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纳尼亚传奇2：狮王、女巫和魔衣橱(双语)
作者：C·S·路易斯
内容简介
 在老教授的房子里有许多间屋子，屋子里有许多扇门，但是只有一扇通向另一个世界纳尼亚。 那里流传着一个预言：两个亚当的儿子和两个夏娃的女儿将会现身，击败邪恶的白女巫，结束永恒的寒冬。 狮王阿斯兰说：纳尼亚的未来系于他们的勇气。 在这里，一种命运即将应验，一段传奇拉开序幕 。 小孩子看到的是奇怪又生动的故事；大人们看到的是从冒险经历中的传奇和神话的秘密 一个来自世界之初，充满神奇魔法的国度，充满了时会起而舞蹈的惊奇生物、能言兽和能言树。就在这个时刻，有几个小孩已经打开了前往魔法国度的门 佩文西家四个兄弟姐妹彼得、苏珊、爱德蒙和露茜在一位老教授家做客，无意中发现衣橱后隐藏着一个神奇的魔法王国。这里的居民有羊怪、海狸、矮人、树精但在阿斯兰离开纳尼亚期间，这个国家被一个邪恶的白女巫占领。她压迫纳尼亚的居民，将其置于永恒的冬季之中。羊怪曾冒着生命危险救过露茜，海狸一家也帮助他们兄妹逃脱白女巫的追杀。爱德蒙曾受白女巫土耳其软糖的诱惑，一度背叛过自己的兄妹。 后来，阿斯兰伴随着圣诞老人来到纳尼亚，带领大家战胜了女巫。四个孩子成为纳尼亚的国王与女王。多年后，他们在打猎时无意中穿过衣橱，重新以孩子的身份回到自己的世界。 

第一章 露茜窥探衣橱
从前，有四个小孩子，名字分别为彼得、苏珊、爱德蒙和露茜。下面要说的，就是发生在他们身上的故事。在战争时期，四个孩子被迫离开伦敦，被送往乡下的一位老教授的家里，躲避天天不断的空袭。老教授的家在乡村的中心，它离最近的火车站，也有十英里的距离， 离最近的邮局，估计也得有两英里远。他孤身一人，住着一所很大的房子，有位叫玛卡蕾蒂的女管家和三个仆人（三个仆人分别叫做艾薇、玛格丽特和贝蒂，她们在这个故事里的戏份，其实并不多）。教授年事已高，满头蓬乱的白发，孩子们很快就喜欢上了他。但是第一天晚上，他站在大门口迎接这些孩子的时候，年纪最小的露茜还是感到很害怕，而爱德蒙（稍微比露茜大了一些）却总忍不住想笑，他使劲抿着嘴，装作一次又一次地擦鼻涕，这才没笑出声来。
第一天晚上，他们跟老教授说过晚安，就上楼休息了，两个男孩子来到女孩子的房间里，大家聊起天来。
“我们的运气实在太好了，”彼得说，“在这里，我们就自由啦， 想干什么就干什么。这个老家伙，是不会管咱们的。”
“我倒觉得，他是个挺可爱的老头。”苏珊说。
“哦，得了吧！”爱德蒙说，他明明很累，还要装作不累的样子， 但是这时，他就习惯性地会发脾气，“别扯这些啦！”
“那说些什么呢？”苏珊说道，“算了，你该上床去睡觉了。”
“你说话的口气跟妈妈真像，”爱德蒙说，“我什么时间睡觉， 用得着你来管吗？先管好你自己吧，睡觉去了。”
“大家还是都睡觉去吧？”露茜劝解道，“如果别人听到咱们在这里吵闹，肯定会骂我们的。”
“不会的。”彼得说，“我刚刚不是说了，在这个老教授的家里， 是不会有人管束咱们的。放心，他们听不见咱们说话。从这里到饭厅， 要经过那么多楼梯和走廊，估计得走十分钟呢！”
“那是什么声音？”露茜突然问道。她从来没住过这么大的房子， 想到这里会有一条条长长的过道，和许许多多的空荡荡的房间，她感到有点毛骨悚然，浑身起了鸡皮疙瘩。
“别傻了，那只是鸟儿的叫声而已。”爱德蒙说。
“是猫头鹰的声音吧。”彼得说，“这里肯定有很多鸟儿。我要去睡觉啦。咱们明天再去探险吧。这个地方，肯定会有很多神奇的东西。来的时候，你看到那些山了吗？还有那些树林？里面肯定有很多老鹰啊、小鹿啊，或者鹫之类的动物。”
“会有獾吗？”露茜问道。
“说不定还有狐狸！”爱德蒙说道。
“还有兔子！”苏珊说道。
可是第二天清晨，却下起雨来。雨很大，并没有停的意思，向窗外望去，不要说山脉和树林了，就连花园里的小溪都看不到。
“这讨厌的雨！”爱德蒙不耐烦地说。他们刚刚和教授一起用完了早餐，然后来到楼上教授给他们腾出来的房间里。这是一间低矮狭长的房间，两边各有一扇窗户，可以看到外面的风景。
“别抱怨了，爱德蒙，”苏珊说道，“说不定再过一会，雨就会停了呢。而且，现在也不无聊啊，咱们有广播，还有很多书。”
“我可不喜欢这些玩意，”彼得说，“我要在这所房子里，进行探险活动。”
这个提议得到了大家的赞同，一场奇遇由此拉开了帷幕。这所房子很大，大到你似乎永远都看不到它的尽头，这是一个充满了意外和惊喜的地方。他们打开了几扇门，不出所料，都是没人住的空房间。然后，他们走进了一个挂满了画的、狭长的房间，房间里还有一副盔甲。接着，他们又走进了一个全是绿色植物的房间，在角落里发现了一把竖琴。然后他们又走过两段楼梯，走到了楼上的一个小厅里， 这里有一扇门，通向了阳台。他们从小厅里出来，走进了好几个连在一起的房间，里面装满了书，但是大部分的书都很旧；还有一些书， 比教堂的那本《圣经》还要大。
他们玩了一会，然后走进了一个空荡荡的大房间，这个房间什么都没有，只放着一个很大的衣橱，上面镶着镜子。这里，除了窗台上， 放着一只呆板的蓝色花瓶，好像也没什么其他东西了。
“这儿什么都没有！”彼得说，然后大家就都出去了，露茜却在后面磨磨蹭蹭。她想试着打开那个大衣橱看看，尽管她觉得衣橱的门，肯定是锁上了的。出人意料的是，那扇门很容易就被她打开了， 两颗樟脑丸滚了出来。
她朝里面看了看，柜子里挂着好多长款皮草外套。露茜非常喜欢这些带着香味的柔软光滑的皮草。她一下子跨到了衣橱里，站在皮草的中间，把自己光滑的小脸，贴在柔软的皮草上，轻柔地摩擦。当然， 她没有关上衣橱门，因为她知道，把自己一个人关在橱子里，是极其愚笨的行为。她向橱子里面挪动了一下，发现里面还挂着一排衣服， 衣橱里面真的非常黑。她伸开两只手，向前触摸着，生怕自己的脸会撞到衣橱的后壁。她又向前走了一步，两步，三步，希望能摸到橱壁， 但是她还是摸不到。
“这个衣橱可真大啊！”露茜不禁发出这样的感慨。然后，她不停地拨开两侧柔软的皮衣，继续向前走去。这时候，她感觉到脚底下发出“嘎吱嘎吱”的声音，“是不是踩着樟脑丸了？”她想。她蹲下来，伸手去摸，可是摸到的并不是光滑坚硬的木头橱底，而是一种柔软的、粉末状的、异常冰凉的东西。“好奇怪啊！”她自言自语道， 然后又向里面走了两步。
走着走着，她突然发现，自己的手和脸碰到的，已经不是柔软的皮草了，而是一些很硬很粗糙的、甚至有些刺的东西。“怎么回事？ 感觉像树枝呢！”露茜喊道。这时，她看到前方有一盏亮着的灯。衣橱应该只有几英尺厚，但是这盏灯却亮在很遥远的地方。一些冰冷而柔软的东西轻轻地落在她的身上。她终于发现，自己正站在深夜的树林里，那些冰冷的东西，正是空中飘落的雪花，她脚下是厚厚的积雪。
露茜有点害怕，但更多的是好奇和激动。露茜扭过头望去，穿过黑暗的树干，依然可以看见开着的橱门，甚至可以瞥见那个空房间的一部分（她很有先见之明啊，最初她就选择了敞开橱门，因为她知道把自己关在衣橱里，可真是一件非常愚蠢的事情）。外面仍然是白天。“就算出了什么事，我还可以回去的啊。”露茜一边这样想， 一边继续向前走去，她踩着“嘎吱嘎吱”的积雪，穿过漆黑的树林， 走向那盏灯。
大概走了十分钟，她走到了那个有灯光的地方，才发现这只是一个灯柱。正当她看着那根灯柱，思考这里为什么会有个灯柱，接下来自己该怎么办的时候，她听到了一阵“啪嗒、啪嗒”的脚步声， 向这边走来。很快，从树林中走出来一个很奇怪的人，一直走到了灯柱下。
这个人比露茜稍微高了那么一点点，举着一把伞，伞上覆盖了一层白雪。从上半身看他，像是个人，但他的腿却跟山羊腿很像（上面有乌黑的毛）；他的脚，与其说是脚，不如说是山羊的蹄子。他还有条尾巴，但是露茜第一眼并没有看见，他把尾巴挂在了拿伞的手臂上，防止它在雪地里弄得脏兮兮的。他围着一条红颜色的羊毛围巾， 红通通的脸，长着尖尖的短胡须和卷曲的头发，额头上左右两边各长一只角。虽然长相很奇怪，但是很讨人喜欢。
除了撑伞的那只手，他的另一只手里，抱着几个棕色纸包，看上去像是刚刚为圣诞节采购物品回来的样子。他是一只半羊人。当他看到露茜的时候，惊讶得连手中的纸包，都散落在了雪地里。
“我的天哪！”半羊人喊出了声。

第二章 露茜的意外发现
“晚上好啊！”露茜说道。但是，半羊人忙着捡地上掉落的纸包， 没有立刻回复露茜的问候。等他收拾好，然后站好了，向着露茜微微弯腰鞠躬。
“你好啊，晚上好。”半羊人说道，“不好意思——我不想表现得太好奇——我想知道你是夏娃之女吗？”
“我叫露茜。”露茜回答说，她不知道半羊人在说什么。
“但是——恕我冒昧——你是他们所说的那个女孩吗？”半羊人说道。
“是啊，我是个女孩。”露茜说。
“你真的是人类吗？”
“当然，我是人类啊。”露茜说，她被问得莫名其妙。
“当然，当然，”半羊人说，“你看我多傻啊！我从来没见过亚当之子和夏娃之女的模样。我太高兴了，也就是说……”话到嘴边， 他突然又停下不说了，感觉好像是想起来什么。“太高兴了，太高兴了，”他继续说道，“请允许我自我介绍一下，我叫图姆纳斯。”
“很高兴见到你，图姆纳斯先生。”露茜说。
“露茜，夏娃之女，”图姆纳斯先生问，“我想请问一下，你是怎么来到纳尼亚的呢？”
“纳尼亚？纳尼亚是哪里？”露茜问。
“这里就是纳尼亚啊，”半羊人说，“咱们待的地方就是。从灯柱开始，到东海上的凯尔帕拉维尔城堡。你是从哪里来的呢，是西边的那片野树林吗？”
“我……我是从一间空屋里的衣橱，走进这里来的。”露茜说。
“啊！”图姆纳斯先生听了，有些忧郁地说，“如果我小时候多学点地理知识，对这些奇怪的国家多了解一些，现在就不会弄不明白了。可惜太晚了。”
“它们本来就不是什么国家啊，”露茜说道，她忍不住笑了出来， “它们就在我的后面啊，那边还是夏天呢！”
“可是，”图姆纳斯先生说，“纳尼亚却还是冬天呢。这里的冬天很漫长，如果我们继续站在雪地里说话，一定会感冒的。夏娃之女，你来自遥远的空屋国度，那里是光明的衣橱之城，那里拥有永恒的夏天。你愿意跟我一起回我家，喝杯茶，然后吃些点心吗？”
“谢谢你的邀请，图姆纳斯先生，”露茜说，“但是，我觉得自己是不是该回去了。”
“转个弯就到我家了，”半羊人说，“我家里炉火生得很旺， 有吐司面包、沙丁鱼和草莓蛋糕呢。”
“那好吧。你真是个好人，”露茜说，“但是我不能久留。”
“请抓着我的胳膊吧，夏娃之女，”图姆纳斯先生说，“我们合撑一把伞就好了。请跟我走吧！”
于是露茜就和这个奇怪的家伙，挽着手，走过树林，他们好像是相识已久的好朋友。
没走多远，他们走到一个高低不平，四处都是石头和小山的地方。在一个小山谷的底部，图姆纳斯先生突然转了个弯，朝着一块大石头走了过去。最后，他带着露茜来到一个小洞口，一走进去，露茜就被木柴旺旺的火苗，照得睁不开眼。图姆纳斯先生蹲下身，用一把小火钳夹了一块燃烧着的木柴，把灯点亮了。“茶马上就好啦。”他一边说着，一边烧上了一壶水。
露茜感觉，她似乎从来没有看到过比这里更舒服的地方了。这是一个不大但很干燥的、泛着红光的石头窑洞，洞内收拾得很干净， 地上有张地毯，摆着两把椅子（图姆纳斯先生说，“一张是我坐的， 另一张是朋友们来了会坐的。”），还有一张桌子。洞内还有一个食具柜，火炉上放有个壁炉架，壁炉架上方，挂着一张白胡子半羊人的画像。窑洞的角落里还有一扇门，露茜心想，那应该是图姆纳斯先生卧室的门。门边的一扇墙上满是书，半羊人准备茶点的时候，露茜翻了翻这些书，大概都是些《森林之神的生活和文化》《仙女们的生活习性研究》《人、僧侣和猎场看守人》《民间传说》《人类之谜》之类的书。
“可以吃了，夏娃之女，请你品尝吧。”半羊人说。
这真的是一顿非常丰盛的茶点。先是每人一只漂亮的褐色鸡蛋， 煮得很嫩，然后是沙丁鱼吐司面包、黄油土司、蜂蜜土司，最后的茶点是洒满糖霜的草莓蛋糕。直到露茜再也吃不下任何东西了，这个半羊人才开始讲话。他讲了很多精彩的森林中的故事，比如午夜舞会的盛况，水之精灵和树之精灵是怎么跑出来和半羊人一起跳舞的；他还讲狩猎大会上是怎么追逐白鹿的，这种白鹿能实现你所有的愿望。他还讲了森林盛宴，讲了和机智的红发矮人在地下矿井和洞穴里如何去寻找宝藏。最后，他讲到了森林里的夏天，万物披上绿装，年迈的森林之神必然会骑着一头肥肥的驴子，四处拜访。有时候，酒神巴克斯也会来，他一来，河水全部变成了美酒，整座森林都会沉浸在微醺欢乐的宴会中。“不像现在这样，总是没完没了的冬天！”他突然忧郁起来，为了让自己看起来更精神一些，他从食具柜上的箱子里， 拿出了一根像是用稻草秆做的短笛，吹了起来。笛声使得露茜既想哭又想笑，既想跳舞又想睡觉，露茜就这样恍惚地过了几个钟头，然后清醒过来，说：“抱歉打断了您的演奏，图姆纳斯先生。我很喜欢听， 但是我得回家去了。我本来只打算逗留一小会的。”
“现在可不行，”半羊人放下笛子，悲伤地摇了摇头。
“为什么不行？”露茜受惊地跳起来，“你什么意思，我要马上回家。大家一定担心我了！”接着她又问半羊人，“图姆纳斯先生， 究竟怎么了？”这时，半羊人棕色的眼睛中，慢慢地溢满了泪水，然后眼泪慢慢地流到脸颊，顺着鼻尖滚落。最后他泪流满面，用手捂着脸，开始号啕大哭起来。
“图姆纳斯先生，图姆纳斯先生，”露茜感到又吃惊又难过，“别哭了，到底发生了什么事？你没事吧？亲爱的图姆纳斯先生，请告诉我，到底发生了什么事情。”但是，半羊人依然不停地抽泣，好像心都要碎了。露茜走过去，把他抱在臂弯里，掏出手绢给他，他还是没停下来，只是伸手拿过手绢，边哭边擦。手绢湿透了，他就用双手拧几下。不一会儿，露茜脚下，几乎都成了泪河。
“图姆纳斯先生！”露茜摇晃着他的身体，在他耳边喊的声音很大，“不要哭了，赶快给我停下来！你不害羞吗，一个看起来很了不起的半羊人，究竟是什么事情，让你哭得如此伤心呢？”
“呜呜呜，”图姆纳斯哽咽着说道，“我哭，是因为我是个坏心眼的半羊人。”
“不，你的心眼绝对不坏，”露茜说，“你是一个好心肠的半羊人， 是我遇到的最好的半羊人。”
“呜呜，你知道真相之后，恐怕就不会这么说了。”图姆纳斯先生哽咽着，继续说道，“我心眼很坏的。我觉得，从古至今，在这个世界上，我就是那个最坏的半羊人。”
“那么，你到底做了什么事啊？”露茜问。
“我那老去的父亲，”图姆纳斯先生说，“壁炉架上的那张画像就是他，他一定不会做出这样的事情来。”
“你说的究竟是什么事情呢？”露茜问。
“我是白女巫的人，”半羊人回答道，“我替白女巫做事，我就是干这些事情的，我被她收买了。”
“白女巫，她是谁呢？”
“还用问她是谁吗？就是她，控制了整个纳尼亚！就是她，使得纳尼亚终年寒冬，常年都是冰天雪地，从来没有过圣诞节。你想想， 这一切多么糟糕啊！”
“太可怕了！”露茜问道，“但是她为什么收买你，想让你去做什么事情呢？”
“她要我干的，绝对是世界上最坏的事情，”图姆纳斯先生深深地叹了口气，“我帮她诱拐小孩子。夏娃之女，你会相信，我就是这样一个坏心眼的半羊人吗？当我在森林里，遇到一个天真、可怜、从来没有伤害过我的孩子，我会假装对他友好，把他骗到我家里来， 请他喝茶，然后用笛声哄他入睡，之后把他送给白女巫。”
“我不信。”露茜说，“我肯定，你不会做出这样的事情。”
“我已经做了。”半羊人说。
“那好吧，”露茜说得很慢（因为她不想撒谎，但又不想表现得太过苛责），“好吧，那确实太糟糕了。既然你现在这么愧疚，我相信你不会再做那样的事了。”
“夏娃之女，你难道还不明白吗？”半羊人说，“这不是我以前做的事，而是我现在正在做的事。”
“你这话是什么意思啊？”露茜叫喊道，她的脸，瞬间变得苍白。
“你就是那个孩子啊！”图姆纳斯先生说，“我早就接到了白女巫的命令，如果在森林里，看到亚当和夏娃的儿女，就一定要抓他们回来。你就是第一个孩子，我假装对你好，请你来我家里喝茶， 我一直在等你睡着，之后好去告诉白女巫。”
“不，你不会这样做的，图姆纳斯先生。”露茜说，“你不会去的， 对吗？你，千万不能去啊！”
“如果我不去告密，”他又开始哭了，“她最后还是会发现的。她会割掉我的尾巴，锯下我的角，拔光我的胡子。她还会用魔杖把我美丽的双蹄，变成像马蹄一样难看的单蹄。如果她特别生气，还会把我变成一尊石像，我会成为她恐怖的庭院里，唯一的一座半羊人石像， 一直等到人类占据凯尔帕拉维尔的四个国王的宝座。但是天知道，那得等到什么时候！”
“真对不起，图姆纳斯先生，”露茜说，“但是请求你，让我回家， 好吗？”
“我当然会让你回家的，”半羊人说，“我必须这样做。我从来没有遇到过人类，现在我遇到了，并和你成为朋友。我不能把你白白地送给白女巫。但是我们得马上离开了，我会把你送到灯柱那里， 然后你就可以找到回家的路了。”
“我一定能找到的。”露茜说。
“我们要尽量静悄悄地，”图姆纳斯先生说，“森林里到处都是她的眼线，甚至连一些树木都是。”
他们起身就走，连餐具都没收拾，图姆纳斯先生撑起了那把伞， 让露茜挎着他的手臂，走进了风雪里。他们抄了近路，一声不响地走着，图姆纳斯先生的脸一直隐藏在黑暗中，两人都不发一语。直到看到了那根灯柱，露茜终于松了一口气。
“夏娃之女，你知道回去的路吗？”图姆纳斯问。
露茜仔细地看了一下，然后看到不远处，有一片像阳光的亮光。
“我知道，”她说，“我能看到衣橱的门。”
“那你快走吧。”半羊人说，“你会……会原谅我原来打算做的事情吗？”
“瞧你说的，”露茜真诚地握着图姆纳斯的手说，“我只是希望， 你不要因为放走我，而惹到麻烦。”
“再见吧，夏娃之女。”他说，“我能留下你的这块手绢吗？”
“当然能。”露茜说完，急忙地跑向了远处那片有亮光的地方。不一会儿，她就感到擦过自己身体的，不再是坚硬的树枝，而是柔软的毛皮了，脚底下也不是冰冷的积雪，而是木地板了。转眼间，她发现自己已经跳出了衣橱，回到了那间空房间，她紧张地关上了衣橱的门，四处张望了一下。此刻，她心跳剧烈，喘着粗气。雨还在下着， 她还可以听到走廊里，有人说话的声音。
“我在这里了，”她喊道，“我在这里了，我回来了！我又回来了！”

第三章 爱德蒙和衣橱
露茜跑出了空房间，来到走廊里，找到了其他三个人。
“我回来啦，”她激动地说，“我没事啦！”
“你说什么呢，露茜？”苏珊问道。
“你们为什么不问下，我刚刚去哪里了？”露茜惊讶地说。
“你才刚刚藏起来了，不是吗？”彼得说，“可怜的露茜啊， 谁都没注意到你啊！你要想别人都开始找你，你就得多藏一会儿！”
“可是我已经离开了好几个小时了啊！”露茜说。
三个人都惊讶地睁大了眼睛，面面相觑。
“疯啦！”爱德蒙拍着自己的脑袋说，“这个小孩真是疯啦！”
“你说什么呢，露茜？”彼得问道。
“我是说，”露茜回答，“今天吃过早饭，我走进了那个衣橱， 在里面待了好几个小时，还吃了茶点，发生了很多奇怪的事情。”
“别胡说了，露茜，”苏珊说，“我们刚从那个空房间里走出来， 你就在那里待了一小会。”
“她没胡说，”彼得说，“她只是编了一个有趣的故事，对吗， 露茜？这没什么不好的。”
“不是，彼得，”她说，“这个衣橱是个魔法衣橱，里面有一座正在下雪的森林，还有一个半羊人和一个白女巫，那是个叫做纳尼亚的国家。你们去看看吧！”
露茜说得很激动，大家都不知道是不是应该相信她，就跟着她一起进了屋子。露茜抢先一步，打开了衣橱的门，然后说：“你们看吧， 你们自己走进去看看！”
“别胡说了，笨蛋！”苏珊把头伸进衣橱里，拨开皮草说，“这仅仅是一个普通的橱子啊，看看，这不是后壁吗？”
大家都学苏珊的样子，仔细地查看了衣橱，并且都看到——露茜也看到了——这就是个非常普通的衣橱。没有树林，没有下雪， 只有些衣钩钉在橱子的后壁上。彼得跳了进去，用手指头敲了又敲， 最后确认，这就是个普通的衣橱。
“露茜，你可真会撒谎！”他一边走出衣橱，一边说道，“我们都相信了你的恶作剧，你可真是一个说谎的高手！”
“我没有说谎！”露茜说，“我说的是真的，刚才不是这样的。我发誓，我说的都是真的。”
“得了得了！”彼得说，“你再这么说，可真是太过分了啊！ 玩笑开过了，适可而止吧！”
露茜的脸变得通红，她想为自己辩解，但是一时间又不知道该说些什么，于是大哭起来。
接下来好几天，露茜都开心不起来。她可以很容易地和大家和好， 如果她能向大家承认那个故事只是编造出来的，只是为了让大家开心的。但是露茜是个诚实正直的孩子，她相信自己经历的一切，就是不肯承认那些都是假的。可是其他孩子呢，都认定了她说谎，而且是个非常可笑愚蠢的谎言，露茜感到非常委屈。两个大点的孩子，彼得和苏珊批评她撒谎就算了，可是爱德蒙，好像故意抓住这个把柄不放， 一次又一次地嘲笑她，经常故意问她，有没有在别的衣橱里发现其他的国家。这一天本该是个很愉快的日子，天气晴朗，适合户外运动， 大家整天都在外面洗澡、钓鱼、爬树，或者躺在树丛里。可是，露茜仍然闷闷不乐，一直到接下来的阴雨天。
那天，雨下个不停，到了下午仍然没有转晴的迹象。他们只能在屋里，玩捉迷藏的游戏。苏珊负责找，其他人都躲了起来。大家散开，露茜又一次走到了那个空屋，她并没想躲在衣橱里，因为怕又引得他们议论起之前“说谎”的事情来。可是她确实想再进衣橱看看， 这些天来，她自己也开始怀疑纳尼亚和半羊人，会不会只是个梦罢了。这座房子很大，很复杂，到处都可以藏身，她决定先到衣橱看一眼， 然后再躲到别的地方去，时间是来得及的。谁知她刚走到衣橱口，就听到了走廊里传来脚步声，她来不及躲藏只好跳进衣橱，并且关上了橱门。她并没有关紧，因为她知道，不管这是不是个魔法衣橱，把自己一个人关在衣橱里，都是非常愚蠢的行为。
接着，她听到爱德蒙跑了进来。爱德蒙进屋的时候，正巧看到露茜跳进衣橱里，所以他立刻也跟了上去，他并不是觉得衣橱是个躲起来的好地方，他是想继续奚落露茜，以及她编出来的故事。他打开门，衣橱里依然挂着皮草大衣，并且满是樟脑丸的气味，漆黑一片， 看不到露茜。“她一定以为是苏珊来捉她了，”爱德蒙想，“所以她躲起来，不敢出声。”他跳了进去，然后关上了门。他忘了，这是件多么愚蠢的事情。爱德蒙在黑暗中摸索起来，以为马上就能找到露茜了，可让他惊讶的是，他怎么找也找不到。他打算打开门，让外面的亮光照进来一些，可是却连橱门也找不到了。他着急地四处乱撞， 还大声喊着，“露茜，你在哪里？快出来，我知道你在这里！”
没有人回答。爱德蒙发现自己的声音很奇怪，不是衣橱里那种闷闷的声音，而是身在旷野中的声音。他感到非常冷，接着，他看到了前方有一些光亮。
“谢天谢地！”爱德蒙说，“一定是门自己开了。”他已经不找露茜了，向着光亮走去，以为那就是敞开着的橱门。但是他马上发现自己置身于一片枞树林中的空地上，这里并不是那间空房间。
他的脚下是厚厚的积雪，树枝上也是一堆堆的积雪，头上的天空像蔚蓝色的宝石，是人们在冬日里看到的那种干净而冷冷的色彩。太阳正在升起，将树林染得一片鲜红。这周围安静极了，好像除了他之外，不存在任何的生灵。这偌大的树林，看不到一只鸟儿，或者松鼠。四处都是森林，一眼望不到头。爱德蒙忍不住打了个寒战。
这时候，他想起了露茜。他曾经嘲笑她，和她编造的国家，可是事实却证明，露茜说的全部都是真实的。他觉得露茜肯定就在这附近，于是，大声地喊起来，“露茜，露茜，你在哪里啊？”
仍然没有人回答。
“是不是因为我总嘲笑她，所以她生气了。”爱德蒙想，虽然他不想承认自己错了，但是更不愿意一个人待在这陌生、寒冷又静悄悄的地方，所以他又一次大喊起来：“露茜！是我错了，以前不相信你说的话，对不起。请你出来吧，我们讲和吧！”
“女孩子真是麻烦。”爱德蒙嘟囔道，“都是小心眼，不肯接受别人的道歉。”他看了看四周，觉得自己非常不喜欢这个地方，想赶紧回家。这时，他听到了遥远的树林里，传来隐隐约约的铃铛声。他认真地听着，声音越来越近，最后他看到两匹驯鹿，拉着一只雪橇， 疾驰而来。
这两匹鹿与设德兰群岛的一种矮马大小差不多，它们身上的毛比雪还要白许多。阳光下，它们头上的叉角闪烁着红色的光芒。在它们的脖子上，是深红色的皮革套具，上面挂着铃铛。雪橇上，一个矮胖的小矮人正忙着赶鹿，他站直了的话，大概有三英尺那么高。小矮人穿着白熊皮制作的衣服，头上围着红色头巾，金黄色的穗子长长地从上面垂下，他的大胡子可以一直垂到两膝，简直可以当围巾来使用。在他后面的雪橇中间，那个最高的座位上，坐着一个衣着华丽的女人， 爱德蒙从未见过这样高大的女人。她全身穿着雪白的毛皮，右手握着一支金棒，又长又直，头顶上戴着金冠。除了血红的嘴巴外，女人的脸苍白无比，像雪，像纸，或像冰糖。她的脸孔挺漂亮的，但看上去， 却流露着骄横以及冷酷。
雪橇伴随着“叮当叮当”的铃儿响，向爱德蒙飞奔而来，小矮人把鞭子挥得“噼噼啪啪”，雪橇四边飞溅起雪花，就像一幅美丽的图画。
“停下！”坐在雪橇上的女人命令道，小矮人一下子拉住了驯鹿。驯鹿停得太急，差点坐在雪地上。但是，它们马上就恢复了原来的样子，站在那儿，嘴里的嚼子发出“咯咯”的声音，一直呼呼地喘气。它们鼻孔里呼出来的热气，遇到外面生冷的空气，看起来就像烟雾。
那个女人直盯着爱德蒙，问道：“你是谁？”
“我……我……我叫爱德蒙。”爱德蒙不自然地回答道。他一点都不喜欢她看他的眼神。
女人的眉头皱了起来，“你竟然这样对一位女王讲话。”她的样子看上去更可怕了。
“对不起，陛下，我不知道您是女王。”爱德蒙回答说。
“你不知道，我是纳尼亚的女王？”她大声训斥道，“哼，马上你就会知道了！我再问你一次，你是什么人？”
“陛下，”爱德蒙说，“我不太明白你的意思。我是个学生—— 以前是——不过现在是假期。”

第四章 土耳其软糖
“你是什么人？”女王又问，“你是不是长得高大的矮人，剃掉了胡子？”
“不是的，女王陛下，”爱德蒙说，“我只是个男孩，还没长胡子呢。”
“男孩？”她说，“你是亚当之子吗？”
爱德蒙愣住了，没有回答这个问题。他一点都不明白这句话的意思。
“不管你是不是，但是你肯定是个蠢货。”女王问，“快回答我的问题，别考验我的耐性！你是人类吗？”
“我是，陛下。”爱德蒙回答说。
“现在说清楚，你是怎么来到我的国家的？”
“陛下，我是从一个空房间的衣橱里走过来的。”
“衣橱？什么衣橱？”
“我……我打开了一个衣橱的门，然后进到里面，结果就发现我来到了这里，陛下。”爱德蒙回答。
“啊！”女王与其说跟爱德蒙说话，不如说是在自言自语。“一扇门，一扇连接人类世界的门！以前也有这个传闻，这下可糟糕了。
不过他只是个孩子，还是很容易对付的。”女王一边说，一边从座位上起身，眼睛里像有火焰在燃烧一样，紧紧地盯着爱德蒙的脸。她举起了手中的魔杖，爱德蒙猜想，她一定要做什么可怕的事情了，可是自己的身体却没办法动弹。正当他绝望的时候，女王好像突然改变了主意。
“可怜的孩子！”她的语气突然变得温柔起来，“瞧，这天把你冻得！快来我的雪橇上吧，裹上我的披风，咱们好好聊聊。”
爱德蒙不愿意过去，但是又不敢违背，只好跨上雪橇，坐在她的身边。女王用毛皮披风的一角，把他裹得紧紧的。
“想不想喝点热饮啊？”女王问道，“难道你不愿意来点吗？”
“那太好了，陛下。”爱德蒙冻得牙齿不停地打战。
女王掏出一个铜质的很小的瓶子，然后伸出胳膊，朝雪地上倒了一滴什么东西。爱德蒙看到，这一滴东西在空气中，像钻石一样闪闪发光，在接触雪地的那一刻，它发出“咝咝”的响声，然后变成了一个盛满了饮料、还冒着热气的宝石杯。一个小矮人立刻端起杯子， 然后微笑着鞠躬，把它递给爱德蒙。这个微笑并不友好。爱德蒙喝上一小口，他从来没喝过这种饮料，它很甜，而且夹杂着奶油泡沫， 让他从头暖到脚。
“亚当之子，再来点吃的吧，你最喜欢吃什么啊？”女王问到。
“陛下，我最爱吃土耳其软糖。”爱德蒙说。
女王又用那个小瓶子滴了一滴东西，雪地上立刻出现了一个用绿丝带扎着的圆盒子。打开之后，里面装着好几磅上好的土耳其软糖， 每一块都甜甜软软的，爱德蒙从来没吃过比这更美味的东西。他觉得身体又暖和、又舒服。
在他吃糖的时候，女王问了他很多问题。开始的时候，爱德蒙还会有所顾忌，觉得嘴里全是食物的时候讲话是不礼貌的。但是，过了一会儿，他就忘了，只顾着往嘴巴里塞软糖，越吃越想吃。他也懒得去想，女王为什么要问这些问题。最后，女王知道了，他有一个哥哥， 两个姐妹，小妹妹也来过纳尼亚，还遇到了一个半羊人，大家都对纳尼亚其实一无所知。女王似乎对他们有兄妹四人非常感兴趣，她问了好几次：“你确定你们正好是四个人吗？亚当的两个儿子和夏娃的两个女儿，不多不少？”爱德蒙用塞满了土耳其软糖的嘴巴，艰难地回答，“是的，是的。”他忘了称呼她“陛下”，不过，她好像也不在意这些。
最后，爱德蒙吃光了一整盒的软糖，眼神中依旧流露着不舍， 看着那个盒子，希望她再变出一些来。女王当然知道他的想法，虽然他没说出口。她清楚地知道，这种糖一旦被施了魔法，吃了就会上瘾， 只要有，吃的人就会不停地吃下去，直到中毒身亡。女王并没有再变出糖来，而是说：
“亚当之子，我很希望，能见见你的哥哥和姐妹。你能把他们带过来吗？”
“我试试吧。”爱德蒙说，但是他的眼睛，依然盯着那只空糖盒。
“你下次再来的时候，一定要把他们都带来。我会给你更多的——土耳其软糖。不过现在不行，这个魔法只能用一次。不过，要是在我家就不同了。”
“我们现在去你家，好吗？”爱德蒙说，刚坐上雪橇的时候， 他担心她会把自己带到一个陌生的、永远不能回家的地方，可是现在， 他为了糖果，早把这种危险抛到脑后了。
“我家里是非常舒服的地方，”女王说，“你肯定会喜欢那里的， 有好几个房间，专门放着土耳其软糖。我没有孩子，所以很想领养一个可爱的男孩，将来继承我的王国。他可以戴着王冠，想吃多少软糖， 就吃多少。你是我见过的最聪明、最英俊的男孩了。我建议你，可以把另外几个人都带来，我会让你——做我的小王子。”
“现在不行吗？”爱德蒙说道，他的脸红红的，嘴巴和手指上都是黏糊糊的糖，不管怎么看，他现在既不漂亮，也不聪明。
“如果我现在就带你回家，”她说，“我就不能见到你的兄弟姐妹了。我很想认识一下，毕竟你成为王子，将来成为国王，还需要大臣和贵族的帮助。我会让他们做公爵。”
“他们没有什么特别的，”爱德蒙说，“而且，我以后再带他们来， 也可以的啊。”
“是啊。但是，如果你现在跟我回家，你就会把他们都忘了， 只顾着自己玩。所以你现在必须回家去找他们，然后再跟他们一起来到这里。只有你自己，是不可以的。”
“但是我都不知道怎么回去。”爱德蒙可怜兮兮地说。
“这个简单，”女王说，“你能看见那盏灯吗？”爱德蒙顺着她手中的魔杖望去，看到了露茜第一次见到半羊人的那个灯柱，“一直走，到了灯柱那边，就是通往人类世界的路，然后看另一边，”她又指着另一个方向说，“能看到树后那两座小山吗？”
“看到了。”爱德蒙回答道。
“我的家就在那两座小山之间。下次来的时候，你找到灯柱， 穿过树林找到小山，就可以到我家了。让这条河流一直靠在你的右边。但是你要记住，必须带着你的哥哥、姐姐、妹妹一起过来。如果只来了你一个人，我会非常生气的。”
“我会尽力而为，把他们带来的。”爱德蒙回答。
“嗯，顺便提醒一下，”女王说，“你不必向他们提到我。这是我们两个人的秘密，给他们留个惊喜，该是多么有趣啊。你说，是吗？你只要把他们带到那两座小山附近就行了，你这么聪明，找个借口，应该很容易吧？你到了我家之后，只需要假装说一句，‘让我们过来看看，这是谁的家’，或者类似的话就行了。如果你的妹妹见过半羊人的话，她可能听到过关于我的坏话，所以会害怕过来。半羊人总是胡说，你知道的。现在……”
“陛下，求您了，”爱德蒙插嘴道，“能不能，再给我一块土耳其软糖，让我在回家的路上吃呢？”
“不，不行，”女王大笑着说道，“你只能等到下次。”她说完， 做了个继续前进的手势，雪橇便疾驰而去，女王挥挥手说，“等到下次， 记住，快点回来！”
正当爱德蒙望着远去的雪橇发呆时，听到有人叫他的名字。他转身看到露茜从树林的另一个方向朝他走过来。
“爱德蒙！”她喊道，“你也来啦！这里是不是很神奇？现在你相信我了吧……”
“是啊，”爱德蒙说，“你以前说的都是真的，这真的是一个有魔法的衣橱，我得向你道歉。但是你刚才在哪里啊，我四处找你呢。”
“要是我知道你也来了，我肯定会等你的。”露茜很开心，一点也没留意到，爱德蒙红扑扑的脸，以及急躁的表情。“我和亲爱的半羊人图姆纳斯先生刚刚吃了午饭。还好白女巫没发现他放我走的事情，所以没对他怎么样。”
“白女巫？”爱德蒙问，“谁是白女巫？”
“她是个非常可怕的人，”露茜说，“她自称是纳尼亚的女王， 但是她根本没资格。所有的森林之神、动物、小矮人、半兽人，凡是善良的生灵，都很厌恶她。她做了很多坏事，还能把人变成石头，她施了咒语，让纳尼亚永远都是冬天，而且永远不能过圣诞节。她乘着雪橇，头上戴着王冠，手里拿着魔杖，在森林里到处乱跑。”
爱德蒙吃了太多糖果，觉得很不舒服，现在又听说，他刚刚交到的朋友竟然是个很恐怖的女巫，这让他觉得更不舒服了。但是，他还是想吃土耳其软糖。
“是谁跟你讲的，这些关于白女巫的事情？”他问。
“半羊人，图姆纳斯先生。”露茜说。
“你不要总相信半羊人所说的一切。”爱德蒙说话的样子，像是他更加了解半羊人。
“这是谁说的？”露茜问道。
“所有人都知道，”爱德蒙说，“你问谁，谁都这么说。我们还是别站在雪地里了，赶紧回家吧。”
“好的，我们回家吧，”露茜说，“爱德蒙，我很高兴你也来了， 大家都会相信我了。我们两个人都来过纳尼亚了，这真是有趣极了！”
爱德蒙心里却不是这样想的，至少，纳尼亚并不像露茜说的那么有趣。但是他不得不当着大家的面，承认露茜是对的，而且他还肯定大家都会站在半羊人和其他动物这边，只有他自己站在白女巫那边。当大家都知道纳尼亚之后，他该如何保守自己的秘密呢？
不知不觉中，他们走了很远，忽然感觉到周围不是树枝，而是衣服了，不一会儿，两人又回到了空房间的衣橱中。
“爱德蒙，你的脸色很难看，是不舒服吗？”露茜问。
“我没事。”但是这并不是真的。事实上，他真的觉得很不舒服。
“那走吧，”露茜说，“我们去找他们，我有很多事情，要一一告诉他们！如果我们四个人，一起去纳尼亚，该有多好啊！我们一起参与这场神奇的冒险之旅吧！”

