, which are scratchy and bad, but with flat-sharpened ends of wooden matches, which do no harm to any one's nails.
'Let's go and see the Lamb,' said Jane.
But every one was agreed that if they appeared suddenly in Bournemouth it would frighten mother out of her wits, if not into a fit.

So they sat on the carpet, and thought and thought and thought till they almost began to squint.
'Look here,' said Cyril, 'I know.

Please carpet, take us somewhere where we can see the Lamb and mother and no one can see us.' 'Except the Lamb,' said Jane, quickly.
And the next moment they found themselves recovering from the upside-down movement--and there they were sitting on the carpet, and the carpet was laid out over another thick soft carpet of brown pine-needles.