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Excerpts

Contents

To the Reader

1. The Birthday Treat
In which Peter looks forward to his birthday treat and subsequently argues with his father

2. Peter Misses an Important Telephone Call
In which Peter makes the acquaintance of the Dyer family and a hair-raising encounter with a Van de Graaff generator triggers an extraordinary chain of events

3. The Three-Cornered Hat
In which Peter finds himself in a puzzling and precarious predicament

4. The Howl of a Wolf
In which the police and Kate come to some conclusions about their predicament and the children spend the night in a birch wood

5. A Breakfast of Grilled Trout
In which Peter goes fishing and Kate gives her companion a fright

6. Lost in Time
In which Peter and Kate discover that their troubles have only just begun

7. The Hospitality of the Honorable Mrs. Byng
In which Peter and Kate make the acquaintance of the Byng family and Peter demonstrates his soccer skills

8. The Tar Man's Tale
In which Peter and Kate plant a cedar of Lebanon and Gideon tells the story of the Tar Man

9. The Journey Begins
In which the redoubtable Parson Ledbury insults Gideon and the company sets off for London

10. Attack!
In which Dr. Dyer meets the NASA scientists and the travelers make an unwelcome acquaintance

11. Lord Luxon's Tragedy
In which Detective Inspector Wheeler's suspicions are aroused and Gideon recounts how he met Lord Luxon

12. A Parliament of Rooks
In which Detective Inspector Wheeler is perturbed by a photograph, Kate talks to a famous scientist, and Peter sees something very shocking

13. Pandora's Box
In which Dr. Pirretti shows her true colors and Gideon tells the story of his namesake

14. Gideon's Strategem
In which the parson preaches a curious sermon and the party shows their bottom

15. A Pact Made in Blood
In which Inspector Wheeler goes on the warpath, Peter and Kate make a solemn promise, and London exposes some of its attractions and its dangers

16. Two Covent Gardens
In which the children finally make the acquaintance of the Tar Man at the Black Lion Tavern and then disrupt a juggler's street show

17. Queen Charlotte's Promise
In which Inspector Wheeler's exchange with Dr. Pirretti takes an unexpected turn, George III lays his hands on Jack, and Kate resorts to desperate measures

18. Into the Net
In which the children answer some difficult questions and Gideon walks into Lord Luxon's net

19. A Race Against Time
In which the parson insults some macaronies and displays his knowledge of horseflesh, and Gideon rides against the Tar Man

20. Newgate
In which Gideon languishes in Newgate prison, the children meet a famous author, and a chance meeting leaves Kate overjoyed

21. The Straw Men
In which Dr. Dyer explains the disappearance of the antigravity machine, and Gideon's situation goes from bad to worse

22. Tyburn
In which the party gathers at Tyburn, the Tar Man makes an unexpected appearance, and this story comes to an end

Author's Note

Acknowledgments