第五章 回到衣橱的这一边
爱德蒙和露茜花了好长时间，才找到正在玩捉迷藏的彼得和苏珊。四个人聚集到那个有盔甲的狭长房间之后，露茜大声地说：“彼得！苏珊！一切都是真的！爱德蒙也看到了。衣橱里面真的藏着一个国家！我俩都进去了！我们是在树林里遇到的。爱德蒙，快！快告诉他们！”
“到底发生了什么事情呢，爱德蒙？”彼得问道。
现在我们到了这个故事中最让人讨厌的部分。在这之前，露茜的做法，让爱德蒙觉得很生气，对于露茜想要怎么做，他现在还不明白。但当彼得忽然问起这个问题时，他决定用他觉得最难堪的回答， 来对待露茜。
“快点告诉我们啊，爱德蒙。”苏珊说。
爱德蒙装出一副很高傲的样子，好像他比露茜成熟许多（其实他们只相差一岁而已）。他轻轻地笑着说道：“噢，是的，我和露茜一直在玩游戏，她把上次说的衣橱里有个国家的故事都当真了。当然， 我们只是开玩笑的。实际上，那里什么东西也没有。”
可怜的露茜看了爱德蒙一眼，然后叹了一口气，跑出了屋子。
爱德蒙越来越让人讨厌了，好像他取得了多大的成功似的，立马又说道：“她又跑出去了，她是怎么了？这就是小孩子最不像话的地方，他们总是这样……”
“听着，”彼得转过身，盯着他说，“闭上你的嘴！自从上次露茜对你说了衣橱的事情以后，你总是对她冷嘲热讽，现在你和她一起在衣橱里玩游戏，又让她生气走了。我看你做的这些事，其实是出于恶意的。”
爱德蒙对此大吃一惊，说：“但是，露茜本来就是在胡说八道啊。”
“她当然是在胡说八道，”彼得说，“这就是问题所在。露茜刚离开家的时候，还是好好的。但是，自从我们来到这里之后，她看起来，要么就是神经不正常，要么就在胡说八道。无论怎么样，你一会嘲笑她，一会唠叨她，一会又怂恿她，这对她，又有什么好处呢？”
“我是想……我是想……”爱德蒙说，但是他又想不出该说什么。
“你压根什么都没想过，”彼得说，“或者根本就是不怀好意的。你对比你小的孩子，一直都是这样，我们以前在学校的时候就见识过了。”
“别吵了，”苏珊说，“你们两个在这里争吵，根本于事无补， 我们还是出去找露茜吧。”
过了好一会，他们才找到露茜，和大家想的一样，每个人都能看出，她刚刚哭过。不管他们怎么安慰她，都没有用。露茜坚持她的故事，说道：“我不介意你们怎么想，也不介意你们怎么说。你们可以去告诉教授，或者给妈妈写信，告诉她这件事。总之，随便你们吧。我清楚地知道，自己在那里遇到了一个半羊人，而且……我希望自己可以留在那里。你们都是老顽固，老顽固！”
这是一个很不愉快的夜晚。露茜觉得很难受，爱德蒙也开始意识到，他的计划并不像他最初预料的那样奏效。那两个大一些的孩子，
开始真的以为露茜的精神有些不正常了。在她睡了很久以后，他们还小声地在走廊里议论这件事情。
议论的结果是，他们决定明天早上把所有的事情都告诉教授。
“如果他也觉得露茜有问题，他会写信给爸爸的，”彼得说，“这件事，我们可管不了。”
于是，他们敲了敲教授的书房门，教授说了句“请进”，然后站起身来，给他们找椅子坐，还说非常愿意为他们处理问题。然后他坐下来，将双手指尖合在一起，安静地听他们说完了整个故事。待他们说完后，他安静了很长一段时间，最后他清清嗓子说的话，完全出乎他们的意料：“你们怎么能够确定，你妹妹的故事不是真的呢？”
“呃，可是……”苏珊欲言又止。每个人都看出了这个老人脸上的严肃。苏珊鼓足勇气说：“但是爱德蒙说，他们只是在玩过家家的游戏。”
“有一个方面，需要你们考虑，”教授说，“需要很慎重地考虑。请原谅我这样问——根据你们的了解，你们觉得是弟弟，还是妹妹更为可靠？我的意思是，谁更诚实？”
“这个问题很有趣，先生，”彼得说，“至少直到现在，我都觉得露茜比爱德蒙诚实多了。”
“那你是怎么想的呢，亲爱的孩子？”教授转过脸来问苏珊。
“嗯，”苏珊说，“我同意彼得的看法。但是关于森林和半羊人的故事，不可能是真的吧？”
“这个问题，我也不确定，”教授说，“但是，随便去指责一个你们一直都觉得诚实可靠的人在说谎，这倒是一个很严重的问题啊。”
“我们倒不担心露茜会说谎，”苏珊说，“我们担心露茜，可能精神上出了点问题。”
“你是说，她疯了吗？”教授的语气依然很冷静，“这个问题， 其实你们可以很容易判断出来。你们可以通过跟她聊天，观察她的脸色来判断。”
“可是……”苏珊欲言又止。她做梦也没想到一个大人，而且还是教授，竟然说出这些话。她被弄糊涂了。
“逻辑！”教授像是在自言自语地说，“现在的学校，怎么都不教给你们逻辑呢？这件事情只有三种可能性：要么是你们的妹妹在说谎，要么是她的精神出了问题，要么是她说的全部是真话。你们都觉得她是个诚实可靠的人，而且她看上去也不像疯了，在没有别的证据出现之前，我们只能假定，她说的都是真话。”
苏珊紧紧地盯着教授，他的表情很严肃，她可以确定的是，他不是在开玩笑。
“但是，这怎么可能是真的呢，先生？”彼得问。
“为什么就不可能是真的呢？”教授反问到。
“好吧，”彼得说，“如果是真的，为什么不是所有人去衣橱里都能找到那个国家呢？上次我们去看的时候，里面什么也没有，还是露茜亲自带我们去的，结果她自己什么都没看到。”
“这又怎么样呢？”教授说。
“如果露茜说的一切都是真的，那些东西就应该一直在里面啊。”
“应该吗？”教授问道，彼得不知道该怎么回答了。
“而且露茜在橱子里只是待了一分钟，”苏珊说，“就算有那样一个国家，她也根本没时间去。我们刚从那个空房间里走出来，她跟在我们后面，前后不到一分钟，她却说自己去了好几个钟头。”
“这些才让她的故事显得更真实，”教授说，“如果这房子里真的有一扇门，通往另一个世界——我得提醒你们，这是一栋非常神奇的房子，连我对它都知之甚少——她去了另一个世界，那个世界有自己的时间，一个人不管在那里待多久，花费的都不是我们这个世界的时间。另外我觉得，像她这个年纪的女孩，不可能编出这样的故事。如果她想撒谎，她会在橱子里多藏一会儿，再出来讲故事，这样才合情合理啊。”
“可是先生，你也觉得，”彼得问道，“在这个空房间里，或者说， 在某个角落，到处都有可能存在着别的世界吗？”
“万事皆有可能，”教授说着摘下了自己的眼镜，一边擦着， 一边自言自语地说，“我真不知道学校平日里，到底都教了这些孩子们什么东西啊。”
“可是我们该怎么办呢？”苏珊说，她觉得这场谈话的主题已经开始转移了。
“亲爱的小女士，”教授突然抬起头来，用一种很严肃的表情望着他们说，“有一个计划，你们说了那么多其他的想法却一直提起， 但是这事是值得尝试的。”
“要怎么做呢？”苏珊问道。
“管好自己的事情就行了。”他说道。至此，谈话结束。
这之后，事情有所好转。彼得开始劝告爱德蒙，不要再嘲笑露茜， 包括露茜在内的所有人，也不再谈论衣橱的事情。这似乎已经变成了一个非常敏感的话题。在相当长的时间里，所有的冒险和奇遇都好像结束了。事实上，这只是刚刚开始。
教授的这所古老的房子，虽然他自己知之甚少，但是却非常有名。来自全国各地的人都希望能来这儿参观。这所房子经常出现在旅欧指南类的书籍上，甚至在各类历史书籍上，它也记载了各种各样的故事， 那些故事比我现在讲的更要离奇。每当观光客人要求参观的时候，教授总是欣然答应，然后女管家玛卡蕾蒂太太，就会带领他们四处参观， 向他们介绍那些名画、盔甲，以及书房里的稀有书籍。玛卡蕾蒂太太不太喜欢孩子，当她给观光客人讲述自己所知道的故事时，最烦孩子们在旁边插嘴打断她。所以在孩子们来这里的第一天，她就向他们交代过（当然，还有很多别的规矩）：“你们要记住，我带人参观的时候， 你们能离多远，就离多远。”
“她真的以为，我们喜欢跟一群陌生人，四处乱逛，浪费时间啊。” 爱德蒙说，其余三个孩子也有同感。谁又能想到，第二次历险，就是因此开始的。
几天以后，彼得和爱德蒙正盯着那副盔甲，想试试，能不能把它拆下来，两个小女孩忽然跑进来说，“小心啊，玛卡蕾蒂太太带着一群人过来了！”
“快走！”彼得说，四个人快速地从另外一边的门缝里溜了出去， 到了休息室，跑过书房，接着他们听到有人说话的声音，这才意识到， 玛卡蕾蒂太太并没有按照他们所想的去前楼，而是带着观光的人群来后楼了。之后，不知道是不是他们一时着急了，还是觉得玛卡蕾蒂太太真的要抓他们，在这所房子里有一种神奇的力量，驱使他们前往纳尼亚，他们感觉无论走到哪里，都有人在跟踪，最后苏珊说，“这些游客太讨厌了！走，让我们躲到有衣橱的那个房间里吧，他们应该不会跟到那里去的！”但是他们刚到那个房间，就听到外面走廊有人说话，然后有人摸门，回头一看，门把手转动了。
“快！”彼得说，“没别的地方能躲了！”他使劲推开衣橱门， 四个人都躲进了黑乎乎的衣橱里。彼得带上了衣橱的门，却没有关紧它，因为他知道，明智的人永远也不会把自己关在衣橱里。

第六章 进入森林里
“我希望玛卡蕾蒂快点离开，”不一会儿，苏珊说，“我抽筋了， 越来越疼啊。”
“樟脑丸的气味太让人恶心了！”爱德蒙说。
“我倒是希望，这些外套的口袋里放满樟脑丸，这样就不会有飞蛾了。”苏珊说道。
“有什么东西在戳我的背。”彼得说。
“而且，我还感觉凉凉的？”苏珊说。
“听你这么说，确实觉得有点冷，”彼得说，“岂有此理，这里竟然还是湿漉漉的。这个地方怎么了？我坐的地方怎么越来越湿了呢？”他一下子跳了起来。
“我们出去吧，他们已经走了。”爱德蒙说。
“噢……噢！”苏珊突然大声叫喊，大家一起问她究竟发生了什么事情。
“我坐在一棵树的下面，”苏珊说，“看！那边有灯光。”
“天啊，你说得对，”彼得说，“你们看那边，还有那边。这不是个森林吗？那些凉飕飕的东西，是雪啊。为什么啊？我现在相信，我们待的地方就是露茜来过的森林了。”
正像彼得所说的那样，四个孩子站在冬日的阳光下，眨巴着眼睛。在他们的后面，悬挂着的是皮草外套，而他们的前面，则是覆盖着皑皑白雪的森林。
彼得立刻转身，面向露茜真诚地说道：“我之前对你很不信任， 也很无礼，为此我道歉。”他说，“对不起，我们可以握手言和吗？”
“当然。”露茜一边说，一边伸出了手，与他握手。
“现在，”苏珊说，“我们该怎么办？”
“这个还用问吗？”彼得说，“还用说，我们当然得去森林里， 进行探险活动啦。”
“啊！”苏珊跺着脚说，“这里太冷了，咱们拿几件衣服穿上， 再到这里开始探险活动，可以吗？”
“可是，那些衣服，不是咱们的。”彼得有些迟疑。
“我看没人会在意的，”苏珊说，“我们又不会把它们带到房子外面去，我们只是在衣橱里穿穿而已。”
“我怎么没想到这一点呢，苏珊，”彼得说，“按照你说的意思， 咱们还是可以穿的。衣服是你在衣橱里拿的，最后还会放在衣橱里， 就不会有人说你偷衣服了。我猜这整个国家应该都在衣橱里吧。”
于是，他们马上执行了苏珊这个合情合理的建议，衣服很大， 他们穿在身上，一直拖到脚边，看上去就像穿着皇家的长袍。顿时， 每个人都觉得暖和多了，这样的装扮看上去也与这冰天雪地的风景更加地符合。
“我们可以假装成北极探险家。”露茜说。
“不用装成探险家，这已经够刺激的了。”彼得一边说着，一边带领大家走向森林。头上乌云密布，看来在傍晚之前会有一场大风雪。
“大家听我说，”爱德蒙说道，“如果我们要去灯柱那边的话， 得向左走一点儿。”他一时忘记自己要装作从来没有来过这里的样子， 话一出口，他就意识到，自己露馅了。大家停了下来，盯着他看。彼得吹了一声口哨。
“所以你来过这里，”他说道，“上次露茜说，她在这里遇到你， 你却说她撒谎了。”
然后大家陷入了无比的安静中。“唉，真是什么人都有啊……” 彼得耸了耸肩，就没再说下去。其实，也没什么可说的了。过了一会， 四个人又继续出发，继续他们的旅程。爱德蒙在心里暗暗地发誓，“我总有一天，会让你们尝到苦头，你们这些自以为是的伪君子。”
“我们到底去哪里呢？”苏珊问道，她之所以这样说，其实主要是为了岔开话题，缓解尴尬。
“我觉得，应该让露茜做向导，”彼得说，“只有她才配做我们的向导。露茜，你打算带我们去哪里？”
“我们去看看图姆纳斯先生吧，”露茜回答，“他就是我跟你们说过的，那个善良的半羊人。”
这个提议得到大家的一致赞同，于是他们立刻出发，连蹦带跳地去找半羊人了。露茜确实是个好向导。起初，她还担心自己会找不到路，但是后来她认出了一棵长得很奇怪的树和一个树桩，终于把大家带到了那个崎岖不平的山谷中，没多久就到了图姆纳斯先生的洞口。可是眼前可怕的景象，却让他们大吃一惊。
洞门已经被拆了下来，断成了好几块，洞内黑乎乎的，潮湿阴冷， 有一股发霉的味道。看来，这个地方应该好久没人居住了。雪花从洞口飞了进来，堆积在了门口，里面还夹杂着烧剩下的木炭灰。很显然， 有人曾把烧着的木柴扔进洞里，之后又踩灭了。陶罐碎了一地，而半
羊人父亲的画像，则被人用刀子，割成了碎片。
“这个地方简直糟糕透了，”爱德蒙说，“我们来这里干什么？”
“这个是什么？”彼得弯下身说道，他看到地毯上，钉着一张小纸条。
“上面写了什么吗？”苏珊问。
“是的，这个上面好像真的有字，”彼得说，“但是在这里， 我看不清楚，我们拿到外面去看看吧。”
他们跑到了洞外，借着外面的阳光，彼得念道：“本处原主， 半羊人图姆纳斯，因背叛纳尼亚女王——凯尔帕拉威尔城堡的女主人以及孤独群岛的女皇简蒂丝陛下，窝藏陛下的敌人，勾结人类，罪行严重，被捕入狱，等待受审。”
（签名）保安局长封列士·尤尔夫。女王陛下万岁！
孩子们互相看了看。
“我觉得我可能不会喜欢这个地方。”苏珊说。
“这个女王是谁，露茜？”彼得问，“你知道她的事情吗？”
“其实，她根本不是一个真正意义上的女王，”露茜说，“她是个可怕的女巫，白女巫。森林里所有的人都对她恨之入骨。她对这个国家实施了一种妖术，使得这里常年都是冬天，没有圣诞节。”
“我怀疑继续走下去，一定会出什么事，”苏珊说，“我的直觉告诉我，这里好像并不安全，也没有好玩的地方。天气越来越冷了， 咱们也没带吃的东西，不如现在就回家吧？”
“不，我们不能，”露茜说，“你没看到吗？我们不能回家。都是因为我，可怜的半羊人才惹了这个麻烦。是他保护我，送我回家， 我才没有被白女巫抓住。这就是纸上所说的，窝藏陛下的敌人，勾结人类。我们必须想办法去救他啊。”
“我们能做什么啊！”爱德蒙说，“我们甚至连吃的东西都没有！”
“你闭嘴！”彼得说，显然，他还在生爱德蒙的气，“你的意思呢， 苏珊？”
“我不得不说，露茜是对的，”苏珊说，“虽然我一步也不想再往前走了，真希望咱们从来没有到过这里。但是，我们必须为那个先生——他叫什么名字我已经记不清楚——就是那个半羊人，我们必须得为他做点什么。”
“我也是这么想的，”彼得说，“虽然没带吃的东西，我想咱们可以回去拿点食品再回来。但是我又担心，一旦出去，就不能再来这个国家了，所以我们只能继续前进。”
“我同意。”两个女孩子齐声说道。
“要是我们能够知道，这个可怜的先生被关在哪里就好了！” 彼得说。
大家都不说话了，思考着，接下来该怎么办。突然，露茜喊道：“快看！那里有一只知更鸟！快看，它的胸脯多红啊！它可是我在这里看到的第一只鸟！哎呀，不知道纳尼亚的鸟儿，会不会讲话呢！它好像有话对咱们说呢！”说着，她就走到知更鸟面前问道：“请问，你知道图姆纳斯先生被抓去哪里了吗？”她说着说着，向鸟儿走近了一点， 知更鸟立刻跳开了，落在了旁边的一棵树上，紧紧地盯着这些孩子， 好像能听懂他们说话。四个孩子不由自主地走向它，看到他们靠近了， 知更鸟又飞到了另外一棵树上，仍然看着他们。（你肯定没有看过一只比它的胸脯更鲜红、眼睛更明亮的知更鸟。）
“你们不觉得，”露茜说，“它的意思是让咱们跟着它走吗？”
“我也这样认为，”苏珊说，“彼得，你觉得呢？”
“嗯，我们试试吧。”彼得说。
上，总是落到离他们不到几步远的地方，使得他们很容易就跟上来了。就这样，知更鸟引导着他们，慢慢地走下了山坡，它每降落在一棵树上，那棵树就会掉下一大片雪来。不一会儿，天空中的乌云散开了，太阳出来了，白茫茫的雪原变得晶莹而耀眼。大概走了半个小时， 两个女孩走在前面，这时，爱德蒙开口对彼得说，“如果你不再这么高傲自大，不拿我当回事，我有话对你说。”
“你想说什么呢？”彼得问。
“嘘，小声点，”爱德蒙说，“别吓着女孩子。你有没有意识到， 咱们在干什么呢？”
“干什么？”彼得压低了声音。
“我们跟随着这只鸟儿，但是我们一点都不了解它，怎么知道它是不是女巫那边的人呢？难道它不会把我们带到非常危险的地方去吗？”
“这个想法很荒谬。在我知道的所有故事中，知更鸟都是善良的。我确定，这只知更鸟不会站在坏蛋的那一边。”
“就算是这样吧，可是到底哪边才是好的呢？我们怎么才可以知道半羊人是好的，而女王（我知道别人都说她是女巫）却是坏的呢？ 他们两边的情况，我们可是一点都不了解啊！”
“可是那个半羊人，曾救过露茜一命。”
“这是半羊人他自己说的，我们不知道那是真的还是假的。另外， 谁还记得回家的路呢？”
“天哪！”彼得说，“这个问题，我还真没仔细考虑过。”
“而且咱们连晚饭估计也吃不上了。”爱德蒙说。

第七章 在海狸家度过的一天
两个男孩在后面低声交谈时，女孩们忽然大叫一声“哦！”， 并停住了脚步。
“知更鸟！”露茜大声叫喊道，“它飞走了。”是的，它飞走了， 飞得看不到一点影子了。
“我们接下来，该做什么呢？”爱德蒙看了彼得一下，他似乎在说，“我刚刚和你聊到哪里了？”
“嘘！快看！”苏珊说。
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“什么啊？”彼得问。
“在那里，靠左一些，树林中有个东西，它在动。”
他们努力地睁大双眼寻找，直到眼睛有些微微发疼。
过了不一会，苏珊说：“它又动了一下。”
“这下子，我也看到了，”彼得说，“它还在那里，现在跑到一棵大树后边去了。”
“那是什么呢？”露茜问着，她极力地想掩饰自己的恐惧。
“谁知道呢，”彼得说，“它总是想躲闪，好像不想让我们见到。”
“我们回家吧。”苏珊说。一下子，虽然大家谁也没立刻大声
说出来，但却意识到了一个问题，这也是刚刚爱德蒙与彼得小声交流时提到的事，他们迷路了。
“它像什么呢？”露茜问。
“它……它是一种动物吧。”苏珊话音未落，又立刻喊道，“快看！看呐！它在那里。”
这一回，他们终于看清楚了，那是一张毛茸茸的脸，上面长满了络腮胡子，从树后面伸出来，看着他们。这一次，它没立刻缩回头， 而是用爪子放在嘴上，如同我们把手指放在嘴唇上的模样，示意他人保持安静。之后，它就不见了。孩子们站在那里，屏住呼吸。
不一会，那只古怪的动物，从树后面走出来，向周围看了一圈， 那模样像是怕有人会盯上他们。它向他们“嘘”了下，打了个手势， 示意他们来到它身边的密林中，然后，它又一次消失了。
“我大概知道它是什么动物了，”彼得说，“它应该是海狸， 我看它的尾巴很像。”
“它让我们去它那里，”苏珊说，“并且让我们不要发出声音。”
“我知道，”彼得说，“但我们现在去还是不去呢？露茜，你觉得呢？”
“我感觉，它应该是一只善良的海狸。”露茜说。
“是吗？但我们还是无法确认啊。”爱德蒙问道。
“让我们冒险一次，不就可以了吗？”苏珊说，“我的意思是， 我们站在这里解决不了任何问题。而且我饿了。”
海狸这时又从树后伸出脑袋，对着他们真诚地点头，示意他们过去。
“跟我来，”彼得说，“我们试试吧。我们大家互相靠近点， 假如它是有恶意的，我们就跟它拼了。”
孩子们紧紧靠在一起，一步一步朝着那棵树走过来，一直走到海狸最初站的那棵树后面，海狸继续往前引路。它压低了声音用一种低沉且嘶哑的声音，对他们说：“再往里一些，再过来一些，到我这里来，外面太危险了！”
它把他们带到一个非常幽静而且黑暗的地方。这里，四棵树紧紧缠绕，树枝与树枝相连，纵使雪花也落不下来，褐色的泥土和松针在地上清晰可见。来到这里，海狸才开始与孩子们说起话来。
“你们是亚当之子和夏娃之女吗？”它问道。
“我们算是其中的几个。”彼得回答。
“嘘……！”海狸说，“小声一些，就算在这里，我们还是有危险。”
“你究竟害怕什么呢？”彼得说，“在这里，除了我们之外， 根本就没有其他人了。”
“这里的树，”海狸说，“它们一直都竖着耳朵。当然大多数树是好的，但也有一些背叛了我们，投靠了她。你们应该知道，我说的是谁吧？”它一边说，一边点了点头。
“假如树会投靠不同的人，”爱德蒙说，“可是我们也无法判断， 你是敌是友啊。”
“不要怪我们，海狸先生，”彼得解释着，说道，“毕竟，我们还不熟悉彼此。”
“是的，是的，”海狸说，“这是我的信物。”它拿出了一件白色的小东西，孩子们吃惊地看着它。露茜忽然说道：“这是我的手帕， 之前我把它送给了可爱的图姆纳斯先生。”
“是的，”海狸说，“他是我可怜的朋友。被捕之前，他就已经收到了风声，于是把这块手帕交给了我，说如果他发生了意外，就让我必须在此与你们见面，并带领你们到……”说到这，海狸把声音
压低到大家似乎都听不见了。它向着孩子们神秘地点头，并做了一个手势，让他们靠近它站着，孩子们的脸痒痒的，因为几乎已经快要贴到它的胡子上了。它小声地说：“据称阿斯兰正在活动，他或许已经登陆了。”
奇怪的事情就这样发生了——孩子们和你一样，都不知道阿斯兰究竟是谁。但从海狸口中说出“阿斯兰”这个名字时，几乎每个孩子都有种神奇的感应。在梦中，我们也会有类似的感觉。就像白天， 你听到一件新鲜的事情，直到梦中，它还会出现，你会觉得这件事很重要——当然，这并非一场噩梦，而是用所有语言都无法描述的、一种美好的、让人终生难忘的、想不断重温的美梦。现在，也是这样的。听到阿斯兰的名字，所有的孩子们都感觉到内心有一种东西在跳动。爱德蒙却感到有一种莫名的恐惧，彼得觉得一切都无所谓了， 苏珊觉得身边始终围绕着一种芬芳的气息以及一首美妙动人的歌曲。露茜呢，她是真心地感到快乐和兴奋。就像，某个早晨你醒来，想到了假期或夏季就是从今天开始时的心情。
“可是，图姆纳斯先生究竟怎么样了？”露茜问道，“他现在在哪里呢？”
“嘘……”海狸说，“不要在这里说这些了，我带你们去一个真正能说话，以及吃饭的地方。”
除了爱德蒙，现在孩子们谁也不再怀疑海狸了。当然，包括爱德蒙在内，孩子们都很高兴，因为听到了“吃饭”这个词。
他们匆匆忙忙地跟在新朋友的后面，朝着前方走去。海狸的速度之快让人惊讶，它领着他们走向了森林深处，走了几乎一个小时。大家都感到非常地疲累，饥饿难忍。这时，树木突然变得稀疏，地面的坡度也开始陡峭起来。向前几步，他们走出了树林。前面是蔚蓝色的晴朗天空，太阳光芒四射；向四周望去，这里风景如画。
他们此刻，站在陡峭的山谷边上，若不是冰冻，谷底一定是条汹涌澎湃的、壮丽的河流。在他们脚下，水坝横跨奔涌的河面上。孩子们看到水坝，突然想到海狸擅长筑坝。他们敢肯定，脚下这条长长的水坝就是眼前这位海狸先生所筑的。他们看到海狸的脸上流露出谦虚的神情，如同你去别人家花园里参观，或阅读别人写的书时，园丁和作者常常会流露出的那种表情。苏珊说：“这水坝筑得太棒了！” 海狸先生这次并没阻止道“别大声说”，而是连连说道，“只不过是一个拙作！只不过是一个拙作而已！它还没有筑好呢！”但孩子们知道，谦虚的海狸这样说，其实是出于一种礼节。
河坝上游的一边，原来只是很深的水池子，现在看上去，却如同一个平坦的暗绿的冰池。河坝下游的一边很低，不如上游那样平滑， 结了更多的冰，被冻成了泡沫的样子，呈现出波浪起伏的形状。在河流结冰之前，河水流过河坝会飞奔而下，飞溅起浪花朵朵。河坝的一侧，之前是漫水和过水之地，如今形成了一道冰墙，在阳光下闪耀着， 如同挂满了晶莹剔透的、洁白无瑕的鲜花、花环或花冠。大坝的中心有一间形状有趣的小屋子，像是庞大的蜂箱，屋顶的洞中正冒出缕缕炊烟。当看到这样的情景，特别是肚子饿得“咕咕”直叫时，你会立马想到，里面在煮着什么东西，于是就更加饥饿了。
其他三个孩子看到的主要是这些，而爱德蒙却看到了其他的东西。比如顺着河流而下，不远处，还有一条河流从另外的山谷流出， 一直流到这里与这条河流交汇。爱德蒙抬头望向不远处的山谷，两座小山映入眼帘，他似乎十分肯定，在那里，那天他与白女巫在一根灯柱下告别的时候，她曾指给自己看的就是那两座小山。他想，在两座小山之间，也许就是女王的宫殿，离他仅有一英里远，甚至还没有那
么远。他也想到了土耳其软糖，甚至想去当国王（“如果换成是彼得， 他会怎么办呢？”他问自己），在他的头脑中，闪现了一个可怕的想法。
“到家了，”海狸说，“看看，我的太太正在等候我们。好吧， 让我来为大家带路，一定要小心，别滑倒了啊。”
河坝很宽，上面可以走路，但对我们来说，行走在上面还是有些不方便。因为大坝上覆盖了一层冰雪，朝下看去，平坦的水池也结满了冰。在另外一侧，因有较大的落差，看上去，有些吓人。在海狸先生的带领下，他们单个行走在大坝的中间。站在这里，他们能看到， 沿着河流向上，有条很长的路，当然向下也有条同样长的路。走到坝的中间，就到了小屋的门口了。
“我们到家了。海狸太太，”海狸先生说，“我终于找到了他们。他们就是亚当之子和夏娃之女，他们来到这里了。”
露茜刚刚走到屋里，就听到“咔嚓”“咔嚓”的声音，里面站着海狸妈妈，看上去很慈祥。她的嘴巴咬着一根线，坐在角落里，踩着脚踏缝纫机——原来就是它传出了“咔嚓、咔嚓”的声音。孩子们走进屋里，她就停止了手中的活计，起身来迎接大家。
“终于把你们盼来了！”她伸出苍老的爪子，上面布满了皱纹， “你们来了！我做梦都没想到，自己会有这一天！锅里煮着土豆，水壶响了。海狸先生，我想你肯定还可以再给我们捉些鲜鱼来吧。”
“当然。”海狸先生回答道，提着一个水桶走出了屋，彼得跟了上去。他们穿过结满冰的深水池，来到一块冰前，这上面有个小窟窿，海狸先生每天在此用斧子打凿。海狸先生在洞边静悄悄地坐下来（他好像并不在乎这样冷的天气），眼睛盯着洞中的河水，一动也不动。忽然他把爪子伸进水中，稳中带快，瞬间捉住了一条漂亮的鳟鱼。之后，它又用了同样的方式，捉住了好多条鱼。
在海狸与彼得出去捉鱼时，女孩子们则帮助海狸太太灌满了水壶，收拾好饭桌并切好面包，热好了菜，然后从屋子角落的桶里为海狸先生盛出大杯啤酒来。最后，他们将煎鱼的锅放在了火炉上，倒上了油，烧热。露茜觉得海狸家虽不像图姆纳斯先生的窑洞那么大，却也精巧舒适。 屋子里没有书，也没有画，仅有两个墙洞，那是他们的床， 看上去，如同在一艘靠着墙壁的轮船上。屋顶下挂着火腿和串串洋葱， 靠着墙壁还放着胶鞋、黄油布、斧刀、羊毛剪刀、铲子与泥刀和一些运送泥灰的工具，还有钓鱼竿、捕鱼网和鱼篓子。桌子上的台布， 虽然粗糙不堪，却很干净。
正当油锅热到嘶嘶作响时，彼得与海狸先生提着鱼回来了，鱼已经被海狸先生在外面洗得干干净净。你们可以想象，新鲜的鱼放在锅里烹饪的那一刻，味道该有多么让人垂涎，孩子们的肚子早已经饿得咕咕叫，现在他们更希望能早点煎好这些鱼。在海狸太太说“我们就要开饭啦”之前，他们早已饥饿不堪。苏珊把土豆滤干后，把它放在了炉子的空锅内烘烤，露茜帮着海狸太太，把鳟鱼放进盘子中。没几分钟，大家就摆好了凳子，准备吃饭了（海狸家中几乎都是三条腿的凳子，除了那把放在灶边，是为海狸太太定做的特制的摇椅）。其中有一罐牛奶，是专程为孩子们准备的（海狸先生只喝啤酒）， 深黄色的奶油，被放在了桌子中央，在吃土豆时，大家都可以取用。孩子们都觉得——当然我也认同他们的想法——能吃上半小时之前还活着的、半分钟之前才从锅里拿出来的鱼，简直就是人间的美味。吃完鱼后，出乎意料的是，海狸太太还从炉子内取出了果酱卷，正腾腾地冒着热气。海狸太太把水壶移到炉子上，孩子们吃完果酱卷， 茶也就备好了。孩子们喝着茶，把凳子往后移了下，靠着墙，全都舒服自在地，舒了口气。
“现在，”海狸先生往旁边推了下空啤酒瓶，举着茶杯说，“等我去抽袋烟，好吧？我们现在，可以开始行动了。看，天又下起了大雪，”他抬头望着窗外，说道，“下雪了，形势就更有利于我们了， 更不会有人来找我们。另外，即使有人想跟踪你们，他也无法发现你们的脚印了。”

第八章 饭后发生的故事
“现在，”露茜说，“请告诉我们，图姆纳斯先生究竟遇见了什么事情？”
“嗯，糟糕透顶。”海狸先生摇着脑袋说，“那是一件异常糟糕的事。可以确定的是，他是被保安局的人给带走了。我是从一只鸟儿那里打听到了这件事情的，它亲眼见到他被带走了。”
“但是，他会被带到什么地方呢？”露茜问。
“好吧，据说最后看到他们的时候，他们朝北走去了。大家都明白那是什么意思。”
“可是，我们不明白啊。”苏珊说道。
海狸先生显得异常忧郁，他摇了摇头，说道：“恐怕他被他们带到了她的宫殿。”
“那他们会怎么对待他呢，海狸先生？”露茜喘着气，问道。
“唉，”海狸先生说，“很难说到底会发生什么，毕竟很少有人被抓进去了还能再次出来。那些出来的人会说，庭院、楼上、大厅内， 全部都是雕像，触目惊心的雕像。她把那些人都变成了……”他停顿了一下，继续颤抖着说，“都变成了石头。”
“但是，海狸先生，”露茜说，“我们没有……我觉得我们， 一定得去救他。这样的事情实在太可怕了。而且这件事情多半是因我而起的。”
“我相信你，如果你们有办法的话，当然可以救他出来，宝贝们，” 海狸太太说，“但是，没有她允许的话，你们很难进入那座宫殿。就算进入了，能不能活着出来也很难说。”
“难道我们不可以用一些计策吗？”彼得说，“比如，我们打扮成小商贩或其他人，或者趁她不在家的时候，偷偷地潜入那座宫殿， 或者……她真该死。我们要想尽一切办法，把他给救出来。海狸先生， 这位半羊人，他不顾自己的生命安危，救了我妹妹一命，我们不能只让他一个人去……去承受……承受这……痛苦的一切。”
“不可以啊，亚当之子，”海狸先生说，“你们想办法也没什么用。不过，听说阿斯兰回来了……”
“真的！快点告诉我们阿斯兰的一切吧！”几个孩子一起说道。提到阿斯兰，他们都有一种神奇的感觉，像是春天快要来到的信号， 这个喜讯让他们很兴奋，也很开心。
“阿斯兰是谁呢？”苏珊问道。
“阿斯兰？”海狸先生说，“难道你不知道吗？他就是国王， 森林之王，但是他很少在这里。在我父亲的一生中，我的一生中，他好像都没有来过。但是，目前有确切的消息说，他已经回到这里了。现在，他就在纳尼亚。他说必须要把白女巫彻底毁灭。能够将图姆纳斯先生救出来的人，就只有他了。你们还不可以啊。”
“那她会不会把他也变成石头呢？”爱德蒙说。
“我的宝贝，亚当之子，你的问题简直太幼稚了！”海狸先生开心地大声笑着“能把他变成石头？在他面前，她只要敢站起来，看
他一眼，就算很了不起了。我可以肯定的是，她不敢。”阿斯兰这次要重整国土，如同古老的诗歌中所写的那样：
当阿斯兰在我们眼前，是非颠倒的世界将会改变；
人们听到他的怒吼，悲伤瞬间化为云烟；
阿斯兰露出他的牙齿，无边的冬天就能消融不见；
他的鬃毛轻轻抖动，我们就能重逢春天。
你们见到他后，就会知道的。”
“但是，我们能见到他吗？”苏珊问。
“为什么不能，夏娃之女，就是因为这个原因，我才把你们带到了这里。我还会把你们带到与他相见的地方。”海狸先生说。
“他，他是一个人吗？”露茜问道。
“阿斯兰是个人？！”海狸先生有些严肃，说道，“他当然不是。我来告诉你们，他可是森林之王，他就是大洋彼岸的帝王之子。你们知道百兽之王吗？阿斯兰是一只狮子——狮王，伟大的狮王。”
“哦！”苏珊说，“我以为，他是个人呢。他……不会伤害我们吧？ 和一头狮子在一起，我总会感到很害怕。”
“亲爱的，你们会害怕的话，一点儿也不奇怪，”海狸太太说， “如果谁在阿斯兰的面前，双膝依旧不会发抖，那他一定是不同凡响的勇士，又或者只是一个傻瓜。”
“那他是不是会给人带来危险？”露茜说。
“危险？”海狸先生说，“你刚刚没听懂海狸太太的话吗？谁说他安全来着？他当然不安全，但他非常好。我来告诉你，他是万物的主宰者。”
“我非常期待见到他，”彼得说，“即使看到他的瞬间，我会害怕。”
“对极了，亚当之子，”海狸先生说着，用自己的脚爪猛地拍了下桌子，满桌子的杯子、碟子，都被震得叮当作响，“事实上，你们快要见到他了。我这里已经得到了消息，让你们去见他。如果可能的话，或许就是明天，在石台边上。”
“石台是哪里呢？”露茜问。
“我会带着你们去的，”海狸先生说，“它离这里比较远，在这条河流的下游之地，我会为你们带路的！”
“但是，走这样远的路，不知道图姆纳斯先生，他会怎么样呢？” 露茜问。
“你们愿意帮助他，最快的方式就是去找阿斯兰，”海狸先生说， “只有他与我们在一起，我们才会有办法，我们仍然需要你们的帮助， 在这里，还有几句古老的诗句：
等待亚当的孩子们登上
凯尔帕拉维尔的皇位，
罪恶的年代就将离去，不再来。
所以，阿斯兰来了，你们也来了，一切都将会重新开始的。很久以前，具体的时间谁也记不清楚了——听说，阿斯兰曾经来过这里， 但人类并没有来过。”
“这也是我不理解的地方，海狸先生，”彼得问道，“我的意思是， 难道女王不是人类吗？”
“她当然希望我们相信她是人类，”海狸先生说，“她自封为女王， 但她却不是夏娃之女，她是你们的祖先，亚当的……”当说到这里时， 海狸先生鞠躬一下，继续说道，“第一个妻子莉莉丝所生的，但莉莉丝是个妖精，所以女巫的身上有巨人的血统，也有妖精的血统。但是， 她身上并没有任何一滴，真正的人类的血液。”
“怪不得她那么坏，海狸先生。”海狸太太说。
“真是如此，太太，”他回答说，“关于人类，也许还有正邪之分（我并不是想冒犯大家），但对那些看起来像人，其实不是人的东西，这个区别就根本不存在了。”
“我认识一些很好的小矮人。”海狸太太说。
“我也认识他们，”她的丈夫说，“他们数量很少，也最不像人类。总之，你们应该听我的忠言相告，当你们遇见了任何想变成人但现在未变成人，过去是人但现在不是人，或应该是人但实际上却是其他东西的生灵时，你们一定要提高警惕，随时拿好你们的斧子。白女巫特别害怕纳尼亚会有人类过来，几年来，她一直提防，从未放松过。如果她知道你们四个人在这里，她肯定会变本加厉的。”
“为什么会这样呢？”彼得问。
“因为一个预言，”海狸先生说，“在凯尔帕拉维尔河的入海口， 有一个城堡，按理说那应该算是国家的首都，那里有四个国王的宝座。很久以前，在一个大家都记不清的年代，纳尼亚就流传着这样的传说：一旦亚当的两个儿子，夏娃的两个女儿，坐上国王的四个宝座， 白女巫的统治，甚至她的生命，都将会消亡。这就是刚刚来的路上， 我为什么要小心翼翼的，因为她如果知道了，一定会害死你们的，如同我抖抖胡子这样简单！”
孩子们聚精会神地听着海狸先生所说的一切，很长时间，他们并没有去注意到其他的事情。说到了最后，当大家都鸦雀无声时，露茜忽然说道：“我说——爱德蒙，去哪里了呢？”
可怕的沉默之后，大家都问道：“是谁最后一个看到他的呢？大家多长时间没见他了呢？他是到屋子外面去了吗？”大家立刻来到门口。外面雪花飞扬，水池上面，那绿色的冰块早已不见了，覆盖上了一层厚厚的雪花毯子。站在小屋的门口，似乎看不到河岸。屋前屋后，他们到处寻找，双脚陷入柔软的、刚刚下的雪花中。“爱德蒙！爱德蒙！”他们使劲地喊着，嗓子都要哑了。但是，这喊声很快就被寂静的雪花掩埋了，甚至都没有一点回声！
“多么可怕！”最后，他们沮丧地回到屋里，苏珊说，“哦， 我真希望，自己从来没有来过这儿。”
“我们究竟该做什么呢，海狸先生？”彼得问。
“怎么办呢？”海狸先生一边说话，一边穿上了雪靴，“怎么办？ 必须立刻行动，不能在这里继续待下去了！”
“我们可以分成四个小组来搜寻，”彼得说，“朝四个方向去找他， 找到他之后，大家马上回到这里，还有……”
“搜寻小组，亚当之子？”海狸先生问道，“你打算干什么？”
“啊，去找爱德蒙啊！”
“没必要去寻找了。”海狸先生说。
“什么意思呢？”彼得说，“他不可能走得很远。我们一定得把他找到。你却说不用去寻找了，你这是什么意思呢？”
“不需要去找他的理由是，”海狸先生说，“我知道他去了哪里！”
大家惊讶地瞪着双眼。
“难道你们还没理解我的话吗？”海狸先生说道，“他去了白女巫那里，他背叛了我们。”
“啊，不会的，他不会的！”苏珊说，“他应该不会做出这样的事情。”
“不会吗？”海狸先生盯着三个孩子，问道。孩子们本想继续反对，却没说出口，因为他们好像立刻懂了，爱德蒙肯定是已经干了那件事情。
“但是，他认识路吗？”彼得问。
“他是不是曾来过这个国家？”海狸先生问，“是不是，他一直一个人在这里呢？”
“是，”露茜说，她的声音很低，人们似乎无法听见，“恐怕是的。”
“那么，他有没有告诉你们，他都做了些什么，遇见了谁吗？”
“嗯，没有，他倒没说。”彼得说。
“听我说，”海狸先生说，“他肯定是见过白女巫了，而且站在了她的那边，他知道她住在哪里。我最初不愿意说，是因为他是你们的兄弟，但我一看到他，就意识到了，他并不可靠。他的脸上有一种很特别的表情，只有与白女巫在一起过，并且吃过她给的东西时， 人们才会有那样的表情。当你们在纳尼亚待的时间久了，也可以根据眼神来分辨他们。”
“无论如何，”彼得用几乎要哭出来的声音说道，“我们还是得去寻找，他毕竟是我们的兄弟啊，即使他是个畜生，但他只是个孩子。”
“难道你要去白女巫的宫殿去寻找他吗？”海狸太太说，“你不明白吗？救他，或者救你们自己的唯一办法，就是要避免去接触她， 不让她看到。”
“你指的是？”露茜说。
“哎呀，她现在想的就是把你们一起抓到，她一直想得到凯尔帕拉维尔的四个宝座。你们四个人一起去她的宫殿，她正好可以一网打尽。你们还来不及反抗，就变成了四座新的雕像。但是，如果她仅仅抓到了一个人，就会让他活着，因为她会以此为诱饵，引诱你们都上钩。”
“哦，难道没人能帮助我们吗？”露茜哭了。
“只有阿斯兰，”海狸先生说，“我们必须找到他，现在这是我们唯一的办法。”
“在我看来，亲爱的孩子们，”海狸先生说，“最重要的是， 我们不知道他是什么时候溜走的。他可以告诉白女巫什么，取决于他听到了什么。比如，在他溜走以前，我们开始说阿斯兰了吗？如果没说，我们依旧能做得很好，因为白女巫也不知道阿斯兰已经回到纳尼亚，白女巫更不知道，我们将去见阿斯兰，我们才能更好地躲避她。”
“记不清楚了，我们说到阿斯兰时，他究竟在不在呢……”彼得说，露茜立刻打断了他。
“他在的，”她难过地说，“你还记得吗，他曾向你打听白女巫能不能把阿斯兰变成石头？”
“正是他，天啊，”彼得说，“他喜欢问这样的问题！”
“糟了，糟了，”海狸先生说，“还有一个问题。当我告诉你， 我们要去石台见阿斯兰的时候，他还在这里吗？”
当然，没有人能回答他。
“如果，那时他还在的话，”海狸先生接着说，“那么，白女巫知道了这一点，她就会驾着雪橇奔向了石台，插到石台与我们之间， 在半路上堵着我们。这样的话，我们和阿斯兰就没法见面了。”
“但是，这并不是她要做的事情，”海狸太太说，“我感觉， 她不会那样做的。假如爱德蒙告诉了她我们的情况，她今天晚上就会来这里抓我们。如果他是半个小时前偷溜的，也许再过二十分钟， 她就会赶到这里了。”
“说得对，海狸太太，”她的丈夫说，“我们必须，一刻不耽误地， 全部都离开这里。”

