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纳尼亚传奇1：魔法师的外甥(双语)
作者：C·S·路易斯
内容简介
通往隔壁房子的秘密走道其实指向一个全新的世界。 纳尼亚那里马会长出翅膀， 当能说话的野兽被唤醒充满魔法的新天地诞生。 男孩迪戈雷和女孩波莉喜欢冒险，他俩误入迪戈雷舅舅安德鲁的实验室，安德鲁是个蹩脚而自私的魔法师。为了实验自己的魔法，他利用魔法戒指把迪戈雷和波莉送 到一个神秘的树林，这里可通往各个世界。通过戒指的魔力，两个孩子又到达了一个濒死的世界恰恩城。迪戈雷出于好奇，唤醒了邪恶的女巫----简蒂丝女王。女巫曾用灭绝咒使恰恩王国变成荒凉的城市，并灭绝了那里所有的活物。她跟随两个孩子到了伦敦。安德鲁舅舅在她面前吓得直哆嗦，甘心做她的奴仆。为了不让她继续在城里为非作歹，两个孩子又把她带到另一个世界。安德鲁舅舅、马车夫和他的老马也跟随而去。在这个世界里，他们目睹狮王阿斯兰创造了万物，建立了一个全新的国度纳尼亚王国。阿斯兰任命马车夫和他的妻子作为纳尼亚王国的第一位国王和王后，并把他的老马变成飞马。迪戈雷被狮王阿斯兰派到远方的花园摘取一只苹果生命果。在那里，迪戈雷抵制住女巫简蒂丝的诱惑，把生命果带了回来。阿斯兰将苹果树种在纳尼亚的边境，以抵御女巫的侵袭。迪戈雷从这新的苹果树上得到一只生命果，和波莉一起回家，并治好了他母亲的病。
纳尼亚纪元·大事年表
元年
纳尼亚王国(Narnia) 在阿斯兰(Aslan) 的歌声中诞生，他创造了纳尼亚的星辰山川、芸芸众生，并选定某些动物成为“能言兽”。
来自另一个世界的男孩迪格雷(Digory) 和女孩波莉(Polly) 意外将毁灭世界恰恩(Charn) 的邪恶女皇简蒂丝(Jadis) 带到纳尼亚，迪格雷为弥补过错种下护卫纳尼亚疆界的苹果树，简蒂丝远避北方边境。
亚当后代弗兰克一世(Frank I) 成为纳尼亚的首位国王，他的妻子海伦(Helen) 则成为纳尼亚的首位王后。
180 年
纳尼亚国王弗兰克五世(Frank V) 最年轻的儿子柯尔(Col) 王子，带着他的追随者往南方开垦，在纳尼亚王国的南边另外建立了阿钦兰王国(Archenland)。
204 年
阿钦兰的一些逃犯穿越南边沙漠，建立卡乐门(Calormen) 王国。
300 年
卡乐门王国日渐强大，殖民统治的范围由海边一直延伸到纳尼亚西边的地区。
302 年
由于台尔马一带的卡乐门人行事十分邪恶，阿斯兰将他们变成不会说话的野兽，该地也逐渐荒芜。
纳尼亚的大风(Gale) 国王除掉了孤独群岛(The Lone Islands) 上作乱的妖龙，该地从此也成为纳尼亚的版图，以后的纳尼亚国王也就成为孤独群岛之主。
407 年
阿钦兰的欧尔文(Olvin) 国王击败南方的双头巨人皮尔(Pire)，并将其变成石头，这也就是皮尔峰(Mont Pire) 双峰的由来。
460 年
由另一个世界不知用何方式过来的一群海盗占领了台尔马地区。
570 年
月森林野兔(Moonwood the Hare) 大约生存于这一年代。
898 年
北方边境的简蒂丝以白女巫(White Witch) 的身份重返纳尼亚，自称为纳尼亚的女王，开始了白女巫统治纳尼亚的时代。
900 年
白女巫将纳尼亚变成一片冰天雪地，开始了漫无止境的严冬时期。
1000 年
来自另一个世界的四个孩子——彼得(Peter)、苏珊(Susan)、爱德蒙(Edmund)、露茜(Lucy) 来到纳尼亚，阿斯兰也再度现身，结束了纳尼亚的冬天。白女巫被击败，亚当与夏娃的后代重新执掌纳尼亚。
至尊王彼得(King Peter the Magnificent) 统治纳尼亚的年代开始了，这是纳尼亚的全盛时期。
1014 年
至尊王彼得击败纳尼亚北方的巨人族。
苏珊女王与爱德蒙国王出访南方卡乐门王国。
阿钦兰王国的伦恩国王(King Lune) 和纳尼亚共同击败来袭的卡乐门罗八达王子(Prince Rabadash)，并且找到失散多年的科奥王子(Prince Cor)。
1015 年
至尊王彼得与他的弟妹们追捕白雄鹿，在西边野林失去踪影。
1050 年
拉姆大帝(Ram the Great) 即位成为阿钦兰的国王，他是阿钦兰最伟大的君主，是科奥国王与阿拉维斯(Aravis) 王后之子。
1502 年
纳尼亚由白天鹅女王(Queen Swanwhite) 统治，她的美貌空前绝后。
1998 年
台尔马人的首领、人称“征服者”的凯斯宾一世(Caspian I) 带兵入侵， 纳尼亚从此被台尔马人占领，古代纳尼亚的走兽躲避于山林之中。
2290 年
凯斯宾十世王子(Prince Caspian X) 诞生，他是国王凯斯宾九世(Caspian IX) 之子。
国王凯斯宾九世被亲兄弟弥若兹(Miraz) 谋害，弥若兹篡位成为纳尼亚的国王。
2303 年
凯斯宾王子逃离弥若兹的掌控，在山林间聚集支持者要推翻暴政， 纳尼亚内战爆发。凯斯宾用古代圣物召来另一个世界的帮手——曾统治纳尼亚的彼得和他的弟妹，阿斯兰也重现纳尼亚，弥若兹被击败，凯斯宾十世登基为王。
2304 年
凯斯宾十世击败北方巨人族。
2306 年
凯斯宾十世搭乘“黎明踏浪号”(The Dawn Treader) 启程东航，想要找回先王派出的公爵并来到世界的尽头。
2310 年
凯斯宾十世迎娶退隐的星宿拉曼杜(Ramandu) 之女为王后。
2315 年
瑞利安王子(Prince Rilian) 诞生。
2345 年
王后被毒蛇杀害，瑞利安王子失踪。
2356 年
来自另一个世界的人类小孩尤斯塔斯(Eustace) 与姬尔(Jill) 解救了被下界女王绿女巫控制的瑞利安王子。
凯斯宾十世逝世，瑞利安即位为王。
2534 年
灯柱野林(Lantern Waste) 发生暴动，纳尼亚王国建立了三座高塔防御该区。
2555 年
无尾猿诡谲(Shift the Ape) 假借阿斯兰的名义兴风作浪，还勾结卡乐门人进军纳尼亚，纳尼亚的蒂里安国王(King Tirian) 被囚禁，纳尼亚沦陷。
尤斯塔斯与姬尔解救蒂里安国王，共同对抗入侵的卡乐门人，爆发纳尼亚的最后一战(The Last Battle)。
纳尼亚灭亡，世界末日来临。
献给 露茜·巴菲尔德
亲爱的露茜：
我把这个故事送给你，在我最初动笔时就已意识到，小女孩的成长要远远快于一本书的完成。也许等我写完这本书时，你已经过了热爱童话的年纪。更遗憾的是，等这个故事被印出来时， 你会长得更大，不再相信童话了。不过，我相信总有一天你还是会喜欢读它。我盼望着那一刻，你从书架上取下这本书，拂去尘埃， 读完它，然后跟我分享其中的故事。也许，那个时候，我可能已经衰老到耳朵聋了，听不懂你在说什么。但是，我一直都是深爱你的教父。
C.S.刘易斯
My Dear Lucy，
I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result, you’re already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall be your affectionate Godfather.
C.S.Lewis
第一章 开错了一扇门
这个故事发生在很久以前，那时你的爷爷还是个孩子。这个古老的故事之所以如此重要，是因为它讲述了最初的时候，纳尼亚王国和我们的世界之间所有的故事。
故事开始时，贝克街上还住着歇洛克?福尔摩斯，路易斯罕大道上巴斯塔布尔一家人还在寻宝。那时小男孩都会戴着伊顿领子，硬邦邦的让人觉得很不舒服。学校就更不值一提，唯一值得炫耀的是， 那时的美食好像更多一些，糖果美味且便宜，不能多说了，只会让你白流口水。那时有一个美丽的女孩住在伦敦，她叫波莉?普卢默。
那里的房子与房子之间连成一排。一天早晨，她漫步在后花园偶遇一个男孩，那时他正巧爬上墙头，她只能看到他的脸。波莉自然是很吃惊，因为隔壁邻居家这幢房子从未有孩子住过，只住着一对老兄妹——凯特利老先生和他的老妹妹。男孩子的脸是那么的脏，就像是把手放在土里玩了半天，哭鼻子之后又不小心用这双脏手擦了脸那样的邋遢。实际上，这好像也是他刚刚干的事情。
波莉说：“你好！”
男孩说：“你好，你叫什么名字？”
波莉说：“我是波莉。你呢？”
男孩回答道：“迪格雷。”
波莉说道：“我说，真是个有趣的名字。”
“波莉更可笑吧。”迪格雷说道。
波莉说：“我就笑你。”
“一点也不好笑。”男孩反抗着说。
波莉强忍着笑：“算了算了，我是来洗脸的，但现在你比我更需要洗洗，尤其是当你……”她没说出“尤其当你大哭之后”，那样确实不礼貌。
没想到迪格雷却大声地回答：“是，我是刚刚哭过，但换作是你， 你也会哭。”他的声音有些悲伤，好像并不在乎谁知道自己哭过，“如果你最初住在乡下，拥有小马，花园最边上有条河流，然而现在你却莫名地住在了这个糟糕透顶的窝里。”
听到这里，波莉立刻回击道：“伦敦可不像你所说的那样糟糕。” 但是此刻男孩异常激动，压根没听懂女孩的话语，他继续说：“如果此时你的爸爸在遥远的印度，你被迫和疯疯癫癫的舅舅和姨妈住在一起，你能高兴起来吗？而且他们要照顾你正在生病的妈妈，而且如果你的妈妈生病了，也许很快……就会死去。”他想忍住哭的表情是如此难受。
波莉赶紧低声道歉道：“啊，对不起。我并不知道这些。”她有些尴尬，真不知道该说什么，于是赶紧找了一个愉快一些的话题：
“凯特利先生是真的疯了吗？”
迪格雷回答：“或许是疯了，或许是想隐藏秘密吧。蕾迪姨妈警告过我，凯特利先生楼顶上的书房千万不能进去。可疑吧！而且， 他与蕾迪姨妈从不说话，每当吃饭时他想和我说话，蕾迪姨妈一定会阻止我们：‘安德鲁，他还只是个孩子。’或‘迪格雷一定不想知道那件事情。’，或者对我说：‘迪格雷，你不是想去花园玩会吗？’”
“他究竟试图对你说什么呢？”
“真不知道，他从未有机会对我说。对了，一天晚上，事实上就是昨晚，我去睡觉时曾经过那间阁楼的楼梯下（我并不喜欢走过那里），我确信自己听到了一声喊叫。”
“难道他把疯掉的妻子关在里面？”
“是的，和我想的一样！”
“或许，他在制造假币。”
“或许从前他是海盗，就像《金银岛》最初所描述的那样，他要躲开以前船上那些伙伴。”
波莉说：“听起来很有趣，我从不知道你们那幢房子拥有那么多有趣的事。”
迪格雷说：“对你而言是有趣，但真的住在里面就会觉得压抑。在半睡半醒之间，总能听见安德鲁舅舅小心翼翼地穿过走廊，悄悄向你靠近，可怕吧！而且他有一双那么可怕的眼睛。”
暑假刚刚开始，波莉与迪格雷就这样认识了对方。那一年他们天天在一起玩，谁也没再去海边玩。
与往年相比，那年夏天最为潮湿、阴冷，他们的探险活动只能在室内进行了。可爱的小伙伴们，在一幢大房子或那一排房子里，东藏西躲，点上一支蜡烛，就能玩得很开心。
波莉在很早就已发现，打开自己家的阁楼储藏间的小门，顺着贮水池那块黑乎乎的地方就可以小心翼翼地钻进去。这里面就像是一条长隧道，一个由一边砖墙与另一边斜屋顶组成的洞。屋顶石板的缝隙间，不时会有阳光透过来。长隧道里没有地板，窝在里面只能从这根椽子爬到那根椽子，椽子间就是泥灰，若不巧踩在泥灰上面，就会不幸地掉到下面的房间里。波莉将这块地方称为“走私者的山洞”， 她把旧包装箱和破旧的厨房椅子一股脑全搬了上来，把这些东西搭在椽子之间，形成了小小的地板。不仅如此，她还在此藏了钱箱子， 里面藏着很多她所珍爱的宝贝，有她写的小说，还有几个苹果。偶尔她还会来这里偷喝瓶姜汁啤酒，酒瓶子让这里显得更像是波莉所说的“走私者的山洞”。
迪格雷很喜欢这个“山洞”，虽然波莉绝不允许他看那本小说， 但他更期待去探险。
“我想知道这条隧道究竟有多长？它真的就只到你家房子的边上？”迪格雷问道。
波莉回答说：“我也不知道隧道会有多长，但肯定不是在屋顶那里就停止了。”
“啊，这样的话，我们可以走遍整排房子！”
“对呀！”波莉肯定地说，“哎呀！”
“怎么？”
“我们能走到其他人的屋子中！”
“那样的话，就会被人当作贼给抓起来，那可不是闹着玩。”
“不是你想的那样，我想的只是你家隔壁的房子里。”
“你指的是……？”
“就是那间空着的屋子，听爸爸说从我们住在这里起，那就从未有人住。”
迪格雷说：“我们去那里看看吧。”说这句话时，他的内心如此激动。对他而言那幢空房子空了那么久，一定隐藏着秘密。他想了很多理由，波莉其实也在想。但他们都没有说“闹鬼”这个理由，因为一旦假设如此，不去的话会显得自己很懦弱。
“那我们现在去看看那里吗？”迪格雷问。
“好。”波莉回答。
“你不愿意的话，我们就不去了。”
“只要你想去，我就跟着去。”波莉说。
“但我们怎么才知道自己刚好到了我家隔壁的房子呢？”
两个人来到储藏室，决定先在两根椽子上走一步，边走边数， 他们就知道了要走多少根椽子才是一个房间。两个孩子给两间阁楼的通道也细心地量出了四根椽子的距离，在女佣的房间量出了与储藏间一样多的椽子。这样加起来应该就等于那幢房子的总长了。走过两倍这样的长度，应该就是迪格雷家的房子。这样他们所到的任何一扇门应该都能走到空房子的阁楼上。
“我并不觉得那间房子是空的。”迪格雷说。
( 重要提示：如果书友们打不开t x t 8 0. c o m 老域名，可以通过访问t x t 8 0. c c 备用域名访问本站。 )
“那你觉得是什么样的？”
“也许有人隐藏在那里吧，天黑了他们才敢提着昏暗的灯进进出出。我们也许发现那里住着一群绝望的罪犯，并因此得到奖赏。一幢空了很久的老房子一定充满秘密，不然太不可思议了。”
“我爸爸觉得里面大概是下水道。”波莉说。
“大人总会随便找一个理由哄我们！”迪格雷说。此刻他们是在阁楼中，而不在点着蜡烛的“走私者的山洞”里，因此两个人更不会去想空房子是否会闹鬼。
当他们测出阁楼的长度，又拿出铅笔开始计算起总长。最初， 两个人的答案是不一样的，我觉得两个人就算得出同样的答案也不一定能算对。他们如此着急上路，去开始他们与众不同的探险生活。
当两个人试着从水池后钻进隧道时，波莉提醒着说：“我们不要弄出声音。”他们的手里举着蜡烛（波莉在“山洞”中藏了很多这样的蜡烛）。
通风且黑暗的隧道中积满了尘埃，两个孩子踩着椽子悄悄地前行着，偶尔会低声在彼此的耳朵边说：“看看，到你家阁楼的上面啦。” 又或者会说：“哈，走到我家的中心了。”幸运的是，两个人从未跌倒，蜡烛也从未熄灭，他们来到了有一扇小门的墙壁边，并在此停步。门的这一面没有把手也没有门闩，显然门只有让人走进去却没有走出来的设计。门上有一个衣柜上常见的挂钩，两人试着去打开它。
迪格雷问：“我去打开它吗？”
波莉回答：“只要你愿意，我就支持你。”就像她以前所说的一样。他们知道自己正处于关键时刻，但谁也不肯后退。迪格雷折腾了一番， 终于把门打开了。在那一瞬间，射出来的太阳光让他们不由地眨着眼睛。他们顺着光线，惊奇地发现这里并不是废弃的阁楼，而是一间布局很完整的屋子，但却弥漫着空寂的感觉。好奇心驱使着波莉一步步向前走去，她吹灭蜡烛，走进了这间充满奇异氛围的房间，脚步声比老鼠的还轻。
屋子看起来很像起居室，但从构造上看，确实是阁楼。墙壁摆满了架子，上面放满了书。这个夏天确实阴冷，壁炉还燃烧着温暖的火焰，高背扶手椅背对着两个孩子。波莉和扶手椅之间有一张大桌子， 上面堆满了各种东西，比如书、钢笔、墨水瓶、本子以及一台显微镜。最先吸引波莉眼球的就是一只木托盘，它闪烁着红色光泽，上面放着几只戒指。它们成对放着，黄戒指与绿戒指紧紧挨在一起，看起来与普通戒指的大小无异，却异常地明亮璀璨，闪烁着令人难以想象的美丽光芒。倘若波莉比现在再小一些的话，她一定会把它误当成糖果放进嘴巴里。
屋子里静悄悄的，以至于他们能清晰地听见钟表的滴答声。波莉发现这里并非是绝对的安静，她隐隐约约中似乎又听见了非常微弱的嗡嗡的声音。假如那时有吸尘器的话，她大概会认为这是它正在其他楼层或房间工作的声音。但波莉觉得那声音有种音乐的律动感， 非常柔和，可惜几乎微弱得听不到了。
“真好，这里竟然没有人。”波莉稍微提高了自己的声音，对迪格雷说。
迪格雷一边眨着眼睛一边说：“有什么好？这里根本不是一间空房子，我们还是趁有人进来之前赶紧离开这里吧。”他们看起来很脏很脏。
波莉指向戒指问他：“你觉得那是什么呢？”
“来这边，快点……”迪格雷还想继续说下去，但在他们眼前发生了一件奇怪的事情。火炉前的椅子开始移动，像一个舞台剧中的魔幻场景，安德鲁舅舅带着可怕的表情出现在他们眼前。而此刻他们站的地方并非是空房子，竟然是迪格雷家中那间被禁止进入的书房！ 他们张大嘴巴“啊，噢！”显然他们意识到自己犯了错误，紧张地说不出话来。他们也许早该意识到自己走得并不够远。
安德鲁舅舅高高瘦瘦的，留着一头凌乱的灰头发，刮得干净的长脸上长着一只尖鼻子和一双明亮的眼睛。
迪格雷大气也不敢出，因为安德鲁舅舅看起来比他以前所看到的都要可怕许多。最初波莉并不像迪格雷那样害怕，但很快她也充满了恐惧。因为安德鲁来到屋子里就立刻转身来到门口，关上了门， 并把它锁上了。然后他用眼睛盯着他们，微笑，露出满口牙。
他说：“正合我意，我的傻妹妹找不到你们了！”
啊！这是大人会有的反应吗？波莉怕极了。她和迪格雷向着他们进来的小门移动，可恨的是安德鲁舅舅抢先一步来到他们背后，将那扇门关上了，站在了门前。他搓着双手，手的关节“噼噼啪啪”作响。他的手指又长又白，还很漂亮。
他说：“感谢你们来到这里，我正需要两个孩子。”
波莉说：“凯特利先生，快到晚饭时间了，我必须得回家了， 求求你让我们出去，可以吗？”
“呵呵，现在可不行。我需要你们的帮助，这么好的机会。我正在做一个伟大的实验，可惜只做了一半。之前我用一只豚鼠来做实验，遗憾的是它不懂人话，我没法告诉它怎么回来。”
迪格雷说：“安德鲁舅舅，现在是晚饭时间，很快就会有人来找我们。你一定得让我们走。”
“一定？”安德鲁舅舅反问。
两个孩子互相看了一下彼此。他们很怕，不敢再说话，神色之间却流露着这样的感觉：“太可怕了。我们该怎样劝他？”
波莉说：“不然你先让我们去吃饭，吃完了就立刻回来。”
“但我不知道你们还肯不肯回来？”安德鲁舅舅的笑声显得很狡猾，但他似乎又改变了想法。
“好吧，我答应你们，”他继续说，“如果你们想走的话，就离开吧。我不能要求两个孩子会喜欢和我这样一个笨蛋待在一起。”他深深叹了口气，“你们不会明白我的孤独。算了，不说了，你们去吃饭吧。不过，走之前请允许我送你们一件礼物。你懂的，在这肮脏的破旧书房中，我并不是每天都幸运地可以碰见女孩，尤其是像你，这般迷人的年轻女孩。”
波莉想这个老头也许并没疯。
他问波莉：“你喜欢戒指吗？亲爱的。”
波莉很开心：“你指的是黄色和绿色的戒指吗，真是可爱至极！”
安德鲁舅舅说：“不，不是绿色，目前我不能把它送人。但是我可以把这枚代表我爱心的黄色戒指送给你。你来试试。”
波莉现在一点也不怕了，她相信安德鲁并不是老疯子，而那黄色的戒指也似乎充满着神奇的力量，吸引着她一步步靠近托盘。
波莉越走越近，说：“啊！我明白了，嗡嗡的声音原来是从戒指发出来的，声音越来越大了。”
“你这有趣的幻想。”安德里舅舅大笑起来，虽然声音貌似很自然，但迪格雷却从他的表情中读出可怕且贪婪的神情。
迪格雷说：“波莉，相信我！不要碰那枚戒指。”
可惜，他说得太晚了，因为波莉的手已伸出来碰到了其中一枚戒指。一瞬间，没有任何声音，没有光的闪现，没有任何话语，波莉就这样凭空消失了，屋里就只站着安德鲁舅舅和迪格雷。
第二章 迪格雷与他的舅舅
多么可怕，迪格雷在梦中也从未如此害怕过，他不由地尖叫了一下。安德鲁舅舅立刻捂住了他的嘴巴。“不能叫！”他轻轻地在迪格雷耳边说，“要知道如果你妈妈听到，她会担心的。”
事后迪格雷提起这事时说，那种引诱、威吓人的手段太卑鄙可怕了，差点就让他晕过去。不过的确他没再尖叫。
“这才乖，”安德鲁舅舅说，“也许你是无法自控吧。当你第一次看着一个人从眼前消失当然会震惊。昨天晚上，一只豚鼠消失时也吓了我一跳。”
“那时，你也尖叫了吗？”迪格雷问。
“啊，你听到了？但愿你没有跟踪我。”
“肯定不会，”迪格雷有些愤怒，“波莉究竟怎么了？”
“祝贺我吧，我亲爱的孩子，”安德鲁舅舅搓着双手，“我的实验已成功了。她已经从这个世界上消失了。”
“你对她做了什么？”
“这个……我送她去了另外的地方。”
“什么意思？”迪格雷问。
安德鲁舅舅坐下来说道：“好吧，我将告诉你一切。你听过老莱菲夫人的故事吗？”
“是那个姨妈，还是其他亲戚？”迪格雷问道。
“不全是，”安德鲁舅舅说，“她是我的教母，墙上那个就是她。”
迪格雷看过去，墙上挂着一幅褪色的照片：一位老太太头戴着没边的带式女帽。他现在想起来了，老家的一个古老抽屉里也有这样的一张头像。他还曾问妈妈那是谁，妈妈却不愿谈起。那并非一张漂亮的脸，迪格雷想，虽然单凭旧照片并不能分辨人的长相。
“那……她没有什么错吧，安德鲁舅舅？”他问。
“好吧，”安德鲁舅舅咯咯笑着说，“这决定于你把什么当成错。人类都是心胸狭窄的。到了晚年她确实非常古怪，做了许多愚蠢的事情。这就是为什么人们将她关起来了。”
“你的意思是说，她被关在了疯人院里吗？”
“不是，不是，”安德鲁舅舅显得有些吃惊，“不是那里，她只是被监禁了。”
“天！她究竟做了什么？”迪格雷说。
安德鲁舅舅说：“可怜的女人，她太不明智了，做了许多超乎寻常的事情，就说到这吧。她一直对我很好。”
“但是这些跟波莉有什么关系呢？我希望你……”
“听我说，我的孩子，”安德鲁舅舅说，“莱菲夫人在临死前被释放。最后时刻，她只想见几个人，其中就有我。你懂的，她并不喜欢那些普通的无知的人。当然，我也不喜欢。她和我喜欢同样的事物。在她临走的日子里，曾要我去家里找她，并让我在一张旧书桌隐蔽的抽屉中，拿出一个小盒子交给她。刚刚拿到盒子时，我的手指无比地痛，我知道自己握着一个很大的秘密。她将盒子递给我，并要求我发誓，一旦她死掉，就将这盒子以某种仪式完好无缺地烧了。我却没有按此去做。”
“哎，那你真令人讨厌。”迪格雷说。
“讨厌？”安德鲁舅舅显得迷惑不解。
“我明白了。你觉得男孩应遵守承诺。的确如此，我也认为这是最正确、高尚的理由。我也很欣慰你会这样做。然而事实上你却应该懂得，这些规则都是好的，但却不一定适合知识丰富的学者、思想家以及圣者。迪格雷，像我这样充满智慧的人无法忍受普通的规则， 正如我无法和普通人的喜好相同。我的孩子，我们的命运注定高贵而孤独。”
他一边叹气一边说话，看上去一本正经，显得高贵而且神秘。以至于那一瞬间，迪格雷对他谈论的美好事情信以为真了。但他想到波莉的失踪以及当时舅舅脸上的卑鄙神态，立刻悟出了他说这些话的真实意图。他对自己说：“他的意思就是，只要他希望的，他就能运用一切手段得到他想要的任何东西。”
“当然，”安德鲁舅舅说，“我很久没敢打开盒子，我明白里面也许装着很危险的东西，因为我的教母是个非凡的女人。实际上， 她是一个在这个国家中少数拥有仙人血统的凡人。据她所言，与她同代的还有两个人，一个乃公爵夫人，另一个是女魔法师。事实上， 迪格雷，你此刻正和一位有仙人教母的人谈话。还是等你老了再来回忆这些事情吧。”
“我相信她是神仙中最差的。”迪格雷想。他大声问：“但是， 波莉呢？”
“你不要总挂念她，”安德里舅舅说，“那件事有那么重要吗！ 我现在最首要的任务就是研究盒子本身，这个古老的盒子。那时我就
明白它并非源自希腊、古埃及、巴比伦、赫梯或中国，它比这些国家都还要古老。啊，当我弄清楚真相的那一天是多么伟大啊。盒子属于亚特兰蒂斯。这就意味着，它比欧洲出土的石器时代的文物还要古老几百年，但它看上去并不显得粗糙。亚特兰蒂斯从很早之前就已是个伟大的城市，拥有宫殿、庙宇和智慧的学者。
他停顿了几秒钟，好像他期待着迪格雷发问。但时钟多走一分钟， 迪格雷就讨厌舅舅多一些，所以他什么都没说。
“同时，”安德鲁舅舅继续说，“我靠其他方式也学到了许许多多的魔法，不过对孩子不适合细说那些手段。如此一来，我对盒子中所存放的东西就有了合理的猜想。通过很多实验，我将猜想缩小了范围。我不得不认识了一些非常奇怪的人，做过一些令人费解的实验， 这一切令我白发苍苍。一个人要想成为魔法师就必须要付出代价。最后我的身体垮了，但我得到了更多。因为最后，我真的有所收获。”
虽然周围不会有人偷听，他依旧倾斜着身体用耳语般的声音说着：“亚特兰蒂斯的盒子中有来自其他世界的东西，那时，我们的世界刚刚被开辟。”
“什么？”迪格雷问，他立刻对这个话题产生了兴趣。
“仅仅是土，”安德鲁舅舅说，“细柔、干净的干土。你也许会说， 穷尽一生仅得到了这些土，多么不值得。但是，当我看着它们的时候， 我小心翼翼，不去碰触，我想这每一颗尘土都来自其他世界——你懂的，我说的不是另外的星球，而是我们星球的一部分，走得远就能到达那里，那个真实的世界，拥有另一种自然，另一个宇宙，即使在这个世界你不停地走也不能达到的空间，那是一个只有用魔法才能走进的世界。啊！”安德鲁舅舅在此停顿了一下，把关节搓动得像要裂开那样响。
“我知道，”他继续说，“假如能找到对的方式，这些土将带你去它的世界。但对的方式很难寻觅。我之前的试验无一成功。我曾用豚鼠做过试验，结果一些死去了，还有一些就像炸弹般爆炸了……”
“你太残忍了。”迪格雷说，之前他曾养过一只豚鼠。
“你怎么总是打断我！”安德鲁舅舅说，“它们本来就是被用来做试验的，是我自己买的。让我想想，我说到哪里了？啊，对， 后来我终于成功地制作了一枚黄戒指。但现在也存在一个新的问题。我确定黄戒指能将每一个接触它的生物送到另外一个世界，但我却无法让它们回来跟我汇报，又有什么意义呢？”
“那它们怎么办？”迪格雷说，“它们将陷入困境，假如无法回来的话！”
“你总看到事情不好的一面，”安德里舅舅不耐烦地说道，“难道你不觉得这是伟大的试验？我送它们去那里，完全是为了想了解那里的一切。”
“那你为什么不自己去呢？”
听到这个简单的问题，迪格雷从未见过舅舅会如此惊讶、如此生气。“你在说我？”他大声地叫喊，“你疯了吗！我已经那么老了， 身体如此糟糕，如果被突然抛进另一个世界，能忍受得住剧烈震动的危险吗？我一辈子从未听过如此荒谬的事，你意识到自己在说什么吗？想一下另一个世界意味着什么，你也许会遇到任何事情——任何事情。”
“我想你肯定把波莉送到了那里。”迪格雷说，他如此生气以至于满脸通红。他继续说：“你虽然是我舅舅，我也要说，你的行为就像是一个胆小鬼，把人家女孩送到连你自己都害怕的地方。”
“请安静！”安德鲁舅舅用手支撑在桌子上说，“你一个脏脏的小男孩竟然对我如此无礼。你不会理解我。我是杰出的学者、魔法师和专家，正在做一项试验，必然需要试验品。上帝，你难道要告诉我， 在用豚鼠做试验之前应得到它们的允许。得到智慧必然要做出牺牲。但如果让我做试验品就显得可笑了，就如同让一个将军像士兵那样去打仗，假设我在中途被杀，我伟大的试验将怎么办？”
“好吧，不要啰唆地训我了，”迪格雷说，“你还打算带波莉回来吗？”
“你刚刚粗鲁打断我时，我就想对你说，”安德鲁舅舅说，“最终我找到了回来的方法。绿戒指就可以带她回来。”
“波莉没那枚绿戒指。”
“是啊。”安德鲁舅舅隐蔽地一笑。
“那就是她没有办法回来了，”迪格雷大声喊道，“这和谋杀完全一样。”
“她可以回来，”安德鲁舅舅说，“假如有人肯戴上黄戒指去找她， 随身携带两枚绿戒指，一枚留给自己，一枚给她。”
迪格雷这才意识到自己被骗了，他张大嘴巴望向安德鲁舅舅。他的脸色变得非常苍白。
“我希望，”安德鲁舅舅大声喊道，那一刻他就像个正直且慷慨的舅舅，曾给过别人一笔丰厚的奖赏或真心的忠言般，“我希望迪格雷不会示弱。一想到如果我们的家人没有强大的责任心与正义去救助正处于困难中的女人，我就感到难过。”
“闭嘴！”迪格雷说，“假如你还有点责任心和正义感的话， 你早就去了，但你不会去的。好吧，我必须自己去。你真是个卑鄙的人。我知道这一切都是你策划的，让她莫名其妙地消失了。现在我也不得不去那里找她。”
“你猜对了。”安德鲁舅舅阴笑道。
“好的，我去。但去之前我要表明态度。过去，我一直不信魔法， 今天我终于信了。我想那些古老的神话应该也有几分真实。你就是那些故事中无恶不作的魔法师。至今我还未读过你这样的人能逃脱惩罚的结局的故事。我敢说你迟早也会有这一天，报应早晚会应验。”
迪格雷一口气说了很多，这段话最伤人，让安德鲁舅舅大吃一惊。他虽然残忍，但脸上流露的恐惧，让他看上去可怜兮兮的。不过这种恐惧的神色瞬间就消失了，他开始咯咯大笑地说：“哎，对于扎在女人堆里长大的你而言，有这样的想法是很正常的。你说的是老女人讲的故事吧？这个你不必为我担心，迪格雷，多担心下你的小伙伴是不是更合适？她已经去了很长时间，在那边有危险的话，你迟去一秒都会造成遗憾。”
“你想得真周到，”迪格雷有些愤怒地说道，“我已经厌烦这些了， 我该怎么做？”
“你真该去学学如何控制脾气，我的男孩，”安德鲁舅舅冷静地说，“不然等你长大了，就会像你的蕾迪姨妈一样。现在，注意听我说。”
他起身，戴上了一双手套，走向了装戒指的托盘。
“只有接触了你的皮肤，它们才会起作用，”他说，“这样戴着手套去接触，就会相安无事。如果把它们装在口袋里，也会很安全。但是一定要小心，不要无意中用手在口袋中碰触到戒指。一旦你的手摸到黄戒指，你就会消失在这个世界上。当你到了另一个世界——一个还没被实验证明的世界，而当你再次触摸到绿戒指时，我想你就会离开那里，回到这里。仔细点看着，我把两枚戒指分别放进你的口袋中，一定要记住绿戒指所在的位置。G 就是绿色，R 就是右边，G 和R 就是绿色那个单词的两个字母。一枚是你的，另一枚是波莉的。现在，请拿其中的那枚黄色戒指吧，换作我是你，我会把它套在手指上， 防止它脱落。”
迪格雷几乎要拿黄戒指时，突然停止了。
“哎，”他说，“我妈妈怎么办？要是她问我去哪里了怎么办？”
“快去快回吧。”安德鲁舅舅愉快地说。
“但你又不能保证我还能回来。”
安德鲁舅舅耸了耸肩，走到门边，打开门说：“噢，那随便你， 下去吃饭吧。如果你愿意，就让那个小女孩在另一个世界被怪兽吃掉， 或者被淹死，或者被饿死，永远留在了那个世界。如果那样对你来说更好的话。对我而言无所谓。或许在喝茶之前，你最好去看看普卢默夫人，对她说再也见不到她的女儿。这一切只是因为你不敢戴上那枚戒指。”
“上帝啊，”迪格雷说，“我只希望拥有无比大的力气来敲扁你的脑袋！”
然后他深深呼吸，扣上外套，拿起戒指。这一切如同他之后常常所想的那样，他还从未像今天这样如此正义得体地去做一件事。
第三章 世界间的森林
安德鲁舅舅和书房瞬间消失。周围一片昏暗且茫然。然后，迪格雷感到头顶有一束柔和的绿色光芒，下面却无比黑暗。他感到自己似乎并没有站在任何东西上面，也并未坐或躺在任何东西上面，四周一片空荡。“我相信我是在水中，”迪格雷想，“或者在水下。” 这样的念头让他害怕，然后他觉得自己正往上猛冲。就这样他的脑袋触到了空气，他钻了出来，趴在了平坦的水潭边的绿草地上。
他在站起来的瞬间，发现自己不是来自水中，因为他并没有湿漉漉，呼吸很正常，衣服也是干燥的。此时他正站在树林中不到十尺宽的水潭边上。树木生长得如此茂盛，枝叶相连，遮住了天。光线从树叶间透过来，折射成绿光。绿色的光温暖且明亮，树林之上一定是阳光明媚。这是一片安静的树林，这里没有小鸟、虫儿，也没见到各种动物，甚至没有风，但你却能感觉到树木的生长。除了他最初钻出来的水潭，这里还拥有许许多多的水潭，每走几步就看到一个。你可以感受到树木的根部在吸水，树林里一片生机勃勃。迪格雷之后每次描述这场景时，都会总结：“那里的树木郁郁葱葱，像葡萄干蛋糕般一片绿油油的。”
更为奇怪的是，迪格雷差不多已经忘了自己是怎么来到这里， 他还在东张西望。现在的他已经想不起波莉、安德鲁舅舅，包括他的妈妈。他一点也不激动，不好奇，甚至不害怕。假如这时有人问他： “你来自哪里？”他很可能会说：“我一直在这里。”就是如此—— 好像一切都没发生过，你一直在这里，而且从未讨厌过这里。许久许久之后他回忆说：“那是一个安静、安全的地方，只有树木在不断地生长着。”
迪格雷一直呆望着那片树木，他发现在他不远之处，一棵树下躺着一个女孩，正在闭目养神，似睡非睡地呼吸着。他只是看着她， 并没说话。她却梦呓般说话了，语气中带着快乐与满足。
“我觉得自己好像在哪见过你一样。”她这样说。
“我也这样觉得，”迪格雷说，“你一直在这里吗？”
“是的，一直是，”女孩说，“至少……其实我也不知道多久了。”
迪格雷说：“和我一样，一直如此。”
“可是，”她说，“我看到你刚刚从那个水潭中爬出来。”
“是，我也觉得是，”迪格雷有些迷惑地说，“我都忘记了。”
他们陷入了长时间的沉默。
“哎，”女孩说，“我很想知道，我们之前会不会真的见过彼此？ 我的脑海中一直浮现这样的画面，一个男孩和一个女孩，就像我们一样，但他们住在与这里很不一样的地方，他们做着各种事情。可能我想的只是一个梦而已。”
“我也做过类似的梦。”迪格雷说，“关于一个男孩与一个女孩的梦，他们住在隔壁，在椽子之间爬。那个女孩的脸脏兮兮的。”
“你弄混了吧？在我的梦里，男孩才有脏脏的脸。”
“我不记得男孩的脸了，”迪格雷说，接着他补充说道，“哦！
那是什么东西？”
“一只豚鼠。”女孩说。在草地中那只胖胖的豚鼠正在爬来爬去。在它的腰间有一根纱带，上面挂着一只光芒闪烁的黄戒指。
“快看！快看！”迪格雷大叫道，“戒指啊！看！你手指上有它， 我也有。”
女孩终于坐了起来，来了兴致。他们互相看着彼此，努力回忆。在同一个时间点上，她叫着“凯特利先生”，他大叫“安德鲁舅舅”。然后两个人都知道了自己的身份，并回忆了事情的来龙去脉。经过了这次困难的沟通，他们终于醒来了。迪格雷则痛斥了舅舅如何卑鄙无情。
“我们现在该做什么？”波莉说，“带着豚鼠一起回家？”
“别着急。”迪格雷打了个长长的哈欠。
“我想我们还是快点行动吧，”波莉说，“这里看着安静，像梦一般美丽，却让人昏昏欲睡。你已经困得快要睡着了，一旦我们无法控制自己，就会躺下永远醒不过来了。”
“这里很美。”迪格雷说。
“当然，”波莉说，“但我们必须回去。”她站起来，开始朝着豚鼠小心地靠近，瞬间她又改变了决定。
“不然留下这只豚鼠吧，”她说，“这里能让人感到快乐，带着它回家，只会让你舅舅伤害它。”
“我打赌他会的，”迪格雷说，“想想他是如何对我们的。顺便问一下，我们该怎样回去呢？”
“重新跳到水潭中。我猜。”
他们来到水潭边，并肩而立，一起看向平静的水面。水中那些茂盛的树木的倒影使得水潭很神秘。
“没有游泳衣。”波莉说。
“傻瓜，不用，”迪格雷说，“穿着衣服进去吧。难道你忘了我们刚刚上来时衣服并没湿？”
“你会游泳吗？”
“只会一点点，你呢？”
“哦，游得不好。”
“我觉得我们并不用游，”迪格雷说，“我们只要一直往下沉， 对吗？”
他们谁也不想第一个跳进去，但谁也没对另一个人说。两个人手拉手，喊着“一、二、三，跳！”一起跳了进去。水花绽放，他们闭上了眼。但当他们睁开眼睛时，他们却依旧手牵手站在绿色的树林中，水面只到了他们的脚踝处。原来水潭仅有几寸那么浅。他们只好趟着水回到了干燥的土地上。
“究竟哪里出错了？”波莉的语气显得有点害怕，但也不是很怕很怕，在这片树林中，谁也不会真正害怕，因为这里太安静，太美好了。
“噢，我明白了！”迪格雷说，“我们仍然带着黄戒指当然不会成功。它们只负责往这里来，要知道，绿戒指才负责回去。我们必须要调换戒指。你有口袋吧？好，把黄戒指放到左边的那个里面。我这里有两枚绿戒指，现在给你一个。”
他们戴上了绿戒指，又一次来到水潭。还未跳，迪格雷却大声地喊起来：“啊！哦！”
波莉说：“发生了什么？”
迪格雷说：“现在我有一个好主意，咱们可以看看其他水潭是怎样的？”
“你说什么？”
“我们跳进这个水潭如果不能回去的话，那么我们可以试着跳进其他的水潭，会不会到达其他的世界？也许每个水潭下面都藏着一个世界！”
“但我想我们已到达了你的安德鲁舅舅所谓的‘另一个世界’ 或‘另一个地方’，或所谓的其他地方，你觉得……”
“令人讨厌的安德鲁舅舅，”迪格雷插了一句，“我不信他会知道一切。他自己就不敢来这里。他仅仅说了另外的世界，但也许不局限于这里？”
“你的意思是，这片树林只是一部分？”
“不，我相信这片树林并非另一个世界，我觉得它仅仅是一个过渡地带。”
波莉有些迷惑。“难道你还没懂？”迪格雷说，“听我细细说， 你知道家里石板下存在的隧道吧。它并不属于任何房子的空间，也就意味着，它并不具体归属于某幢房子。但你进去后却可以随着隧道而走，走进一排排房子中的任何一间。这片树林不也类似吗？它不属于世界的任何地方，只要你找到路，就可以达到要去的地方。”
“好吧，即使你可以……”波莉刚想说什么，迪格雷却像没听见一样接着说：“所以，这也就能解释一切了。”他说，“为什么这里这么安静，以至于人们只想睡觉。原因在于这里不能做任何事情。比如在家里，人们可以在房间中说话、吃饭或做任何事，但在中间的地方，比如墙后面、天花板上、地板下，或者隧道中，却什么事情也不想做。但只要你走出隧道，就发现自己能到达一幢房子。我认为， 我们从这里出去，就能到达很多地方。所以我们别跳回原来的水潭， 至少现在不要。”
“各个世界之间的树林，”波莉喃喃自语，像梦游般，“真是太妙了。”
“来吧，”迪格雷说，“我们跳哪一个水潭？”
“慢着，”波莉说，“首先要搞清楚我们能否从原来的水潭回去， 否则我不想尝试跳别的了。现在我们还不能肯定能不能回去。”
“回去，”迪格雷说，“我们还没玩上一会儿，回去就会让安德鲁舅舅捉住，并把戒指拿走，太无趣了。”
“能不能跳到原来的水潭，只走一半的路程，”波莉说，“来看看绿戒指能不能带我们回去。如果行的话，到凯特利先生的书房之前，我们就换戒指再来这里。”
“我们可以中途返回吗？”
“嗯。来的时候只用了一眨眼的工夫，回去应该也很快。”
迪格雷对此虽持有不同的意见，最后还是妥协了。弄不清楚能否回去，波莉绝对会拒绝去任何的新世界。面对危险，比如坏人，波莉会像他一样勇敢，但她对新事物的探索好像没什么兴趣。迪格雷却是个愿意去了解一切的人，当他长大后，就是这个系列故事中的其他几本书中著名的柯克教授。
这样争执了一番，他们都决定戴上绿戒指。“绿色代表安全，” 迪格雷说，“如此一来，你就能记得戒指是什么用途了。”他们手拉手跳下了水潭。约好在即将回到自己的世界中，快要到安德鲁舅舅的书房时，波莉要喊“换”字，然后他们就立刻拿下绿戒指，戴上黄戒指。迪格雷很想喊“换”，但波莉却没同意。
他们又戴上了绿戒指，牵起手，又喊了一次“一、二、三，跳”。这次终于成功了。无法告诉你这其中的感受，一切都变幻得很快。一开始夜空中游动着闪亮的灯光，迪格雷以为那是星星，他敢发誓， 他曾近距离地观看了木星，甚至连它的卫星也看得清清楚楚。然后，周围立刻出现了排排而立的屋顶以及烟囱的高顶，圣保罗大教堂让他们意识到已经到了伦敦，他们能穿透墙壁，看到房子里的一切。模糊中看到了安德鲁舅舅的身影，也正在变得清晰，逐渐地固定，在视线中慢慢固定下来。就在安德鲁舅舅的身影快要完全清晰时，波莉叫了一声“换”，换了戒指后，属于我们的世界便如同梦一样淡去了，在他们头上的绿光却越来越强，最终他们又从水潭中钻出来，停在了岸边。树林依旧碧绿、明亮和幽静。然而整件事情的发生却不到一分钟。
“看，”迪格雷说，“多么顺利，去探险吧。挑任何一个水潭， 我们不如选那个吧。”
“等会！”波莉说，“我们不需要在水潭上做个记号吗？”
他们看了下彼此，意识到迪格雷刚刚要做的事情将会产生多么糟糕的后果时，他们吓得脸色苍白。树林里有许许多多的水潭，表面上看来几乎一样，树木也很相像，一旦他们没有留下标记就离开通向我们这个世界的水潭，能重新找到的概率微乎其微。
迪格雷颤抖着拿出铅笔刀，在水潭边上割掉了长长的一块草皮。暗红色的泥巴味道清新，在绿色草地中很是鲜明。波莉说：“多亏我想到了。”
“别炫耀了，”迪格雷说，“走吧，我想去瞧瞧其他的水潭中究竟有什么。”波莉又说了一些刻薄的话，迪格雷不甘示弱。两个人争吵了几分钟，一一写下来未免啰唆。暂且让我们忽略这些。然后， 他们戴上黄戒指，有些紧张地手牵着手，站在水潭边，心跳得厉害， 再次一起喊道：“一、二、三，跳！”
一阵水花！失败了。这个水潭貌似仅是一个小小水坑，两个人并未到达新世界。这天早晨，他们的脚湿了两次，腿上也是湿的水。就当是早晨吧，因为世界之间的树林好像没有时间变化。
“糟糕！”迪格雷大声喊道，“现在是哪里出问题了？我们已经戴了黄戒指。他说过黄戒指是去外面世界的。”
事实上，安德鲁舅舅并不了解世界之间的这片树林，对戒指的理解也是错误的。黄戒指并非是“离开”，绿戒指也并非意味着“回来”， 总之不是他所理解的那样。两个戒指都取用了这片树林的材料制作。黄戒指之间有某种“回心力”，可以将你带往树林，回归到这片土地之上。绿戒指的材料是“离心力”，它能脱离本土，带人离开。瞧， 安德里舅舅并未真正明白自己所做的事情，大部分魔法师不过如此。当然，迪格雷也并不能完全理解其中的奥妙，或者直到后来他才彻底明白。两个人商量了一下，他们戴上了绿戒指，决定再次跳下去试一下，看看会有什么样的事情发生。
波莉说：“你愿意我就愿意。”她这样说是因为她深信不疑的是——无论哪枚戒指都不会在新的水潭中起到神奇作用，顶多只能溅起一些水花，一点也不可怕。不管怎样，两个人还是戴上了绿戒指， 手牵着手又一次来到水边。这次他们很快乐，一点也不像第一次那么紧张。
迪格雷喊道：“一、二、三，跳！”然后他们就跳了下去。
第四章 钟表与锤子
这次魔法无疑起了作用。他们一下子栽了进去，一片黑暗之后， 是一阵说不清的模糊与旋转，随着眼前越来越明亮，他们感觉到自己站在了坚实的东西上。过了一会儿，他们开始能看清旁边的东西了， 两个人便四下张望。
迪格雷说：“多么古怪的地方啊！”
波莉打战一下说道：“我不喜欢这里。”
他们首先看到的是光线，它不像日光，不像电灯、油灯、蜡烛等任何他们所见过的光。那是一种红色的惨淡之光，让人觉得很压抑。光线好像凝固了，一点都不闪动。他们正站在一块平地之上，周围无不耸立着建筑物。上面没有屋顶，这里应该是一个院落。天空非常暗， 闪烁着近乎黑色的蓝。任何人看到天空如此一定都会想，这里大概不是什么好地方。
“这里的天气好奇怪，”迪格雷说，“我们会不会正巧赶上了暴风雨或日食。”
波莉说：“我讨厌这里。”
不知为何，两个人都放低了说话的声音。跳水后他们本不该继续牵手，但两个人却未松开。
院子的围墙很高，有很多高大的窗户，上面却没有玻璃，里面一片漆黑。再往下就是一些很大的拱门，如同铁路上的隧道那般张开黑洞洞的口，天气也相当冷。
这里的建筑物都用一种看起来像红色的石头所筑，当然这也有可能是古怪的光照射的原因。这里个非常古老的地方，院中铺地的石板都裂开了，石板之间排列得并不整齐，棱角都被磨掉了，一个拱门被碎石填充了一半。他们左看右看，转动身体观察院子的周围，他们很怕此刻会有人或东西，在他们背后的窗户中偷看他们。
“这里会有人住吗？”迪格雷终于说话了，但声音仍旧很小。
“没有，”波莉说，“这是一座废墟。从来到这里时起到现在我们都没听见任何声响。”
“站起来，仔细听听。”迪格雷建议说。
两个人站好仔细听了一下，除了自己心脏蹦蹦直跳的声音，这个地方如同世界之间的那片树林般寂静。但，这种静与那里却也有不同。那片树林安静、碧绿、暖意十足、生机勃勃，似乎可以听见树木成长的声音。但这里却弥漫着冷的空寂，根本无法想象这里会有生命。
“回家吧。”波莉说。
“但我们什么都还没看到，”迪格雷说，“来了的话，就四处走走吧。”
“我确信这儿没什么有趣的。”
“来了都不敢到处看看，这一枚魔法戒指带你来到‘另一个世界’ 又有什么意义呢？”
“谁说我害怕。”波莉说完，拿开了迪格雷的手。
“我刚刚想的是，你看起来对探索这个地方并不上心。”
“你去哪里我都跟着。”
“我们想走的时候立刻就能走，”迪格雷说，“我们把绿戒指放在右边的口袋。但一定要记好了，左边是黄戒指，右边是绿戒指。最好把你的手放在离口袋近的地方，但不要碰触，不然碰到黄戒指就会消失。”
说好这些，他们慢慢朝着建筑里面一个巨大的拱门走过去。他们站在门槛边上朝里一看，才发现里面并没有自己想象的那般黑暗， 他们看见了空荡荡的幽暗大厅。大厅的远处有一排拱门柱子，空隙间露出微弱的光芒。他们小心地走过大厅，怕地上的洞或东西绊倒自己。而当他们走过去穿过柱子间的拱门时，才发觉自己来到了一个更大的院子中。
“看起来有些不安全。”波莉说，她指向一面看似几乎要倒向院中的凸出的墙。有一处还缺了一根柱子，柱顶的位置上仅仅剩下一些残骸，没有支撑地在空中悬着。那里像是荒芜几百年乃至千年之久。
“既然它能保存至今，我想应该还会保留得更久。”迪格雷说， “但是我们必须保持绝对的静。你应该懂的，噪声有时会使物体震动倒塌——如同阿尔卑斯山脉的雪崩。”
他们继续前行，走出院子，进了一扇门。登上一段台阶，穿过一个个大房间，直到被那里的园落群的规模之大给弄迷糊了。他们一直想也许就要走出户外了，可以看看这巨大的院子外到底会是什么样的风景，但每次只是走进了另一个院子。这里最初有人居住时一定辉煌壮丽。其中一个院子曾有眼喷泉。巨大的石头怪兽张着翅膀，咧着嘴巴，威武而立；它的口中还残留着曾用来喷水的管道。在它下面还有接水的石盐，如今已干得像白骨。在一些地方还有一种攀援的枯藤， 曾缠绕着柱子，一些柱子就此倒塌。这植物看起来很久之前就已枯死，这里没有蜘蛛、蚂蚁，甚至没有废墟中常见的生物。破碎的石板间没有青草，没有青苔，仅有一些干燥的土。
四周的风景如此相似，因而更为阴森可怕。迪格雷想他们还不如戴上黄戒指，回到世界之间那片生机勃勃且温暖的树林中去；此刻， 他们正巧来到了两扇巨大的门面前，那门是用金色金属而做，一扇门半开。他们不由自主地朝里看去，两个人深呼吸了一下。在这里终于遇见了值得看的景色了！
最初他们以为屋里满满都是人，得有好几百，全部坐在地上一动不动。正如你预料的那样，波莉和迪格雷也纹丝不动地站了许久， 但是他们很快就意识到眼中所看到的大概不是真人。没有一丝动静， 没有一丝呼吸，这些可能是他们见过的最完美的蜡像。
这一回，波莉走在了前面，屋里的东西对她的吸引力显然更大一些。所有的塑像都有无比华丽的服饰。如果你深深为服装着迷，更是忍不住会靠近。看过了许多空荡的、铺满灰尘的房间，这间房间因服装显得格外美好，虽说不上让人着迷，但不管怎样，都将这房间衬托地无比美妙。而且，这间房屋有许多窗户，十分明亮。
我很难用词语来形容这些服饰。塑像们全部衣着长袍，戴着王冠。那些深红、银灰、暗紫、草绿上的长袍上刺绣了花卉与怪兽的图案。王冠与项链上的珍稀珠宝更是硕大、明亮无比，折射出美丽的光芒， 全身上下的每处饰品都闪烁着贵气。
“这些衣服经过那么长的时间，竟然没烂掉？”波莉问。
“魔法，”迪格雷小声说，“你感觉不到吗？我敢说整个屋子都被施了魔法，我一进来就已经觉察到了。”
“这些衣服中的每一件都得值几百英镑吧？”波莉说。
令迪格雷更感兴趣的，却是一张张颇有意思的面孔。那些人坐在房间边上的石头椅中，地板中间是一片空地，走进去，可以逐一观看他们的脸。
“我觉得这些都是好人。”迪格雷说。
波莉点头赞同。他们所见的蜡像脸孔都很可爱，男人女人看上去都很聪明善良，应该是一些贵族的后代。当他们在屋子中走上几步后，其他蜡像的脸变得略有不同。这些面孔是那么严肃，让人觉得如果遇见类似的真实的人，就要很注意自己的言行举止。再往前走几步， 这些面孔变得异常强悍、豪气和得意，十分酷，却正是两个孩子不喜欢的类型。越往里面走，蜡像的面孔就越冷酷。再往前走，蜡像的面孔依旧冷漠，得意却全无，他们显得有些绝望：好像这些人曾犯过罪， 有过可怕的经历。最后那尊蜡像最有趣——那是穿着贵气的高大女人， 她脸上的骄傲与残酷令人喘不过气。许多年后，当迪格雷老了，依然说那是他见过的最漂亮的女人。不过坦诚地说，波莉却认为，她并未从那个女人身上看出特别的美丽。
刚才说到这个女人是最后一个，她的身后放着许许多多空椅子， 或许这个房间最初准备容纳更多的蜡像。
“多么希望我们能知道这其中的故事。”迪格雷说，“我们回去看看中间那个像桌子一样的东西吧。”
屋子中央并不是真正意义的桌子，而是四尺高的方形柱子，上面有个金色的小拱门，里面悬挂着一个金色的钟，在它的旁边是一把敲钟的金色小锤子。
“我想知道……我想知道……我想知道……”迪格雷说。
“这里似乎写着什么。”波莉弯腰看着柱子的侧面说道。
“上帝，这里有字。”迪格雷说，“但是我们看不懂。”
“看不懂？我不那么认为。”波莉说。
他们认真地读着，或许你也能猜出，在石头上刻着的稀奇古怪的字母。但此刻，却出现了令人吃惊的奇迹：起初他们看的时候， 那些字母的形状并没有任何变化，他们却发觉自己竟然看懂了。不知道迪格雷是否还记得几分钟之前他所说的话——这里存在着魔法， 他早该意识到魔法已开始起作用，但他心中写满了好奇，也想不到自己该做什么。他更着急地想知道柱子上写的东西。很快他们读懂了它， 上面写的大意如此，当然原来的诗歌肯定更好：
做出选择吧，热爱冒险的陌生人，
敲响钟声，等待危险的来临，
或者猜猜，直到你猜到发疯，
想想，发了疯会有什么后果。
“不要敲它！”波莉说，“我不想有任何危险。”
“你不知道这都是没办法的吗？”迪格雷说，“现在我们没办法摆脱了。我们只能继续下去，敲钟之后会发生什么事。我可不愿满脑子都是这些直到回家。不想！”
“别说傻话，”波莉说，“没人愿意那么做！发生或不发生事情， 又有什么关系？”
“我想来到这里的每个人都会不停地思考，直到变得痴傻。这就是魔法的力量，我能感觉到它已开始对我起作用了。”
“我却没感觉。”波莉有些生气，“我才不信你会有感觉，别装模作样了。”
“你只知道这些，”迪格雷说，“因为你是个女孩。女孩什么都不懂，总是喜欢唠叨着，关心谁与谁订婚了的事情。”
“你这样说话的样子，像极了你的舅舅。”波莉说。
“为什么我们不能继续刚刚说的问题？”迪格雷说，“我们正在说的是……”
“说得好像你真成了一个男子汉！”波莉用大人的口吻说。接着， 她用自己的语气赶紧补上一句：“不要说我像个女人，那样就说明你是令人讨厌的鹦鹉。”
“我做梦也不会把你这种孩子称作女人的。”迪格雷有些傲慢。
“啊，我仅仅是个孩子？”波莉生气了，“好吧，你应该不需要有个孩子打扰你。我要离开这里。我实在够了，也看够你了——一个令人生厌的、固执的、心高气傲的蠢猪！”
迪格雷看到波莉的手正伸向口袋，去拿黄戒指，他用一种自己也无法想象的难听声音叫道：“住手！”我也不赞同迪格雷下面的行为，只能说他之后为此感到很抱歉，虽然人们大多都会如此做。在波莉的手没摸到口袋时，他就立刻抓住她的手腕，侧过身，用背抵住她的胸，然后用另一只手的肘部挡住她另外的胳膊。他侧斜着身体， 拿起小锤轻轻地敲在了钟上。这样，他才放开了她，两个人跌倒在此， 喘着粗气，狠狠地对视着彼此。波莉开始哭泣，并非害怕，也并非因为他狠狠地扭伤了自己的手腕，而是因为非常愤怒。不一会儿，他们就完全忘记了争吵，因为有其他的事情需要他们思考了。
当钟被敲响的那一刻，发出一种不响亮，却是一种你可以想象的甜美的音调。这种音调并没有减弱，而是持续鸣响，越来越响亮， 不到一分钟那种声音就比之前响亮了一倍。当声音迅速响亮到孩子就算说话彼此也听不清的程度。尽管当时他们并不想说话，只是口瞪目呆地站着。瞬间，声音就响亮到即使他们大声叫喊也无法听到的地步。连续不断的甜美声音不断地增大，甜美之间透露着丝丝恐怖。慢慢地， 整个房间的空气随着声音颤动起来，直到他们感觉到脚底下的石地板也跟着颤动起来。最后，一种夹杂着模糊和灾难性的声音传入他们的耳中，最初只是像是远方火车的吼叫，继而像树木倒下的声音，他们似乎感觉到一些比较重的东西正往下倒。忽然，一阵剧烈的震动将他们几乎抛走。伴随着轰隆隆的冲击声，在房间的一角，约有四分之一的屋顶倒塌了，大块的砖石塌落在他们身边，墙壁也开始摇晃起来。直到钟声停止，灰尘才逐渐散去，一切逐渐恢复平静。
永远无法判断是魔法让屋顶倒塌，还是响亮的钟声使墙壁不堪忍受而倒塌。
“看看！现在你满意了。”波莉喘着气说道。
“是，就此结束了，一切。”迪格雷说。
他们都这样想，但是，这是他们一生来犯的最大错误。
第五章 毁灭世界的咒语
钟声虽然停止了，钟却依旧在颤抖。两个人隔着挂钟的柱子彼此看着，不知所措。突然，从没有倒塌的房间的一边传来阵阵温柔的声响。他们赶紧转身去看。原来是穿长袍的蜡像，最远的那个迪格雷认为最美的女人，她从坐着的椅子上站起。当她站立之后，他们才看出，她比他们想象中的更高。重要的是，从她的王冠、袍衣、眼神以及唇角的线条，你立刻就能看出这就是一个伟大的女王。她看着屋子中倒塌的场景，也看到了两个孩子，但你却无法从她的表情来判断她是不是很惊讶。她朝着他们大步走来。
“谁唤醒了我，谁打破了魔法？”她问。
“肯定是我，我认为。”迪格雷说。
“你！”女王一边说一边把手放在了迪格雷的肩膀上——那是一只又白又美的手，迪格雷却感到沉重如铁钳。“你？你仅仅是个孩子， 普通的孩子。只需看你一眼，就会知道你的血管中不存在一滴皇族或贵族的血液。你这样的人怎么敢走进这房间？”
“我们靠着魔法从另一个世界来到这里。”波莉说，她想趁机， 让女王如同注意迪格雷般注意到她的存在。
“是这样吗？”女王说着，眼睛仍然一直盯着迪格雷，不拿正眼看波莉一下。
“是这样的。”他说。
女王用另一只手托起迪格雷的下巴，仔细地看着他的脸。迪格雷也想直视她表示反抗，但不一会儿就耷下眼皮，她眼神中的一些东西制服了他。
她将迪格雷仔细研究了一会，然后松开了他的下巴说道：“你并非魔法师，你脸上没有魔法师的标志。你一定只是魔法师的随从。靠别人的魔法之力来到这里的。”
“那是我的安德鲁舅舅的魔法。”迪格雷说。
这时，不是从屋子里面，而是从他们身边很近的地方，传来轰隆以及噼里啪啦的声响，之后便是砖石倒塌的一声咣当，地板也剧烈地晃动起来。
“危险来了，”女王说，“宫殿要倒了。如果我们不趁机赶紧撤离， 就会被埋在这里。”她的语气很平静，好像仅仅在说一天的时辰。“来吧!”她向他们各伸出一只手。波莉还在生气，她并不喜欢女王，倘若有一点办法，她绝不会让她抓到自己的手。女王说话虽显得很平静， 行动却如同思维般敏捷。波莉还没反应过来，她的左手就被那只长而有力的大手给抓住了，她发现自己根本无力摆脱。
“这是个可怕的女人，”波莉暗自想，“她力气真大，稍稍用力就能把我的手臂弄断。现在她正拉着我的左手，我无法拿到黄戒指。假如我能把右手伸到左口袋里，就能在她注意我之前拿到戒指了。不管怎样，都不可以让她知道戒指的存在。我现在希望迪格雷能守住这个秘密，要是自己能单独叮嘱他一下就好了。”
女王带着他们走出雕像区，走过一段长廊，继而穿过许许多多大厅、台阶和院落。不断地传来刚刚那座宫殿倒塌的声音。“砰”的一下，巨大的拱门在他们刚刚走过的地方轰然倒下。女王健步如飞， 她显得并不恐惧，两个孩子只有紧追着小跑才能跟得上。迪格雷心想， “她真是异常勇敢、强壮，这就是我心中最棒的女王！要是她能给我讲讲这里的故事，那就最好不过了！”