第九章 女巫宫殿里的故事
说到这里，你们也都知道爱德蒙那边发生了什么事。他吃完了午饭，不过他却没有吃得那么有滋有味，他一直想吃土耳其软糖—— 与施过魔法的食物相比，那些普通的食物再好吃，也让他没什么胃口。而且，听到这些谈话，他心里也并不好受，他总觉得别人不搭理自己， 冷落了自己。事实上，这些都是他的想象。而后来，当他听海狸先生给大家说了阿斯兰的事情，以及在石台安排大家与阿斯兰见面。于是， 他悄悄地来到门口的帘子下。不知为何，提起阿斯兰，他就觉得神秘而恐怖，他甚至不像其他人那样，听到阿斯兰这个名字，会觉得神秘且可爱。
当海狸先生朗读《亚当的子女》那首诗歌的时候，爱德蒙悄悄地转动了门把手；在海狸先生告诉大家，白女巫不是真正的人类，而是半妖、半巨人的血统时，爱德蒙早已走在了外面的雪地上。临走前， 他还小心翼翼地带上了门。
即使到了这里，你也不要认为爱德蒙很坏，他并不想让白女巫把兄弟姐妹变成石头。他只是想吃土耳其软糖，想当王子（以后当国王），他甚至还想出口气，因为彼得曾骂他是个坏蛋。白女巫将会怎样对待其他人，他不希望她会对他们很好——至少不能给予他们和自己一样的待遇，毕竟他相信，或者自己认为，她是不会伤害他们的。“因为，”他告诉自己说，“但凡说她的坏话的人，几乎都是她的敌人， 这些坏话，也许一半以上都是假的。不管怎样，至少她对我挺好的， 比其他人对我好多了。我真希望她才是真正的女王。而且，她总比可恶的阿斯兰强吧！”他的头脑中，一直闪现着各种借口来掩盖自己的所作所为。
出来后，他看到外面正在下雪，才意识到，自己把大衣忘在了海狸夫妇的家中了。现在，他没有机会取出大衣了。然后，他看到天快黑了，他们吃午饭的时候，其实已经快要三点了，冬天的白天又特别的短。最初，他肯定没有意识到这点，于是他更加觉得自己的时间有限。他竖起了领子，拖着脚步，穿过堤坝的最高处（多亏下雪了， 上面并不滑），他向着远处的河边，一步一步走了过去。
到了远处的河边，他才发现事情并没有自己想象的那么简单。天色逐渐变黑，雪花在他身边旋转，以至于三尺外的东西，他都无法看清。这里也没有路。他不断地滑倒在深雪中，滚到结冰的水潭中， 被树干绊倒，或从陡峭的河岸上滑下来。在岩石上，他的小腿擦破了皮，浑身湿冷，处处是伤口。此刻，只有孤独和寂静围绕着他。他偶尔对自己说，“等我当上了纳尼亚的国王，我一定要先来修几条像样的路。”这种信念鼓励着他，不断前行。我本以为，他中途会放弃计划， 回去跟其他人认错，并得到大家的原谅。但每次一想到要去做纳尼亚的国王，他似乎又充满了神奇的力量。他甚至已经在脑海中开始计划， 要建设什么样的王宫，要拥有多少汽车，或建个私人电影院，最重要的铁路修建在哪里，针对海狸以及堤坝他会制定什么样的法律去加以限制。最后，他对不准彼得乱说话的计划作了一些修改；不知不觉间，
天变了。雪已经停止了，然后吹起了一阵风，真的很冷；后来，云散了，出来了一轮明月。白雪在明月的照耀下，几乎像白天一样明亮—— 那些阴影，让他有些摸不清头脑。
多亏在他到达了另一条河的时候，月亮出来了，不然的话，他肯定找不到路——大家都还记得吧，在他们刚刚到达海狸家时，曾看到一条小河在下游汇入大河。现在，他正走到小河的边上，转身朝着上游行走。小河的尽头，那片小山谷，比他最初离开时，更加陡峭， 岩石更多，满地都是灌木丛，因此，在黑暗中，他无法穿行。现在， 他必须得弯着腰，才能在树枝下行走，大块的雪花落在他的背上，他浑身湿透了。碰上这样的倒霉事情，他突然格外地恨彼得——好像这一切，都是彼得带给自己的麻烦。
最终，他走到了一块平坦的地方，山谷随之开阔。在离他很近的地方，小河的另一边，两座小山中有一块平原，在那中心，他看见了一幢宫殿，他想也许那就是白女巫的。月亮比之前更加明亮了， 宫殿看起来像是个城堡，上面全是塔楼。小小的塔楼上面，全部是长且尖的顶，像针尖，更像是学生或巫师所戴的尖角帽。月光照耀着这一切，塔楼长长的影子，在雪地上略显古怪。看到这些，爱德蒙突然开始害怕了。
不过，现在他想转身回去，也未免太晚了。
他只好踩在冰上过了河，走向城堡。这里没有一点声音，他的双脚，踩在刚落下的茫茫大雪中，没有任何声音。他不断地走，走过一个个墙角，一个个塔楼，去寻找进入城堡的大门。绕了个大圈， 他终于找到了门。原来，这是座大拱门，铁门敞开着。
爱德蒙小心翼翼地走进拱门内，朝着院子四处张望，他看到的景色，吓了他一跳，似乎心脏都停止了跳动。在月光的照耀下，大门内有一只狮子正蹲在那里，似乎要跳起来。爱德蒙就站在拱门的阴影里，双腿哆嗦着，不知所措。过去了很长时间，他的牙齿还在打战， 不知是怕的，还是冻的。我也不知道，他究竟在这里站了多久，但他觉得，好像已经过了几个小时。
后来，他突然想知道，狮子为什么蹲着，一动不动——自从他看到它，它一直保持着一个姿势。爱德蒙鼓足勇气，走向了它，当然他还是尽量躲在拱门的阴影中。从狮子站立的姿势，它根本无法看到他。（爱德蒙想，“假如，它突然转过头来呢？”）事实上，此刻它正盯着其他的东西——一个小矮人。而这时，爱德蒙却背对着狮子， 离它大概有四英尺远。“啊！”爱德蒙心想，“等着它扑向小矮人的时候，我就立刻逃命。”但狮子还是纹丝不动，小矮人也和它一样。这时，爱德蒙终于想起来，其他人说过的，白女巫会把人变成石头。这也许就是一只石狮。想到这里，他才看到狮子的背部，以及头顶上堆满了积雪。它肯定那头狮子只是石头的雕像！活着的动物，肯定不会让自己身上堆满积雪的。想到这里，爱德蒙鼓足了勇气，朝着狮子走过去，他的心脏都要跳出来了。即使他的内心依旧充满恐惧， 但他还是伸出手，快速地摸了下石狮。原来这真的只是冰冷的石头， 一个石像，就把他吓成了这样！
爱德蒙终于放下心来，虽然天气依旧很冷，他突然觉得浑身开始暖和了。他的脑海中，甚至闪现了一个合适的理由来解释这一切。“也许，”他想，“这就是，他们都在讨论的，伟大的狮王阿斯兰吧。原来，她已经把他变成了石头。这样的话，他们和他的一切计划，都失败了！呸！那还有谁会怕阿斯兰啊？”
他甚至有些幸灾乐祸，他看着石狮，过了一会，他做了一件孩子们都会做的、愚蠢的事情。他从口袋里拿出个铅笔头，在狮子的上唇画了两道小胡子，并给它加了一副眼镜。画完后，他笑着说：“耶！ 阿斯兰多么可笑啊！变成了石头，你还能干什么呢？难道还觉得自己很威风？”虽然他在狮子脸上来回涂画，但这个石狮看上去，依旧那么可怕、那么伤心、那么高贵，他的目光望着月亮。爱德蒙虽然嘲弄了石狮，却真心觉得不好玩。他转身朝院子里走去。
刚刚走到院子里，他才发现周围有很多石像——甚至到处都是， 有点像下棋时，棋盘上的棋子。仔细看来，有石头制成的半羊人，还有石头做成的狼、熊、狐狸以及山猫。还有一些石头像是很可爱的女人，它们就是树精。其中一个大石像，形状像人马，并拥有一对翅膀， 还有一条很长的软体动物，爱德蒙觉得它好像是龙。这些石像，在冰冷、明亮的月光下，非常生动，但也很古怪，因为它们完全静止不动， 使得人穿过院子时，会觉得阴森森的。在院子的中心，站着一个巨大的人体，足足有一棵树高，他看上去很凶狠，长着蓬松的胡子，右手拿着大棒。爱德蒙知道，这不是活的，只是石头巨人，但他依旧不愿从巨人身边走过。
这时，他看见院子入口处，闪烁着微弱的光芒。他走到了那里， 有几级石阶，通向了一扇开着的大门。爱德蒙走上了石阶，看到门槛上正躺着一匹饿狼。
“没事的，没事的，”他自言自语道，“只不过是一只石狼。它无法伤害我的。”他抬起脚，正要跨过它。没想到这只巨兽瞬间站了起来，背上的毛根根直立，张开血盆大口吼叫道：“你是谁？你是谁呢？站着，不要动，陌生人，快点告诉我，你是谁？”
“麻烦您进去通报下，先生，”爱德蒙吓得直打哆嗦，几乎快要说不出话来，“我叫爱德蒙，就是几天以前，女王陛下在森林里遇见的亚当之子。我到这里来，是给她报信的，我的兄弟姐妹都来到了纳尼亚，现在在海狸夫妇家里。她……她想见他们。”
“我会禀告给女王陛下，”狼说，“同时，站在门槛上，不要动， 假如你还想保命的话。”然后，它走进了房间里。
爱德蒙站在原地等待，他的手指冻得生疼，心跳得厉害。过了一会，那只灰狼芬瑞斯·乌尔夫，白女巫的手下头子，跳着回来了， 它说道，“进来！快进来！被女王宠爱的幸运儿——不然，你就没那么幸运了。”
爱德蒙跟着它走了进去，他尽量小心翼翼地，以免自己踩到狼的爪子。
不一会他发现自己来到了一间阴暗的大厅内，里面有许多柱子， 与院子里相同的是，这里满满的也全都是石像。在靠近门边，有一只半羊人，神情悲伤，爱德蒙突然很想知道，他会不会就是露茜的朋友呢。大厅内只点燃了一盏灯，白女巫就在灯的后面坐着。
“我来了，陛下。”爱德蒙着急地说着，慌忙地冲上前去。
“你竟然一个人来了？”女巫的声音如此可怕，“我不是说了吗， 把其他几个人一起带来？”
“回禀陛下，”爱德蒙说，“我已经尽力了。我已经把他们带到了这附近。他们现在就在河坝顶上的小屋子里——与海狸先生、海狸太太在一起呢。”
白女巫的脸上，逐渐露出了一抹冷酷的微笑。
她问道：“你只有这些消息吗？”
“当然不是，陛下。”爱德蒙说，他把离开海狸夫妇家时，他之前听到的事情，一一告诉了白女巫。
“什么！阿斯兰？”女王不禁高声叫喊，“阿斯兰！真的吗？ 假如我发现你对我说谎的话……”
“请不要怪我，我只是重复了他们说的话。”爱德蒙说得结结巴巴。
不过，女王不再在乎他了，她拍拍手。爱德蒙看到了，上次跟着白女巫的小矮人，立刻出现在他们眼前。
“准备好雪橇，”女巫命令他说，“用那些没有铃铛的挽具。”

第十章 咒语在逐渐消失
现在，我们还是得回过头来说说，海狸夫妇与其他三个孩子的故事。海狸先生刚刚说完“一刻也不可以耽误”，大伙儿就开始匆忙地穿上大衣。海狸太太拿了一些口袋，放在桌子上，说道：“现在， 海狸先生，拿下那块火腿，还有茶叶、糖块、火柴。谁能帮我到墙角的瓦罐里拿出来两三个面包呢。”
“你在做什么呢，海狸太太？”苏珊叫喊道。
“为每个人收拾一件东西，宝贝，”海狸太太显得十分冷静，说道， “在路上，大家都不希望没东西吃吧？”
“可是，我们没时间了！”苏珊说完，扣上了大衣的扣子，“她也许很快就会来的。”
“我也这样觉得的。”海狸先生表示赞同。
“别乱说，”他的妻子说，“仔细想想，海狸先生。她来到这里， 至少得一刻钟。”
“如果我们在她的前面，赶到石台那里，”彼得说，“我们这不正是要以最快的速度走到那里吗？”
“记住，海狸太太，”苏珊说，“等她来到这里发现我们已经
离开了，她也会用最快的速度，去追我们的。”
“她当然会，”海狸太太说，“但是，不管怎样，我们都无法赶在她前面，她会乘坐雪橇，我们只能走着去。”
“那……我们，难道没有一点希望了吗？”苏珊说道。
“现在，请你们保持冷静，这才是最重要的，”海狸太太说，“当然， 我们还是有希望的。现在，从那个抽屉里，拿出来六条干净的手绢吧。我们虽然无法超过她，但我们可以隐藏起来，走一条她想不到的路， 或许就能成功。”
“说得对，海狸太太，”她的丈夫说道，“可是现在，我们真该走了。”
“海狸先生，你更应该镇定，”他的妻子说，“看看，你这样就好一些了。看这里有四件东西，最小的一件属于我们中间年纪最小的，这是你的，宝贝。”她看着露茜，说了这句话。
“哦，求求你，快点。”露茜说。
“好吧，我已经准备得差不多了。”海狸太太说，她让丈夫帮她穿上了雪地靴，“我想，缝纫机那么重，我就不带了吧？”
“是呀，实在太重了，”海狸先生说，“太重了。我们赶路， 你应该用不上这缝纫机吧？”
“一想到，女巫会破坏我的缝纫机，我就无法忍受，”海狸太太说， “估计她会弄坏，或者偷走我的缝纫机。”
“快点！快！快！请快点吧！”三个孩子一起说道。终于，他们出门了，海狸先生锁上门。（“这样的话，会延误她一些时间。” 他说。）他们就这样出发了，每个人把自己的行李扛在自己的肩膀上。
这时，雪已经停止了，月亮出来了。他们排成一列行走着—— 海狸先生在最前面，然后是露茜，再往后是彼得、苏珊，走在最后面的，
则是海狸太太。海狸先生带着他们，穿过堤坝，走到河流的右岸，走到树丛下那一条崎岖不平的小路上。月光照耀着他们，两边的陡坡高耸入云。“我们最好走下面的路，”海狸先生说，“她只能走上面的路， 雪橇无法在下面行走。”
此刻，假如坐在舒适的扶手椅中，眺望窗外，看到的风景，绝对算得上美丽；尽管身临险境，露茜最初还是很欣赏这里的。但走啊， 走啊，她感觉背上的口袋越来越沉重了，她想自己怎么能坚持下去呢。河面和水帘都结了厚厚的一层冰，她没有心情再去看那闪烁耀眼的冰河，也不再看树顶上大团的积雪，还有那皎洁的月亮，数不尽的星星； 她看着前面的海狸先生，那短小的腿，在雪地里啪啪啪地走着，好像前面的路永无止境。然后，月亮不见了，雪花又开始飞舞了。最后， 露茜走着走着，累得几乎要睡着了。突然，她看到海狸先生离开了河岸，朝右边走去，领着大家努力地爬上陡峭的山坡，走进了丛丛灌木林。等到她完全弄清楚时，她才发觉海狸先生已经钻进了山坡上的一个小洞，洞口完全被灌木丛给遮挡住了，不到洞口，真是发现不了它。事实上，等她知道的时候，她只看见了他扁扁的短尾巴。
露茜立刻弯下腰来，跟着他爬了进去。接着，她听到后面都是匆匆忙忙爬行的声音，以及粗粗的喘气声，一会儿工夫，他们都进了洞口。
“这是哪里呢？”彼得说，黑暗中，他们的声音无力且疲惫（我希望你能知道，我说的“无力”指的是什么）。
“这是海狸遇难时，总会躲避的地方，”海狸先生说，“这是一个秘密。这里虽然不算好，但我们可以睡几个小时。”
“假如不是你们当时那么慌乱，我就可以带来几个枕头。”海狸太太说。
这里，与图姆纳斯先生的石窟相比，实在相差太远了，露茜想—— 这只是个洞，不过洞口是用泥土堆成的，还算干燥。洞口很小，因此他们全部躺下来时，就好像是一大堆皮毛和衣服。这样躺着，再加上他们走了那么久，身体开始暖和了，倒也觉得很舒服。要是洞内稍微再平整一些的话，那就更好了。然后，在黑暗中，海狸太太递过来一个长长的长颈瓶子，每个人轮流喝了一口——这东西真是呛人， 嗓子眼都被呛得火辣辣的，不过咽下去后，会让人觉得更加的暖和、舒服——不一会，大家就睡着了。
露茜觉得时间只过了一小会（但实际上却已经好几个小时了）， 她睡了一觉，醒来时，觉得很冷，而且身体僵硬。如果能洗个热水澡， 该是多么幸福。随后，她觉得有一束长胡子，在她的脸上挠来挠去， 痒痒的。接着，她又看到洞口有冰凉的阳光照射进来。这下，她彻底醒了过来，其他人也都醒过来了。所有的人都坐了起来，张大眼睛和嘴巴，认真地倾听，昨天晚上他们走路时一直响着的声音（那响声， 似乎一直在脑海中回响），原来是铃铛在响啊。
海狸先生听到这声音，立刻钻出洞。或许你和露茜想的一样， 觉得他这样做，太过冒险。其实这样做，是聪明的行为。他是为了躲避别人，才躲在了山坡顶上的灌木丛中；而现在，他更想看看白女巫的雪橇，走向了哪条路。其他人坐在山洞里等待着他，满腹疑问， 大约等了五分钟。终于有了一些动静，让人吓破了胆。他们听到了说话的声音。“啊，”露茜想，“他被他们发现了。她抓住了他！”
让人颇为意外的是，不一会儿，他们竟然听到了海狸先生的声音， 他在洞口叫他们。
“一切都好，”他大喊道，“出来吧，海狸太太。出来吧，亚当和夏娃的孩子们。没事了，这不是她！”当然，这话显得有些绕口，
海狸先生太激动了，他一激动就喜欢这样说话；在纳尼亚，他的确是这样的——但是，在我们的世界里，海狸根本不说话。
海狸太太和孩子们，赶紧走出洞口，阳光刺得大家直眨眼睛， 他们全身是土，看上去很脏很脏，再加上没有梳洗的缘故，都像是没睡醒的感觉。
“快来吧！”海狸先生叫着，他高兴得手舞足蹈，“来看，这绝对是对白女巫的沉重打击！看来，她的力量已经在衰退了。”
“海狸先生，你这是什么意思呢？”他们一起爬上了陡峭的山坡， 彼得喘着气，问道。
“我不是已经给你说了吗？”海狸先生回答道，“她把这里变得一年四季都是冬天，而且从来没有圣诞节。我不是已经告诉大家了吗？好吧，你们快出来看吧！”
于是，他们一起站在了山坡上，放眼看去。
他们看见一辆雪橇，几只驯鹿，挽具上挂着铃铛。不过，这些驯鹿， 比白女巫的驯鹿要大得多，它们是棕色的，而并非白色。雪橇上坐着一个人，大家都认识他。他个子很高，身上穿着一件大红色的袍子（就像冬青果那般红），戴着一顶风帽，里面有皮毛，白色的大胡子垂在胸前，犹如溅了泡沫的瀑布。
几乎人人都知道他，尽管，只有在纳尼亚，我们才能见到他本人。但在我们的世界里——衣橱门这边的世界——我们见过他的照片， 也常常听到人们谈起他。不过，在纳尼亚看见他，真的是大不相同。在我们的世界中，圣诞老人的画像，只是外貌有趣，引人发笑而已。现在，孩子们站在真正的圣诞老人面前，觉得这一切与印象完全不同。他是那么高大，那么愉快，那么真实。他们平静了下来，十分开心， 气氛却是严肃的。
“我终于来到这里了，”他说，“她赶走了我很长时间了，但我还是回来了。阿斯兰开始行动了，女巫的魔法会逐渐衰弱的。”
露茜觉得身心愉悦，甚至快乐得颤抖起来，只有当你的心感受到那种庄严和宁静时，才会有这种感觉。
“现在，”圣诞老人说道，“这是送给你们的礼物。海狸太太， 你将得到一台更好的、新的缝纫机。我路过你家时，会派人送去的。”
“请不要见怪，先生，”海狸太太行礼屈膝，说道，“我们的房子已经被锁上了。”
“锁和门闩，都难不倒我，”圣诞老人说，“至于你，海狸先生， 等回到家后，会发现你的堤坝已经完工了，修好了，裂缝已经不再漏了，我还为你配上了新的水闸门。”
海狸先生听了，高兴地张大嘴巴，却什么话也没说出来。
“彼得，亚当之子。”圣诞老人说。
“我在，先生。”彼得说。
“这是送给你的，”圣诞老人说，“这是工具，并非玩具。这些东西快要派上用场了，请带着它们吧。”说完，他递给了彼得一把剑， 一面盾牌。盾牌是银色的，中间有一只舞动的红狮，它像刚刚被摘下的草莓那么红。剑柄也是金子铸造的，配有剑鞘以及佩戴剑的腰带， 还有一切使用剑时要准备的东西。剑的重量和尺寸，对彼得而言正合适。接过这些礼物时，彼得默默无言，态度严肃，因为他觉得这件礼物非常神圣。
“苏珊，夏娃之女，”圣诞老人说，“这些是送给你的。”他给了她一张弓，一个插满箭的袋子，以及一只小小的象牙号角。“你一定要在紧急时刻，才能使用这张弓箭，”他说，“当然，我并不是让你们在战争中冲锋陷阵。这张弓箭，百发百中。还有这只号角，
一旦吹响了，不管你在哪里，都会得到帮助的。”
最后，他说道，“露茜，夏娃之女。”露茜走上前。他送给她一个小瓶子，看上去像是玻璃的材质（不过，人们都说那瓶子其实是钻石的），还有一把小匕首。“在这个瓶子里，”他说道，“是灵丹妙药，是用太阳山上火焰花的枝叶炼制而成的。如果你或者你的朋友受伤了，洒上一滴，就能治愈病痛。这把匕首是你自卫时用的。你不必置身于战争中。”
“为什么呢，先生？”露茜说，“我想……我不知道……不过， 我足够勇敢来面对一切。”
“不是你想的那样，”他说，“让女人上战场，这太残忍了。现在，” 说到这里，他看上去不那么严肃了，“还有一些东西，是现在你们可以用到的！”他拿出（我猜，他是从背上的大口袋里掏出来的，没人看见他是怎么拿的）一只大的托盘，上面有五套杯碟，一些方糖，一大罐奶油，还有吱吱直响的滚烫的大茶壶。然后，他喊道：“圣诞快乐！真命天子万岁！”说完，他扬鞭而去，大家还没看清他如何动身， 他已驾着驯鹿和雪橇，走得无影无踪了。
彼得从剑鞘里抽出剑，给海狸先生看，海狸太太说：“好了，好了！ 不要站着说话了，茶都要凉了。学着男人的样子，帮个忙，把托盘拿下去，我们要吃早餐了。多亏我带来了面包刀。”
于是，他们走下了陡峭的山坡，回到洞中，海狸先生切了面包和火腿，做成了三明治，海狸太太正在倒茶，他们吃得津津有味。没等大家享用多久，海狸先生就说，“现在，我们行动吧。”

第十一章 靠近阿斯兰
在这段时间，爱德蒙过得让人很是失望。小矮人去准备雪橇的时候，他以为女巫会像上次见面时那样，好好招待他。哪里想到， 她却什么也没说。最后，爱德蒙鼓起勇气说，“请不要见怪，陛下， 我可以吃一些土耳其软糖吗？你……你……说……”她回答说，“给我安静点，你这个笨蛋！”然后，她自言自语地说，“让这小子晕倒在路上，也不行。”说完，她拍了拍手，又来了个小矮人。
“给这个人拿一些可以吃、可以喝的东西过来。”她说。
小矮人走了出去，不一会儿，拿来了一只铁碗，里面盛着一些水， 还有一个铁盘子，上面放着一大块干裂的面包。他把这些放在了爱德蒙身边，咧嘴笑了，那副表情真的让人讨厌，他说道：“小王子， 这就是——你的土耳其软糖，哈哈！”
“拿开它，”爱德蒙生气地说，“我不吃干面包。”没想到白女巫扑向了他，脸上充满了可怕的神情，他只好道歉，一点点啃那块干面包。可是，面包实在太干了，他无法下咽。
“能吃这个，你应该感到高兴，你会有好些时间都吃不上面包了。”白女巫说。
他只好坐在那里咬啊，嚼啊，直到第一个小矮人来到这里，报告雪橇已经准备好了。白女巫站起来，命令爱德蒙跟着她，一起前去。当走到院子里，又下起雪来，但她好像并不在意，并叫爱德蒙到雪橇上，坐在她的身边。临出发时，她喊道“芬瑞斯·乌尔夫”，它就像大狗一样敏捷，跳到了雪橇旁边。
“带上跑得最快的狼，马上赶往海狸家里，”白女巫说，“在那里， 不管找到什么，都杀个片甲不留。假如他们已经走了，那就赶紧去石台，不要让其他人看见了。你们就躲在那里等着我。我现在向西行走， 得走很多英里，才可以找到一个能驾着雪橇，走过河流的地方。趁着那些人还没到达石台前，先去赶上他们。找到他们的话，你知道该做什么吧！”
“我听到了，我将服从于你，女王陛下。”那只狼怒吼着，并且飞奔到黑暗的雪地中，如同骏马腾空那么快。转眼间，它又叫来了一只狼，它们一起奔向了堤坝，在海狸夫妇的房间里，到处嗅闻， 房间当然是空的。假如那一天，天气一直很好，对海狸夫妇与孩子们来说，倒会非常不利，因为狼会跟踪他们的脚印——十有八九，在他们进洞之前，就已经抓住他们了。但那天，一直在下雪，气味变得很淡， 脚印也被淹没了。
小矮人赶着驯鹿，白女巫和爱德蒙一起，出了拱门，朝着黑暗的冰天雪地中，一路狂赶。在爱德蒙看来，这是一次可怕的旅程，他并没有穿大衣。走了不到一刻钟，他的眼前就堆满了雪——他不再拍掉自己面前的雪花了，因为不管他拍得有多快，雪花又会立刻堆满了。此刻的他，很累很累。不到一会儿，就浑身湿透了。啊，多惨啊。现在看来，白女巫并没有让他当国王的打算啊！他为了去相信， 她是个善良的好人，她才是正义的一方，他曾不断对自己说过的话，如今想起来，是多么愚蠢啊。现在，他更愿意不顾一切地去寻找大家， 甚至去找彼得！唯一能安慰他的，就是他努力地让自己相信，这个事情不过是一场梦，他会随时醒来。他们走啊，走啊，走了一个小时， 又一个小时，这多么像是一场噩梦啊。
这一路走来，花了很长的时间，我写多少页，都无法记录下来。我们就跳过这一段吧。这时雪停了，天色亮起来，他们依旧在阳光下飞驰。在他们继续赶路的过程中，没有其他声音，只有雪橇在雪地上的“嗖嗖”声，驯鹿挽具的“嘎吱”声。后来，白女巫终于说：“停下来！让我们看看，这里有什么？”他们才总算停了下来。
爱德蒙盼望着，她会说：吃早饭吧！但是她停下来，却不是因为这个理由。离雪橇不远处的一棵树下，坐着一群快乐的人：松鼠一家人，两个半羊人，一个小矮人，一只老的公狐狸，他们坐在矮凳上， 围着桌子。爱德蒙看不清楚他们在吃什么，但是味道真的好香啊，似乎还用了冬青来做装饰。更令人惊喜的是，他还看见了葡萄干、布丁等食物。当雪橇停下来，那只老狐狸显然是在场的年纪最大的，它站起来，右手举起杯子，正要准备说点什么。但是，当大伙看到雪橇停下来，看清楚是谁在上面坐着时，大家所有欢乐的样子，全部消失了。松鼠爸爸把已经举到嘴边的叉子放下了，它确实吃不下了。其中一个半羊人，嘴里含着叉子，就不敢吃了。松鼠娃娃吓得“吱吱”地叫。
“你们这是什么意思呢？”白女巫问道。但是没人回答她。
“说话，畜生！”她说道，“难道要我让小矮人用鞭子抽打你们， 你们才肯开口吗？你们在这里吃喝玩乐，纵情享受，浪费资源，是什么意思？这一切，你们是从哪里得到的？”
“禀告陛下，”狐狸说道，“这些都是别人送给我们的。请宽恕， 让我为陛下的健康，干了这一杯……”
“这些东西，到底是谁送的呢？”白女巫追问道。
“圣……圣诞……圣……圣诞老人。”狐狸结结巴巴地回答。
“什么？”女巫怒吼道，从雪橇上跳下来，对着那些本来已经惊吓过度的动物们，走近了几大步。“他从未来过，他绝不会来这里的！你们竟然……是的。快说，你们刚刚是在撒谎，我就原谅你们。”
这时，一只小松鼠，完全被吓昏了头。
“是的……他来过……他来过！”它一边“吱吱”叫着，一边用小勺子猛地敲着桌子。爱德蒙看见女巫咬着嘴唇，雪白的脸上，落下了一滴血。然后，她举起魔杖。“不要，不要，请不要。”爱德蒙叫道，就在他大叫的时候，她已经挥动了魔杖，把一群动物和它们欢聚的地方全部变成石像（其中一只只能将石叉永远地举在嘴边）。石桌上面是石头盘子，以及石头的葡萄干、布丁等。
“还有你，”女巫说道，她重新坐上雪橇时，打了爱德蒙一个耳光， 他顿时感觉到一阵头昏脑涨，“这就是你为奸细和叛徒求情的一个教训。上路吧！”在这个故事中，这是爱德蒙第一次为别人难过。想想那些小小的石人，就此将永远坐在那里，度过白天与黑夜，日复一日， 年复一年，或许身上会长满苔藓，脸部最终会裂成碎块，那该是多么可怜的事情啊。
现在，他们正在平稳地向前飞驰。不一会，爱德蒙就发觉，他们冲过去时溅起的雪花，其实比昨晚湿了许多。同时，他也发觉，自己没觉得太冷。天开始雾气腾腾的。事实上，雾气正在逐渐地变浓， 天气逐渐地暖和起来。雪橇没有原来行驶得快了。最初，他以为是拉着雪橇的驯鹿实在太累了，但他很快明白了，这不是真正的原因。雪橇突然一震，朝着边上滑去，不断被颠簸，像是不断地撞上了石头。小矮人用鞭子抽打着可怜的驯鹿，但雪橇还是慢了下来。在他们周围，传来奇怪的声音，由于混杂着雪橇行驶的声音，以及小矮人训斥驯鹿的声音，爱德蒙无法听清楚那是什么，直到最后，雪橇被困住了， 无法前行。
当这个事情发生时，四周一片寂静。现在，爱德蒙终于能静下心来，听听那声音了。原来，这是一种奇怪的、可爱的、潺潺流动的声音，他回想着，这究竟是什么声音——假如他能回想起在哪里听过就好了！然后，他突然想起来了，这就是流水的声音。虽然看不到， 但就在他们身边，小溪潺潺流动，水流欢唱，冒着泡儿，水花四溅。在远处，你甚至能听见激流咆哮的声音。他明白了，严寒的冬季已经过去了，他的心突然跳得厉害（虽然他压根不知为何）。离他们比较近的树木的树干上，竟然已经在滴滴答答地落着水珠。然后，他抬头看一棵大树，却看到大块的积雪从树上不断滑落。进入纳尼亚以来， 这是他第一次看到深绿色的冷杉树。他没时间去仔细听、仔细看了， 因为女巫开始说话了：“别坐在那里瞪着眼了，笨蛋！快来帮忙。”
爱德蒙只好服从。他踩着雪地——现在这里已经成了雪泥—— 他帮着小矮人，拉出了那深陷入泥潭中的雪橇。小矮人对驯鹿非常地凶狠，雪橇终于动了，他们又走了一段路。这时，雪完全融化了， 在他们周围冒出了一块块绿色的草地。如果你也像爱德蒙一样，长时间地看着一片白色的冰雪世界，当眼前突然出现一片绿色时，那种心情真是难以形容的欣慰。这种感觉，只有亲历者才能体会。现在， 雪橇又停了下来。
“形势不容乐观啊，陛下，”小矮人说，“在融雪的情况下， 我们无法驾着雪橇行走。”
“我们步行前进吧。”白女巫说道。
“走着去的话，我们永远无法追赶上他们，”小矮人嘀咕道，“他们毕竟走得早。”
“你是我的顾问，还是我的奴才呢？”女巫说道，“按照我说的去做吧。绑上这个人的手，放在身后，拉着绳子。带上你的鞭子， 割断驯鹿的挽具吧，它们会按原路回家的。”
小矮人按照她说的做了，然后，爱德蒙就这样，被反绑了双手， 被迫前行。他不断地滑倒在融雪、泥浆和湿地中，每当他滑倒，小矮人就会骂他一句，或抽他鞭子。女巫走在小矮人的后面，嘴里也在不停地下达命令：“快走！走啊！”
绿地时时刻刻都会发生着变化，雪地逐渐缩小。每时每刻都会有更多的树木脱掉了雪袍。不一会儿，无论朝哪里望去，白色都已经荡然无存了。倒可以看到深绿色的冷杉树，光秃秃的橡树上长满了黑色多刺的树枝，还有山毛榉以及榆树。然后，薄雾从白色变成金色， 逐渐地消散了。美好的阳光洒向森林，照向地面，这个时候要是抬头看树梢，就可以看见蓝天了。
更为奇妙的事情也发生了。他们绕过一片银白色的白桦林中的空地，爱德蒙看到空地上长满了黄色的花朵——白苣菜。水声变得更响了。不一会儿，他们便穿过一条河流。在河边上还长出了雪莲花。
“不要多事！”小矮人说道，他看到爱德蒙在扭头看花，就狠毒地、用力地拉了下绳子。
这依旧无法阻止爱德蒙去看那些风景。五分钟后，他又注意到， 一棵老树的脚下，生长着十几朵颜色各异的藏红花——有金色、紫色和白色的。接着，传来了一种比水的声音更为美妙的声音。在他们前进的路上，一只鸟儿正在树枝上叽叽喳喳；另一只鸟儿在不远处， 与它互动。然后，这似乎成了信号，周围叽叽喳喳的声音叫个不停。一时间，整个世界都是鸟儿鸣叫的声音。不到五分钟，整片树林，回荡着鸟儿的音乐。爱德蒙向着四周望去，都可以看到鸟儿或落在树枝上，或飞翔在空中，或叫个不停。
“快走啊！快！”女巫说道。
这时，雾气已经荡然无存，天空逐渐变成了蓝色，不时飘过几朵白云。宽阔的树林间，那空地上盛开着朵朵樱草花。微风吹过摇摆的树枝，落下纷纷露珠，清凉、美妙的味道随风拂来。树木们已经复苏了。落叶松、白桦树也身着绿装，金光灿灿的金莲花怒放着。不一会儿，山毛榉长出了娇嫩且透明的树叶。当人走在树下，会发现光线逐渐绿了起来。一只小蜜蜂嗡嗡地叫着，飞过他们所走的小路。
“这可不是融雪啊，”小矮人说着，他突然停步了，“春天来了。我们怎么办？你所控制的冬天已经被赶跑了，我给你说！这一定是阿斯兰干的。”
“你们谁还敢再提那个名字，”白女巫说道，“我就立刻送他上西天。”