她一边快走一边告诉孩子“那道门里面是地牢”，或“这条路可以走向中心行刑室”，或者“这就是之前的宴会厅，我的曾祖父曾在此宴请七百名贵族，在他们吃饱喝足之前将他们全部弄傻掉了， 因为他们要造反”。
最后他们踏进了一间房子，它比任何之前所见的都高大许多， 它的规模之大，以及它的尽头那些大型的门洞，都让迪格雷认为他们已到了重要的入口。是的，他猜对了。乌黑色的门，恐怕是用乌木， 或者是我们的世界找不到的黑色金属做成的。门上有很多牢固的门闩，但它们都高不可测，重不可举。他非常怀疑他们该怎样出去。
女王放开了他，高举着手臂，往上挺直，之后她说了一些他们无法听懂但听起来有些恐怖的话，并朝门做了好像扔掉东西的动作。于是，那些高大厚重的门如同丝织品般震颤，瞬间倒塌，彻底被损坏了，门前只留下一些灰烬。
“唬！”迪格雷吹了声口哨。
“你的魔法师主人，你舅舅，会像我这样拥有神力吗？”女王再次紧紧地握着迪格雷的手问道。“我以后会弄明白。请记住你们今天的所见所闻。我对阻挡我前进的人和事物都会如此。”
一丝光线从那敞开的门洞中斜射过来。在这个世界，这是他们见过的最明亮的光。女王带领他们走过门口，他们发现自己已经到了户外，却没有想象中惊讶。现在他们站在了更高的台阶上，俯瞰着脚下的风景。
他们看到下面有一轮红太阳在地平线上，它比我们的太阳大得多。迪格雷感到它比我们的太阳古老：处于暮年的太阳也许已厌倦了俯视世界。太阳左上方有一颗明亮硕大的星星。在黑暗的天空中， 这残阳与孤星形成了略显阴郁的画面。地面上，是一个巨大的城市， 从任何方向都望不到边。城市里并没有任何活动着的人与动物。所有的庙宇、楼房、宫殿、金字塔以及拱桥都笼罩在微弱的阳光下，后面有一个长长的影子。城市里曾有的河流，河床早已干枯，留下了一条宽大的灰色土沟。
“仔细看看，以后就再也看不到了。”女王说，“这就是恰恩， 一座伟大的城，王之城都，不仅是这个世界，更是所有世界的奇迹。孩子，你舅舅也统治着一座与恰恩一样伟大的城市吗？”
“没有。”迪格雷说。他刚想说安德鲁舅舅并没统治着任何城市。女王就继续说道：
“现在多么安静。但从前我曾站在那里，那时空中充满恰恩的各种声音。脚步声、车轮声、抽鞭声以及奴隶们的呻吟声，马车的轰隆声还有寺庙里的祭奠鼓声。战争开始了，厮杀声开始在街道里响起， 恰恩的河水弥漫着红色鲜血，我就站在这里，那时一切都已经结束。” 她停顿了一下接着说：“一个女人在一瞬间就让这一切永远消失了。”
“谁？”迪格雷虽小声问着，但他早已猜出了答案。
“我，”女王说，“我，简蒂丝，最后的女王，也就是这个世界的女王。”
两个孩子安静地站着，在寒风中有些发抖。
“都是我姐姐的错，”女王说，“她逼迫我去做这些。让所有的神灵去惩罚她吧！那时我已抱着讲和的态度，只要她愿把王位给予我，我就保她不死。但她不同意，她的骄傲毁了整个世界。战争开始时， 我们曾承诺保证不用魔法，她却违背了诺言。我能怎么办？这个傻瓜！ 她一直都知道我的魔力比她的更强大。她还知道我拥有灭绝咒的秘密。她一直认为我是个弱者，她真的认为我不会使用这个灭绝咒吗？”
“灭绝咒指的是什么呢？”迪格雷问。
“秘密中的秘密，”简蒂丝女王说，“一直以来，我们民族中高贵的国王就已掌握仅有一个字的密咒，在恰当的仪式中如果说出这个字，除说话的人之外，所有的生命都将消亡。但远古的国王们过于心软，约束着自己，并且约束着后人，让他们发誓永远不去寻找那个密咒。我却付出了沉重的代价，在秘密的地方学到了它。她逼得我走投无路了，为了打败她，我穷尽一切与她作战，我手下的将士血流成河……”
“败类！”波莉低声说了句。
“在最后的大战，”女王说，“恰恩城里打了三天三夜。我就站在这里看着。我没有使用魔法，直到我的最后一批战士也倒在了这里。那个可恶的女人，我的姐姐，带领着她的军队，从城市一直走向这里，已经走了一半台阶。我等待着她，直到我们互相看清楚彼此的脸，她用无比狠毒、可怕的眼睛死盯着我，说：‘胜利了。’我说： ‘是的，但胜利却不属于你。’于是我说出了灭绝咒。一瞬间，太阳之下只剩下我一个生命。”
“但是其他的那些人呢？”迪格雷喘着气。
“孩子，你说的是哪些人？”女王问。
“所有的那些普通人，”波莉说，“他们从来没有伤害过你。还有所有的女人、孩子和动物们。”
“你没听懂我的话？”女王说道，仍旧是对着迪格雷说道，“我才是女王，他们只是我的臣民，除了服从于我，他们还能干什么？”
“不管怎样，他们都不走运。”迪格雷说。
“我刚刚忘记了，你只是个普通的男孩，你怎么会理解执政者的心呢？你要懂得，孩子，对于你们普通人来说的错误，但对我这个女王来说却不能称之为错。我们的肩上身负天下。所有的法律都不能约束到我们。我们的命运注定是高贵的、孤独的。”
迪格雷瞬间想起，安德鲁舅舅也说过与此一模一样的话，但简蒂丝女王说这些话的时候，显得更为骄傲、庄严，也许是安德鲁舅舅没有这样七尺高，也没有无比惊艳的外表的原因吧。
“之后你做了什么呢？”迪格雷说。
“我提前就对存放我们祖先的塑像大厅施加了魔咒。然后这魔法也让我变成了一座塑像，沉睡在其中，我不吃饭，不烤火已有千年之久，直到你进来敲钟将我唤醒。”
“太阳的模样也是受到了灭绝咒的影响吗？”迪格雷问。
“什么模样？”简蒂丝问。
“如此大，如此红，又冷。”
“它一直如此，”简蒂丝说，“至少已几十万年之久。难道你们的太阳和它不一样？”
“是，要小许多，更黄。而且能散发出更多的热量。”
女王发出长声叹息：“啊！”迪格雷从她的脸上看出了一种贪婪的神色，与他之前在安德鲁舅舅脸上看到的无异。她说：“看来，你们的世界更年轻一些。”
她停顿了一下，再次观看了这个荒凉的城市，如果她是在为自己的行为感到内疚的话，她可真是一点没有显露出来。她接着说：“现在，我们走吧，这里是世界末日，太冷。”
“去哪里呢？”两个孩子同时问道。
“哪里？”简蒂丝无比惊奇地重复着说：“当然是你们的世界。”
波莉和迪格雷充满迷惑地对看了一下。从一开始，波莉就不喜欢女王，迪格雷听完了女王的故事，觉得自己对她已没有兴趣。显然， 他们不愿带着她回家。即使他们情愿，也不知该如何带她走。此刻他们只想自己逃走；但波莉此刻摸不到戒指，迪格雷也不能弃她而去。于是，他脸色通红，结巴着说：“哦……哦……我们的世界。我不知道你想去那。”
“如果你们不是来接我的，那是来做什么的？”简蒂丝问。
“我确信你不会喜欢我们的世界。”迪格雷说，“那里不适合她。你觉得对吗，波莉？那儿没什么意思，也没什么值得看的，真的。”
“很快当我统治它的时候，就值得一看。”女王回答道。
“哦，但是你不可以，”迪格雷说，“并非你想的那样。他们不会让你统治的，你懂的。”
女王傲慢地笑了。“许多高贵的国王，”她说，“都认为自己能与恰恩抗衡，但全部失败了，他们的名字都被人遗忘了。愚蠢的家伙！你们认为，我的美貌和魔力不会在一年内征服你们的世界？快点施展魔法，带我马上去那里。”
“真是太可怕了。”迪格雷对波莉说。
“可能是你更害怕自己的舅舅吧，”简蒂丝说，“只要他恰当地尊重我，他就可以保住王位和命，我不会与他为敌。他能把你们送到这里来，就说明他一定是个伟大的魔法师。他是你们那个世界的王， 还是只统治一部分？”
“他并不是一个君王。”迪格雷说。
“说谎，”女王说，“只有皇家血统的人才会施展魔法，难道普通人也可以当魔法师？不管你说不说实话，我都能猜到，事实上你舅舅就是你们那个世界的王，一个伟大的魔法师。也许他已在魔镜或池水中，靠魔法看到我的影子。他爱上了我，施加了一种强大的魔咒， 让你们的世界摇动，并且让你们穿越世界之间的鸿沟，来到这里请我前去，将我带到他身边。请回答我，不是这样的吗？”
“应该不是。”迪格雷说。
“完全不是，”波莉大声说道，“你一直都在乱说。”
“蠢材！”女王发怒地喊道，她揪住了波莉的头发，并抓在了最让人觉得疼的头顶。不过如此一来，她也终于松开了孩子们的手。迪格雷大叫道“好！”波莉紧接着喊道“快！”他们把左手伸进口袋， 其实根本不用戴上戒指，就在摸到它的那一刻，这个可怕的世界就从他们的眼前完全消失了。他们不断向头上的方向冲去，逐渐靠近那缕温暖的绿色光芒。
第六章 安德鲁舅舅的麻烦来了
“放开我，放开我！”波莉高声叫喊。
“我没有碰你。”迪格雷说。
当脑袋一出水潭，他们就来到了连接世界之间的树林，被宁静而明媚的阳光包围。与刚刚离开的那片荒芜、陈腐的地方相比，这里显得更加青绿、温暖与安静。他们也许很快会忘记自己以及自己来自哪里，只想躺在这里，倾听树木生长，在迷迷糊糊中感受快乐。然而他们这次必须保持清醒：一到草地上，他们就已发现，不仅仅是他们， 还有刚刚那个女王或女巫，你叫她什么都无所谓，她也跟着来了，用手紧抓着波莉的头发，怪不得波莉刚刚叫喊着“放开”。
顺便说，这也说明戒指还有另外的作用，安德鲁舅舅并没告诉迪格雷，也许他自己也不知道。那就是靠着戒指从一个世界去另一个世界，无需亲自戴上或亲手触摸它，只要触摸到戴戒指的人就会被带走。如同磁铁那般，人们都知道用磁铁吸住一根别针，那么碰触到这根别针的其他别针也会被吸走。
此刻树林中的简蒂丝女王彻底变了一个样。脸色比之前更为苍白，美貌也荡然无存了。她似乎连呼吸与弯腰都很困难，这里的空气让她倍感窒息。因此，两个孩子也不再害怕她。
“放开我！放开我的头发！”波莉说，“你究竟想干什么？”
“听着！你必须马上放开她的头发！”迪格雷说。
他们转过身与她厮打起来。他们比她强壮，所以很快就让她松了手。她深深喘着气，摇晃着往后退，眼神中充满恐惧的神色。
“快点，迪格雷！”波莉说，“换掉戒指，跳进水潭中回家！”
“救命！救命！怜悯我吧！”女巫在哭泣中喊道，无力地跟在后面，“带上我吧。请不要把我留在这个可怕的地方，我会死掉的。”
“这就是为王的理由，”波莉狠狠地说，“如同你在自己的世界中你杀掉那么多人。迪格雷，快点。”他们已经戴上了绿戒指，但迪格雷说：
“真讨厌，我们在做什么？”他不禁对女王产生了一丝怜悯之情。
“别再傻了，”波莉说，“她很可能是装的，快走吧。”两个孩子赶紧跳进了回家的水潭中。“多亏我们做了记号。”波莉想。但当他们往下跳的时候，迪格雷突然感觉到一双冰凉的大手紧抓着自己的耳朵。他们不断往下沉，我们的世界在模糊、朦胧中呈现。抓着他耳朵的手指劲越来越大。这一切都在说明女巫的力量在恢复，迪格雷对她边踢边打，但都无法阻止。不一会儿，他们就来到了安德鲁舅舅的书房。安德鲁舅舅吃惊地看着迪格雷从其他的世界带回来的奇妙生物。他的惊呆是正常的，因为迪格雷和波莉也是如此。
女巫毫无疑问已经不再虚弱。眼下，她站在我们的世界里，和周围的普通事物一比，实在让人倒吸一口凉气。在恰恩，她曾经使人非常惊讶；在伦敦，她使人感到恐惧。首先，他们到现在也没弄清楚她到底有多么庞大。“简直不是人类。”迪格雷看着她这样想。他也许想得不错，因为有人说过，恰恩皇族有巨人血统。
但她的高度与她的美貌、残忍、野性相比，都要逊色一些。她看上去比伦敦街上的人们都要多出十倍精力。安德鲁舅舅在一旁弓着腰搓着手，看着她。事实上，他害怕极了。在女巫身边，他就像一只虾米那么渺小。波莉后来曾说过，他与女巫的表情有很多相似的地方， 那是所有邪恶的魔法师都会有的样子，所以简蒂丝说在迪格雷脸上找不到那种“标记”。看见他们站在一起只有一个好处：你不再害怕安德鲁舅舅了，就像是见过响尾蛇的人不会害怕蚯蚓，看见疯公牛就不再怕奶牛一样。
“可恶！”迪格雷想，“他是魔法师？一点不像！她才是真正的魔法师。”
安德鲁舅舅反复搓手、鞠躬。他本想说几句客气话，无奈嘴巴干得说不了话。他所谓的戒指“实验”比他预想的要成功许多。他一直在研究魔法，但他却习惯把危险留给其他人。像今天这样的事情从未发生过。
然后简蒂丝说话了，虽然声音不大，却让房屋都跟着颤抖起来。
“把我召唤至此的魔法师在哪里？”
“啊……啊……夫人，”安德鲁舅舅有些喘地说道，“这是我莫大的荣幸……我高兴至极……难以想象的快乐……我没机会提前做准备……我……我……”
简蒂丝问：“蠢货！我只想知道魔法师在哪里？”
“我……是我啊，夫人。我真心请求你原谅……嗯……调皮的孩子曾失礼于你。我向你道歉，并说明这不是故意的……”
“你！”女王的声音听起来越来越可怕。她一下跨进屋中，抓住安德鲁舅舅的灰头发，把他的头往后一拽，让他的脸对着自己。然后，她仔细研究这张脸，像在恰恩王宫内研究迪格雷的脸一般。他很紧张，不停眨巴眼睛、舔着嘴巴。而后她一松手，他一下子往后倒去， 摇晃着撞在了墙上。
“我懂了，”她有些蔑视地说道，“你只是某一类魔法师。站起来， 蠢狗，不要像你的同类一般缩在那里说话。你会魔法？我发誓，你一定没有皇家血统。”
“这……哎……严格说来确实没有，”安德鲁舅舅结巴着说，“我不算地道的皇族。可是，凯特利家一直以来都是多赛特郡的一个古老家族。”
“闭嘴，”女巫说，“你是谁我知道的。你就是个小魔法师， 光靠书上写的规则玩弄魔法，没有实际的经验。你的血液中、你的心脏中都不可能存在真正的魔力。你这样的魔法师，在我们的世界千年之前就已经不存在了。但现在我将允许你成为我的仆人。”
“我将万分荣幸被你需要……开心至极……荣幸之极。我说的是实话。”
“闭嘴！你说的未免太多。给我记好你的第一个任务，我知道我们现在应该是在一个大都市里，马上给我牵来一辆马车、飞毯或训练有素的龙。也可以是对这里的皇家贵族有用的交通工具。然后带我去买与我身份相匹配的服饰、首饰以及奴隶。明天，我就得开始自己征服这个世界的计划。”
“我……我……我立刻去喊一辆出租车。”安德鲁舅舅已经气喘吁吁了。
“站住！”他刚刚走到门口，女巫说，“不要耍花样。我的眼睛可以看透一切，包括人类的内心。你走到哪里我都能看到。只要你有任何不服从我的意识，我就会诅咒你。当你坐下来就像是坐在了烧红的铁上，当你躺在床上，脚下就会有大量看不到的冰块。现在，去吧。”
老家伙立刻走出去了，看起来像一只夹着尾巴的狗。
孩子们现在害怕简蒂丝会问他们树林中的事情。可是，她却没问， 后来也没有问过。我和迪格雷也都这样想，她心中早已忘记那片安静的地方，或者说，你常常带她去那里或把她留在那里，她依旧会记不住。此刻，她与孩子们在一起，却对他们视而不见。这就是她的天性。早在恰恩，直至最后她都不留意波莉，她只想利用迪格雷。但她现在可以利用安德鲁舅舅，于是就不再留意他。我觉得很多女巫都这样。她们极其现实，只对可以利用的人和事物保持注意力。这种功利想法十分可怕。所以有一段时间这间屋子很安静。直到简蒂丝开始用脚拍打地板，慢慢地，她开始变得不耐烦了。
一会儿，她说道，好像是自言自语：“那个老傻瓜在干什么呢， 我真该带一根鞭子。”她看也不看孩子们，就冲出去找安德鲁舅舅了。
“嘘！”波莉长长呼了一口气，“现在我该回家了。太晚的话， 我会挨批评的。”
“好吧，不过要赶紧回来，”迪格雷说，“把她带到这里来真是倒霉。我们必须列个计划。”
“这应该让你舅舅去做吧，”波莉说，“这些麻烦都是他的魔法惹出来的祸。”
“不管怎样，你还会回来吗？该死，你总不能让我一个人去处理这些事情吧。”
“我将会爬隧道回家，”波莉冷漠地说，“这样最快。你想让我回来，是不是该最好对我道歉呢？”
“道歉？”迪格雷喊道，“我做错什么了，我干吗要像个女孩一样。”
“当然没错。”波莉嘲讽道，“你不过在那个世界的蜡像厅里，像个胆子小小的暴徒把我的手腕差点给拧断。你只不过像一个傻瓜一般用锤子去敲钟。你不过在树林中没跳到水潭时就转身，有意给她机会抓住你。就这些吧。”
“啊，”迪格雷吃惊地说，“好吧，对不起。我对蜡像厅发生的事情说声对不起。我已经说了，你就该赶紧回来，否则就对不起我， 如果你不回来，就等于把我推进了那个可怕的深渊中。”
“我觉得你不用担心，要坐在烫人的椅子和床上有冰的人是凯特利先生不是吗？”
“我并不担心这些，”迪格雷说，“我只担心妈妈。假如女巫走进她房间会吓死她的。”
“好吧，我知道了。”波莉换了另一种语气说道，“我这次行动被称为‘和平女神’。如果还可以回来我一定会的。但我现在真的要离开了。”她钻进了小门里，朝着椽子中黑暗的地方爬过去。就在几个小时前这里还让人激动不已，散发着冒险色彩，现在看来却普通无奇。
我们现在必须说说安德鲁舅舅，当他从阁楼上跌跌撞撞跑下去时，可怜的老心脏跳个不停。他用手帕不断地擦着额头。当他走进楼下的卧室中，就立刻把自己反锁在里面。他先从衣柜中拿出瓶子与酒杯，他习惯把它们藏在柜子中，免得被蕾迪姨妈发现。然后给自己倒了一杯味道刺鼻的酒，并一大口喝了下去，长长呼了一口气。
“哎，”他自言自语地说，“把我吓坏了。真愁人！这把年纪了还如此倒霉！”
他边说边喝下了一杯酒，之后开始换衣服。你一定从未见过的衣服，我还记得。他戴着一幅硬邦邦的闪亮高领子，使得下巴不得不长时间地仰着，又套上了一件有图案的背心，并把金表链子挂在上面。
接着他穿上只有仪式中才会穿到的最好的衣服，拿出高筒礼帽仔细地拍打。在他的梳妆桌子上放着瓶花，那是蕾迪姨妈放在这里的，他摘了一朵放在扣眼中，从左边的抽屉内掏出一块漂亮得现在难以买到得手帕，又往上面轻轻洒了一些香水，戴上黑色丝绸带的眼镜，对着镜子自我欣赏起来。
孩子们有孩子们的傻里傻气，就像你知道的，大人也有种傻气。安德鲁舅舅此刻正在犯大人的傻气。女巫不在他的房间，他很快忘记了刚刚的惊吓，对她的美貌开始了胡思乱想。他自言自语地说：“一个漂亮的贵妇人，先生，一个漂亮贵妇，一个完美尤物。”他甚至忘记了这个“尤物”是孩子们带来的，他认为这是自己用魔法从未知的世界里召唤而来。
“安德鲁，棒小伙，”他照着镜子对自己说，“你保养得挺好， 竟看不出年龄，先生，你是个英俊的男人。”
看看，这个愚蠢的老家伙已经开始想象女巫会爱上自己，也可能是那两杯酒和漂亮衣物的原因。不管怎样，他竟然像孔雀般爱慕虚荣，这也是他成为魔法师的原因。”
他锁上了门，走下了楼，让女佣叫来了一架双轮双座的马车。那时，人们都有许多仆人。他朝着客厅张望，如同他期待的一样在客厅中他找到了蕾迪姨妈，此刻她正在修补垫子。垫子就在窗户边上， 她双腿跪在上面。
“哎，蕾迪娅，亲爱的，”安德鲁舅舅说，“我，我要出去一趟。借给我五英镑钱吧，有个美丽的古娘。”他总喜欢把“姑娘”念成“古娘”。
“没有，亲爱的安德鲁，”蕾迪姨妈并不抬头，用平和、坚定的口气说，“我说过很多次了，我不可能借给你钱。”
“别找麻烦，亲爱的古娘，”安德鲁舅舅说，“我有件重要的事情，你如果不借的话，我会很难堪的。”
“安德鲁，”蕾迪姨妈直勾勾地盯着他的脸说道，“真奇怪， 你向我借钱，竟然不觉得羞耻。”
这段话中隐藏着长长的、无趣的大人之间的恩怨往事。你只要明白，安德鲁舅舅打着“为亲爱的蕾迪姨妈管理财产”的名号，却什么也没干成，还因喝白兰地、抽雪茄欠下了一屁股债务。蕾迪姨妈不止一次为他还钱。因此蕾迪姨妈比三十多年前还要穷。
“古娘，亲爱的，”安德鲁舅舅说，“你难以想象我会有一些出奇的花费。为此我不得不去招待客人，借给我吧，不要让我着急。”
“招待谁呢，安德鲁？”蕾迪姨妈问。
“啊，来了一位贵客。”
“贵客？别故弄玄虚！”蕾迪姨妈说，“一个小时里门铃根本没响过。”
在这时，门被突然撞开。蕾迪姨妈回头一看，不由得吃了一惊， 只见一个身材高大衣着华丽的女巨人站在门口，手臂裸露在外，眼神发亮。那人正是女巫。
第七章 前门所发生的事情
“奴才，我还要等多久马车才会到？”女巫的声音如雷贯耳。安德鲁舅舅哆嗦着站在边上。女巫的出现，让他照镜子时所有的可笑念头彻底消失了。蕾迪姨妈瞬间站起来，来到屋子里。
“这个年轻女人是谁？安德鲁，我能过问吗？”雷迪姨妈冷漠地问。
“尊贵的国际友人，非常重要的人物。”他有些结巴地说。
“废话！”蕾迪姨妈转向女巫说道，“立刻离开我的家，不知廉耻的荡妇。否则我会叫警察来抓你。”她以为女巫是马戏团跑出来的，因为她讨厌光着膀子的女人。
“这个女人是谁？”简蒂丝说，“奴仆，在我毁灭你之前跪下来吧。”
“年轻的女士，请不要在这栋房里说粗话。”蕾迪姨妈说。
瞬间，安德鲁舅舅感到女王往上突然挺了一下，变得异常高大。她火冒三丈，伸长手臂，做了一个手势，与她在恰恩将宫门捣成灰烬的动作无异，她念出咒语。然而，却没有任何事情发生。蕾迪姨妈认为那些可怕的话大概是普通的英语词，她说：“和我预料的一样， 这个女人喝多了。醉得连话也说不清楚了。”
女巫意识到，她的魔力在她的世界里能把活人变成灰烬，但在她刚来到的这个世界却起不了任何作用时，她觉得万分可怕。她却丝毫没有感到绝望、心慌。她向前扑去，一把抓住雷迪姨妈的脖子与膝盖，像举着一个轻轻的玩具娃娃那样把她举过头顶，朝着屋子的另一端甩去。雷迪姨妈还未落地时，一个女佣伸过头来说道：“先生，请，你叫的马车准备好了。”那天早晨对她而言，心情无比激动、妙不可言。
“带路，我的奴隶。”女巫对安德鲁舅舅说。他啰啰唆唆地说着“我们必须抗议令人遗憾的暴力行为”等等，但简蒂丝斜看了他一眼，他就不敢再继续说下去。她和他一起离开客厅，走出房间。迪格雷下来时，刚好看到前门在他们身后关上了。
“糟糕！”他说，“在伦敦她还真胆大。而且跟安德鲁舅舅在一起， 我真担心他们会胡作非为。”
“哦，迪格雷少爷，”女佣说，“我认为凯特利小姐受伤了。” 这一天对她而言无疑是快乐的。他们两个一起冲进客厅，想看看究竟发生了什么。
其实，如果蕾迪姨妈被摔在地板上，或被摔在地毯上，都会粉身碎骨。但幸运的是，她被摔在了垫子上。蕾迪姨妈是一个很结实的老太太，与当时的大多数女人无异。仅吃了点提神的药，静坐几分钟后， 蕾迪姨妈说自己只是跌肿了几处，并不严重。很快，她就开始做事了。
“莎拉，”她对着女佣说，“马上报警，告诉他们有精神病人跑出来，很危险。我现在得去伺候柯克夫人吃午饭。”今天对女佣来说简直糟透了。当然，柯克夫人就是迪格雷的妈妈。
当妈妈吃过午饭后，迪格雷与蕾迪姨妈紧接着也吃完了。之后， 他便陷入苦思冥想中。
问题是该如何把女巫送回她的世界，或者该用什么样的办法让她离开我们的世界。无论如何，都不能再让她在这栋房子里东窜西窜了。更不能让妈妈看到她。
是的，再也不能让她在伦敦东窜西窜了。在她刚刚欺负蕾迪姨妈的时候，迪格雷正好不在客厅，他曾亲眼见过她摧毁恰恩宫门的情形，所以他知道她拥有巨大的魔力，却不知道自从到了我们的世界后， 她的魔力正在减弱。他知道她想拥有我们的世界。所以他能想象现在也许她正在摧毁白金汉宫或者议会大厅，他甚至想象得到，许许多多的警察已经化作灰烬。他却不知自己该怎么办。
“但是，那些戒指的作用似乎很像磁铁，”迪格雷想，“只要我能摸着她，再借助黄戒指的力量，那么我们就会回到那片连接世界之间的树林中。到了那里她会不会就虚弱无力了呢？那里是真的对她不利，还是她刚刚离开自己的世界有些不适应？我要去尝试一下， 可我到哪里去找她呢？不管我去哪里，蕾迪姨妈都会阻止我的，最重要的是我只有两个便士。我现在出门在伦敦满城去寻找她，坐汽车和电车的话得需要很多钱。而且我根本不知去哪里找他们，更不知道她是不是仍然跟安德鲁舅舅在一起。”
所以，似乎他唯一能做的就是，期待与等待安德鲁舅舅和女巫赶紧回来。假如他们现在回来了，他一定会冲过去抓住女巫，趁她没反应过来就赶快戴上黄戒指。所以他只好像猫守着老鼠洞口一样监视着，生怕错过每一分钟。当他走进厨房，他把脸凑在窗户上。那是凸起的窗户，从这里能一直看到前门的台阶，还能看清街道以及每一个走进前门的人。迪格雷心想：“波莉在干什么呢？”
一个多小时就这样过去了，他一直在思考这个问题。不要慌张， 我来告诉你吧。波莉回家吃饭当然是晚了，鞋子和袜子也是湿的，为此妈妈问她去哪里了，干了什么的时候，她说是跟着迪格雷·柯克出去玩了。在妈妈的一再追问下，她不得不说是在水潭中弄湿了脚， 水潭就在树林之间。当被追问树林在哪里时，她说不清楚。当被问到她是否在公园中玩时，她说是的，也许是一个公园。为此，妈妈得出了结论：波莉自作主张，跑到了伦敦某处陌生的地方，走进了陌生的公园，不小心掉进了水坑里。为此，妈妈不得不警告波莉，说她实在太调皮了，假如以后再有类似的事情发生，就再也不允许她与“姓柯克的男生”一起玩耍了。最后，波莉只好吃了一些剩菜剩饭，就被匆忙赶上了床，整整两个小时后她才有机会跑下床。这样的事情在当时一点也不奇怪。
所以迪格雷正在凸起的窗户看向外面时，波莉则躺在床上。他们想的是，时间过得实在太慢了。我认为，我更愿意处在波莉的位置上。因为只要两个小时结束了她就解放了，而迪格雷却每隔一会都要留意——马车的声音、面包工送货的车的声音或卖肉的屠夫转过街角的声音，每次他都觉得“她来了”，结果却没来。除了这些令他感到失望的场景外，就剩下了滴答作响的钟声了，像是经历了漫长的一段时间。在他头顶高处，一只大苍蝇嗡嗡作响，碰撞着破旧的玻璃窗。这幢房子在下午就会显得格外安静，迷漫着淡淡的羊肉的味道。
在如此煎熬的监视过程中发生了一件小事。我一定要提起它， 是因为之后有件非常重要的事与之密切相关。一个女人带着葡萄来看望迪格雷的母亲。餐厅的门是开着的，所以迪格雷也自然能听到这个女人与蕾迪姨妈的聊天。
“好可爱的葡萄啊！”蕾迪姨妈说道，“吃点这样的葡萄对她肯定更好。我可怜的小马蓓尔！她现在也许更需要年轻的土壤上所结出的果实来帮忙。在这个世界上，任何东西对她而言都是徒劳的。” 两个人压低了说话的声音，之后的谈话迪格雷听不见了。
前些天，如果他听到“年轻的土壤”时，也许会认为蕾迪姨妈只是顺口说说，没有实质的意义。类似这样的话题，也根本不会引起他的关注。现在他也是这样想的。但一瞬间，他好像又想起来，其他的世界其实是存在着的，只是蕾迪姨妈不知道而已，他自己就曾去过其中的一个世界。也许真的存在一片“年轻的土壤”，任何事情都有可能存在。在其他的世界中，会真的存在一个果子能治好妈妈的病！ 你懂的，期盼着得到梦寐以求的东西时那种感受吗？过去你是那么失望，而希望反而显得如此不真实，你总以为希望一直和你作对。这便是迪格雷最真实的想法。想扑灭希望是不可能的。可行，也许可行， 那么多超乎人意料的事情都一一出现了，比如他的魔法戒指，比如每个水潭下都隐藏着的一个世界。那么他去寻遍所有的世界，是不是妈妈的病就能被治好，然后一切都好起来了。他已经忘记自己要等待女巫的事情，他的手不自觉地伸向了放黄色戒指的口袋中，正在这时， 他突然听见阵阵急促的马蹄声。
“发生什么事情了？”迪格雷想，“消防车？我想知道哪里失火了？上帝，是她，是她来了啊。”
不用我来告诉你，你也知道他所说的“她”是谁吧。
先是一辆双轮马车，车夫的座位上并没有人，只有一只悬在空中的轮子，马车以飞快的速度平衡着转过弯。车顶上站着而并非坐着恰恩的女王简蒂丝。只见她张牙舞爪，目光如火光，长头发像彗星的尾巴那样。她拼命地抽打着驾车的马，马的两肋全是泡沫，鼻子更是充血般涨红。马疯狂地冲向前面的门，与柱子的一边擦肩而过，两条后腿站立起来。马车就这样撞向了灯柱，女巫优雅地跳起来，完美地落在了马背上。她分腿而坐，俯下身子，对着马的耳朵轻声说了些什么。但无奈这些话使得它更加暴躁，并没有安静下来。马再次抬起前腿，响亮地哀鸣了一声，马蹄、牙齿、眼睛以及鬃毛随着这一声混成一团。也许只有优秀的骑手才能驯服它，并坐在它的背上。
在迪格雷没喘过来气之前，接着又发生了一些事情。先是第二辆马车紧接着飞奔而来，车上跳下来一个警察和一个穿着礼服的胖子。第三辆马车也飞速赶来，上面坐着两名警察。随着嘘声、喝彩声， 二十多个人，其中童仆居多，骑着自行车，摇着铃跟在后面。最后还有一群行走的人，他们看起来很热闹，也很开心。靠街的窗户飞速地都被打开，每一座房子的门前都站着看热闹的男仆或女佣。
这时候，一位老绅士正在从破碎的马车下往外爬，有几个人跑去帮助他。但他们有的扯腿，有的拽胳膊，用劲的方向完全不一致。没人帮忙的话，也许他早已爬了出来。迪格雷想他应该就是安德鲁舅舅，但他看不见，因为老绅士的脸却被塌下的高筒礼帽遮住了。
迪格雷跑到人群里。
“就是她！就是这个女人！”胖子大声地喊着，指着简蒂丝，“警官，你要管！她从我的店中拿了价值几十万镑的物品。她脖子上的珍珠项链，是我的。可恨的是，她还打肿了我的眼。”
“有人给她撑腰呗，”一个人对大伙说，“我就喜欢青肿的眼睛。她干得挺利落啊。哈哈，她看起来也很强壮！”
“先生，你应该放一片好吃的生牛排在你的青眼睛上，那更有趣。”肉店的伙计开玩笑说。
“安静，”一个看起来像是领导的警察说，“究竟发生了什么事？”
“让我来说，她……”胖子刚想说，就有其他人大叫出声，“别让马车下面的老家伙逃跑了，都是他指使她干的。”
那个老绅士其实就是安德鲁舅舅，他站稳了脚，揉着身上摔疼的地方。“请你告诉我，”警察看向了他说道，“这里都发生了什么事情？
“呼呼……呼……嘘嘘。”安德鲁舅舅从帽子下回应道。
“不要装模作样了，”警察严厉地说，“这可不是可笑的事。把帽子拿掉，听明白了吗？”
说起来容易，做起来难。安德鲁舅舅抵抗了不一会，就被其他两个警察给抓着帽边扯下来了。
“谢谢，谢谢，”安德鲁舅舅温柔地说，“谢谢啊，天啊，把我吓着了。请问谁可以递给我一小杯白兰地……”
“请注意听我说，并回答我，”警察拿出一个很大的笔记本和一小截铅笔，问道，“那个年轻的女士是你负责的吗？”
“闪开，”几个人一起喊道，警察赶紧往后退了一步。那匹马差点将他一脚踢死。女巫掉过马头，看着人群，马的后腿就在人行道上。她手里挥动着明亮的大长刀，正用力地砍着套索，想要把马与破烂的马车分开。
迪格雷这时一直在找机会靠近她，接触到她。可是有点难，因为他身边有很多人，想要绕到另一边，他就得从马蹄和房子外面的围栏中钻过去。假如你懂马，尤其看到那匹马的现状，就能了解到这可是一件很棘手的事情。迪格雷懂马，但他依旧准备拼搏一下，想随时找机会冲进去。
一个红着脸、戴着圆顶硬礼帽的人，用他的肩膀挤出了路，来到人群前。
“嗨，警官，”他说，“她骑的可是我的马匹，摔坏的是我的马车。”
“一件事情一件事情地来说。”警察说。
“但是没有时间了，”马车夫说，“这可不是一般的马匹，我比你更了解它，它的父亲曾是一匹骑兵军官的战马。如果这位女士再刺激它，可能会出人命。让我来试试吧。”
警察只是很高兴有一个好的理由可以离马远一些。马夫走过去， 看着简蒂丝，用不那么友好的声音说道：
“小姐，让我拽住马的脑袋你才好下来。这位女士你应该不想自找麻烦吧？你更想回家愉快地喝上一杯茶，然后舒舒服服地躺下， 好好休息。”他一边说一边伸手拽住马头，嘴里继续说：“镇定，‘草莓’，镇定，老朋友。”
然后女巫第一次开口说话了。
“疯狗！”她斥责道，嗓音清亮，压住了所有的吵闹声，“疯狗， 松开我的皇家战马。我是女王简蒂丝。”
第八章 灯柱前的战斗
“你是女王？我们得确认。”一个声音响起。“女王万岁！疯人院跑出来的女王万岁！”另一个声音响起，很多人跟着起哄。女巫的脸上顿时充满光辉，向大家微微鞠躬。随着阵阵欢呼变成了讽刺的笑声，她才意识到自己被愚弄了，她的脸色发青，把刀放进左手， 出乎意料，她做了件非常可怕的事。她轻轻伸出右手，轻而易举地拿掉了灯柱上的一根铁条。在我们的世界，她的一些魔力也许会不见， 但她依旧力大无比。她折断铁棒犹如折断麦芽糖那么简单。她骑在马上，将武器扔向上空，再接住它，挥舞着前进。
“该我了。”迪格雷想。他奔跑到马与围栏之间，继续往前跑去， 想趁机靠近女巫。等待那匹马停下的瞬间，他就会抓住女巫的脚。就在他奋力往前冲时，却听见“哐哐当当”的重物击打声。原来是女巫， 她正在用铁棒敲打警官的头盔，他扭曲着身体倒在地上。
“快点，迪格雷，赶紧制止她。”背后传来波莉的声音。原来时间到了，她跳下床，飞一般地跑到街上。
“你太棒了，”迪格雷说，“拽住我，别松手。拿好戒指，记好了， 黄色的。直到我大喊，你再戴上它。”
随着另一声响，又倒下了一名警察。人群中愤怒的声音越来越响， “拉她下来，用铺路石揍她，让军队来打她。”人们往远处退去。很明显，在场的人员中，马车夫是最勇敢、善良的人。他在匆忙中躲闪着铁棒，努力靠近马，想趁机抓住马头。
人群中，阵阵吼声再次响起，一块石头从迪格雷的头上呼啸而过。女巫如同洪钟的声音传来，她显得那么得意：
“败类！待我征服了你们的世界，你们要为现在的行动付出很高的代价，记住，这个城市会灰飞烟灭的。我一定要毁掉这里，如同毁掉恰恩、费林达、索洛瓦以及巴拉曼丁。”
终于迪格雷抓到了她的脚。她反踢迪格雷，恰巧踢到他的嘴巴， 疼痛使得他不由地松开手。他满口是血，嘴巴被踢破了。安德鲁舅舅就在附近，用颤抖的声音尖叫：“夫人，亲爱的，上帝保佑你，安静下来吧。”迪格雷又一次抓住她的脚踝，又被踢开。人们纷纷倒在她的铁棒下。他又一次冲上去，死死拽住她的脚踝，对波莉大叫道“走！” 然后，谢天谢地。那些愤怒与受惊的面孔不见了，那些愤怒与受惊的声音也就此沉寂。不远处，迪格雷在黑暗中听见了安德鲁舅舅的抽泣： “我是昏迷了吗？完了，我要完了。这对我来说不公平。我不想当魔法师，这是个天大的误会。一切都是我教母的错误，我必须抗议。我身体也很差，古老的多塞特郡家族啊。”
“见鬼！”迪格雷想，“我们竟然带他来了。啊，真是个大聚会啊， 波莉，你在吗？”
“是，我在。不要一直推我。”
“不是我，”迪格雷话音未落，他们又一次站在了那片温暖、明亮且充满阳光的绿树林中。出了水潭，波莉就大叫：
“看呢！我们也带来了这老马，凯特利先生，竟然还有马车夫。真是糟糕透顶啊！”
当女巫看到自己又来到了树林中，她脸色苍白，无力地垂下脸， 把脸贴在了马的鬃毛上。她看起来难受极了。安德鲁舅舅也在哆嗦。唯有那匹叫“草莓”的马，摇着头，快乐地鸣叫一声，似乎很适应这里。迪格雷第一次看到这匹马如此安静，它之前一直在脑门上贴着的耳朵似乎也竖立了起来，眼睛闪烁着神采。
“老朋友，这就对了，”马车夫一边拍着“草莓”的脖子，一边说道， “别紧张，现在好多了。”
“草莓”做了件非常自然的事情，它太渴了，这没什么好奇的， 于是走到近处的水潭边饮水。迪格雷正抓着女巫的脚，波莉则拉着迪格雷的手。马车夫一只手放在“草莓”身上，另一只手被仍在颤抖着的安德鲁舅舅抓着。
“快！”波莉瞪了一眼迪格雷，叫道，“绿戒指！”
结果，马还没喝上水时，这群人马发现他们再次坠入黑暗里。“草莓”阵阵嘶鸣，安德鲁舅舅在哭泣，只有迪格雷说：“幸运极了。”
这样过了一会，波莉问：“我们还没到达吗？”
“我们似乎是在某个地方，”迪格雷说，“至少，我能感觉自己正站在坚硬的东西上。”
“和我想的一样。”波莉说，“可这里未免也太黑了？我的意思是， 是不是我们进错了水潭？”
“或许这里就是恰恩，”迪格雷说，“只是我们是半夜来这里的。”
“这里可不是恰恩，”女巫说，“这是空空如也的世界，是虚空。”
事实上，这世界就是罕见的虚无之国。这里没有一颗星星，一片漆黑，谁也看不到彼此，睁开眼和闭上眼都一样。在他们脚下，那块冰冷、平整的东西应该不是草地，也不是木头，而是泥土。又冷又干燥的空气里，没有一丝风。
“这里就是我的终点。”女巫声音平静得可怕。
“不要这样说，”安德鲁舅舅唠叨着，“亲爱的女士，算我请求你，不要这样说。事情没有你想的严重。啊……马车夫……亲爱的好人……你身上带酒了吗？我想喝口烈酒。”
“现在，现在，”马车夫的嗓门很大，他坚定地说，“我们需要冷静。没人摔坏骨头吧，那就好。现在我们应该感到欣慰。这样摔下来， 我们的情况已出乎意料的好了。如果我们掉进一些人工开掘的洞穴里， 比如地铁的新站头，也许很快就有人会来救我们，是吧？假如我们不幸身亡，有这种可能，可是在海上会有比这更糟糕的事情，人总要死掉的。一个人曾有过体面的生活，其实这样死去倒也没什么可怕的。如果你们问我现在应该做什么，我认为为了打发时间，最好唱首圣歌吧。”
紧接着，马夫唱起了一首感恩的圣歌，它在感谢收获“圆满地收割归仓”。在这个好像从未有生物生长的世界里唱这样的歌曲，似乎不太合适，但这是他的记忆中最清晰的一首歌。车夫的声音如此优美，孩子们也不由地跟唱起来，气氛顿时变得欢愉起来。但安德鲁舅舅与女巫并未加入其中。
圣歌快要唱完时，迪格雷感到有人拉了下他的胳膊，一股白兰地混着雪茄的味道，以及那身很棒的服装，让他感觉到是安德鲁舅舅。老家伙小心翼翼地拉着迪格雷朝旁边走去，有意与他人隔开距离，把嘴巴凑到迪格雷耳边，让他觉得耳朵直痒。他悄声说：“戴上戒指， 孩子，咱们走吧。”
女巫立刻听到了。“笨蛋！”她跳下马说，“我能听懂人的想法， 你忘记了吗？放开他。如果你想耍花招，我就报复你，用这个世界上你从未听说过的方法。”
“并且，”迪格雷跟着说，“你以为我是一只愚蠢的猪，会选择自己逃跑，而把波莉、车夫以及这匹马都丢在这里，那你真是想错了。”
“你真是个顽皮，不懂事的孩子。”安德鲁舅舅说。
“静下来！”车夫说。他们认真听。
黑暗中最终有了声音。远处传来了一个人的歌声。迪格雷分不清它来自哪里。声音似乎从四周同时传入耳中，有时好像就在他们脚下，它如此低沉，如同大地的声音。没有歌词，没有旋律，迪格雷却觉得这是他听到过的最美的声音，它如此动人，让人难以抵御。那匹马也跟着嘶鸣起来，似乎享受其中，仿佛穿越拉车的这些年，重新回到了故乡，它的童年时代，它看到自己记忆中所爱的人拿着糖块， 越过田野，正向它走来。
“上帝，”车夫说，“美妙至极，不是吗？”
同时，奇迹出现了，而且是两个。第一是，在这个声音中，一股数不清的冷酷、战栗以及银铃般的声音加入其中，音量很高，却很和谐。第二是，黑暗中闪烁着星星，它们并非夏夜中一颗接着一颗出现的，而是一团漆黑中，瞬时出现的成千上万的恒星、行星的群落， 比我们的世界所要见到的星辰要大，更明亮，却没有云的存在。同时， 新的星星与声音总是一起出现。如果你是迪格雷，亲眼目睹，亲耳倾听，一定会觉得星星们在唱歌，而能让它们出来并且唱歌的，是第一个低沉的声音。
“多神奇啊！”车夫说，“原来世界上还有如此美好的事物， 早知如此，我一定会做一个更好的人。”
地上的声音愈加显得响亮，且充满喜悦，天上的声音自与地上的声音合唱一番后，慢慢沉寂。这时候，发生了另一件事情。
遥远的地平线，天际慢慢变成了灰色。清风拂过。天上有一片地方越来越淡，映衬着黑色的群山轮廓，而且那声音从未间断地在唱歌。
天色很快亮起来，能让彼此看见他们的脸。马车夫与两个孩子此刻张着嘴巴，眼神闪烁着光彩，陶醉在美妙的声音中；那声音似乎能勾起他们的回忆。安德鲁舅舅此刻也张着嘴，却不是高兴的表情， 他的表情看上去像是丢掉了下巴。他弓着身体，膝盖发抖。是的，他不喜欢这声音，与其听着这音乐，还不如让他钻进老鼠洞痛快。女巫似乎比任何人都更懂这音乐，她的嘴唇紧闭，握着拳头。歌声刚响起， 她早已经感到，这个世界有一股比她更为强大的，且不同的魔力。她并不喜欢它，她想阻挡这声音，她想把这个世界以及所有的世界都撕碎。站在这里的马，耳朵抽动，不断前倾，不时用马蹄敲打地面， 或仰天长啸。这一切，让它看上去不再是疲惫的老马，人们更愿相信， 它拥有一个当过战马的父亲。
东方的天际从白色逐渐变成粉色，又从粉色开始变成金属色。声音不断升高，直到空气也在为之颤抖。直到声音最响亮、动听的时刻，太阳升起了。
这样的太阳，是迪格雷从未见过的。如果说恰恩那座废墟上空的太阳显得苍老的话，这一轮太阳却要比我们的世界更年轻。你甚至能想象得到，它愉快地笑着升起的样子。当阳光普照大地，这一群人终于看清了自己所站的位置。这是一片谷地，平缓的河流穿越其中， 朝着太阳升起的地方奔腾而来。南面有山脉，北面是丘陵，河谷内有岩石、水与土，并没有树木和灌木，甚至也没有一片草叶。新鲜、温热的泥土，五颜六色，无比鲜艳，令人感动。当你亲眼目睹歌者本身时， 你更是能忘记一切。
那是一头巨狮，毛发浓密，充满生机，站在离他们差不多三百米的地方，面朝太阳，张嘴歌唱。
“这真是个可怕的世界，”女巫说，“我们必须马上逃跑。准备施展魔法。”
“我很赞同，夫人。”安德鲁舅舅说，“这里最让人讨厌，真是蛮夷之地。假如我更年轻一些，还有一把枪就好了……”
“枪？”马车夫说，“你根本射不到它，不是吗？”
“谁要那样做？”波莉问。
“准备施展魔法，老笨蛋。”简蒂丝说。
“很快，夫人，”安德鲁舅舅显得很狡猾地说，“但我得让他们紧紧抓着我。迪格雷，快戴上回去的戒指。”他想丢掉女王逃走。
“戒指就能做到，是吧？”简蒂丝大叫一声，从马上斜下身体。她的手很快就要伸进迪格雷的口袋时，迪格雷一把拉住波莉，大声说： “小心！你敢靠近我这里半步，我们就消失，让你们永远留在这里。对， 我的口袋里的戒指，能把我和波莉带回家。看看！我随手能拿到它， 和我们保持距离。我对不住你和‘草莓’了，”他看向马车夫，“请原谅我也没办法。还有你们两个人，”他看向安德鲁舅舅和女巫，“你们贵为魔法师，在一起生活，应该没问题。”
“所有人都保持安静，”马车夫说，“让我多听一下这音乐。” 歌声却在这时悄然变幻。
第九章 纳尼亚诞生了
巨狮在空旷的大地上来回走动，并开始唱新的歌了。这次的歌声比之前唤醒太阳与星星的更为温柔、更为轻松，如同流水般潺潺而动，无比温暖。随着它的歌唱与走动，河谷中生长出碧绿的青草， 在它身边如同水潭般蔓延，如同浪花般爬满山坡。不一会儿，大山的斜坡上也长满了青草，这个年轻的世界每一个瞬间都无比柔美。微风吹拂，除了草，很快也出现了其他的东西。高坡上长出了石南属植物， 颜色暗淡，河谷中则出现了片片绿色，毛茸茸的看着粗糙不平。迪格雷并不知道那是什么，直到它走到了与他很近的地方。原来那是一种又长又尖的东西，身上覆盖着绿色的东西，且有几十只手臂，并以每两秒一寸的速度不断增长。此刻，他的周围处处都是这样的东西。等它们与他的高度相仿时，他才明白，并大喊道：“树！”
正如波莉后来所说，让人沮丧的是，你无法安静地欣赏这一切。迪格雷说“树”的时候，他被迫跳到了一边，安德鲁舅舅小心翼翼地来到他身边，正试着偷走戒指。其实，即使他拿到手也是徒劳的，因为在他的认识中绿戒指可以带他回去，他把目标定在了右边的口袋。但迪格雷却不会让他如意。
“停下，”女巫大喊，“站回原处。不能再往前走。谁要是走到与这两个孩子不到十步以内的地方，我一定敲碎他的脑袋。”她挥着那根铁棒，从灯的柱子上拽下的铁棒，做着随时会扔出去的样子， 当然，他们相信她会扔得无比准确。
“你！”她说，“想带着这男孩，偷偷跑回你的世界，丢下我不管。”
终于，安德鲁舅舅鼓足了勇气，忍不住发火。“是，夫人，”他说， “的确，我就想这样做。这完全是属于我的权力。你一直羞辱我，让我受到不公平的待遇。我曾那么尊重你，不顾一切地讨好你，但你给我的却是什么？你抢劫，而且抢的是被人尊重的珠宝商，我一定要重复说这两个字。你让我用最昂贵的午餐来招待你，也是最铺张的午餐， 这样，我只好卖掉了我的手表与表链。夫人，我们家可从没人会常常光顾当铺，当然，除了我的表哥爱德华，他曾是义勇军的骑兵队的一员。结果是去吃一顿很难消化的午餐，现在想起来我还是很难受， 还有你的言行举止让这里的每个人都不舒服。我更是在公众场合丢脸了，再也不好意思去那个饭店。不仅如此，你袭击警察，还偷窃……”
“先生，不要再说话了。”马车夫说，“快来看看、听听眼前的这些事情，停下争吵。”
这里的确存在很多值得看与听的事情。迪格雷最初看见的树已是粗壮的山毛榉树，枝叶优美，在树顶上舒展。他们站立的青草地更是凉爽，生长着雏菊与毛茛属植物。不远处，沿河有柳树依依。河流的对岸，则绽放着茶鹿子、丁香花、玫瑰花以及杜鹃花儿。马正在大口地咀嚼着这里新鲜的草。
这段时间，巨狮依旧不停唱歌，依旧庄严地前后左右走动。令人惊奇的是，它的每一个转身，都会靠他们更近。波莉发现，歌声愈加有趣，因为她已觉察到歌声与眼前的事物有着联系。她看到在百米外的山脊上，出现了一排墨绿色的冷杉树，她感到这与一秒之前狮子那低且悠长的歌曲有着莫大关联。随着狮子唱出欢快的旋律时， 她看到周围的报春花不断绽放。她无比激动，用她自己的语言描述她相信这些都是“狮子用大脑所想出来的”。当你去倾听它的歌声， 你就会听到它所创造的事物——环顾四周的美丽风景，你就能看见歌曲中所传的东西。这个发现真令人激动，波莉似乎没时间感到害怕。但是狮子每一次转身，离他们更近时，迪格雷与马夫都会略显紧张， 安德鲁舅舅则牙齿打战，双腿发抖，却无法逃跑。
突然，女巫朝着狮子跑过去。狮子依旧在歌唱，沉稳且缓慢地前进着，大概离他们只有十几步的距离了。她抬起手，用铁棒朝着它的头，狠狠砸去。
不要说简蒂丝，任何人在这样近的距离都不应打偏。铁棒敲在了狮子眼中间的位置，一掠而过，“砰”的一声落在草地上。狮子却并未停下，步伐依旧在稳中前进，他们难以猜到狮子是否知道自己刚刚被打了。它那柔软的爪子并未发出任何声响，你却能感受到它脚下的大地在颤抖。
女巫尖叫着跑了，消失在树林中。安德鲁舅舅也想转身跑开， 无奈被一根树桩绊倒，脸朝下，跌倒在了一条流向大河的溪流中，两个孩子也无法动弹了。其实他们自己也不知道自己是否真的想过跑开，狮子根本没有看他们。它只是张着血盆大口唱歌，并没有任何咆哮。它从他们身边走过，他们甚至能摸到它的毛发。两个孩子怕极了， 更怕它会转身向他们。但两个孩子又盼望它能转身。从最初到现在， 它根本没有注意他们，他们就像是透明体。它从他们身边走过去走过来，又返回去，来回两次与他们擦肩而过，朝东方走去。
安德鲁舅舅爬起来，一边咳嗽，一边吞咽唾沫说道：“迪格雷，现在我们摆脱了女巫，狮子也已经走了，快伸出你的手，立刻戴着戒指。”
“不要。”迪格雷一边说，一边后退了几步，“不要让他靠近你， 波莉，来我这里。现在，我要告诉你，安德鲁舅舅，不要再靠近我们一步，不然我们现在就走。”
“按照我说的去做，你这个孩子，”安德鲁舅舅说，“你太不懂事了，你这样让我很失望。”
“不要听你的，”迪格雷说，“我们想要在这里看看会发生什么。我原以为你会更想来了解其他的世界。现在我们就在这里，你不喜欢吗？”
“喜欢！”安德鲁舅舅大喊，“看看我现在的处境！这可是我最棒的一套外套与背心。”现在的他，的确狼狈至极。试想，一个人打扮得很漂亮，他从撞烂的马车下钻出来，再掉进小溪的泥巴里， 当然狼狈不堪。“我说的是，”他接着说，“这个地方并不是没意思。假如我再年轻一些，现在我也许应该找一个年轻气盛的人来这里。找一个专业的猎手，这里倒是很适合他们，对了，这里天气宜人，我从来没有呼吸过这样新鲜的空气，我觉得这样对我有好处的。如果， 假如条件允许的话，我们拥有一支枪该多好。”
“要枪干吗？”马车夫说，“我是不是应该给‘草莓’梳理下毛发， 它比人还要有灵性。”他来到“草莓”身边，用马车夫与马儿交流的语言，对它“嘘嘘”着。
“你仍然觉得枪真的能打死那只狮子吗？”迪格雷说，“它一点也不在乎那铁棒啊。”
“都是她的错，”安德鲁舅舅说，“那可是个什么都敢做的女人， 孩子，她实在太粗鲁了。”他又开始“噼啪”着捏自己的手关节，似乎暂时忘记他还是怕着女巫的。
“实在不该这样做，”波莉说，“狮子根本就没伤害她，不是吗？”
“看！那里是什么？”迪格雷往前走去，去看距离他不远处的一个东西。“波莉，”他向着后面大喊，“快来看看。”
安德鲁舅舅跟了上来，他并非好奇，只是想紧紧跟着孩子们， 只有这样他才更有可能偷到戒指。当他看到迪格雷正在专心观看的东西时，他也顿时着迷了。那是一个灯柱模型，小巧而且完美，当他们观看它时，它正不断变高变宽，如同树木，不断生长。
“它活着呢——我的意思是它还亮着。”迪格雷说。当然，在阳光的照耀下，如果不是遮拦着它，真的很难看到灯上那微弱的光。
“真是太神奇了，”安德鲁舅舅喃喃自语，“我做梦也想不到会有这样神奇的魔法。在这里，所有的东西，就连一个灯柱，都可以拥有生命力，都在生长着。让我好奇的是，什么样的种子才能生成灯柱呢？
“你不明白吗？”迪格雷说，“铁棒在这里掉下去，那是从我家门前的灯柱上拔下这铁棒的。掉进土里，它就生成了小小的灯柱。” 迪格雷说这些时，此刻灯柱已经不算小了，它几乎和他一样高。
“是啊，太神奇了，了不起！”安德鲁舅舅比刚刚更为兴奋地搓动手指，“哦！他们之前嘲笑我的魔法。我的傻妹妹更是把我当成神经病。现在，他们还能说什么？我竟然发现了一个充满生机的世界， 这里任何东西都可以在此生长。人们经常谈哥伦布，哥伦布。与这里相比，美洲算什么，这个世界的商业潜力，无法估量。带破旧的钢条来此，只要埋下去，就会长出新的火车头，或是军舰，或是你想要的任何事物。然后不用任何成本，我再拿着去英国卖掉，很快我就能成为千万富翁。还有这里的天气！都让我觉得自己一下年轻二十岁， 我还可以在此建设一个疗养院，好好经营，一年就能赚几百万。我只允许一些人知道这里的秘密。当然，首先我要开枪打死那头畜生。”
“其实你和女巫是一类人，”波莉说，“脑子里想的都是杀害。”
“还要谈谈我自己，”安德鲁舅舅还在幻想美梦，“如果我定居在此，谁知道能活到什么时候。对我来说，已年过花甲，这才是最值得考虑的大事。这个地方，我也许永远不会老去。这里实在太美！ 如此年轻的土地！”
“啊！”迪格雷大叫道，“年轻的土地！你真的如此认为？” 他一直记得，蕾迪姨妈与那位送葡萄的女人所说的话。他的脑海中勾勒出一个美好的期待。“安德鲁舅舅，”他说，“你觉得这里的什么东西能治好妈妈的病？”
“我不明白你在说什么？”安德鲁舅舅说，“这又不是药店。但是一切如我所说……”
“你一点都不关心我妈妈，”迪格雷愤愤不平地说，“我以为你会关心她，毕竟她是你的妹妹，我的母亲。无所谓，我去问下狮子， 看它能否帮助我。”之后，他转身，轻快地离开。波莉迟疑了一下， 然后跟了上去。
“嗨！停下来！回来！他是疯了。”安德鲁舅舅说。他在孩子后面小心地跟随着，并有意保持一段距离。他不想离绿戒指太远，也不想离狮子太近。”
过了一会儿，迪格雷站在了树林边。狮子依旧在唱歌，歌声又改变了。这次的歌声与人类所谓的“声调”很像很像，但歌声依旧狂放不羁，让人想跳舞，想去奔跑，想去攀登，想去喊叫，想冲向其他人， 与他们拥抱，或搏斗。迪格雷的脸在发热，变得通红。安德鲁舅舅也深受影响，迪格雷模糊中听到他说：“这是个活泼的女孩，兄弟。她的脾气令人不敢恭维，但她的确是个漂亮女人，很是漂亮迷人。” 歌声对这片土地所产生的影响，远远超越了对他们所产生的影响。
你会想象到草地如同水在壶中那般沸腾吗？但这样的比喻也许最恰当不过。周围的草地膨胀成了圆丘，它们大小不一，有的如同鼹鼠那般大，有的则如同独轮小车，甚至还有两个圆丘如同棚屋那般大。圆丘慢慢移动，慢慢膨胀，最终，泥土四溅，每个圆丘内都钻出来了一个动物。就像英国的鼹鼠出洞，这里的也一样，狗从洞口钻出脑袋， 像从篱笆的缝隙中钻出，那么困难与挣扎，它一直在叫。雄鹿比较有趣，它的角出来了很久，身体还在里面，以至于迪格雷最初把它当成了一棵树。青蛙钻出来之后，一直呱呱地叫着，蹦蹦跳跳地跳入河流。花豹、黑豹等动物则立刻坐下，在松土中抖后腿上的泥土，并站起身来，在一棵树上磨它们的前爪。树林中传来鸟鸣声，蜜蜂则立刻辛勤地飞翔在花上。最壮观的当属最大的圆丘炸裂时，如同轻微的地震， 先是隆起大象斜坡一样的脊背，智慧的大脑袋与四条像穿着肥胖裤子的大腿。此刻，你似乎听不到狮子的歌声了，因为从你的周围传来的是牛叫、马嘶、狗吠与鸟鸣……
迪格雷虽听不到狮子的歌声，但依旧能看到它。它是那么威武， 那么雄壮，深深吸引了迪格雷，其他的动物看上去并不怕它。此时， 响起了一阵马蹄声，拉车的老马从他身边奔跑而过，站在了其他动物身边。这里的空气不止适合安德鲁舅舅，也适合这匹马，与在伦敦明显不同的是，它正高昂着头，扬起腿，不再像可怜的奴隶。狮子终于安静。它开始了巡视，不时走近其中的两只动物面前，每次都是两只， 它用鼻子轻吻着它们的鼻子。并且在一群河狸中摩挲两只河狸的鼻子，在所有花豹中亲了亲两只的鼻子，在鹿群内吻了吻一只雄鹿与一只雌鹿的鼻子。而有些动物，它只是从它们面前经过；被它吻过的动物们开始成双成对地跟在它的后面，离开了它们的群体。最后，狮子站住，被它挑选过的动物们走过来，将它围成一个圈。而它没有吻过的动物则向着四周跑去，叫着慢慢消失不见。它挑选出的动物安静地站着，眼睛看向狮子。所有的动物一动不动，只有猫类动物偶尔会摇摆下尾巴。此刻，是那天最寂静的时刻，能听见淙淙流水声。迪格雷的心快速跳动，他感觉到要发生一件神圣且隆重的事情。他没有忘记关于妈妈的事情，但是，他明白，就算是为了她，在这件“大事”中， 他也不能插话。
狮子从未眨眼，它用灼灼的目光看向动物们。动物们开始变化了， 比如兔子、睡鼠之类的小动物突然变大了许多，庞大的动物们——其中大象最为明显——小了许多。动物们用后腿坐着，它们大部分都偏着头，试图去理解一些东西。狮子没有发声，只是张着嘴巴。它的呼吸如同绵长且温暖的气息，像风吹过排排大树，似乎可以将所有的动物都能吹得不见踪影。在遥远的空中，那些蓝色天幕后面的星星们， 又开始唱起了新的歌。歌声令人难以理解，是如此纯净与清冷。然后， 在天上，在狮子身上，闪烁过一道火花。孩子们的血液在沸腾。这时， 一个粗犷、低沉的，他们从未听到的声音说：
“纳尼亚、纳尼亚、纳尼亚，快醒吧。去爱，去想，去说话。让树动起来，让野兽开始说话，感谢神圣之水。”
第十章 第一个笑柄以及其他笑话
当然这声音是狮子的。其实孩子们早就觉得它会说话，但听到它的声音的时候，他们仍然既兴奋又惊奇。
从树后走出野人、树精、羊怪、森林神和小矮人。河神与女儿（也是仙女），也从河流中走出来。这些精灵、野兽以及鸟儿们用高低不同、或浑朴或清晰的声音说道：“好！阿斯兰。我们都听到了，并且服从你。我们已经醒了。我们去爱，去想，去说话，我们懂了。”
“但我们还不是很懂。”一个鼻音浓重的声音说道。说话的正是那匹拉车的老马，孩子们吃惊得几乎跳起。
“是老‘草莓’，真棒，”波莉说，“真高兴，它成为了会说话的动物啊。”孩子身边的马车夫说：“真让人开心，我以前就常说， 这匹马非常有灵性。”
“生灵们，我给了你们灵魂，”阿斯兰的声音愉悦且有力，“我将纳尼亚，永远地给予你们了。给予你们树木、果实与河流，给予你们星星以及我。还有那些没被我选中的哑兽也属于你们。一定要善待并珍惜它们。但不要回到它们之中，否则你们将不会说话。你们源自它们，回到它们中间，将与它们无异。所以，不要回去。”
“阿斯兰，不，我们不会回去。”动物们一起说道。一只鲁莽的慈鸟又一次高声说了句：“肯定不回去！”大伙们都不说了，它才说，所以，在寂静中，它的声音格外高昂。在聚会上，这样的声音显得很无礼。所以慈鸟尴尬至极，只好把头埋在翅膀中，像睡觉那样， 其他的动物们发出不同的笑声，在我们的世界中，我们从未听到过这样的声音。最初它们还想憋住，但阿斯兰说：“笑吧，别害怕，动物们，你们不再是哑巴了，不再无知，所以就不该继续沉默。有了语言， 就有公道，也会有玩笑。”
听到这里，动物们无约束地笑起来。这活跃、愉快的气氛里， 慈鸟又一次鼓足勇气，跳上了那只拉车马的头上，站在它的耳朵之间， 扇动着翅膀说：“阿斯兰！阿斯兰！是我开了第一个玩笑吗？以后大家就知道我是怎么开了第一个玩笑的了吧？”
“不是，小朋友，”狮子说，“第一个玩笑不是你开的，你反倒成为了第一个笑柄。”动物们比之前笑得更夸张。慈鸟一点也不在乎，也跟着大笑，直到马摇了下头，它没站稳，在掉下来时它想到了自己的翅膀，于是飞了起来。原本它还没用过翅膀。