第十二章 彼得的第一场战斗
小矮人和白女巫在说这些时，在几英里外，海狸和孩子们正在步行，他们走啊，走啊，忽然走进一个仿佛梦境般的地方。他们早就已经丢掉了大衣。现在，他们相互之间，不再说“瞧，那里有一只翠鸟”或“看呢，风信子”，也不再说“有股可爱的香味，是什么呢” 或“听听画眉的声音”。他们默默地走着，深深地陶醉在这里，从温暖的太阳下，走进阴凉、碧绿的灌木丛，继续走到宽阔的林间空地。这里长满了苔藓，空地上长着高高的榆树，繁茂的枝叶形成了一片绿荫，然后他们又走进了一大片红醋栗的花海中，走到了山楂丛中， 这里香气怡人，令人陶醉。
冬天就这样消失了，在短短几个小时里，整片森林就从一月走到了五月。他们跟爱德蒙的反应是一样的，觉得无比惊奇。和白女巫的反应不同，他们肯定纳尼亚之所以这样，是因为阿斯兰的到来； 他们也深知，持续不断的冬天，都是因为白女巫的咒语；随着这个不可思议的春天的到来，白女巫的阴谋就无法得逞了，而且会彻底失败。融雪持续了一段时间，他们知道白女巫不能使用雪橇了。而后，他们也不用匆忙地赶路了，可以多休息几次，而且休息的时间也可以更长一些。当然，他们现在是很疲惫的；这种疲惫不是那种筋疲力尽的感觉——而是觉得有些恍惚，没有精神，就像是在户外待了一天，终于快要熬出来了的那种感觉。苏珊的一只脚后跟，磨出了一个小水泡。
他们已经离开了大河的河道，因为需要稍微朝右边转（或者说稍微朝南），才能走到石台那里。这条路其实不是他们应该走的路， 但自从融雪开始，他们就不再沿着河谷前行了，有了那么多的融雪， 河流将很快会泛滥——那会是一股汹涌澎湃的、咆哮震耳式的、黄浊的洪水，而他们走的小路也将会被淹没。
此时，太阳快要下山了，天色变得更红了，影子被拉长了，花儿也在收拢。
“快到了。”海狸先生说，他开始带着他们往山上走去，穿过那段又深又松软的青苔（他们疲惫的双脚踩在上面，觉得无比舒适）， 这里长着稀稀疏疏的高大树木。漫长的白天即将结束，这时来爬山， 大家都觉得喘不过气来。露茜心想，还不如好好休息一下，她在怀疑自己，能不能爬到山顶上；意外的是，大家很快就到了山顶上。于是， 大家开始看这个地方。
他们所站的地方，是一片绿油油的空地，在这里，你能俯瞰森林， 除了正前方，满眼都是无尽的森林。在遥远的东方，有个东西闪闪发光，不断晃动。“天啊！”彼得小声对苏珊说道，“大海啊！”山顶这块空地的中心，就是石台。这是一块很大的灰色石板，下面竖立着四块石头。石台看上去很古老，刻满了神奇的线条与符号。这些符号会让你感觉很好奇。引起他们注意的第二件东西，就是空地一边搭建的帐篷，这是一个奇妙的帐篷。正在这时，落日的余晖刚刚好照在上面，使得帐篷好像杏黄的绸缎，上面还有深红的绳索，以及象牙般的帐篷桩。在帐篷的支柱上，高高地挂着一面旗帜，上面绣着腾跃的红狮子，它正迎风而起。这阵风像是从遥远的海面吹来的，它轻轻地抚摸着大家的脸庞。他们正在仔细地看着帐篷，突然听到右边传来阵阵音乐，于是不由自主地朝着右边转身。这时，他们看到了想要看到的一幕。
阿斯兰就站在一群动物中，它们围绕着他，围成了一个半月形。那里有树精、水精（我们的世界中，称她们为“森林女神”和“水泽仙女”），她们拿着弦乐器；音乐原来就是她们演奏的。还有四只高大的人马，像是英国饲养场中的骏马，头部则是严肃且帅气的巨人。还有一匹独角兽，一只长着人头的牛，一只鹈鹕，一只巨鹰，一条大狗。阿斯兰身边站着两只豹子，一只拿着皇冠，一只高举着旗帜。
说到阿斯兰，海狸夫妇和孩子们看到了他，却不知道该说什么， 该做什么。那些从未来过纳尼亚的人一定想象不到，好人也会让人害怕。如果孩子们以前也是这样想的，那么在这个当口，他们似乎已经纠正了之前的认识。因为当他们想看清阿斯兰的脸时，却看见了金色的鬃毛和一双威武、贵气、严肃、慑人心魄的眼睛，他们不敢正眼与他对视，禁不住地颤抖起来。
“去吧。”海狸先生小声说道。
“不，”彼得同样小声说道，“还是你先去吧。”
“啊，不，亚当之子应该走在动物们的前面。”海狸先生悄悄地回了他一句。
“苏珊，”彼得小声地说，“你先来吧？女士优先。”
“可是，你年龄最大。”苏珊小声说。他们这样推来推去，未免有些尴尬。彼得觉得只能靠自己了。他抽出剑，举着剑致敬，慌忙地对其他几个人说，“来吧，冷静下来。”他向着狮王走过去，说道：
“我们来了——阿斯兰。”
“欢迎你，彼得，亚当之子，”阿斯兰说，“欢迎你们，苏珊和露茜， 夏娃之女。欢迎你们，海狸夫妇。”
这低沉、浑厚的声音，消除了他们的不安。此刻，他们觉得又高兴， 又平静。而站在这里，即使不说话，也不会觉得尴尬了。
“可是，第四个孩子，他在哪里呢？”阿斯兰问道。
“他已经出卖了他们，投奔了白女巫，伟大的阿斯兰。”海狸先生回答。
然后，彼得解释道：“这件事情有我的原因，阿斯兰。我曾对他发过脾气，没想到这会促使他变坏了。”
阿斯兰没有说话，没有说原谅彼得，也没有责怪他；他只是站在那里，用金色的大眼睛望着彼得。大家一时间都不知所措。
“请问——阿斯兰，”露茜说，“还有什么办法可以救爱德蒙？”
“想办法的话，”阿斯兰说，“这件事情比你们想象的，要困难得多。”他沉默了一会。这时，露茜虽然觉得他的脸看上去依旧高贵、宁静和刚毅；但她也发现，他的表情显得很忧伤。不过这种神情， 转瞬即逝。狮王摇着鬃毛，两只爪子拍了一下（露茜想，“要是他不知道拍的时候要柔中带刚，这双爪子可真够吓人的。”），说道：
“准备吃饭吧。女士们，把夏娃之女带到帐篷里去吧，好好照顾她们。”
女孩们走了，阿斯兰把一只爪子放在了彼得的肩膀上——动作很轻柔，但十分有力——说道：“跟我来，亚当之子，我指给你看， 你要做国王的那座城堡的远景。”
彼得依旧握着剑，跟着狮王一起走到了山顶的东边。在他们面前， 是一幅美丽的风景。太阳落山了，就在他们背后。下面的整片国土， 无不笼罩在暮色中——森林、小山、山谷，还有那如同银蛇般蜿蜒而流的大河。在那里，几英里外便是大海，往外便是天空，落日的映照下，是玫瑰色的云层。在纳尼亚的国土，靠近海的地方——大河的入海口——在一座山上，有一件东西闪闪发光。那就是一座城堡，朝着彼得的窗户，映照出落日的余晖；不过，彼得觉得，那座城堡更像是在海岸上的，一颗璀璨星星。
“那里，好小伙子，”阿斯兰说道，“在凯尔帕拉维尔，有四个宝座， 你必须以国王的身份登上其中的一个宝座。我之所以给你看，因为你是老大，你就是至尊王，比其他人的地位要高。”
这一次，彼得没说什么，此时，一种奇怪的声音打破了沉默。像鸣响的军号，不过声音很圆滑。
“你妹妹的号角。”阿斯兰低声对彼得说，假如狮子“吼、吼” 地叫，代表不满的话，那么，这声音低得简直就是“咕噜、咕噜”了。
彼得一时间摸不着头脑。后来，他看到所有的动物们一起拥上来， 阿斯兰挥了下爪子：“退下吧！让王子先立功吧。”他才明白过来， 于是快速地飞奔向帐篷。在那里，可怕的场景出现在他眼前。
水泽仙女和森林女神四下逃窜。露茜脸色发白，撒开腿朝着他跑来。他看到苏珊冲上一棵树，爬到树上，后面一头灰色的巨兽正在追她。彼得以为那是一头熊。但又觉得这头野兽更像德国狼狗，但比狗大多了。这时，他意识到，这就是一匹狼——它用后腿站着，前爪在树干上，咬着， 吼着，背上的毛全部竖起来了。苏珊攀登上了第二根树枝，却无法继续爬高。她的一条腿，在下面吊着，离那只乱咬的狼牙，仅仅有一两英寸。彼得不明白，为何她不能爬高一些。她为什么不抓牢固一些？ 后来，彼得才知道，她快要吓晕过去了，如果晕过去，她就会掉下来了。
彼得觉得自己并不是很勇敢。事实上，他很想呕吐。不过，这一切并不能扰乱他的使命，他冲向那头猛兽，对准它的肋间，猛地刺
上了一剑。不过，这一剑并没有刺中它。它迅速地转过身来，眼神狠毒， 张大嘴巴一阵狂吼。它如此怒气冲天，若不是狂吼一通才痛快的话， 它一定会立马咬住彼得的喉咙。事实上——一切都太快了，彼得来不及想什么，他只好弯下身体，使尽全身力气，用剑刺进狼的前腿对上的地方，正中了它的心脏。后来，便是一片可怕的混乱，像是噩梦中的场景。他用力地拖啊，拉呀，而那匹狼，你根本无法想象，它究竟是死是活，只见它露出一口厉牙，磕在了他的头上。他身上沾满了血、热气以及毛发。过了一会，他发现，这头巨兽倒地身亡。他拔出剑， 挺直腰，擦去满头满脸的汗水，他实在太累了。
过了一会，苏珊从树上滑下来。待她见到彼得，两个人都有点恍恍惚惚的感觉。可以想象，两个人见了，又是亲吻，又是哭泣。在纳尼亚，不会有人因此就把你往坏处里想的。
“快点！快点！”只听见阿斯兰在大声喊叫，“人马！老鹰！ 我看见灌木丛中还有一匹狼。快看——它就在你们后面！它要回到它女主人那里去了。现在，是你们去找到白女巫以及救出亚当之子的最好机会。”话音刚落，一阵马蹄声和翅膀扇动的声音，雷鸣般地响起， 有十多只动作敏捷的动物消失在暮色里。
彼得还在大口喘着气，转过身来，看见阿斯兰，就在他的旁边。
“别忘了，把你的剑擦洗干净。”阿斯兰说。
是的，彼得看向剑，只见那把光亮的剑，已经被狼的血和毛发弄脏了，羞红了脸。他弯下腰，把剑放在草地上，擦干净了，又用衣服擦了擦剑。
“把剑给我，跪下吧，亚当之子。”阿斯兰说道。彼得遵从了命令。阿斯兰用剑的一面，拍了拍他，说道，“起来吧，彼得·沃尔夫斯— 贝恩爵士。以后不管遇见什么事，记住，永远别忘记，擦干净你的剑。”

第十三章 远古时代的高深魔法
现在，我们很有必要来说一下，爱德蒙的事情。他被迫跟着走啊， 走啊，走了很远很远，他觉得，谁都无法走这样远的路。终于，女巫在黑暗的谷地里停了下来，这里覆盖着冷杉与紫杉树。爱德蒙似乎已经无法站立了，他扑倒在地上，假如他们同意他这样，一动不动地躺着，他甚至想都不想后面会发生什么事情，都完全不在乎了。他实在太累了，顾不上饥饿和饥渴。白女巫和小矮人在他身边，低声耳语。
“不，”小矮人说，“没用了，伟大的女王。他们现在，肯定已经走到了石台那里了。”
“或许，狼会嗅到我们的行踪，为我们报信。”白女巫说道。
“可是，即使来了，也不见得会是好消息。”小矮人说。
“在凯尔帕拉维尔，有四个宝座，”白女巫说，“假如，只有三个人坐在那里，那个预言就无法实现了。”
“可是，他在这里，又有什么区别呢？”小矮人说。直到现在， 他依旧不敢在白女巫面前，提阿斯兰的名字。
“或许他待不久了。那时——我们可以一把抓住凯尔家族的其他三个孩子。”
“那最好，”小矮人说，“留着他吧。”——说到这里，他踢了爱德蒙一脚——“嗯……用他来做一笔交易吧。”
“是！先饶他不死吧。”白女巫对爱德蒙，不屑一顾。
“那么，”小矮人说，“我们最好立刻行动，去做我们该做的事情。”
“我更愿到了石台那里再行动，”白女巫说，“那里才是最适合的地方。以前做这些事情，也总在那里。”
“可是，要过很长一段时间，石台才能派上用场。”小矮人说。
“没错，”白女巫说，她补充道，“好吧，我要开始了。”
此刻，一匹狼匆忙地咆哮着，冲到他们眼前。
“我看到他们了。全部都在石台那里，和他在一起。他们杀掉了我们的队长，芬瑞斯?乌尔。我躲在灌木丛中，全都看到了。是一个亚当之子杀了它。快逃吧，快逃吧！”
“不用，”女巫说，“不用逃跑。你快点去召集所有的人马， 快速地赶到这里与我会合。动员巨人、狼人，还有和我们在一起的树精，动员所有的吃尸鬼、妖怪、食人魔、牛怪，动员所有的冷面怪人、巫婆、鬼幽灵以及毒菌怪。我们要联合在一起，一起战斗，怎么样？ 我还有魔杖在手呢。它们来了就不会变成石头了，不是吗？快点行动吧，等你走了，我还要做一点小事。”
那只巨兽连连鞠躬，转过身，就走了。
“现在！”她说，“我们虽没有桌子——让我想一下。我们最好先把他绑在树干上。”
爱德蒙感觉到自己被粗鲁地拉了起来。然后小矮人把他的背靠向一棵树，将他紧紧地绑在那上面。他还看到白女巫脱掉了外面的披风，露出两条白色的光胳膊，真是吓人。胳膊那么白，在漆黑的树林中， 在幽暗的山谷中，是那么明显。
“准备好祭品。”女巫说道。小矮人解开爱德蒙的衣领，并把领口往里折了下，露出脖子。随后，他抓住了爱德蒙的头发，往后拉他的头，他不由地抬起下巴。然后，爱德蒙听见了奇怪的声音“嗤…… 嗤……嗤……”，他不知道这是什么声音。后来他知道了，原来是她在磨刀。
此时，周围又传来震耳欲聋的响声——阵阵蹄声，阵阵翅膀扇动的声音，女巫的尖叫声，周围真是混乱极了。然后，他感觉到自己被松开了，好几个有力的胳膊扶着他。还有几个大嗓门和气地说：“让他躺下——给他喝点酒——喝这个吧——等一会——你会没事的。”
然后，他又听到了好多声音，它们不是在对他说，而是互相之间在说话。它们说什么——“是谁抓到了女巫？”“我以为是你呢？”“我把她手里的刀打了下来，但没见到她。”……“我在追赶小矮人。”…… “你的意思是，她逃跑了？”……“我也无法做所有的事情啊。”…… “那是什么？可惜，那是一块老树桩！”听到这里，爱德蒙昏过去了， 接下来发生了什么，他也不知道了。
不一会，那些人头马、独角兽、鹿和鸟（它们就是上面章节中阿斯兰派出的救兵），它们带着爱德蒙，一起回到了石台那里。不过， 如果它们能看到，他们走后的山谷里的事情，我想，它们一定会很震惊的。
山谷内一片寂静，月光更加明亮了，如果你也在，会看到月亮照耀着一块老树桩，一块不大不小的鹅卵石。你继续仔细地看，就会看到这树桩和石头真的很奇怪。然后，你会发现，树桩很像一个小胖子，趴在地上。再观察久一些，就会看到树桩走到了石头身边，石头坐了起来，跟树桩开始说话。事实上，树桩和石头就是白女巫和小矮人。这变形术，其实只是白女巫的一个小把戏。就在刀快要砍下来的那一瞬间，她立刻施展出来这一招。魔杖始终没离开过她的手，所以， 它还是完好无缺的。
第二天早晨，其他三个孩子醒了（他们就睡在帐篷的那堆垫子上），他们听到海狸太太说，他们的兄弟得救了，昨天夜里被带回了营地，这时正在阿斯兰那里。他们刚刚吃完早餐，就一起走到了外面， 只看见阿斯兰和爱德蒙，在满是露珠的草地上散步。没人能告诉你（也没人会听到什么）阿斯兰说了什么，但爱德蒙通过这次谈话，肯定受益匪浅。三个孩子走来了，阿斯兰带着爱德蒙，一起转过身来看着他们。
“对你们的兄弟，”他说道，“过去的事情，就不要提了。”
爱德蒙跟每一个人都握了手，对每个人都真诚地说了声“对不起”，大家都说“没关系”。然后，其他人很想说点什么，表示已经跟他重归于好——说点自然而然的话——但是，谁也想不出来说什么才好。就在他们没来得及感到尴尬时，一头豹子已经来到了阿斯兰面前，说道：“陛下，敌方来了信使，要求见您。”
“进来吧。”阿斯兰说。
豹子走开了，过了一会，他带着白女巫的小矮人回来了。
“你想说什么呢，大地之子？”阿斯兰问道。
“纳尼亚女王，也是孤独群岛的女皇，要求你给予安全，想前来和你会谈，”小矮人说，“商谈一些对双方都有利的事情。”
“纳尼亚女王，搞笑至极！”海狸先生说，“脸皮真厚啊……”
“保持安静，海狸，”阿斯兰说道，“善有善报，恶有恶报。不久， 这些都会应验的。现在，我们不要争吵。去告诉你的女主人吧，大地之子，我会保证她的安全，前提是，她得将魔杖放在那棵大橡树下。”
小矮人同意了，两头豹子跟着他回去了，以监视对方是否履行了条件。“可是，她要是把两头豹子变成石头，该怎么办呢？”露茜小声地对彼得说。我想豹子也会这样想；它们去的时候，身上的毛， 一根根竖起来了，尾巴翘得笔直——好像猫见到了陌生的狗那么警惕。
“没事，”彼得同样小声地回答，“真有事情的话，他就不会派它们前去了。”
几分钟不到，白女巫走上了小山顶，一直走上去，站在了阿斯兰的面前。其他三个孩子，以前从未见过她，但看到她的脸，大家就感到背上发毛；在场的所有动物无不低声地咆哮着。这时，虽然阳光明媚，但大家都感到一阵寒冷。在此，唯有阿斯兰和白女巫，看起来从容不迫。一张金黄色的脸与一张惨白的脸，凑得很近很近，真是异常奇怪——而且，白女巫竟然敢直视阿斯兰的眼睛，海狸太太还特意留意到了这点。
“你身边有一个叛徒，阿斯兰。”白女巫说。在场的人都知道， 她说的是爱德蒙。但爱德蒙经过了这么多事，早晨又经过了一次谈话， 已经不再考虑自己了。此时，他望着阿斯兰，无论女巫说什么，他都毫不在意了。
“好吧，”阿斯兰说，“他的过错又不是背叛了你。”
“难道，你忘记了高深魔法吗？”
“就当我已经忘记了，”阿斯兰庄严地回答，说道，“给我们说说， 这高深魔法究竟是什么吧。”
“给你讲讲？”白女巫说，她的声音忽然变得无比尖利，“说给你听，我们身边的那张石台上，都写了什么吗？说给你听，木岑树王的树干上，镌刻着什么吗？讲给你听，海外皇帝的宝杖上，刻有什么吗？至少你应该知道，皇帝最初在纳尼亚的魔法吧。你应该知道， 每个叛徒都应该属于我，来当作合法的祭品。假如有叛徒的话，我就有权杀了他。”
“啊，”海狸先生说道，“你一直是一个自以为是的女王—— 因为你一直是皇帝的刽子手。我明白了。”
“保持安静，海狸。”阿斯兰说话的时候，低声地咆哮了一声。
“所以说，”白女巫继续说道，“那个人是属于我的。他的生命属于我，他的血也是我的。”
“你来拿，试试看啊。”人马大声地怒吼着。
“愚蠢，”白女巫狠毒地笑着，几乎是在吼叫着说，“你真的以为， 你的主人凭借武力，就可以抢走我的权力吗？显然他懂得高深魔法， 但他不会这样做的。他知道，除非我能得到血，不然，纳尼亚就将在烈火与洪水的灾害中，永远地灭亡。”
“说得对，”阿斯兰说，“我承认这一点。”
“哦，阿斯兰！”苏珊小声在狮王耳边说，“我们可以不可以—— 我的意思是，能不能——我们在高深魔法上，想点办法呢？你有办法来对付高深魔法吗？”
“对付皇帝的魔法吗？”阿斯兰的脸上，流露出不太高兴的表情。于是，大家也不敢给他再提建议了。
在阿斯兰的另一边，爱德蒙一直看着阿斯兰的脸。他有种无法呼吸的感觉，不知道自己该说什么；过了一会，他突然觉得自己除了等待，按照他们吩咐地去做，自己其实是无能为力的。
“全部退下，”阿斯兰说，“我要跟女王单独会谈。”
大家只好遵命。这段时间真是漫长——当狮王和白女巫低声认真地谈话时，大家等啊，等啊，满心疑虑。露茜说了声“哦，爱德蒙”， 就大哭起来。彼得背对着大家，看着远处的海。海狸夫妇互相牵着爪子，低着头站着。人马则不安地一直跺着脚。到了后来，大家都鸦雀无声了，安静得连野蜂飞过的细小声音，或者山下树林中小鸟的飞动声，或者是风吹动树叶的沙沙声，大家都可以听见。阿斯兰和白女巫仍旧在谈话。
最后，他们听到阿斯兰说，“你们都回来吧，”他说，“我已经解决了这个事情。她放弃了要你兄弟血液的权力。”整个山头，突然有了声音，好像大家刚刚一直在屏着呼吸，现在，终于可以自由呼吸了；随后，就是一阵喃喃的说话声。
白女巫的脸上流露着狂喜的神情，她刚要转身，又停下来说：“我无法知道，你会不会守信用呢？”
“啊！呜！”阿斯兰从宝座上，坐起身子来怒吼。他的嘴巴越张越大，吼声越来越响亮，白女巫也张大了嘴巴，盯着狮王，看了一会儿，拉起裙子吓跑了。

第十四章 女巫的胜利
看到女巫离去，阿斯兰说：“我们要立刻离开这里，这里有其他的用处。我们今晚要赶到柏卢纳的浅滩，去那里安营扎寨。”
大家很想问问他，究竟是怎么和女巫商讨这件事情的，但阿斯兰面色严肃，大家耳边依旧回荡着他的咆哮，谁也不敢开口问他。
在山顶上，大家吃了一顿露天的午饭（阳光这时很强烈，几乎把草地都晒干了），他们忙活了好一阵子，拆掉了帐篷，收拾好东西。两点还未到，他们就开始出发了，向着西北的方向走，他们走得从容不迫，因为要去的地方并不太远。
在旅程刚刚开始时，阿斯兰曾向彼得说过他的作战计划。“一旦女巫得逞，完成这一带的活动，”他说，“她们的同伙就肯定会退到她的地盘，准备再次围攻我们。你们可能会打乱她的计划，让她无法回到自己的地盘，也有可能无法阻止。”随后，他提出了两种作战方案——一种是与白女巫以及她的同伴，在树林里作战，第二种则是去袭击她的城堡。这段时间，他一直指点着彼得如何战斗，他说着， “你一定得把你的队伍，布置在什么地方”，或者说道，“你一定得派去侦查员，去看好她，不要让她怎样怎样”。在最后，彼得说，“可你才是总指挥啊，阿斯兰。”
“我无法保证我可以当总指挥。”狮王说。然后，他继续指导彼得。
在旅程的最后阶段，苏珊和露茜一直看着阿斯兰。他说的话很少， 而且看上去有些忧伤。
天还未黑下来，他们到达了一个地方，这里拥有开阔的河谷， 河面宽且浅，这就是柏卢纳浅滩。阿斯兰命令所有人停泊在水的这一边。彼得说：“是不是把营地驻扎在另一边会更好一些——这样的话， 可以防止她来偷袭，或者有其他的举动？”
阿斯兰一直不在状态，他抖动了一下那身漂亮的鬃毛，才反应过来，问道：“嗯？你在说什么呢？”彼得只好又说了一次。
“不会的。”阿斯兰用低沉的声音回答道，似乎这件事情并不妨碍什么。
“不会的，她今晚不会进攻的，”他叹了口气。又接着说了一句， “军人就该如此，想得周到，其实是一件好事。但这次，真的是你多虑了。”于是，他们动手搭起帐篷来。
那天傍晚，阿斯兰的情绪显然影响了大家。彼得一想这场战争要由自己来主导，内心真的忐忑不安。阿斯兰不在战场，对他来说， 真是个打击。当天的晚饭，大家吃得很安静。他们都觉得这天晚上和昨晚，以及今天的早晨，都是不一样的。好时光好像刚刚开始，就已经结束了。
这样的气氛也影响了苏珊，她上床后一直睡不着。她躺在那里数数字，翻来覆去，直到她听到了露茜的叹息声。于是，她暗中翻滚到了露茜的身边。
“你是不是也睡不着？”苏珊问道。
“是啊，”露茜说，“我以为你已经睡着了。苏珊！我想说……”
“你想说什么呢？”
“我有个可怕的预感——好像，有不太好的大事要来临了。”
“你也这样想吗？其实，我也有这样的感觉。”
“是关于阿斯兰的，”露茜说，“他不是有什么可怕的事，就是要去做可怕的事情。”
“整个下午，他都有些不自然，”苏珊说，“露茜！他说打仗时不会跟我们在一起，你觉得是什么意思呢？你觉得今晚他会不会偷偷地溜走，离开我们呢？”
“那他现在在哪里呢？”露茜说，“他是在帐篷里吗？”
“我不这样认为。”
“苏珊！我们出去找找他吧。或许，我们能找到呢。”
“好吧，一起去吧，”苏珊说，“反正睡不着，不如出去转转， 出去看看吧。”
两个女孩悄无声息地，在睡着的人之中摸索出了路，偷偷地走出帐篷。月光如洗，十分寂静，只有潺潺流水经过石头的声音。苏珊突然抓住了露茜的胳膊，说道，“瞧！”她们看到营地的另一边， 树林的边上，狮王走进了树林——原来他真的要离开大家。她们没有说话，跟在他的后面，向前走去。
他领着她们，爬上了河谷的陡坡，向左边走去——显然，这是下午的时候，她们从石台山下来时的路线。他领着她们走啊，走啊， 一直走到黑暗的阴影中，走过苍白的月光，走到她们的脚都被浓密的露水给打湿了。不知为何，她们感觉他和以前认识的阿斯兰有些不同。他垂着尾巴和脑袋，走得慢吞吞的，仿佛很累、很累的样子。后来， 她们穿过一片开阔的空地，那里没有阴影可以躲藏，他停了下来，向周围看去。此时选择溜走，真是不太好，于是，她们只好朝他走去。待她们走近时，他说道：“孩子，孩子们，为什么要一直跟着我呢？”
“我们睡不着。”露茜说——她知道，自己无需多说，她们想的是什么，阿斯兰一定知道。
“请让我们跟着你，一起去面对，好吗？——不管你去哪里。” 苏珊说道。
“这样啊……”阿斯兰说，他好像在思索什么，终于，他说道： “今晚，我很高兴，有人能陪伴着自己。来吧，但是你们要答应我， 我让你们停下来，你们就停，然后，让我一个人去。只有这样你们才可以跟着我。”
“嗯，谢谢，谢谢你，我们答应你。”两个女孩说道。
他们往前走着，两个女孩走在狮王的两侧。可是，阿斯兰走得太慢了！他耷拉着那庄严的、高贵的脑袋，鼻子都快要碰触到草地了。不一会，他一个踉跄，几乎跌倒。他发出低沉的呻吟。
“阿斯兰！亲爱的阿斯兰！”露茜说，“到底发生了什么事情， 你可以和我们说说吗？”
“你是病了吗，亲爱的阿斯兰？”苏珊问道。
“没有，”阿斯兰说，“我只是觉得无限的悲伤和孤独。把你们的手放在我的鬃毛上，让我觉得你们在这里就好，我们走吧。”
于是，两个女孩遵从了他所说的话。这是她们从见到他的那一刻就一直想做，但不经他允许，谁也不敢做的事情——她们把冰冷的手，放进那一片美丽的鬃毛中，抚摸着他，跟着他一起前行。过了一会， 她们跟着他爬上了石台上的山坡，爬到了树林的边缘。待她们走到了最后的一棵树下（周围还有灌木丛的那棵树），阿斯兰停下来说道： “孩子，孩子们，在这里停下吧。记住，不管会发生什么，不要让别人看到你们，再见。”
两个女孩失声痛哭（虽然，她们并不知道自己为什么会哭）， 她们搂着狮王，亲吻他的鬃毛、鼻子、爪子，以及那双庄重、忧伤的眼睛。这时，他终于转过身，走上了山顶。露茜和苏珊都蹲在了灌木丛中，目送他离开，往下就是她们看到的场景。
石台边上站着很多人，尽管在月光下，他们还是手举着火把， 火把燃烧时，不时吐出团团红焰和黑烟。这些都是什么人呢！长着奇怪的牙齿的食人魔、豹狼、牛头妖、凶恶的树妖，以及毒树妖；很多动物，我就不全部列举了，如果继续描述，大人们也许会不让你们再看这本书——还有冷面妖、巫婆、梦魇、幽灵、吓人兽、火妖、妖怪、地妖、大头妖和小头鬼等。实际上，站在白女巫这个队伍里的人，听到狼的嚎叫，几乎都来了。而那位站在中间，靠着石台的，正是白女巫。
这些怪物们最初看到伟大的狮王走向他们时，发出了惊慌失措的嚎叫，白女巫自己也吓得不得了。但是，她很快就镇定下来，粗野地狂笑起来。
“笨蛋！”她叫喊道，“那个大笨蛋来了。快把他绑起来。”
露茜和苏珊，吓得大气也不敢出，她们等待着阿斯兰一声吼叫， 向着敌人扑去。但是他却没有那么做。四个龇牙咧嘴的老巫婆斜视着阿斯兰，当她们走到他身边时，最初还是不敢靠近，她们对自己要做的事还是心存恐惧。“我说，把他绑起来！”白女巫又说了一遍。四个老巫婆冲向了他，发现他一点儿也不反抗，于是发出胜利的叫喊。然后，凶狠的小矮人、猿猴们一拥而上，帮助她们把庞大的狮王翻倒在地上，并且绑住了他的四个爪子。他们欢呼着叫喊，好像做了一件十分了不起的事情。其实只要狮王反抗，一只爪子都可以让他们结束生命；但是，他一直不说话，敌人对他又拉又拖，绳子几乎勒到他的肉里，他也不吭声。接着，他们把他拉到了石台上。
“停下来！”白女巫说，“先来把他的毛剃光。”
食人魔走了上来，举着一把大剪刀，蹲在了阿斯兰的脑袋边上， 白女巫和爪牙们正在凶狠地狂笑。随着大剪刀咔嚓、咔嚓，一堆一堆金色的鬃毛落在了地上。剪完后，食人魔后退了一步，两个女孩在她们隐藏的地方，看到了阿斯兰的脸没有了鬃毛后变得很小，有些异样。敌人们显然也看到了这个差别。
“什么，他原来只是一只大猫啊！”一个爪牙叫喊道。
“这就是我们过去很怕的那个东西吗？”另一个爪牙说。
它们围绕在阿斯兰的周围，嘲笑他说道，“猫咪，猫咪！可怜的小猫。”还有“今天你抓了几只老鼠，猫咪？”“想喝牛奶吗，小猫咪？”
“他们怎么可以这样呢？”露茜说道，她的泪水流过脸颊，“真是畜生！畜生！”最初的震惊已经消失了，她甚至觉得，剪掉毛的阿斯兰的脸，比之前看上去显得更为勇敢、更为美丽，也更为坚强。
“套上他的嘴巴！”白女巫说。直到现在，他们给他的嘴巴上套的时候，他只要稍微一咬，就会咬掉两三只手。但他一动未动。这群乌合之众一定是疯了，每个家伙都想来羞辱他一番。那些在他被绑了之后仍然怕他的家伙，现在也鼓足了勇气。过了这一刻，两个女孩看不到他了——他就这样，被群魔密密麻麻地包围着，那些乌合之众， 一起踢他、打他，对着他吐唾沫，甚至嘲笑他。
最后，这些人终于闹够了。他们把五花大绑、戴着嘴套的狮王拖向了石台。他们推着，拉着，把身材魁梧的阿斯兰拖向了石台。他们几乎费劲了全身的力气，才把他抬到了石台上。后来，他们又给他绑了很多道绳子。
“胆小鬼！胆小鬼！”苏珊哭着说，“到现在他们还在害怕他吗？”
待阿斯兰被绑在了一块平坦的大石头上（而且被绑得几乎成了一大堆绳子），白女巫的爪牙们才安静下来。四个老巫婆，拿着四个火把，站在了石桌的四个角。白女巫卷起袖子，像前一个晚上她对付爱德蒙似的，她开始磨刀。两个女孩觉得，那把刀在火与光的照耀下， 早已不是钢刀，而是石刀，形状古怪，充满邪恶。
最后，她走近了阿斯兰，站在他的头边。她非常激动，脸跟着抽搐起来，他却仰望着天空，仍旧很平静，不生气也不害怕，只是略显悲伤。此刻，她就要砍下去了，她弯着腰，用颤抖的声音说道： “现在，谁赢了呢？大笨蛋！你以为，自己这样牺牲就能拯救那个人类的叛徒？按照我们的约定，现在我杀了你，用来代替他，这样高深魔法才能实现。但是等你死了，谁还能阻止我去杀他呢？到那时， 谁又能救他出去呢？你一定要记住，是你把纳尼亚，永远送给了我， 而且你还搭了自己的性命，却没有救出他来。现在，你知道这些了， 可是却没有希望了，去死吧！”
杀戮的那一瞬间，孩子们没有看到。她们不忍心看，都蒙住了自己的双眼。

第十五章 太古时代更为高深的魔法
两个女孩双手掩面，依旧蹲在灌木丛中，她们听到白女巫大声叫喊着：“现在！大家和我一起，发起战争吧，给他们致命的一击！ 这个大笨蛋，这只大猫，现在已经死了。不久之后，我们就可以打垮其他的人类害虫，以及那些叛徒。”
这时的两姐妹其实身处危险之中，因为那阵阵野蛮的叫喊声和尖锐的风笛声、号角声，一起响起来，卑劣的暴徒们从山顶上冲下来， 正好经过她们的藏身之处。她们觉得，幽灵就像一阵阴风，大地在牛头怪奔驰的蹄声下不断颤抖，头顶上还有一阵猛禽扇翅的腥风，只见黑压压的都是秃鹰和蝙蝠。如果在其他时候，她们也许早就怕得浑身颤抖了，但现在，阿斯兰已经死了，她们满心都是悲伤、羞辱和恐惧， 谁也没有想到害怕。
树林终于安静了下来，苏珊和露茜爬到了空旷的山顶。月亮快要落下，片片云朵遮盖了它，但她们仍然能看到狮王被五花大绑的尸体。她们跪在湿漉漉的草地上，亲吻着他冰冷的脸庞，抚摸着他美丽的鬃毛——仅仅剩下来的那点毛发——她们哭到哭不出来声音，才停了下来。随后，她们彼此对望着，感觉到无限凄凉，两个人手拉手，
悲伤地又一次哭了起来，然后陷入了沉默。最后，露茜说：“我无法忍受那可怕的嘴套。我们可以拿掉它吗？”
她们只好试试看。摆弄了好一会后（因为她们的手指冰凉，这时又是黑夜中最为黑暗的时候），她们终于拿掉了那嘴套，当她们看到他终于没了嘴套，两个女孩又开始大哭起来，她们不断亲吻他，抚摸他，擦掉了他身上的鲜血与泡沫。如此凄凉、绝望以及可怕的场景， 我该怎么来描述才好呢。
“不知道我们，是否能够解开他身上的绳子呢？”过了一会， 苏珊说道。充满怨恨且生性狠毒的敌人，把绳子拉得很紧很紧，两个女孩没办法打开这绳结。
我希望读者们不要像那天晚上的苏珊和露茜那么痛苦；不过， 如果你曾经也有类似的遭遇——比如一整夜没睡，哭得再也无法流泪——就知道，到头来其实内心会是充满平静的。你会觉得，再也不会有比这更糟糕的事情了。不管怎样，两个女孩的感觉就是如此。时间在这种麻木的平静中，过去了好几个小时，她们甚至没有意识到自己越来越冷。最后，露茜注意到了两件事情。第一件事情是，小山东边的天空似乎比一个小时前明亮了一些。第二件事情是，她脚边的草地上，有小东西在活动。最初，她对此并不关心。这些又有什么呢？ 反正现在什么都无所谓了。后来，她看到这些不知名的东西爬上了石台的桌腿上。这时，这些东西正在阿斯兰身上来回爬动。她凑近了一看，原来是一些灰灰的小东西。
“啊！”苏珊在石桌的另一面说，“多讨厌啊！爬在他身上的竟然是一些讨厌的老鼠。走开，你们这些可恶的家伙。”她举起手来， 想吓跑它们。
“等等！”露茜一直在不远处看着它们说道，“你难道看不出来，它们在做什么吗？”
两个女孩弯下腰来，目不转的地看着它们。
“我敢说……”苏珊说，“多么奇怪啊！它们正在试着咬断绳子！”
“我也是这样想的，”露茜说，“我看它们算是挺友好的小老鼠。可怜的小东西……它们也许不知道阿斯兰已经死了。它们以为，解开绳子会对他好一些。”
这时，天色慢慢亮起来，两个女孩这才看到，彼此的脸色是多么苍白。那些小老鼠得有几十只，甚至成千上百只的样子，它们一口一口地咬着绳子，直到最后，绳子终于被咬断了。
这时，东方的天空渐渐发白，星星渐渐地隐没在地平线上，还仅存着一颗很大很亮的星星。她们觉得现在比晚上还要冷。那些小老鼠也都爬开了。
她们把咬断的绳子，一点点清除掉。没有了这些绳子，阿斯兰看上去终于恢复了原来的样子。天色逐渐明亮起来，她们看得更清楚了，他那张毫无生气的脸，现在看上去显得越来越高贵。
在她们背后的树林中，鸟儿叽叽喳喳地叫了起来。在这里，持续好几个小时都是寂静，这声音吓到了她们。接着，又一只鸟儿叫了起来。不一会，处处都是鸟儿的歌唱。
这时，应该是清晨了，深夜过去了。
“我真的很冷。”露茜说。
“我也冷，”苏珊说，“我们站起来，走走吧。”
她们走到了山的东边，往下看去，那颗大星星快要消失了。田野是一片深灰色，田野尽头的大海，却是一片灰白色。天空渐渐地变成了红色。她们围绕着死去的阿斯兰和东面的山脊，来回走了无数次， 想着取暖的方式。啊，她们的腿真的很累很累。于是，她们只好站在
那里，眺望着大海和凯尔帕拉维尔（这时，她们终于看到了城堡的轮廓），在海天交汇的地平线，天色由红色逐渐地变成了金黄色，太阳升起来了。就在这时，她们听到了背后的巨响——那一声震耳欲聋的响声，好像巨人的盔甲裂开了。
“是什么声音呢？”露茜说着，赶紧抓着苏珊的胳膊。
“我——我很怕回头看，”苏珊说，“发生了什么可怕的事情了。”
“它们对他又下毒手了，”露茜说，“快来！”她拉着苏珊， 一起转身来看。
太阳升起，这里的一切都发生了改变——所有的颜色和阴影都变了——因此，她们并未看到那件大事已经发生了。后来，她们才看见，石台在一声巨响后，从头裂到尾成了两半；阿斯兰竟然不见了。
“呜，呜，呜！”两个女孩哭着，奔跑到了石台的旁边。
“呜，这太糟糕了，”露茜哭着说，“他们应该留下他的尸体的。”
“这是谁干的呢？”苏珊叫喊道，“这是什么意思呢？难道是魔法？”
“是的！”她们身后，一个响亮的声音说道，“这就是更强大的魔法。”她们回头一看。只见阳光下，站着阿斯兰，他看起来比之前还要大，正在抖动着鬃毛（显然，鬃毛又长出来了一些）。
“啊，阿斯兰！”姐妹两个人开心地叫喊着。她们仔细地盯着他看，内心既开心又害怕。
“原来你还活着，亲爱的阿斯兰？”露茜说。
“现在没有。”阿斯兰说。
“你不是——不会是一个……”苏珊用颤抖的声音发问。她不忍说出那个“鬼”字。阿斯兰弯下身来，舔了舔她的额头。他呼吸出的气是暖暖的，鬃毛里散发着一股浓浓的香气，笼罩着她。
“我看着像是那东西吗？”他说道。
“啊，那你是真的，你是真的！哦，阿斯兰！”露茜叫喊着， 两个女孩扑了上去，吻遍他的全身。
“可是，这一切到底是怎么回事呢？”等大家平静了一些，苏珊问道。
“这是因为，”阿斯兰说，“虽然白女巫知道高深魔法，她却不知道还有更高深的魔法。她知道的，只到远古时代的魔法而已。假如她可以看得更远一些，就能看到太古时代的寂静与黑暗的深处， 还有一条不同的咒语。她只知道，有一个甘愿送死的牺牲者，却不知道如果牺牲者本身并没有背叛的行为，又被当作叛徒杀害时，石台就会崩裂，死亡的过程就会逆转。而现在——”
“哦，是的，现在呢？”露茜跳起来，拍着手说道。
“哦，孩子们，”狮王说，“我能够感觉到，自己的力量已经恢复了。哦，孩子们，看看，你们能不能抓到我呢？他站立了一会， 没动，眼睛炯炯有神，四肢颤抖，用力地甩着尾巴。接着他一跃而上， 跳过她们的头顶，落在了石台的对面。不知为何，露茜一直开心地哈哈大笑；她赶紧爬过石台去抓他。阿斯兰又是一跳。一场追逐就此疯狂地上演了。他带着她们，在山顶上转悠，一会儿让她们无法追到， 一会儿又差点让她们抓住尾巴，一会儿从她们中间穿了过去，一会儿又用漂亮且柔软的大爪子把她们扔向半空又接住了，一会儿又突然停下来，三个人欢乐地滚成了一团，让人只看得见一堆皮毛、胳膊或者腿什么的。这场嬉闹，除非是在纳尼亚，其他地方真是没人这样玩过； 而且露茜也不知道，她们究竟是在跟着一只狮子玩呢，还是一个小猫在玩。有趣的是，等到他们三个一起躺在太阳下喘息的时候，两个女孩也觉得不再疲劳、饥饿，以及口渴了。
“现在，”过了一会，阿斯兰说道，“干正事吧，我想吼上几声， 你们把耳朵堵上吧。”
她们遵从了他的指示。阿斯兰站了起来，等他张大嘴巴怒吼时， 他的脸变得非常可怕，她们甚至都不敢看他了。她们看到，他面前的树木，随着吼声全都弯了腰，草也随着风弯曲成了一片草场。然后， 他说道：“我们要走的路还很长很远，你们骑在我身上吧。”于是， 他趴了下来，她们两个爬到了他那温暖的金色的背上，苏珊坐在前面， 紧紧地抓住他的鬃毛，露茜坐在后面，紧紧地抓着苏珊。他猛然挺身， 站起来，飞奔而去，比任何骏马都要快许多。很快，他们下了山，走入密林。
这次能骑着狮子，也许是她们到了纳尼亚做过的最美好的事情吧。你曾经骑着马儿奔跑过吗？想想，去掉那些沉重的马蹄“嘚嘚” 的声音，以及鞍具叮当作响的声音，如今只有四只爪子，轻轻地踏在地上，一点声音也没有。再来想想，那些黑色的、灰色的或者栗色的马背，换成了柔软的金黄色的皮毛，鬃毛在风中飞舞着。再来想想， 你甚至比跑得最快的赛马，还要快上两倍。而且这次骑行无需带路， 也不会疲劳。阿斯兰往前奔跑而去，从不会失足，也不会犹豫，他熟练地在树干之间穿越，他跳过灌木丛、荆棘丛、溪流，蹚过小河，游过河流。此刻，你不是在路上骑行，不是在公园内，也不是在草原上，而是在纳尼亚。春天，当你走过一条幽暗阴凉的路，穿过山毛榉林，穿过橡树林那一块块向阳的空地，穿过飘扬着雪白樱花的野生果园，穿过川流不息的瀑布，长满青苔的岩石，余音萦绕的山洞，爬上了开满金雀花的山坡，穿过了长着茂密石楠的山头，沿着让人炫目的山脊，不断地跑下去，跑下去，跑到了开阔的谷底，跑到了一大片兰花地的前面。
即将中午的时候，他们发现自己来到了一片陡峭的山坡上，俯看那座城堡——从他们站立的地方看着它，就像一个小小的玩具—— 看上去，好像是尖尖的塔楼。此刻，狮王正在加速冲向城堡，因此， 城堡在他们眼前，越来越大。她们根本来不及问，这是哪里，就已经到了城堡的面前。现在，城堡在她们面前不像玩具了，它看上去阴气沉沉的。城墙上根本没有人，城堡大门紧紧关闭。阿斯兰并没有放慢脚步，他像颗子弹一样，笔直地冲向了城堡。
“到白女巫的地盘了！”他叫道，“孩子们，抓紧我。”
一时之间，天翻地覆，她们感觉自己的五脏六腑似乎都要被倒出来了，狮王振作了一下，猛然一跳，这一次，他比之前任何时候都跳得更高——当然，这一跳也可以说不是跳跃，而是一下子飞越了城堡的墙头。女孩们一时间喘不过气来，还好，她们并未因此受伤。她们已从狮王的背上，滚落下来，落在了宽阔的石头院子里，这里全部都是雕像。