“现在，”阿斯兰说，“纳尼亚被建成了。下面，我们就要用智慧来保卫它，确保它的安全。我将从你们中间选择我的顾问团体。走过来，你，小矮人头领，河神，橡树神，雄猫头鹰，还有你们这两个渡鸦，公象。我们要在一起商讨事物。这个世界建立还不到五个小时，但已有一个恶魔闯进来了。”
他选出的动物们走上来，跟着他向着东边走过去。其余的动物们都开始议论道：“究竟是什么已经进入到我们的世界呢？‘镆’是什么？究竟是什么呢？——不，他说的不是‘镆’，他说的是‘馍’。—— 他到底指的是什么？”
“看，”迪格雷对波莉说，“我得跟他过去，就是那只狮子，阿斯兰， 我必须要跟他谈一下。”
“你觉得我们能过去吗？”波莉说，“我不敢去。”
“我不得不过去，”迪格雷说，“为了我的妈妈。如果还有谁能给予她治病的秘方，肯定只有他了。”
“我和你们一起过去，”马车夫说，“我喜欢他的模样。我并不指望其他的动物会邀请我们。我也想跟‘草莓’说句话。”
他们三个人大胆地或者也可以说是壮了胆向着动物们走去。动物们都在忙着交流和交朋友，当发觉三个人时，他们已离它们很近。当然，它们并未听见安德鲁舅舅，此刻他正穿着一双超紧的鞋子，站在远处发抖，他并未用尽全力地大叫：
“迪格雷！快回来，立刻回来，听我的。我不允许你再前进一步。”
当他们来到动物中间，动物们竟一起停止了说话，看着他们： “看，”雄河狸终于开口说道，“以阿斯兰的名义发问，他们是？……”
“不好意思。”迪格雷呼吸紧张，刚想接着说下去，一只兔子却说： “我觉得他们是大莴苣。”
“不是，我们不是，当然不是。”波莉急忙解释说，“我们可不是吃的东西。”
“呵！”鼹鼠说，“他们会说话，谁曾听莴苣说过话？”
“也许这就是第二个笑柄。”慈鸟说。
黑豹一直在洗脸，它思考了一下说道：“如果是的话，没有第一个好玩。我到现在，都没有看出来他们有什么好笑的。”它打着哈欠， 又忙着洗脸去了。
“哦，对不起，”迪格雷说，
“我有些急事，我想见狮子。”
马车夫不断试着吸引“草莓”的目光。最终，它看到了他。“‘草莓’， 老朋友，”他说，“我们认识的。你不会往那一站，就记不起我了吧。”
“他在说什么啊，马？”同时几个声音问。
“好吧，”“草莓”慢悠悠地说，“我记不清楚了。我相信咱们大多数人都记不清楚一些事情了。我好像觉得，之前见过类似的东西。我还觉得，自己曾住在其他的地方，或其他东西——在阿斯兰唤醒我之前的几分钟。一切都像梦，混混沌沌的梦中，好像就有跟这三个东西差不多的玩意儿。”
“什么？”马车夫说，“你不认识我了？在你病了的时候，我曾拿饴糖给你当晚餐吃，曾为你打理鬃毛，你却不记得我了？当你站在寒冷的地方，我总是记得为你盖点东西，没想到你会翻脸不认人， ‘草莓’。”
“真想不起来了。”马儿思考着说，“是的，让我好好想想。对了， 你之前总是会把一个可怕的黑家伙绑在我后面，追打着我前进。不管跑多么远，黑家伙都被拖在我背后“哐哐当当”地响。”
“我们得赚钱谋生啊，明白吗？”车夫说，“你干活我也干活。如果不追打你不干活，就没有马厩、干草，没有饲料，没有燕麦。我们不能否认，只有我能买到燕麦，你才能吃到燕麦。”“燕麦？” 马儿竖起耳朵说，“啊，我记起这种东西啦。我的记忆越来越清楚了。你总是坐在我后面，一直都是我在前面拉着你和那个黑家伙跑。我记得，所有的活都是我在干。”
“夏天的时候，我承认，”马车夫说，“干活的时候，你很热， 我坐在凉爽的地方。可冬天的时候，好朋友，你会很暖和，而我坐在那里，手脚冰凉，鼻子差点要被风吹掉了，手也被冻僵了，几乎抓不住绳子。”
“那里是残酷的、难以忍受的国度，”“草莓”说，“几乎没有草，全是坚硬的石头。”
“是的，朋友，是这样的！”马车夫说，“那个世界的确令人难以忍受。我之前说过，任何马都不适合铺路石。那是伦敦，我和你一样，也不喜欢。你是乡下的嘛，我是乡下的人。那时在老家，我常去唱歌，在教堂的唱诗班里，但后来没法在那里生活了。”
“哦！对不起，对不起，”迪格雷说，“让我们往前继续走， 可以吗？狮子越走越远，我有话要跟他说。”
“看着我，‘草莓’，”马车夫说，“这位小伙子想对狮子， 你们的阿斯兰，说几句心里话。我想请求你驮着他去找狮子，他一定会感恩不尽。我和女孩在后面跟着。”
“驮着？”“草莓”说，“我记得了。就是说，坐在我背上， 我记得之前，常常会有小动物，像你这样的两条腿的，坐在我的背上。他经常喂我一种白色的小方块，很硬。吃起来……哇，比草甜，味道很美妙。”
“哦，那是糖块。”马车夫说。
“‘草莓’，请，”迪格雷请求他说道，“让，让我上去，带着我， 去找阿斯兰。”
“来吧，我一点也不介意，”马说，“让我驮你一次，上来吧。”
“好样的，‘草莓’，”马车夫说，“来吧，年轻人，我帮你一下。” 迪格雷一下骑到“草莓”的背上，真是舒服，他想起之前曾骑过自己家的小马驹那光光的背脊。
“现在，走吧，‘草莓’。”他说。
“我猜，你身上没有带白色的小方块吧？”马说。
“是的，遗憾的是我没带。”迪格雷说。
“哎，真没办法。”“草莓”说着，向前迈步走去。此时，一条斗牛犬认真地闻了好一阵子，仔细看了很久说：“瞧， 那里不还有一个与此差不多的怪东西吗？——就在那里，河边的树下。”
动物们一起朝着那边看去，只见安德鲁舅舅站在杜鹃花丛中， 笔直笔直，生怕被注意到。
“走，”几个动物说，“咱过去瞧瞧。”当“草莓”轻快地驮着迪格雷向着另外的方向跑去时，波莉与马车夫在后面，多数动物一路吼叫、嘟囔、狂吠着，发出各种声音，显得兴高采烈，向着安德鲁舅舅一路狂奔。
现在，我们必须回过头来从安德鲁舅舅的内心来解释他所看到的一切。他的反应，与马车夫和孩子们的感觉完全相反；一个人的所作所为取决于他的立场，也决定了他是哪种人。自从动物们出现，安德鲁舅舅便一步步退向了灌木丛中。他当然也曾仔细地观察了它们； 并非有兴趣地来观看它们所做的事情，并且担心它们会不会跑向自己。如同女巫一样，他极端且自私，根本没有察觉阿斯兰在每种动物中只选出了一对，他看见，或自认为看见，许许多多危险的野兽走来走去，乱糟糟的一团。他还在纳闷，其他动物为何不赶紧离那只狮子远一点。
在这样一个滑稽的情况下，他已经错过了动物们说话的精彩时刻。之前，当狮子最初唱歌时，天色尚黑，他能感觉到那是一首歌， 但他并不喜欢这首音乐，因为那歌声使得他回想起，并让他回忆起自己不愿意回忆的往事。之后，太阳升起来，他看到狮子是歌者，他便对自己说“一头狮子而已”。他曾努力地让自己去相信，它并非在唱歌，而且从未唱过歌——它的声音只是我们这个世界的动物园中， 任何狮子都经常发出的吼声。“当然，它也不会唱歌，”他想，“这是我的想象，我神经出错了。谁会听到狮子在歌唱？狮子唱得越来越动听，他就越来越努力让自己去相信，这一切不过是吼叫。郁闷的是， 一个人让自己变得更愚蠢的时候，往往会如他所愿。安德鲁舅舅终于实现了这个愿望。于是，从阿斯兰的歌声中，他只听见了狮子的吼叫。即使他试图去听，还是听不到其他的东西。最后，当狮子说“纳尼亚醒来”时，除了一声咆哮外，安德鲁舅舅什么都没听见。动物们回答阿斯兰时，在他的耳中只有阵阵嘈杂不清的吼叫。当它们开口发笑时， 对安德鲁舅舅而言，这才是最可怕的事情。在他一生中，他从未听到饥饿的野兽如此发狂、如此恐怖、如此杀气腾腾的吼叫声。之后， 当他看到三个人朝着动物们走去的时候，他害怕至极，更是无比愤怒。
“愚蠢！”他喃喃自语，“这下，那些动物会把两个孩子以及戒指一起吃了，我再也回不去了。迪格雷这个自私鬼！其他的人也一样坏。如果他们想丢掉性命，真是活该。可我呢，他们从未顾及我的感受。竟没人会想到我。”
最后，当一群动物朝着他奔跑时，他转身逃命而跑。人们都能看出来，这位老先生果然得益于年轻世界里的空气。在伦敦时，他本已衰老得跑不动，但现在，他的速度如此快，绝对能拿下英国任何一座学校的百米赛之冠。衣摆在他后面来回飘动，轻盈且美丽，却没有用处。动物们之间也有跑得很快的，这也是它们第一次在这个世界上奔跑，都很想锻炼下自己的新肌肉。“快追！快追上他！”它们叫着，“他就是那个‘镆’吧？哈！快跑！堵住他！围上他！坚持住！ 快跑！”
不到几分钟，一些动物就超过了他。它们排成排，拦住他的去路， 其他的动物也追了上来，重重包围了他。无论从哪个方向看，他都觉得可怕至极。他的面前耸立着大麋子的角，大象庞大的脸。笨重、严肃的熊和公猪，也在后面咆哮。黑豹与花豹的冷漠表情（他如此想），
它们摇着尾巴，瞪着他。让他害怕的是，他面前有许多张大的嘴巴。动物们张口仅仅是为了呼吸，他却误解为要吃掉自己。
安德鲁舅舅站在那里，浑身颤抖，东摇西摆。其实在安全的时候， 他就讨厌动物；看到动物，他就觉得恐惧。当然，他如此憎恨和害怕它们，也与他曾长期拿它们做实验有关。
“现在，先生，”一只斗牛犬用公正的口吻说，“你是动物、植物， 还是矿物？”它只说了这些话，但无奈，安德鲁舅舅只听到“汪…… 汪……汪”的声音。
第十一章 陷入困境
可能你会觉得，这些动物愚蠢至极，不能马上明白安德鲁舅舅、两个孩子、马车夫是同一种生物。但你得知道，动物们对衣服是没有概念的。在它们看来，波莉的外衣、迪格雷的诺福克套装，马车夫的圆顶帽，如同动物身上的皮毛和翅膀，是长在他们身上的东西。如果它们没有和他们交流，如果“草莓”也没有那么想，它们也不会知道他们三个人是同类。安德鲁舅舅比孩子们高很多，比马车夫瘦很多。他浑身都是黑色的，除了他的白背心（现在也不那么白了），他那深灰色蓬松的头发（现在的确很凌乱），在动物看来，这与其他三人一点也不相同。它们迷惑不解。不幸的是，他似乎不会说话。
他试过。当斗牛犬对着他说话的时候，其实他认为，它先是对他纠缠，然后对他咆哮，他颤抖着伸出手，喘着气说：“好小狗，嗯， 可怜的老家伙。”正如他无法听懂动物们在说什么，动物们也听不懂他说的话。在它们看来，那只是模糊不清的嘶嘶声。或许这样最好不过了，因为我见过的狗，从不愿被人叫作“好小狗”，如同你也不情愿被叫成“我的小男人”，更别提纳尼亚那条会说话的狗了。
忽然安德鲁舅舅昏倒在地上。
“你瞧！”一头野猪说，“那不过是一棵树。刚刚我就那么认为。” 你得知道，它们并不知道什么是昏厥，也没见过什么是倒下。
那斗牛犬在安德鲁舅舅身上来回嗅着，抬起头说，“它是动物， 绝对是动物，估计和刚刚那几个是同类。”
“我不这么认为，”一头熊说，“这样蜷着倒在地上，动物们不会吧。比如我们就不会蜷着卧倒。我们都是这样站立着。”它翘起后腿，后退了一步，绊在一根矮树枝上，然后仰倒在地上。
“第三个笑话，第三个笑话，第三个笑话！”那只慈鸟十分激动地说道。
野猪说：“我仍然觉得那是一种树。”
“假如是树，”另一头熊说，“上面就有蜂窝。”
“我确信这一定不是树，”一头獾说，“我认为，它倒下之前想说告诉我们什么。”
“那不过是风吹过树枝的声音。”野猪说。
“你是这样认为的，”慈鸟对獾说，“你觉得它只是一个会说话的动物？可它什么都没说。”
“大家都知道，”大象说。这是头母象，她的丈夫刚刚被阿斯兰叫走了，“你们懂的，它也许是某种动物。这块白色的东西像是脸吗？那些洞不应该是眼睛和嘴吗？当然，没有鼻子。但是，啊，我们的想法不应这么狭隘。那个叫鼻子的东西，我们也只有少数才拥有。” 她斜着眼向下看自己长长的象鼻，带着一种情有可原的骄傲。
“我非常不赞同你的言辞。”斗牛犬说。
“可它说得对。”貘说。
“听我说说！”机灵的驴子说，“或许它是一只自认为能说话， 但事实上却不会说话的动物。”
“它还能站起来吗？”大象有些担心。它轻轻地用鼻子卷起了安德鲁舅舅松软的身体，并试图让他竖起来，倒霉的是，它把他放反了。两枚二分之一金镑、三枚五分之二先令和一枚六便士硬币，从他的口袋里掉下。不幸的是，安德鲁舅舅再次倒下。
“啊哈！”几个动物的声音，“它一定不是动物，它并没有活着。”
“我说过，它真的是动物，”斗牛犬说，“不信你们闻闻看。”
“气味也不能代表一切。”大象说。
“为什么，”斗牛犬说，“假如谁连自己的鼻子都无法信任， 它还会信什么？”
大象温柔地回应说：“哦，那就信他的大脑。”
斗牛犬说：“我非常不赞同你的观点。”
“嗯，我们必须做点什么，”大象说，“它可能就是‘镆’， 我们得把它交给阿斯兰。大家怎么想的呢？它到底是动物，还是像树一样的东西？”
“是树！是树！”十几个声音齐说。
“好吧，”大象说，“假如他是树，必须得把他栽在土中。先挖个洞吧。”
两只鼹鼠迅速地挖了个洞。动物们却产生了争议，它们不知该把安德鲁舅舅的哪一头栽在地上。几只动物觉得他的腿肯定是树枝， 而那毛茸茸的灰色东西（指的是他的头）一定是根部。但又有其他动物说，分叉的那头会沾到比较多的泥巴，伸展得也会更快，所以是根部。最后，他被正立着栽在地上，当被栽好时，泥土早已到了他的膝盖。
“看上去，它很枯萎。”驴子说。
“当然，它需要点水，”大象说，“我可以说（无心冒犯在场的任何一位），或许，我的这种鼻子，更适合这个工作……”
“我绝对不赞同，”斗牛犬说。可是大象已默默地来到河边， 鼻子里装满水，并浇在了安德鲁舅舅身上。聪明的动物们不断地浇水， 直到许许多多的水浇到他身上，水从他外衣的边缘流淌而下，就像是他穿着衣服洗了个澡。终于，他清醒了，从昏迷中清醒过来，并且绝对清醒了！我们需要给他点时间，让他好好想想自己曾做过的坏事（如果他还能保持理智的话），现在，我们需要说更重要的事。
“草莓”驮着迪格雷，一路奔跑，那些动物的声音越来越小， 阿斯兰和它挑选出来的那群动物们则越来越近。迪格雷明白自己不能打断一个隆重的会议，并且也没有必要这样做。阿斯兰说了句话，公象、渡鸦以及所有的动物都快速离开了。迪格雷迅速滑下马，阿斯兰就这样和他面对面而站，他才发现阿斯兰比他想象中更硕大、更美丽、更闪耀，也更让人恐惧。他甚至不敢看他的眼睛。
“尊敬的……狮子先生……阿斯兰……阁下，”迪格雷说，“可否——可以请您，请求您给我一些属于这里的，神奇的果子，来为我妈妈治病？”
他极其盼望狮子会说“好的”，非常害怕它可能说“不好”。但看到狮子既没答应也没拒绝，迪格雷有些吃惊。
“就是这个男孩，”阿斯兰说，他并不看迪格雷，而是转头向着他的顾问们说，“就是他所为。”
“天哪，”迪格雷想，“我做什么了？”
“亚当之子，”狮子说，“一个犹如恶魔般的女巫，来到了我们新的大地纳尼亚。请告诉它们，她是如何到来的。”
迪格雷的脑海中闪现了很多事情，理智告诉他，除了将真相全部说出来，说其他的根本没用。
“我带她来的，阿斯兰。”他低声回答道。
“为什么目的而来？”
“我当时只想让她离开我们的世界，回到她的世界中去。我以为， 我可以带她回去她自己的世界。”
“那她究竟是怎样来到了你的世界，亚当之子？”
“通过……魔法。”
狮子沉默。迪格雷知道自己并未说明白。
“应该是我的舅舅，阿斯兰，”他说，“他用魔法戒指让我们离开了自己的世界，他先把波莉送走了，我不得不跟随。然后，我们遇见了女巫，在那个叫作恰恩的世界，她抓住了我们当……”
“你遇到了女巫？”阿斯兰低声说，那声音在咆哮中隐藏着威胁。
“她醒了，”迪格雷失落地解释。之后，他的脸显得很苍白，“是我唤醒了她。当时我想知道敲响钟究竟会发生什么。波莉不想这么做。她并没有错。为此，我还曾和她争斗，我知道自己错了。我想，自己一定是被钟下面的字给迷昏了头。”
“是吗？”阿斯兰问，声音依旧低沉。
“不是，”迪格雷说，“我现在能明白不是那样的。我只是在找借口。”
长时间的沉默。迪格雷不断地想，“所有事情都被我搞砸了。我再也没有机会为妈妈治病了。”
狮子再次说话时，已经不是对迪格雷说了。
“你们看，朋友们，”他说，“我给你们这个崭新的、纯净的世界， 还未到七个小时，一个邪恶的力量就已闯进来；是由眼前这位亚当之子唤醒之后带进来的。”动物们，包括“草莓”，把它们的目光一起看向迪格雷，他真希望大地有个缝可以钻进去。“不要灰心，”阿斯兰说，但眼睛依旧对着其他的动物，“那个恶魔带来了邪恶，说这些为之尚早，我会时刻警惕糟糕的事情冲向我。我们更要建设好秩序， 以来维持数百年内，这里都会是快乐世界的一片净土。亚当的后代既然带来了灾难，也应该帮助我们消灭它，走近点，另外两位。”
这最后的话是对刚来到的波莉和马车夫说的。波莉用手紧抓住马车夫的手，无比惊讶地看着阿斯兰。马车夫看了下狮子，摘下圆顶礼帽，从未有人见过他脱掉帽子的样子。他不戴帽子时，显得更年轻、漂亮，更像乡下人，而并非伦敦的马车夫。
“孩子，”阿斯兰对马车夫说，“我认识你很久了。你认识我吗？”
“阁下，我不认识，”马车夫说，“我指的不是一般意义上的认识。不过，我总觉得，自己可以说，以前我们好像是认识的。”
“不错，”狮子说。“你比想象中更富有灵性。你慢慢会了解我的。你喜欢这片大地吗？”
“这里让我觉得快乐无比，阁下，”马车夫说。
“你想一直在这里住下去吗？”
“阁下，你知道的，我已经结婚了，”马车夫说，“如果我妻子也在这里，相信我们谁也不想再回到伦敦，我们是标准的乡下人。”
阿斯兰昂起长满蓬松毛发的头，发出一声长长的、音调不高但充满力量的声音。波莉听得心儿“怦怦”直跳。她敢肯定，这是召唤， 任何一个听到这召唤的人，不管相隔多少世界与时代，都会想去听从它的安排。她的心中虽写满了疑问，当她突然看到，一个善良诚实的年轻女人，突然来到她身边时，她并不感到十分震惊或害怕。波莉马上懂了，这个女人是马车夫的妻子，但她不是被折磨人的魔法戒指， 从我们的世界带过来的，而更像鸟儿飞回它的巢穴般迅速、简单、舒适地，来到这里。这个年轻的女人还围着围裙，袖子在肘部，手上还有许多肥皂沫，她刚刚应该是在洗衣服。如果时间允许，她将换上漂亮衣服（她的一顶帽子上镶嵌着樱桃饰品），那样也许会让人觉得不舒服。但此刻这身朴实的服装，更显得她很可爱。
当然她还以为自己在做梦，于是没有立刻跑到丈夫那儿，问他究竟发生了什么。当她看到狮子，她又不确定自己是否在做梦，不知为何，她看起来并不是那么害怕。然后，她行了一个屈膝礼，那时， 农村姑娘也知道怎么进行屈膝礼。然后，她走向丈夫，拉住马车夫的手，站在他的身边，羞涩地环顾四周。
“孩子们，”阿斯兰看向他们说，“你们将是纳尼亚第一任国王和王后。”
马车夫张大了嘴巴表示吃惊，他妻子的脸则变得通红。
“你们将会统治这里所有的动物，要公正做事，当敌人入侵， 请保护它们的安全。这个世界里已有一个恶魔般的女巫了，所以敌人迟早会来的。”
马车夫费力地吞咽了几下口水，清亮了嗓子。
“阁下，原谅我吧，”他说，“感谢你，我太太也感谢你，但是我做不了这样的事情。你知道，我并未接受过许多教育。”
“好吧，”阿斯兰说，“你会用铲子吗？犁呢？会种庄稼吗？”
“是，阁下，这种活我会，我从小就会。”
“你可以友好地、公平地善待这些动物吗？同时别忘了，它们可不像你生活的那个世界里的哑兽，它们是自由的、而且会说话的动物。”
“我明白，阁下，”马车夫说，“我将公平以待所有的动物。”
“你会保证你的子子孙孙也会这样做吗？”
“我会努力去做，阁下。我将全力而为，是吧，蕾丽？”
“你不会在你的孩子或动物中培养你的亲信，来压制和奴役其他的动物吧？”
“我绝不允许这样的行为，阁下，是真的。如果我知道谁这样做， 我一定会惩罚他。”马车夫说。在谈话中，马车夫的声音越来越慢与浑厚，很像他还是小男孩时的声音，那时他还在乡下，而不像他在伦敦时那种尖锐而快速的声音。
“如果敌人来侵袭（敌人一般都会来），战争爆发，你会冲在最前面，撤退在最后面吗？”
“阁下，”马车夫缓慢地说，“一个人不经历磨难，就不会看清世界。我敢说，自己一直都是个温和的人，最多是用拳头打过架。我会努力——意思是，我希望努力去做好自己的职责。”
“那么，”阿斯兰说，“你将去做一个国王该做的一切。你的加冕仪式马上开始。你与儿孙都将得到保佑，其中一定会有人会成为纳尼亚的国王，有人将会是南山那边阿钦兰的国王。而你，小姑娘（这时他转向波莉），非常欢迎你。在恰恩废墟塑像厅内，他伤害了你， 你已经原谅他了吗？”
“是的，阿斯兰，我们早已和好如初。”波莉说。
“这样很好，”阿斯兰说，“现在轮到你了，小伙子。”
第十二章 飞马大冒险
迪格雷嘴唇紧闭，越来越不自然。总之，他控制着自己不要哭出来，也不要做出令人笑话的事情。
“亚当之子，”阿斯兰说，“你准备好了吗？弥补在纳尼亚成立的第一天对她做错的事情。”
“我还能做什么啊，”迪格雷说，“那个女巫都已经逃跑了， 而且……”
“我是在问你，你准备好了吗？”狮子说。
“是的。”迪格雷说。一瞬间，他的脑子里闪出一个疯狂的念头，他非常想说“如果你答应帮我妈妈治病的话，我会尽力帮忙”， 但他立即意识到，自己不能讨价还价。但当他说出“是”的时候，想到了妈妈，原来的美好愿望碎成了泡沫，他的喉咙里像塞了什么东西， 泪水在眼眶打转，他脱口而出：
“但是，能不能，能不能请您，请您给我一些东西可以治愈我妈妈的病？”他原本一直低头看着狮子巨大的脚掌和爪子，绝望中， 他突然抬起了头凝视狮子的脸。这一看让他无比惊奇，狮子低垂的黄色大脸和他的脸离得很近，最为奇怪的是，它的眼中闪烁着大滴大滴的泪珠，与迪格雷的相比，狮子的眼泪那么大并且发亮。迪格雷这才明白，狮子可能比他更为自己的母亲难过。
“孩子，我的孩子，”阿斯兰说道，“我理解，真的非常悲恸。这片土地上，只有你和我感同身受，我们应真心相待，像朋友般相处。但是我必须为纳尼亚的长久存亡做打算。你们带到这个世界的女巫还会再次来纳尼亚。我打算在纳尼亚的边界种一棵她不敢接近的树， 用来保卫纳尼亚，而不受她的侵犯。在太阳被乌云遮蔽之前，这片土地将会长久地笼罩在明亮的清晨里，所以你一定得去帮我寻找树种。”
“我答应你，阁下，”迪格雷说。虽然他不知道该怎么做，但他有信心能做好。狮子长长地呼了一口气，用头触碰了他一下，给他以狮子之“吻”。迪格雷立刻感到，身体里有着新的力量和勇气。
“亲爱的孩子，”阿斯兰说道，“我将告诉你，你必须做什么。你转过头看看西边，告诉我，你能看到什么？”
“我看到了巍峨的山峰，阿斯兰，”迪格雷说，“一条大河从悬崖跌落，成了一道大瀑布。悬崖的后面，是覆盖着绿色森林的小山坡。再远处，是黑色的更加高大的山。更为遥远的地方，是连绵不绝的雪山，跟图画上的阿尔卑斯一样，雪山后面是无边的天空。”
“不错，”狮子说，“那条瀑布就是纳尼亚的边界。你到了悬崖的时候，就等于离开了纳尼亚，而走到了西部原始地区。你得越过那些高山，直到你看到一条被冰山环绕有一片蓝色湖泊的青翠山谷。湖泊的尽头，是一座绿色小山，很陡峭。山顶有个花园，花园的中央有一棵树。从它上面摘回一个苹果给我。”
“是的，阁下。”迪格雷说。虽然他不知道怎么翻越那些高山， 在悬崖峭壁之间找到路，但是他不想说，恐怕这些困难都是借口。他还是开口说：“阿斯兰，希望你不是很着急，因为我来回不会太快。”
“亲爱的亚当之子，我会帮助你的。”阿斯兰转向那匹一直静静站在一边的马，它正在用尾巴摇摇摆摆地驱赶苍蝇，并且侧着头听他们之间的对话，好像在拼命去理解。
“亲爱的，”阿斯兰对马说道，“你想做一匹会飞的马吗？”
在场的人都能看到，那匹马听到之后，摇晃自己的鬃毛，鼻孔张大喘气，后蹄踏地快乐无比。这一切都能看出它非常希望成为一匹飞马。它说：“如果你希望，如果你真的希望，阿斯兰，虽然我不知道为什么会是我，我不是很聪明。”
“长出翅膀吧，你本来就是飞马的祖先，”阿斯兰大吼，大地震动， “你的名字是，弗兰奇。”
那匹马吃惊地倒退了一步，在它拉车的悲惨岁月里，它可能也像今天这样受过惊。然后它用后腿站起来，扭着脖子，仿佛想捉住叮咬它肩膀的苍蝇似的。接着，犹如动物们之前从地里蹦出来一样， 弗兰奇的肩上钻出一对翅膀，越长越宽，越长越大，超过了鹰的翅膀、天鹅的翅膀和教堂窗户上天使的翅膀。这对翅膀的羽毛呈栗色和铜色。它猛地展翅，冲向空中，在阿斯兰和迪格雷头上二十多英尺高的空中打着响鼻、嘶鸣、腾跃。绕着他们转了一圈后，它降落下来， 四蹄一并，看上去有点儿不熟练，有点儿惊讶，但十分欢喜。
“怎么样，弗兰奇？”阿斯兰问道。
弗兰奇回答说：“很棒，阿斯兰。”
“你愿意背着亚当之子，到我提到的那个山谷去吗？”
“啊？这就去吗？”“草莓”——或应该称之为弗兰奇说道。这是它的新名字了。“小不点儿，快上来吧！在很久以前，我曾驮过你这样的东西，那时，还有绿色原野和糖块呢。”
“你们两个夏娃的女儿在嘀咕什么？”阿斯兰转过身看向波莉和马车夫的妻子，她们已经成为朋友。
“打搅一下，阁下，”海伦王后（马车夫的妻子蕾丽现在的名字） 说，“如果不麻烦的话，这个小女孩可以一起去吗？”
“你觉得呢，弗兰奇？”狮子问。
“噢，驮两个小孩儿没问题，只要不驮着大象就行。”弗兰奇说。
大象当然没想去，纳尼亚的新国王将两个小孩儿扶上马背。他一把就把迪格雷托上了马，而对待波莉就像捧着一件易碎的瓷器一样，小心翼翼地将她放到马背上。“他们坐稳了，‘草莓’。我该叫你弗兰奇。这可是一趟辛苦的旅程哦。”
“不要飞得太高，”阿斯兰嘱咐，“不用尝试飞越那些高耸的冰山， 只需沿着那条绿色的河谷，就可以找到一条路。好了，祝你们一路顺风。”
“哈哈，弗兰奇！”迪格雷弯着腰，拍拍毛茸茸的马脖子。“真好玩，波莉，抓住我。”
不一会，他们就已经把那片土地抛在了下面。弗兰奇像一只巨大的鸽子在空中一圈圈旋转，大地也开始转圈，然后它转向西方，开始了漫长的西部飞行。向下望去，波莉已经看不见国王和王后了，阿斯兰也变成了绿草之中一个闪亮的黄点。风贴着他们的脸呼啸而过。弗兰奇开始匀速地飞行。
整个纳尼亚像一幅画卷展现在他们眼前：草地、岩石、石楠属植物以及各种各样的树林拼凑成五颜六色的画布，曲折蜿蜒的河流宛如一条水银丝带。他们的右侧，是低矮的北部山群和一片逐渐越过地平线的沼泽地。左侧则是较高的山峰，时不时能看到一个个峡谷。越过挺拔的松树林，能看到蔚蓝的南方大地，向着远方绵延而去。
“那是阿钦兰吧。”波莉说。
“是的，快看前面！”迪格雷说。
一道巨大的峭壁挡在他们眼前，奔腾的瀑布闪烁着阳光，令人炫目。从西部高地流淌下来的河水咆哮着，水花四溅，流进纳尼亚的土地。他们飞得很高，几乎听不到瀑布雷鸣般的巨响，但是他们的高度仍然不能越过峭壁。
“我们得在这里来回飞一会了，”弗兰奇说，“抓紧我啊。”
它开始来回地飞，每一次都比上一次飞得更高。空气的温度越来越低，他们听到了来自身下的一阵鹰啼。
“快看后面，看后面！”波莉说。
他们可以看到，整个纳尼亚一直向东延伸，在地平线的尽头， 是波光粼粼的大海。逐渐攀升的高度，让他们看到崎岖的群山分布在西北部沼泽地边沿，而南部平原则像沙地一样绵延到远方。
“那些都是什么地方啊？”迪格雷说。
“我不觉得那个地方很特别，”波莉说，“这个世界才刚刚开始， 那里都没有人，更没发生过什么事情。”
“但总会有人要过去的，”迪格雷说，“这样才能创造出历史， 你懂的。”
“还好人们现在没有去。”波莉说，“人们不过去，就不会有战争、各种约定和各种垃圾废话。”
他们飞上了悬崖的顶端，不一会，纳尼亚谷地就消失在了后面。他们沿着河流飞行在荒芜的大地上，下面是无比陡峭的山，以及黑压压的森林。在他们前面，隐约中出现了巍峨的大山。阳光照射过来， 刺得他们看不到前面的风景。此刻，太阳落山，西边的天空像庞大的熔炉，盛满了正在融化的金子。终于，夕阳西下，隐藏在崎岖不平的山脉后面，一片辉煌映衬着群山，它仿佛是从纸上剪下的那样清晰。
“这里好冷啊。”波莉说。
“我的翅膀有点酸痛，”弗兰奇说，“怎么还不到阿斯兰说的那个山谷呢。先降落吧，找个地方休息下，我们今天是到不了了。”
“好啊，该吃晚饭了吧？”迪格雷说。
弗兰奇减缓了飞翔的速度，降落到地面的一个矮山，气温逐渐升高。在漫长的旅程中，只能听到弗兰奇扇动双翅的声音。降落之后， 终于听到来自地面的声音了，是那么亲切，那么令人愉快。河水潺潺， 流过石头与河床的声音，微风沙沙拂过树林的声音，在太阳炙烤之下， 泥土、青草和鲜花散发出的令人陶醉的温柔气息，都让人觉得无比美好。弗兰奇终于触到了地面，迪格雷和波莉都下了马，然后愉快地舒展了下已经僵硬的腿。他们降落的山谷被群山包围着，两边的雪山在夕阳的余晖中发出玫瑰红的色彩。
“我好饿。”迪格雷说。
“过来吃啊！”弗兰奇咬了一大口青草，招呼他俩过来。它抬起头，美美地咀嚼着，嘴巴露出几根胡须般的青草，“你们过来吃啊， 敞开肚皮，够咱们三个吃的了。”
“可是我们不吃草。”迪格雷说。
“嗯，嗯，”弗兰奇的嘴巴里塞满了青草，“哦，好吧，嗯， 不知道你们为什么放着这么美味的青草不吃。”
波莉和迪格雷无奈地看了看对方。
“我还以为会有人为咱们准备了晚餐呢。”迪格雷说。
“我觉得，如果你恳求阿斯兰的话，他应该会准备的。”弗兰奇说。
“不恳求他，他就想不到？”波莉问道。
“当然能想到。”弗兰奇说，嘴里仍然塞满了草，“但是我觉得他更喜欢别人来恳求他。”
“那我们该怎么办？”迪格雷问。
“我不知道，”弗兰奇说，“不然你们试着吃点草吧，说不定比你们想象的好吃。”
“别说这么傻的话了，”波莉气得跺脚，说道，“人怎么能吃草呢， 就像你不爱吃羊排一样。”
“上帝啊，别提什么羊排了。”迪格雷说，“会更饿的。”
迪格雷建议波莉用戒指回家一趟拿点吃的，他自己不能回去， 因为承诺了阿斯兰要去完成任务，万一回到家里有什么事情阻止他回来就不好了。但波莉说不想丢下他，迪格雷称赞她真是个好人。
“对了，”波莉说，“我口袋里还有些太妃糖，总比饿着强吧。”
“太好了，”迪格雷说，“但是要小心，别碰到口袋里的戒指。”
这是件有难度、需要十分小心翼翼的事情，但是他俩最终还是做到了。从口袋里拿出的小纸袋已经又软又湿了，黏糊糊的一片，所以从纸袋里拿出糖比从口袋里拿出糖要更有难度。有些大人对这种事情毫无耐性，宁愿饿着肚子也不会吃这些太妃糖的。最后拿下的糖一共有九颗，迪格雷提出了一个很好的建议，他和波莉每人分到四颗， 将剩下的一颗埋在了土里。他以“灯柱上摘下的铁棒都长成灯柱树， 这颗糖为何不能变成太妃糖树呢”说服了波莉。接着，他们挖了一个洞埋下了太妃糖。两人开始享用晚餐，尽量让太妃糖在嘴巴里的时间长些。这顿非常糟糕的晚饭，太妃糖上面沾满了糖纸，但是他们还是吃了下去。
弗兰奇享用完美味的晚餐之后就躺了下来。两个孩子分别坐在它的两边，偎依着它取暖，它伸开翅膀包住他们，他们感到舒服多了。当新世界的闪亮的新星升起的时候，他们开始无话不谈：迪格雷多么希望能为他妈妈做点什么；后来又如何被派来做这件事情。他们一再重复他们要找的地方——蓝色的湖泊和山顶上的花园。渐渐地，他们都感到疲惫，语速放慢，困意袭来。突然波莉惊醒并坐了起来，说道：“嘘！”
他们三个屏住呼吸小心地听着。
“也许是风吹树的声音吧。”迪格雷过了一会说。
“我不确定，”弗兰奇说，“但是——等等！有声音，以阿斯兰的名义，肯定有动静！”
弗兰奇猛地伸了下蹶子，发出了很大的声音，匆忙站起来。两个孩子已经站在了旁边。弗兰奇来来回回地走着，闻着，发出小声嘶鸣。孩子们蹑手蹑脚，查看每一丛灌木和树木。他们坚定地认为自己看到了什么，波莉还非常肯定地说自己看到了一个高大的黑影闪了过去，溜向了西边，但他们最后什么也没找到。弗兰奇又躺下来，孩子们偎依在它的翅膀下，很快进入了梦乡。弗兰奇却好长时间都醒着， 在黑暗中伸直了耳朵警觉地听着，有时候身体会轻微动弹一下，应该是有苍蝇落在了身上，到最后，它也进入了梦乡。
第十三章 不期而遇
“醒醒，迪格雷，醒醒，弗兰奇，”波莉大声地说，“太妃糖树长出来了，真是个美好的早晨！”
刚刚升起的太阳斜照入树林，草叶上趴着灰蒙蒙的露珠，蜘蛛网在阳光下闪烁着银光。就在旁边，一棵木色较深有点像苹果树的小树亭亭玉立。小树的叶子白得像纸，很像一种叫缎花的草药，缀满了像枣子一样的褐色果实。
“万岁！”迪格雷喊到，“但是我要先去泡个澡。”他跑过几丛开花的灌木到了河边。你曾经在山中奔腾的河流里沐浴过吗？阳光下闪闪发光的河流，穿过红色、蓝色和黄色的石头，像许多小瀑布一样奔流不息，沐浴在这样的河流里，就跟在大海中一样，甚至比大海还要美妙。当然，他又得湿漉漉的穿上衣服，但是即便这样也很值得。他回来之后，波莉又去洗了澡，她是这样说的，但是谁都知道， 她不太会游泳，至于发生了什么，还是不要问了。弗兰奇也跑了过去， 站在河水中，俯下身吸了大口水，甩着鬃毛，舒服地鸣叫。
波莉和迪格雷开始摘太妃糖树的果子。太妃果很好吃，跟太妃糖相似但又不完全一样，更柔软多汁，更像是一种令人想到太妃糖的水果。弗兰奇也吃了一顿美美的早餐，它尝了一个果子而且很喜欢， 但是过会又说还是更喜欢吃草。吃饱喝足后，孩子们艰难地爬上马背， 开始了第二天的旅程。
今天的情况比昨天更好，大家都感到神清气爽，太阳又从他们背后缓缓升起，所有的景致笼罩在阳光里，都会显得更美丽。这是一段奇妙的飞行，巨大的雪山从各个方向涌现而来，远在他们之下的山谷是如此翠绿，从冰山上跌落而下的溪流又是如此碧蓝，像是飞行在一块巨大的宝石上，他们多希望这样的旅行可以持续久一些。过了一会，他们闻到了一种气味便互相问道，“这是什么味道？”“你闻到了么？”“从哪里来的味道？”在他们未知的前方，飘来了一种全世界最美味的果实和盛开的鲜花融合在一起的味道，馨香浓郁。
“是从那个有一个湖的山谷里飘来的。”弗兰奇说。
“是啊，”迪格雷说，“看，湖的旁边有座绿色的山。看，那湖水多蓝啊！”
“肯定就是这个地方。”三人异口同声地说。
弗兰奇越飞越低，而冰峰却显得越来越高。空气变得越来越温暖和甜美，仿佛让人满含眼泪。弗兰奇一动不动用巨大的翅膀滑翔着， 马蹄随时准备着落地。陡峭的绿色小山迎面而来，片刻之后，弗兰奇有点慌乱地降落在一个斜坡上。孩子们翻身下马，站在温暖且柔软的绿草之上，微微喘息了一会。
离山顶还有四分之一的路程，他们立即向上爬。我觉得，弗兰奇没有那对翅膀不时地扇动几下助它平衡的话，它估计是爬不上去的。在山顶围绕着一圈高高的绿色草墙，墙内种植着很多树，有些树枝伸到了墙外。微风拂过，树叶闪着绿色，还有蓝色和银色的光泽。他们三个在山顶绕着绿墙差不多走了整整一圈，才发现有一扇朝东紧闭的高大金色之门。
直到现在，我还认为弗兰奇和波莉曾有过想和迪格雷一起进去的想法，但他俩又很快打消了这个念头。你从未见过如此隐秘的地方， 只一眼便知道它属于某个人私有。除非有特别原因，只有傻瓜才会幻想走进去。迪格雷感觉到别人不会也不可能和他一起进去，于是他独自走去。
当他走近，看到金门上写着银色的字：
进或者不进，
为他人摘取果实或者不摘，
那些偷窃或者爬墙之人，
会得到心之所想，
也会迷惘绝望。
“为他人摘取果实，”迪格雷自言自语地说，“好吧，这就是我要做的事情。这么说，我是一点都不能吃了。我不明白后面两行是什么意思。如果能从门进来，谁会爬墙呢？但是怎么打开门呢？”他用手触摸了下门，门无声地朝里打开了，门轴的铰链没发出一点动静。
现在他可以看到里面了，却觉得这地方更加神秘。他环顾四周， 带着庄严神圣的感觉走了进去。里面静寂无声，就连花园中间的那座喷泉也只发出轻微的响声。一种温馨的香味围绕着他，这是个快乐但庄严的地方。
他立刻就认出那棵树，那棵树立在花园中央，巨大的银色苹果反射的阳光，将太阳照不到的地方都照得十分光亮。他径直走去，摘了一个苹果放在自己诺福克夹克衫的贴胸口袋内，放进去之前，他忍不住看了又看，闻了又闻。
这下不得了，他感到又饿又渴，非常想吃那个苹果。他把它放进口袋中，树上那么多苹果，吃一个就代表犯错了吗？毕竟，门上的告示不一定是规定，可能只是一个建议，但是谁在乎这个建议呢？ 即便是规定，他吃一个苹果就违背了吗？他已经遵守了“为他人”摘取果实的部分了。
正当思索这些的时候，他不经意地抬头望向树顶，在他头顶的树枝上，栖息着一只神奇的鸟儿。之所以说“栖息”，是因为它看上去像是睡着了，但是又没有真睡着，它的一只眼睛睁开一条细小的缝儿，它比鹰还大，胸部是橘黄色的，头冠是鲜红色的，尾巴是紫色的。
“这就表明，”迪格雷后来向别人讲述这个故事的时候说，“在这种神奇的地方，我们必须小心谨慎。因为你不知道，什么东西正在监视着你。”但是我认为，迪格雷在任何情况下都不会偷苹果给自己吃的，“不能偷窃”这种观念在那个时候，是牢牢刻在男孩脑子里的， 比现在要牢固得多。但我们仍旧不能那么肯定。
迪格雷转身出门时，停下来张望了最后一眼。这一眼让他吓了一跳，原来这花园不只他一个人，离他几步的地方，站着那个女巫。她刚刚扔掉吃剩的果核，那果汁的颜色比你想象的要深，在她的嘴边留下了一圈令人讨厌的印迹。迪格雷立刻猜到她是爬墙过来的，而他， 也好像略微明白了大门上最后一行字“会发现心之所愿，也会迷惘绝望”的意思，因为这个女巫看上去从未像现在这样强壮和骄傲，甚至有些扬扬得意，但她的脸却苍白如纸。
这些念头一闪而过，迪格雷用最快的速度拔腿便跑向大门口， 女巫紧随其后。他刚出大门，门便自动关上了。这让他稍稍领先一步， 但是来不及高兴，他大喊：“波莉，快，上马，快飞，弗兰奇！”并一下冲到伙伴中间时，女巫已经跳过墙来，紧追身后了。
“站住，别动！”迪格雷转身冲她大喊道，“否则，我们会全部消失，你一步也别靠近！”
“傻孩子，”女巫说，“你跑什么啊，我不会伤害你的。如果你不停下来听我说，你会错过一些能使你能终身幸福的东西。”
“多谢好意，我不想听。”迪格雷说，但实际上，他想听极了。
“我知道你为什么来这里，”女巫继续说道，“昨天夜里在树林中，藏在你们身边的人就是我，我听到了你们说的话。你已经从花园拿到苹果，并放在你自己的口袋里了。你连一口都不尝就要带回去给那只狮子吃。你太傻了！你知道这是什么果子吗？我来说给你听， 这是长生不老之果。我知道，因为我吃了，我能感到自己身体的变化， 我将长生不老了。吃了它吧，孩子，这样我们都会长生不老，成为这个世界的国王和王后，或者我们回去，统治你们的世界。”
“谢谢，我不会的，”迪格雷说，“所有我认识的人都死掉了， 我还会在意自己是否能长生不老吗？我宁可正常地生正常地死，然后去天堂。”
“可是你不管你的妈妈了吗？你假装那么爱她。”
“这事跟她有什么关系？”迪格雷说。
“你还不明白吗？傻孩子！她吃上一口苹果就会好了！你口袋里的苹果！我们千辛万苦到这里，狮子却在千里之外。用魔法回到你的世界去，一分钟后，你就将苹果送到你妈妈床头了。五分钟后， 你会看到她慢慢恢复脸色，她会告诉你病痛消失了，很快，她会觉得自己强壮了许多，然后，美美地睡上一觉，没有病痛，没有药物，睡到自然醒。第二天，所有人都会说她恢复得多么神奇啊。她很快就能痊愈，一切都会好起来，你会像其他孩子一样，有个幸福美满的家庭。”
“啊！”迪格雷像是受到了创伤，用手摸着头，深呼吸。一个艰难的选择题摆在了他面前。
“那头狮子给了你什么好处，你就任它摆布？”女巫说，“等你回到你的世界，狮子还能把你怎么样呢？如果妈妈知道你可以解除她的病痛恢复她的健康，挽回你爸爸破碎的心，但是你不愿意这么做， 你宁愿为一个陌生世界里跟你毫无关系的野兽效劳，会怎么样呢？”
“我……我不认为它是野兽，”迪格雷的声音干哑且没底气，“我不知道，他是什么。”
“它比野兽更坏，”女巫说，“看看它把你变成了什么样吧， 你变得多没良心。所有听从于它的人都会这样，残酷，绝情的孩子！ 你宁可让自己的妈妈死掉而不……”
“闭嘴！”悲痛欲绝的迪格雷继续用干哑的声音说，“你以为我不知道吗？但是我……我答应了他。”
“嗨，但你之前并不清楚你答应了什么。在这里没人拦着你。”
“我妈妈，”迪格雷艰难地说出这些话，“也不会喜欢这样的…… 她要求我严守诺言……不能偷东西……所有这些事情。如果她在这里，她也一定要求我不要那么做。”
“可她没必要知道，”女巫用异常甜美的声音说道，没人会相信一个长相如此凶残的人会说出这么甜美动听的话，“你不用告诉她你如何得到了苹果，也不要告诉你爸爸。你世界里所有的人都没必要知道。你甚至不必把那个小女孩带回去。”
女巫犯了个致命的错误，迪格雷当然知道波莉可以用戒指回去， 正如他用戒指回去那样容易。显然女巫不知道这点，她的卑鄙建议使得她刚才的话变得空洞虚伪，即使迪格雷沉浸在悲伤之中，也一下子清醒过来，他嗓门变大了，声音有底气了：“我说，你从哪里知道这么多事情？为什么忽然对我妈妈这么关心？这些事情跟你有什么关系？你到底想干什么？
“做得好，迪格雷，”波莉在他耳边小声说道，“快点，上马！” 在整个争论过程中她一句话也不敢说，你懂得，因为面临死亡的人不是她妈妈。
“快上去。”迪格雷将她托到马背上，然后迅速爬了上去，弗兰奇张开了双翅。
“走吧，愚蠢的家伙！”女巫大喊道，“当你老了，奄奄一息的时候再想想我，记住，是你自己丢掉了永葆青春的机会，这种幸运没有第二次！”
他们已经飞得很高了，只能听到女巫在喊叫，却听不清具体内容。女巫也不想浪费时间看他们离开，他们看到她沿着北坡下山了。
那天早上，他们很早就出发了，花园发生的事情并没有耽误很久， 弗兰奇和波莉都说他们天黑前一定会赶回纳尼亚的。迪格雷沉默了一路，其他两位也不好意思张口。他非常伤心，不知道自己做得对还是错，但是只要他想起阿斯兰闪着泪光的眼睛，他就确信自己做的没错。
整整一天，弗兰奇都不知疲惫地摆动翅膀，平稳地飞行。向东奔去的河流指引着他，穿过山脉，越过茂密的原始丛林，飞过巨大的瀑布，一直到高大峭壁阴影下的纳尼亚林区。直到最后，落日的霞光把身后的天空染成红色，他看到了有很多动物聚集在河边，阿斯兰就在它们中间。弗兰奇收起翅膀，张开四蹄慢慢落下，等平稳之后，孩子们翻身下马。所有的动物、矮人、半兽人和仙女都默契地退向两边， 让开一条路来。迪格雷拿着苹果走到阿斯兰面前说：
“阁下，我带来了您想要的苹果。”
第十四章 种下苹果树
“做得好。”阿斯兰的声音使大地都在震颤。迪格雷知道，所有的纳尼亚公民应该都听到了，从此之后，他们的故事将在这个世界里祖辈相传，流芳百世。可是他并没有骄傲自满，当他和阿斯兰面对面的时候，他根本没想到这些。这次，他终于可以直视那只狮子的眼睛。他忘掉了所有的困难和烦恼，这次终于可以心满意足了。
“做得好，亚当之子。”狮子说道，“你曾为这只苹果忍住饥渴并流过眼泪，没有人比你更适合栽种下这棵可以保卫纳尼亚的树。请将这只苹果扔向河边松软的土地吧。”
迪格雷按狮子的话做了，所有人都屏住了呼吸，你可以听到苹果掉落时触碰泥土的声音。
“扔得不错，”阿斯兰说，“现在，来为纳尼亚的弗兰克国王和海伦王后举行加冕典礼吧。”
孩子们这才注意到马车夫夫妻两人。他们穿着从未见过的漂亮衣服，华丽的长袍从肩上滑落拖到地上，国王的长袍被四个小矮人托着，王后的裙裾被四个仙女托着。他们的头上没有任何装饰，海伦王后自然散落的长发却显得更加动人。然而，让他们与众不同的不是发型或者服装，而是他们脸上崭新的表情，尤其是国王。在伦敦做马车夫时的尖酸刻薄和好胜都已经不见了，取而代之的是勇敢和善良。或者，是这个崭新世界的熏陶，或者是和阿斯兰谈话之后的启发造就的，或者两者都有。
“真是大变样啊，”弗兰奇在波莉耳边说道，“我的老主人也大变样了，像个真正的国王了。”
“是的，但是别靠近我耳朵说话，”波莉说，“痒死了。”
“接下来，”阿斯兰说，“去扒开那几棵缠在一起的树吧，我们来看看里面究竟有什么。”迪格雷这才瞧见，有四棵树枝叶纠缠，紧密地长在一起，围绕成一个笼子形状。两头大象伸出鼻子，几个小矮人拿来斧头，很快分开了缠绕的树枝。人们看到了三样东西：一棵似乎是金子做的小树，一棵似乎是银子做的小树，第三样看不太清楚，蜷缩在两棵树之间，衣服上都是泥浆。
“天哪！”迪格雷小声喊了一句，“安德鲁舅舅！”
我们得返回去才能说清楚。还记得动物们试图将他种植在土里并浇水了吧？浇水的时候，他清醒过来，发现自己浑身湿透的埋在土里，土遇水自然变成了泥浆，他惊恐地发现自己被许多动物包围着， 忍不住惊声尖叫。这声尖叫救了他，动物们终于明白（包括野猪）， 他是个活物。于是，动物们又把他挖了出来（他的裤子此时确实会吓到人）。腿刚拔出来，他立刻想逃跑，但大象伸出鼻子拦腰一卷， 他就动弹不得。所有的动物都觉得必须把他安全地放在某个地方，等到阿斯兰有空过来发落。所以，动物们做了个笼子或者说棚子把他囚了起来，然后，用它们能找到的认为可以吃的所有食物喂他。
驴子将自己认为新鲜的带刺的蓟扔到笼子里，可安德鲁舅舅并不理会。松鼠们洒下一阵坚果雨，他只得左蹦右跳地躲开。几只勤劳的鸟儿围着笼子飞来飞去投下虫子。那头熊心地尤其善良，下午的时候，它找到一只蜂巢，自己都不舍得吃（它真的非常想吃），带到笼子给安德鲁舅舅。可是，这是最惨的招待。熊将黏糊糊的蜂巢挂在笼子里，不巧蜂巢掉下来打到了安德鲁舅舅脸上（还有活着的野蜂）。这头熊觉得被蜂巢打下脸就跟树叶落在脸上没什么区别，所以它很疑惑地看着安德鲁舅舅踉跄后退，一脚踩滑跌坐在地上，更不幸的是， 正巧坐在那堆带刺的蓟上。
“不管怎样，”那头野猪说，“那么多蜂蜜流进他的嘴巴，对他还是有好处的。”它们对这个奇怪的宠物越来越有兴趣，并且非常希望阿斯兰能让它们继续饲养他。一些聪明点的动物非常肯定地说， 他嘴巴发出的声音应该是有一些意义的。它们给他取名“白兰地”， 因为他总发出类似的声音。最后，它们不得不留他过夜，阿斯兰一直忙着指导国王和王后或者其他重要事情，没顾得上“可怜的老白兰地”。成堆的坚果、梨子、苹果和香蕉扔到了笼子里，他的晚餐相当丰盛，但是却不能说他度过了一个愉快的夜晚。
“把那个东西带出来。”阿斯兰说，一头大象卷起安德鲁舅舅， 放到了狮子脚下。他吓得动都不敢动。
“麻烦你，阿斯兰，”波莉说，“说点什么，安抚下他。再说点什么， 让他以后永远不会再来这里。”
“你以为他想来吗？”阿斯兰说。
“是，阿斯兰，”波莉说，“他可能会让别人来，把灯柱变成一棵灯柱树，他觉得很刺激。”
“他真是非常愚蠢，”阿斯兰说，“这个世界在这几天充满魔力， 是因为生命之歌还飘荡在空中，回响在地上。但这不会持续很久，我没办法跟这个老无赖说这些，也没有办法安抚他。他根本无法听懂我说什么，只听得到咆哮和咕哝。亚当的孩子，你们抵抗了那么多诱惑， 多聪明啊！我会把他能接受的唯一礼物送给他的。”
他一脸悲伤，低下巨大的头，向魔法师的脸上吹了一口气。“睡吧，”它说，“安静地睡吧，抛开你自寻的烦恼。”安德鲁舅舅立刻闭上眼睛，倒在地上，酣睡起来。
“把他搬到一边躺着。”阿斯兰说，“现在，小矮人，施展你们铁匠的工艺，拿出为国王和王后做的王冠。”
成千上万的小矮人跑向那棵金树，转眼间，摘下了树上全部的叶子和枝条。孩子们才知道，那棵树不仅看上去是金色的，而且真的是金子。它是由安德鲁舅舅口袋里掉落的金币长成的，银币自然长成了一棵银树。小矮人们不知道从哪里弄来一堆灌木，还有铁毡、风箱、钳子和铁锤。不一会，火烧得很旺，风箱呼呼地拉着，铁锤叮叮当当地敲打着融化的金子。被阿斯兰派去挖地的两只鼹鼠（它们最喜欢挖地了），把一堆贵重的宝石倒在了小矮人旁边。小铁匠们转眼间就做成了两顶王冠，不同于现代笨重、丑陋的欧洲王冠，它们精致、华美， 戴上后非常漂亮。国王的王冠镶嵌着红宝石，王后的则是绿宝石。
阿斯兰将王冠在河水中冷却后，并将它戴在跪倒在地的弗兰克和海伦头上，然后说，“请站起来吧，纳尼亚的国王和王后，你们将会成为纳尼亚群岛和阿钦兰许多国王的父亲母亲。要公正、仁慈、勇敢地爱护你们的公民。祝福你们。”
大家欢呼着、咆哮着、嘶鸣着，有的拍打着翅膀，国王夫妇的神情既庄严又略带羞涩，他们站了起来，羞涩使得他们更加高贵。正在欢呼的迪格雷，听到了身后阿斯兰低沉的声音：
“看！”所有的人和动物们都转了过头，惊喜地倒吸了一口气。几步之外，一棵刚刚长出来的树挺立着，它的枝丫向外伸展着并覆盖到了他们头顶。那棵树一定是在加冕仪式的时候，悄悄长出来的，像把旗子升到旗杆顶端那么快速。它伸出的枝丫投下一片片光亮而不是阴影，每片叶子下，都挂着星星般闪耀的银色苹果。它散发出的气味而不是光芒让他们深吸了一口气。那一瞬间，你可以忘掉所有事情。
“亚当之子，”阿斯兰说，“你做得非常好。纳尼亚的公民们， 你们一定要保卫这棵树，这是你们的防护盾。那个女巫已经逃到了北部山区，她会靠着邪恶的魔法，成长得越来越强。但是只要有这棵树在，她就绝对不能进入纳尼亚。她不敢靠近这棵树，因为这给你们带来欢乐、生活，以及健康的气味，对她来说却是死亡和绝望。”
所有的人都目不转睛地看着那棵树，突然，阿斯兰甩了甩头， 毛发上闪烁着金光，盯着孩子们问：“怎么了，孩子们？”因为他看到孩子们正在窃窃私语并且互相推搡。
“是这样的，阿斯兰阁下，”迪格雷脸红了，“我忘了说，女巫已经吃了一个苹果了，就是这种树上结的果子。”他没把自己想的全部说出来，但是波莉抢着替他说了。迪格雷更担心自己被当做傻瓜。
“阿斯兰，所以我们觉得，”她说，“哪里一定存在问题，她不会害怕这些苹果的气味的。”
“你为什么这么认为呢，夏娃之女？”狮子问道。
“因为她、她吃了一个。”
“孩子，”他说，“正因为如此，她会害怕所有剩下的苹果。这就是那些在错误时间用错误方式摘苹果，以及吃苹果的人将必须得到的后果。苹果很好，但是他们以后会永远厌恶它。”
“哦，我知道了，”波莉说，“我猜是因为她用了错误的方式摘苹果，所以苹果就不会起作用，我是说，不会让她长生不老等。”
“不是的，”阿斯兰摇了摇头，“会起作用。事物的本质是不会变的。她会如她所愿像女神一样有着无穷的力量和不老的年华。但一颗邪恶的心，会使她活得越长，痛苦就越久，这点，她会慢慢体会到的。他们得到了所有想要的东西，但是不见得会喜欢。”
“我、我差点也吃了一个呢，阿斯兰。”迪格雷说，“我会、会怎样？”
“孩子，你也会发生变化。”阿斯兰说，“因为苹果总要发挥作用的，必须发挥，但是那些为了一己私欲，去摘苹果的人不会得到好的结果。如果纳尼亚任何一位公民未经授命，偷摘一个苹果并种植在这里，它也会保卫纳尼亚，但是它会把纳尼亚变成一个强大却残忍的帝国，跟恰恩一样，而不是我希望的那种友爱、幸福的国家。女巫还试图诱惑你做别的事情了吧，孩子？”
“没错，阿斯兰，她劝我带一个苹果回家给妈妈。”
“是的，这样可以治愈她的病，但是不会给你们带来幸福。有一天，你和她都会觉得如果时光可以重来，还不如当初病死的好。”
迪格雷被眼泪哽咽地说不出话来，他放弃了拯救妈妈性命的所有希望，但同时，他也知道狮子对所有事情都了然于心，也许有些事情会比失去一个你所爱的人还要痛苦。阿斯兰又开口了：
“如果你偷了苹果，就会发生刚才我说的事情。但是现在不会了， 我给你的苹果会给你带来幸福。虽然在你的世界里不能长生不老，却能治愈疾病。去吧，摘一个苹果给你的妈妈。”
迪格雷一时间难以明白，好像世界突然颠倒了一般。然后，他好像梦游一样，走向那棵树。国王和王后欢呼着，所有的生物都为他欢呼。他摘了一颗苹果放进口袋里，然后来到阿斯兰身边。
“请问，”他说，“我们现在能回去吗？”他忘了说“谢谢”， 但是阿斯兰心领神会。
第十五章 大结局和新开始
“有我在，你们用不着戒指。”阿斯兰说。一瞬间，孩子们又回到了各个世界交会的那片树林。安德鲁舅舅仍然安静地躺在草地上睡着，阿斯兰站在他们旁边。
“来吧，孩子们，”阿斯兰说，“你们是时候回去了。但是要记住两事件，一是警告，一是命令。看这里，孩子们。”
他们看到草地中间有个小坑，底部满是温暖干燥的草。
“你们上次来的时候，”阿斯兰说，“这里还是个水潭。你们跳进去之后，就到了那个毫无生机的废墟之地恰恩。现在水潭没了， 那个世界也就没了，像从未存在过一样。让亚当和夏娃的后代作为前车之鉴吧。”
“会的，阿斯兰。”两人异口同声地说，波莉又补充一句，“我们的世界还不像恰恩那么糟吧？”
“还没呢，夏娃之女。”它说，“但是你们正在向它发展。说不定， 你们种族的那些心术不正的人，也会发现灭绝世界那样的邪恶咒语， 用它来摧毁生命。快了快了，在你们老去之前，你们的世界将被独裁者控制，会像简蒂丝女王一样，不在乎幸福、公正和仁慈。你们小心点吧。这就是我刚刚说的第一个警告。接下来就是命令，尽快找到你们舅舅的戒指，并将它长埋地下，别让任何人再次使用它。”
当狮子说这话的时候，孩子们抬头凝视着他的脸。不知道为什么， 转瞬间，那张脸变成了一片金色的海洋，而他们正漂浮其中，被甜蜜幸福和充满力量的感觉紧紧包围着，并渗入他们的身体里，使他们感觉到，自己其实从未真正的幸福、聪慧过，甚至从未活过、清醒过。这段在金色海洋中漂浮的记忆，在有生之年一直伴随着他们，当他们感到悲伤、恐惧或者愤怒，这段金色的记忆就会重现，仿佛他们仍然沉浸在内，那么近，在某个拐角处或者某扇门之后，马上就要扑面而来，让他们从内心深处由衷觉得，现世安稳，岁月美好。不一会， 三个人跌跌撞撞地回到了喧嚣、燥热、气味难闻的伦敦，安德鲁舅舅也醒了过来。
他们站在凯特利家门前的大路上，没有了女巫、马和马车，其他一切如故。那根少了一个横杆的灯柱还在。马车的残骸和人群也都在。人们议论纷纷，有人跪在受伤的警察旁边，说着“他醒了”、“你觉得怎样”、“救护车马上来了”……
“天哪！”迪格雷想，“整个历险好像没发生一样。”
大部分人还在四下寻找简蒂丝和那匹马，谁也没注意到孩子们回来，因为最初谁都没注意到他们离开，自然也关注不到他们的归来。安德鲁舅舅满是泥浆的衣服和满脸的蜂蜜，让人认不出来。刚好前门开着，女佣们在门廊里看热闹，她们看起来很开心，所以两个孩子在别人问任何事情之前，就赶紧催着安德鲁舅舅进门了。
他抢在他们之前跑上了楼，开始，他们还担心他会回到阁楼， 立刻把剩下的魔法戒指藏起来。但是他们想多了，安德鲁舅舅想到的是酒柜里的酒。他进了卧室，立刻锁上了门。过了不久，很短的时间后他再出来时，已经穿上了浴衣，走进了浴室。
“你去找一下其他的戒指好吗，波莉？”迪格雷说，“我现在想去看妈妈。”
“好的，一会见。”波莉“噔噔噔”跑上阁楼。
迪格雷平静了下心情，轻手轻脚地走进妈妈的房间。妈妈如往常一样，靠着枕头躺在床上，瘦削、苍白的脸让人忍不住流泪。迪格雷从口袋里拿出了那个生命之果。
就像简蒂丝在我们的世界中，跟她自己的世界看上去不同一样， 山上花园里的果实看起来也有所变化，各种不同颜色的东西摆在卧室内，床罩啦，墙纸啦，从窗子进来的阳光啦，妈妈那件漂亮的淡蓝色睡裙啦。迪格雷拿出苹果，所有的东西，包括阳光都悄然失色了。发光的苹果在天花板上投射出奇异的光芒，你再也不想看别的东西。这颗生命之果的芬芳味道真的让你觉得，这个房间里有一扇窗户，是向天堂开启的。
“啊，亲爱的，真漂亮。”迪格雷的妈妈说。
“妈妈，你吃了它好吗？请您吃下去。”迪格雷说。
“不管医生会怎么认为，”她回答，“但是我觉得我可以吃。”
他削了皮，切成一块块地喂给妈妈吃。吃完之后，妈妈便靠着枕头微笑着熟睡了，这是不借助任何药物的情况下，没有痛苦的，自然而温柔的睡眠。迪格雷知道，这是世界上妈妈最需要的东西。他唯一能确认的是，妈妈脸上有了一点变化。他俯身轻轻地吻了她的脸颊。然后拿着苹果核，满怀激动地走出了房间。那一天，他对任何事情都提不起兴趣，甚至不敢抱着希望了，但只要想起阿斯兰的脸，就会信心满满。
当天晚上，在后花园中，他把苹果核埋在地下。
第二天早晨，医生来看望妈妈的时候，迪格雷靠在楼梯扶手上偷听，他听见医生对蕾迪姨妈说：“凯特利小姐，这是我从医生涯中见过的最神奇的病例。我暂时不想告诉那个小孩子这些，不愿给任何人错误的希望。但是，照我看……”接下去的话，迪格雷听不清楚了。前一天波莉没能赴约，那天下午，他到了花园，用口哨约她出来。
“有什么好消息吗？”波莉爬上墙头，“我是说，你的妈妈。”
“我觉得，应该正在好转吧。”迪格雷说，“如果可以的话， 我不想谈这件事情了。戒指的事情怎么样了？”
“我都拿到了，”波莉说，“看，这里呢，我戴着手套呢，咱们去把戒指埋了吧。”
“好，走。我昨天埋苹果核的地方留了记号的。”
波莉翻过了墙，两个人一起向花园走去。其实，迪格雷无需做记号，那个地方已经长出了新苗，像在纳尼亚长出新的树一样，已经高高地长出了地面。他们围绕那个东西，用铲子将所有的魔法戒指都埋在了这里。
一周之后，迪格雷的妈妈有明显好转。两周后，她已经能坐在花园里。又过了一个月，整个房子都好像不一样了。蕾迪阿姨为了讨妈妈喜欢，做了所有妈妈喜欢的事情，打开窗户，拉开窗帘，房间里充满阳光，到处都是新摘的鲜花，大家一起享用美食。旧钢琴调整好了，妈妈开始了唱歌，而且经常和迪格雷、波莉一起玩耍，蕾迪阿姨每次都会说，“玛贝尔，你应该是三个孩子中的老大吧。”
不顺心的时候，你会觉得糟糕的事情一件接连一件。但一旦事情有所好转，就会变得越来越好。六周以后，远在印度的爸爸寄来一封长信，也写了很多好消息。老叔祖父柯克去世之后留给了爸爸很多遗产，他要从印度辞职回家。迪格雷从小就听说过却从未见过的乡下的那幢大房子就要成他们的家了。房子里有几套盔甲、马厩、养狗场、河流、花园、暖房、葡萄园和树林，还有山。所以，正如大家所想， 迪格雷一家人将过上幸福美满的生活。但大家也许会对另外一些事情感兴趣。
波莉与迪格雷成了永远的好朋友，几乎每个假期，波莉都要去迪格雷家的大房子里玩，他们一起骑马、游泳、挤牛奶、烤面包和爬山。
在纳尼亚，动物们一直过着安静和谐的生活，几百年来，女巫和其他的坏人再也不敢来骚扰。弗兰克国王和海伦王后还有他们的后代也都非常幸福。他们的二儿子成为了阿钦兰的国王。儿子们和仙女们成了婚，女儿们嫁给了森林之神。女巫种下（她自己并不晓得）的路灯柱，它日日夜夜照耀着纳尼亚的树林，后来这片树林就被叫作“灯柱林”。几百年后，一个下着大雪的夜晚，我们这个世界的另一个孩子走进了纳尼亚，发现那盏灯依旧亮着。那次历险和我刚刚讲述的故事有一定的联系。
事情是这样的。迪格雷在后花园种下的果核长成了一棵美丽的树。因为被种植在我们这个世界，这里没有阿斯兰的声音，没有纳尼亚充满活力的空气，所以它的果实虽然比其他的苹果都要漂亮，对人身体也有益，但却没有魔力，也无法治疗好病人的病痛。但是，就这棵树的本质而言，它依然没有忘记自己属于纳尼亚。有时候没有风， 它依然会神秘地摇晃，我想，这应该是纳尼亚正在刮风吧。它之所以摇晃，是因为生在纳尼亚的母树正在西南风中的吹拂下摇晃摆动吧。然后，日后被证实了，这棵树的木材仍旧存在着魔力。中年的迪格雷已经成为了著名的学者、教授和旅行家，凯特利的老房子也属于他， 那棵树被英国南部的一场风暴吹倒。迪格雷不忍心把它当柴火烧掉， 便把它做成了一个衣柜，放在了乡下的大房子里。发现衣柜魔力的并不是迪格雷，而是另一个人。这个发现，成为了我们的世界和纳尼亚的世界之间，一个新故事的开始，你可以在本系列书中其他的故事里读到。
后来，迪格雷一家人搬往乡下去住，要住进大房子时，他们带上了安德鲁舅舅。迪格雷的爸爸这样说道，“我们得防止这个老家伙别再出什么乱子。可怜的蕾迪还要照顾他，太不公平了。”安德鲁舅舅有生之年再没做过魔法实验。他吸取了教训，晚年变得没有之前那么自私，反而可爱多了。但是他喜欢在弹子房里单独会见客人， 给他们讲一个神秘的外国贵族女人的故事，说他们曾一同驾着马车游览伦敦。“她脾气不好，”他总是这样说，“但她是个漂亮的女人， 一个非常漂亮的女人。”
CHAPTER ONE THE WRONG DOOR
This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child．It is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began．
In those days Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road．In those days，if you were a boy you had to wear a stiff Eton collar every day，and schools were usually nastier than now．But meals were nicer；and as for sweets，I won’t tell you how cheap and good they were，because it would only make your mouth water in vain．And in those days there lived in London a girl called Polly Plummer．
She lived in one of a long row of houses which were all joined together．One morning she was out in the back garden when a boy scrambled up from the garden next door and put his face over the wall．Polly was very surprised because up till now there had never been any children in that house，but only Mr. Ketterley and Miss Ketterley，a brother and sister，old bachelor and old maid，living together．So she looked up，full of curiosity．The face of the strange boy was very grubby．It could hardly have been grubbier if he had first rubbed his hands in the earth，and then had a good cry，and then dried his face with his hands．As a matter of fact， this was very nearly what he had been doing．
“Hullo，”said Polly．
“Hullo，”said the boy．“What’s your name ？”
“Polly，”said Polly．“What’s yours ？”
“Digory，”said the boy．
“I say，what a funny name ！ ”said Polly．
“It isn’t half so funny as Polly，”said Digory．
“Yes it is，”said Polly．
“No，it isn’t，”said Digory．
“At any rate I do wash my face，”said Polly，“Which is what you need to do；especially after-”and then she stopped．She had been going to say“After you’ve been blubbing，”but she thought that wouldn’t be polite．
“All right，I have then，”said Digory in a much louder voice， like a boy who was so miserable that he didn’t care who knew he had been crying．“And so would you，”he went on，“if you’d lived all your life in the country and had a pony，and a river at the bottom of the garden，and then been brought to live in a beastly Hole like this．”
“London isn’t a Hole，”said Polly indignantly．But the boy was too wound up to take any notice of her，and he went on“And if your father was away in India-and you had to come and live with an Aunt and an Uncle who’s mad（who would like that ？）-and if the reason was that they were looking after your Mother-and if your Mother was ill and was going to-going to-die．”Then his face went the wrong sort of shape as it does if you’re trying to keep back your tears．
“I didn’t know．I’m sorry，”said Polly humbly．And then， because she hardly knew what to say，and also to turn Digory’s mind to cheerful subjects，she asked：
“Is Mr. Ketterley really mad ？”
“Well either he’s mad，”said Digory，“or there’s some other mystery．He has a study on the top floor and Aunt Letty says I must never go up there．Well，that looks fishy to begin with．And then there’s another thing．Whenever he tries to say anything to me at meal times-he never even tries to talk to her-she always shuts him up．She says，‘Don’t worry the boy，Andrew‘or’I’m sure Digory doesn’t want to hear about that‘or else’ Now，Digory，wouldn’t you like to go out and play in the garden ？”
“What sort of things does he try to say ？”
“I don’t know．He never gets far enough．But there’s more than that．One night-it was last night in fact-as I was going past the foot of the attic-stairs on my way to bed（and I don’t much care for going past them either）I’m sure I heard a yell．”
“Perhaps he keeps a mad wife shut up there．”
“Yes，I’ve thought of that．
“Or perhaps he’s a coiner．”
“Or he might have been a pirate，like the man at the beginning of Treasure Island，and be always hiding from his old shipmates．”
“How exciting ！”said Polly，“I never knew your house was so interesting．”
“You may think it interesting，”said Digory．“But you wouldn’t like it if you had to sleep there．How would you like to lie awake listening for Uncle Andrew’s step to come creeping along the passage to your room ？ And he has such awful eyes．”
That was how Polly and Digory got to know one another：and as it was just the beginning of the summer holidays and neither of them was going to the sea that year，they met nearly every day．
Their adventures began chiefly because it was one of the wettest and coldest summers there had been for years．That drove them to do indoor things：you might say，indoor exploration．It is wonderful how much exploring you can do with a stump of candle in a big house，or in a row of houses．Polly had discovered long ago that if you opened a certain little door in the box-room attic of her house you would find the cistern and a dark place behind it which you could get into by a little careful climbing．The dark place was like a long tunnel with brick wall on one side and sloping roof on the other．In the roof there were little chunks of light between the slates．There was no floor in this tunnel：you had to step from rafter to rafter，and between them there was only plaster．If you stepped on this you would find yourself falling through the ceiling of the room below．Polly had used the bit of the tunnel just beside the cistern as a smugglers’ cave．She had brought up bits of old packing cases and the seats of broken kitchen chairs，and things of that sort，and spread them across from rafter to rafter so as to make a bit of floor．Here she kept a cash-box containing various treasures，and a story she was writing and usually a few apples． She had often drunk a quiet bottle of ginger-beer in there：the old bottles made it look more like a smugglers’ cave．
Digory quite liked the cave（she wouldn’t let him see the story）but he was more interested in exploring．
“Look here，”he said．“How long does this tunnel go on for ？ I mean，does it stop where your house ends ？”
“No，”said Polly．“The walls don’t go out to the roof．It goes on．I don’t know how far．”
“Then we could get the length of the whole row of houses．”
“So we could，”said Polly，“And oh，I say ！”
“What ？”
“We could get into the other houses．”
“Yes，and get taken up for burglars ！ No thanks．”
“Don’ t be so jolly clever．I was thinking of the house beyond yours．”
“What about it ？”
“Why，it’s the empty one．Daddy says it’s always been empty ever since we came here．”
“I suppose we ought to have a look at it then，”said Digory． He was a good deal more excited than you’d have thought from the way he spoke．For of course he was thinking，just as you would have been，of all the reasons why the house might have been empty so long．So was Polly．Neither of them said the word“haunted”． And both felt that once the thing had been suggested，it would be feeble not to do it．
“Shall we go and try it now ？”said Digory．
“All right，”said Polly．
“Don’t if you’d rather not，”said Digory．
“I’m game if you are，”said she．
“How are we to know when we’re in the next house but one ？”
They decided they would have to go out into the box-room and walk across it taking steps as long as the steps from one rafter to the next．That would give them an idea of how many rafters went to a room．Then they would allow about four more for the passage between the two attics in Polly’s house，and then the same number for the maid’s bedroom as for the box-room．That would give them the length of the house．When they had done that distance twice they would be at the end of Digory’s house；any door they came to after that would let them into an attic of the empty house．
“But I don’t expect it’s really empty at all，”said Digory．
“What do you expect ？”
“I expect someone lives there in secret，only coming in and out at night，with a dark lantern．We shall probably discover a gang of desperate criminals and get a reward．It’s all not to say a house would be empty all those years unless there was some mystery．”
“Daddy thought it must be the drains，”said Polly．
“Pooh ！ Grown-ups are always thinking of uninteresting explanations，”said Digory．Now that they were talking by daylight in the attic instead of by candlelight in the Smugglers’ Cave it seemed much less likely that the empty house would be haunted．
When they had measured the attic they had to get a pencil and do a sum．They both got different answers to it at first，and even when they agreed I am not sure they got it right．They were in a hurry to start on the exploration．
“We mustn’t make a sound，”said Polly as they climbed in again behind the cistern．Because it was such an important occasion they took a candle each（Polly had a good store of these in her cave）.
It was very dark and dusty and draughty and they stepped from rafter to rafter without a word except when they whispered to one another，“We’re opposite your attic now”or“this must be halfway through our house”．And neither of them stumbled and the candles didn’t go out，and at last they came where they could see a little door in the brick wall on their right．There was no bolt or handle on this side of it，of course，for the door had been made for getting in，not for getting out；but there was a catch（as there often is on the inside of a cupboard door）which they felt sure they would be able to turn．
“Shall I ？”said Digory．
“I’m game if you are，”said Polly，just as she had said before． Both felt that it was becoming very serious，but neither would draw back．Digory pushed round the catch with some difficultly．The door swung open and the sudden daylight made them blink．Then，with a great shock，they saw that they were looking，not into a deserted attic， but into a furnished room．But it seemed empty enough．It was dead silent. Polly’s curiosity got the better of her．She ble out her candle and stepped out into the strange room，making no more noise than a mouse.
It was shaped，of course，like an attic，but furnished as a sitting-room．Every bit of the walls was lined with shelves and every bit of the shelves was full of books．A fire was burning in the grate（you remember that it was a very cold wet summer that year）and in front of the fireplace with its back towards them was a high-backed armchair．Between the chair and Polly，and filling most of the middle of the room，was a big table piled with all sorts of things-printed books，and books of the sort you write in，and ink bottles and pens and sealing-wax and a microscope．But what she noticed first was a bright red wooden tray with a number of rings on it．They were in pairs-a yellow one and a green one together，then a little space，and then another yellow one and another green one．They were no bigger than ordinary rings，and no one could help noticing them because they were so bright．They were the most beautiful shiny little things you can imagine．If Polly had been a very little younger she would have wanted to put one in her mouth．
The room was so quiet that you noticed the ticking of the clock at once．And yet，as she now found，it was not absolutely quiet either. There was a faint-a very，very faint-humming sound．If Hoovers had been invented in those days Polly would have thought it was the sound of a Hoover being worked a long way off-several rooms away and several floors below．But it was a nicer sound than that，a more musical tone：only so faint that you could hardly hear it.
“It’s all right there’s no one here，”said Polly over her shoulder to Digory．She was speaking above a whisper now．And Digory came out，blinking and looking extremely dirty-as indeed Polly was too.
“This is no good，”he said．“It’s not an empty house at all． We’d better leave before anyone comes．”
“What do you think those are ？”said Polly，pointing at the coloured rings．
“Oh come on，”said Digory．“The sooner-”
He never finished what he was going to say for at that moment something happened．The high-backed chair in front of the fire moved suddenly and there rose up out of it-like a pantomime demon coming up out of a trapdoor-the alarming form of Uncle Andrew．They were not in the empty house at all；they were in Digory’s house and in the forbidden study ！ Both children said“O-o-oh”and realized their terrible mistake．They felt they ought to have known all along that they hadn’t gone nearly far enough．
Uncle Andrew was tall and very thin．He had a long clean-shaven face with a sharply-pointed nose and extremely bright eyes and a great tousled mop of grey hair．
Digory was quite speechless，for Uncle Andrew looked a thousand times more alarming than he had ever looked before． Polly was not so frightened yet；but she soon was．For the very first thing Uncle Andrew did was to walk across to the door of the room，shut it，and turn the key in the lock．Then he turned round，fixed the children with his bright eyes，and smiled， showing all his teeth．
“There ！”he said．“Now my fool of a sister can’t get at you ！”
It was dreadfully unlike anything a grown-up would be expected t o do．Polly’s heart came into her mouth，and she and Digory started backing toward the little door they had come in by．Uncle Andrew was too quick for them．He got behind them and shut that door too and stood in front of it．Then he rubbed his hands and made his knuckles crack．He had very long，beautifully white，fingers．
“I am delighted to see you，”he said．“Two children are just what I wanted．”
“Please，Mr. Ketterley，”said Polly．“It’s nearly my dinner time and I’ve got to go home．Will you let us out，please ？”
“Not just yet，”said Uncle Andrew．“This is too good an opportunity to miss．I wanted two children．You see，I’m in the middle of a great experiment．I’ve tried it on a guinea-pig and it seemed to work．But then a guinea-pig can’t tell you anything． And you can’t explain to it how to come back．”
“Look here，Uncle Andrew，”said Digory，“it really is dinner time and they’ ll be looking for us in a moment．You must let us out．”
“Must ？”said Uncle Andrew．
Digory and Polly glanced at one another．They dared not say anything，but the glances meant“Isn’t this dreadful ？”and“We must humour him．”
“If you let us go for our dinner now，”said Polly，“we could come back after dinner．”
“Ah，but how do I know that you would ？”said Uncle Andrew with a cunning smile．Then he seemed to change his mind．
“Well，well，”he said，“if you really must go，I suppose you must．I can’t expect two youngsters like you to find it much fun talking to an old buffer like me．”He sighed and went on．“You’ve no idea how lonely I sometimes am．But no matter．Go to your dinner．But I must give you a present before you go．It’s not every day that I see a little girl in my dingy old study；especially， if I may say so，such a very attractive young lady as yourself．”
Polly began to think he might not really be mad after all．
“Wouldn’t you like a ring，my dear ？”said Uncle Andrew to Polly．
“Do you mean one of those yellow or green ones ？”said Polly． “How lovely ！”
“Not a green one，”said Uncle Andrew．“I’m afraid I can’t give the green ones away．But I’d be delighted to give you any of the yellow ones：with my love．Come and try one on．”
Polly had now quite got over her fright and felt sure that the old gentleman was not mad；and there was certainly something strangely attractive about those bright rings．She moved over to the tray．
“Why ！ I declare，”she said．“That humming noise gets louder here．It’s almost as if the rings were making it．”
“What a funny fancy，my dear，”said Uncle Andrew with a laugh．It sounded a very natural laugh，but Digory had seen an eager，almost a greedy，look on his face．
“Polly ！ Don’t be a fool ！”he shouted．“Don’t touch them．”
It was too late．Exactly as he spoke，Polly’s hand went out to touch one of the rings．And immediately，without a flash or a noise or a warning of any sort，there was no Polly．Digory and his Uncle were alone in the room．
CHAPTER TWO DIGORY AND HIS UNCLE
IT was so sudden，and so horribly unlike anything that had ever happened to Digory even in a nightmare，that he let out a scream．Instantly Uncle Andrew’s hand was over his mouth．“None of that ！”he hissed in Digory’s ear．“If you start making a noise your mather’ll hear it．And you know what a fright might do to her．”
As Digory said afterwards，the horrible meanness of getting at a chap in that way，almost made him sick．But of course he didn’t scream again．
“That’s better，”said Uncle Andrew．“Perhaps you couldn’t help it．It is a shock when you first see someone vanish．Why，it gave even me a turn when the guinea-pig did it the other night．”
“Was that when you yelled ？”asked Digory．
“Oh，you heard that，did you ？ I hope you haven’t been spying on me ？”
“No，I haven’t，”said Digory indignantly．“But what’s happened to Polly ？”
“Congratulate me，my dear boy，”said Uncle Andrew， rubbing his hands．“My experiment has succeeded．The little girl’s gone-vanished-right out of the world．”
“What have you done to her ？”
“Sent her to-well-to another place．”
“What do you mean ？”asked Digory．
Uncle Andrew sat down and said，“Well，I’ll tell you all about it．Have you ever heard of old Mrs. Lefay ？”
“Wasn’t she a great-aunt or something ？”said Digory．
“Not exactly，”said Uncle Andrew．“She was my godmother． That’s her，there，on the wall．”
Digory looked and saw a faded photograph：it showed the face of an old woman in a bonnet．And he could now remember that he had once seen a photo of the same face in an old drawer， at home，in the country．He had asked his Mother who it was and Mother had not seemed to want to talk about the subject much．It was not at all a nice face，Digory thought，though of course with those early photographs one could never really tell．
“Was there-wasn’t there-something wrong about her，Uncle Andrew ？”he said．
“Well，”said Uncle Andrew with a chuckle，“it depends what you call wrong．People are so narrow-minded．She certainly got very queer in later life．Did very unwise things．That was why they shut her up．”
“In an asylum，do you mean ？”
“Oh no，no，no，”said Uncle Andrew in a shocked voice． “Nothing of that sort．Only in prison．”
“I say ！”said Digory．“What had she done ？”
“Ah，poor woman，”said Uncle Andrew．“She had been very unwise．There were a good many different things．We needn’t go into all that．She was always very kind to me．”
“But look here，what has all this got to do with Polly ？ I do wish you’d-”
“All in good time，my boy，”said Uncle Andrew．“They let old Mrs. Lefay out before she died and I was one of the very few people whom she would allow to see her in her last illness．She had got to dislike ordinary，ignorant people，you understand．I do myself．But she and I were interested in the same sort of things． It was only a few days before her death that she told me to go to an old bureau in her house and open a secret drawer and bring her a little box that I would find there．The moment I picked up that box I could tell by the pricking in my fingers that I held some great secret in my hands．She gave it me and made me promise that as soon as she was dead I would burn it，unopened，with certain ceremonies．That promise I did not keep．”
“Well，then，it was jolly rotten of you，”said Digory．
“Rotten ？ ”said Uncle Andrew with a puzzled look．
“Oh，I see．You mean that little boys ought to keep their promises．Very true：most right and proper，I’m sure，and I’m very glad you have been taught to do it．But of course you must understand that rules of that sort，however excellent they may be for little boys-and servants-and women-and even people in general，can’t possibly be expected to apply to profound students and great thinkers and sages．No，Digory．Men like me，who possess hidden wisdom，are freed from common rules just as we are cut off from common pleasures．Ours，my boy，is a high and lonely destiny．”
As he said this he sighed and looked so grave and noble and mysterious that for a second Digory really thought he was saying something rather fine．But then he remembered the ugly look he had seen on his Uncle’s face the moment before Polly had vanished：and all at once he saw through Uncle Andrew’s grand words．“All it means，”he said to himself，“Is that he thinks he can do anything he likes to get anything he wants ？”
“Of course，”said Uncle Andrew，“I didn’t dare to open the box for a long time，for I knew it might contain something highly dangerous．For my godmother was a very remarkable woman． The truth is，she was one of the last mortals in this country who had fairy blood in her．(She said there had been two others in her time．One was a duchess and the other was a charwoman．）In fact，Digory，you are now talking to the last man（possibly） who really had a fairy godmother．There ！ That’ll be something for you to remember when you are an old man yourself．”
“I bet she was a bad fairy，”thought Digory；and added out loud．“But what about Polly ？ ”
“How you do harp on that ！ ”said Uncle Andrew．“As if that was what mattered ！ My first task was of course to study the box itself．It was very ancient．And I knew enough even then to know that it wasn’t Greek，or Old Egyptian，or Babylonian，or Hittite，or Chinese．It was older than any of those nations．Ah-that was a great day when I at last found out the truth．The box was Atlantean；it came from the lost island of Atlantis．That meant it was centuries older than any of the stone-age things they dig up in Europe．And it wasn’t a rough，crude thing like them either． For in the very dawn of time Atlantis was already a great city with palaces and temples and learned men．”
He paused for a moment as if he expected Digory to say something．But Digory was disliking his Uncle more every minute，so he said nothing．