第十六章 雕像的重生
“多么奇怪的地方！
”露茜叫道，“这些石头的动物——石人！ 真像是博物馆一样啊。”
“嘘，”苏珊说，“阿斯兰正在做什么呢？”
是的，他现在正忙着呢。他首先跳到石狮子的面前，对着它吹了一口气。然后，他转过身去好像小猫追着自己的尾巴一样——他对着石头小矮人也吹了口气。你们还记得吗，那个小矮人背对石狮子， 他们相隔不到一两英尺的距离。然后，他又跑向了小矮人旁边的一个高大的石头树精，接着，又跑到了他右边的石兔跟前，又跑到了两个人马面前。此时，露茜说道，“哦，苏珊，快看，那只狮子。”
我想，也许大家都见过这样的场景，点燃一根火柴，凑到壁炉架上去点燃报纸前的状态。最初，并没有动静，然后你会看到报纸上燃烧着一丝小小的火焰。当时的情况就是如此。阿斯兰对石狮子吹了口气，当时，石狮与之前，并没有什么不同。后来，它的白色大理石的背上，开始闪过一丝金黄色，然后，金色开始蔓延，再后来， 金色笼罩着它的全身，好像火焰燃烧报纸一样——之后，虽然它的后腿还是石头，狮子用力地抖动了一下鬃毛，所有的石头褶皱纷纷落下，鬃毛变得无比生动。它张开大嘴，呼吸出生气以及热气，打了个长长的喷嚏。它的后腿也活过来了。它抬起一条腿，在身上挠着。看到了阿斯兰，它立刻跳到狮王的身边，开心地蹦着、跳着，甚至哭了起来， 跳了起来，去亲吻阿斯兰的脸庞。
两个女孩的眼睛，一直没离开过狮子；不过，她们看到了更为奇妙的景象，很快就不再注视着这只狮子了。这里，院子里处处都是活过来的石像。院子不再像博物馆了，倒成了一个动物园。动物们围着阿斯兰奔跑，跳舞，他被动物们围在中间，被淹没了。院子本是一片苍白，现在却色彩斑斓，生机勃勃：人马那栗色的马身，独角兽那蓝色的角，以及白鸟五彩的羽毛，棕红色的狐狸，还有狗和半羊人， 戴着红帽子、穿着黄袜子的小矮人，一身盈白的白桦树女孩，盈润碧绿的山毛榉姑娘，还有那落叶松姑娘，她一身翠绿的服装，鲜艳得几乎发黄。院子里本来死气沉沉，一片寂静，如今却回荡着欢乐的喧闹声：狮子的吼叫声，虎啸声，驴叫声，狗吠声，鸽子咕咕咕的声音， 马的嘶鸣声，还有尖叫声、跺脚声、呐喊声、欢呼声，以及美妙的歌声与笑声。
“哦！”苏珊说话的声音也变了，“看看！真不知道——这里， 安全吗？”
露茜回头一看，只见阿斯兰正朝着巨人的双脚，吹了一口气。
“没事了！”阿斯兰的声音，听上去那么愉快，“他的双脚站好了， 身体就能平衡。”
“我指的并不是这个啊。”苏珊小声对露茜说道。
即使阿斯兰听到她所说的担忧，也来不及了。巨人的两条腿， 稍稍能动弹了。现在，他正在挪动着双脚，过了一会，他放下了肩膀上的大棒，揉了揉双眼，说道：“天啊！我是睡着了吧。好啊！在地上跑来跑去的那个可恶的小女巫，去哪里了呢？刚刚她还在我的脚边转悠。”当大伙儿一起抬头看着他，对他解释这里究竟发生了什么事情的时候，巨人把手放在耳边，请他们再说一次。最后，终于算是听懂了。然后，他深深鞠躬，脑袋低到只有干草堆那么高，他不断地摸着帽檐向阿斯兰致敬。他的脸虽然丑陋，但是笑容却充满真诚。（在现在的英国很难见到巨人，脾气好的巨人更是难见，你们十之八九应该没见过一脸微笑的巨人。这个场景真的让人难忘。）
“现在，我们去城堡里吧！”阿斯兰说，“快点行动吧。楼上， 楼下，女巫的房间！一定要仔细地搜寻每个角落，因为你们现在也许无法知道，那些可怜的囚犯都被藏在了哪里。”
他们全部冲了进来。不一会，那座充满黑暗、恐怖以及霉气的破旧城堡便响起了开窗户的声音，以及大家的叫喊声：“我记得这儿还有地牢——来帮我们打开这扇门！这里有一条楼梯，弯曲得很—— 哦，这里还有只可怜的小袋鼠。快点，让阿斯兰过来……嘘！这里好臭啊——小心那些暗门——到这里来吧！楼梯和平台上还有好多呢！”不过，最让人兴奋的事情，便是露茜冲上了楼，大声喊叫道： “阿斯兰！阿斯兰！我找到图姆纳斯先生了，快来看看！”
不一会，露茜和那只受伤的半羊人，手牵手地跳着舞，快乐地转起了圈。这个小家伙虽然变成了雕像，却并没有受伤。她给他讲述了解救他们的过程，让他充满了好奇。
白女巫的老窝终于被他们彻底地翻了一个遍。整个城堡都空了， 门窗也被打开了，春天的气息迎面而来，阳光和芬芳一起涌进了这个黑暗、邪恶的地方。这里多么需要阳光，多么需要新鲜的空气啊。这一群获得重生的雕像又一次来到院子里。这时候，如果有人（我想， 应该是图姆纳斯）首先开口说：“接下来，我们该怎么出去呢？”阿斯兰是跳进来的，而院子的大门仍然被紧紧地锁着。
“没关系，”阿斯兰说。随后，他的后腿直立，对着巨人喊道， “嗨！就是你，上边的兄弟，”他吼着，“你叫什么名字呢？”
“禀告大人，我是巨人，伦波布芬。”巨人说完，摸着帽子， 表示敬意。
“好的，高大的伦波布芬，”阿斯兰说道，“让我们一起从这里出去，好吧？”
“当然，大人。我很乐意为您效劳。”巨人伦波布芬说，“小家伙们， 离门远一些哈！”他大步走到门前，抡起棒子，砰……砰……砰。敲下去的第一下，大门就“咯吱”一下被砸开了。第二下的时候，大门裂了。第三下，大门成了一堆碎片。然后，他又跑到大门两边的塔楼， 边捶打，边捣毁。不一会，两侧的塔楼以及旁边的大部分高墙轰然倒下了，成了一大片破碎的砖瓦；尘土散去，站在这个光秃秃又阴森的院子里，看着外面的草地、摇摆的树木，森林中波光闪烁的溪流， 溪流不远处的青山，以及碧蓝色的天空，都别有一番风情。
“我可是浑身臭汗了，”巨人说话的声音像火车头喘气的声音， “我不会着凉感冒吧？这两位年轻的姑娘，你们身上带着手绢了吗？”
“是的，我有啊。”露茜说着，踮起了脚尖，尽力地把手绢高高地举起来。
“谢谢了，姑娘。”巨人伦波布芬弯下了腰。那一瞬间，吓了露茜一跳，因为不知不觉间，她竟然被巨人的两个手指捏到了半空。就在她快要靠近他的脸时，他似乎才意识到，然后又把她放到了地面上，喃喃自语道，“上帝啊！我竟然把一个小女孩给拎起来了。对不起啊，姑娘，我以为你就是手帕。”
“没事，没事，”露茜笑着说，“手帕在这里！”这一次，他总算是拿到了，对巨人而言，手绢的大小，就像是糖片那么大，当露茜看到他正在拿这块手帕，一本正经地擦着那张非常大而且红彤彤的脸时，不由地说，“伦波布芬先生，这块手帕真的对你有用吗？”
“有用的，有用的，”巨人很有礼貌地说，“这是我见过的最好的手帕了。这样精致，这样方便。所以——我也不知道该怎么说了。”
“这是一个多么善良的巨人啊！”露茜对图姆纳斯先生说道。
“是的，”半羊人回答道，“布芬家的人都很善良。在纳尼亚， 他们是一个被人尊敬的巨人家族。或许他们不太聪明（我觉得巨人好像都不太聪明），但他们依旧是个古老的家族。这其实是有传统的。如果他是坏人的话，白女巫也不会把他变成石头了。”
这时候，阿斯兰拍了拍爪子，让大家安静下来。
“我们今天要做的事情还没有完成，”他说，“如果想在晚上睡觉之前打败白女巫，我们要立刻赶赴战斗。”
“我正希望能这样。我可以加入，阁下！”个子最大的人马， 说了一句。
“当然，”阿斯兰说，“现在，那些跟不上步伐的——比如说， 孩子们、小矮人和小动物们——必须要骑在那些步伐快的动物身上——比如说，狮子、人马、独角兽、马儿、巨人和巨鹰。那些嗅觉灵敏的必须得跟着我们狮子一起走在前面，可以闻出来哪里在打仗。现在，你们自己赶紧分组搭档吧。”
然后，随着一阵忙乱和欢呼，他们分好了组。这里最快乐的， 莫过于另外的那只狮子了，他一直东跑西跑，装出忙忙碌碌的样子， 其实就是为了对每一个人说，“听见了吗？他说我们狮子。那意思就是，他和我啊。我们狮子。我真心喜欢阿斯兰。他没有架子，从不盛气逼人。我们狮子，就是他和我呀。”他就这样一直说来说去，直到阿斯兰把三个小矮人、一个树精，两只兔子以及一只刺猬，放在了它的背上，才让他闭了嘴。
一切都准备好了（原来是一只大牧犬帮着阿斯兰让大家各就各位），他们从城堡高墙的一个缺口处开始行动了。狮子和狗四处闻嗅。有只大猎狗忽然闻到了气味，叫唤了起来。然后，大家赶紧行动，全部的狗、狮子还有狼，以及其他负责追捕的动物，都把鼻子靠近地面， 快速前进。其他的动物都在他们后面大约半英尺的距离，跟着飞跑。这个场景好像是英国人在捉狐狸，因为大家不时能听见猎犬的狂叫， 还有另一只狮子的低吼，伴随着更深沉的、可怕的阿斯兰的吼叫。气味变得越来越浓，越来越好分辨，他们也跑得越来越快。就在大家刚刚到峡谷的最后一个拐弯的时候，露茜听到了这些声音之外的另一个声音——这个声音，与众不同，听得她感觉很是怪异。那是呐喊、尖叫以及金属碰击的声音。
等她们走出峡谷，露茜才顿时明白了原因。彼得和爱德蒙，带着阿斯兰其余的军马，正在拼命地与昨天晚上她所看见的那群可怕的动物们厮杀着。在日光下，那些家伙看上去，更是古怪、邪恶、怪异， 好像数量也更多。阿斯兰的军队——虽然他们背对着露茜——但看着很少。还有很多雕像，散布在战场上，显然白女巫使用过她的魔杖。但现在，她似乎并没有使用魔杖，而是用石刀在厮打。她在和彼得作战——双方打得非常激烈，露茜简直无法分辨谁是谁；只见刀光剑影， 让人眼花缭乱，看上去，真像是有三把刀和三把剑。这一对在中间厮杀，两边都自动排成了战线。不管露茜看向哪里，都是可怕的场景。
“孩子们，快下来。”阿斯兰叫喊着。她们翻身滚了下来。随着一声怒吼，整个纳尼亚的大地，东到海边，西到路灯柱子那里，都为之震撼，这只巨兽朝着白女巫扑去，在一瞬间，露茜看到白女巫抬起头看向他，眼神中满是恐惧和惊讶。然后，狮王和白女巫滚成一团， 白女巫被压在了下面；阿斯兰从白女巫的地盘所带来的动物们，也都充满斗志地朝着敌人的阵地冲去，小矮人拿着战斧，猎狗用牙齿， 巨人拿着大棒（他的双脚，更是踩死了很多敌人），独角兽用角，人马凭借着蹄子和一把剑。彼得这支军队几乎累坏了，顿时也士气大振。新上阵的动物们，不断狂吼着，敌人则东倒西歪，不断地尖叫着，喊叫着。整片树林杀气腾腾。

第十七章 追猎白鹿
这场战争在他们来了之后不一会儿就结束了。很多敌人，在阿斯兰和他的伙伴第一次攻击时就没了命。还活着的敌人看见白女巫死了，有的投降了，有的逃跑了。露茜后来看到，彼得与阿斯兰在握手。她感觉，这时的彼得看上去很奇怪——他的脸色苍白，但神色严峻， 看上去似乎成熟了许多。
“这场胜利的功劳属于爱德蒙，阿斯兰，”彼得说，“若不是他， 我们也许很快就失败了，白女巫把我们的军队变成了石头，排在两边。可什么都挡不住爱德蒙，他一路杀去，杀了三个食人魔，一直杀到她把你的一头豹子变成雕像的地方。等他接近她时，他机智地用剑， 劈开了她的魔杖，而并非鲁莽地进攻她，避免了让自己变成一尊雕像。而其他人几乎都犯了一个错误，我们最初损失有些严重。在她的魔杖断了之后，我们才开始有了转机。爱德蒙受了重伤，我们去看看他吧。”
爱德蒙就在战场不远的后方，海狸太太正在照顾他。他满身是血， 嘴巴张开，脸色苍白。
“快点来呀，露茜。”阿斯兰说。
这时，露茜才想起圣诞老人送给她的圣诞礼物，那瓶珍贵的药水。
她的双手一直颤抖，无法打开瓶塞，不过，最终她还是打开了它，在哥哥的嘴边倒了几滴。
“去看看，其他的伤员。”阿斯兰说。她仍然焦急地看着爱德蒙苍白的脸，想看看药水会不会起作用。
“是的，我知道，”露茜有些生气，说道，“但是，先等等啊。”
“夏娃之女，”阿斯兰的声音顿时严肃起来，“其他人也在生死关头，难道还要更多的人为爱德蒙去死吗？”
“对不起，阿斯兰。”露茜说完，跟着他一起走了。接下来的半个小时里，他们忙得不可开交——她来照顾伤员，他去把那些变成石头的动物恢复原样。等她终于有时间去看爱德蒙的时候，才发现， 他竟然一个人站在那里，伤口已经愈合了，他看上去比之前更为健壮。事实上，自从他上了一所糟糕的学校，第一个学期，他就开始变坏了。现在，他终于恢复了最初的自己，终于敢正视别人的脸了。阿斯兰在战场上把他封为骑士。
“他知道，”露茜小声对苏珊说，“阿斯兰曾为他作出的牺牲吗？ 他知道狮王和白女巫的协议究竟是什么吗？”
“嘘！不知道，肯定不知道。”苏珊说。
“难道，我们不应该告诉他？”露茜说。
“哦，不应该，”苏珊说，“那样对他太残忍了。换作是你， 你会怎么想这件事情呢。”
“尽管如此，我觉得，他还是有必要知道的。”露茜说。这时， 有人打断了她们之间的谈话。
那天晚上，他们就地休息了。阿斯兰请大家吃什么，我也不知道； 不管怎样，大伙儿在八点左右全部都坐在草地上，吃了一顿丰盛的茶点。第二天，他们沿着大河往东前进。第三天，在吃过茶点的时候，他们终于来到了入海口。凯尔帕拉维尔城堡就坐落在这座小山上，它高高地屹立在他们上方。他们的前方，则是沙滩、岩石，还有小小的咸水坑、海草，以及大海的气息，翠绿色的波涛滚滚，永不停歇地拍打着海滩。还有那美妙的海鸥的鸣叫！你们听见了吧？还记得这些吗？
傍晚吃过了茶点，四个孩子都设法再次来到海滩上，他们脱掉了鞋子、袜子，在沙滩上赤脚玩耍。第二天，事情却开始严肃起来。在凯尔帕拉维尔的大厅里，那座拥有象牙色屋顶的精美大厅内（西墙上挂着孔雀的羽毛，东门连接着大海），阿斯兰在他们的好友面前， 待到号声齐鸣，隆重地为他们进行了加冕。“彼得国王万岁！苏珊女王万岁！爱德蒙国王万岁！露茜女王万岁！”在如雷的欢呼声中， 阿斯兰带着他们坐上了四个宝座。
“在纳尼亚，一朝为王，终身是王。亚当之子，你们要尽职尽责！ 夏娃之女，你们要尽职尽责！”阿斯兰说道。
同时，从敞开的东门外，传来雄人鱼和美人鱼的声音，他们游到了城堡台阶的附近，高声欢唱，向着国王和女王致以敬意。
四个孩子坐在宝座上，接受了权杖。他们为了表示敬意，对所有的好友都给予了犒赏，有半羊人图姆纳斯、海狸夫妇、巨人伦波布芬、豹子、善良的人马与小矮人，还有那头狮子。当天晚上，他们在凯尔帕拉维尔举行了盛宴，他们歌舞狂欢，高举美酒，一切都闪烁着金色的光芒。海上也传来海人的音乐，它更为美妙、温暖，更让人动心， 与城堡内的音乐相互和唱。
在这场欢乐的庆典中，阿斯兰不言不语地离开了。两个国王和两个女王都察觉到了，却也没说什么。因为海狸先生曾对他们说过。“他一直如此，自来自去，”他说，“总有一天，你还能看到他，也许他还会离开。他不喜欢被约束。当然，也有其他的国度需要他的关心。没关系，他还会经常回来的。你们不能强迫他，因为他充满了野性， 他是一只不可以被驯服的狮子。”
直到现在，和你想的差不多，这段故事已经结束了（或许没有完全结束）。两个国王和两个女王，把纳尼亚治理得很好，这里一切都平安、幸福。最初，他们还花了大部分时间，去搜寻白女巫军队的余孽，并去消灭它们。长久以来，在森林偏僻的地方，也潜藏着坏蛋， 他们无恶不作——到处捣乱，杀人，造谣生事；这个月有人说看见了狼人，下个月又谣传出现了老巫婆。不过，所有的敌人最终都被消灭了。他们还制定了完善的法律以维护治安，保护树木不被滥砍滥伐。他们并不强迫年幼的小矮人和树精们去上学，严禁那些多嘴多舌的、爱管闲事的人住下来，鼓励安居乐业的人们安定下来。他们勇敢地驱逐了那些越过纳尼亚北部的凶狠的巨人（他们与伦波布芬是不一样的）。他们努力与海外的一些国家友好地结盟，进行国事访问，接待其他国家的访团。
随着时光的流逝，他们都长大成人了，也逐渐有了一些变化。彼得逐渐成为一个高大的、胸脯厚实的男人，一个伟大的武士，人们尊称他为“尊王彼得”。苏珊长成一个身材修长、举止优雅的女人， 那头乌发几乎要拖到了脚跟处，海外的很多国家，都派出大使向她求婚，人们都称她为“温柔的女王苏珊”。与彼得相比，爱德蒙更为严肃和沉默，他善于掌握议会，并且主持审判，人们称他为“公证王爱德蒙”。至于露茜，她一直无忧无虑，满头金发，所有的王子都想娶她做王后，人们称她为“英勇女王露茜”。
他们在这里过着快乐的生活。这个世界的一切，在他们心中， 都像一场梦。那一年，图姆纳斯（这只半羊人也已人到中年，身体开始发福了）顺着河流下来，给他们带信说，白鹿在这里出现了——
如果你们能抓到白鹿，就可以实现一个愿望。于是，两位国王和两位女王带着文武百官，带着号角与猎犬，骑着马跑到了西部的森林，去追捕白鹿。到这里不久，他们就看到了白鹿的身影，它带着他们快速奔跑，翻山越岭，历尽磨难。最后，几乎所有大臣的马匹都累得倒下了， 只有四位国王依旧穷追不舍。那只白鹿，一下子钻进了一大片灌木丛中，由于坐骑无法进入，彼得国王说（由于执政多年，他们说话的语气也与之前有所不同了）：“各位皇兄皇妹，我们下马吧，跟着它走进那片灌木丛；我从来没有猎捕过这样高贵的猎物。”
“皇兄，”其他的三个人说，“好的，我们就此下马吧。”
待他们下了马之后，他们把马拴在了树上，继续朝着密林走去。刚刚走出树林，苏珊女王就说道：“你们看看，这里有个伟大的奇迹， 我看到了一棵铁树。”
“皇姐，”爱德蒙国王说，“如果你好好看看，就能看出这是一根铁柱子，上面还有一盏灯。”
“我以狮王的鬃毛发誓，它真的非常奇特，”彼得国王说，“把一盏灯装在了树木这样密集、这样高的地方，即使灯亮着，也无法照明啊。”
“皇兄，”露茜女王说道，“可能，最初这根柱子以及这盏灯装在这里的时候，这儿只有一棵小树，或者是树木很稀疏，或者是没有什么树。因为这里都是幼树，铁柱却很古老。”于是，他们站在那里，望向了铁柱。爱德蒙国王也说道，“不知道为什么，柱子上的这盏灯让我有种奇怪的感觉。我想起了很多事情，以前我似乎见过它， 似乎这是个梦，或者是梦中的梦。”
“皇弟（皇兄），”他们一起回答说，“这也是我们所想的。”
“而且，”露茜女王说道，“我总在想，只要我们走过这根柱子，这个灯，我们就会有各种奇遇，命运会发生意想不到的变化。”
“皇妹，”爱德蒙国王说道，“我的内心也有相似的感受。”
“我也一样，公正王。”彼得国王说。
“我也是这样想的，”苏珊女王说，“依我之见，我们还是悄悄地回到拴马的地方去吧，不要再去追逐那只白鹿了。”
“皇妹，”彼得国王说，“请你原谅我吧。自从我们在纳尼亚当了国王和女王，不论做什么，比如战争、审讯、比武或执法，我们从来没有半途而废过；一旦开始，我们就一定要进行到底。”
“皇姐，”露茜女王说，“皇兄说得很对。我觉得，要是我们为了一点恐惧或预感，就选择回去，不去捕捉那一只高贵的野兽，似乎说不过去。”
“和我想的一样，”爱德蒙国王说，“我想这个东西，就算拿整个纳尼亚最珍贵的珠宝、所有的岛屿来和我交换，我也一定选择不回去。”
“以阿斯兰的名义，我们发誓吧，”苏珊女王说，“如果你们真的要这样做，那么，我们继续走下去吧，不管会遇见什么样奇特的事情，都认命吧。”
于是，两个国王和两个女王，走进了灌木丛中，刚刚走了几步， 他们就一一想起所有的事情，他们看到的东西就是路灯柱子，又走了不到二十步，他们才发现，自己并不是在树枝间摸索着前进的，而是在大衣堆里走着。不一会儿，他们从大衣柜的一扇门里，滚到了空空的房间里，而且他们也不再是穿着猎装的国王和女王，而是穿着以前的衣服的彼得、苏珊、爱德蒙和露茜。时间还停留在他们躲进大衣柜的那一天，而且还是同一个时辰。玛卡蕾蒂太太和客人还在过道里聊着天；还好，他们没有来到这间空房子，也没有发现孩子们。
他们觉得很有必要对教授说清楚，他的大衣柜里为什么会丢失了四件大衣，这个故事也就此结束了。教授是个非常了不起的人，他没有教训他们，或者认为他们是在编故事，他坚定地相信了整个故事。
“不，”他说，“我想再从衣橱里拿出那些大衣也没什么用处了。你们不要从那条路再回到纳尼亚了。即使拿回来那些大衣，还有什么用处呢？嗯？什么？当然，你们当然会再次回到纳尼亚。毕竟，在纳尼亚，一朝为王，终身是王。不过，你们还是不要再走同一条路了。真的，也不要再想办法去那里了。不要去寻找它，总有一天，它会出现的。而且，即使是在你们之间，也不要过多地去说这件事情了。当然，也不要对其他人说这件事情，除非，他们也有类似的奇遇。什么？ 你们怎么知道？哦，总有一天，你们会明白的。遇见了奇怪的事情啊， 他们说的话——他们的神情啊——都会自然地流露出来的。多去留心这个世界吧。天啊，那些学校都在教他们什么呢？”
衣橱中的传奇旅程，至此结束了。
教授说得对，这只是纳尼亚传奇旅程的一个开始。

CHAPTER ONE LUCY LOOKS INTO A WARDROBE
ONCE there were four children whose names were Peter， Susan，Edmund and Lucy．This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids．They were sent to the house of an old Professor who lived in the heart of the country，ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office．He had no wife and he lived in a very large house with a housekeeper called Mrs. Macready and three servants.（Their names were Ivy，Margaret and Betty，but they do not come into the story much.）He himself was a very old man with shaggy white hair which grew over most of his face as well as on his head， and they liked him almost at once；but on the first evening when he came out to meet them at the front door he was so odd-looking that Lucy（who was the youngest）was a little afraid of him，and Edmund（who was the next youngest）wanted to laugh and had to keep on pretending he was blowing his nose to hide it．
As soon as they had said good night to the Professor and gone upstairs on the first night，the boys came into the girls’room and they all talked it over．
“We’ve fallen on our feet and no mistake，”said Peter．“This is going to be perfectly splendid．That old chap will let us do anything we like．”
“I think he’s an old dear，”said Susan．
“Oh，come off it ！”said Edmund，who was tired and pretending not to be tired，which always made him bad-tempered.“Don’t go on talking like that．”
“Like what ？”said Susan；“and anyway，it’s time you were in bed．”
“Trying to talk like Mother，”said Edmund．“And who are you to say when I’m to go to bed ？Go to bed yourself．”
“Hadn’t we all better go to bed ？”said Lucy．“There’s sure to be a row if we’re heard talking here．”
“No there won’t，”said Peter．“I tell you this is the sort of house where no one’s going to mind what we do．Anyway，they won’t hear us．It’s about ten minutes’ walk from here down to that dining-room，and any amount of stairs and passages in between．”
“What’s that noise ？”said Lucy suddenly．It was a far larger house than she had ever been in before and the thought of all those long passages and rows of doors leading into empty rooms was beginning to make her feel a little creepy．
“It’s only a bird，silly，”said Edmund．
“It’s an owl，”said Peter．“This is going to be a wonderful place for birds．I shall go to bed now．I say，let’s go and explore tomorrow．You might find anything in a place like this．Did you see those mountains as we came along ？And the woods ？There might be eagles．There might be stags．There’ll be hawks．”
“Badgers ！”said Lucy．
“Foxes ！”said Edmund．
“Rabbits ！”said Susan．
But when next morning came there was a steady rain falling，so thick that when you looked out of the window you could see neither the mountains nor the woods nor even the stream in the garden．
“Of course it would be raining ！”said Edmund．They had just finished their breakfast with the Professor and were upstairs in the room he had set apart for them-a long，low room with two windows looking out in one direction and two in another．
“Do stop grumbling，Ed，”said Susan . “Ten to one it’ll clear up in an hour or so．And in the meantime we’re pretty well off． There’s a wireless and lots of books．”
“Not for me”said Peter ；“I’m going to explore in the house．”
Everyone agreed to this and that was how the adventures began. It was the sort of house that you never seem to come to the end of， and it was full of unexpected places．The first few doors they tried led only into spare bedrooms，as everyone had expected that they would；but soon they came to a very long room full of pictures and there they found a suit of armour；and after that was a room all hung with green，with a harp in one corner；and then came three steps down and five steps up，and then a kind of little upstairs hall and a door that led out on to a balcony，and then a whole series of rooms that led into each other and were lined with books-most of them very old books and some bigger than a Bible in a church． And shortly after that they looked into a room that was quite empty except for one big wardrobe；the sort that has a looking-glass in the door．There was nothing else in the room at all except a dead blue-bottle on the window-sill．
“Nothing there ！”said Peter，and they all trooped out again-all except Lucy．She stayed behind because she thought it would be worth while trying the door of the wardrobe，even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked．To her surprise it opened quite easily，and two moth-balls dropped out．
Looking into the inside，she saw several coats hanging up-mostly long fur coats．There was nothing Lucy liked so much as the smell and feel of fur．She immediately stepped into the wardrobe and got in among the coats and rubbed her face against them，leaving the door open，of course，because she knew that it is very foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe．Soon she went further in and found that there was a second row of coats hanging up behind the first one．It was almost quite dark in there and she kept her arms stretched out in front of her so as not to bump her face into the back of the wardrobe．She took a step further in-then two or three steps—always expecting to feel woodwork against the tips of her fingers．But she could not feel it．
“This must be a simply enormous wardrobe ！”thought Lucy， going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her．Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet．“I wonder is that more mothballs ？”she thought，stooping down to feel it with her hand.But instead of feeling the hard，smooth wood of the floor of the wardrobe，she felt something soft and powdery and extremely cold. “This is very queer，”she said，and went on a step or two further.
Next moment she found that what was rubbing against her face and hands was no longer soft fur but something hard and rough and even prickly．“Why，it is just like branches of trees ！”exclaimed Lucy．And then she saw that there was a light ahead of her；not a few inches away where the back of the wardrobe ought to have been，but a long way off．Something cold and soft was falling on her．A moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night-time with snow under her feet and snowflakes falling through the air．
Lucy felt a little frightened，but she felt very inquisitive and excited as well．She looked back over her shoulder and there， between the dark tree—trunks；she could still see the open doorway of the wardrobe and even catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out.（She had，of course，left the door open，for she knew that it is a very silly thing to shut oneself into a wardrobe.）It seemed to be still daylight there．“I can always get back if anything goes wrong，”thought Lucy．She began to walk forward，crunch-crunch over the snow and through the wood towards the other light．In about ten minutes she reached it and found it was a lamp-post．As she stood looking at it，wondering why there was a lamp-post in the middle of a wood and wondering what to do next，she heard a pitter patter of feet coming towards her．And soon after that a very strange person stepped out from among the trees into the light of the lamp-post．
He was only a little taller than Lucy herself and he carried over his head an umbrella，white with snow．From the waist upwards he was like a man，but his legs were shaped like a goat’s（the hair on them was glossy black）and instead of feet he had goat’s hoofs．He also had a tail，but Lucy did not notice this at first because it was neatly caught up over the arm that held the umbrella so as to keep it from trailing in the snow．He had a red woollen muffler round his neck and his skin was rather reddish too．He had a strange，but pleasant little face，with a short pointed beard and curly hair，and out of the hair there stuck two horns，one on each side of his forehead．One of his hands，as I have said，held the umbrella：in the other arm he carried several brown-paper parcels. What with the parcels and the snow it looked just as if he had been doing his Christmas shopping．He was a Faun．And when he saw Lucy he gave such a start of surprise that he dropped all his parcels.
“Goodness gracious me ！”exclaimed the Faun．

CHAPTER TWO WHAT LUCY FOUND THERE
“GOOD EVENING，”said Lucy．But the Faun was so busy picking up its parcels that at first it did not reply．When it had finished it made her a little bow．
“Good evening，good evening，”said the Faun．“Excuse me-I don’t want to be inquisitive-but should I be right in thinking that you are a Daughter of Eve ？”
“My name’s Lucy，”said she，not quite understanding him.
“But you are-forgive me-you are what they call a girl ？”asked the Faun．
“Of course I’m a girl，”said Lucy．
“You are in fact Human ？”
“Of course I’m human，”said Lucy，still a little puzzled．
“To be sure，to be sure，”said the Faun．“How stupid of me ！ But I’ve never seen a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve before．I am delighted．That is to say-”and then it stopped as if it had been going to say something it had not intended but had remembered in time．“Delighted，delighted，”it went on．“Allow me to introduce myself．My name is Tumnus．”
“I am very pleased to meet you，Mr. Tumnus，”said Lucy.
“And may I ask，O Lucy Daughter of Eve，”said Mr. Tumnus，“how you have come into Narnia ？”
“Narnia ？ What’s that ？”said Lucy．
“This is the land of Narnia，”said the Faun，“where we are now；all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea．And you-you have come from the wild woods of the west ？”
“I-I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room，”said Lucy．
“Ah ！”said Mr. Tumnus in a rather melancholy voice，“if only I had worked harder at geography when I was a little Faun， I should no doubt know all about those strange countries．It is too late now．”
“But they aren’t countries at all，”said Lucy，almost laughing. “It’s only just back there-at least-I’m not sure．It is summer there．”
“Meanwhile，”said Mr. Tumnus，“it is winter in Narnia，and has been for ever so long，and we shall both catch cold if we stand here talking in the snow．Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe，how would it be if you came and had tea with me ？”
“Thank you very much，Mr. Tumnus，”said Lucy．“But I was wondering whether I ought to be getting back．”
“It’s only just round the corner，”said the Faun，“and there’ll be a roaring fire-and toast-and sardines-and cake．”
“Well，it’s very kind of you，”said Lucy．“But I shan’t be able to stay long．”
“If you will take my arm，Daughter of Eve，”said Mr. Tumnus， “I shall be able to hold the umbrella over both of us．That’s the way. Now-off we go．”
And so Lucy found herself walking through the wood arm in arm with this strange creature as if they had known one another all their lives．
They had not gone far before they came to a place where the ground became rough and there were rocks all about and little hills up and little hills down．At the bottom of one small valley Mr. Tumnus turned suddenly aside as if he were going to walk straight into an unusually large rock，but at the last moment Lucy found he was leading her into the entrance of a cave．As soon as they were inside she found herself blinking in the light of a wood fire．Then Mr. Tumnus stooped and took a flaming piece of wood out of the fire with a neat little pair of tongs，and lit a lamp．“Now we shan’t be long，”he said，and immediately put a kettle on．
Lucy thought she had never been in a nicer place．It was a little，dry，clean cave of reddish stone with a carpet on the floor and two little chairs（“one for me and one for a friend，”said Mr. Tumnus）and a table and a dresser and a mantelpiece over the fire and above that a picture of an old Faun with a grey beard．In one corner there was a door which Lucy thought must lead to Mr. Tumnus’s bedroom，and on one wall was a shelf full of books. Lucy looked at these while he was setting out the tea things．They had titles like The Life and Letters of Silenus or Nymphs and Their Ways or Men ，Monks and Gamekeepers ，A Study in Popular Legend or Is Man a Myth ？
“Now，Daughter of Eve ！”said the Faun．
And really it was a wonderful tea．There was a nice brown egg，lightly boiled，for each of them，and then sardines on toast，and then buttered toast，and then toast with honey，and then a sugar-topped cake．And when Lucy was tired of eating the Faun began to talk．He had wonderful tales to tell of life in the forest．He told about the midnight dances and how the Nymphs who lived in the wells and the Dryads who lived in the trees came out to dance with the Fauns；about long hunting parties after the milk-white stag who could give you wishes if you caught him； about feasting and treasure-seeking with the wild Red Dwarfs in deep mines and caverns far beneath the forest floor；and then about summer when the woods were green and old Silenus on his fat donkey would come to visit them，and sometimes Bacchus himself，and then the streams would run with wine instead of water and the whole forest would give itself up to jollification for weeks on end．“Not that it isn’t always winter now，”he added gloomily. Then to cheer himself up he took out from its case on the dresser a strange little flute that looked as if it were made of straw and began to play．And the tune he played made Lucy want to cry and laugh and dance and go to sleep all at the same time．It must have been hours later when she shook herself and said：
“Oh，Mr. Tumnus-I’m so sorry to stop you，and I do love that tune-but really，I must go home．I only meant to stay for a few minutes．”
“It’s no good now，you know，”said the Faun，laying down its flute and shaking its head at her very sorrowfully．
“No good ？”said Lucy，jumping up and feeling rather frightened．“What do you mean ？I’ve got to go home at once.The others will be wondering what has happened to me．”But a moment later she asked，“Mr. Tumnus ！Whatever is the matter ？”for the Faun’s brown eyes had filled with tears and then the tears began trickling down its cheeks，and soon they were running off the end of its nose；and at last it covered its face with its hands and began to howl．
“Mr. Tumnus ！Mr. Tumnus ！”said Lucy in great distress. “Don’t ！ Don’t ！ What is the matter ？ Aren’ you well ？ Dear Mr. Tumnus，do tell me what is wrong. ”But the Faun continued sobbing as if its heart would break．And even when Lucy went over and put her arms round him and lent him her handkerchief， he did not stop．He merely took the handkerchief and kept on using it，wringing it out with both hands whenever it got too wet to be any more use，so that presently Lucy was standing in a damp patch.
“Mr. Tumnus ！”bawled Lucy in his ear，shaking him．“Do stop．Stop it at once ！ You ought to be ashamed of yourself，a great big Faun like you．What on earth are you crying about ？”
“Oh-oh-oh ！”sobbed Mr. Tumnus，“I’m crying because I’m such a bad Faun．”
“I don’t think you’re a bad Faun at all，”said Lucy．“I think you are a very good Faun．You are the nicest Faun I’ve ever met．”
“Oh-oh-you wouldn’t say that if you knew，”replied Mr. Tumnus between his sobs．“No，I’m a bad Faun．I don’t suppose there ever was a worse Faun since the beginning of the world．”
“But what have you done ？”asked Lucy．
“My old father，now，”said Mr. Tumnus；“that’s his picture over the mantelpiece．He would never have done a thing like this．”
“A thing like what ？”said Lucy．
“Like what I’ve done，”said the Faun．“Taken service under the White Witch．That’s what I am．I’m in the pay of the White Witch．”
“The White Witch ？ Who is she ？”
“Why，it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb． It’s she that makes it always winter．Always winter and never Christmas；think of that ！”
“How awful ！”said Lucy．“But what does she pay you for ？”
“That’s the worst of it，”said Mr. Tumnus with a deep groan．“I ’m a kidnapper for her，that’s what I am．Look at me，Daughter of Eve．Would you believe that I’m the sort of Faun to meet a poor innocent child in the wood，one that had never done me any harm，and pretend to be friendly with it，and invite it home to my cave，all for the sake of lulling it asleep and then handing it over to the White Witch ？”
“No，”said Lucy．“I’m sure you wouldn’t do anything of the sort．”
“But I have，”said the Faun．
“Well，”said Lucy rather slowly（for she wanted to be truthful and yet not be too hard on him），“well，that was pretty bad．But you’re so sorry for it that I’m sure you will never do it again．”
“Daughter of Eve，don’t you understand ？”said the Faun.“It isn’t something I have done．I’m doing it now，this very moment．”
“What do you mean ？”cried Lucy，turning very white．
“You are the child，”said Tumnus．“I had orders from the White Witch that if ever I saw a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve in the wood，I was to catch them and hand them over to her．And you are the first I’ve ever met．And I’ve pretended to be your friend an asked you to tea，and all the time I’ve been meaning to wait till you were asleep and then go and tell Her．”
“Oh，but you won’t，Mr. Tumnus，”said Lucy．“Yo won’t， will you ？ Indeed，indeed you really mustn’t．”
“And if I don’t，”said he，beginning to cry again“she’s sure to find out．And she’ll have my tail cut off and my horns sawn off，and my beard plucked out，and she’ll wave her wand over my beautiful clove hoofs and turn them into horrid solid hoofs like wretched horse’s．And if she is extra and specially angry she’ll turn me into stone and I shall be only statue of a Faun in her horrible house until the four thrones at Cair Paravel are filled—— and goodness knows when that will happen，or whether it will ever happen at all．”
“I’m very sorry，Mr. Tumnus，”said Lucy．“But please let me go home．”
“Of course I will，”said the Faun．“Of course I’ve got to. I see that now．I hadn’t known what Humans were like before I met you. Of course I can’t give you up to the Witch；not now that I know you．But we must be off at once．I’ll see you back to the lamp-post．I suppose you can find your own way from there back to Spare Oom and War Drobe ？”
“I’m sure I can，”said Lucy．
“We must go as quietly as we can，”said Mr. Tumnus．“The whole wood is full of her spies．Even some of the trees are on her side．”
They both got up and left the tea things on the table，and Mr. Tumnus once more put up his umbrella and gave Lucy his arm， and they went out into the snow．The journey back was not at all like the journey to the Faun’s cave；they stole along as quickly as they could，without speaking a word，and Mr. Tumnus kept to the darkest places．Lucy was relieved when they reached the lamp-post again．
“Do you know your way from here，Daughter o Eve ？”said Tumnus．
Lucy looked very hard between the trees and could just see in the distance a patch of light that looked like daylight．“Yes，”she said，“I can see the wardrobe door．”
“Then be off home as quick as you can，”said the Faun，“and-c-can you ever forgive me for what meant to do ？”
“Why，of course I can，”said Lucy，shaking him heartily by the hand．“And I do hope you won’t get into dreadful trouble on my account．”
“Farewell，Daughter of Eve，”said he．“Perhaps I may keep the handkerchief ？”
“Rather ！”said Lucy，and then ran towards the far off patch of daylight as quickly as her legs would carry her．And presently instead of rough branch brushing past her she felt coats，and instead of crunching snow under her feet she felt wooden board and all at once she found herself jumping out of the wardrobe into the same empty room from which the whole adventure had started． She shut the wardrobe door tightly behind her and looked around， panting for breath．It was still raining and she could hear the voices of the others in the passage．
“I’m here，”she shouted．“I’m here．I’ve come back I’m all right．”