“Meanwhile，”continued Uncle Andrew，“I was learning a good deal in other ways（it wouldn’t be proper to explain them to a child）about Magic in general．That meant that I came to have a fair idea what sort of things might be in the box．By various tests I narrowed down the possibilities．I had to get to know some-well，some devilish queer people，and go through some very disagreeable experiences．That was what turned my head gray．One doesn’t become a magician for nothing．My health broke down in the end．But I got better．And at last I actually knew．”
Although there was not really the least chance of anyone overhearing them，he leaned forward and almost whispered as he said：
“The Atlantean box contained something that had been brought from another world when our world was only just beginning．”
“What ？”asked Digory，who was now interested in spite of himself.
“Only dust，”said Uncle Andrew．“Fine，dry dust．Nothing much to look at.Not much to show for a lifetime of toil，you might say．Ah，but when I looked at that dust（I took jolly good care not to touch it）and thought that every grain had once been in another world-I don’t mean another planet，you know； they’re part of our world and you could get to them if you went far enough-but a really Other World-another Nature another universe-somewhere you would never reach even if you traveled through the space of this universe for ever and ever-a world that could be reached only by Magic-well ！”Here Uncle Andrew rubbed his hands till his knuckles cracked like fireworks．
“I knew，”he went on，“that if only you could get it into the right form，that dust would draw you back to the place it had come from．But the difficulty was to get it into the right form．My earlier experiments were all failures．I tried them on guinea-pigs． Some of them only died．Some exploded like little bombs-”
“It was a jolly cruel thing to do，”said Digory who had once had a guinea-pig of his own．
“How you do keep getting off the point ！”said Uncle Andrew． “That’s what the creatures were for．I’d bought them myself．Let me see-where was I ？ Ah yes．At last I succeeded in making the rings： the yellow rings．But now a new difficulty arose．I was pretty sure， now，that a yellow ring would send any creature that touched it into the Other Pace．But what would be the good of that if I couldn’t get them back to tell me what they had found there ？”
“And what about them ？”said Digory．“A nice mess they’d be in if they couldn’t get back ！”
“You will keep on looking at everything from the wrong point of view，”said Uncle Andrew with a look of impatience．“Can’t you understand that the thing is a great experiment ？ The whole point of sending anyone into the Other Place is that I want to find out what it’s like．”
“Well why didn’t you go yourself then ？”
Digory had hardly ever seen anyone so surprised and offended as his Uncle did at this simple question．“Me ？ Me ？”he exclaimed． “The boy must be mad ！ A man at my time of life，and in my state of health，to risk the shock and the dangers of being flung suddenly into a different universe ？ I never heard anything so preposterous in my life ！ Do you realize what you’re saying ？ Think what Another World means-you might meet anything—anything．”
“And I suppose you’ve sent Polly into it then，”said Digory． His cheeks were flaming with anger now．“And all I can say，”he added，“even if you are my Uncle-is that you’ve behaved like a coward，sending a girl to a place you’re afraid to go to yourself．”
“Silence，sir ！”said Uncle Andrew，bringing his hand down on the table．“I will not be talked to like that by a little，dirty， schoolboy．You don’t understand．I am the great scholar，the magician，the adept，who is doing the experiment．Of course I need subjects to do it on．Bless my soul，you’ll be telling me next that I ought to have asked the guinea-pigs’ permission before I used them ！ No great wisdom can be reached without sacrifice．But the idea of my going myself is ridiculous．It’s like asking a general to fight as a common soldier．Supposing I got killed，what would become of my life’s work ？”
“Oh，do stop jawing，”said Digory．“Are you going to bring Polly back ？”
“I was going to tell you，when you so rudely interrupted me，”said Uncle Andrew，“that I did at last find out a way of doing the return journey．The green rings draw you back．”
“But Polly hasn’t got a green ring．”
“No.”said Uncle Andrew with a cruel smile．
“Then she can’t get back，”shouted Digory．And it’s exactly the same as if you’d murdered her．
“She can get back，”said Uncle Andrew，“if someone else will go after her，wearing a yellow ring himself and taking two green rings，one to bring himself back and one to bring her back．”
And now of course Digory saw the trap in which he was caught：and he stared at Uncle Andrew，saying nothing，with his mouth wide open．His cheeks had gone very pale．
“I hope，”said Uncle Andrew presently in a very high and mighty voice，just as if he were a perfect Uncle who had given one a handsome tip and some good advice，“I hope，Digory，you are not given to showing the white feather．I should be very sorry to think that anyone of our family had not enough honour and chivalry to go to the aid of-er-a lady in distress．”
“Oh shut up ！”said Digory．“If you had any honour and all t hat，you’d be going yourself．But I know you won’t．All right．I see I’ve got to go．But you are a beast．I suppose you planned the whole thing，so that she’d go without knowing it and then I’d have to go after her．”
“Of course，”said Uncle Andrew with his hateful smile．
“Very well．I’ll go．But there’s one thing I jolly well mean to say first．I didn’t believe in Magic till today．I see now it’s real．Well if it is，I suppose all the old fairy tales are more or less true．And you’re simply a wicked，cruel magician like the ones in the stories．Well，I’ve never read a story in which people of that sort weren’t paid out in the end，and I bet you will be．And serve you right．”
Of all the things Digory had said this was the first that really went home．Uncle Andrew started and there came over his face a look of such horror that，beast though he was，you could almost feel sorry for him．But a second later he smoothed it all away and said with a rather forced laugh，“Well，well，I suppose that is a natural thing for a child to think-brought up among women，as you have been．Old wives’ tales，eh ？ I don’t think you need worry about my danger，Digory．Wouldn’t it be better to worry about the danger of your little friend ？ She’s been gone some time．If there are any dangers Over There-well，it would be a pity to arrive a moment too late．”
“A lot you care，”said Digory fiercely．“But I’m sick of this jaw．What have I got to do ？”
“You really must learn to control that temper of yours，my boy，”said Uncle Andrew coolly．“Otherwise you’ll grow up to be just like your Aunt Letty．Now．Attend to me．”
He got up，put on a pair of gloves，and walked over to the tray that contained the rings．
“They only work，”he said，“if they’re actually touching your skin．Wearing gloves，I can pick them up-like this-and nothing happens．If you carried one in your pocket nothing would happen： but of course you’d have to be careful not to put your hand in your pocket and touch it by accident．The moment you touch a yellow ring，you vanish out of this world．When you are in the Other Place I expect-of course this hasn’t been tested yet，but I expect-that the moment you touch a green ring you vanish out of that world and-I expect-reappear in this．Now．I take these two greens and drop them into your right-hand pocket．Remember very carefully which pocket the greens are in．G for green and R for right．G．R．you see：which are the first two letters of green．One for you and one for the little girl．And now you pick up a yellow one for yourself．I should put it on—on your finger-if I were you． There’ll be less chance of dropping it．”
Digory had almost picked up the yellow ring when he suddenly checked himself．
“Look here，”he said．“What about Mother ？ Supposing she asks where I am ？”
“The sooner you go，the sooner you’ll be back，”said Uncle Andrew cheerfully．
“But you don’t really know whether I can get back．”
Uncle Andrew shrugged his shoulders，walked across to the door，unlocked it，threw it open，and said：
“Oh very well then．Just as you please．Go down and have your dinner．Leave the little girl to be eaten by wild animals or drowned or starved in Otherworld or lost there for good，if that’s what you prefer．It’s all one to me．Perhaps before tea time you’d better drop in on Mrs. Plummer and explain that she’ll never see her daughter again；because you were afraid to put on a ring．”
“By gum，”said Digory，“don’t I just wish I was big enough to punch your head ！”
Then he buttoned up his coat，took a deep breath，and picked up the ring．And he thought then，as he always thought afterward too，that he could not decently have done anything else．
CHAPTER THREE THE WOOD BETWEEN THE WORLDS
UNCLE ANDREW and his study vanished instantly．Then， for a moment，everything became muddled．The next thing Digory knew was that there was a soft green light coming down on him from above，and darkness below．He didn’t seem to be standing on anything，or sitting，or lying．Nothing appeared to be touching him．“I believe I’m in water，”said Digory．“Or under water．”This frightened him for a second，but almost at once he could feel that he was rushing upwards．Then his head suddenly came out into the air and，he found himself scrambling ashore， out on to smooth grassy ground at the edge of a pool．
As he rose to his feet he noticed that he was neither dripping nor panting for breath as anyone would expect after being under water．His clothes were perfectly dry．He was standing by the edge of a small pool-not more than ten feet from side to side in a wood．The trees grew close together and were so leafy that he could get no glimpse of the sky．All the light was green light that came through the leaves：but there must have been a very strong sun overhead，for this green daylight was bright and warm．It was the quietest wood you could possibly imagine．There were no birds，no insects，no animals，and no wind．You could almost feel the trees growing．The pool he had just got out of was not the only pool．There were dozens of others-a pool every few yards as far as his eyes could reach．You could almost feel the trees drinking the water up with their roots．This wood was very much alive．When he tried to describe it afterwards Digory always said，“It was a rich place：as rich as plumcake．”
The strangest thing was that，almost before he had looked about him，Digory had half forgotten how he had come there．At any rate， he was certainly not thinking about Polly，or Uncle Andrew，or even his Mother．He was not in the least frightened，or excited，or curious． If anyone had asked him“ Where did you come from? ” he would probably have said，“I’ve always been here．” That was what it felt like—as if one had always been in that place and never been bored although nothing had ever happened．As he said long afterwards，“It’s not the sort of place where things happen．The trees go on growing，that’s all．”
After Digory had looked at the wood for a long time he noticed that there was a girl lying on her back at the foot of a tree a few yards away．Her eyes were nearly shut but not quite，as if she were just between sleeping and waking．So he looked at her for a long time and said nothing．And at last she opened her eyes and looked at him for a long time and she also said nothing．Then she spoke，in a dreamy，contented sort of voice．
“I think I’ve seen you before，”she said．
“I rather think so too，”said Digory．“Have you been here long ？”
“Oh，always，”said the girl．“At least-I don’t know a very long time．”
“So have I，”said Digory．
“No you haven’t，said she．“I’ve just seen you come up out of that pool．”
“Yes，I suppose I did，”said Digory with a puzzled air，“I’d forgotten．”
Then for quite a long time neither said any more．
“Look here，”said the girl presently，“I wonder did we ever really meet before ？ I had a sort of idea-a sort of picture in my head-of a boy and a girl，like us-living somewhere quite different-and doing all sorts of things．Perhaps it was only a dream．”
“I’ve had that same dream，I think，”said Digory．“About a boy and a girl，living next door-and something about crawling among rafters．I remember the girl had a dirty face．”
“Aren’t you getting it mixed ？ In my dream it was the boy who had the dirty face．”
“I can’t remember the boy’s face，”said Digory：and then added，“Hullo ！ What’s that ？”
“Why ！ it’s a guinea-pig，”said the girl．And it was-a fat guinea-pig，nosing about in the grass．But round the middle of the guinea—pig there ran a tape，and，tied on to it by the tape， was a bright yellow ring．
“Look ！ Look，”cried Digory，“The ring ！ And look ！ You’ve got one on your finger．And so have I．”
The girl now sat up，really interested at last．They stared very hard at one another，trying to remember．And then，at exactly the same moment，she shouted out“Mr. Ketterley”and he shouted out“Uncle Andrew”，and they knew who they were and began to remember the whole story．After a few minutes of hard talking they had got it straight．Digory explained how beastly Uncle Andrew had been.
“What do we do now ？”said Polly．“Take the guinea—pig and go home ？”
“There’s no hurry，”said Digory with a huge yawn．
“I think there is，”said Polly．“This place is too quiet．It’s so-so dreamy．You’re almost asleep．If we once give in to it we shall just lie down and drowse for ever and ever．”
“It’s very nice here，”said Digory．
“Yes，it is，”said Polly．
“But we’ve got to get back．”She stood up and began to go cautiously towards the guinea-pig．But then she changed her mind．
“We might as well leave the guinea-pig，”she said．“It’s perfectly happy here，and your uncle will only do something horrid to it if we take it home．”
“I bet he would，”answered Digory．“Look at the way he’s treated us．By the way，how do we get home ？”
“Go back into the pool，I expect．”
They came and stood together at the edge looking down into the smooth water．It was full of the reflection of the green，leafy branches；they made it look very deep．
“We haven’t any bathing things，”said Polly．
“We shan’t need them，silly，”said Digory．“We’re going in with our clothes on．Don’t you remember it didn’t wet us on the way up ？”
“Can you swim ？”
“A bit．Can you ？”
“Well-not much．”
“I don’t think we shall need to swim，”said Digory“We want to go down，don’t we ？”
Neither of them much liked the idea of jumping into that pool， but neither said so to the other．They took hands and said“One-Two- Three-Go”and jumped．There was a great splash and of course they closed their eyes．But when they opened them again they found they were still standing，hand in hand，in the green wood，and hardly up to their ankles in water．The pool was apparently only a couple of inches deep．They splashed back on to the dry ground．
“What on earth’s gone wrong？”said Polly in a frightened voice； but not quite so frightened as you might expect，because it is hard to feel really frightened in that wood．The place is too peaceful．
“Oh ！ I know，”said Digory，“Of course it won’t work． We’re still wearing our yellow rings．They’re for the outward journey，you know．The green ones take you home．We must change rings．Have you got pockets ？ Good．Put your yellow ring in your left．I’ve got two greens．Here’s one for you．”
They put on their green rings and came back to the pool．But before they tried another jump Digory gave a long“O-o—oh ！ ”
“What’s the matter ？ ”said Polly．
“I’ve just had a really wonderful idea，”said Digory．“What are all the other pools ？”
“How do you mean ？”
“Why，if awe can get back to our own world by jumping into this pool，mightn’t we get somewhere else by jumping into one of the others ？ Supposing there was a world at the bottom of every pool．”
“But I thought we were already in your Uncle Andrew’s Other World or Other Place or whatever he called it．Didn’t you say-”
“Oh bother Uncle Andrew，”interrupted Digory．“I don’t believe he knows anything about it．He never had the pluck to come here himself．He only talked of one Other World．But suppose there were dozens ？”
“You mean，this wood might be only one of them ？”
“No，I don’t believe this wood is a world at all．I think it’s just a sort of in-between place．”
Polly looked puzzled．“Don’t you see ？”said Digory．“No， do listen．Think of our tunnel under the slates at home．It isn’t a room in any of the houses．In a way，it isn’t really part of any of the houses．But once you’re in the tunnel you can go along it and come into any of the houses in the row．Mightn’t this wood be the same ？ -a place that isn’t in any of the worlds，but once you’ve found that place you can get into them all．”
“Well，even if you can-”began Polly，but Digory went on as if he hadn’t heard her．
“And of course that explains everything，”he said．“That’s why it is so quiet and sleepy here．Nothing ever happens here． Like at home．It’s in the houses that people talk，and do things，and have meals．Nothing goes on in the in—between places， behind the walls and above the ceilings and under the floor，or in our own tunnel．But when you come out of our tunnel you may find yourself in any house．I think we can get out of this place into jolly well Anywhere ！ We don’t need to jump back into the same pool we came up by．Or not just yet．”
“The Wood between the Worlds，”said Polly dreamily．“It sounds rather nice．”
“Come on，”said Digory．“Which pool shall we try ？”
“Look here，”said Polly，“I’m not going to try any new pool till we’ve made sure that we can get back by the old one．We’re not even sure if it’ll work yet．”
“Yes，”said Digory．“And get caught by Uncle Andrew and have our rings taken away before we’ve had any fun．No thanks．”
“Couldn’t we just go part of the way down into our own pool，”said Polly．“Just to see if it works．Then if it does，we’ll change rings and come up again before we’re really back in Mr. Ketterley’s study．”
“Can we go part of the way down ？”
“Well，it took time coming up．I suppose it’ll take a little time going back．”
Digory made rather a fuss about agreeing to this，but he had to in the end because Polly absolutely refused to do any exploring in new worlds until she had made sure about getting back to the old one．She was quite as brave as he about some dangers（wasps， for instance）but she was not so interested in finding out things nobody had ever heard of before；for Digory was the sort of person who wants to know everything，and when he grew up he became the famous Professor Kirke who comes into other books．
After a good deal of arguing they agreed to put on their green rings（“Green for safety，”said Digory，“so you can’t help remembering which is which”）and hold hands and jump．But as soon as they seemed to be getting back to Uncle Andrew’s study， or even to their own world，Polly was to shout“Change”and they would slip off their greens and put on their yellows．Digory wanted to be the one who shouted“Change”but Polly wouldn’t agree．
They put on the green rings，took hands，and once more shouted“One-Two-Three-Go”．This time it worked．It is very hard to tell you what it felt like，for everything happened so quickly．At first there were bright lights moving about in a black sky；Digory always thinks these were stars and even swears that he saw Jupiter quite close-close enough to see its moon．But almost at once there were rows and rows of roofs and chimney pots about them，and they could see St. Paul’s and knew they were looking at London．But you could see through the walls of all the houses． Then they could see Uncle Andrew，very vague and shadowy， but getting clearer and more solid-looking all the time，just as if he were coming into focus．But before he became quite real Polly shouted“Change”，and they did change，and our world faded away like a dream，and the green light above grew stronger and stronger，till their heads came out of the pool and they scrambled ashore．And there was the wood all about them，as green and bright and still as ever．The whole thing had taken less than a minute．
“There ！”said Digory．“That’s all right．Now for the adventure. Any pool will do．Come on．Let’s try that one．”
“Stop ！”said Polly. “Aren’t we going to mark this pool ？”
They stared at each other and turned quite white as they realized the dreadful thing that Digory had just been going to do．For there were any number of pools in the wood，and the pools were all alike and the trees were all alike，so that if they had once left behind the pool that led to our own world without making some sort of landmark，the chances would have been a hundred to one against their ever finding it again．
Digory’s hand was shaking as he opened his penknife and cut out a long strip of turf on the bank of the pool．The soil（which smelled nice）was of a rich reddish brown and showed up well against the green．“It’s a good thing one of us has some sense，”said Polly．
“Well don’t keep on gassing about it，”said Digory．“Come along，I want to see what’s in one of the other pools．”And Polly gave him a pretty sharp answer and he said something even nastier in reply．The quarrel lasted for several minutes but it would be dull to write it all down．Let us skip on to the moment at which they stood with beating hearts and rather scared faces on the edge of the unknown pool with their yellow rings on and held hands and once more said“One-Two-Three-Go ！”
Splash！ Once again it hadn’t worked．This pool，too，appeared to be only a puddle．Instead of reaching a new world they only got their feet wet and splashed their legs for the second time that morning（if it was a morning：it seems to be always the same time in the Wood between the Worlds）．
“Blast and botheration！”exclaimed Digory．“What’s gone wrong now ？ We’ve put our yellow rings on all right．He said yellow for the outward journey．”
Now the truth was that Uncle Andrew，who knew nothing about the Wood between the Worlds，had quite a wrong idea about the rings．The yellow ones weren’t “outward” rings and the green ones weren’t “homeward” rings；at least，not in the way he thought. The stuff of which both were made had all come from the wood. The stuff in the yellow rings had the power of drawing you into the wood；it was stuff that wanted to get back to its own place，the in-between place．But the stuff in the green rings is stuff that is trying to get out of its own place：so that a green ring would take you out of the wood into a world．Uncle Andrew，you see，was working with things he did not really understand；most magicians are．Of course Digory did not realize the truth quite clearly either，or not till later. But when they had talked it over，they decided to try their green rings on the new pool，just to see what happened．
“I’m game if you are，”said Polly．But she really said this because， in her heart of hearts，she now felt sure that neither kind of ring was going to work at all in the new pool，and so there was nothing worse to be afraid of than another splash．I am not quite sure that Digory had not the same feeling．At any rate，when they had both put on their greens and come back to the edge of the water，and taken hands again，they were certainly a good deal more cheerful and less solemn than they had been the first time.