CHAPTER THREE EDMUND AND THE WARDROBE
LUCY ran out of the empty room into the passage and found the other three．
“It’s all right，”she repeated，“I’ve comeback．”
“What on earth are you talking about，Lucy ？”asked Susan.
“Why ？ said Lucy in amazement，“haven’t you all been wondering where I was ？”
“So you’ve been hiding，have you ？”said Peter．“Poor old Lu，hiding and nobody noticed ！ You’ll have to hide longer than that if you want people to start looking for you．”
“But I’ve been away for hours and hours，”said Lucy．
The others all stared at one another．
“Batty ！”said Edmund，tapping his head．“Quite batty．”
“What do you mean，Lu ？”asked Peter．
“What I said，”answered Lucy．“It was just after breakfast when I went into the wardrobe，and I’ve been away for hours and hours，and had tea，and all sorts of things have happened．”
“Don’t be silly，Lucy，”said Susan．“We’ve only just come out of that room a moment ago，and you were there then．”
“She’s not being silly at all，”said Peter，“she’s just making up a story for fun，aren’t you，Lu ？ And why shouldn’t she ？”
“No，Peter，I’m not，”she said．“It’s-it’s a magic wardrobe. There’s a wood inside it，and it’s snowing，and there’s a Faun and a Witch and it’s called Narnia ；come and see．”
The others did not know what to think，but Lucy was so excited that they all went back with her into the room．She rushed ahead of them，flung open the door of the wardrobe and cried， “Now ！ go in and see for yourselves．”
“Why，you goose，”said Susan，putting her head inside and pulling the fur coats apart，“it’s just an ordinary wardrobe；look ！ there’s the back of it．”
Then everyone looked in and pulled the coats apart；and they all saw-Lucy herself saw-a perfectly ordinary wardrobe．There was no wood and no snow，only the back of the wardrobe，with hooks on it．Peter went in and rapped his knuckles on it to make sure that it was solid．
“A jolly good hoax，Lu，”he said as he came out again；“you have really taken us in，I must admit．We half believed you．”
“But it wasn’t a hoax at all，”said Lucy，“really and truly.It was all different a moment ago．Honestly it was．I promise．”
“Come，Lu，”said Peter，“that’s going a bit far．You’ve had your joke．Hadn’t you better drop it now ？”
Lucy grew very red in the face and tried to say something，though she hardly knew what she was trying to say，and burst into tears．
For the next few days she was very miserable．She could have made it up with the others quite easily at any moment if she could have brought herself to say that the whole thing was only a story made up for fun．But Lucy was a very truthful girl and she knew that she was really in the right；and she could not bring herself to say this．The others who thought she was telling a lie，and a silly lie too，made her very unhappy．The two elder ones did this without meaning to do it，but Edmund could be spiteful，and on this occasion he was spiteful．He sneered and jeered at Lucy and kept on asking her if she’d found any other new countries in other cupboards all over the house．What made it worse was that these days ought to have been delightful．The weather was fine and they were out of doors from morning to night，bathing，fishing， climbing trees，and lying in the heather．But Lucy could not properly enjoy any of it．And so things went on until the next wet day．
That day，when it came to the afternoon and there was still no sign of a break in the weather，they decided to play hide-and-seek．Susan was“It’and as soon as the others scattered to hide， Lucy went to the room where the wardrobe was．She did not mean to hide in the wardrobe，because she knew that would only set the others talking again about the whole wretched business．But she did want to have one more look inside it；for by this time she was beginning to wonder herself whether Narnia and the Faun had not been a dream．The house was so large and complicated and full of hiding-places that she thought she would have time to have one look into the wardrobe and then hide somewhere else．But as soon as she reached it she heard steps in the passage outside，and then there was nothing for it but to jump into the wardrobe and hold the door closed behind her．She did not shut it properly because she knew that it is very silly to shut oneself into a wardrobe，even if it is not a magic one．
Now the steps she had heard were those of Edmund；and he came into the room just in time to see Lucy vanishing into the wardrobe．He at once decided to get into it himself-not because he thought it a particularly good place to hide but because he wanted to go on teasing her about her imaginary country．He opened the door．There were the coats hanging up as usual，and a smell of mothballs，and darkness and silence，and no sign of Lucy．“She thinks I’m Susan come to catch her，”said Edmund to himself， “and so she’s keeping very quiet in at the back．”He jumped in and shut the door，forgetting what a very foolish thing this is to do． Then he began feeling about for Lucy in the dark．He had expected to find her in a few seconds and was very surprised when he did not. He decided to open the door again and let in some light．But he could not find the door either．He didn’t like this at all and began groping wildly in every direction；he even shouted out，“Lucy ！ Lu ！ Where are you ？ I know you’re here．”
There was no answer and Edmund noticed that his own voice had a curious sound-not the sound you expect in a cupboard，but a kind of open-air sound．He also noticed that he was unexpectedly cold；and then he saw a light．
“Thank goodness，”said Edmund，“the door must have swung open of its own accord．”He forgot all about Lucy and went towards the light，which he thought was the open door of the wardrobe． But instead of finding himself stepping out into the spare room he found himself stepping out from the shadow of some thick dark fir trees into an open place in the middle of a wood．
There was crisp，dry snow under his feet and more snow lying on the branches of the trees．Overhead there was pale blue sky，the sort of sky one sees on a fine winter day in the morning． Straight ahead of him he saw between the tree-trunks the sun，just rising，very red and clear．Everything was perfectly still，as if he were the only living creature in that country．There was not even a robin or a squirrel among the trees，and the wood stretched as far as he could see in every direction．He shivered．
He now remembered that he had been looking for Lucy； and also how unpleasant he had been to her about her“imaginary country”which now turned out not to have been imaginary at all. He thought that she must be somewhere quite close and so he shouted，“Lucy ！ Lucy ！ I’m here too-Edmund．”
There was no answer．
“She’s angry about all the things I’ve been saying lately，” thought Edmund．And though he did not like to admit that he had been wrong，he also did not much like being alone in this strange， cold，quiet place；so he shouted again．
“I say，Lu ！ I’m sorry I didn’t believe you．I see now you were right all along．Do come out．Make it Pax．”
Still there was no answer．
“Just like a girl，”said Edmund to himself，“sulking somewhere， and won’t accept an apology．”He looked round him again and decided he did not much like this place，and had almost made up his mind to go home，when he heard，very far off in the wood，a sound of bells．He listened and the sound came nearer and nearer and at last there swept into sight a sledge drawn by two reindeer.
The reindeer were about the size of Shetland ponies and their hair was so white that even the snow hardly looked white compared with them；their branching horns were gilded and shone like something on fire when the sunrise caught them．Their harness was of scarlet leather and covered with bells．On the sledge，driving the reindeer，sat a fat dwarf who would have been about three feet high if he had been standing．He was dressed in polar bear’s fur and on his head he wore a red hood with a long gold tassel hanging down from its point；his huge beard covered his knees and served him instead of a rug．But behind him，on a much higher seat in the middle of the sledge sat a very different person-a great lady， taller than any woman that Edmund had ever seen．She also was covered in white fur up to her throat and held a long straight golden wand in her right hand and wore a golden crown on her head．Her face was white-not merely pale，but white like snow or paper or icing-sugar，except for her very red mouth．It was a beautiful face in other respects，but proud and cold and stern．
The sledge was a fine sight as it came sweeping towards Edmund with the bells jingling and the dwarf cracking his whip and the snow flying up on each side of it．
“Stop ！”said the Lady，and the dwarf pulled the reindeer up so sharp that they almost sat down．Then they recovered themselves and stood champing their bits and blowing．In the frosty air the breath coming out of their nostrils looked like smoke.
“And what，pray，are you ？”said the Lady，looking hard at Edmund．
“I’m-I’m-my name’s Edmund，”said Edmund rather awkwardly．He did not like the way she looked at him．
The Lady frowned，“Is that how you address a Queen ？”she asked，looking sterner than ever．
“I beg your pardon，your Majesty，I didn’t know，”said Edmund.
“Not know the Queen of Narnia ？”cried she．“Ha ！ You shall know us better hereafter．But I repeat-what are you ？”
“Please，your Majesty，”said Edmund，“I don’t know what you mean．I’m at school-at least I was it’s the holidays now．”

CHAPTER FOUR TURKISH DELIGHT
“BUT what are you ？”said the Queen again．“Are you a great overgrown dwarf that has cut off its beard ？”
“No，your Majesty，”said Edmund，“I never had a beard，I’m a boy．”
“A boy ！”said she．“Do you mean you are a Son of Adam ？”
Edmund stood still，saying nothing．He was too confused by this time to understand what the question meant．
“I see you are an idiot，whatever else you may be，”said the Queen．“Answer me，once and for all，or I shall lose my patience. Are you human ？”
“Yes，your Majesty，”said Edmund．
“And how，pray，did you come to enter my dominions ？”
“Please，your Majesty，I came in through a wardrobe．”
“A wardrobe ？ What do you mean ？”
“I-I opened a door and just found myself here，your Majesty，”said Edmund．
“Ha！”said the Queen，speaking more to herself than to him. “A door．A door from the world of men ！ I have heard of such things. This may wreck all．But he is only one，and he is easily dealt with .”As she spoke these words she rose from her seat and looked Edmund full in the face，her eyes flaming；at the same moment she raised her wand．Edmund felt sure that she was going to do something dreadful but he seemed unable to move．Then，just as he gave himself up for lost，she appeared to change her mind．
“My poor child，”she said in quite a different voice，“how cold you look ！ Come and sit with me here on the sledge and I will put my mantle round you and we will talk．”
Edmund did not like this arrangement at all but he dared not disobey；he stepped on to the sledge and sat at her feet，and she put a fold of her fur mantle round him and tucked it well in．
“Perhaps something hot to drink ？”said the Queen．“Should you like that ？”
“Yes please，your Majesty，”said Edmund，whose teeth were chattering．
The Queen took from somewhere among her wrappings a very small bottle which looked as if it were made of copper．Then， holding out her arm，she let one drop fall from it on to the snow beside the sledge．Edmund saw the drop for a second in mid-air， shining like a diamond．But the moment it touched the snow there was a hissing sound and there stood a jewelled cup full of something that steamed．The dwarf immediately took this and handed it to Edmund with a bow and a smile；not a very nice smile．Edmund felt much better as he began to sip the hot drink．It was something he had never tasted before，very sweet and foamy and creamy， and it warmed him right down to his toes．
“It is dull，Son of Adam，to drink without eating，”said the Queen presently．“What would you like best to eat ？”
“Turkish Delight，please，your Majesty，”said Edmund．
The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow，and instantly there appeared a round box，tied with green silk ribbon，which，when opened，turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight．Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious．He was quite warm now，and very comfortable．
While he was eating the Queen kept asking him questions．At first Edmund tried to remember that it is rude to speak with one’s mouth full，but soon he forgot about this and thought only of trying to shovel down as much Turkish Delight as he could，and the more he ate the more he wanted to eat，and he never asked himself why the Queen should be so inquisitive．She got him to tell her that he had one brother and two sisters，and that one of his sisters had already been in Narnia and had met a Faun there，and that no one except himself and his brother and his sisters knew anything about Narnia．She seemed especially interested in the fact that there were four of them，and kept on coming back to it．“You are sure there are just four of you ？”she asked．“Two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve，neither more nor less ？”and Edmund，with his mouth full of Turkish Delight，kept on saying，“Yes，I told you that before，”and forgetting to call her“Your Majesty”，but she didn’t seem to mind now．
At last the Turkish Delight was all finished and Edmund was looking very hard at the empty box and wishing that she would ask him whether he would like some more．Probably the Queen knew quite well what he was thinking；for she knew，though Edmund did not，that this was enchanted Turkish Delight and that anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it，and would even，if they were allowed，go on eating it till they killed themselves．But she did not offer him any more．Instead，she said to him，
“Son of Adam，I should so much like to see your brother and your two sisters．Will you bring them to see me ？”
“I’ll try，”said Edmund，still looking at the empty box．
“Because，if you did come again-bringing them with you of course-I’d be able to give you some more Turkish Delight．I can’t do it now，the magic will only work once．In my own house it would be another matter．”
“Why can’t we go to your house now ？”said Edmund．When he had first got on to the sledge he had been afraid that she might drive away with him to some unknown place from which he would not be able to get back；but he had forgotten about that fear now．
“It is a lovely place，my house，”said the Queen．“I am sure you would like it．There are whole rooms full of Turkish Delight， and what’s more，I have no children of my own．I want a nice boy whom I could bring up as a Prince and who would be King of Narnia when I am gone．While he was Prince he would wear a gold crown and eat Turkish Delight all day long；and you are much the cleverest and handsomest young man I’ve ever met．I think I would like to make you the Prince-some day，when you bring the others to visit me．”
“Why not now ？”said Edmund．His face had become very red and his mouth and fingers were sticky．He did not look either clever or handsome，whatever the Queen might say．
“Oh，but if I took you there now，”said she，“I shouldn’t see your brother and your sisters．I very much want to know your charming relations．You are to be the Prince and-later on-the King；that is understood．But you must have courtiers and nobles. I will make your brother a Duke and your sisters Duchesses．”
“There’s nothing special about them，”said Edmund，“and， anyway，I could always bring them some other time．”
“Ah，but once you were in my house，”said the Queen，“you might forget all about them．You would be enjoying yourself so much that you wouldn’t want the bother of going to fetch them． No．You must go back to your own country now and come to me another day，with them，you understand．It is no good coming without them．”
“But I don’t even know the way back to my own country，” pleaded Edmund．“That’s easy，”answered the Queen．“Do you see that lamp ？”She pointed with her wand and Edmund turned and saw the same lamp-post under which Lucy had met the Faun．“Straight on，beyond that，is the way to the World of Men．And now look
the other way-here she pointed in the opposite direction-” and tell me if you can see two little hills rising above the trees．
“I think I can，”said Edmund．
“Well，my house is between those two hills．So next time you come you have only to find the lamp-post and look for those two hills and walk through the wood till you reach my house．But remember-you must bring the others with you．I might have to be very angry with you if you came alone．”
“I’ll do my best，”said Edmund．
“And，by the way，”said the Queen，“you needn’t tell them about me．It would be fun to keep it a secret between us two， wouldn’t it ？ Make it a surprise for them．Just bring them along to the two hills-a clever boy like you will easily think of some excuse for doing that-and when you come to my house you could just say ‘Let’s see who lives here’ or something like that．I am sure that would be best．If your sister has met one of the Fauns，she may have heard strange stories about me-nasty stories that might make her afraid to come to me．Fauns will say anything，you know， and now-”
“Please，please，”said Edmund suddenly，“please couldn’t I have just one piece of Turkish Delight to eat on the way home ？”
“No，no，”said the Queen with a laugh，“you must wait till next time．”While she spoke，she signalled to the dwarf to drive on，but as the sledge swept away out of sight，the Queen waved to Edmund，calling out，“Next time ！ Next time ！ Don’t forget． Come soon．”
Edmund was still staring after the sledge when he heard someone calling his own name，and looking round he saw Lucy coming towards him from another part of the wood．
“Oh，Edmund ！”she cried．“So you’ve got in too ！ Isn’t it wonderful，and now-”
“All right，”said Edmund，“I see you were right and it is a magic wardrobe after all．I’ll say I’m sorry if you like．But where on earth have you been all this time ？ I’ve been looking for you everywhere．”
“If I’d known you had got in I’d have waited for you，”said Lucy，who was too happy and excited to notice how snappishly Edmund spoke or how flushed and strange his face was．“I’ve been having lunch with dear Mr. Tumnus，the Faun，and he’s very well and the White Witch has done nothing to him for letting me go，so he thinks she can’t have found out and perhaps everything is going to be all right after all．”
“The White Witch ？”said Edmund，“who’s she ？”
“She is a perfectly terrible person，”said Lucy．“She calls herself the Queen of Narnia though she has no right to be queen at all，and all the Fauns and Dryads and Naiads and Dwarfs and Animals-at least all the good ones-simply hate her．And she can turn people into stone and do all kinds of horrible things．And she has made a magic so that it is always winter in Narnia-always winter，but it never gets to Christmas．And she drives about on a sledge，drawn by reindeer，with her wand in her hand and a crown on her head．”
Edmund was already feeling uncomfortable from having eaten too many sweets，and when he heard that the Lady he had made friends with was a dangerous witch he felt even more uncomfortable. But he still wanted to taste that Turkish Delight again more than he wanted anything else．
“Who told you all that stuff about the White Witch ？”he asked.
“Mr. Tumnus，the Faun，”said Lucy．
“You can’t always believe what Fauns say，”said Edmund， trying to sound as if he knew far more about them than Lucy．
“Who said so ？”asked Lucy．
“Everyone knows it，”said Edmund；“ask anybody you like． But it’s pretty poor sport standing here in the snow．Let’s go home．”
“Yes，let’s，”said Lucy．“Oh，Edmund，I am glad you’ve got in too．The others will have to believe in Narnia now that both of us have been there．What fun it will be ！”
But Edmund secretly thought that it would not be as good fun for him as for her．He would have to admit that Lucy had been right，before all the others，and he felt sure the others would all be on the side of the Fauns and the animals；but he was already more than half on the side of the Witch．He did not know what he would say，or how he would keep his secret once they were all talking about Narnia．
By this time they had walked a good way．Then suddenly they felt coats around them instead of branches and next moment they were both standing outside the wardrobe in the empty room．
“I say，”said Lucy，“you do look awful，Edmund．Don’t you feel well ？”
“I’m all right，”said Edmund，but this was not true．He was feeling very sick．
“Come on then，”said Lucy，“let’s find the others．What a lot we shall have to tell them ！ And what wonderful adventures we shall have now that we’re all in it together．”

CHAPTER FIVE BACK ON THIS SIDE OF THE DOOR
BECAUSE the game of hide-and-seek was still going on， it took Edmund and Lucy some time to find the others．But when at last they were all together（which happened in the long room， where the suit of armour was），Lucy burst out：
“Peter ！ Susan ！ It’s all true．Edmund has seen it too．There is a country you can get to through the wardrobe．Edmund and I both got in．We met one another in there，in the wood．Go on， Edmund；tell them all about it．”
“What’s all this about，Ed ？”said Peter．
And now we come to one of the nastiest things in this story． Up to that moment Edmund had been feeling sick，and sulky， and annoyed with Lucy for being right，but he hadn’t made up his mind what to do．When Peter suddenly asked him the question he decided all at once to do the meanest and most spiteful thing he could think of．He decided to let Lucy down．
“Tell us，Ed，”said Susan．
And Edmund gave a very superior look as if he were far older than Lucy （there was really only a year’s difference）and then a little snigger and said，“Oh，yes，Lucy and I have been playing-pretending that all her story about a country in the wardrobe is true. just for fun，of course．There’s nothing there really．”
Poor Lucy gave Edmund one look and rushed out of the room.
Edmund，who was becoming a nastier person every minute， thought that he had scored a great success，and went on at once to say，“There she goes again．What’s the matter with her ？ That’s the worst of young kids，they always-”
“Look here，”said Peter，turning on him savagely，“shut up ！ You’ve been perfectly beastly to Lu ever since she started this nonsense about the wardrobe，and now you go playing games with her about it and setting her off again．I believe you did it simply out of spite．”
“But it’s all nonsense，”said Edmund，very taken aback．
“Of course it’s all nonsense，”said Peter，“that’s just the point. Lu was perfectly all right when we left home，but since we’ve been down here she seems to be either going queer in the head or else turning into a most frightful liar．But whichever it is，what good do you think you’ll do by jeering and nagging at her one day and encouraging her the next ？”
“I thought-I thought，”said Edmund；but he couldn’t think of anything to say．
“You didn’t think anything at all，”said Peter；“it’s just spite．You’ve always liked being beastly to anyone smaller than yourself；we’ve seen that at school before now．”
“Do stop it，”said Susan；“it won’t make things any better having a row between you two．Let’s go and find Lucy．”
It was not surprising that when they found Lucy，a good deal later，everyone could see that she had been crying．Nothing they could say to her made any difference．She stuck to her story and said：
“I don’t care what you think，and I don’t care what you say. You can tell the Professor or you can write to Mother or you can do anything you like．I know I’ve met a Faun in there and-I wish I’d stayed there and you are all beasts，beasts．”
It was an unpleasant evening．Lucy was miserable and Edmund was beginning to feel that his plan wasn’t working as well as he had expected．The two older ones were really beginning to think that Lucy was out of her mind．They stood in the passage talking about it in whispers long after she had gone to bed．
The result was the next morning they decided that they really would go and tell the whole thing to the Professor．“He’ll write to Father if he thinks there is really something wrong with Lu，”said Peter；“it’s getting beyond us．”So they went and knocked at the study door，and the Professor said“Come in，”and got up and found chairs for them and said he was quite at their disposal．Then he sat listening to them with the tips of his fingers pressed together and never interrupting，till they had finished the whole story．After that he said nothing for quite a long time．Then he cleared his throat and said the last thing either of them expected：
“How do you know，”he asked，“that your sister’s story is not true ？”
“Oh，but-”began Susan，and then stopped．Anyone could see from the old man’s face that he was perfectly serious．Then Susan pulled herself together and said，“But Edmund said they had only been pretending．”
“That is a point，”said the Professor，“which certainly deserves consideration；very careful consideration．For instance-if you will excuse me for asking the question-does your experience lead you to regard your brother or your sister as the more reliable ？ I mean， which is the more truthful ？”
“That’s just the funny thing about it，sir，”said Peter．“Up till now，I’d have said Lucy every time．”
“And what do you think，my dear ？”said the Professor， turning to Susan．
“Well，”said Susan，“in general，I’d say the same as Peter， but this couldn’t be true-all this about the wood and the Faun．”
“That is more than I know，”said the Professor，“and a charge of lying against someone whom you have always found truthful is a very serious thing；a very serious thing indeed．”
“We were afraid it mightn’t even be lying，”said Susan；“we thought there might be something wrong with Lucy．”
“Madness，you mean ？”said the Professor quite coolly．“Oh， you can make your minds easy about that．One has only to look at her and talk to her to see that she is not mad．”
“But then，”said Susan，and stopped．She had never dreamed that a grown-up would talk like the Professor and didn’t know what to think．
“Logic ！”said the Professor half to himself．“Why don’t they teach logic at these schools？ There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies，or she is mad，or she is telling the truth．You know she doesn’t tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up，we must assume that she is telling the truth．”
Susan looked at him very hard and was quite sure from the expression on his face that he was no making fun of them．
“But how could it be true，sir ？”said Peter．
“Why do you say that ？”asked the Professor．
“Well，for one thing，”said Peter，“if it was true why doesn’t everyone find this country every time they go to the wardrobe ？ I mean，there was nothing there when we looked；even Lucy didn’t pretend there was．”
“What has that to do with it ？”said the Professor．
“Well，sir，if things are real，they’re there all the time．”
“Are they ？”said the Professor；and Peter did’nt know quite what to say．
“But there was no time，”said Susan．“Lucy had no time to have gone anywhere，even if there was such a place．She came running after us the very moment we were out of the room．It was less than minute，and she pretended to have been away for hours．”
“That is the very thing that makes her story so likely to be true，”said the Professor．“If there really is a door in this house that leads to some other world（and I should warn you that this is a very strange house，and even I know very little about it）-if，I say， she had got into another world，I should not be at all surprised to find that the other world had a separate time of its own；so that however long you stayed there it would never take up any of our time.On the other hand，I don’t think many girls of her age would invent that idea for themselves．If she had been pretending，she would have hidden for a reasonable time before coming out and telling her story．”
“But do you really mean，sir，”said Peter，“that there could be other worlds-all over the place，just round the corner-like that ？”
“Nothing is more probable，”said the Professor，taking off his spectacles and beginning to polish them，while he muttered to himself，“I wonder what they do teach them at these schools．”
“But what are we to do ？”said Susan．She felt that the conversation was beginning to get off the point．
“My dear young lady，”said the Professor，suddenly looking up with a very sharp expression at both of them，“there is one plan which no one has yet suggested and which is well worth trying．”
“What’s that ？”said Susan．
“We might all try minding our own business，”said he．And that was the end of that conversation．
After this things were a good deal better for Lucy．Peter saw to it that Edmund stopped jeering at her，and neither she nor anyone else felt inclined to talk about the wardrobe at all．It had become a rather alarming subject．And so for a time it looked as if all the adventures were coming to an end；but that was not to be．
This house of the Professor’s-which even he knew so little about-was so old and famous that people from all over England used to come and ask permission to see over it．It was the sort of house that is mentioned in guide books and even in histories；and well it might be，for all manner of stories were told about it，some of them even stranger than the one I am telling you now．And when parties of sightseers arrived and asked to see the house，the Professor always gave them permission，and Mrs. Macready，the housekeeper，showed them round，telling them about the pictures and the armour，and the rare books in the library．Mrs. Macready was not fond of children，and did not like to be interrupted when she was telling visitors all the things she knew．She had said to Susan and Peter almost on the first morning（along with a good many other instructions），“And please remember you’re to keep out of the way whenever I’m taking a party over the house．”
“Just as if any of us would want to waste half the morning trailing round with a crowd of strange grown-ups ！”said Edmund， and the other three thought the same．That was how the adventures began for the second time．
A few mornings later Peter and Edmund were looking at the suit of armour and wondering if they could take it to bits when the two girls rushed into the room and said，“Look out ！ Here comes the Macready and a whole gang with her．”
“Sharp’s the word，”said Peter，and all four made off through the door at the far end of the room．But when they had got out into the Green Room and beyond it，into the Library，they suddenly heard voices ahead of them，and realized that Mrs. Macready must be bringing her party of sightseers up the back stairs-instead of up the front stairs as they had expected．And after that-whether it was that they lost their heads，or that Mrs. Macready was trying to catch them，or that some magic in the house had come to life and was chasing them into Narnia——they seemed to find themselves being followed everywhere，until at last Susan said，“Oh bother those trippers ！ Here-let’s get into the Wardrobe Room till they’ve passed．No one will follow us in there.”But the moment they were inside they heard the voices in the passage-and then someone fumbling at the door-and then they saw the handle turning.
“Quick ！”said Peter，“there’s nowhere else，”and flung open the wardrobe．All four of them bundled inside it and sat there， panting，in the dark．Peter held the door closed but did not shut it；for，of course，he remembered，as every sensible person does，that you should never never shut yourself up in a wardrobe．

CHAPTER SIX INTO THE FOREST
“I wish the Macready would hurry up and take all these people away，”said Susan presently，“I’m getting horribly cramped．”
“And what a filthy smell of camphor ！”said Edmund．
“I expect the pockets of these coats are full of it，”said Susan，“to keep away the moths．”
“There’s something sticking into my back，”said Peter．
“And isn’t it cold ？”said Susan．
“Now that you mention it，it is cold，”said Peter，“and hang it all，it’s wet too．What’s the matter with this place ？ I’m sitting on something wet．It’s getting wetter every minute．”He struggled to his feet．
“Let’s get out，”said Edmund，“they’ve gone．”
“O-o-oh ！”said Susan suddenly，and everyone asked her what was the matter．
“I’m sitting against a tree，”said Susan，“and look ！ It’s getting light-over there．”
“By jove，you’re right，”said Peter，“and look there-and there. It’s trees all round．And this wet stuff is snow．Why，I do believe we’ve got into Lucy’s wood after all．”
And now there was no mistaking it and all four children stood blinking in the daylight of a winter day．Behind them were coats hanging on pegs，in front of them were snow-covered trees．
Peter turned at once to Lucy．
“I apologize for not believing you，”he said，“I’m sorry.Will you shake hands ？”
“Of course，”said Lucy，and did．
“And now，”said Susan，“what do we do next ？”
“Do ？”said Peter，“why，go and explore the wood，of course．”
“Ugh ！”said Susan，stamping her feet，“it’s pretty cold. What about putting on some of these coats ？”
“They’re not ours，”said Peter doubtfully．
“I am sure nobody would mind，”said Susan；“it isn’t as if we wanted to take them out of the house；we shan’t take them even out of the wardrobe．”
“I never thought of that，Su，”said Peter．“Of course，now you put it that way，I see．No one could say you had bagged a coat as long as you leave it in the wardrobe where you found it． And I suppose this whole country is in the wardrobe．”
They immediately carried out Susan’s very sensible plan．The coats were rather too big for them so that they came down to their heels and looked more like royal robes than coats when they had put them on．But they all felt a good deal warmer and each thought the others looked better in their new get-up and more suitable to the landscape．
“We can pretend we are Arctic explorers，”said Lucy．
“This is going to be exciting enough without pretending，” said Peter，as he began leading the way forward into the forest．There were heavy darkish clouds overhead and it looked as if there might be more snow before night．
“I say，”began Edmund presently，“oughtn’t we to be bearing a bit more to the left，that is，if we are aiming for the lamp-post ？”He had forgotten for the moment that he must pretend never to have been in the wood before．The moment the words were out of his mouth he realized that he had given himself away．Everyone stopped；everyone stared at him．Peter whistled.
“So you really were here，”he said，“that time Lu said she’d met you in here-and you made out she was telling lies．”
There was a dead silence．“Well，of all the poisonous little beasts-”said Peter，and shrugged his shoulders and said no more. There seemed，indeed，no more to say，and presently the four resumed their journey；but Edmund was saying to himself，“I’ll pay you all out for this，you pack of stuck-up，self—satisfied prigs．”
“Where are we going anyway ？”said Susan，chiefly for the sake of changing the subject．
“I think Lu ought to be the leader，”said Peter；“goodness knows she deserves it．Where will you take us，Lu ？”
“What about going to see Mr. Tumnus ？”said Lucy．“He’s the nice Faun I told you about．”
Everyone agreed to this and off they went walking briskly and stamping their feet．Lucy proved a good leader．At first she wondered whether she would be able to find the way，but she recognized an odd—looking tree on one place and a stump in another and brought them on to where the ground became uneven and into the little valley and at last to the very door of Mr. Tumnus’s cave．But there a terrible surprise awaited them．
The door had been wrenched off its hinges and broken to bits． Inside，the cave was dark and cold and had the damp feel and smell of a place that had not been lived in for several days．Snow had drifted in from the doorway and was heaped on the floor，mixed with something black，which turned out to be the charred sticks and ashes from the fire．Someone had apparently flung it about the room and then stamped it out．The crockery lay smashed on the floor and the picture of the Faun’s father had been slashed into shreds with a knife．
“This is a pretty good washout，”said Edmund；“not much good coming here．”
“What is this ？”said Peter，stooping down．He had just noticed a piece of paper which had been nailed through the carpet to the floor．
“Is there anything written on it ？”asked Susan．
“Yes，I think there is，”answered Peter，“but I can’t read it in this light．Let’s get out into the open air．”
They all went out in the daylight and crowded round Peter as he read out the following words：
The former occupant of these premises，the Faun Tumnus， is under arrest and awaiting his trial on a charge of High Treason against her Imperial Majesty Jadis，Queen of Narnia，Chatelaine of Cair Paravel，Empress of the Lone Islands，etc，also of comforting her said Majesty’s enemies，harboring spies and fraternizing with Humans．
signed MAUGRIM，Captain of the Secret Police，LONG LIVE THE QUEEN ！
The children stared at each other．
“I don’t know that I’m going to like this place after all，”said Susan．
“Who is this Queen，Lu ？”said Peter．“Do you know anything about her ？”
“She isn’t a real queen at all，”answered Lucy；“she’s a horrible witch，the White Witch．Everyone—all the wood people-hate her. She has made an enchantment over the whole country so that it is always winter here and never Christmas．”
“I-I wonder if there’s any point in going on，”said Susan. “I mean，it doesn’t seem particularly safe here and it looks as if it won’t be much fun either．And it’s getting colder every minute， and we’ve brought nothing to eat．What about just going home ？”
“Oh，but we can’t，we can’t，”said Lucy suddenly；“don’t you see ？ We can’t just go home，not after this．It is all on my account that the poor Faun has got into this trouble．He hid me from the Witch and showed me the way back．That’s what it means by comforting the Queen’s enemies and fraternizing with Humans. We simply must try to rescue him．”
“A lot we could do ！ said Edmund，”when we haven’t even got anything to eat ！
“Shut up-you ！”said Peter，who was still very angry with Edmund．“What do you think，Susan ？”
“I’ve a horrid feeling that Lu is right，”said Susan．“I don’t want to go a step further and I wish we’d never come．But I think we must try to do something for Mr. Whatever-his-name—is-I mean the Faun．”
“That’s what I feel too，”said Peter．“I’m worried about having no food with us．I’d vote for going back and getting something from the larder，only there doesn’t seem to be any certainty of getting into this country again when once you’ve got out of it．I think we’ll have to go on．”
“So do I，”said both the girls．
“If only we knew where the poor chap was imprisoned ！” said Peter.
They were all still wondering what to do next，when Lucy said，“Look ！ There’s a robin，with such a red breast．It’s the first bird I’ve seen here．I say ！-I wonder can birds talk in Narnia ？ It almost looks as if it wanted to say something to us.” Then she turned to the Robin and said，“Please，can you tell us where Tumnus the Faun has been taken to ？”As she said this she took a step towards the bird．It at once flew away but only as far as to the next tree．There it perched and looked at them very hard as if it understood all they had been saying．Almost without noticing that they had done so，the four children went a step or two nearer to it. At this the Robin flew away again to the next tree and once more looked at them very hard.（You couldn’t have found a robin with a redder chest or a brighter eye．）
“Do you know，”said Lucy，“I really believe he means us to follow him．”
“I’ve an idea he does，”said Susan．“What do you think， Peter ？”
“Well，we might as well try it，”answered Peter．
The Robin appeared to understand the matter thoroughly．It kept going from tree to tree，always a few yards ahead of them， but always so near that they could easily follow it．In this way it led them on，slightly downhill．Wherever the Robin alighted a little shower of snow would fall off the branch．Presently the clouds parted overhead and the winter sun came out and the snow all around them grew dazzlingly bright．They had been travelling in this way for about half an hour，with the two girls in front，when Edmund said to Peter，“if you’re not still too high and mighty to talk to me，I’ve something to say which you’d better listen to．”
“What is it ？”asked Peter．
“Hush ！ Not so loud，”said Edmund；“there’s no good frightening the girls．But have you realized what we’re doing ？”
“What ？”said Peter，lowering his voice to a whisper．
“We’re following a guide we know nothing about．How do we know which side that bird is on ？ Why shouldn’t it be leading us into a trap ？”
“That’s a nasty idea．Still-a robin，you know．They’re good birds in all the stories I’ve ever read．I’m sure a robin wouldn’t be on the wrong side．”
“It if comes to that，which is the right side ？ How do we know that the Fauns are in the right and the Queen （yes，I know we’ve been told she’s a witch）is in the wrong ？ We don’t really know anything about either．”
“The Faun saved Lucy．”
“He said he did．But how do we know ？ And there’s another thing too．Has anyone the least idea of the way home from here ？”
“Great Scott ！”said Peter，“I hadn’t thought of that．”
“And no chance of dinner either，”said Edmund．

CHAPTER SEVEN A DAY WITH THE BEAVERS
WHILE the two boys were whispering behind，both the girls suddenly cried“Oh ！”and stopped．
“The robin ！”cried Lucy，“the robin．It’s flown away．”And so it had-right out of sight．
“And now what are we to do ？”said Edmund，giving Peter a look which was as much as to say“What did I tell you ？”
“Sh ！ Look ！”said Susan．
“What ？”said Peter．
“There’s something moving among the trees over there to the left．”
They all stared as hard as they could，and no one felt very comfortable．
“There it goes again，”said Susan presently．
“I saw it that time too，”said Peter．“It’s still there．It’s just gone behind that big tree．”
“What is it ？”asked Lucy，trying very hard not to sound nervous.
“Whatever it is，”said Peter，“it’s dodging us．It’s something
that doesn’t want to be seen．”
“Let’s go home，”said Susan．And then，though nobody said it out loud，everyone suddenly realized the same fact that Edmund had whispered to Peter at the end of the last chapter．They were lost．
“What’s it like ？”said Lucy．
“It’s-it’s a kind of animal，”said Susan；and then，“Look ！ Look ！ Quick ！ There it is．”
They all saw it this time，a whiskered furry face which had looked out at them from behind a tree．But this time it didn’t immediately draw back．Instead，the animal put its paw against its mouth just as humans put their finger on their lips when they are signalling to you to be quiet．Then it disappeared again．The children，all stood holding their breath．
A moment later the stranger came out from behind the tree， glanced all round as if it were afraid someone was watching， said“Hush”，made signs to them to join it in the thicker bit of wood where it was standing，and then once more disappeared．
“I know what it is，”said Peter；“it’s a beaver．I saw the tail．”
“It wants us to go to it，”said Susan，“and it is warning us not to make a noise．”
“I know，”said Peter．“The question is，are we to go to it or not ？ What do you think，Lu ？”
“I think it’s a nice beaver，”said Lucy．
“Yes，but how do we know ？”said Edmund．
“Shan’t we have to risk it ？”said Susan．“I mean，it’s no good
just standing here and I feel I want some dinner．”
At this moment the Beaver again popped its head out from behind the tree and beckoned earnestly to them．
“Come on，”said Peter，“let’s give it a try．All keep close together．We ought to be a match for one beaver if it turns out to be an enemy．”
So the children all got close together and walked up to the tree and in behind it，and there，sure enough，they found the Beaver；but it still drew back，saying to them in a hoarse throaty whisper，“Further in，come further in．Right in here．We’re not safe in the open ！”Only when it had led them into a dark spot where four trees grew so close together that their boughs met and the brown earth and pine needles could be seen underfoot because no snow had been able to fall there，did it begin to talk to them．
“Are you the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve ？”it said.
“We’re some of them，”said Peter．
“S-s-s-sh ！”said the Beaver，“not so loud please．We’re not safe even here．”
“Why，who are you afraid of ？”said Peter．“There’s no one here but ourselves．”
“There are the trees，”said the Beaver．“They’re always listening．Most of them are on our side，but there are trees that would betray us to her；you know who I mean，”and it nodded its head several times．
“If it comes to talking about sides，”said Edmund，“how do we know you’re a friend ？”
“Not meaning to be rude，Mr. Beaver，”added Peter，“but you see，we’re strangers．”
“Quite right，quite right，”said the Beaver．“Here is my token.” With these words it held up to them a little white object.They all looked at it in surprise，till suddenly Lucy said，“Oh，of course． It’s my handkerchief-the one I gave to poor Mr. Tumnus．”
“That’s right，”said the Beaver．“Poor fellow，he got wind of the arrest before it actually happened and handed this over to me. He said that if anything happened to him I must meet you here and take you on to-”Here the Beaver’s voice sank into silence and it gave one or two very mysterious nods．Then signalling to the children to stand as close around it as they possibly could，so that their faces were actually tickled by its whiskers，it added in a low whisper-
“They say Aslan is on the move-perhaps has already landed．”
And now a very curious thing happened．None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do；but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different． Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning-either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words，which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again．It was like that now．At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside．Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror．Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous．Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her．And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer．
“And what about Mr. Tumnus，”said Lucy；“where is he ？”
“S-s-s-sh，”said the Beaver，“not here．I must bring you where we can have a real talk and also dinner．”
No one except Edmund felt any difficulty about trusting the beaver now，and everyone，including Edmund，was very glad to hear the word“dinner”．They therefore all hurried along behind their new friend who led them at a surprisingly quick pace， and always in the thickest parts of the forest，for over an hour． Everyone was feeling very tired and very hungry when suddenly the trees began to get thinner in front of them and the ground to fall steeply downhill．A minute later they came out under the open sky （the sun was still shining）and found themselves looking down on a fine sight．
They were standing on the edge of a steep，narrow valley at the bottom of which ran-at least it would have been running if it hadn’t been frozen-a fairly large river．Just below them a dam had been built across this river，and when they saw it everyone suddenly remembered that of course beavers are always making dams and felt quite sure that Mr. Beaver had made this one．They also noticed that he now had a sort of modest expression on his，face-the sort of look people have when you are visiting a garden they’ve made or reading a story they’ve written．So it was only common politeness when Susan said，“What a lovely dam ！”And Mr. Beaver didn’t say“Hush”this time but“Merely a trifle ！ Merely a trifle ！ And it isn’t really finished ！”
Above the dam there was what ought to have been a deep pool but was now，of course，a level floor of dark green ice．And below the dam，much lower down，was more ice，but instead of being smooth this was all frozen into the foamy and wavy shapes in which the water had been rushing along at the very moment when the frost came．And where the water had been trickling over and spurting through the dam there was now a glittering wall of icicles，as if the side of the dam had been covered all over with flowers and wreaths and festoons of the purest sugar．And out in the middle，and partly on top of the dam was a funny little house shaped rather like an enormous beehive and from a hole in the roof smoke was going up，so that when you saw it（especially if you were hungry）you at once thought of cooking and became hungrier than you were before．
That was what the others chiefly noticed，but Edmund noticed something else．A little lower down the river there was another small river which came down another small valley to join it．And looking up that valley，Edmund could see two small hills，and he was almost sure they were the two hills which the White Witch had pointed out to him when he parted from her at the lamp-post that other day．And then between them，he thought，must be her palace，only a mile off or less．And he thought about Turkish Delight and about being a King（“And I wonder how Peter will like that ？”he asked himself）and horrible ideas came into his head．
“Here we are，”said Mr. Beaver，“and it looks as if Mrs. Beaver is expecting us．I’ll lead the way．But be careful and don’t slip．”
The top of the dam was wide enough to walk on，though not （for humans）a very nice place to walk because it was covered with ice，and though the frozen pool was level with it on one side，there was a nasty drop to the lower river on the other．Along this route Mr. Beaver led them in single file right out to the middle where they could look a long way up the river and a long way down it．And when they had reached the middle they were at the door of the house．
“Here we are，Mrs. Beaver，”said Mr. Beaver，“I’ve found them．Here are the Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve”-and they all went in．
The first thing Lucy noticed as she went in was a burring sound，and the first thing she saw was a kindlooking old she-beaver sitting in the corner with a thread in her mouth working busily at her sewing machine，and it was from it that the sound came．She stopped her work and got up as soon as the children came in．
“So you’ve come at last ！”she said，holding out both her wrinkled old paws．“At last ！ To think that ever I should live to see this day ！ The potatoes are on boiling and the kettle’s singing and I daresay，Mr. Beaver，you’ll get us some fish．”
“That I will，”said Mr. Beaver，and he went out of the house （Peter went with him），and across the ice of the deep pool to where he had a little hole in the ice which he kept open every day with his hatchet．They took a pail with them．Mr. Beaver sat down quietly at the edge of the hole（he didn’t seem to mind it being so chilly），looked hard into it，then suddenly shot in his paw，and before you could say Jack Robinson had whisked out a beautiful trout．Then he did it all over again until they had a fine catch of fish．
Meanwhile the girls were helping Mrs. Beaver to fill the kettle and lay the table and cut the bread and put the plates in the oven to heat and draw a huge jug of beer for Mr. Beaver from a barrel which stood in one corner of the house，and to put on the frying-pan and get the dripping hot．Lucy thought the Beavers had a very snug little home though it was not at all like Mr. Tumnus’s cave．There were no books or pictures，and instead of beds there were bunks， like on board ship，built into the wall．And there were hams and strings of onions hanging from the roof，and against the walls were gum boots and oilskins and hatchets and pairs of shears and spades and trowels and things for carrying mortar in and fishing-rods and fishing-nets and sacks．And the cloth on the table，though very clean，was very rough．
Just as the frying-pan was nicely hissing Peter and Mr. Beaver came in with the fish which Mr. Beaver had already opened with his knife and cleaned out in the open air．You can think how good the new-caught fish smelled while they were frying and how the hungry children longed for them to be done and how very much hungrier still they had become before Mr. Beaver said，“Now we’re nearly ready．”Susan drained the potatoes and then put them all back in the empty pot to dry on the side of the range while Lucy was helping Mrs. Beaver to dish up the trout，so that in a very few minutes everyone was drawing up their stools（it was all three-legged stools in the Beavers’ house except for Mrs. Beaver’s own special rockingchair beside the fire）and preparing to enjoy themselves． There was a jug of creamy milk for the children（Mr. Beaver stuck to beer）and a great big lump of deep yellow butter in the middle of the table from which everyone took as much as he wanted to go with his potatoes，and all the children thought-and I agree with them-that there’s nothing to beat good freshwater fish if you eat it when it has been alive half an hour ago and has come out of the pan half a minute ago．And when they had finished the fish Mrs. Beaver brought unexpectedly out of the oven a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll，steaming hot，and at the same time moved the kettle on to the fire，so that when they had finished the marmalade roll the tea was made and ready to be poured out．And when each person had got his（or her）cup of tea，each person shoved back his（or her）stool so as to be able to lean against the wall and gave a long sigh of contentment．
“And now，”said Mr. Beaver，pushing away his empty beer mug and pulling his cup of tea towards him，“if you’ll just wait till I’ve got my pipe lit up and going nicely-why，now we can get to business．It’s snowing again，”he added，cocking his eye at the window．“That’s all the better，because it means we shan’t have any visitors；and if anyone should have been trying to follow you，why he won’t find any tracks．”

CHAPTER EIGHT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER DINNER
“AND now，”said Lucy，“do please tell us what’s happened to Mr. Tumnus．”
“Ah，that’s bad，”said Mr. Beaver，shaking his head．“That’s a very，very bad business．There’s no doubt he was taken off by the police．I got that from a bird who saw it done．”
“But where’s he been taken to ？”asked Lucy．
“Well，they were heading northwards when they were last seen and we all know what that means．”
“No，we don’t，”said Susan．Mr. Beaver shook his head in a very gloomy fashion．
“I’m afraid it means they were taking him to her House，”he said.
“But what’ll they do to him，Mr. Beaver ？”gasped Lucy．
“Well，”said Mr. Beaver，“you can’t exactly say for sure. But there’s not many taken in there that ever comes out again． Statues．All full of statues they say it is-in the courtyard and up the stairs and in the hall．People she’s turned”-（he paused and
shuddered）“turned into stone．”
“But，Mr. Beaver，”said Lucy，“can’t we-I mean we must do something to save him．It’s too dreadful and it’s all on my account．”
“I don’t doubt you’d save him if you could，dearie，”said Mrs. Beaver，“but you’ve no chance of getting into that House against her will and ever coming out alive．”
“Couldn’t we have some stratagem ？”said Peter．“I mean couldn’t we dress up as something，or pretend to be-oh，pedlars or anything-or watch till she was gone out-or-oh，hang it all， there must be some way．This Faun saved my sister at his own risk，Mr. Beaver．We can’t just leave him to be-to be-to have that done to him．”
“It’s no good，Son of Adam，”said Mr. Beaver，“no good your trying，of all people．But now that Aslan is on the move-”
“Oh，yes ！ Tell us about Aslan ！”said several voices at once；for once again that strange feeling-like the first signs of spring，like good news，had come over them．
“Who is Aslan ？”asked Susan．
“Aslan ？”said Mr. Beaver．“Why，don’t you know ？ He’s the King．He’s the Lord of the whole wood，but not often here， you understand．Never in my time or my father’s time．But the word has reached us that he has come back．He is in Narnia at this moment．He’ll settle the White Queen all right．It is he，not you，that will save Mr. Tumnus．”
“She won’t turn him into stone too ？”said Edmund．
“Lord love you，Son of Adam，what a simple thing to say ！”
answered Mr. Beaver with a great laugh．Turn him into stone ？ If she can stand on her two feet and look him in the face it’ll be the most she can do and more than I expect of her．No，no．He’ll put all to rights as it says in an old rhyme in these parts：
Wrong will be right，when Aslan comes in sight，
At the sound of his roar，sorrows will be no more，
When he bares his teeth，winter meets its death，
And when he shakes his mane，we shall have spring again．
You’ll understand when you see him．
“But shall we see him ？”asked Susan．
“Why，Daughter of Eve，that’s what I brought you here for. I’m to lead you where you shall meet him，”said Mr. Beaver．
“Is-is he a man ？”asked Lucy．
“Aslan a man ！”said Mr. Beaver sternly．“Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea．Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts ？ Aslan is a lion-the Lion，the great Lion．”
“Ooh ！”said Susan，“I’d thought he was a man．Is he-quite safe ？ I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion．”
“That you will，dearie，and no mistake，”said Mrs. Beaver； “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking，they’re either braver than most or else just silly．”
“Then he isn’t safe ？”said Lucy．
“Safe ？”said Mr. Beaver；“don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you ？ Who said anything about safe ？Course he isn’t safe． But he’s good．He’s the King，I tell you．”
“I’m longing to see him，”said Peter，“even if I do feel frightened when it comes to the point．”
“That’s right，Son of Adam，”said Mr. Beaver，bringing his paw down on the table with a crash that made all the cups and saucers rattle．And so you shall．Word has been sent that you are to meet him，tomorrow if you can，at the Stone Table．
“Where’s that ？”said Lucy．
“I’ll show you，”said Mr. Beaver．“It’s down the river，a good step from here．I’ll take you to it ！”
“But meanwhile what about poor Mr. Tumnus ？”said Lucy．
“The quickest way you can help him is by going to meet Aslan，”said Mr. Beaver，once he’s with us，then we can begin doing things．Not that we don’t need you too．For that’s another of the old rhymes：
When Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone
Sits at Cair Paravel in throne，
The evil time will be over and done．
So things must be drawing near their end now he’s come and you’ve come．We’ve heard of Aslan coming into these parts before-long ago，nobody can say when．But there’s never been any of your race here before．
“That’s what I don’t understand，Mr. Beaver，”said Peter，“I mean isn’t the Witch herself human ？”
“She’d like us to believe it，”said Mr. Beaver，“and it’s on that that she bases her claim to be Queen．But she’s no Daughter of Eve．She comes of your father Adam’s”-（here Mr. Beaver bowed）“your father Adam’s first wife，her they called Lilith． And she was one of the Jinn．That’s what she comes from on one side．And on the other she comes of the giants．No，no，there isn’t a drop of real human blood in the Witch．”
“That’s why she’s bad all through，Mr. Beaver，”said Mrs. Beaver．
“True enough，Mrs. Beaver，”replied he，“there may be two views about humans（meaning no offence to the present company）．But there’s no two views about things that look like humans and aren’t．”
“I’ve known good Dwarfs，”said Mrs. Beaver．
“So’ve I，now you come to speak of it，”said her husband， “but precious few，and they were the ones least like men．But in general，take my advice，when you meet anything that’s going to be human and isn’t yet，or used to be human once and isn’t now， or ought to be human and isn’t，you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet．And that’s why the Witch is always on the lookout for any humans in Narnia．She’s been watching for you this many a year，and if she knew there were four of you she’d be more dangerous still．”
“What’s that to do with it ？”asked Peter．
“Because of another prophecy，”said Mr. Beaver．“Down at Cair Paravel-that’s the castle on the sea coast down at the mouth of this river which ought to be the capital of the whole country if all was as it should be-down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it’s a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones，then it will be the end not only of the White Witch’s reign but of her life， and that is why we had to be so cautious as we came along，for if she knew about you four，your lives wouldn’t be worth a shake of my whiskers ！”
All the children had been attending so hard to what Mr. Beaver was telling them that they had noticed nothing else for a long time． Then during the moment of silence that followed his last remark， Lucy suddenly said：
“I say-where’s Edmund ？”
There was a dreadful pause，and then everyone began asking“Who saw him last ？ How long has he been missing ？ Is he outside ？ and then all rushed to the door and looked out．The snow was falling thickly and steadily，the green ice of the pool had vanished under a thick white blanket，and from where the little house stood in the centre of the dam you could hardly see either bank．Out they went，plunging well over their ankles into the soft new snow，and went round the house in every direction．“Edmund！ Edmund ！ ”they called till they were hoarse．But the silently falling snow seemed to muffle their voices and there was not even an echo in answer．
“How perfectly dreadful ！”said Susan as they at last came back in despair．“Oh，how I wish we’d never come．”
“What on earth are we to do，Mr. Beaver ？”said Peter．
“Do ？”said Mr. Beaver，who was already putting on his snow-boots，“do ？ We must be off at once．We haven’t a moment to spare ！”
“We’d better divide into four search parties，”said Peter，“and all go in different directions．Whoever finds him must come back here at once and-”
“Search parties，Son of Adam ？”said Mr. Beaver；“what for ？”
“Why，to look for Edmund，of course ！”
“There’s no point in looking for him，”said Mr. Beaver．
“What do you mean ？”said Susan．“He can’t be far away yet. And we’ve got to find him．What do you mean when you say there’s no use looking for him ？”
“The reason there’s no use looking，”said Mr. Beaver， “is that we know already where he’s gone ！”Everyone stared in amazement. “Don’t you understand ？”said Mr. Beaver．“He’s gone to her，to the White Witch．He has betrayed us all．”
“Oh，surely-oh，really ！”said Susan，“he can’t have done that．”
“Can’t he ？”said Mr. Beaver，looking very hard at the three children，and everything they wanted to say died on their lips， for each felt suddenly quite certain inside that this was exactly what Edmund had done．
“But will he know the way ？”said Peter．
“Has he been in this country before ？”asked Mr. Beaver．“Has he ever been here alone ？”
“Yes，”said Lucy，almost in a whisper．“I’m afraid he has．”
“And did he tell you what he’d done or who he’d met ？”
“Well，no，he didn’t，”said Lucy．
“Then mark my words，”said Mr. Beaver，“he has already met the White Witch and joined her side，and been told where she lives. I didn’t like to mention it before（he being your brother and all） but the moment I set eyes on that brother of yours I said to myself Treacherous．He had the look of one who has been with the Witch and eaten her food．You can always tell them if you’ve lived long in Narnia；something about their eyes．”
“All the same，”said Peter in a rather choking sort of voice， “we’ll still have to go and look for him．He is our brother after all，even if he is rather a little beast．And he’s only a kid．”
“Go to the Witch’s House ？”said Mrs. Beaver．“Don’t you see that the only chance of saving either him or yourselves is to keep away from her ？”
“How do you mean ？”said Lucy．
“Why，all she wants is to get all four of you（she’s thinking all the time of those four thrones at Cair Paravel）．Once you were all four inside her House her job would be done-and there’d be four new statues in her collection before you’d had time to speak． But she’ll keep him alive as long as he’s the only one she’s got， because she’ll want to use him as a decoy；as bait to catch the rest of you with．”
“Oh，can no one help us ？”wailed Lucy．
“Only Aslan，”said Mr. Beaver，“we must go on and meet him. That’s our only chance now．”
“It seems to me，my dears，”said Mrs. Beaver，“that it is very important to know just when he slipped away．How much he can tell her depends on how much he heard．For instance，had we started talking of Aslan before he left ？ If not，then we may do very well，for she won’t know that Aslan has come to Narnia，or that we are meeting him，and will be quite off her guard as far as that is concerned．”
“I don’t remember his being here when we were talking about Aslan-”began Peter，but Lucy interrupted him．
“Oh yes，he was，”she said miserably；“don’t you remember， it was he who asked whether the Witch couldn’t turn Aslan into stone too ？”
“So he did，by Jove，”said Peter；“just the sort of thing he would say，too ！”
“Worse and worse，”said Mr. Beaver，“and the next thing is this. Was he still here when I told you that the place for meeting Aslan was the Stone Table ？”
And of course no one knew the answer to this question．
“Because，if he was，”continued Mr. Beaver，“then she’ll simply sledge down in that direction and get between us and the Stone Table and catch us on our way down．In fact we shall be cut off from Aslan．”
“But that isn’t what she’ll do first，”said Mrs. Beaver，“not if I know her．The moment that Edmund tells her that we’re all here she’ll set out to catch us this very night，and if he’s been gone about half an hour，she’ll be here in about another twenty minutes．”
“You’re right，Mrs. Beaver，”said her husband，“we must all get away from here．There’s not a moment to lose．”

CHAPTER NINE IN THE WITCH’S HOUSE
AND now of course you want to know what had happened to Edmund．He had eaten his share of the dinner，but he hadn’t really enjoyed it because he was thinking all the time about Turkish Delight-and there’s nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food．And he had heard the conversation，and hadn’t enjoyed it much either， because he kept on thinking that the others were taking no notice of him and trying to give him the cold shoulder．They weren’t， but he imagined it．And then he had listened until Mr. Beaver told them about Aslan and until he had heard the whole arrangement for meeting Aslan at the Stone Table．It was then that he began very quietly to edge himself under the curtain which hung over the door. For the mention of Aslan gave him a mysterious and horrible feeling just as it gave the others a mysterious and lovely feeling．
Just as Mr. Beaver had been repeating the rhyme about Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone Edmund had been very quietly turning the
doorhandle；and just before Mr. Beaver had begun telling them that the White Witch wasn’t really human at all but half a Jinn and half a giantess，Edmund had got outside into the snow and cautiously closed the door behind him．
You mustn’t think that even now Edmund was quite so bad that he actually wanted his brother and sisters to be turned into stone． He did want Turkish Delight and to be a Prince（and later a King） and to pay Peter out for calling him a beast．As for what the Witch would do with the others，he didn’t want her to be particularly nice to them-certainly not to put them on the same level as himself； but he managed to believe，or to pretend he believed，that she wouldn’t do anything very bad to them，“Because，”he said to himself，“all these people who say nasty things about her are her enemies and probably half of it isn’t true．She was jolly nice to me，anyway，much nicer than they are．I expect she is the rightful Queen really．Anyway，she’ll be better than that awful Aslan ！”At least，that was the excuse he made in his own mind for what he was doing．It wasn’t a very good excuse，however，for deep down inside him he really knew that the White Witch was bad and cruel．
The first thing he realized when he got outside and found the snow falling all round him，was that he had left his coat behind in the Beavers’ house．And of course there was no chance of going back to get it now．The next thing he realized was that the daylight was almost gone，for it had been nearly three o’clock when they sat down to dinner and the winter days were short．He hadn’t reckoned on this；but he had to make the best of it．So he turned up his collar and shuffled across the top of the dam（luckily it wasn’t so slippery since the snow had fallen）to the far side of the river．
It was pretty bad when he reached the far side．It was growing darker every minute and what with that and the snowflakes swirling all round him he could hardly see three feet ahead．And then too there was no road．He kept slipping into deep drifts of snow， and skidding on frozen puddles，and tripping over fallen tree-trunks，and sliding down steep banks，and barking his shins against rocks，till he was wet and cold and bruised all over．The silence and the loneliness were dreadful．In fact I really think he might have given up the whole plan and gone back and owned up and made friends with the others，if he hadn’t happened to say to himself，“When I’m King of Narnia the first thing I shall do will be to make some decent roads．”And of course that set him off thinking about being a King and all the other things he would do and this cheered him up a good deal．He had just settled in his mind what sort of palace he would have and how many cars and all about his private cinema and where the principal railways would run and what laws he would make against beavers and dams and was putting the finishing touches to some schemes for keeping Peter in his place， when the weather changed．First the snow stopped.Then a wind sprang up and it became freezing cold．Finally，the clouds rolled away and the moon came out．It was a full moon and，shining on all that snow，it made everything almost as bright as day-only the shadows were rather confusing．
He would never have found his way if the moon hadn’t come out by the time he got to the other river you remember he had seen （when they first arrived at the Beavers.）a smaller river flowing into the great one lower down．He now reached this and turned to follow it up．But the little valley down which it came was much steeper and rocker than the one he had just left and much overgrown with bushes，so that he could not have managed it at all in the dark ．Even as it was，he got wet through for he had to stoop under branches and great loads of snow came sliding off on to his back． And every time this happened he thought more and more how he hated Peter-just as if all this had been Peter’s fault．
But at last he came to a part where it was more level and the valley opened out．And there，on the other side of the river，quite close to him，in the middle of a little plain between two hills，he saw what must be the White Witch’s House．And the moon was shining brighter than ever．The House was really a small castle． It seemed to be all towers；little towers with long pointed spires on them，sharp as needles．They looked like huge dunce’s caps or sorcerer’s caps．And they shone in the moonlight and their long shadows looked strange on the snow．Edmund began to be afraid of the House．
But it was too late to think of turning back now．He crossed the river on the ice and walked up to the House．There was nothing stirring；not the slightest sound anywhere．Even his own feet made no noise on the deep newly fallen snow．He walked on and on，past corner after corner of the House，and past turret after turret to find the door．He had to go right round to the far side before he found it．It was a huge arch but the great iron gates stood wide open．
Edmund crept up to the arch and looked inside into the courtyard，and there he saw a sight that nearly made his heart stop beating．Just inside the gate，with the moonlight shining on it， stood an enormous lion crouched as if it was ready to spring．And Edmund stood in the shadow of the arch，afraid to go on and afraid to go back，with his knees knocking together．He stood there so long that his teeth would have been chattering with cold even if they had not been chattering with fear．How long this really lasted I don’t know，but it seemed to Edmund to last for hours．
Then at last he began to wonder why the lion was standing so still-for it hadn’t moved one inch since he first set eyes on it． Edmund now ventured a little nearer，still keeping in the shadow of the arch as much as he could．He now saw from the way the lion was standing that it couldn’t have been looking at him at all. （“But supposing it turns its head ？”thought Edmund．）In fact it was staring at something else—namely a little：dwarf who stood with his back to it about four feet away．“Aha ！”thought Edmund. “When it springs at the dwarf then will be my chance to escape.” But still the lion never moved，nor did the dwarf．And now at last Edmund remembered what the others had said about the White Witch turning people into stone．Perhaps this was only a stone lion. And as soon as he had thought of that he noticed that the lion’s back and the top of its head were covered with snow．Of course it must be only a statue ！ No living animal would have let itself get covered with snow．Then very slowly and with his heart beating as if it would burst，Edmund ventured to go up to the lion．Even now he hardly dared to touch it，but at last he put out his hand，very quickly，and did．It was cold stone．He had been frightened of a mere statue ！
The relief which Edmund felt was so great that in spite of the cold he suddenly got warm all over right down to his toes，and at the same time there came into his head what seemed a perfectly lovely idea．“Probably，”he thought，“this is the great Lion Aslan that they were all talking about．She’s caught him already and turned him into stone．So that’s the end of all their fine ideas about him ！ Pooh ！ Who’s afraid of Aslan ？”
And he stood there gloating over the stone lion，and presently he did something very silly and childish．He took a stump of lead pencil out of his pocket and scribbled a moustache on the lion’s upper lip and then a pair of spectacles on its eyes．Then he said，“Yah ！ Silly old Aslan ！ How do you like being a stone ？ You thought yourself mighty fine，didn’t you ？”But in spite of the scribbles on it the face of the great stone beast still looked so terrible，and sad，and noble，staring up in the moonlight，that Edmund didn’t really get any fun out of jeering at it．He turned away and began to cross the courtyard．
As he got into the middle of it he saw that there were dozens of statues all about-standing here and there rather as the pieces stand on a chess-board when it is half-way through the game．There were stone satyrs，and stone wolves，and bears and foxes and cat-mountains of stone．There were lovely stone shapes that looked like women but who were really the spirits of trees．There was the great shape of a centaur and a winged horse and a long lithe creature that Edmund took to be a dragon．They all looked so strange standing there perfectly life-like and also perfectly still，in the bright cold moonlight，that it was eerie work crossing the courtyard. Right in the very middle stood a huge shape like a man，but as tall as a tree，with a fierce face and a shaggy beard and a great club in its right hand．Even though he knew that it was only a stone giant and not a live one，Edmund did not like going past it．
He now saw that there was a dim light showing from a doorway on the far side of the courtyard．He went to it；there was a flight of stone steps going up to an open door．Edmund went up them． Across the threshold lay a great wolf．
“It’s all right，it’s all right，”he kept saying to himself；“it’s only a stone wolf．It can’t hurt me”，and he raised his leg to step over it．Instantly the huge creature rose，with all the hair bristling along its back，opened a great，red mouth and said in a growling voice：
“Who’s there ？ Who’s there ？ Stand still，stranger，and tell me who you are．”
“If you please，sir，”said Edmund，trembling so that he could hardly speak，“my name is Edmund，and I’m the Son of Adam that Her Majesty met in the wood the other day and I’ve come to bring her the news that my brother and sisters are now in Narnia-quite close，in the Beavers’ house．She-she wanted to see them．”
“I will tell Her Majesty，”said the Wolf．“Meanwhile，stand still on the threshold，as you value your life．”Then it vanished into the house．
Edmund stood and waited，his fingers aching with cold and his heart pounding in his chest，and presently the grey wolf， Maugrim，the Chief of the Witch’s Secret Police，came bounding back and said，“Come in ！ Come in ！ Fortunate favourite of the Queen-or else not so fortunate．”
And Edmund went in，taking great care not to tread on the Wolf’s paws．
He found himself in a long gloomy hall with many pillars， full，as the courtyard had been，of statues．The one nearest the door was a little faun with a very sad expression on its face，and Edmund couldn’t help wondering if this might be Lucy’s friend． The only light came from a single lamp and close beside this sat the White Witch．
“I’m come，your Majesty，”said Edmund，rushing eagerly forward.
“How dare you come alone ？”said the Witch in a terrible voice. “Did I not tell you to bring the others with you ？”
“Please，your Majesty，”said Edmund，“I’ve done the best I can．I’ve brought them quite close．They’re in the little house on top of the dam just up the riverwith Mr. and Mrs. Beaver．”
A slow cruel smile came over the Witch’s face．
“Is this all your news ？”she asked．
“No，your Majesty，”said Edmund，and proceeded to tell her all he had heard before leaving the Beavers’ house．
“What ！ Aslan ？”cried the Queen，“Aslan ！ Is this true ？ If I find you have lied to me-”
“Please，I’m only repeating what they said，”stammered Edmund．
But the Queen，who was no longer attending to him，clapped her hands．Instantly the same dwarf whom Edmund had seen with her before appeared．
“Make ready our sledge，”ordered the Witch，“and use the harness without bells．”

CHAPTER TEN THE SPELL BEGINS TO BREAK
Now we must go back to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and the three other children．As soon as Mr. Beaver said，“There’s no time to lose，”everyone began bundling themselves into coats，except Mrs. Beaver，who started picking up sacks and laying them on the table and said：“Now，Mr. Beaver，just reach down that ham． And here’s a packet of tea，and there’s sugar，and some matches. And if someone will get two or three loaves out of the crock over there in the corner．”
“What are you doing，Mrs. Beaver ？”exclaimed Susan．
“Packing a load for each of us，dearie，”said Mrs. Beaver very coolly．“You didn’t think we’d set out on a journey with nothing to eat，did you ？”
“But we haven’t time ！”said Susan，buttoning the collar of her coat．“She may be here any minute．”
“That’s what I say，”chimed in Mr. Beaver．
“Get along with you all，”said his wife．“Think it over，Mr.Beaver．She can’t be here for quarter of an hour at least．”
“But don’t we want as big a start as we can possibly get，”said Peter，“if we’re to reach the Stone Table before her ？”
“You’ve got to remember that，Mrs. Beaver，”said Susan．“As soon as she has looked in here and finds we’re gone she’ll be off at top speed．”
“That she will，”said Mrs. Beaver．“But we can’t get there before her whatever we do，for she’ll be on a sledge and we’ll be walking．”
“Then-have we no hope ？”said Susan．
“Now don’t you get fussing，there’s a dear，”said Mrs. Beaver，“but just get half a dozen clean handkerchiefs out of the drawer．Course we’ve got a hope．We can’t get there before her but we can keep under cover and go by ways she won’t expect and perhaps we’ll get through．”
“That’s true enough，Mrs. Beaver，”said her husband．“But it’s time we were out of this．”
“And don’t you start fussing either，Mr. Beaver，”said his wife. “There．That’s better．There’s five loads and the smallest for the smallest of us：that’s you，my dear，”she added，looking at Lucy．
“Oh，do please come on，”said Lucy．
“Well，I’m nearly ready now，”answered Mrs. Beaver at last， allowing her husband to help her into；her snow-boots．“I suppose the sewing machine’s took heavy to bring ？”
“Yes．It is，”said Mr. Beaver．“A great deal too heavy．And
you don’t think you’ll be able to use it while we’re on the run，I suppose ？”
“I can’t abide the thought of that Witch fiddling with it，”said Mrs. Beaver，“and breaking it or stealing it，as likely as not．”
“Oh，please，please，please，do hurry ！”said the three children．And so at last they all got outside and Mr. Beaver locked the door（“It’ll delay her a bit，”he said）and they set off，all carrying their loads over their shoulders．
The snow had stopped and the moon had come out when they began their journey．They went in single file-first Mr. Beaver， then Lucy，then Peter，then Susan，and Mrs. Beaver last of all． Mr. Beaver led them across the dam and on to the right bank of the river and then along a very rough sort of path among the trees right down by the river-bank．The sides of the valley，shining in the moonlight，towered up far above them on either hand．“Best keep down here as much as possible，”he said．“She’ll have to keep to the top，for you couldn’t bring a sledge down here．”
It would have been a pretty enough scene to look at it through a window from a comfortable armchair；and even as things were， Lucy enjoyed it at first．But as they went on walking and walking-and walking—and as the sack she was carrying felt heavier and heavier，she began to wonder how she was going to keep up at all. And she stopped looking at the dazzling brightness of the frozen river with all its waterfalls of ice and at the white masses of the tree-tops and the great glaring moon and the countless stars and could only watch the little short legs of Mr. Beaver going pad-pad-pad-pad through the snow in front of her as if they were never going to stop．Then the moon disappeared and the snow began to fall once more．And at last Lucy was so tired that she was almost asleep and walking at the same time when suddenly she found that Mr. Beaver had turned away from the river-bank to the right and was leading them steeply uphill into the very thickest bushes．And then as she came fully awake she found that Mr. Beaver was just vanishing into a little hole in the bank which had been almost hidden under the bushes until you were quite on top of it．In fact，by the time she realized what was happening，only his short flat tail was showing.
Lucy immediately stooped down and crawled in after him． Then she heard noises of scrambling and puffing and panting behind her and in a moment all five of them were inside．
“Wherever is this ？”said Peter’s voice，sounding tired and pale in the darkness．（I hope you know what I mean by a voice sounding pale．）
“It’s an old hiding-place for beavers in bad times，”said Mr. Beaver，“and a great secret．It’s not much of a place but we must get a few hours’ sleep．”
“If you hadn’t all been in such a plaguey fuss when we were starting，I’d have brought some pillows，”said Mrs. Beaver．
It wasn’t nearly such a nice cave as Mr. Tumnus’s，Lucy thought-just a hole in the ground but dry and earthy．It was very small so that when they all lay down they were all a bundle of clothes together，and what with that and being warmed up by their long walk they were really rather snug．If only the floor of the cave had been a little smoother ！ Then Mrs. Beaver handed round in the dark a little flask out of which everyone drank something-it made one cough and splutter a little and stung the throat，but it also made you feel deliciously warm after you’d swallowed it and everyone went straight to sleep．
It seemed to Lucy only the next minute（though really it was hours and hours later）when she woke up feeling a little cold and dreadfully stiff and thinking how she would like a hot bath．Then she felt a set of long whiskers tickling her cheek and saw the cold daylight coming in through the mouth of the cave．But immediately after that she was very wide awake indeed，and so was everyone else．In fact they were all sitting up with their mouths and eyes wide open listening to a sound which was the very sound they’d all been thinking of（and sometimes imagining they heard）during their walk last night．It was a sound of jingling bells．
Mr. Beaver was out of the cave like a flash the moment he heard it．Perhaps you think，as Lucy thought for a moment，that this was a very silly thing to do ？ But it was really a very sensible one.He knew he could scramble to the top of the bank among bushes and brambles without being seen；and he wanted above all things to see which way the Witch’s sledge went．The others all sat in the cave waiting and wondering．They waited nearly five minutes． Then they heard something that frightened them very much．They heard voices．“Oh，”thought Lucy，“he’s been seen．She’s caught him ！”
Great was their surprise when a little later，they heard Mr. Beaver’s voice calling to them from just outside the cave．
“It’s all right，”he was shouting．“Come out，Mrs. Beaver. Come out，Sons and Daughters of Adam．It’s all right ！ It isn’t Her ！”This was bad grammar of course，but that is how beavers talk when they are excited；I mean，in Narnia-in our world they usually don’t talk at all．
So Mrs. Beaver and the children came bundling out of the cave，all blinking in the daylight，and with earth all over them， and looking very frowsty and unbrushed and uncombed and with the sleep in their eyes．
“Come on ！”cried Mr. Beaver，who was almost dancing with delight．“Come and see ！ This is a nasty knock for the Witch ！ It looks as if her power is already crumbling．”
“What do you mean，Mr. Beaver ？”panted Peter as they all scrambled up the steep bank of the valley together．
“Didn’t I tell you，”answered Mr. Beaver，“that she’d made it always winter and never Christmas ？ Didn’t I tell you ？ Well，just come and see ！”
And then they were all at the top and did see．
It was a sledge，and it was reindeer with bells on their harness. But they were far bigger than the Witch’s reindeer，and they were not white but brown．And on the sledge sat a person whom everyone knew the moment they set eyes on him．He was a huge man．in a bright red robe（bright as hollyberries）with a hood that had fur inside it and a great white beard，that fell like a foamy waterfall over his chest．
Everyone knew him because，though you see people of his sort only in Narnia，you see pictures of them and hear them talked about even in our world-the world on this side of the wardrobe door. But when you really see them in Narnia it is rather different. Some of the pictures of Father Christmas in our world make him look only funny and jolly．But now that the children actually stood looking at him they didn’t find it quite like that．He was so big， and so glad，and so real，that they all became quite still．They felt very glad，but also solemn．
“I’ve come at last，”said he．“She has kept me out for a long time，but I have got in at last．Aslan is on the move．The Witch’s magic is weakening．”
And Lucy felt running through her that deep shiver of gladness which you only get if you are being solemn and still．
“And now，”said Father Christmas，“for your presents．There is a new and better sewing machine for you，Mrs. Beaver．I will drop it in your house as，I pass．”
“If you please，sir，”said Mrs. Beaver，making a curtsey．“It’s locked up．”
“Locks and bolts make no difference to me，”said Father Christmas．“And as for you，Mr. Beaver，when you get home you will find your dam finished and mended and all the leaks stopped and a new sluicegate fitted．”
Mr. Beaver was so pleased that he opened his mouth very wide and then found he couldn’t say anything at all．
“Peter，Adam’s Son，”said Father Christmas．
“Here，sir，”said Peter．
“These are your presents，”was the answer，“and they are tools not toys．The time to use them is perhaps near at hand．Bear them well．”With these words he handed to Peter a shield and a sword． The shield was the colour of silver and across it there ramped a red lion，as bright as a ripe strawberry at the moment when you pick it. The hilt of the sword was of gold and it had a sheath and a sword belt and everything it needed，and it was just the right size and weight for Peter to use．Peter was silent and solemn as he received these gifts，for he felt they were a very serious kind of present．
“Susan，Eve’s Daughter，”said Father Christmas．“These are for you，”and he handed her a bow and a quiver full of arrows and a little ivory horn．“You must use the bow only in great need，”he said，“for I do not mean you to fight in the battle．It does not easily miss．And when you put this horn to your lips；and blow it， then，wherever you are，I think help of some kind will come to you．”
Last of all he said，“Lucy，Eve’s Daughter，”and Lucy came forward．He gave her a little bottle of what looked like glass （but people said afterwards that it was made of diamond）and a small dagger．“In this bottle，”he said，“there is cordial made of the juice of one of the fire. Flowers that grow in the mountains of the sun. If you or any of your friends is hurt，a few drops of this restore them．And the dagger is to defend yours at great need．For you also are not to be in battle．”
“Why，sir ？”said Lucy．“I think-I don’t know——but I think I could be brave enough．”
“That is not the point，”he said．“But battles are ugly when women fight．And now”-here he suddenly looked less grave-“here is something for the moment for you all！”and he brought out（I suppose from the big bag at his back，but nobody quite saw him do it）a large tray containing five cups and saucers，a bowl of lump sugar，a jug of cream，and a great big teapot all sizzling and piping hot．Then he cried out“Merry Christmas！ Long live the true King！”and cracked his whip，and he and the reindeer and the sledge and all were out of sight before anyone realized that they had started．
Peter had just drawn his sword out of its sheath and was showing it to Mr. Beaver，when Mrs. Beaver said：
“Now then，now then！ Don’t stand talking there till the tea’s got cold．Just like men．Come and help to carry the tray down and we’ll have breakfast．What a mercy I thought of bringing the bread-knife．”
So down the steep bank they went and back to the cave，and Mr. Beaver cut some of the bread and ham into sandwiches and Mrs. Beaver poured out the tea and everyone enjoyed themselves．But long before they had finished enjoying themselves Mr. Beaver said，“Time to be moving on now．”

CHAPTER ELEVEN ASLAN IS NEARER
EDMUND meanwhile had been having a most disappointing time．When the dwarf had gone to get the sledge ready he expected that the Witch would start being nice to him，as she had been at their last meeting．But she said nothing at all．And when at last Edmund plucked up his courage to say，“Please，your Majesty，could I have some Turkish Delight？ You-you-said-”she answered，“Silence，fool！”Then she appeared to change her mind and said，as if to herself，“And yet it will not do to have the brat fainting on the way，”and once more clapped her hands．Another，dwarf appeared．
“Bring the human creature food and drink，”she said．
The dwarf went away and presently returned bringing an iron bowl with some water in it and an iron plate with a hunk of dry bread on it．He grinned in a repulsive manner as he set them down on the floor beside Edmund and said：
“Turkish Delight for the little Prince．Ha！ Ha！ Ha！”
“Take it away，”said Edmund sulkily．“I don’t want dry bread. ” ut the Witch suddenly turned on him with such a terrible expression on her face that he，apologized and began to nibble at the bread， though，it was so stale he could hardly get it down．
“You may be glad enough of it before you taste bread again，”said the Witch．
While he was still chewing away the first dwarf came back and announced that the sledge was ready．The White Witch rose and went out，ordering Edmund to go with her．The snow was again falling as they came into the courtyard，but she took no notice of that and made Edmund sit beside her on the sledge．But before they drove off she called Maugrim and he came bounding like an enormous dog to the side of the sledge．
“Take with you the swiftest of your wolves and go at once to the house of the Beavers，”said the Witch，“and kill whatever you find there．If they are already gone，then make all speed to the Stone Table，but do not be seen．Wait for me there in hiding． I meanwhile must go many miles to the West before I find a place where I can drive across the river．You may overtake these humans before they reach the Stone Table．You will know what to do if you find them ！”
“I hear and obey，O Queen，”growled the Wolf，and immediately he shot away into the snow and darkness，as quickly as a horse can gallop．In a few minutes he had called another wolf and was with him down on the dam sniffing at the Beavers’ house.But of course they found it empty．It would have been a dreadful thing for the Beavers and the children if the night had remained fine，for the wolves would then have been able to follow their trail-and ten to one would have overtaken them before they had got to the cave． But now that the snow had begun again the scent was cold and even the footprints were covered up．
Meanwhile the dwarf whipped up the reindeer，and the Witch and Edmund drove out under the archway and on and away into the darkness and the cold．This was a terrible journey for Edmund，who had no coat．Before they had been going quarter of an hour all the front of him was covered with snow-he soon stopped trying to shake it off because，as quickly as he did that， a new lot gathered，and he was so tired．Soon he was wet to the skin. And oh，how miserable he was ！ It didn’t look now as if the Witch intended to make him a King．All the things he had said to make himself believe that she was good and kind and that her side was really the right side sounded to him silly now．He would have given anything to meet the others at this moment-even Peter ！ The only way to comfort himself now was to try to believe that the whole thing was a dream and that he might wake up at any moment.And as they went on，hour after hour，it did come to seem like a dream．
This lasted longer than I could describe even if I wrote pages and pages about it．But I will skip on to the time when the snow had stopped and the morning had come and they were racing along in the daylight．And still they went on and on，with no sound but the everlasting swish of the snow and the creaking of the reindeer’s harness．And then at last the Witch said，“What have we here ?
Stop ！”and they did．
How Edmund hoped she was going to say something about breakfast ！ But she had stopped for quite a different reason．A little way off at the foot of a tree sat a merry party，a squirrel and his wife with their children and two satyrs and a dwarf and an old dogfox，all on stools round a table．Edmund couldn’t quite see what they were eating，but it smelled lovely and there seemed to be decorations of holly and he wasn’t at all sure that he didn’t see something like a plum pudding．At the moment when the sledge stopped，the Fox，who was obviously the oldest person present， had just risen to its feet，holding a glass in its right paw as if it was going to say something．But when the whole party saw the sledge stopping and who was in it，all the gaiety went out of their faces. The father squirrel stopped eating with his fork half-way to his mouth and one of the satyrs stopped with its fork actually in its mouth，and the baby squirrels squeaked with terror．
“What is the meaning of this ？”asked the Witch Queen． Nobody answered．
“Speak，vermin ！”she said again．“Or do you want my dwarf to find you a tongue with his whip ？ What is the meaning of all this gluttony，this waste，this selfindulgence ？ Where did you get all these things ？”
“Please，your Majesty，”said the Fox，“we were given them. And if I might make so bold as to drink your Majesty’s very good health-”
“Who gave them to you ？”said the Witch．
“F-F-F-Father Christmas，”stammered the Fox．
“What ？”roared the Witch，springing from the sledge and taking a few strides nearer to the terrified animals．“He has not been here ！ He cannot have been here ！ How dare you-but no．Say you have been lying and you shall even now be forgiven．”
At that moment one of the young squirrels lost its head completely．
“He has-he has-he has ！”it squeaked，beating its little spoon on the table．Edmund saw the Witch bite her lips so that a drop of blood appeared on her white cheek．Then she raised her wand． “Oh，don’t，don’t，please don’t，”shouted Edmund，but even while he was shouting she had waved her wand and instantly where the merry party had been there were only statues of creatures（one with its stone fork fixed forever halway to its stone mouth）seated round a stone table on which there were stone plates and a stone plum pudding．
“As for you，”said the Witch，giving Edmund a stunning blow on the face as she re-mounted the sledge，“let that teach you to ask favour for spies and traitors．Drive on ！”And Edmund for the first time in this story felt sorry for someone besides himself．It seemed so pitiful to think of those little stone figures sitting there all the silent days and all the dark nights，year after year，till the moss grew on them and at last even their faces crumbled away．
Now they were steadily racing on again．And soon Edmund noticed that the snow which splashed against them as they rushed through it was much wetter than it had been all last night．At the
same time he noticed that he was feeling much less cold．It was also becoming foggy．In fact every minute it grew foggier and warmer．And the sledge was not running nearly as well as it had been running up till now．At first he thought this was because the reindeer were tired，but soon he saw that that couldn’t be the real reason．The sledge jerked，and skidded and kept on jolting as if it had struck against stones．And however the dwarf whipped the poor reindeer the sledge went slower and slower．There also seemed to be a curious noise all round them，but the noise of their driving and jolting and the dwarf’s shouting at the reindeer prevented Edmund from hearing what it was，until suddenly the sledge stuck so fast that it wouldn’t go on at all．When that happened there was a moment’s silence．And in that silence Edmund could at last listen to the other noise properly．A strange，sweet，rustling， chattering noise-and yet not so strange，for he’d heard it before-if only he could remember where ！ Then all at once he did remember. It was the noise of running water．All round them though out of sight，there were streams，chattering，murmuring，bubbling， splashing and even（in the distance）roaring．And his heart gave a great leap（though he hardly knew why）when he realized that the frost was over．And much nearer there was a drip-drip-drip from the branches of all the trees．And then，as he looked at one tree he saw a great load of snow slide off it and for the first time since he had entered Narnia he saw the dark green of a fir tree．But he hadn’t time to listen or watch any longer，for the Witch said：
“Don’t sit staring，fool ！ Get out and help．”
And of course Edmund had to obey．He stepped out into the snow-but it was really only slush by now-and began helping the dwarf to get the sledge out of the muddy hole it had got into． They got it out in the end，and by being very cruel to the reindeer the dwarf managed to get it on the move again，and they drove a little further．And now the snow was really melting in earnest and patches of green grass were beginning to appear in every direction. Unless you have looked at a world of snow as long as Edmund had been looking at it，you will hardly be able to imagine what a relief those green patches were after the endless white．Then the sledge stopped again．
“It’s no good，your Majesty，”said the dwarf．“We can’t sledge in this thaw．”
“Then we must walk，”said the Witch．
“We shall never overtake them walking，”growled the dwarf. “Not with the start they’ve got．”
“Are you my councillor or my slave ？”said the Witch．“Do as you’re told．Tie the hands of the human creature behind it and keep hold of the end of the rope．And take your whip．And cut the harness of the reindeer；they’ll find their own way home．”
The dwarf obeyed，and in a few minutes Edmund found himself being forced to walk as fast as he could with his hands tied behind him．He kept on slipping in the slush and mud and wet grass，and every time he slipped the dwarf gave him a curse and sometimes a flick with the whip．The Witch walked behind the dwarf and kept on saying，“Faster ！ Faster ！”
Every moment the patches of green grew bigger and the patches of spow grew smaller．Every moment more and more of the trees shook off their robes of snow．Soon，wherever you looked， instead of white shapes you saw the dark green of firs or the black prickly branches of bare oaks and beeches and elms．Then the mist turned from white to gold and presently cleared away altogether． Shafts of delicious sunlight struck down on to the forest floor and overhead you could see a blue sky between the tree tops．
Soon there were more wonderful things happening．Coming suddenly round a corner into a glade of silver birch trees Edmund saw the ground covered in all directions with little yellow flowers-celandines．The noise of water grew louder．Presently they actually crossed a stream．Beyond it they found snowdrops growing．
“Mind your own business ！”said the dwarf when he saw that Edmund had turned his head to look at them；and he gave the rope a vicious jerk．
But of course this didn’t prevent Edmund from seeing．Only five minutes later he noticed a dozen crocuses growing round the foot of an old tree-gold and purple and white．Then came a sound even more delicious than the sound of the water．Close beside the path they were following a bird suddenly chirped from the branch of a tree．It was answered by the chuckle of another bird a little further off．And then，as if that had been a signal，there was chattering and chirruping in every direction，and then a moment of full song，and within five minutes the whole wood was ringing with birds’ music，and wherever Edmund’s eyes turned he saw birds alighting on branches，or sailing overhead or chasing one another or having their little quarrels or tidying up their feathers with their beaks．
“Faster ！ Faster ！”said the Witch．
There was no trace of the fog now．The sky became bluer and bluer，and now there were white clouds hurrying across it from time to time．In the wide glades there were primroses．A light breeze sprang up which scattered drops of moisture from the swaying branches and carried cool，delicious scents against the faces of the travellers．The trees began to come fully alive．The larches and birches were covered with green，the laburnums with gold．Soon the beech trees had put forth their delicate，transparent leaves．As the travellers walked under them the light also became green．A bee buzzed across their path．
“This is no thaw，”said the dwarf，suddenly stopping．“This is Spring．What are we to do ？ Your winter has been destroyed，I tell you! This is Aslan’s doing．”
“If either of you mention that name again，”said the Witch，“he shall instantly be killed．”