“One-Two-Three-Go ！”said Digory．And they jumped．
CHAPTER FOUR THE BELL AND THE HAMMER
THERE was no doubt about the Magic this time．Down and down they rushed，first through darkness and then through a mass of vague and whirling shapes which might have been almost anything．It grew lighter．Then suddenly they felt that they were standing on something solid．A moment later everything came into focus and they were able to look about them．
“What a queer place ！”said Digory．
“I don’t like it，”said Polly with something like a shudder．
What they noticed first was the light．It wasn’t like sunlight， and it wasn’t like electric light，or lamps，or candles，or any other light they had ever seen．It was a dull，rather red light，not at all cheerful．It was steady and did not flicker．They were standing on a flat paved surface and buildings rose all around them．There was no roof overhead；they were in a sort of courtyard．The sky was extraordinarily dark-a blue that was almost black．When you had seen that sky you wondered that there should be any light at all．
“It’s very funny weather here，”said Digory．“I wonder if we’ve arrived just in time for a thunderstorm；or an eclipse．”
“I don’t like it，”said Polly．
Both of them，without quite knowing why，were talking in whispers．And though there was no reason why they should still go on holding hands after their jump，they didn’t let go．
The walls rose very high all round that courtyard．They had many great windows in them，windows without glass，through which you saw nothing but black darkness．Lower down there were great pillared arches，yawning blackly like the mouths of railway tunnels．It was rather cold．
The stone of which everything was built seemed to be red，but that might only be because of the curious light．It was obviously very old．Many of the flat stones that paved the courtyard had cracks across them．None of them fitted closely together and the sharp corners were all worn off．One of the arched doorways was half filled up with rubble．The two children kept on turning round and round to look at the different sides of the courtyard．One reason was that they were afraid of somebody-or something-looking out of those windows at them when their backs were turned．
“Do you think anyone lives here ？”said Digory at last，still in a whisper．
“No，”said Polly．“It’s all in ruins．We haven’t heard a sound since we came．”
“Let’s stand still and listen for a bit，”suggested Digory．
They stood still and listened，but all they could hear was the thump-thump of their own hearts．This place was at least as quiet as the Wood between the Worlds．But it was a different kind of quietness．The silence of the Wood had been rich and warm（you could almost hear the trees growing）and full of life：this was a dead，cold，empty silence．You couldn’t imagine anything growing in it．
“Let’s go home，”said Polly．
“But we haven’t seen anything yet，”said Digory．“Now we’re here，we simply must have a look round．”
“I’m sure there’s nothing at all interesting here．”
“There’s not much point in finding a magic ring that lets you into other worlds if you’re afraid to look at them when you’ve got there．”
“Who’s talking about being afraid ？”said Polly，letting go of Digory’s hand．
“I only thought you didn’t seem very keen on exploring this place．”
“I’ll go anywhere you go．”
“We can get away the moment we want to，”said Digory．“Let’s take off our green rings and put them in our right-hand pockets． All we’ve got to do is to remember that our yellow are in our left-hand pockets．You can keep your hand as near your pocket as you like，but don’t put it in or you’ll touch your yellow and vanish．”
They did this and went quietly up to one of the big arched doorways which led into the inside of the building．And when they stood on the threshold and could look in，they saw it was not so dark inside as they had thought at first．It led into a vast，shadowy hall which appeared to be empty；but on the far side there was a row of pillars with arches between them and through those arches there streamed in some more of the same tired-looking light．They crossed the hall，walking very carefully for fear of holes in the floor or of anything lying about that they might trip over．It seemed a long walk．When they had reached the other side they came out through the arches and found themselves in another and larger courtyard．
“That doesn’t look very safe，”said Polly，pointing at a place where the wall bulged outward and looked as if it were ready to fall over into the courtyard．In one place a pillar was missing between two arches and the bit that came down to where the top of the pillar ought to have been hung there with nothing to support it．Clearly，the place had been deserted for hundreds，perhaps thousands，of years．
“If it’s lasted till now，I suppose it’ll last a bit longer，”said Digory．“But we must be very quiet．You know a noise sometimes brings things down-like an avalanche in the Alps．”
They went on out of that courtyard into another doorway，and up a great flight of steps and through vast rooms that opened out of one another till you were dizzy with the mere size of the place． Every now and then they thought they were going to get out into the open and see what sort of country lay around the enormous palace． But each time they only got into another courtyard．They must have been magnificent places when people were still living there．In one there had once been a fountain．A great stone monster with wide-spread wings stood with its mouth open and you could still see a bit of piping at the back of its mouth，out of which the water used to pour．Under it was a wide stone basin to hold the water；but it was as dry as a bone．In other places there were the dry sticks of some sort of climbing plant which had wound itself round the pillars and helped to pull some of them down．But it had died long ago．And there were no ants or spiders or any of the other living things you expect to see in a ruin；and where the dry earth showed between the broken flagstones there was no grass or moss．
It was all so dreary and all so much the same that even Digory was thinking they had better put on their yellow rings and get back to the warm，green，living forest of the In-between place，when they came to two huge doors of some metal that might possibly be gold．One stood a little ajar．So of course they went to look in．Both started back and drew a long breath：for here at last was something worth seeing．
For a second they thought the room was full of people-hundreds of people，all seated，and all perfectly still．Polly and Digory，as you may guess，stood perfectly still themselves for a good long time，looking in．But presently they decided that what they were looking at could not be real people．There was not a movement nor the sound of a breath among them all．They were like the most wonderful waxworks you ever saw．
This time Polly took the lead．There was something in this room which interested her more than it interested Digory：all the figures were wearing magnificent clothes．If you were interested in clothes at all，you could hardly help going in to see them closer．And the blaze of their colours made this room look，not exactly cheerful，but at any rate rich and majestic after all the dust and emptiness of the others．It had more windows，too，and was a good deal lighter．
I can hardly describe the clothes．The figures were all robed and had crowns on their heads．Their robes were of crimson and silvery grey and deep purple and vivid green：and there were patterns，and pictures of flowers and strange beasts，in needlework all over them．Precious stones of astonishing size and brightness stared from their crowns and hung in chains round their necks and peeped out from all the places where anything was fastened．
“Why haven’t these clothes all rotted away long ago ？”asked Polly.
“Magic，”whispered Digory．“Can’t you feel it ？ I bet this whole room is just stiff with enchantments．I could feel it the moment we came in．”
“Any one of these dresses would cost hundreds of pounds，”said Polly.
But Digory was more interested in the faces，and indeed these were well worth looking at．The people sat in their stone chairs on each side of the room and the floor was left free down the middle． You could walk down and look at the faces in turn．
“They were nice people，I think，”said Digory．
Polly nodded．All the faces they could see were certainly nice．Both the men and women looked kind and wise，and they seemed to come of a handsome race．But after the children had gone a few steps down the room they came to faces that looked a little different．These were very solemn faces．You felt you would have to mind your P’s and Q’s，if you ever met living people who looked like that．When they had gone a little further，they found themselves among faces they didn’t like：this was about the middle of the room．The faces here looked very strong and proud and happy，but they looked cruel．A little further on they looked crueller．Further on again，they were still cruel but they no longer looked happy．They were even despairing faces：as if the people they belonged to had done dreadful things and also suffered dreadful things．The last figure of all was the most interesting-a woman even more richly dressed than the others，very tall（but every figure in that room was taller than the people of our world），with a look of such fierceness and pride that it took your breath away． Yet she was beautiful too．Years afterwards when he was an old man，Digory said he had never in all his life known a woman so beautiful．It is only fair to add that Polly always said she couldn’t see anything specially beautiful about her．
This woman，as I said，was the last：but there were plenty of empty chairs beyond her，as if the room had been intended for a much larger collection of images．
“I do wish we knew the story that’s behind all this，”said Digory．“Let’s go back and look at that table sort of thing in the middle of the room．”
The thing in the middle of the room was not exactly a table． It was a square pillar about four feet high and on it there rose a little golden arch from which there hung a little golden bell；and beside this there lay a little golden hammer to hit the bell with．
“I wonder．．．I wonder．．．I wonder．．．”said Digory．
“There seems to be something written here，”said Polly， stooping down and looking at the side of the pillar．
“By gum，so there is，”said Digory．“But of course we shan’t be able to read it．”
“Shan’t we ？ I’m not so sure，”said Polly．
They both looked at it hard and，as you might have expected， the letters cut in the stone were strange．But now a great wonder happened：for，as they looked，though the shape of the strange letters never altered，they found that they could understand them．If only Digory had remembered what he himself had said a few minutes ago，that this was an enchanted room，he might have guessed that the enchantment was beginning to work．But he was too wild with curiosity to think about that．He was longing more and more to know what was written on the pillar．And very soon they both knew．What it said was something like this-at least this is the sense of it though the poetry，when you read it there，was better：
Make your choice，adventurous Stranger；
Strike the bell and bide the danger，
Or wonder，till it drives you mad，
What would have followed if you had．
“No fear ！”said Polly．“We don’t want any danger．”
“Oh but don’t you see it’s no good ！”said Digory．“We can’t get out of it now．We shall always be wondering what else would have happened if we had struck the bell．I’m not going home to be driven mad by always thinking of that．No fear ！”
“Don’t be so silly，”said Polly．“As if anyone would ！ What does it matter what would have happened ？”
“I expect anyone who’s come as far as this is bound to go on wondering till it sends him dotty．That’s the Magic of it，you see．I can feel it beginning to work on me already．”
“Well I don’t，”said Polly crossly．“And I don’t believe you do either．You’re just putting it on．”
“That’s all you know，”said Digory．“It’s because you’re a girl．Girls never want to know anything but gossip and rot about people getting engaged．”
“You looked exactly like your Uncle when you said that，”said Polly.
“Why can’t you keep to the point ？”said Digory．“What we’re talking about is-”
“How exactly like a man ！”said Polly in a very grown—up voice；but she added hastily，in her real voice，“And don’t say I’m just like a woman，or you’ll be a beastly copy-cat．”
“I should never dream of calling a kid like you a woman，”said Digory loftily．
“Oh，I’m a kid，am I ？”said Polly who was now in a real rage．“Well you needn’t be bothered by having a kid with you any longer then．I’m off．I’ve had enough of this place．And I’ve had enough of you too-you beastly，stuck-up，obstinate pig ！”
“None of that ！”said Digory in a voice even nastier than he meant it to be；for he saw Polly’s hand moving to her pocket to get hold of her yellow ring．I can’t excuse what he did next except by saying that he was very sorry for it afterwards（and so were a good many other people）．Before Polly’s hand reached her pocket， he grabbed her wrist，leaning across her with his back against her chest．Then，keeping her other arm out of the way with his other elbow，he leaned forward，picked up the hammer，and struck the golden bell a light，smart tap．Then he let her go and they fell apart staring at each other and breathing hard．Polly was just beginning to cry，not with fear，and not even because he had hurt her wrist quite badly，but with furious anger．Within two seconds，however，they had something to think about that drove their own quarrels quite out of their minds．
As soon as the bell was struck it gave out a note，a sweet note such as you might have expected，and not very loud．But instead of dying away again，it went on；and as it went on it grew louder． Before a minute had passed it was twice as loud as it had been to begin with．It was soon so loud that if the children had tried to speak （but they weren’t thinking of speaking now-they were just standing with their mouths open）they would not have heard one another． Very soon it was so loud that they could not have heard one another even by shouting．And still it grew：all on one note，a continuous sweet sound，though the sweetness had something horrible about it， till all the air in that great room was throbbing with it and they could feel the stone floor trembling under their feet．Then at last it began to be mixed with another sound，a vague，disastrous noise which sounded first like the roar of a distant train，and then like the crash of a falling tree．They heard something like great weights falling． Finally，with a sudden，rush and thunder，and a shake that nearly flung them off their feet，about a quarter of the roof at one end of the room fell in，great blocks of masonry fell all round them，and the walls rocked．The noise of the bell stopped．The clouds of dust
cleared away．Everything became quiet again．
It was never found out whether the fall of the roof was due to Magic or whether that unbearably loud sound from the bell just happened to strike the note which was more than those crumbling walls could stand．
“There ！ I hope you’re satisfied now，”panted Polly．
“Well，it’s all over，anyway，”said Digory．
And both thought it was；but they had never been more mistaken in their lives．
CHAPTER FIVE THE DEPLORABLE WORD
THE children were facing one another across the pillar where the bell hung，still trembling，though it no longer gave out any note．Suddenly they heard a soft noise from the end of the room which was still undamaged．They turned quick as lightning to see what it was．One of the robed figures，the furthest-off one of all，the woman whom Digory thought so beautiful，was rising from its chair．When she stood up they realized that she was even taller than they had thought．And you could see at once，not only from her crown and robes，but from the flash of her eyes and the curve of her lips，that she was a great queen．She looked round the room and saw the damage and saw the children，but you could not guess from her face what she thought of either or whether she was surprised．She came forward with long，swift strides．
“Who has awaked me ？ Who has broken the spell ？”she asked．
“I think it must have been me，”said Digory．
“You ！”said the Queen，laying her hand on his shoulder-a white，beautiful hand，but Digory could feel that it was strong as steel pincers．“You ？ But you are only a child，a common child．Anyone can see at a glance that you have no drop of royal or noble blood in your veins．How did such as you dare to enter this house ？”
“We’ve come from another world；by Magic，”said Polly， who thought it was high time the Queen took some notice of her as well as of Digory．
“Is this true ？”said the Queen，still looking at Digory and not giving Polly even a glance．
“Yes，it is，”said he．
The Queen put her other hand under his chin and forced it up so that she could see his face better．Digory tried to stare back but he soon had to let his eyes drop．There was something about hers that overpowered him．After she had studied him for well over a minute，she let go of his chin and said：
“You are no magician．The mark of it is not on you．You must be only the servant of a magician．It is on another’s Magic that you have travelled here．”
“It was my Uncle Andrew，”said Digory．
At the moment，not in the room itself but from somewhere very close，there came，first a rumbling，then a creaking，and then a roar of falling masonry，and the floor shook．
“There is great peril here，”said the Queen．“The whole palace is breaking up．If we are not out of it in a few minutes we shall be buried under the ruin．”She spoke as calmly as if she had been merely mentioning the time of day．“Come，”she added，and held out a hand to each of the children．Polly，who was disliking the Queen and feeling rather sulky，would not have let her hand be taken if she could have helped it．But though the Queen spoke so calmly，her movements were as quick as thought．Before Polly knew what was happening her left hand had been caught in a hand so much larger and stronger than her own that she could do nothing about it．
“This is a terrible woman，”thought Polly．“She’s strong enough to break my arm with one twist．And now that she’s got my left hand I can’t get at my yellow ring．If I tried to stretch across and get my right hand into my left pocket I mightn’t be able to reach it，before she asked me what I was doing．Whatever happens we mustn’t let her know about the rings．I do hope Digory has the sense to keep his mouth shut．I wish I could get a word with him alone．”
The Queen led them out of the Hall of Images into a long corridor and then through a whole maze of halls and stairs and courtyards．Again and again they heard parts of the great palace collapsing，sometimes quite close to them．Once a huge arch came thundering down only a moment after they had passed through it．The Queen was walking quickly-the children had to trot to keep up with her—but she showed no sign of fear．Digory thought，“She’s wonderfully brave．And strong．She’s what I call a Queen ！ I do hope she’s going to tell us the story of this place．”
She did tell them certain things as they went along：“That is the door to the dungeons，”she would say，or“That passage leads to the principal torture chambers，”or“This was the old banqueting hall where my great—grandfather bade seven hundred nobles to a feast and killed them all before they had drunk their fill． They had had rebellious thoughts．”
They came at last into a hall larger and loftier than any they had yet seen．From its size and from the great doors at the far end， Digory thought that now at last they must be coming to the main entrance．In this he was quite right．The doors were dead black， either ebony or some black metal which is not found in our world． They were fastened with great bars，most of them too high to reach and all too heavy to lift．He wondered how they would get out．
The Queen let go of his hand and raised her arm．She drew herself up to her full height and stood rigid．Then she said something which they couldn’t understand（but it sounded horrid） and made an action as if she were throwing something towards the doors．And those high and heavy doors trembled for a second as if they were made of silk and then crumbled away till there was nothing left of them but a heap of dust on the threshold．
“Whew ！”whistled Digory．
“Has your master magician，your uncle，power like mine ？”asked the Queen，firmly seizing Digorg’s hand again．“But I shall know later．In the meantime，remember what you have seen．This is what happens to things，and to people，who stand in my way．”
Much more light than they had yet seen in that country was pouring in through the now empty doorway，and when the Queen led them out through it they were not surprised to find themselves in the open air．The wind that blew in their faces was cold，yet somehow stale．They were looking from a high terrace and there was a great landscape spread out below them．
Low down and near the horizon hung a great，red sun，far bigger than our sun．Digory felt at once that it was also older than ours：a sun near the end of its life，weary of looking down upon that world．To the left of the sun，and higher up，there was a single star，big and bright．Those were the only two things to be seen in the dark sky；they made a dismal group．And on the earth， in every direction，as far as the eye could reach，there spread a vast city in which there was no living thing to be seen．And all the temples，towers，palaces，pyramids，and bridges cast long， disastrous-looking shadows in the light of that withered sun．Once a great river had flowed through the city，but the water had long since vanished，and it was now only a wide ditch of grey dust．
“Look well on that which no eyes will ever see again，”said the Queen．“Such was Charn，that great city，the city of the King of Kings，the wonder of the world，perhaps of all worlds．Does your uncle rule any city as great as this，boy ？”
“No，”said Digory．He was going to explain that Uncle Andrew didn’t rule any cities，but the Queen went on：
“It is silent now．But I have stood here when the whole air was full of the noises of Charn；the trampling of feet，the creaking of wheels，the cracking of the whips and the groaning of slaves，the thunder of chariots，and the sacrificial drums beating in the temples． I have stood here（but that was near the end）when the roar of battle went up from every street and the river of Charn ran red．”She paused and added，“All in one moment one woman blotted it out for ever．”
“Who ？”said Digory in a faint voice；but he had already guessed the answer．
“I，”said the Queen．“I，Jadis the last Queen，but the Queen of the World．”
The two children stood silent，shivering in the cold wind．
“It was my sister’s fault，”said the Queen．“She drove me to it． May the curse of all the Powers rest upon her forever ！ At any moment I was ready to make peace-yes and to spare her life too，if only she would yield me the throne．But she would not．Her pride has destroyed the whole world．Even after the war had begun，there was a solemn promise that neither side would use Magic．But when she broke her promise， what could I do ？ Fool ！ As if she did not know that I had more Magic than she ！ She even knew that I had the secret of the Deplorable Word． Did she think-she was always a weakling-that I would not use it ？”
“What was it ？”said Digory．
“That was the secret of secrets，”said the Queen Jadis．“It had long been known to the great kings of our race that there was a word which，if spoken with the proper ceremonies，would destroy all living things except the one who spoke it．But the ancient kings were weak and soft—hearted and bound themselves and all who should come after them with great oaths never even to seek after the knowledge of that word．But I learned it in a secret place and paid a terrible price to learn it．I did not use it until she forced me to it．I fought to overcome her by every other means．I poured out the blood of my armies like water-”
“Beast ！”muttered Polly．
“The last great battle，”said the Queen，“raged for three days here in Charn itself．For three days I looked down upon it from this very spot．I did not use my power till the last of my soldiers had fallen，and the accursed woman，my sister，at the head of her rebels was halfway up those great stairs that lead up from the city to the terrace．Then I waited till we were so close that we could see one another’s faces．She flashed her horrible，wicked eyes upon me and said，‘Victory．’‘Yes，’said I，‘Victory，but not yours．’Then I spoke the Deplorable Word．A moment later I was the only living thing beneath the sun．”
“But the people ？”gasped Digory．
“What people，boy ？”asked the Queen．
“All the ordinary people，”said Polly，“who’d never done you any harm．And the women，and the children，and the animals．”
“Don’t you understand ？”said the Queen（still speaking to Digory）．“I was the Queen．They were all my people．What else were they there for but to do my will ？ ”
“It was rather hard luck on them，all the same，”said he．
“I had forgotten that you are only a common boy．How should you understand reasons of State ？ You must learn，child，that what would be wrong for you or for any of the common people is not wrong in a great Queen such as I．The weight of the world is on our shoulders．We must be freed from all rules．Ours is a high and lonely destiny．”
Digory suddenly remembered that Uncle Andrew had used exactly the same words．But they sounded much grander when Queen Jadis said them；perhaps because Uncle Andrew was not seven feet tall and dazzlingly beautiful．
“And what did you do then ？”said Digory．
“I had already cast strong spells on the hall where the images of my ancestors sit．And the force of those spells was that I should sleep among them，like an image myself，and need neither food nor fire，though it were a thousand years，till one came and struck the bell and awoke me．”
“Was it the Deplorable Word that made the sun like that ？”asked Digory．
“Like what ？”said Jadis
“So big，so red，and so cold．”
“It has always been so，”said Jadis．“At least，for hundreds of thousands of years．Have you a different sort of sun in your world ？”
“Yes，it’s smaller and yellower．And it gives a good deal more heat．”
The Queen gave a long drawn“A-a-ah ！”And Digory saw on her face that same hungry and greedy look which he had lately seen on Uncle Andrew’s．“So，”she said，“yours is a younger world．”
She paused for a moment to look once more at the deserted city-and if she was sorry for all the evil she had done there，she certainly didn’t show it-and then said：“Now，let us be going．It is cold here at the end of all the ages．”
“Going where ？”asked both the children．
“Where ？”repeated Jadis in surprise．“To your world，of course．”
Polly and Digory looked at each other，aghast．Polly had disliked the Queen from the first；and even Digory，now that he had heard the story，felt that he had seen quite as much of her as he wanted．Certainly，she was not at all the sort of person one would like to take home．And if they did like，they didn’t know how they could．What they wanted was to get away themselves： but Polly couldn’t get at her ring and of course Digory couldn’t go without her．Digory got very red in the face and stammered．
“Oh-oh-our world．I d-didn’t know you wanted to go there．”
“What else were you sent here for if not to fetch me ？”asked Jadis．
“I’m sure you wouldn’t like our world at all，”said Digory． “It’s not her sort of place，is it Polly ？ It’s very dull；not worth seeing，really．”
“It will soon be worth seeing when I rule it，”answered the Queen．
“Oh，but you can’t，”said Digory．“It’s not like that．They wouldn’t let you，you know．”
T he Que en gave a contempt uous sm i le．“Ma ny g reat kings，”she said，“thought they could stand against the House of Charn．But they all fell，and their very names are forgotten．Foolish boy ！ Do you think that I，with my beauty and my Magic，will not have your whole world at my feet before a year has passed ？ Prepare your incantations and take me there at once．”
“This is perfectly frightful，”said Digory to Polly. “Perhaps you fear for this Uncle of yours，”said Jadis．“But if he honours me duly，he shall keep his life and his throne．I am not coming to fight against him．He must be a very great Magician， if he has found how to send you here．Is he King of your whole world or only of part ？”
“He isn’t King of anywhere，”said Digory．
“You are lying，”said the Queen．“Does not Magic always go with the royal blood ？ Who ever heard of common people being Magicians ？ I can see the truth whether you speak it or not．Your Uncle is the great King and the great Enchanter of your world．And by his art he has seen the shadow of my face，in some magic mirror or some enchanted pool；and for the love of my beauty he has made a potent spell which shook your world to its foundations and sent you across the vast gulf between world and world to ask my favour and to bring me to him．Answer me：is that not how it was ？”
“Well，not exactly，”said Digory．
“Not exactly，”shouted Polly．“Why，it’s absolute bosh from beginning to end．”
“Minions ！”cried the Queen，turning in rage upon Polly and seizing her hair，at the very top of her head where it hurts most． But in so doing she let go of both the children’s hands．“Now，”shouted Digory；and “Quick ！” shouted Polly．They plunged their left hands into their pockets．They did not even need to put the rings on．The moment they touched them，the whole of that dreary， world vanished from their eyes．They were rushing upward and a warm green light was growing nearer over head．
CHAPTER SIX THE BEGINNING OF UNCLE ANDREW’S TROUBLES
“LET go ！ Let go ！”screamed Polly．
“I’m not touching you ！”said Digory．
Then their heads came out of the pool and，once more，the sunny quietness of the Wood between the Worlds was all about them，and it seemed richer and warmer and more peaceful than ever after the staleness and ruin of the place they had just left． I think that，if they had been given the chance，they would again have forgotten who they were and where they came from and would have lain down and enjoyed themselves，half asleep，listening to the growing of the trees．But this time there was something that kept them as wide-awake as possible：for as soon as they had got out on to the grass，they found that they were not alone．The Queen，or the Witch（whichever you like to call her）had come up with them，holding on fast by Polly’s hair．That was why Polly had been shouting out“Let go ！”
This proved，by the way，another thing about the rings which Uncle Andrew hadn’t told Digory because he didn’t know it himself．In order to jump from world to world by using of those rings you don’t need to be wearing or touching it yourself；it is enough if you are touching someone who is touching it．In that way they work like a magnet；and everyone knows that if you pick up a pin with a magnet，any other pin which is touching the first pin will come too．
Now that you saw her in the wood，Queen Jadis looked different． She was much paler than she had been；so pale that hardly any of her beauty was left．And she was stooped and seemed to be finding it hard to breathe，as if the air of that place stifled her．Neither of the children felt in the least afraid of her now．
“Let go ！ Let go of my hair，”said Polly．“What do you mean by it ？”
“Here ！ Let go of her hair．At once，”said Digory．
They both turned and struggled with her．They were stronger than she and in a few seconds they had forced her to let go．She reeled back，panting，and there was a look of terror in her eyes．
“Quick，Digory ！”said Polly．“Change rings and into’ the home pool．”
“Help ！ Help ！ Mercy ！”cried the Witch in a faint voice， staggering after them．“Take me with you．You cannot．Mean to leave me in this horrible place．It is killing me．”
“It’s a reason of State，”said Polly spitefully．“Like when you killed all those people in your own world．Do be quick，Digory．” They had put on their green rings，but Digory said：
“Oh bother ！ What are we to do ？”He couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for the Queen．
“Oh don’t be such an ass，”said Polly．“Ten to one she’s only shamming．Do come on．”And then both children plunged into the home pool．“It’s a good thing we made that mark，”thought Polly．But as they jumped Digory felt that a large cold finger and thumb had caught him by the ear．And as they sank down and the confused shapes of our own world began to appear，the grip of that finger and thumb grew stronger．The Witch was apparently recovering her strength．Digory struggled and kicked，but it was not of the least use．In a moment they found themselves in Uncle Andrew’s study；and there was Uncle Andrew himself，staring at the wonderful creature that Digory had brought back from beyond the world．
And well he might stare．Digory and Polly stared too．There was no doubt that the Witch had got over her faintness；and now that one saw her in our own world，with ordinary things around her，she fairly took one’s breath away．In Charn she had been alarming enough：in London，she was terrifying．For one thing， they had not realized till now how very big she was．“Hardly human”was what Digory thought when he looked at her；and he may have been right，for some say there is giantish blood in the royal family of Charn．But even her height was nothing compared with her beauty，her fierceness，and her wildness．She looked ten times more alive than most of the people one meets in London． Uncle Andrew was bowing and rubbing his hands and looking，to
tell the truth，extremely frightened．He seemed a little shrimp of a creature beside the Witch．And yet，as Polly said after wards， there was a sort of likeness between her face and his，something in the expression．It was the look that all wicked Magicians have， the“Mark”which Jadis had said she could not find in Digory’s face．One good thing about seeing the two together was that you would never again be afraid of Uncle Andrew，any more than you’d be afraid of a worm after you had met a rattlesnake or afraid of a cow after you had met a mad bull．
“Pooh ！”thought Digory to himself．“Him a Magician ！
Not much．Now she’s the real thing．”
Uncle Andrew kept on rubbing his hands and bowing．He was trying to say something very polite，but his mouth had gone all dry so that he could not speak．His“experiment”with the rings， as he called it，was turning out more successful than he liked：for though he had dabbled in Magic for years he had always left all the dangers（as far as one can）to other people．Nothing at all like this had ever happened to him before．
Then Jadis spoke；not very loud，but there was something in her voice that made the whole room quiver．
“Where is the Magician who has called me into this world ？”
“Ah-ah-Madam，”gasped Uncle Andrew，“I am most honoured-highly gratified-a most unexpected，pleasure-if only I had had the opportunity of making any preparations-I-I-”
“Where is the Magician，Fool ？ ”said Jadis．
“I-I am，Madam．I hope you will excuse any-er—．liberty these naughty children may have taken．I assure you，there was no intention-”
“You ？”said the Queen in a still more terrible voice．Then， in one stride，she crossed the room，seized a great handful of Uncle Andrew’s grey hair and pulled his head back so that his face looked up into hers．Then she studied his face just as she had studied Digory’s face in the palace of Charn．He blinked and licked his lips nervously all the time．At last she let him go：so suddenly that he reeled back against the wall．
“I see，”she said scornfully，“you are a Magician-of a sort． Stand up，dog，and don’t sprawl there as if you were speaking to your equals．How do you come to know Magic ？ You are not of royal blood，I’ll swear．”
“Well-ah-not perhaps in the strict sense，”stammered Uncle Andrew．“Not exactly royal，Ma’am．The Ketterleys are， however，a very old family．An old Dorsetshire family，Ma’am．”
“Peace，”said the Witch．“I see what you are．You are a little，peddling Magician who works by rules and books．There is no real Magic in your blood and heart．Your kind was made an end of in my world a thousand years ago．But here I shall allow you to be my servant．”
“I should be most happy-delighted to be of any service-a p-pleasure，I assure you．”
“Peace ！ You talk far too much．Listen to your first task． I see we are in a large city．Procure for me at once a chariot or a flying carpet or a well-trained dragon，or whatever is usual for royal and noble persons in your land．Then bring me to places where I can get clothes and jewels and slaves fit for my rank． Tomorrow I will begin the conquest of the world．”
“I-I-I’ll go and order a cab at once，”gasped Uncle Andrew．
“Stop，”said the Witch，just as he reached the door．“Do not dream of treachery．My eyes can see through walls and into the minds of men．They will be on you wherever you go．At the first sign of disobedience I will lay such spells on you that anything you sit down on will feel like red hot iron and whenever you lie in a bed there will be invisible blocks of ice at your feet．Now go．”
The old man went out，looking like a dog with its tail between its legs．
The children were now afraid that Jadis would have something to say to them about what had happened in the wood．As it turned out，however，she never mentioned it either then or afterwards． I think（and Digory thinks too）that her mind was of a sort which cannot remember that quiet place at all，and however often you took her there and however long you left her there，she would still know nothing about it．Now that she was left alone with the children，she took no notice of either of them．And that was like her too．In Charn she had taken no notice of Pony（till the very end）because Digory was the one she wanted to make use of． Now that she had Uncle Andrew，she took no notice of Digory．I expect most witches are like that．They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them；they are terribly practical． So there was silence in the room for a minute or two．But you could tell by the way Jadis tapped her foot on the floor that she was growing impatient．
Presently she said，as if to herself，“What is the old fool doing ？ I should have brought a whip．”She stalked out of the room in pursuit of Uncle Andrew without one glance at the children．
“Whew ！”said Polly，letting out a long breath of relief．“And now I must get home．It’s frightfully late．I shall catch it．”
“Well do，do come back as soon as you can，”said Digory．“This is simply ghastly，having her here．We must make some sort of plan．”
“That’s up to your Uncle now，”said Polly．“It was he who started all this messing about with Magic．”
“All the same，you will come back，won’t you ？ Hang it all，you can’t leave me alone in a scrape like this．”
“I shall go home by the tunnel，”said Polly rather coldly． “That’ll be the quickest way．And if you want me to come back， hadn’t you better say you’re sorry ？”
“Sorry ？”exclaimed Digory．“Well now，if that isn’t just like a girl ！ What have I done ？”
“Oh nothing of course，”said Polly sarcastically．“Only nearly screwed my wrist off in that room with all the waxworks，like a cowardly bully．Only struck the bell with the hammer，like a silly idiot．Only turned back in the wood so that she had time to catch hold of you before we jumped into our own pool．That’s all．”
“Oh，”said Digory，very surprised．“Well，all right，I’ll say I’m sorry．And I really am sorry about what happened in the waxworks room．There：I’ve said I’m sorry．And now，do be decent and come back．I shall be in a frightful hole if you don’t．”
“I don’t see what’s going to happen to you．It’s Mr. Ketterley who’s going to sit on red hot chairs and have ice in his bed，isn’t it ？”
“It isn’t that sort of thing，”said Digory．“What I’m bothered about is Mother．Suppose that creature went into her room．She might frighten her to death．”
“Oh，I see，”said Polly in rather a different voice．“All right． We’ll call it Pax．I’ll come back-if I can．But I must go now．”And she crawled through the little door into the tunnel；and that dark place among the rafters which had seemed so exciting and adventurous a few hours ago，seemed quite tame and homely now．
We must now go back to Uncle Andrew．His poor old heart went pit-a-pat as he staggered down the attic stairs and he kept on dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief．When he reached his bedroom，which was the floor below，he locked himself in．And the very first thing he did was to grope in his wardrobe for a bottle and a wine-glass which he always kept hidden there where Aunt Letty could not find them．He poured himself out a glassful of some nasty，grown-up drink and drank it off at one gulp．Then he drew a deep breath．
“Upon my word，”he said to himself．“I’m dreadfully shaken． Most upsetting ！ And at my time of life ！”
He poured out a second glass and drank it too；then he began to change his clothes．You have never seen such clothes， but I can remember them．He put on a very high，shiny，stiff collar of the sort that made you hold your chin up all the time. He put on a white waistcoat with a pattern on it and arranged his gold watch chain across the front．He put on his best frock-coat，the one he kept for weddings and funerals．He got out his best tall hat and polished it up．There was a vase of flowers（put there by Aunt Letty）on his dressing table；he took one and put it in his button—hole．He took a clean handkerchief（a lovely one such as you couldn’t buy today）out of the little left—hand drawer and put a few drops of scent on it．He took his eye-glass，with the thick black ribbon，and screwed it into his eye；then he looked at himself in the mirror.
Children have one kind of silliness，as you know，and grown-ups have another kind．At this moment Uncle Andrew was beginning to be silly in a very grown-up way．Now that the Witch was no longer in the same room with him he was quickly forgetting how she had frightened him and thinking more and more of her wonderful beauty．He kept on saying to himself，“A dem fine woman，sir，a dem fine woman．A superb creature．”He had also somehow managed to forget that it was the children who had got hold of this“superb creature”：he felt as if he himself by his Magic had called her out of unknown worlds．
“Andrew，my boy，”he said to himself as he looked in the glass，“you’re a devilish well preserved fellow for your age．A distinguished-looking man，sir．”
You see，the foolish old man was actually beginning to imagine the Witch would fall in love with him．The two drinks probably had something to do with it，and so had his best clothes．
But he was，in any case，as vain as a peacock；that was why he had become a Magician．
He unlocked’ the door，went downstairs，sent the housemaid out to fetch a hansom（everyone had lots of servants in those days）and looked into the drawing—room．There，as he expected， he found Aunt Letty．She was busily mending a mattress．It lay on the floor near the window and she was kneeling on it．
“Ah，Letitia my dear，”said Uncle Andrew，“I-ah— have to go out．Just lend me five pounds or so，there’s a good gel. ”(“Gel”was the way he pronounced girl．）
“No，Andrew dear，”said Aunty Letty in her firm，quiet voice，without looking up from her work．“I’ve told you times without number that I will not lend you money．”
“Now pray don’t be troublesome，my dear gel，”said Uncle Andrew．“It’s most important．You will put me in a deucedly awkward position if you don’t．”
“Andrew，”said Aunt Letty，looking him straight in the face，“I wonder you are not ashamed to ask me for money．”
There was a long，dull story of a grown-up kind behind these words．All you need to know about it is that Uncle Andrew，what with“managing dear Letty’s business matters for her”，and never doing any work，and running up large bills for brandy and cigars （which Aunt Letty had paid again and again）had made her a good deal poorer than she had been thirty years ago．
“My dear gel，”said Uncle Andrew，“you don’t understand．I shall have some quite unexpected expenses today．I have to do a little entertaining．Come now，don’t be tiresome．”
“And who，pray，are you going to entertain，Andrew ？”asked Aunt Letty．
“A-a most distinguished visitor has just arrived．”
“Distinguished fiddlestick ！”said Aunt Letty．“There hasn’t been a ring at the hell for the last hour．”
At that moment the door was suddenly flung open．Aunt Letty looked round and saw with amazement that an enormous woman， splendidly dressed，with bare arms and flashing eyes，stood in the doorway．It was the Witch．
CHAPTER SEVEN WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FRONT DOOR
“Now；slave，how long am I to wait for my chariot ？”thundered the Witch．Uncle Andrew cowered away from her．Now that she was really present，all the silly thoughts he had had while looking at himself in the glass were oozing out of him．But Aunt Letty at once got up from her knees and came over to the centre of the room．
“And who is this young person，Andrew，may I ask ？”said Aunt Letty in icy tones．
“Distinguished foreigner-v-very important p-person，”he stammered．
“Rubbish ！”said Aunt Letty，and then，turning to the Witch，“Get out of my house this moment，you shameless hussy，or I’ll send for the police．”She thought the Witch must be someone out of a circus and she did not approve of bare arms．
“What woman is this ？”said Jadis．“Down on your knees， minion，before I blast you．”
“No strong language in this house if you please，young woman，”said Aunt Letty．
Instantly，as it seemed to Uncle Andrew，the Queen towered up to an even greater height．Fire flashed from her eyes：she flung out her arm with the same gesture and the same horrible-sounding words that had lately turned the palace—gates of Charn to dust． But nothing happened except that Aunt Letty，thinking that those horrible words were meant to be ordinary English，said：
“I thought as much．The woman is drunk．Drunk ！ She can’t even speak clearly．”
It must have been a terrible moment for the Witch when she suddenly realized that her power of turning people into dust，which had been quite real in her own world，was not going to work in ours．But she did not lose her nerve even for a second．Without wasting a thought on her disappointment，she lunged forward， caught Aunt Letty round the neck and the knees，raised her high above her head as if she had been no heavier than a doll，and threw her across the room．While Aunt Letty was still hurtling through the air，the housemaid（who was having a beautifully exciting morning）put her head in at the door and said，“If you please， sir，the’ansom’s come．”
“Lead on，Slave，”said the Witch to Uncle Andrew．He began muttering something about“regrettable violence—must really protest”，but at a single glance from Jadis he became speechless． She drove him out of the room and out of the house；and Digory came running down the stairs just in time to see the front door close behind them．
“Jiminy ！”he said．“She’s loose in London．And with Uncle Andrew．I wonder what on earth is going to happen now．”
“Oh，Master Digory，”said the housemaid（who was really having a wonderful day），“I think Miss Ketterley’s hurt herself somehow．”So they both rushed into the drawing-room to find out what had happened．
If Aunt Letty had fallen on bare boards or even on the carpet， I suppose all her bones would have been broken：but by great good luck she had fallen on the mattress．Aunt Letty was a very tough old lady：aunts often were in those days．After she had had some sal volatile and sat still for a few minutes，she said there was nothing the matter with her except a few bruises．Very soon she was taking charge of the situation．
“Sarah，”she said to the housemaid（who had never had such a day before），“go around to the police station at once and tell them there is a dangerous lunatic at large．I will take Mrs. Kirke’s lunch up myself．”Mrs. Kirke. was，of course，Digory’s mother．
When Mother’s lunch had been seen to，Digory and Aunt Letty had their own．After that he did some hard thinking．
The problem was how to get the Witch back to her own world，or at any rate out of ours，as soon as possible．Whatever happened，she must not be allowed to go rampaging about the house．Mother must not see her And，if possible，she must not be allowed to go rampaging about London either．Digory had not been in the drawing—room when she tried to“blast”Aunt Letty， but he had seen her“blast”the gates at Charn：so he knew her terrible powers and did not know that she had lost any of them by coming into our world．And he knew she meant to conquer our world．At the present moment，as far as he could see，she might be blasting Buckingham Palace or the Houses of Parliament：and it was almost certain that quite a number of policemen had by now been reduced to little heaps of dust．And there didn’t seem to be anything he could do about that．“But the rings seem to work like magnets，”thought Digory．“If I can only touch her and then slip on my yellow，we shall both go into the Wood between the Worlds．I wonder will she go all faint again there ？ Was that something the place does to her，or was it only the shock of being pulled out of her own world ？ But I suppose I’ll have to risk that．And how am I to find the beast ？ I don’t suppose Aunt Letty would let me go out， not unless I said where I was going．And I haven’t got more than t wopence．I’d need any amount of money for buses and trams if I went looking all over London．Anyway，I haven’t the faintest idea where to look．I wonder if Uncle Andrew is still with her．”
It seemed in the end that the only thing he could do was to wait and hope that Uncle Andrew and the Witch would come back．If they did，he must rush out and get hold of the Witch and put on his yellow Ring before she had a chance to get into the house．This meant that he must watch the front door like a cat watching a mouse’s hole；he dared not leave his post for a moment．So he went into the dining-room and“glued his face”as they say，to the window．It was a bow-window from which you could see the steps up to the front door and see up and down the street，so that no one could reach the front door without your knowing．“I wonder what Polly’s doing ？”thought Digory．
He wondered about this a good deal as the first slow half-hour ticked on．But you need not wonder，for I am going to tell you． She had got home late for her dinner，with her shoes and stockings very wet．And when they asked her where she had been and what on earth she had been doing，she said she had been out with Digory Kirke．Under further questioning she said she had got her feet wet in a pool of water，and that the pool was in a wood．Asked where the wood was，she said she didn’t know．Asked if it was in one of the parks，she said truthfully enough that she supposed it might be a sort of park．From all of this Polly’s mother got the idea that Polly had gone off，without telling anyone，to some part of London she didn’t know，and gone into a strange park and amused herself jumping into puddles．As a result she was told that she had been very naughty indeed and that she wouldn’t be allowed to play with“that Kirke boy”any more if anything of the sort ever happened again．Then she was given dinner with all the nice parts left out and sent to bed for two solid hours．It was a thing that happened to one quite often in those days．
So while Digory was staring out of the dining-room window， Polly was lying in bed，and both were thinking how terribly slowly the time could go．I think，myself，I would rather have been in Polly’s position．She had only to wait for the end of her two hours： but every few minutes Digory would hear a cab or a baker’s van or a butcher’s boy coming round the corner and think“Here she comes”， and then find it wasn’t．And in between these false alarms，for what seemed hours and hours，the clock ticked on and one big fly-high up and far out of reach—buzzed against the window．It was one of those houses that get very quiet and dull in the afternoon and always seem to smell of mutton．
During his long watching and waiting one small thing happened which I shall have to mention because something important came of it later on．A lady called with some grapes for Digory’s Mother； and as the dining-room door was open，Digory couldn’t help overhearing Aunt Letty and the lady as they talked in the hall．
“What lovely grapes ！”came Aunt Letty’s voice．“I’m sure if anything could do her good these would．But poor，dear little Mabel ！ I’ m afraid it would need fruit from the land of youth to help her now．Nothing in this world will do much．”Then they both lowered their voices and said a lot more that he could not hear．
If he had heard that bit about the land of youth a few days ago he would have thought Aunt Letty was just talking without meaning anything in particular，the way grown-ups do，and it wouldn’t have interested him．He almost thought so now．But suddenly it flashed upon his mind that he now knew（even if Aunt Letty didn’t）that there really were other worlds and that he himself had been in one of them．At that rate there might be a real Land of Youth somewhere．There might be almost anything． There might be fruit in some other world that would really cure his mother ！ And oh，oh-Well，you know how it feels if you begin hoping for something that you want desperately badly；you almost fight against the hope because it is too good to be true；you’ve
been disappointed so often before．That was how Digory felt．But it was no good trying to throttle this hope．It might—really，really， it just might be true．So many odd things had happened already． And he had the magic rings．There must be worlds you could get to through every pool in the wood．He could hunt through them all． And then—Mother well again．Everything right again．He forgot all about watching for the Witch．His hand was already going into the pocket where he kept the yellow ring，when all at once he herd a sound of galloping．
“Hullo ！ What’s that ？”thought Digory．“Fire-engine ？ I wonder what house is on fire．Great Scott，it’s coming here． Why，it’s Her．”
I needn’t tell you who he meant by Her．
First came the hansom．There was no one in the driver’s seat．On the roof-not sitting，but standing on the roof—swaying with superb balance as it came at full speed round the corner with one wheel in the air-was Jadis the Queen of Queens and the Terror of Charn．Her teeth were bared，her eyes shone like fire， and her long hair streamed out behind her like a comet’s tail． She was flogging the horse without mercy．Its nostrils were wide and red and its sides were spotted with foam．It galloped madly up to the front door，missing the lamp-post by an inch，and then reared up on its hind legs．The hansom crashed into the lamp-post and shattered into several pieces．The Witch，with a magnificent jump，had sprung clear just in time and landed on the horse’s back． She settled herself astride and leaned forward，whispering things in its ear．They must have been things meant not to quiet it but to madden it．It was on its hind legs again in a moment，and its neigh was like a scream；it was all hoofs and teeth and eyes and tossing mane．Only a splendid rider could have stayed on its back．
Before Digory had recovered his breath a good many other things began to happen．A second hansom dashed up close behind the first：out of it there jumped a fat man in a frock-coat and a policeman．Then came a third hansom with two more policemen in it．After it，came about twenty people（mostly errand boys） on bicycles，all ringing their bells and letting out cheers and cat-calls．Last of all came a crowd of people on foot：all very hot with running，but obviously enjoying themselves．Windows shot up in all the houses of that street and a housemaid or a butler appeared at every front door．They wanted to see the fun．
Meanwhile an old gentleman had begun to struggle shakily out of the ruins of the first hansom．Several people rushed forward to help him；but as one pulled him one way and another another， perhaps he would have got out quite as quickly on his own．Digory guessed that the old gentleman must be Uncle Andrew but you couldn’t see his face；his tall hat had been bashed down over it．
Digory rushed out and joined the crowd．
“That’s the woman，that’s the woman，”cried the fat man， pointing at Jadis．“Do your duty，Constable．Hundreds and thousands of pounds’ worth she’s taken out of my shop．Look at that rope of pearls round her neck．That’s mine．And she’s given me a black eye too，what’s more．”
“That she as，guv’nor，”said one of the crowd．“And as lovely a black eye as I’d wish to see．Beautiful bit of work that must’ave been．Gor ！ ain’t she strong then ！”
“You ought to put a nice raw beefsteak on it，Mister，that’s what it wants，”said a butcher’s boy．
“Now then，”said the most important of the policemen，“what’s all this ere ？”
“I tell you she-”began the fat man，when someone else called out：
“Don’t let the old cove in the cab get away．‘E put ’er up to it．”
The old gentleman，who was certainly Uncle Andrew，had just succeeded in standing up and was rubbing his bruises．“Now then，”said the policeman，turning to him，“What’s all this ？”
“Womfle-pomfy-shomf，”came Uncle Andrew’s voice from inside the hat．
“None of that now，”said the policeman sternly．“You’ll find this is no laughing matter．Take that，at off，see ？”
This was more easily said than done．But after Uncle Andrew had struggled in vain with the hat for some time，two other policemen seized it by the brim and forced it off．
“Thank you，thank you，”said Uncle Andrew in a faint voice． “Thank you．Dear me，I’m terribly shaken．If someone could give me a small glass of brandy-”
“Now you attend to me，if you please，”said the policeman， taking out a very large note book and a very small pencil．“Are you in charge of that there young woman ？”
“Look out ！”called several voices，and the policeman jumped a step backwards just in time．The horse had aimed a kick at him which would probably have killed him．Then the Witch wheeled the horse round so that she faced the crowd and its hind-legs were on the footpath．She had a long，bright knife in her hand and had been busily cutting the horse free from the wreck of the hansom．
All this time Digory had been trying to get into a position from which he could touch the Witch．This wasn’t at all easy because， on the side nearest to him，there were too many people．And in order to get round to the other side he had to pass between the horse’s hoofs and the railings of the“area”that surrounded the house；for the Ketterleys’ house had a basement．If you know anything about horses，and especially if you had seen what a state that horse was in at the moment，you will realize that this was a ticklish thing to do．Digory knew lots about horses，but he set his teeth and got ready to make a dash for it as soon as he saw a favourable moment．
A red-faced man in a bowler hat had now shouldered his way to the front of the crowd．
“Hi ！ P’leeceman，”he said，“that’s my orse what she’s sitting on，same as it’s my cab what she’s made matchwood of．”
“One at a time，please，one at a time，”said the policeman．
“But there ain’t no time，”said the Cabby．“I know that ‘orse better’n you do．’Tain’t an ordinary ‘orse．’Is father was a hofficer’s charger in the cavalry，‘e was．And if the young woman goes on hexcitin’ ’im，there’ll be murder done．Ere，let me get at him．”
The policeman was only to glad to have a good reason for standing further away from the horse．The Cabby took a step nearer，looked up at Jadis，and said in a not unkindly voice：
“Now，Missie，let me get at ‘is ’ead，and just you get off． You’re a Lidy，and you don’t want all these roughs going for you， do you ？ You want to go ‘ome and’ave a nice cup of tea and a lay down quiet like；then you’ll feel ever so much better．”At the same time he stretched out his hand towards the horse’s head with the words，“Steady，Strawberry，old boy．Steady now．”
Then for the first time the Witch spoke．
“Dog ！”came her cold，clear voice，ringing loud above all the other noises．“Dog，unhand our royal charger．We are the Empress Jadis．”
CHAPTER EIGHT THE FIGHT AT THE LAMP-POST
“Ho ！ Hempress，are you ？ We’ll see about that，”said a voice．Then another voice said，“Three cheers for the Hempress of Colney， Atch”and quite a number joined in．A flush of colour came into the Witch’s face and she bowed ever so slightly．But the cheers died away into roars of laughter and she saw that they had only been making fun of her：A change came over her expression and she changed the knife to her left hand．Then，without warning，she did a thing that was dreadful to see．Lightly， easily，as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world，she stretched up her right arm and wrenched off one of the cross-bars of the lamp-post．If she had lost some magical powers in our world， she had not lost her strength；she could break an iron bar as if it were a stick of barleysugar．She tossed her new weapon up in the air，caught it again，brandished it，and urged the horse forward．
“Now’s my chance，”thought Digory．He darted between the horse and the railings and began going forward．If only the brute would stay still for a moment he might catch the Witch’s heel．As he rushed，he heard a sickening crash and a thud．The Witch had brought the bar down on the chief policeman’s helmet：the man fell like a nine-pin．
“Quick，Digory．This must be stopped，”said a voice beside him．It was Polly，who had rushed down the moment she was allowed out of bed．
“You are a brick，”said Digory．“Hold on to me tight．You’ll have to manage the ring．Yellow，remember．And don’t put it on till I shout．”
There was a second crash and another policeman crumpled up． There came an angry roar from the crowd：“Pull her down．Get a few paving-stones．Call out the Military．”But most of them were getting as far away as they could．The Cabby，however，obviously the bravest as well as the kindest person present，was keeping close to the horse，dodging this way and that to avoid the bar，but still trying to catch Strawberry’s head．
The crowd booed and bellowed again．A stone whistled over Digory’s head．Then came the voice of the Witch，clear like a great bell，and sounding as if，for once，she were almost happy．
“Scum ！ You shall pay dearly for this when I have conquered your world．Not one stone of your city will be left．I will make it as Charn，as Felinda，as Sorlois，as Bramandin.”
Digory as last caught her ankle．She kicked back with her heel and hit him in the mouth．In his pain he lost hold．His lip was cut and his mouth full of blood．From somewhere very close by came the voice of Uncle Andrew in a sort of trembling scream．“Madam-my dear young lady-for heaven’s sake-compose yourself．”Digory made a second grab at her heel，and was again shaken off．More men were knocked down by the iron bar．He made a third grab：caught the heel：held on tike grim death，shouting to Polly“Go ！”then— Oh，thank goodness．The angry，frightened faces had vanished． The angry，frightened voices were silenced．All except Uncle Andrew’s．Close beside Digory in the darkness，it was wailing on Oh，oh，is this delirium ？ Is it the end ？ I can’t bear it．It’s not fair．I never meant to be a Magician．It’s all a misunderstanding． It’s all my godmother’s fault；I must protest against this．In my state of health too．A very old Dorsetshire family．
“Bother ！”thought Digory．“We didn’t want to bring him along．My hat，what a picnic．Are you there，Polly ？”
“Yes，I’m here．Don’t keep on shoving．”
“I’m not，”began Digory，but before he could say anything more，their heads came out into the warm，green sunshine of the wood．And as they stepped out of the pool Polly cried out：
“Oh look ！ We’ve brought the old horse with us too．And Mr .Ketterley．And the Cabby．This is a pretty kettle of fish ！”
As soon as the Witch saw that she was once more in the wood she turned pale and bent down till her face touched the mane of the horse．You could see she felt deadly sick．Uncle Andrew was shivering．But Strawberry，the horse，shook his head，gave a cheerful whinny，and seemed to feel better．He became quiet for the first time since Digory had seen him．His ears，which had been laid flat back on his skull，came into their proper position， and the fire went out of his eyes．
“That’sright,old boy ，”said the Cabby ， slapping Strawberry’s neck．“That’s better．Take it easy．”
Strawberry did the most natural thing in the world．Being very thirsty（and no wonder）he walked slowly across to the nearest pool and stepped into it to have a drink．Digory was still holding the Witch’s heel and Polly was holding Digory’s hand．One of the Cabby’s hands was on Strawberry；and Uncle Andrew，still very shaky，had just grabbed on the Cabby’s other hand．
“Quick，”said Polly，with a look at Digory．“Greens ！”
So the horse never got his drink．Instead，the whole party found themselves sinking into darkness．Strawberry neighed； Uncle Andrew whimpered．Digory said，“That was a bit of luck．”
There was a short pause．Then Polly said，“Oughtn’t we to be nearly there now ？”
“We do seem to be somewhere，”said Digory．“At least I’m standing on something solid．”
“Why，so am I，now that I come to think of it，”said Polly．“But why’s it so dark ？ I say，do you think we got into the wrong Pool ？”
“Perhaps this is Charn，”said Digory．“Only we’ve got back in the middle of the night．”
“This is not Charn，”came the Witch’s voice．“This is an empty world．This is Nothing．”
And really it was uncommonly like Nothing．There were no stars．It was so dark that they couldn’t see one another at all and it made no difference whether you kept your eyes shut or opened． Under their feet there was a cool，flat something which might have been earth，and was certainly not grass or wood．The air was cold and dry and there was no wind．
“My doom has come upon me，”said the Witch in a voice of horrible calmness．
“Oh don’t say that，”babbled Uncle Andrew．“My dear young lady，pray don’t say such things．It can’t be as bad as that．Ah- Cabman-my good man-you don’t happen to have a flask about you ？ A drop of spirits is just what I need．”
“Now then，now then，”came the Cabby’ svoice，a good firm， hardy voice．“Keep cool everyone，that’s what I say．No bones broken，anyone ？ Good．Well there’ s something to be thankful for straight away，and more than anyone could expect after falling all that way．Now，if we’ve fallen down some diggings-as it might be for a new station on the Underground-someone will come and get us out presently，see！ And if we’ re dead-which I don’ t deny it might be-well，you got to remember that worse things ’appen at sea and a chap’ s got to die sometime．And there ain’t nothing to be afraid of if a chap’ s led a decent life．And if you ask me，I think the best thing we could do to pass the time would be sing a’ymn.
And he did．He struck up at once a harvest thanksgiving hymn，all about crops being“safely gathered in”．It was not very suitable to a place which felt as if nothing had ever grown there since the beginning of time，but it was the one he could remember best．He had a fine voice and the children joined in；it was very cheering．Uncle Andrew and the Witch did not join in．
Towards the end of the hymn Digory felt someone plucking at his elbow and from a general smell of brandy and cigars and good clothes he decided that it must be Uncle Andrew．Uncle Andrew was cautiously pulling him away from the others．When they had gone a little distance，the old man put his mouth so close to Digory’s ear that it tickled，and whispered：
“Now，my boy．Slip on your ring．Let’s be off．”
But the Witch had very good ears．“Fool ！”came her voice and she leaped off the horse．“Have you forgotten that I can hear men’s thoughts ？ Let go the boy．If you attempt treachery I will take such vengeance upon you as never was heard of in all worlds from the beginning．”
“And，”added Digory，“if you think I’m such a mean pig as to go off and leave Polly-and the Cabby-and the horse—in a place like this，you’re well mistaken．”
“You are a very naughty and impertinent little boy，”said Uncle Andrew．
“Hush ！”said the Cabby．They all listened．
In the darkness something was happening at last．A voice had begun to sing．It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction it was coming．Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once．Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them．Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself．There were no words．There was hardly even a tune．But it was，beyond comparison，the most beautiful noise he had ever heard．It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it．The horse seemed to like it too； he gave the sort of whinney a horse would give if，after years of being a cab-horse，it found itself back in the old field where it had played as a foal，and saw someone whom it remembered and loved coming across the field to bring it a lump of sugar．
“Gawd ！”said the Cabby．“Ain’t it lovely ？”
Then two wonders happened at the same moment．One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices；more voices than you could possibly count．They were in harmony with it， but far higher up the scale：cold，tingling，silvery voices．The second wonder was that the blackness overhead，all at once，was blazing with stars．They didn’t come out gently one by one，as they do on a summer evening．One moment there had been nothing but darkness；next moment a thousand，thousand points of light leaped out-single stars，constellations，and planets，brighter and bigger than any in our world．There were no clouds．The new stars and the new voices began at exactly the same time．If you had seen and heard it，as Digory did，you would have felt quite certain that it was the stars themselves which were singing，and that it was the First Voice，the deep one，which had made them appear and made them sing．
“Glory be ！”said the Cabby．“I’d ha’ been a better man all my life if I’d known there were things like this．”
The Voice on the earth was now louder and more triumphant； but the voices in the sky，after singing loudly with it for a time，began to get fainter．And now something else was happening．
Far away，and down near the horizon，the sky began to turn grey．A light wind，very fresh，began to stir．The sky，in that one place，grew slowly and steadily paler．You could see shapes of hills standing up dark against it．All the time the Voice went on singing．
There was soon light enough for them to see one another’s faces ．The Cabby and the two children had open mouths and shining eyes；they were drinking in the sound，and they looked as if it reminded them of something．Uncle Andrew’s mouth was open too，but not open with joy．He looked more as if his chin had simply dropped away from the rest of his face．His shoulders were stopped and his knees shook．He was not liking the Voice．If he could have got away from it by creeping into a rat’s hole，he would have done so．But the Witch looked as if，in a way，she understood the music better than any of them．Her mouth was shut，her lips were pressed together，and her fists were clenched．Ever since the song began she had felt that this whole world was filled with a Magic different from hers and stronger．She hated it．She would have smashed that whole world，or all worlds，to pieces，if it would only stop the singing． The horse stood with its ears well forward，and twitching．Every now and then it snorted and stamped the ground．It no longer looked like a tired old cab-horse；you could now well believe that its father had been in battles．
The eastern sky changed from white to pink and from pink to gold．The Voice rose and rose，till all the air was shaking with it． And just as it swelled to the mightiest and most glorious sound it had yet produced，the sun arose．
Digory had never seen such a sun．The sun above the ruins of Charn had looked older than ours：this looked younger．You could imagine that it laughed for joy as it came up．And as its beams shot across the land the travellers could see for the first time what sort of place they were in．It was a valley through which a broad，swift river wound its way，flowing eastward towards the sun．Southward there were mountains，northward there were lower hills．But it was a valley of mere earth，rock and water；there was not a tree，not a bush，not a blade of grass to be seen．The earth was of many colours：they were fresh，hot and vivid．They made you feel excited；until you saw the Singer himself，and then you forgot everything else．
It was a Lion．Huge，shaggy，and bright，it stood facing the risen sun．Its mouth was wide open in song and it was about three hundred yards away．
“This is a terrible world，”said the Witch．“We must fly at once．Prepare the Magic．”
“I quite agree with you，Madam，”said Uncle Andrew．“A most disagreeable place．Completely uncivilized．If only I were a younger man and had a gun-”
“Garn ！”said the Cabby．“You don’t think you could shoot， im，do you ？”
“And who would ？”said Polly．
“Prepare the Magic，old fool，”said Jadis．
“Certainly，Madam，”said Uncle Andrew cunningly．“I must have both the children touching me．Put on your homeward ring at once，Digory．”He wanted to get away without the Witch．
“Oh，it’s rings，is it ？”cried Jadis．She would have had her hands in Digory’s pocket before you could say knife，but Digory grabbed Polly and shouted out：
“Take care．If either of you come half an inch nearer，we two will vanish and you’ll be left here for good．Yes：I have a ring in my pocket that will take Polly and me home．And look ！ My hand is just ready．So keep your distance．I’m sorry about you” （he looked at the Cabby）“and about the horse，but I can’t help that．As for you two”（he looked at Uncle Andrew and the Queen），“you’re both magicians，so you ought to enjoy living together．”
“Old your noise, everyone，”said the Cabby.“I want to listen to the moosic.”
For the song had now changed．
CHAPTER NINE THE FOUNDING OF NARNIA
THE Lion was pacing to and fro about that empty land and singing his new song．It was softer and more lilting than the song by which he had called up the stars and the sun；a gentle，rippling music．And as he walked and sang the valley grew green with grass．It spread out from the Lion like a pool．It ran up the sides of the little hills like a wave．In a few minutes it was creeping up the lower slopes of the distant mountains，making that young world every moment softer．The light wind could now be heard ruffling the grass．Soon there were other things besides grass．The higher slopes grew dark with heather．Patches of rougher and more bristling green appeared in the valley．Digory did not know what they were until one began coming up quite close to him．It was a little，spiky thing that threw out dozens of arms and covered these arms with green and grew larger at the rate of about an inch every two seconds．There were dozens of these things all round him now．When they were nearly as tall as himself he saw what they were．“Trees ！”he exclaimed．
The nuisance of it，as Polly said afterwards，was that you weren’t left in peace to watch it all．Just as Digory said“Trees ！”he had to jump because Uncle Andrew had sidled up to him again and was going to pick his pocket．It wouldn’t have done Uncle Andrew much good if he had succeeded，for he was aiming at the right-hand pocket because he still thought the green rings were“homeward”rings．But of course Digory didn’t want to lose either．
“Stop ！”cried the Witch．“Stand back．No，further back．If anyone goes within ten paces of either of the children，I will knock out his brains．”She was poising in her hand the iron bar that she had torn off the lamp-post，ready to throw it．Somehow no one doubted that she would be a very good shot．
“So ！”she said．“You would steal back to your own world with the boy and leave me here．”
Uncle Andrew’s temper at last got the better of his fears． “Yes，Ma’am，I would，”he said．“Most undoubtedly I would． I should be perfectly in my rights．I have been most shamefully， most abominably treated．I have done my best to show you such civilities as were in my power．And what has been my reward ？ You have robbed-I must repeat the word—robbed a highly respectable jeweller．You have insisted on my entertaining you to an exceedingly expensive，not to say ostentatious，lunch，though I was obliged to pawn my watch and chain in order to do so（and let me tell you，Ma’am，that none of our family have been in the habit of frequenting pawnshops，except my cousin Edward，and he was in the Yeomanry）．During that indigestible meal-I’m feeling the worse for it at this very moment-your behaviour and conversation attracted the unfavourable attention of everyone present．I feel I have been publicly disgraced．I shall never be able to show my face in that restaurant again．You have assaulted the police．You have stolen-”
“Oh stow it，Guv’nor，do stow it，”said the Cabby．“Watchin’ and listenin’s the thing at present；not talking．”
There was certainly plenty to watch and to listen to．The tree which Digory had noticed was now a full-grown beech whose branches swayed gently above his head．They stood on cool， green grass，sprinkled with daisies and buttercups．A little way off，along the river bank，willows were growing．On the other side tangles of flowering currant，lilac，wild rose，and rhododendron closed them in．The horse was tearing up delicious mouthfuls of new grass．
All this time the Lion’s song，and his stately prowl，to and fro，backwards and forwards，was going on．What was rather alarming was that at each turn he came a little nearer．Polly was finding the song more and more interesting because she thought she was beginning to see the connection between the music and the things that were happening．When a line of dark firs sprang up on a ridge about a hundred yards away she felt that they were connected with a series of deep，prolonged notes which the Lion had sung a second before．And when he burst into a rapid series of lighter notes she was not surprised to see primroses suddenly appearing in every direction．Thus，with an unspeakable thrill，she felt quite certain that all the things were coming（as she said）“out of the Lion’s head”．When you listened to his song you heard the things he was making up：when you looked round you，you saw them． This was so exciting that she had no time to be afraid．But Digory and the Cabby could not help feeling a bit nervous as each turn of the Lion’s walk brought him nearer．As for Uncle Andrew，his teeth were chattering，but his knees were shaking so that he could not run away．
Suddenly the Witch stepped boldly out toward the Lion．It was coming on，always singing，with a slow，heavy pace．It was only twelve yards away．She raised her arm and flung the iron bar straight at its head．
Nobody，least of all Jadis，could have missed at that range．The bar struck the Lion fair between the eyes．It glanced off and fell with a thud in the grass．The Lion came on．Its walk was neither slower nor faster than before；you could not tell whether it even knew it had been hit．Though its soft pads made no noise，you could feel the earth shake beneath their weight．
The Witch shrieked and ran：in a few moments she was out of sight among the trees．Uncle Andrew turned to do likewise， tripped over a root，and fell flat on his face in a little brook that ran down to join the river．The children could not move．They were not even quite sure that they wanted to．The Lion paid no attention to them．Its huge red mouth was open，but open in song not in a snarl．It passed by them so close that they could have touched its mane．They were terribly afraid it would turn and look at them，yet in some queer way they wished it would．But for all the notice it took of them they might just as well have been invisible and unsmellable．When it had passed them and gone a few paces further it turned，passed them again，and continued its march eastward．
Uncle Andrew，coughing and spluttering，picked himself up．
“Now，Digory，”he said，“we’ve got rid of that woman， and the brute of a lion is gone．Give me your hand and put on your ring at once．”
“Keep off，”said Digory，backing away from him．“Keep clear of him，Polly．Come over here beside me．Now I warn you，Uncle Andrew，don’t come one step nearer，we’ll just vanish．”
“Do what you’ re told this minute，sir，”said Uncle Andrew.
“ you’ re an extremely disobedient，ill-behaved little boy．”
“No fear，”said Digory．“We want to stay and see what happens．I thought you wanted to know about other worlds．Don’t you like it now you’re here ？”
“Like it ！”exclaimed Uncle Andrew．“Just look at the state I’m in．And it was my best coat and waistcoat，too．”He certainly was a dreadful sight by now：for of course，the more dressed up you were to begin with，the worse you look after you’ve crawled out of a smashed hansoncab and fallen into a muddy brook．“I’m not saying，”he added，“that this is not a most interesting place．If I were a younger man，now-perhaps I could get some lively young fellow to
come here first．One of those big-game hunters．Something might be made of this country．The climate is delightful．I never felt such air．I believe it would have done me good if-if circumstances had been more favourable．If only we’d had a gun．”
“Guns be blowed，”said the Cabby．“I think I’ll go and see if I can give Strawberry a rub down．That horse ‘as more sense than some ’umans as I could mention．”He walked back to Strawberry and began making the hissing noises that grooms make．
“Do you still think that Lion could be killed by a gun ？”asked Digory．“He didn’t mind the iron bar much．”
“With all her faults，”said Uncle Andrew，“that’s a plucky gel，my boy．It was a spirited thing to do．”He rubbed his hands and cracked his knuckles，as if he were once more forgetting how the Witch frightened him whenever she was really there．
“It was a wicked thing to do，”said Polly．“What harm had he done her ？”
“Hullo ！ What’s that ？”said Digory．He had darted forward to examine something only a few yards away．“I say，Polly，”he called back．“Do come and look．”
Uncle Andrew came with her；not because he wanted to see but because he wanted to keep close to the children—there might be a chance of stealing their rings．But when he saw what Digory was looking at，even he began to take an interest．It was a perfect little model of a lamp-post，about three feet high but lengthening，and thickening in proportion，as they watched it；in fact growing just as the trees had grown．
“It’s alive too-I mean，it’s lit，”said Digory．And so it was； though of course，the brightness of the sun made the little flame in the lantern hard to see unless your shadow fell on it．
“Remarkable，most remarkable，”muttered Uncle Andrew． “Even I never dreamt of Magic like this．We’re in a world where everything，even a lamp—post，comes to life and grows．Now I wonder what sort of seed a lamp—post grows from ？”
“Don’t you see ？”said Digory．“This is where the bar fell-the bar she tore off the lamp-post at home．It sank into the ground and now it’s coming up as a young lamp—post．”(But not so very young now；it was as tall as Digory while he said this．）
“That’s it ！ Stupendous，stupendous，”said Uncle Andrew， rubbing his hands harder than ever．“Ho，ho ！ They laughed at my Magic．That fool of a sister of mine thinks I’m a lunatic． I wonder what they’ll say now ？ I have discovered a world where everything is bursting with life and growth．Columbus，now， they talk about Columbus．But what was America to this ？ The commercial possibilities of this country are unbounded．Bring a few old bits of scrap iron here，bury’em，and up they come as brand new railway engines，battleships，anything you please．They’ll cost nothing，and I can sell ’em at full prices in England．I shall be a millionaire．And then the climate ！ I feel years younger already．I can run it as a health resort．A good sanatorium here might be worth twenty thousand a year．Of course I shall have to let a few people into the secret．The first thing is to get that brute shot．”
“You’re just like the Witch，”said Polly．“All you think of is killing things．”
“And then as regards oneself，”Uncle Andrew continued， in a happy dream．“There’s no knowing how long I might live if I settled here．And that’s a big consideration when a fellow has turned sixty．I shouldn’t be surprised if I never grew a day older in this country ！ Stupendous ！ The land of youth ！”
“Oh ！”cried Digory．“The land of youth ！ Do you think it really is ？”For of course he remembered what Aunt Letty had said to the lady who brought the grapes，and that sweet hope rushed back upon him．“Uncle Andrew”，he said，“do you think there’s anything here that would cure Mother ？”
“What are you talking about ？”said Uncle Andrew．“This isn’t a chemist’s shop．But as I was saying-”
“You don’t care twopence about her，”said Digory savagely． “I thought you might；after all，she’s your sister as well as my Mother．Well，no matter．I’m jolly well going to ask the Lion himself if he can help me．”And he turned and walked briskly away.Polly waited for a moment and then went after him．
“Here ！ Stop ！ Come back ！ The boy’s gone mad，”said Uncle Andrew．He followed the children at a cautious distance behind；for he didn’t want to get too far away from the green rings or too near the Lion．
In a few minutes Digory came to the edge of the wood and there he stopped．The Lion was singing still．But now the song had once more changed．It was more like what we should call a tune，but it was also far wilder．It made you want to run and jump and climb．It made you want to shout．It made you want to rush at other people and either hug them or fight them．It made Digory hot and red in the face．It had some effect on Uncle Andrew，for Digory could hear him saying，“A spirited gel，sir．It’s a pity about her temper，but a dem fine woman all the same，a dem fine woman．”But what the song did to the two humans was nothing compared with what it was doing to the country．
Can you imagine a stretch of grassy land bubbling like water in a pot ？ For that is really the best description of what was happening．In all directions it was swelling into humps．They were of very different sizes，some no bigger than molehills，some as big as wheel barrows，two the size of cottages．And the humps moved and swelled till they burst，and the crumbled earth poured out of them，and from each hump there came out an animal．The moles came out just as you might see a mole come out in England． The dogs came out，barking the moment their heads were free，and struggling as you’ ve seen them do when they are getting through a narrow hole in a hedge．The stags were the queerest to watch， for of course the antlers came up a long time before the rest of them， so at first Digory thought they were trees．The frogs，who all came up near the river，went straight into it with a plop-plop and a loud croaking． The panthers，leopards and things of that sort，sat down at once to wash the loose earth off their hind quarters and then stood up against the trees to sharpen their front claws．Showers of birds came out of the trees．Butterflies fluttered．Bees got to work on the flowers as if they hadn’t a second to lose．But the greatest moment of all was when the biggest hump broke like a small earthquake and out came the sloping back，the large，wise head，and the four baggy-trousered legs of an elephant．And now you could hardly hear the song of the Lion；there was so much cawing，cooing，crowing，braying， neighing，baying，barking，lowing，bleating，and trumpeting．
But though Digory could no longer hear the Lion，he could see it．It was so big and so bright that he could not take his eyes off it．The other animals did not appear to be afraid of it．Indeed，at that very moment，Digory heard the sound of hoofs from behind； a second later the old cab-horse trotted past him and joined the other beasts．(The air had apparently suited him as well as it had suited Uncle Andrew．He no longer looked like the poor，old slave he had been in London；he was picking up his feet and holding his head erect．）And now，for the first time，the Lion was quite silent．He was going to and fro among the animals．And every now and then he would go up to two of them（always two at a time）and touch their noses with his．He would touch two beavers among all the beavers，two leopards among all the leopards，one stag and one deer among all the deer，and leave the rest．Some sorts of animal he passed over altogether．But the pairs which he had touched instantly left their own kinds and followed him．At last he stood still and all the creatures whom he had touched came and stood in a wide circle around him．The others whom he had not touched began to wander away．Their noises faded gradually into the distance．The chosen beasts who remained were now utterly silent，all with their eyes fixed intently upon the Lion．The cat-like ones gave an occasional twitch of the tail but otherwise all were still．For the first time that day there was complete silence， except for the noise of running water．Digory’s heart beat wildly； he knew something very solemn was going to be done．He had not forgotten about his Mother；but he knew jolly well that，even for her，he couldn’t interrupt a thing like this．
The Lion，whose eyes never blinked，stared at the animals as hard as if he was going to burn them up with his mere stare．And gradually a change came over them．The smaller ones-the rabbits， moles and such-like—grew a good deal larger．The very big ones-you noticed it most with the elephants-grew a little smaller．Many animals sat up on their hind legs．Most put their heads on one side as if they were trying very hard to understand．The Lion opened his mouth，but no sound came from it；he was breathing out，a long， warm breath；it seemed to sway all the beasts as the wind sways a line of trees．Far overhead from beyond the veil of blue sky which hid them the stars sang again；a pure，cold，difficult music．Then there came a swift flash like fire（but it burnt nobody）either from the sky or from the Lion itself，and every drop of blood tingled in the children’s bodies，and the deepest，wildest voice they had ever heard was saying：
“Narnia，Narnia，Narnia，awake．Love．Think．Speak． Be walking trees．Be talking beasts．Be divine waters．”
CHAPTER TEN THE FIRST JOKE AND OTHER MATTERS
IT was of course the Lion’s voice．The children had long felt sure that he could speak：yet it was a lovely and terrible shock when he did．
Out of the trees wild people stepped forth，gods and goddesses of the wood；with them came Fauns and Satyrs and Dwarfs．Out of the river rose the river god with his Naiad daughters．And all these and all the beasts and birds in their different voices，low or high or thick or clear，replied：
“Hail，Aslan．We hear and obey．We are awake．We love．We think．We speak．We know．”
“But please，we don’t know very much yet，”said a nosey and snorty kind of voice．And that really did make the children jump， for it was the cab-horse who had spoken．
“Good old Strawberry，”said Polly．“I am glad he was one of the ones picked out to be a Talking Beast．”And the Cabby，who was now standing beside the children，said，“Strike me pink．I always did say that ‘oss ’ad a lot of sense，though．”
“Creatures，I give you yourselves，”said the strong，happy voice of Aslan．“I give to you forever this land of Narnia．I give you the woods，the fruits，the rivers．I give you the stars and I give you myself．The Dumb Beasts whom I have not chosen are yours also．Treat them gently and cherish them but do not go back to their ways lest you cease to be Talking Beasts．For out of them you were taken and into them you can return．Do not so．”
“No，Aslan，we won’t，we won’t，”said everyone．But one perky jackdaw added in a loud voice，“No fear ！”and everyone else had finished just before he said it so that his words came out quite clear in a dead silence；and perhaps you have found out how awful that can be-say，at a party．The Jackdaw became so embarrassed that it hid its head under its wings as if it was going to sleep．And all the other animals began making various queer noises which are their ways of laughing and which，of course，no one has ever heard in our world．They tried at first to repress it，but Aslan said：
“Laugh and fear not，creatures．Now that you are no longer dumb and witless，you need not always be grave．For jokes as well as justice come in with speech．”
So they all let themselves go．And there was such merriment that the Jackdaw himself plucked up courage again and perched on the cab-horse’s head，between its ears，clapping its wings，and said：
“Aslan ！ Aslan ！ Have I made the first joke ？ Will
everybody always be told how I made the first joke ？”
“No，little friend，”said the Lion．“You have not made the first joke；you have only been the first joke．”Then everyone laughed more than ever；but the Jackdaw didn’t mind and laughed just as loud till the horse shook its head and the Jackdaw lost its balance and fell off，but remembered its wings（they were still new to it）before it reached the ground．
“And now，”said Aslan，“Narnia is established．We must next take thought for keeping it safe．I will call some of you to my council．Come hither to me，you the chief Dwarf，and you the River-god，and you Oak and the He-Owl，and both the Ravens and the Bull-Elephant．We must talk together．For though the world is not five hours old an evil has already entered it．”
The creatures he had named came forward and he turned away eastward with them．The others all began talking，saying things like“What did he say had entered the world ？ -A Neevil-What’s a Neevil ？ -No，he didn’t say a Neevil，he said a weevil-Well， what’s that ？”
“Look here，”said Digory to Polly，“I’ve got to go after him- Aslan，I mean，the Lion．I must speak to him．”
“Do you think we can ？”said Polly．“I wouldn’t dare．”
“I’ve got to，”said Digory．“It’s about Mother．If anyone could give me something that would do her good，it would be him．”
“I’ll come along with you，”said the Cabby．“I liked the looks of, im．And I don’t reckon these other beasts will go for us．And I want a word with old Strawberry．”
So all three of them stepped out boldly-or as boldly as they could-towards the assembly of animals．The creatures were so busy talking to one another and making friends that they didn’t notice the three humans until they were very close；nor did they hear Uncle Andrew，who was standing trembling in his buttoned boots a good way off and shouting（but by no means at the top of his voice）．
“Digory ！ Come back ！ Come back at once when you’re told．I forbid you to go a step further．”
When at last they were right in among the animals，the animals all stopped talking and stared at them．
“Well ？”said the He-Beaver at last，“what，in the name of Aslan，are these ？”
“Please，”began Digory in rather a breathless voice，when a Rabbit said，“They’re a kind of large lettuce，that’s my belief．”
“No，we’re not，honestly we’re not，”said Polly hastily．“We’re not at all nice to eat．”
“There ！”said the Mole．“They can talk．Who ever heard of a talking lettuce ？”
“Perhaps they’re the Second joke，”suggested the Jackdaw．
A Panther，which had been washing its face，stopped for a moment to say，“Well，if they are，they’re nothing like so good as the first one．At least，1 don’t see anything very funny about them．”It yawned and went on with its wash．
“Oh，please，”said Digory．“I’m in such a hurry．I want to see the Lion．”
All this time the Cabby had been trying to catch Strawberry’s eye．Now he did．“Now，Strawberry，old boy，”he said．“You know me．You ain’t going to stand there and say as you don’t know me．”
“What’s the Thing talking about，Horse ？”said several voices.
“Well，”said Strawberry very slowly，I don’t exactly know，I think most of us don’t know much about any thing yet．But I’ve a sort of idea I’ve seen a thing like this before．I’ve a feeling I lived somewhere else-or was something else-before Aslan woke us all up a few minutes ago．It’s all very muddled．Like a dream．But there were things like these three in the dream．”
“What ？”said the Cabby．“Not know me ？ Me what used to bring you a hot mash of an evening when you was out of sorts ？ Me what rubbed you down proper ？ Me what never forgot to put your cloth on you if you was standing in the cold ？ I wouldn’t， ave thought it of you，Strawberry．”
“It does begin to come back，”said the Horse thoughtfully． “Yes．Let me think now，let me think．Yes，you used to tie a horrid black thing behind me and then hit me to make me run，and however far I ran this black thing would always be coming rattle-rattle behind me．”
“We ad our living to earn，see，”said the Cabby．“Yours the same as mine．And if there ‘adn’t been no work and no whip there’d ’ave been no stable，no hay，no mash，and no oats．For you did get a taste of oats when I could afford em，which no one can deny．”
“Oats ？”said the Horse，pricking up his ears．“Yes， I remember something about that．Yes，I remember more and more．You were always sitting up somewhere behind，and I was always running in front，pulling you and the black thing．I know I did all the work．”
“Summer，I grant you，”said the Cabby．“‘Ot work for you and a cool seat for me．But what about winter，old boy，when you was keeping yourself warm and I was sitting up there with my feet like ice and my nose fair pinched off me with the wind，and my ’ands that numb I couldn’t ‘ardly ’old the reins ？”
“It was a hard，cruel country，”said Strawberry．“There was no grass．All hard stones．”
“Too true，mate，too true ！”said the Cabby．“A’ard world it was．I always did say those paving-stones weren’t fair on any ’oss．That’s Lunn’on，that is．I didn’t like it no more than what you did．You were a country’ oss，and I was a country man．Used to sing in the choir，I did，down at’one．But there wasn’t a living for me there．”
“Oh please，please，”said Digory．“Could we get on ？ The Lion’s getting further and further away．And I do want to speak to him so dreadfully badly．”
“Look， ere，Strawber r y，”said the Cabby．“This young gen’leman， as something on his mind that he wants to talk to the Lion about；’im you call Aslan．Suppose you was to let’im ride on your back（which ’e’d take it very kindly）and trot’im over to where the Lion is．And me and the little girl will be following along．”
“Ride ？”said Strawberry．“Oh，I remember now．That means sitting on my back．I remember there used to be a little one of you two-leggers who used to do that long ago．He used to have little hard，square lumps of some white stuff that he gave me． They tasted-oh，wonderful，sweeter than grass．”
“Ah，that’d be sugar，”said the Cabby．
“Please，Strawberry，”begged Digory，“do，do let me get up and take me to Aslan．”
“Well，I don’t mind，”said the Horse．“Not for once in a way．Up you get．”
“Good old Strawberry，”said the Cabby．“‘Ere，young’ un ，I’l l give you a lift．”Digory was soon on Strawberry’s back，and quite comfortable，for he had ridden bare-back before on his own pony．
“Now，do gee up，Strawberry，”he said．
“You don’t happen to have a bit of that white stuff about you， I suppose ？”said the Horse．
“No．I’m afraid I haven’t，”said Digory．
“Well，it can’t be helped，”said Strawberry，and off they went.
At that moment a large Bulldog，who had been sniffing and staring very hard，said：
“Look．Isn’t there another of these queer creatures—over there，beside the river，under the trees ？”
Then all the animals looked and saw Uncle Andrew，standing very still among the rhododendrons and hoping he wouldn’t be noticed．
“Come on ！”said several voices．“Let’s go and find out．”So， while Strawberry was briskly trotting away with Digory in one direction（and Polly and the Cabby were following on foot）most of the creatures rushed towards Uncle Andrew with roars，barks， grunts，and various noises of cheerful interest．
We must now go back a bit and explain what the whole scene had looked like from Uncle Andrew’s point of view．It had not made at’ all the same impression on him as on the Cabby and the children．For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing：it also depends on what sort of person you are．
Ever since the animals had first appeared，Uncle Andrew had been shrinking further and further back into the thicket．He watched them very hard of course；but he wasn’t really interested in seeing what they were doing，only in seeing whether they were going to make a rush at him．Like the Witch，he was dreadfully practical．He simply didn’t notice that Aslan was choosing one pair out of every kind of beasts．All he saw，or thought he saw，was a lot of dangerous wild animals walking vaguely about．And he kept on wondering why the other animals didn’t run away from the big Lion．
When the great moment came and the Beasts spoke，he missed the whole point；for a rather interesting reason．When the Lion had first begun singing，long ago when it was still quite dark， he had realized that the noise was a song．And he had disliked the song very much．It made him think and feel things he did not want to think and feel．Then，when the sun rose and he saw that the singer was a lion（“only a lion”，as he said to himself）he tried his hardest to make believe that it wasn’t singing and never had been singing-only roaring as any lion might in a zoo in our own world．“Of course it can’t really have been singing，”he thought， “I must have imagined it．I’ve been letting my nerves get out of order．Who ever heard of a lion singing ？”And the longer and more beautiful the Lion sang，the harder Uncle Andrew tried to make himself believe that he could hear nothing but roaring．Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed．Uncle Andrew did．He soon did hear nothing but roaring in Aslan’s song．Soon he couldn’t have heard anything else even if he had wanted to．And when at last the Lion spoke and said，“Narnia awake，”he didn’t hear any words： he heard only a snarl．And when the Beasts spoke in answer，he heard only barkings，growlings，bayings，and howlings．And when they laughed-well，you can imagine．That was worse for Uncle Andrew than anything that had happened yet．Such a horrid， bloodthirsty din of hungry and angry brutes he had never heard in his life．Then，to his utter rage and horror，he saw the other three humans actually walking out into the open to meet the animals．
“The fools ！”he said to himself．“Now those brutes will eat the rings along with the children and I’ll never be able to get home again．What a selfish little boy that Digory is ！ And the others are just as bad．If they want to throw away their own lives，that’s their business．But what about me ？ They don’t seem to think of that．No one thinks of me．”
Finally，when a whole crowd of animals came rushing towards him，he turned and ran for his life．And now anyone could see that the air of that young world was really doing the old gentleman good．In London he had been far too old to run：now，he ran at a speed which would have made him certain to win the hundred yards’ race at any Prep school in England．His coat—tails flying out behind him were a fine sight．But of course it was no use． Many of the animals behind him were swift ones；it was the first run they had ever taken in their lives and they were all longing to use their new muscles．“After him ！ After him ！”they shouted．“Perhaps he’s that Neevil ！ Tally-ho ！ Tantivy ！ Cut him off ！ Round him up ！ Keep it up ！ Hurrah ！”
In a very few minutes some of them got ahead of him．They lined up in a row and barred his way．Others hemmed him in from behind．Wherever he looked he saw terrors．Antlers of great elks and the huge face of an elephant towered over him．Heavy， serious-minded bears and boars grunted behind him．Cool-looking leopards and panthers with sarcastic faces（as he thought） stared at him and waved their tails．What struck him most of all was the number of open mouths．The animals had really opened their mouths to pant；he thought they had opened their mouths to eat him．
Uncle Andrew stood trembling and swaying this way and that． He had never liked animals at the best of times，being usually rather afraid of them；and of course years of doing cruel experiments on animals had made him hate and fear them far more．
“Now，sir，”said the Bulldog in his business-like way，“are you animal，vegetable，or mineral ？”That was what it really said；but all Uncle Andrew heard was“Gr-r-rarrh-ow ！”
CHAPTER ELEVEN DIGORY AND HIS UNCLE ARE BOTH IN TROUBLE
You may think the animals were very stupid not to see at once that Uncle Andrew was the same kind of creature as the two children and the Cabby．But you must remember that the animals knew nothing about clothes．They thought that Polly’s frock and Digory’s Norfolk suit and the Cabby’s howlet hat were as much parts of them as their own fur and feathers．They wouldn’t have known even that those three were all of the same kind if they hadn’t spoken to them and if Strawberry had not seemed to think so． And Uncle Andrew was a great deal taller than the children and a good deal thinner than the Cabby．He was all in black except for his white waistcoat（not very white by now），and the great grey mop of his hair（now very wild indeed）didn’t look to them like anything they had seen in the three other humans．So it was only natural that they should be puzzled．Worst of all，he didn’t seem to be able to talk．
He had tried to．When the Bulldog spoke to him（or，as he thought，first snarled and then growled at him）he held out his shaking hand and gasped“Good Doggie，then，poor old fellow．”But the beasts could not understand him any more than he could understand them．They didn’t hear any words： only a vague sizzling noise．Perhaps it was just as well they didn’t，for no dog that I ever knew，least of all a Talking Dog of Narnia，likes being called a Good Doggie then；any more than you would like being called My Little Man．
Then Uncle Andrew dropped down in a dead faint．
“There ！”said a Warthog，“it’s only a tree．I always thought so．”(Remember，they had never yet seen a faint or even a fall．）
The Bulldog，who had been sniffing Uncle Andrew all over， raised its head and said，“It’s an animal．Certainly an animal． And probably the same kind as those other ones．”
“I don’t see that，”said one of the Bears．“An animal wouldn’t just roll over like that．We’re animals and we don’t roll over． We stand up．Like this．”He rose to his hind legs，took a step backwards，tripped over a low branch and fell flat on his back．
“The Third Joke，the Third Joke，the Third Joke ！”said the Jackdaw in great excitement．
“I still think it’s a sort of tree，”said the Warthog．
“If it’s a tree，”said the other Bear，“there might be a bees’ nest in it．”
“I’m sure it’s not a tree，”said the Badger．“I had a sort of idea it was trying to speak before it toppled over．”
“That was only the wind in its branches，”said the Warthog．
“You surely don’t mean，”said the Jackdaw to the Badger，“that you think its a talking animal ！ It didn’t say any words．”
“And yet，you know，”said the Elephant（the She— Elephant，of course；her husband，as you remember，had been called away by Aslan）．“And yet，you know，it might be an animal of some kind．Mightn’t the whitish lump at this end be a sort of face ？ And couldn’t those holes be eyes and a mouth ？ No nose， of course．But then-ahem-one mustn’t be narrow-minded．Very few of us have what could exactly be called a Nose．”She squinted down the length of her own trunk with pardonable pride．
“I object to that remark very strongly，”said the Bulldog．
“The Elephant is quite right，”said the Tapir．
“I tell you what ！”said the Donkey brightly，“perhaps it’s an animal that can’t talk but thinks it can．”
“Can it be made to stand up ？”said the Elephant thoughtfully．She took the limp form of Uncle Andrew gently in her trunk and set him up on end：upside down，unfortunately，so that two half-sovereigns，three half— crowns，and a sixpence fell out of his pocket．But it was no use．Uncle Andrew merely collapsed again．
“There ！”said several voices．“It isn’t an animal at all，it’s not alive．”
“I tell you，it is an animal，”said the Bulldog．“Smell it for yourself．”
“Smelling isn’t everything，”said the Elephant．
“Why，”said the Bulldog，“if a fellow can’t trust his nose， what is he to trust ？”
“Well，his brains perhaps，”she replied mildly．
“I object to that remark very strongly，”said the Bulldog．
“Well，we must do something about it，”said the Elephant．“Because it may be the Neevil，and it must be shown to Aslan．What do most of us think ？ Is it an animal or something of the tree kind ？”
“Tree ！ Tree ！”said a dozen voices．
“Very well，”said the Elephant．“Then，if it’s a tree it wants to be planted．We must dig a hole．”
The two Moles settled that part of the business pretty quickly． There was some dispute as to which way up Uncle Andrew ought to be put into the hole，and he had a very narrow escape from being put in head foremost．Several animals said his legs must be his branches and therefore the grey，fluffy thing（they meant his head）must be his root．But then others said that the forked end of him was the muddier and that it spread out more，as roots ought to do．So finally he was planted right way up．When they had patted down the earth it came up above his knees．
“It looks dreadfully withered，”said the Donkey．
“Of course it wants some watering，”said the Elephant．
“I think I might say（meaning no offence to anyone present） that，perhaps，for that sort of work，my kind of nose-”
“I object to that remark very strongly，”said the Bulldog． But the Elephant walked quietly to the river，filled her trunk with water，and came back to attend to Uncle Andrew．The sagacious animal went on doing this till gallons of water had been squirted over him，and water was running out of the skirts of his frock-coat as if he had been for a bath with all his clothes on．In the end it
revived him．He awoke from his faint．What a wakening it was ！ But we must leave him to think over his wicked deed（if he was likely to do anything so sensible）and turn to more important things．
Strawberry trotted on with Digory on his back till the noise of the other animals died away，and now the little group of Aslan and his chosen councillors was quite close．Digory knew that he couldn’t possibly break in on so solemn a meeting，but there was no need to do so．At a word from Aslan，the He-Elephant，the Ravens，and all the rest of them drew aside．Digory slipped off the horse and found himself face to face with Aslan．And Aslan was bigger and more beautiful and more brightly golden and more terrible than he had thought．He dared not look into the great eyes．
“Please-Mr. Lion-Aslan-Sir，”said Digory，“could you-may I-please，will you give me some magic fruit of this country to make Mother well ？”
He had been desperately hoping that the Lion would say“Yes”；he had been horribly afraid it might say“No”．But he was taken aback when it did neither．
“This is the Boy，”said Aslan，looking，not at Digory，but at his councillors．“This is the Boy who did it．”
“Oh dear，”thought Digory，“what have I done now ？”
“Son of Adam，”said the Lion．“There is an evil Witch abroad in my new land of Narnia．Tell these good Beasts how she came here．”
A dozen different things that he might say flashed through Digory’s mind，but he had the sense to say nothing except the exact truth．
“I brought her，Aslan，”he answered in a low voice．
“For what purpose ？”
“I wanted to get her out of my own world back into her own．I thought I was taking her back to her own place．”
“How came she to be in your world，Son of Adam ？”
“By-by Magic．”
The Lion said nothing and Digory knew that he had not told enough．
“It was my Uncle，Aslan，”he said．“He sent us out of our own world by magic rings，at least I had to go because he sent Polly first，and then we met the Witch in a place called Charn and she just held on to us when-”
“You met the Witch ？ ”said Asian in a low voice which had the threat of a growl in it．
“She woke up，”said Digory wretchedly．And then，turning very white，“I mean，I woke her．Because I wanted to know what would happen if I struck a bell．Polly didn’t want to．It wasn’t her fault．I-I fought her．I know I shouldn’t have．I think I was a bit enchanted by the writing under the bell．”
“Do you ？”asked Asian；still speaking very low and deep．
“No，”said Digory．“I see now I wasn’t. I was only pretending．”
There was a long pause．And Digory was thinking all the time，“I’ve spoiled everything．There’s no chance of getting anything for Mother now．”
When the Lion spoke again，it was not to Digory．
“You see，friends，”he said，“that before the new，clean world I gave you is seven hours old，a force of evil has already entered it；waked and brought hither by this son of Adam．”The Beasts，even Strawberry，all turned their eyes on Digory till he felt that he wished the ground would swallow him up．“But do not be cast down，”said Aslan，still speaking to the Beasts．“Evil will come of that evil，but it is still a long way off，and I will see to it that the worst falls upon myself．In the meantime，let us take such order that for many hundred years yet this shall be a merry land in a merry world．And as Adam’s race has done the harm，Adam’s race shall help to heal it．Draw near，you other two．”
The last words were spoken to Polly and the Cabby who had now arrived．Polly，all eyes and mouth，was staring at Aslan and holding the Cabby’s hand rather tightly．The Cabby gave one glance at the Lion，and took off his bowler hat：no one had yet seen him without it．When it was off，he looked younger and nicer，and more like a countryman and less like a London cabman．
“Son，”said Aslan to the Cabby．“I have known you long．Do you know me ？”
“Well，no，sir，”said the Cabby．“Leastways，not in an ordinary manner of speaking．Yet I feel somehow，if I may make so free，as, ow we’ve met before．”
“It is well，”said the Lion．“You know better than you think you know，and you shall live to know me better yet．How does this land please you ？”
“It’s a fair treat，sir，”said the Cabby．
“Would you like to live here always ？”
“Well you see sir，I’m a married man，”said the Cabby． “If my wife was here neither of us would ever want to go back to London，I reckon．We’re both country folks really．”
Aslan threw up his shaggy head，opened his mouth，and uttered a long，single note；not very loud，but full of power． Polly’s heart jumped in her body when she heard it．She felt sure that it was a call，and that anyone who heard that call would want to obey it and（what’s more）would be able to obey it，however many worlds and ages lay between．And so，though she was filled with wonder，she was not really astonished or shocked when all of a sudden a young woman，with a kind，honest face stepped out of nowhere and stood beside her．Polly knew at once that it was the Cabby’s wife，fetched out of our world not by any tiresome magic rings，but quickly，simply and sweetly as a bird flies to its nest． The young woman had apparently been in the middle of a washing day，for she wore an apron，her sleeves were rolled up to the elbow，and there were soapsuds on her hands．If she had had time to put on her good clothes（her best hat had imitation cherries on it） she would have looked dreadful；as it was，she looked rather nice．
Of course she thought she was dreaming．That was why she didn’t rush across to her husband and ask him what on earth had happened to them both．But when she looked at the Lion she didn’t feel quite so sure it was a dream，yet for some reason she did not appear to be very frightened．Then she dropped a little half curtsey， as some country girls still knew how to do in those days．After that， she went and put her hand in the Cabby’s and stood there looking round her a little shyly．
“My children，”said Aslan，fixing his eyes on both of them， “you are to be the first King and Queen of Narnia．”
The Cabby opened his mouth in astonishment，and his wife turned very red．
“You shall rule and name all these creatures，and do justice among them，and protect them from their enemies when enemies arise． And enemies will arise，for there is an evil Witch in this world．”
The Cabby swallowed hard two or three times and cleared his throat.
“Begging your pardon，sir，”he said，“and thanking you very much I’m sure（which my Missus does the same）but I ain’t no sort of a chap for a job like that．I never, ad much eddycation，you see．”
“Well，”said Aslan，“can you use a spade and a plough and raise food out of the earth ？”
“Yes，sir，I could do a bit of that sort of work：being brought up to it，like．”
“Can you rule these creatures kindly and fairly，remembering that they are not slaves like the dumb beasts of the world you were born in，but Talking Beasts and free subjects ？”
“I see that，sir，”replied the Cabby．“I’d try to do the square thing by them all．”
“And would you bring up your children and grandchildren to do the same ？”
“It’d be up to me to try，sir．I’d do my best：wouldn’t we，Nellie ？”
“And you wouldn’t have favourites either among your own children or among the other creatures or let any hold another under or use it hardly ？”
“I never could abide such goings on，sir，and that’s the truth．I’d give ’em what for if I caught ’em at it，”said the Cabby．(All through this conversation his voice was growing slower and richer．More like the country voice he must have had as a boy and less like the sharp，quick voice of a cockney．）
“And if enemies came against the land（for enemies will arise）and there was war，would you be the first in the charge and the last in the retreat ？”
“Well，sir，”said the Cabby very slowly，“a chap don’t exactly know till he’s been tried．I dare say I might turn out ever such a soft ’un．Never did no fighting except with my fists．I’d try-that is，I ’ope I’d try-to do my bit．”
“Then，”said Aslan，“You will have done all that a King should do．Your coronation will be held presently．And you and your children and grandchildren shall be blessed，and some will be Kings of Narnia，and others will be Kings of Archenland which lies yonder over the Southern Mountains．And you，little Daughter ” （here he turned to Polly）“are welcome．Have you forgiven the Boy for the violence he did you in the Hall of Images in the desolate palace of accursed Charn ？”
“Yes，Aslan，we’ve made it up，”said Polly．
“That is well，”said Aslan．“And now for the Boy himself．”
CHAPTER TWELVE STRAWBERRY’S ADVENTURE
DIGORY kept his mouth very tight shut．He had been growing more and more uncomfortable．He hoped that，whatever happened，he wouldn’t blub or do anything ridiculous．
“Son of Adam，”said Aslan．“Are you ready to undo the wrong that you have done to my sweet country of Narnia on the very day of its birth ？”
“Well，I don’t see what I can do，”said Digory．“You see， the Queen ran away and-”
“I asked，are you ready ？”said the Lion．
“Yes，”said Digory．He had had for a second some wild idea of saying“I’ll try to help you if you’ll promise to help my Mother，”but he realized in time that the Lion was not at all the sort of person one could try to make bargains with．But when he had said“Yes，”he thought of his Mother，and he thought of the great hopes he had had，and how they were all dying away，and a lump came in his throat and tears in his eyes，and he blurted out：“But please，please-won’t you-can’t you give me something that will cure Mother ？”Up till then he had been looking at the Lion’s great feet and the huge claws on them；now，in his despair，he looked up at its face．What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life．For the tawny face was bent down near his own and（wonder of wonders）great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes．They were such big，bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself．
“My son，my son，”said Aslan．“I know．Grief is great． Only you and I in this land know that yet．Let us be good to one another．But I have to think of hundreds of years in the life of Narnia．The Witch whom you have brought into this world will come back to Narnia again．But it need not be yet．It is my wish to plant in Narnia a tree that she will not dare to approach，and that tree will protect Narnia from her for many years．So this land shall have a long，bright morning before any clouds come over the sun． You must get me the seed from which that tree is to grow．”
“Yes，sir，”said Digory．He didn’t know how it was to be done but he felt quite sure now that he would be able to do it．The Lion drew a deep breath，stooped its head even lower and gave him a Lion’s kiss．And at once Digory felt that new strength and courage had gone into him．
“Dear son，”said Aslan，“I will tell you what you must do． Turn and look to the West and tell me what do you see ？”
“I see terribly big mountains，Aslan，”said Digory，“I see this river coming down cliffs in a waterfall．And beyond the cliff there are high green hills with forests．And beyond those there are higher ranges that look almost black．And then，far away，there are big snowy mountains all heaped up together-like pictures of the Alps． And behind those there’s nothing but the sky．”
“You see well，”said the Lion．“Now the land of Narnia ends where the waterfall comes down，and once you have reached the top of the cliffs you will be out of Narnia and into the Western Wild．You must journey through those mountains till you find a green valley with a blue lake in it，walled round by mountains of ice．At the end of the lake there is a steep，green hill．On the top of that hill there is a garden．In the centre of that garden is a tree．Pluck an apple from that tree and bring it back to me．”
“Yes，sir，”said Digory again．He hadn’t the least idea of how he was to climb the cliff and find his way among all the mountains，but he didn’t like to say that for fear it would sound like making excuses．But he did say，“I hope，Aslan，you’re not in a hurry．I shan’t be able to get there and back very quickly．”
“Little son of Adam，you shall have help，”said Aslan．He then turned to the Horse who had been standing quietly beside them all this time，swishing his tail to keep the flies off，and listening with his head on one side as if the conversation were a little difficult to understand．
“My dear，”said Aslan to the Horse，“would you like to be a winged horse ？”
You should have seen how the Horse shook its mane and how its nostrils widened，and the little tap it gave the ground with one back hoof．Clearly it would very much like to be a winged horse． But it only said：
“If you wish，Aslan-if you really mean-I don’t know why it should be me-I’m not a very clever horse．”
“Be winged．Be the father of all flying horses，”roared Aslan in a voice that shook the ground．“Your name is Fledge．”
The horse shied，just as it might have shied in the old， miserable days when it pulled a hansom．Then it roared．It strained its neck back as if there were a fly biting its shoulders and it wanted to scratch them．And then，just as the beasts had burst out of the earth，there burst out from the shoulders of Fledge wings that spread and grew，larger than eagles’，larger than swans’， larger than angels’ wings in church windows．The feathers shone chestnut colour and copper colour．He gave a great sweep with them and leaped into the air．Twenty feet above Aslan and Digory he snorted，neighed，and curvetted．Then，after circling once round them，he dropped to the earth，all four hoofs together， looking awkward and surprised，but extremely pleased．
“Is it good，Fledge ？”said Aslan．
“It is very good，Aslan，”said Fledge．
“Will you carry this little son of Adam on your back to the mountain—valley I spoke of ？”
“What ？ Now ？ At once ？”said Strawberry-or Fledge， as we must now call him-Hurrah ！ Come，little one，I’ve had things like you on my back before．Long，long ago．When there were green fields，”and sugar.”
“What are the two daughters of Eve whispering about ？”said Aslan，turning very suddenly on Polly and the Cabby’s wife，who had in fact been making friends．
“If you please，sir，”said Queen Helen（for that is what Nellie the cabman’s wife now was），“I think the little girl would love to go too，if it weren’t no trouble．”
“What does Fledge say about that ？”asked the Lion．
“Oh，I don’t mind two，not when they’re little ones，”said Fledge．“But I hope the Elephant doesn’t want to come as well．”
The Elephant had no such wish，and the new King of Narnia helped both the children up：that is，he gave Digory a rough heave and set Polly as gently and daintily on the horse’s back as if she were made of china and might break．“There they are， Strawberry-Fledge，I should say．This is a rum go．”
“Do not fly too high，”said Aslan．“Do not try to go over the tops of the great ice-mountains．Look out for the valleys，the green places，and fly through them．There will always be a way through．And now，begone with my blessing．”
“Oh Fledge ！”said Digory，leaning forward to pat the Horse’s glossy neck．“This is fun．Hold on to me tight，Polly．”
Next moment the country dropped away beneath them，and whirled round as Fledge，like a huge pigeon，circled once or twice before setting off on his long westward flight．Looking down， Polly could hardly see the King and the Queen，and even Aslan himself was only a bright yellow spot on the green grass．Soon the wind was in their faces and Fledge’s wings settled down to a steady beat．
All Narnia，many-coloured with lawns and rocks and heather and different sorts of trees，lay spread out below them，the river winding through it like a ribbon of quicksilver．They could already see over the tops of the low hills which lay northward on their right；beyond those hills a great moorland sloped gently up and up to the horizon．On their left the mountains were much higher，but every now and then there was a gap when you could see，between steep pine woods，a glimpse of the southern lands that lay beyond them，looking blue and far away．
“That’ll be where Archenland is，”said Polly．
“Yes，but look ahead ！”said Digory．
For now a great barrier of cliffs rose before them and they were almost dazzled by the sunlight dancing on the great waterfall by which the river roars and sparkles down into Narnia itself from the high western lands in which it rises．They were flying so high already that the thunder of those falls could only just be heard as a small，thin sound，but they were not yet high enough to fly over the top of the cliffs．
“We’ll have to do a bit of zig-zagging here，”said Fledge．“Hold on tight．”
He began flying to and fro，getting higher at each turn．The air grew colder，and they heard the call of eagles far below them．
“I say，look back ！ Look behind，”said Polly．
There they could see the whole valley of Narnia stretched out to where，just before the eastern horizon，there was a gleam of the sea．And now they were so high that they could see tiny-looking jagged mountains appearing beyond the northwest moors，and plains of what looked like sand far in the south．
“I wish we had someone to tell us what all those places are，”said Digory．
“I don’t suppose they’re anywhere yet，”said Polly．“I mean，there’s no one there，and nothing happening．The world only began today．”
“No，but people will get there，”said Digory．“And then they’ll have histories，you know．”
“Well，it’s a jolly good thing they haven’t now，”said Polly． “Because nobody can be made to learn it．Battles and dates and all that rot．”
Now they were over the top of the cliffs and in a few minutes the valley land of Narnia had sunk out of sight behind them．They were flying over a wild country of steep hills and dark forests， still following the course of the river．The really big mountains loomed ahead．But the sun was now in the travellers’ eyes and they couldn’t see things very clearly in that direction．For the sun sank lower and lower till the western sky was all like one great furnace full of melted gold；and it set at last behind a jagged peak which stood up against the brightness as sharp and flat as if it were cut out of cardboard．
“It’s none too warm up here，”said Polly．
“And my wings are beginning to ache，”said Fledge．There’s no sign of the valley with a Lake in it，like what Aslan said．What about coming down and looking out for a decent spot to spend the night in ？ We shan’t reach that place tonight．
“Yes，and surely it’s about time for supper ？”said Digory．
So Fledge came lower and lower．As they came down nearer to the earth and among the hills，the air grew warmer and after travelling so many hours with nothing to listen to but the beat of Fledge’s wings，it was nice to hear the homely and earthy noises again-the chatter of the river on its stony bed and the creaking of trees in the light wind．A warm，good smell of sun-baked earth and grass and flowers came up to them．At last Fledge alighted． Digory rolled off and helped Polly to dismount．Both were glad to stretch their stiff legs．
The valley in which they had come down was in the heart of the mountains；snowy heights，one of them looking rose—red in the reflections of the sunset，towered above them．
“I am hungry，”said Digory．
“Well，tuck in，”said Fledge，taking a big mouthful of grass． Then he raised his head，still chewing and with bits of grass sticking out on each side of his mouth like whiskers，and said，“Come on，you two．Don’t be shy．There’s plenty for us all．”
“But we can’t eat grass，”said Digory．
“H’m，h’m，”said Fledge，speaking with his mouth full． “Well-h’m-don’t know quite what you’ll do then．Very good grass too．”
Polly and Digory stared at one another in dismay．
“Well，I do think someone might have arranged about our meals，”said Digory．
“I’m sure Aslan would have，if you’d asked him，”said Fledge．
“Wouldn’t he know without being asked ？”said Polly．
“I’ve no doubt he would，”said the Horse（still with his mouth full）．“But I’ve a sort of idea he likes to be asked．”
“But what on earth are we to do ？”asked Digory．
“I’m sure I don’t know，”said Fledge．“Unless you try the grass．You might like it better than you think．”
“Oh，don’t be silly，”said Polly，stamping her foot．“Of course humans can’t eat grass，any more than you could eat a mutton chop．”
“For goodness’ sake don’t talk about chops and things，”said Digory．“It only makes it worse．”
Digory said that Polly had better take herself home by ring and get something to eat there；he couldn’t himself because he had promised to go straight on his message for Aslan，and，if once he showed up again at home，anything might happen to prevent his getting back．But Polly said she wouldn’t leave him，and Digory said it was jolly decent of her．
“I say，”said Polly，“I’ve still got the remains of that bag of toffee in my jacket．It’ll be better than nothing．”
“A lot better，”said Digory，“But be careful to get your hand into your pocket without touching your ring．”
This was a difficult and delicate job but they managed it in the end．The little paper bag was very squashy and sticky when they finally got it out，so that it was more a question of tearing the bag off the toffees than of getting the toffees out of the bag．Some grown-ups（you know how fussy they can be about that sort of thing）would rather have gone without supper altogether than eaten those toffees．There were nine of them all told．It was Digory who had the bright idea of eating four each and planting the ninth；for， as he said，“if the bar off the lamp-post turned into a little light-tree，why shouldn’t this turn into a toffee-tree ？”So they dibbled a small hole in the turf and buried the piece of toffee．Then they ate the other pieces，making them last as long as they could．It was a poor meal，even with all the paper they couldn’t help eating as well．
When Fledge had quite finished his own excellent supper he lay down．The children came and sat one on each side of him leaning against his warm body，and when he had spread a wing over each they were really quite snug．As the bright young stars of that new world came out they talked over everything：how Digory had hoped to get something for his Mother and how，instead of that，he had been sent on this message．And they repeated to one another all the signs by which they would know the places they were looking for-the blue lake and the hill with a garden on top of it．The talk was just beginning to slow down as they got sleepy， when suddenly Polly sat up wide awake and said“Hush ！”
Everyone listened as hard as they could．
“Perhaps it was only the wind in the trees，”said Digory presently．
“I’m not so sure，”said Fledge．“Anyway-wait ！ There it goes again．By Aslan，it is something．”
The horse scrambled to its feet with a great noise and a great upheaval；the children were already on theirs．Fledge trotted to and fro，sniffing and whinnying．The children tip toed this way and that，looking behind every bush and tree．They kept on thinking they saw things，and there was one time when Polly was perfectly certain she had seen a tall，dark figure gliding quickly away in a westerly direction．But they caught nothing and in the end Fledge lay down again and the children re-snuggled（if that is the right word）under his wings．They went to sleep at once． Fledge stayed awake much longer moving his ears to and fro in the darkness and sometimes giving a little shiver with his skin as if a fly had lighted on him：but in the end he too slept．
CHAPTER THIRTEEN AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
“WAKE up，Digory，wake up，Fledge，”came the voice of Polly．“It has turned into a toffee tree．And it’s the loveliest morning．”
The low early sunshine was streaming through the wood and the grass was grey with dew and the cobwebs were like silver．Just beside them was a little，very dar—kwooded tree，about the size of an apple tree．The leaves were whitish and rather papery，like the herb called honesty，and it was loaded with little brown fruits that looked rather like dates．
“Hurrah ！”said Digory．“But I’m going to have a dip first．”He rushed through a flowering thicket or two down to the river’s edge． Have you ever bathed in a mountain river that is running in shallow cataracts over red and blue and yellow stones with the sun on it ？ It is as good as the sea：in some ways almost better．Of course，he had to dress again without drying but it was well worth it．When he came back，Polly went down and had her bathe；at least she said that was what she’d been doing，but we know she was not much of a swimmer and perhaps it is best not to ask too many questions．Fledge visited the river too but he only stood in midstream，stooping down for a long drink of water and then shaking his mane and neighing several times．
Polly and Digory got to work on the toffee-tree．The fruit was delicious；not exactly like toffee-softer for one thing，and juicy-but like fruit which reminded one of toffee．Fledge also made an excellent breakfast；he tried one of the toffee fruits and liked it but said he felt more like grass at that hour in the morning．Then with some difficulty the children got on his back and the second journey began．
It was even better than yesterday，partly because everyone was feeling so fresh，and partly because the newly risen sun was at their backs and，of course，everything looks nicer when the light is behind you．It was a wonderful ride．The big snowy mountains rose above them in every direction．The valleys，far beneath them，were so green，and all the streams which tumbled down from the glaciers into the main river were so blue，that it was like flying over gigantic pieces of jewellery．They would have liked this part of the adventure to go on longer than it did. But quite soon they were all sniffing the air and saying“What is it ？”and“Did you smell something ？”and“Where’s it coming from ？”For a heavenly smell，warm and golden，as if from all the most delicious fruits and flowers of the world，was coming up to them from somewhere ahead．
“It’s coming from that valley with the lake in it，”said Fledge．
“So it is，”said Digory．“And look ！ There’s a green hill at the far end of the lake．And look how blue the water is．”
“It must be the Place，”said all three．
Fledge came lower and lower in wide circles．The icy peaks rose up higher and higher above．The air came up warmer and sweeter every moment，so sweet that it almost brought the tears to your eyes．Fledge was now gliding with his great wings spread out motionless on each side，and his great hoofs pawing for the ground． The steep green hill was rushing towards them．A moment later he alighted on its slope，a little awkwardly．The children rolled off， fell without hurting themselves on the warm，fine grass，and stood up panting a little．
They were about three-quarters of the way up the hill，and set out at once to climb to the top．(I don’t think Fledge could have managed this without his wings to balance him and to give him the help of aflutter now and then．）All round the very top of the hill ran a high wall of green turf．Inside the wall trees were growing． Their branches hung out over the wall；their leaves showed not only green but also blue and silver when the wind stirred them．When the travellers reached the top they walked nearly all the way round it outside the green wall before they found the gates：high gates of gold，fast shut，facing due east．
Up till now I think Fledge and Polly had had the idea that they would go in with Digory．But they thought so no longer．You never saw a place which was so obviously private．You could see at a glance that it belonged to someone else．Only a fool would dream of going in unless he had been sent there on very special business．Digory himself understood at once that the others wouldn’t and couldn’t come in with him．He went forward to the gates alone．
When he had come close up to them he saw words written on the gold with silver letters；something like this：
Come in by the gold gates or not at all，
Take of my fruit for others or forbear，
For those who steal or those who climb my wall，
Shall find their heart’s desire and find despair．
“Take of my fruit for others，”said Digory to himself．“Well， that’s what I’m going to do．It means I mustn’t eat any myself， I suppose．I don’t know what all that jaw in the last line is about． Come in by the gold gates．Well who’d want to climb a wall if he could get in by a gates ！But how do the gates open ？”He laid his hand on them and instantly they swung apart，opening inwards， turning on their hinges without the least noise．
Now that he could see into the place it looked more private than ever．He went in very solemnly，looking about him．Everything was very quiet inside．Even the fountain which rose near the middle of the garden made only the faintest sound．The lovely smell was all round him ！ it was a happy place but very serious．
He knew which was the right tree at once，partly because it stood in the very centre and partly because the great silver apples with which it was loaded shone so and cast a light of their own down on the shadowy places where the sunlight did not reach． He walked straight across to it，picked an apple，and put it in the breast pocket of his Norfolk jacket．But he couldn’t help looking at it and smelling it before he put it away．
It would have been better if he had not．A terrible thirst and hunger came over him and a longing to taste that fruit．He put it hastily into his pocket；but there were plenty of others．Could it be wrong to taste one ？ After all，he thought，the notice on the gate might not have been exactly an order；it might have been only a piece of advice-and who cares about advice ？ Or even if it were an order，would he be disobeying it by eating an apple ？ He had already obeyed the part about taking one“for others”．
While he was thinking of all this he happened to look up through the branches towards the top of the tree．There， on a branch above his head，a wonderful bird was roosting．I say“roosting”because it seemed almost asleep；perhaps not quite． The tiniest slit of one eye was open．It was larger than an eagle，its breast saffron，its head crested with scarlet，and its tail purple．
“And it just shows，”said Digory afterward when he was telling the story to the others，“that you can’t be too careful in these magical places．You never know what may be watching you．”But I think Digory would not have taken an apple for himself in any case． Things like Do Not Steal were，I think，hammered into boys’ heads a good deal harder in those days than they are now．Still，we can never be certain．
Digory was just turning to go back to the gates when he stopped to have one last look around．He got a terrible shock．He was not alone．There，only a few yards away from him，stood the Witch． She was just throwing away the core of an apple which she had eaten． The juice was darker than you would expect and had made a horrid stain round her mouth．Digory guessed at once that she must have climbed in over the wall．And he began to see that there might be some sense in that last line about getting your heart’s desire and getting despair along with it．For the Witch looked stronger and prouder than ever，and even，in a way，triumphant；but her face was deadly white，white as salt．
All this flashed through Digory’s mind in a second；then he took to his heels and ran for the gates as hard as he could pelt；the Witch after him．As soon as he was out，the gates closed behind him of their own accord．That gave him the lead but not for long． By the time he had reached the others and was shouting out“Quick， get on，Polly ！ Get up，Fledge”，the Witch had climbed the wall， or vaulted over it，and was close behind him again．
“Stay where you are，”cried Digory，turning round to face her，“or we’ll all vanish．Don’t come an inch nearer．”
“Foolish boy，”said the Witch．“Why do you run from me ？ I mean you no harm．If you do not stop and listen to me now，you will miss some knowledge that would have made you happy all your life．”
“Well I don’t want to hear it，thanks，”said Digory．But he did．
“I know what errand you have come on，”continued the Witch． “For it was I who was close beside you in the woods last night and heard all your counsels．You have plucked fruit in the garden yonder． You have it in your pocket now．And you are going to carry it back，untasted，to the Lion；for him to eat，for him to use．You simpleton ！ Do you know what that fruit is ？ I will tell you．It is the apple of youth，the apple of life．I know，for I have tasted it；and I feel already such changes in myself that I know I shall never grow old or die．Eat it，Boy，eat it；and you and I will both live forever and be king and queen of this whole world-or of your world，if we decide to go back there．”
“No thanks，”said Digory，“I don’t know that I care much about living on and on after everyone I know is dead．I’d rather live an ordinary time and die and go to Heaven．”
“But what about this Mother of yours whom you pretend to love so ？”
“What’s she got to do with it ？”said Digory．
“Do you not see，Fool，that one bite of that apple would heal her ？ You have it in your pocket．We are here by ourselves and the Lion is far away．Use your Magic and go back to your own world．A minute later you can be at your Mother’s bedside，giving her the fruit． Five minutes later you will see the colour coming back to her face．She will tell you the pain is gone．Soon she will tell you she feels stronger． Then she will fall asleep-think of that；hours of sweet natural sleep， without pain，without drugs．Next day everyone will be saying how wonderfully she has recovered．Soon she will be quite well again． All will be well again．Your home will be happy again．You will be like other boys．”
“Oh ！”gasped Digory as if he had been hurt，and put his hand to his head．For he now knew that the most terrible choice lay before him．
“What has the Lion ever done for you that you should be his slave ？”said the Witch．“What can he do to you once you are back in your own world ？ And what would your Mother think if she knew that you could have taken her pain away and given her back her life and saved your Father’s heart from being broken，and that you wouldn’t-that you’d rather run messages for a wild animal in a strange world that is no business of yours ？”
“I-I don’t think he is a wild animal，”said Digory in a dried-up sort of voice．“He is-I don’t know-”
“Then he is something worse，”said the Witch．“Look what he has done to you already；look how heartless he has made you．That is what he does to everyone who listens to him．Cruel，pitiless boy ！ you would let your own Mother die rather than-”
“Oh shut up，”said the miserable Digory，still in the same voice．“Do you think I don’t see ？ But I-I promised．”
“Ah，but you didn’t know what you were promising．And no one here can prevent you．”
“Mother herself，”said Digory，getting the words out with difficulty，“wouldn’t like it-awfully strict about keeping promises-and not stealing-and all that sort of thing．She’d tell me not to do it-quick as anything-if she was here．”
“But she need never know，”said the Witch，speaking more sweetly than you would have thought anyone with so fierce a face could speak．“You wouldn’t tell her how you’d got the apple． Your Father need never know．No one in your world need know anything about this whole story．You needn’t take the little girl back with you，you know．”
That was where the Witch made her fatal mistake．Of course Digory knew that Polly could get away by her own ring as easily as he could get away by his．But apparently the Witch didn’t know this．And the meanness of the suggestion that he should leave Polly behind suddenly made all the other things the Witch had been saying to him sound false and hollow．And even in the midst of all his misery，his head suddenly cleared，and he said（in a different and much louder’ voice）：
“Look here；where do you come into all this ？ Why are you so precious fond of my Mother all of a sudden ？ What’s it got to do with you ？ What’s your game ？”
“Good for you，Digs，”whispered Polly in his ear．“Quick ！ Get away now．”She hadn’t dared to say anything all through the argument because，you see，it wasn’t her Mother who was dying．
“Up then，”said Digory，heaving her on to Fledge’s back and then scrambling up as quickly as he could．The horse spread its wings．
“Go then，Fools，”called the Witch．“Think of me，Boy， when you lie old and weak and dying，and remember how you threw away the chance of endless youth ！ It won’t be offered you again．”
They were already so high that they could only just hear her． Nor did the Witch waste any time gazing up at them；they saw her set off northward down the slope of the hill．
They had started early that morning and what happened in the garden had not taken very long，so that Fledge and Polly both said they would easily get back to Narnia before nightfall．Digory never spoke on the way back，and the others were shy of speaking to him．He was very sad and he wasn’t even sure all the time that he had done the right thing；but whenever he remembered the shining tears in Aslan’s eyes he became sure．
All day Fledge flew steadily with untiring wings；eastward with the river to guide him，through the mountains and over the wild wooded hills，and then over the great waterfall and down， and down，to where the woods of Narnia were darkened by the shadow of the mighty cliff，till at last，when the sky was growing red with sunset behind them，he saw a place where many creatures were gathered together by the riverside．And soon he could see Aslan himself in the midst of them．Fledge glided down，spread out his four legs，closed his wings，and landed cantering． Then he pulled up．The children dismounted．Digory saw all the animals，dwarfs，satyrs，nymphs，and other things drawing back to the left and right to make way for him．He walked up to Aslan， handed him the apple, and said：
“I’ve brought you the apple you wanted，sir．”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE PLANTING OF THE TREE
“WELL done，”said Aslan in a voice that made the earth shake．Then Digory knew that all the Narnians had heard those words and that the story of them would be handed down from father to son in that new world for hundreds of years and perhaps forever． But he was in no danger of feeling conceited for he didn’t think about it at all now that he was face to face with Aslan．This time he found he could look straight into the Lion’s eyes．He had forgotten his troubles and felt absolutely content．
“Well done，son of Adam，”said the Lion again．“For this fruit you have hungered and thirsted and wept．No hand but yours shall sow the seed of the Tree that is to be the protection of Narnia． Throw the apple towards the river bank where the ground is soft．”
Digory did as he was told．Everyone had grown so quiet that you could hear the soft thump where it fell into the mud．
“It is well thrown，”said Aslan．“Let us now proceed to the Coronation of King Frank of Narnia and Helen his Queen．”
The children now noticed these two for the first time．They were dressed in strange and beautiful clothes，and from their shoulders rich robes flowed out behind them to where four dwarfs held up the King’s train and four rivern—ymphs the Queen’s． Their heads were bare；but Helen had let her hair down and it made a great improvement in her appearance．But it was neither hair nor clothes that made them look so different from their old selves． Their faces had a new expression，especially the King’s．All the sharpness and cunning and quarrelsomeness which he had picked up as a London cabby seemed to have been washed away，and the courage and kindness which he had always had were easier to see． Perhaps it was the air of the young world that had done it，or talking with Aslan，or both．
“Upon my word，”whispered Fledge to Polly．“My old master’s been changed nearly as much as I have ！ Why，he’s a real master now．”
“Yes，but don’t buzz in my ear like that，”said Polly．“It tickles so．”
“Now，”said Aslan，“some of you undo that tangle you have made with those trees and let us see what we shall find there．”
Digory now saw that where four trees grew close together their branches had all been laced together or tied together with switches so as to make a sort of cage．The two Elephants with their trunks and a few dwarfs with their little axes soon got it all undone．There were three things inside．One was a young tree that seemed to be made of gold；the second was a young tree that seemed to be made of silver；but the third was a miserable object in muddy clothes， sitting hunched up between them．
“Gosh ！”whispered Digory．“Uncle Andrew ！”
To explain all this we must go back a bit．The Beasts， you remember，had tried planting and watering him．When the watering brought him to his senses，he found himself soaking wet，buried up to his thighs in earth（which was quickly turning into mud）and surrounded by more wild animals than he had ever dreamed of in his life before．It is perhaps not surprising that he began to scream and howl．This was in a way a good thing，for it at last persuaded everyone（even the Warthog）that he was alive． So they dug him up again（his trousers were in a really shocking state by now）．As soon as his legs were free he tried to bolt，but one swift curl of the Elephant’s trunk round his waist soon put an end to that．Everyone now thought he must be safely kept somewhere till Aslan had time to come and see him and say what should be done about him．So they made a sort of cage or coop all round him． They then offered him everything they could；think of to eat．
The Donkey collected great piles of thistles and threw them in，but Uncle Andrew didn’t seem to care about them．The Squirrels bombarded him with volleys of nuts but he only covered his head with his hands and tried to keep out of the way．Several birds flew to and fro deligently dropping worms on him．The Bear was especially kind．During the afternoon he found a wild bees’ nest and instead of eating it himself（which he would very much like to have done）this worthy creature brought it back to Uncle Andrew．But this was in fact the worst failure of all．The Bear lobbed the whole sticky mass over the top of the enclosure and unfortunately it hit Uncle Andrew slap in the face（not all the bees were dead）．The Bear，who would not at all have minded being hit in the face by a honeycomb himself，could not understand why Uncle Andrew staggered back，slipped，and sat down．And it was sheer bad luck that he sat down on the pile of thistles．“And anyway，”as the Warthog said，“quite a lot of honey has got into the creature’s mouth and that’s bound to have done it some good．”They were really getting quite fond of their strange pet and hoped that Aslan would allow them to keep it．The cleverer ones were quite sure by now that at least some of the noises which came out of his mouth had a meaning．They christened him Brandy because he made that noise so often．
In the end，however，they had to leave him there for the night． Aslan was busy all that day instructing the new King and Queen and doing other important things，and could not attend to“poor old Brandy”．What with the nuts，pears，apples，and bananas that had been thrown in to him，he did fairly well for supper；but it wouldn’t be true to say that he passed an agreeable night．
“Bring out that creature，”said Aslan．One of the Elephants lifted Uncle Andrew in its trunk and laid him at the Lion’s feet．He was too frightened to move．
“Please，Aslan，”said Polly，“could you say something to-to unfrighten him ？ And then could you say something to prevent him from ever coming back here again ？”
“Do you think he wants to ？”said Aslan．
“Well，Aslan，”said Polly，“he might send someone else．He’s so excited about the bar off the lamp-post growing into a lamp-post tree and he thinks-”
“He thinks great folly，child，”said Aslan．“This world is bursting with life for these few days because the song with which I called it into life still hangs in the air and rumbles in the ground．It will not be so for long．But I cannot tell that to this old sinner，and I cannot comfort him either；he has made himself unable to hear my voice．If I spoke to him，he would hear only growlings and roarings．Oh Adam’s sons，how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good ！ But I will give him the only gift he is still able to receive．”
He bowed his great head rather sadly，and breathed into the Magician’s terrified face．“Sleep，”he said．“Sleep and be separated for some few hours from all the torments you have devised for yourself．”Uncle Andrew immediately rolled over with closed eyes and began breathing peacefully．
“Carry him aside and lay him down，”said Aslan．“Now， dwarfs ！ Show your smith-craft．Let me see you make two crowns for your King and Queen．”
More Dwarfs than you could dream of rushed forward to the Golden Tree．They had all its leaves stripped off，and some of its branches torn off too，before you could say Jack Robinson． And now the children could see that it did not merely look golden but was of real，soft gold．It had of course sprung up from the half-sovereigns which had fallen out of Uncle Andrew’s pocket when he was turned upside down；just as the silver had grown up from the half-crowns．From nowhere，as it seemed，piles of dry brushwood for fuel，a little anvil，hammers，tongs，and bellows were produced．Next moment（how those dwarfs loved their work ！）the fire was blazing，the bellows were roaring，the gold was melting，the hammers were clinking．Two Moles，whom Aslan had set to dig（which was what they liked best）earlier in the day，poured out a pile of precious stones at the dwarfs’f eet． Under the clever fingers of the little smiths two crowns took shape-not ugly，heavy things like modern European crowns，but light， delicate，beautifully shaped circles that you could really wear and look nicer by wearing．The King’s was set with rubies and the Queen’s with emeralds．
When the crowns had been cooled in the river Aslan made Frank and Helen kneel before him and he placed the crowns on their heads．Then he said，“Rise up King and Queen of Narnia， father and mother of many kings that shall be in Narnia and the Isles and Archenland．Be just and merciful and brave．The blessing is upon you．”
Then everyone cheered or bayed or neighed or trumpeted or clapped its wings and the royal pair stood looking solemn and a little shy，but all the nobler for their shyness．And while Digory was still cheering he heard the deep voice of Aslan beside him，saying：
“Look ！ ”
Everyone in that crowd turned its head，and then everyone drew a long breath of wonder and delight．A little way off， towering over their heads，they saw a tree which had certainly not been there before．It must have grown up silently，yet swiftly as a flag rises when you pull it up on a flagstaff，while they were all busied about the coronation．Its spreading branches seemed to cast a light rather than a shade，and silver apples peeped out like stars from under every leaf．But it was the smell which came from it， even more than the sight，that had made everyone draw in their breath．For a moment one could hardly think about anything else．
“Son of Adam，”said Aslan，“you have sown well．And you，Narnians，let it be your first care to guard this Tree，for it is your Shield．The Witch of whom I told you has fled far away into the North of the world；she will live on there，growing stronger in dark Magic．But while that Tree flourishes she will never come down into Narnia．She dare not come within a hundred miles of the Tree，for its smell，which is joy and life and health to you，is death and horror and despair to her．”
Everyone was staring solemnly at the Tree when Aslan suddenly swung round his head（scattering golden gleams of light from his mane as he did so）and fixed his large eyes on the children． “What is it，children ？”he said，for he caught them in the very act of whispering and nudging one another．
“Oh-Aslan，sir，”said Digory，turning red，“I forgot to tell you．The Witch has already eaten one of those apples，one of the same kind that Tree grew from．”He hadn’t really said all he was thinking，but Polly at once said it for him（Digory was always much more afraid than she of looking a fool．）
“So we thought，Aslan，”she said，“that there must be some mistake，and she can’t really mind the smell of those apples．”
“Why do you think that，Daughter of Eve ？”asked the Lion．
“Well，she ate one．”
“Child，”he replied，“that is why all the rest are now a horror to her．That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way．The fruit is good，but they loathe it ever after．”
“Oh I see，”said Polly．“And I suppose because she took it in the wrong way it won’t work for her．I mean it won’t make her always young and all that ？”
“Alas，”said Aslan，shaking his head．“It will．Things always work according to their nature．She has won her heart’s desire；she has unwearying strength and endless days like a goddess．But length of days with an evil heart is only length of misery and already she begins to know it．All get what they want； they do not always like it．”
“I-I nearly ate one myself，Aslan，”said Digory．“Would I-”
“You would，child，”said Aslan．“For the fruit always works-it must work-but it does not work happily for any who pluck it at their own will．If any Narnian，unbidden，had stolen an apple and planted it here to protect Narnia，it would have protected Narnia．But it would have done so by making Narnia into another strong and cruel empire like Charn，not the kindly land I mean it to be．And the Witch tempted you to do another thing，my son，did she not ？”
“Yes，Aslan．She wanted me to take an apple home to Mother．”
“Understand，then，that it would have healed her；but not to your joy or hers．The day would have come when both you and she would have looked back and said it would have been better to die in that illness．”
And Digory could say nothing，for tears choked him and he gave up all hopes of saving his Mother’s life；but at the same time he knew that the Lion knew what would have happened，and that there might be things more terrible even than losing someone you love by death． But now Aslan was speaking again，almost in a whisper：
“That is what would have happened，child，with a stolen apple．It is not what will happen now．What I give you now will bring joy．It will not，in your world，give endless life，but it will heal．Go．Pluck her an apple from the Tree．”
For a second Digory could hardly understand．It was as if the whole world had turned inside out and upside down．And then， like someone in a dream，he was walking across to the Tree，and the King and Queen were cheering him and all the creatures were cheering too．He plucked the apple and put it in his pocket．Then he came back to Aslan．
“Please，”he said，“may we go home now ？”He had forgotten to say“Thank you”，but he meant it，and Aslan understood．
CHAPTER FIFTEEN THE END OF THIS STORY AND THE BEGINNING OF A
Aslan．The children blinked and looked about them．They were once more in the Wood between the Worlds；Uncle Andrew lay on the grass，still asleep；Aslan stood beside them．
“Come，”said Aslan；“it is time that you went back．But there are two things to see to first；a warning，and a command．Look here，children．”
They looked and saw a little hollow in the grass，with a grassy bottom，warm and dry．
“When you were last here，”said Aslan，“that hollow was a pool，and when you jumped into it you came to the world where a dying sun shone over the ruins of Charn．There is no pool now． That world is ended，as if it had never been．Let the race of Adam and Eve take warning．”
“Yes，Aslan，”said both the children．But Polly added，“But we’re not quite as bad as that world，are we，Aslan ？”
“Not yet，Daughter of Eve，”he said．“Not yet．But you are growing more like it．It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things．And soon，very soon，before you are an old man and an old woman，great nations in your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis．Let your world beware．That is the warning．Now for the command．As soon as you can，take from this Uncle of yours his magic rings and bury them so that no one can use them again．”
Both the children were looking up into the Lion’s face as he spoke these words．And all at once（they never knew exactly how it happened）the face seemed to be a sea of tossing gold in which they were floating，and such a sweetness and power rolled about them and over them and entered them that they felt they had never really been happy or wise or good，or even alive and awake，before．And the memory of that moment stayed with them always，so that as long as they both lived，if ever they were sad or afraid or angry，the thought of all that golden goodness，and the feeling that it was still there， quite close，just round some corner or just behind some door，would come back and make them sure，deep down inside，that all was well ．Next minute all three of them（Uncle Andrew now awake）came tumbling into the noise，heat，and hot smells of London．
They were on the pavement outside the Ketterleys’front door， and except that the Witch，the Horse，and the Cabby were gone， everything was exactly as they had left it．There was the lamp-post，with one arm missing；there was the wreck of the hansom cab；and there was the crowd．Everyone was still talking and people were kneeling beside the damaged policeman，saying things like，“He’s coming round”or“How do you feel now，old chap ？”or“The Ambulance will be here in a jiffy．”
“Great Scott ！”thought Digory，“I believe the whole adventure’s taken no time at all．”
Most people were wildly looking round for Jadis and the horse． No one took any notice of the children for no one had seen them go or noticed them coming back．As for Uncle Andrew，what between the state of his clothes and the honey on his face，he could not have been recognized by anyone．Fortunately the front door of the house was open and the housemaid was standing in the doorway staring at the fun （what a day that girl was having ！）so the children had no difficulty in bustling Uncle Andrew indoors before anyone asked any questions.
He raced up the stirs before them and at first they were very afraid he was heading for his attic and meant to hide his remaining magic rings．But they needn’t have bothered．What he was thinking about was the bottle in his wardrobe，and he disappeared at once into his bedroom and locked the door．When he came out again（which was not for a long time）he was in his dressinggown and made straight for the bathroom．
“Can you get the other rings，Poll ？”said Digory．“I want to go to Mother．”
“Right．See you later，”said Polly and clattered up the attic stairs．
Then Digory took a minute to get his breath，and then went softly into his Mother’s room．And there she lay，as he had seen her lie so many other times，propped up on the pillows，with a thin，pale face that would make you cry to look at．Digory took the Apple of Life out of his pocket．
And just as the Witch Jadis had looked different when you saw her in our world instead of in her own，so the fruit of that mountain garden looked different too．There were of course all sorts of coloured things in the bedroom；the coloured counterpane on the bed，the wallpaper，the sunlight from the window，and Mother’s pretty，pale blue dressing jacket．But the moment Digory took the Apple out of his pocket，all those things seemed to have scarcely any colour at all．Every one of them，even the sunlight，looked faded and dingy．The brightness of the Apple threw strange lights on the ceiling．Nothing else was worth looking at：you couldn’t look at anything else．And the smell of the Apple of Youth was as if there was a window in the room that opened on Heaven．
“Oh，darling，how lovely，”said Digory’s Mother．
“You will eat it，won’t you ？ Please，”said Digory．
“I don’t know what the Doctor would say，”she answered．“But really-I almost feel as if I could．”
He peeled it and cut it up and gave it to her piece by piece． And no sooner had she finished it than she smiled and her head sank back on the pillow and she was asleep：a real，natural，gentle sleep，without any of those nasty drugs，which was，as Digory knew，the thing in the whole world that she wanted most．And he was sure now that her face looked a little different．He bent down and kissed her very softly and stole out of the room with a beating heart；taking the core of the apple with him．For the rest of that day，whenever he looked at the things about him，and saw how ordinary and unmagical they were，he hardly dared to hope；but when he remembered the face of Aslan he did hope．
That evening he buried the core of the Apple in the back garden.
Next morning when the Doctor made his usual visit，Digory leaned over the banisters to listen．He heard the Doctor come out with Aunt Letty and say：
“Miss Ketterley，this is the most extraordinary case I have known in my whole medical career．It is-it is like a miracle．I wouldn’t tell the little boy anything at present；we don’t want to raise any false hopes．But in my opinion-”then his voice became too low to hear．
That afternoon he went down the garden and whistled their agreed secret signal for Polly（she hadn’t been able to get back the day before）．
“What luck ？”said Polly，looking over the wall．“I mean， about your Mother ？”
“I think-I think it is going to be all right，”said Digory．“But if you don’t mind I’d really rather not talk about it yet．What about the rings ？”
“I’ve got them all，”said Polly．“Look，it’s all right，I’m wearing gloves．Let’s bury them．”
“Yes，let’s．I’ve marked the place where I buried the core of the Apple yesterday．”
Then Polly came over the wall and they went together to the place．But，as it turned out，Digory need not have marked the place．Something was already coming up．It was not growing so that you could see it grow as the new trees had done in Narnia；but it was already well above ground．They got a trowel and buried all the magic rings，including their own ones，in a circle round it．
About a week after this it was quite certain that Digory’s Mother was getting better．About a fortnight later she was able to sit out in the garden．And a month later that whole house had become a different place．Aunt Letty did everything that Mother liked；windows were opened，frowsy curtains were drawn back to brighten up the rooms， there were new flowers everywhere，and nicer things to eat，and the old piano was tuned and Mother took up her singing again，and had such games with Digory and Polly that Aunt Letty would say“I declare，Mabel，you’re the biggest baby of the three．”
When things go wrong，you’ll find they usually go on getting worse for some time；but when things once start going right they often go on getting better and better．After about six weeks of this lovely life there came a long letter from Father in India，which had wonderful news in it．Old Great-Uncle Kirke had died and this meant，apparently，that Father was now very rich．He was going to retire and come home from India forever and ever．And the great big house in the country，which Digory had heard of all his life and never seen would now be their home；the big house with the suits of armour，the stables，the kennels，the river，the park，the hot-houses，the vineries，the woods，and the mountains behind it．So that Digory felt just as sure as you that they were all going to live happily ever after．But perhaps you would like to know just one or two things more．
Polly and Digory were always great friends and she came nearly every holidays to stay with them at their beautiful house in the country；and that was where she learned to ride and swim and milk and bake and climb．
In Narnia the Beasts lived in great peace and joy and neither the Witch nor any other enemy came to trouble that pleasant land for many hundred years．King Frank and Queen Helen and their children lived happily in Narnia and their second son became King of Archenland．The boys married nymphs and the girls married wood—gods and river-gods．The lamp-post which the Witch had planted（without knowing it）shone day and night in the Narnian forest，so that the place where it grew came to be called Lantern Waste；and when，many years later，another child from our world got into Narnia，on a snowy night，she found the light still burning．And that adventure was，in a way，connected with the ones I have just been telling you．
It was like this．The tree which sprang from the Apple that Digory planted in the back garden，lived and grew into a fine tree．Growing in the soil of our world，far out of the sound of Aslan’s voice and far from the young air of Narnia，it did not bear apples that would revive a dying woman as Digory’s Mother had been revived，though it did bear apples more beautiful than any others in England，and they were extremely good for you，though not fully magical．But inside itself，in the very sap of it，the tree（so to speak）never forgot that other tree in Narnia to which it belonged．Sometimes it would move mysteriously when there was no wind blowing：I think that when this happened there were high winds in Narnia and the English tree quivered because，at that moment，the Narnia tree was rocking and swaying in a strong south western gale．However that might be，it was proved later that there was still magic in its wood．For when Digory was quite middleaged（and he was a famous learned man，a Professor，and a great traveller by that time） and the Ketterleys’ old house belonged to him，there was a great storm all over the south of England which blew the tree down．He couldn’t bear to have it simply chopped up for firewood，so he had part of the timber made into a wardrobe，which he put in his big house in the country．And though he himself did not discover the magic properties of that wardrobe，someone else did．That was the beginning of all the comings and goings between Narnia and our world，which you can read of in other books．
When Digory and his people went to live in the big country house，they took Uncle Andrew to live with them；for Digory’s Father said，“We must try to keep the old fellow out of mischief，and it isn’t fair that poor Letty should have him always on her hands．”Uncle Andrew never tried any Magic again as long as he lived．He had learned his lesson，and in his old age he became a nicer and less selfish old man than he had ever been before．But he always liked to get visitors alone in the billiard-room and tell them stories about a mysterious lady，a foreign royalty，with whom he had driven about London．“A devilish temper she had，”he would say．“But she was a dem fine woman，sir，a dem fine woman．”
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