CHAPTER TWELVE PETER’S FIRST BATTLE
WHILE the dwarf and the White Witch were saying this， miles away the Beavers and the children were walking on hour after hour into what seemed a delicious dream．Long ago they had left the coats behind them．And by now they had even stopped saying to one another，“Look ！ there’s a kingfisher，”or“I say， bluebells ！”or“What was that lovely smell ？”or“Just listen to that thrush ！”They walked on in silence drinking it all in，passing through patches of warm sunlight into cool，green thickets and out again into wide mossy glades where tall elms raised the leafy roof far overhead，and then into dense masses of flowering currant and among hawthorn bushes where the sweet smell was almost overpowering．
They had been just as surprised as Edmund when they saw the winter vanishing and the whole wood passing in a few hours or so from January to May．They hadn’t even known for certain （as the Witch did）that this was what would happen when Aslan came to Narnia．But they all knew that it was her spells which had produced the endless winter；and therefore they all knew when this magic spring began that something had gone wrong，and badly wrong，with the Witch’s schemes．And after the thaw had been going on for some time they all realized that the Witch would no longer be able to use her sledge．After that they didn’t hurry so much and they allowed themselves more rests and longer ones． They were pretty tired by now of course；but not what I’d call bitterly tired-only slow and feeling very dreamy and quiet inside as one does when one is coming to the end of a long day in the open． Susan had a slight blister on one heel．
They had left the course of the big river some time ago； for one had to turn a little to the right （that meant a little to the south）to reach the place of the Stone Table．Even if this had not been their way they couldn’t have kept to the river valley once the thaw began，for with all that melting snow the river was soon in flood-a wonderful，roaring，thundering yellow flood-and their path would have been under water．
And now the sun got low and the light got redder and the shadows got longer and the flowers began to think about closing．
“Not long now，”said Mr. Beaver，and began leading them uphill across some very deep，springy moss（it felt nice under their tired feet）in a place where only tall trees grew，very wide apart．The climb，coming at the end of the long day，made them all pant and blow．And just as Lucy was wondering whether she could really get to the top without another long rest，suddenly they were at the top．And this is what they saw．
They were on a green open space from which you could look down on the forest spreading as far as one could see in every direction-except right ahead．There，far to the East，was something twinkling and moving．“By gum ！”whispered Peter to Susan，“the sea ！”In the very middle of this open hill-top was the Stone Table．It was a great grim slab of grey stone supported on four upright stones．It looked very old；and it was cut all over with strange lines and figures that might be the letters of an unknown language．They gave you a curious feeling when you looked at them．The next thing they saw was a pavilion pitched on one side of the open place．A wonderful pavilion it was-and especially now when the light of the setting sun fell upon it-with sides of what looked like yellow silk and cords of crimson and tent-pegs of ivory；and high above it on a pole a banner which bore a red rampant lion fluttering in the breeze which was blowing in their faces from the far-off sea．While they were looking at this they heard a sound of music on their right；and turning in that direction they saw what they had come to see．
Aslan stood in the centre of a crowd of creatures who had grouped themselves round him in the shape of a half-moon． There were Tree-Women there and Well-Women（Dryads and Naiads as they used to be called in our world）who had stringed instruments；it was they who had made the music．There were four great centaurs．The horse part of them was like huge English farm horses，and the man part was like stern but beautiful giants.There was also a unicorn，and a bull with the head of a man， and a pelican，and an eagle，and a great Dog．And next to Aslan stood two leopards of whom one carried his crown and the other his standard．
But as for Aslan himself，the Beavers and the children didn’t know what to do or say when they saw him．People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time．If the children had ever thought so， they were cured of it now．For when they tried to look at Aslan’s face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great， royal，solemn，overwhelming eyes；and then they found they couldn’t look at him and went all trembly．
“Go on，”whispered Mr. Beaver．
“No，”whispered Peter，“you first．”
“No，Sons of Adam before animals，”whispered Mr. Beaver back again．
“Susan，”whispered Peter，“What about you ？ Ladies first．”
“No，you’re the eldest，”whispered Susan．And of course the longer they went on doing this the more awkward they felt．Then at last Peter realized that it was up to him．He drew his sword and raised it to the salute and hastily saying to the others“Come on. Pull yourselves together，”he advanced to the Lion and said：
“We have come-Aslan．”
“Welcome，Peter，Son of Adam，”said Aslan．“Welcome， Susan and Lucy，Daughters of Eve．Welcome He-Beaver and She-Beaver．”
His voice was deep and rich and somehow took the fidgets out of them．They now felt glad and quiet and it didn’t seem awkward to them to stand and say nothing．
“But where is the fourth ？”asked Aslan．
“He has tried to betray them and joined the White Witch，O Aslan，”said Mr. Beaver．And then something made Peter say，
“That was partly my fault，Aslan．I was angry with him and I think that helped him to go wrong．”
And Aslan said nothing either to excuse Peter or to blame him but merely stood looking at him with his great unchanging eyes． And it seemed to all of them that there was nothing to be said．
“Please-Aslan，”said Lucy，“can anything be done to save Edmund ？”
“All shall be done，”said Aslan．“But it may be harder than you think．”And then he was silent again for some time．Up to that moment Lucy had been thinking how royal and strong and peaceful his face looked；now it suddenly came into her head that he looked sad as well．But next minute that expression was quite gone． The Lion shook his mane and clapped his paws together（“Terrible paws，”thought Lucy，“if he didn’t know how to velvet them ！”） and said，
“Meanwhile，let the feast be prepared．Ladies，take these Daughters of Eve to the pavilion and minister to them．”
When the girls had gone Aslan laid his paw-and though it was velveted it was very heavy-on Peter’s shoulder and said，“Come， Son of Adam，and I will show you a far-off sight of the castle where you are to be King．”
And Peter with his sword still drawn in his hand went with the Lion to the eastern edge of the hilltop．There a beautiful sight met their eyes．The sun was setting behind their backs．That meant that the whole country below them lay in the evening light-forest and hills and valleys and，winding away like a silver snake，the lower part of the great river．And beyond all this，miles away， was the sea，and beyond the sea the sky，full of clouds which were just turning rose colour with the reflection of the sunset．But just where the land of Narnia met the sea-in fact，at the mouth of the great river-there was something on a little hill，shining．It was shining because it was a castle and of course the sunlight was reflected from all the windows which looked towards Peter and the sunset；but to Peter it looked like a great star resting on the seashore．
“That，O Man，”said Aslan，“is Cair Paravel of the four thrones，in one of which you must sit as King．I show it to you because you are the first-born and you will be High King over all the rest．”
And once more Peter said nothing，for at that moment a strange noise woke the silence suddenly．It was like a bugle，but richer．
“It is your sister’s horn，”said Aslan to Peter in a low voice； so low as to be almost a purr，if it is not disrespectful to think of a Lion purring．
For a moment Peter did not understand．Then，when he saw all the other creatures start forward and heard Aslan say with a wave of his paw，“Back ！ Let the Prince win his spurs，”he did understand，and set off running as hard as he could to the pavilion. And there he saw a dreadful sight．
The Naiads and Dryads were scattering in every direction. Lucy was running towards him as fast as her short legs would carry her and her face was as white as paper．Then he saw Susan make a dash for a tree，and swing herself up，followed by a huge grey beast．At first Peter thought it was a bear．Then he saw that it looked like an Alsatian，though it was far too big to be a dog． Then he realized that it was a wolf-a wolf standing on its hind legs，with its front paws against the tree-trunk，snapping and snarling．All the hair on its back stood up on end．Susan had not been able to get higher than the second big branch．One of her legs hung down so that her foot was only an inch or two above the snapping teeth．Peter wondered why she did not get higher or at least take a better grip；then he realized that she was just going to faint and that if she fainted she would fall off．
Peter did not feel very brave；indeed，he felt he was going to be sick．But that made no difference to what he had to do．He rushed straight up to the monster and aimed a slash of his sword at its side．That stroke never reached the Wolf．Quick as lightning it turned round，its eyes flaming，and its mouth wide open in a howl of anger．If it had not been so angry that it simply had to howl it would have got him by the throat at once．As it was-though all this happened too quickly for Peter to think at all-he had just time to duck down and plunge his sword，as hard as he could，between the brute’s forelegs into its heart．Then came a horrible，confused moment like something in a nightmare．He was tugging and pulling and the Wolf seemed neither alive nor dead，and its bared teeth knocked against his forehead，and everything was blood and heat and hair．A moment later he found that the monster lay dead and he had drawn his sword out of it and was straightening his back and rubbing the sweat off his face and out of his eyes．He felt tired all over．
Then，after a bit，Susan came down the tree．She and Peter felt pretty shaky when they met and I won’t say there wasn’t kissing and crying on both sides．But in Narnia no one thinks any the worse of you for that．
“Quick ！ Quick ！”shouted the voice of Aslan．“Centaurs ！ Eagles ！ I see another wolf in the thickets．There-behind you. He has just darted away．After him，all of you．He will be going to his mistress．Now is your chance to find the Witch and rescue the fourth Son of Adam．”And instantly with a thunder of hoofs and beating of wings a dozen or so of the swiftest creatures disappeared into the gathering darkness．
Peter，still out of breath，turned and saw Aslan close at hand.
“You have forgotten to clean your sword，”said Aslan．
It was true．Peter blushed when he looked at the bright blade and saw it all smeared with the Wolf’s hair and blood．He stooped down and wiped it quite clean on the grass，and then wiped it quite dry on his coat．
“Hand it to me and kneel，Son of Adam，”said Aslan．And when Peter had done so he struck him with the flat of the blade and said，“Rise up，Sir Peter Wolf’s-Bane．And，whatever happens，never forget to wipe your sword．”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN DEEP MAGIC FROM THE DAWN OF TIME
Now we must get back to Edmund．When he had been made to walk far further than he had ever known that anybody could walk，the Witch at last halted in a dark valley all overshadowed with fir trees and yew trees．Edmund simply sank down and lay on his face doing nothing at all and not even caring what was going to happen next provided they would let him lie still．He was too tired even to notice how hungry and thirsty he was．The Witch and the dwarf were talking close beside him in low tones．
“No，”said the dwarf，“it is no use now，O Queen．They must have reached the Stone Table by now．”
“Perhaps the Wolf will smell us out and bring us news，”said the Witch．
“It cannot be good news if he does，”said the dwarf．
“Four thrones in Cair Paravel，”said the Witch．“How if only three were filled？ That would not fulfil the prophecy．”
“What difference would that make now that He is here？”said
the dwarf．He did not dare，even now，to mention the name of Aslan to his mistress．
“He may not stay long．And then-we would fall upon the three at Cair．”
“Yet it might be better，”said the dwarf，“to keep this one”（ here he kicked Edmund）“for bargaining with．”
“Yes ！ and have him rescued，”said the Witch scornfully．
“Then，”said the dwarf，“we had better do what we have to do at once．”
“I would like to have it done on the Stone Table itself，”said the Witch．“That is the proper place．That is where it has always been done before．”
“It will be a long time now before the Stone Table can again be put to its proper use，”said the dwarf．
“True，”said the Witch；and then，“Well，I will begin．”
At that moment with a rush and a snarl a Wolf rushed up to them.
“I have seen them．They are all at the Stone Table，with Him．They have killed my captain，Maugrim．I was hidden in the thickets and saw it all．One of the Sons of Adam killed him． Fly ！ Fly ！”
“No，”said the Witch．“There need be no flying．Go quickly. Summon all our people to meet me here as speedily as they can． Call out the giants and the were wolves and the spirits of those trees who are on our side．Call the Ghouls，and the Boggles，the Ogres and the Minotaurs．Call the Cruels，the Hags，the Spectres， and the people of the Toadstools．We will fight．What ？ Have I not still my wand ？ Will not their ranks turn into stone even as they come on ？ Be off quickly，I have a little thing to finish here while you are away．”
The great brute bowed its head，turned，and galloped away．
“Now ！”she said，“we have no table-let me see．We had better put it against the trunk of a tree．”
Edmund found himself being roughly forced to his feet．Then the dwarf set him with his back against a tree and bound him fast． He saw the Witch take off her outer mantle．Her arms were bare underneath it and terribly white．Because they were so very white he could see them，but he could not see much else，it was so dark in this valley under the dark trees．
“Prepare the victim，”said the Witch．And the dwarf undid Edmund’s collar and folded back his shirt at the neck．Then he took Edmund’s hair and pulled his head back so that he had to raise his chin．After that Edmund heard a strange noise-whizz—whizz-whizz．For a moment he couldn’t think what it was．Then he realized．It was the sound of a knife being sharpened．
At that very moment he heard loud shouts from every direction-a drumming of hoofs and a beating of wings-a scream from the Witch-confusion all round him．And then he found he was being untied．Strong arms were round him and he heard big， kind voices saying things like-
“Let him lie down-give him some wine-drink this-steady now-you’ll be all right in a minute．”
Then he heard the voices of people who were not talking to him but to one another．And they were saying things like“Who’s got the Witch ？”“I thought you had her．”“I didn’t see her after I knocked the knife out of her hand-I was after the dwarf-do you mean to say she’s escaped ？”“-A chap can’t mind everything at once-what’s that ？ Oh，sorry，it’s only an old stump ！”But just at this point Edmund went off in a dead faint．
Presently the centaurs and unicorns and deer and birds（they were of course the rescue party which Aslan had sent in the last chapter）all set off to go back to the Stone Table，carrying Edmund with them．But if they could have seen what happened in that valley after they had gone，I think they might have been surprised．
It was perfectly still and presently the moon grew bright；if you had been there you would have seen the moonlight shining on an old tree-stump and on a fair—sized boulder．But if you had gone on looking you would gradually have begun to think there was something odd about both the stump and the boulder．And next you would have thought that the stump did look really remarkably like a little fat man crouching on the ground．And if you had watched long enough you would have seen the stump walk across to the boulder and the boulder sit up and begin talking to the stump；for in reality the stump and the boulder were simply the Witch and the dwarf．For it was part of her magic that she could make things look like what they aren’t，and she had the presence of mind to do so at the very moment when the knife was knocked out of her hand．She had kept hold of her wand，so it had been kept safe，too．
When the other children woke up next morning（they had been sleeping on piles of cushions in the pavilion）the first thing they heard-from Mrs. Beaver-was that their brother had been rescued and brought into camp late last night；and was at that moment with Aslan．As soon as they had breakfasted4 they all went out，and there they saw Aslan and Edmund walking together in the dewy grass，apart from the rest of the court．There is no need to tell you（and no one ever heard）what Aslan was saying，but it was a conversation which Edmund never forgot．As the others drew nearer Aslan turned to meet them，bringing Edmund with him．
“Here is your brother，”he said，“and-there is no need to talk to him about what is past．”
Edmund shook hands with each of the others and said to each of them in turn，“I’m sorry，”and everyone said，“That’s all right.” And then everyone wanted very hard to say something which would make it quite clear that they were all friends with him again-something ordinary and natural-and of course no one could think of anything in the world to say．But before they had time to feel really awkward one of the leopards approached Aslan and said，
“Sire，there is a messenger from the enemy who craves audience．”
“Let him approach，”said Aslan．
The leopard went away and soon returned leading the Witch’s dwarf.
“What is your message，Son of Earth ？”asked Aslan．
“The Queen of Narnia and Empress of the Lone Islands desires a safe conduct to come and speak with you，”said the dwarf，“on a matter which is as much to your advantage as to hers．”
“Queen of Narnia，indeed ！”said Mr. Beaver．“Of all the cheek-”
“Peace，Beaver，”said Aslan．“All names will soon be restored to their proper owners．In the meantime we will not dispute about them．Tell your mistress，Son of Earth，that I grant her safe conduct on condition that she leaves her wand behind her at that great oak．”
This was agreed to and two leopards went back with the dwarf to see that the conditions were properly carried out．“But supposing she turns the two leopards into stone ？”whispered Lucy to Peter. I think the same idea had occurred to the leopards themselves；at any rate，as they walked off their fur was all standing up on their backs and their tails were bristling-like a cat’s when it sees a strange dog.
“It’ll be all right，”whispered Peter in reply．“He wouldn’t send them if it weren’t．”
A few minutes later the Witch herself walked out on to the top of the hill and came straight across and stood before Aslan. The three children who had not seen her before felt shudders running down their backs at the sight of her face；and there were low growls among all the animals present．Though it was bright sunshine everyone felt suddenly cold．The only two people present who seemed to be quite at their ease were Aslan and the Witch herself． It was the oddest thing to see those two faces-the golden face and the dead-white face—so close together．Not that the Witch looked Aslan exactly in his eyes；Mrs. Beaver particularly noticed this．
“You have a traitor there，Aslan，”said the Witch．Of course everyone present knew that she meant Edmund．But Edmund had got past thinking about himself after all he’d been through and after the talk he’d had that morning．He just went on looking at Aslan． It didn’t seem to matter what the Witch said．
“Well，”said Aslan．“His offence was not against you．”
“Have you forgotten the Deep Magic ？”asked the Witch．
“Let us say I have forgotten it，”answered Aslan gravely．“Tell us of this Deep Magic．”
“Tell you ？”said the Witch，her voice growing suddenly shriller．“Tell you what is written on that very Table of Stone which stands beside us ？ Tell you what is written in letters deep as a spear is long on the firestones on the Secret Hill ？ Tell you what is engraved on the sceptre of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea ？ You at least know the Magic which the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning．You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have a right to a kill．”
“Oh，”said Mr. Beaver．“So that’s how you came to imagine yourself a queen-because you were the Emperor’s hangman．I see．”
“Peace，Beaver，”said Aslan，with a very low growl．“And so，”continued the Witch，“that human creature is mine．His life is forfeit to me．His blood is my property．”
“Come and take it then，”said the Bull with the man’s head in a great bellowing voice．
“Fool，”said the Witch with a savage smile that was almost a snarl，“do you really think your master can rob me of my rights by mere force ？ He knows the Deep Magic better than that．He knows that unless I have blood as the Law says all Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water．”
“It is very true，”said Aslan，“I do not deny it．”
“Oh，Aslan ！”whispered Susan in the Lion’s ear，“can’t we-I mean，you won’t，will you ？ Can’t we do something about the Deep Magic ？ Isn’t there something you can work against it ？”
“Work against the Emperor’s Magic ？”said Aslan，turning to her with something like a frown on his face．And nobody ever made that suggestion to him again．
Edmund was on the other side of Aslan，looking all the time at Aslan’s face．He felt a choking feeling and wondered if he ought to say something；but a moment later he felt that he was not expected to do anything except to wait，and do what he was told．
“Fall back，all of you，”said Aslan，“and I will talk to the Witch alone．”
They all obeyed．It was a terrible time this-waiting and wondering while the Lion and the Witch talked earnestly together in low voices．Lucy said，“Oh，Edmund ！”and began to cry. Peter stood with his back to the others looking out at the distant sea. The Beavers stood holding each other’s paws with their heads bowed. The centaurs stamped uneasily with their hoofs．But everyone became perfectly still in the end，so that you noticed even small sounds like a bumble-bee flying past，or the birds in the forest down below them，or the wind rustling the leaves．And still the talk between Aslan and the White Witch went on．
At last they heard Aslan’s voice，“You can all come back，”he said．“I have settled the matter．She has renounced the claim on your brother’s blood．”And all over the hill there was a noise as if everyone had been holding their breath and had now begun breathing again，and then a murmur of talk．
The Witch was just turning away with a look of fierce joy on her face when she stopped and said，
“But how do I know this promise will be kept ？”
“Haa-a-arrh ！”roared Aslan，half rising from his throne； and his great mouth opened wider and wider and the roar grew louder and louder，and the Witch，after staring for a moment with her lips wide apart，picked up her skirts and fairly ran for her life．

CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE TRIUMPH OF THE WITCH
As soon as the Witch had gone Aslan said，We must move from this place at once，it will be wanted for other purposes．We shall encamp tonight at the Fords of Beruna．
Of course everyone was dying to ask him how he had arranged matters with the witch；but his face was stern and everyone’s ears were still ringing with the sound of his roar and so nobody dared．
After a meal，which was taken in the open air on the hill-top （for the sun had got strong by now and dried the grass），they were busy for a while taking the pavilion down and packing things up．Before two o’clock they were on the march and set off in a northeasterly direction，walking at an easy pace for they had not far to go．
During the first part of the journey Aslan explained to Peter his plan of campaign．“As soon as she has finished her business in these parts，”he said，“the Witch and her crew will almost certainly fall back to her House and prepare for a siege．You may or may not be able to cut her off and prevent her from reaching it. ”He then went on to outline two plans of battle-one for fighting the Witch and her people in the wood and another for assaulting her castle．And all the time he was advising Peter how to conduct the operations， saying things like，“You must put your Centaurs in such and such a place”or“You must post scouts to see that she doesn’t do so-and-so，”till at last Peter said，
“But you will be there yourself，Aslan．”
“I can give you no promise of that，”answered the Lion．And he continued giving Peter his instructions．
For the last part of the journey it was Susan and Lucy who saw most of him．He did not talk very much and seemed to them to be sad．
It was still afternoon when they came down to a place where the river valley had widened out and the river was broad and shallow． This was the Fords of Beruna and Aslan gave orders to halt on this side of the water．But Peter said，
“Wouldn’t it be better to camp on the far side-for fear she should try a night attack or anything ？”
Aslan，who seemed to have been thinking about something else，roused himself with a shake of his magnificent mane and said，“Eh ？ What’s that ？”Peter said it all over again．
“No，”said Aslan in a dull voice，as if it didn’t matter．“No． She will not make an attack to-night．”And then he sighed deeply. But presently he added，“All the same it was well thought of．That is how a soldier ought to think．But it doesn’t really matter．”So they proceeded to pitch their camp．
Aslan’s mood affected everyone that evening．Peter was feeling uncomfortable too at the idea of fighting the battle on his own；the news that Aslan might not be there had come as a great shock to him．Supper that evening was a quiet meal．Everyone felt how different it had been last night or even that morning．It was as if the good times，having just begun，were already drawing to their end．
This feeling affected Susan so much that she couldn’t get to sleep when she went to bed．And after she had lain counting sheep and turning over and over she heard Lucy give a long sigh and turn over just beside her in the darkness．
“Can’t you get to sleep either ？”said Susan．
“No，”said Lucy．“I thought you were asleep．I say，Susan ！”
“What ？”
“I’ve a most Horrible feeling-as if something were hanging over us．”
“Have you ？ Because，as a matter of fact，so have I．”
“Something about Aslan，”said Lucy．“Either some dreadful thing is going to happen to him，or something dreadful that he’s going to do．”
“There’s been something wrong with him all afternoon，”said Susan．“Lucy ！ What was that he said about not being with us at the battle ？ You don’t think he could be stealing away and leaving us tonight，do you ？”
“Where is he now ？”said Lucy．“Is he here in the pavilion ？”
“I don’t think so．”
“Susan ！ let’s go outside and have a look round．We might see him．”
“All right．Let’s，”said Susan；“we might just as well be doing that as lying awake here．”
Very quietly the two girls groped their way among the other sleepers and crept out of the tent．The moonlight was bright and everything was quite still except for the noise of the river chattering over the stones．Then Susan suddenly caught Lucy’s arm and said，“Look ！”On the far side of the camping ground，just where the trees began，they saw the Lion slowly walking away from them into the wood．Without a word they both followed him.
He led them up the steep slope out of the river valley and then slightly to the right-apparently by the very same route which they had used that afternoon in coming from the Hill of the Stone Table. On and on he led them，into dark shadows and out into pale moonlight，getting their feet wet with the heavy dew．He looked somehow different from the Aslan they knew．His tail and his head hung low and he walked slowly as if he were very，very tired．Then，when they were crossing a wide open place where there where no shadows for them to hide in，he stopped and looked round．It was no good trying to run away so they came towards him．When they were closer he said，
“Oh，children，children，why are you following me ？”
“We couldn’t sleep，”said Lucy-and then felt sure that she need say no more and that Aslan knew all they had been thinking．“Please，may we come with you-wherever you’re going ？” asked Susan．
“Well-”said Aslan，and seemed to be thinking．Then he said，“I should be glad of company tonight．Yes，you may come，if you will promise to stop when I tell you，and after that leave me to go on alone．”
“Oh，thank you，thank you．And we will，”said the two girls.
Forward they went again and one of the girls walked on each side of the Lion．But how slowly he walked ！ And his great，royal head drooped so that his nose nearly touched the grass．Presently he stumbled and gave a low moan．
“Aslan ！ Dear Aslan ！”said Lucy，“what is wrong ？ Can’t you tell us ？”
“Are you ill，dear Aslan ？”asked Susan．
“No，”said Aslan．“I am sad and lonely．Lay your hands on my mane so that I can feel you are there and let us walk like that．”
And so the girls did what they would never have dared to do without his permission，but what they had longed to do ever since they first saw him——buried their cold hands in the beautiful sea of fur and stroked it and，so doing，walked with him．And presently they saw that they were going with him up the slope of the hill on which the Stone Table stood．They went up at the side where the trees came furthest up，and when they got to the last tree（it was one that had some bushes about it）Aslan stopped and said，
“Oh，children，children．Here you must stop．And whatever happens，do not let yourselves be seen．Farewell．”
And both the girls cried bitterly（though they hardly knew why）and clung to the Lion and kissed his mane and his nose and his paws and his great，sad eyes．Then he turned from them and walked out on to the top of the hill．And Lucy and Susan，crouching in the bushes，looked after him，and this is what they saw．
A great crowd of people were standing all round the Stone Table and though the moon was shining many of them carried torches which burned with evil-looking red flames and black smoke. But such people ！ Ogres with monstrous teeth，and wolves，and bull-headed men；spirits of evil trees and poisonous plants；and other creatures whom I won’t describe because if I did the grownups would probably not let you read this book-Cruels and Hags and Incubuses，Wraiths，Horrors，Efreets，Sprites， Orknies，Wooses，and Ettins．In fact here were all those who were on the Witch’s side and whom the Wolf had summoned at her command．And right in the middle，standing by the Table，was the Witch herself．
A howl and a gibber of dismay went up from the creatures when they first saw the great Lion pacing towards them，and for a moment even the Witch seemed to be struck with fear．Then she recovered herself and gave a wild fierce laugh．
“The fool ！”she cried．“The fool has come．Bind him fast．”
Lucy and Susan held their breaths waiting for Aslan’s roar and his spring upon his enemies．But it never came．Four Hags， grinning and leering，yet also（at first）hanging back and half afraid of what they had to do，had approached him．“Bind him，I say ！”repeated the White Witch．The Hags made a dart at him and shrieked with triumph when they found that he made no resistance at all．Then others-evil dwarfs and apes-rushed in to help them， and between them they rolled the huge Lion over on his back and tied all his four paws together，shouting and cheering as if they had done something brave，though，had the Lion chosen，one of those paws could have been the death of them all．But he made no noise，even when the enemies，straining and tugging，pulled the cords so tight that they cut into his flesh．Then they began to drag him towards the Stone Table．
“Stop ！”said the Witch．“Let him first be shaved．”
Another roar of mean laughter went up from her followers as an ogre with a pair of shears came forward and squatted down by Aslan’s head．Snip-snip-snip went the shears and masses of curling gold began to fall to the ground．Then the ogre stood back and the children，watching from their hiding-place，could see the face of Aslan looking all small and different without its mane．The enemies also saw the difference．
“Why，he’s only a great cat after all ！”cried one．
“Is that what we were afraid of ？”said another．
And they surged round Aslan，jeering at him，saying things like“Puss，Puss ！ Poor Pussy，”and“How many mice have you caught today，Cat ？”and“Would you like a saucer of milk， Pussums ？”
“Oh，how can they ？”said Lucy，tears streaming down her cheeks．“The brutes，the brutes ！”for now that the first shock was over the shorn face of Aslan looked to her braver，and more beautiful，and more patient than ever．
“Muzzle him ！”said the Witch．And even now，as they worked about his face putting on the muzzle，one bite from his jaws would have cost two or three of them their hands．But he never moved．And this seemed to enrage all that rabble．Everyone was at him now．Those who had been afraid to come near him even after he was bound began to find their courage，and for a few minutes the two girls could not even see him-so thickly was he surrounded by the whole crowd of creatures kicking him，hitting him，spitting on him，jeering at him．
At last the rabble had had enough of this．They began to drag the bound and muzzled Lion to the Stone Table，some pulling and some pushing．He was so huge that even when they got him there it took all their efforts to hoist him on to the surface of it．Then there was more tying and tightening of cords．
“The cowards ！ The cowards ！”sobbed Susan．“Are they still afraid of him，even now ？”
When once Aslan had been tied（and tied so that he was really a mass of cords）on the flat stone，a hush fell on the crowd．Four Hags，holding four torches，stood at the corners of the Table. The Witch bared her arms as she had bared them the previous night when it had been Edmund instead of Aslan．Then she began to whet her knife．It looked to the children，when the gleam of the torchlight fell on it，as if the knife were made of stone，not of steel，and it was of a strange and evil shape．
As last she drew near．She stood by Aslan’s head．Her face was working and twitching with passion，but his looked up at the sky，still quiet，neither angry nor afraid，but a little sad．Then， just before she gave the blow，she stooped down and said in a quivering voice，
“And now，who has won ？ Fool，did you think that by all this you would save the human traitor ？ Now I will kill you instead of him as our pact was and so the Deep Magic will be appeased．But when you are dead what will prevent me from killing him as well ？ And who will take him out of my hand then ？ Understand that you have given me Narnia forever，you have lost your own life and you have not saved his．In that knowledge，despair and die．”
The children did not see the actual moment of the killing． They couldn’t bear to look and had covered their eyes．

CHAPTER FIFTEEN DEEPER MAGIC FROM BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME
WHILE the two girls still crouched in the bushes with their hands over their faces，they heard the voice of the Witch calling out，
“Now ！ Follow me all and we will set about what remains of this war ！ It will not take us long to crush the human vermin and the traitors now that the great Fool，the great Cat，lies dead．”
At this moment the children were for a few seconds in very great danger．For with wild cries and a noise of skirling pipes and shrill horns blowing，the whole of that vile rabble came sweeping off the hill-top and down the slope right past their hiding-place. They felt the Spectres go by them like a cold wind and they felt the ground shake beneath them under the galloping feet of the Minotaurs；and overhead there went a flurry of foul wings and a blackness of vultures and giant bats．At any other time they would have trembled with fear；but now the sadness and shame and horror of Aslan’s death so filled their minds that they hardly thought of it.
As soon as the wood was silent again Susan and Lucy crept out onto the open hilltop．The moon was getting low and thin clouds were passing across her，but still they could see the shape of the Lion lying dead in his bonds．And down they both knelt in the wet grass and kissed his cold face and stroked his beautiful fur-what was left of it-and cried till they could cry no more．And then they looked at each other and held each other’s hands for mere loneliness and cried again；and then again were silent．At last Lucy said，
“I can’t bear to look at that horrible muzzle．I wonder could we take if off ？”
So they tried．And after a lot of working at it（for their fingers were cold and it was now the darkest part of the night）they succeeded．And when they saw his face without it they burst out crying again and kissed it and fondled it and wiped away the blood and the foam as well as they could．And it was all more lonely and hopeless and horrid than I know how to describe．
“I wonder could we untie him as well ？”said Susan presently. But the enemies，out of pure spitefulness，had drawn the cords so tight that the girls could make nothing of the knots．
I hope no one who reads this book has been quite as miserable as Susan and Lucy were that night；but if you have been-if you’ve been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you-you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness．You feel as if nothing was ever going to happen again．At any rate that was how it felt to these two．Hours and hours seemed to go by in this dead calm，and they hardly noticed that they were getting colder and colder．But at last Lucy noticed two other things．One was that the sky on the east side of the hill was a little less dark than it had been an hour ago．The other was some tiny movement going on in the grass at her feet．At first she took no interest in this. What did it matter ？ Nothing mattered now ！ But at last she saw that whatever-it-was had begun to move up the upright stones of the Stone Table．And now whatever-they-were were moving about on Aslan’s body．She peered closer．They were little grey things．
“Ugh ！”said Susan from the other side of the Table．“How beastly ！ There are horrid little mice crawling over him．Go away，you little beasts．”And she raised her hand to frighten them away．
“Wait ！”said Lucy，who had been looking at them more closely still．“Can you see what they’re doing ？”
Both girls bent down and stared．
“I do believe-”said Susan．“But how queer ！ They’re nibbling away at the cords ！”
“That’s what I thought，”said Lucy．“I think they’re friendly mice．Poor little things-they don’t realize he’s dead．They think it’ll do some good untying him．”
It was quite definitely lighter by now．Each of the girls noticed for the first time the white face of the other．They could see the mice nibbling away；dozens and dozens，even hundreds，of little field mice．And at last，one by one，the ropes were all gnawed through．
The sky in the east was whitish by now and the stars were getting fainter-all except one very big one low down on the eastern horizon．They felt colder than they had been all night．The mice crept away again．
The girls cleared away the remains of the gnawed ropes．Aslan looked more like himself without them．Every moment his dead face looked nobler，as the light grew and they could see it better．
In the wood behind them a bird gave a chuckling sound．It had been so still for hours and hours that it startled them．Then another bird answered it．Soon there were birds singing all over the place.
It was quite definitely early morning now，not late night．
“I’m so cold，”said Lucy．
“So am I，”said Susan．“Let’s walk about a bit．”
They walked to the eastern edge of the hill and looked down． The one big star had almost disappeared．The country all looked dark grey，but beyond，at the very end of the world，the sea showed pale．The sky began to turn red．They walked to ands fro more times than they could count between the dead Aslan and the eastern ridge，trying to keep warm；and oh，how tired their legs felt．Then at last，as they stood for a moment looking out towards they sea and Cair Paravel（which they could now just make out） the red turned to gold along the line where the sea and the sky met and very slowly up came the edge of the sun．At that moment they heard from behind them a loud noise-a great cracking，deafening noise as if a giant had broken a giant’s plate．
“What’s that ？”said Lucy，clutching Susan’s arm．
“I-I feel afraid to turn round，”said Susan；“something awful is happening．”
“They’re doing something worse to Him，”said Lucy．“Come on ！”And she turned，pulling Susan round with her．
The rising of the sun had made everything look so different-all colours and shadows were changed——that for a moment they didn’t see the important thing．Then they did．The Stone Table was broken into two pieces by a great crack that ran down it from end to end；and there was no Aslan．
“Oh，oh，oh ！”cried the two girls，rushing back to the Table.
“Oh，it’s too bad，”sobbed Lucy；“they might have left the body alone．”
“Who’s done it ？”cried Susan．“What does it mean ？ Is it magic ？”
“Yes ！”said a great voice behind their backs．“It is more magic.” They looked round．There，shining in the sunrise， larger than they had seen him before，shaking his mane（for it had apparently grown again）stood Aslan himself．
“Oh，Aslan ！”cried both the children，staring up at him， almost as much frightened as they were glad．
“Aren’t you dead then，dear Aslan ？”said Lucy．
“Not now，”said Aslan．
“You’re not-not a- ？”asked Susan in a shaky voice．She couldn’t bring herself to say the word ghost．Aslan stooped his golden head and licked her forehead．The warmth of his breath and a rich sort of smell that seemed to hang about his hair came all over her．
“Do I look it ？”he said．
“Oh，you’re real，you’re real ！ Oh，Aslan ！”cried Lucy， and both girls flung themselves upon him and covered him with kisses．
“But what does it all mean ？”asked Susan when they were somewhat calmer．
“It means，”said Aslan，“that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic，there is a magic deeper still which she did not know：Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time．But if she could have looked a little further back，into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned，she would have read there a different incantation．She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead，the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards. And now-”
“Oh yes．Now ？”said Lucy，jumping up and clapping her hands．
“Oh，children，”said the Lion，“I feel my strength coming back to me．Oh，children，catch me if you can ！”He stood for a second，his eyes very bright，his limbs quivering，lashing himself with his tail．Then he made a leap high over their heads and landed on the other side of the Table．Laughing，though she didn’t know why，Lucy scrambled over it to reach him．Aslan leaped again． A mad chase began．Round and round the hilltop he led them， now hopelessly out of their reach，now letting them almost catch his tail，now diving between them，now tossing them in the air with his huge and beautifully velveted paws and catching them again，and now stopping unexpectedly so that all three of them rolled over together in a happy laughing heap of fur and arms and legs．It was such a romp as no one has ever had except in Narnia；and whether it was more like playing with a thunderstorm or playing with a kitten Lucy could never make up her mind．And the funny thing was that when all three finally lay together panting in the sun the girls no longer felt in the least tired or hungry or thirsty．
“And now，”said Aslan presently，“to business．I feel I am going to roar．You had better put your fingers in your ears．”
And they did．And Aslan stood up and when he opened his mouth to roar his face became so terrible that they did not dare to look at it．And they saw all the trees in front of him bend before the blast of his roaring as grass bends in a meadow before the wind. Then he said，
“We have a long journey to go．You must ride on me．”And he crouched down and the children climbed on to his warm，golden back，and Susan sat first，holding on tightly to his mane and Lucy sat behind holding on tightly to Susan．And with a great heave he rose underneath them and then shot off，faster than any horse could go，down hill and into the thick of the forest．
That ride was perhaps the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia．Have you ever had a gallop on a horse ？ Think of that；and then take away the heavy noise of the hoofs and the jingle of the bits and imagine instead the almost noiseless padding of the great paws．Then imagine instead of the black or grey or chestnut back of the horse the soft roughness of golden fur，and the mane flying back in the wind．And then imagine you are going about twice as fast as the fastest racehorse．But this is a mount that doesn’t need to be guided and never grows tired．He rushes on and on，never missing his footing，never hesitating，threading his way with perfect skill between tree trunks，jumping over bush and briar and the smaller streams，wading the larger，swimming the largest of all．And you are riding not on a road nor in a park nor even on the downs，but right across Narnia，in spring，down solemn avenues of beech and across sunny glades of oak，through wild orchards of snow-white cherry trees，past roaring waterfalls and mossy rocks and echoing caverns，up windy slopes alight with gorse bushes，and across the shoulders of heathery mountains and along giddy ridges and down，down，down again into wild valleys and out into acres of blue flowers．
It was nearly midday when they found themselves looking down a steep hillside at a castle-a little toy castle it looked from where they stood-which seemed to be all pointed towers．But the Lion was rushing down at such a speed that it grew larger every moment and before they had time even to ask themselves what it was they were already on a level with it．And now it no longer looked like a toy castle but rose frowning in front of them．No face looked over the battlements and the gates were fast shut． And Aslan，not at all slacking his pace，rushed straight as a bullet towards it．
“The Witch’s home ！”he cried．“Now，children，hold tight．”
Next moment the whole world seemed to turn upside down， and the children felt as if they had left their insides behind them； for the Lion had gathered himself together for a greater leap than any he had yet made and jumped-or you may call it flying rather than jumping-right over the castle wall．The two girls，breathless but unhurt，found themselves tumbling off his back in the middle of a wide stone courtyard full of statues．

CHAPTER SIXTEEN WHAT HAPPENED ABOUT THE STATUES
“WHAT an extraordinary place ！”cried Lucy．“All those stone animals-and people too ！ It’s-it’s like a museum．”
“Hush，”said Susan，“Aslan’s doing something．”
He was indeed．He had bounded up to the stone lion and breathed on him．Then without waiting a moment he whisked round-almost as if he had been a cat chasing its tail-and breathed also on the stone dwarf，which（as you remember）was standing a few feet from the lion with his back to it．Then he pounced on a tall stone dryad which stood beyond the dwarf，turned rapidly aside to deal with a stone rabbit on his right，and rushed on to two centaurs．But at that moment Lucy said，
“Oh，Susan ！ Look ！ Look at the lion．”
I expect you’ve seen someone put a lighted match to a bit of newspaper which is propped up in a grate against an unlit fire．And for a second nothing seems to have happened；and then you notice a tiny streak of flame creeping along the edge of the newspaper．
It was like that now．For a second after Aslan had breathed upon him the stone lion looked just the same．Then a tiny streak of gold began to run along his white marble back——then it spread-then the colour seemed to lick all over him as the flame licks all over a bit of paper-then，while his hindquarters were still obviously stone，the lion shook his mane and all the heavy，stone folds rippled into living hair．Then he opened a great red mouth，warm and living，and gave a prodigious yawn．And now his hind legs had come to life．He lifted one of them and scratched himself． Then，having caught sight of Aslan，he went bounding after him and frisking round him whimpering with delight and jumping up to lick his face.
Of course the children’s eyes turned to follow the lion；but the sight they saw was so wonderful that they soon forgot about him． Everywhere the statues were coming to life．The courtyard looked no longer like a museum；it looked more like a zoo．Creatures were running after Aslan and dancing round him till he was almost hidden in the crowd．Instead of all that deadly white the courtyard was now a blaze of colours；glossy chestnut sides of centaurs， indigo horns of unicorns，dazzling plumage of birds，reddy-brown of foxes，dogs and satyrs，yellow stockings and crimson hoods of dwarfs；and the birch-girls in silver，and the beech-girls in fresh，transparent green，and the larch-girls in green so bright that it was almost yellow．And instead of the deadly silence the whole place rang with the sound of happy roarings，brayings，yelpings， barkings，squealings，cooings，neighings，stampings，shouts，hurrahs，songs and laughter．
“Oh ！”said Susan in a different tone．“Look ！ I wonder-I mean，is it safe ？”
Lucy looked and saw that Aslan had just breathed on the feet of the stone giant．
“It’s all right ！”shouted Aslan joyously．“Once the feet are put right，all the rest of him will follow．”
“That wasn’t exactly what I meant，”whispered Susan to Lucy. But it was too late to do anything about it now even if Aslan would have listened to her．The change was already creeping up the Giant’s legs．Now he was moving his feet．A moment later he lifted the club off his shoulder，rubbed his eyes and said，
“Bless me ！ I must have been asleep．Now ！ Where’s that dratted little Witch that was running about on the ground． Somewhere just by my feet it was．”But when everyone had shouted up to him to explain what had really happened，and when the Giant had put his hand to his ear and got them to repeat it all again so that at last he understood，then he bowed down till his head was no further off than the top of a haystack and touched his cap repeatedly to Aslan，beaming all over his honest ugly face．（Giants of any sort are now so rare in England and so few giants are good-tempered that ten to one you have never seen a giant when his face is beaming．It’s a sight well worth looking at．）
“Now for the inside of this house ！”said Aslan．“Look alive， everyone．Up stairs and down stairs and in my lady’s chamber ！ Leave no corner unsearched．You never know where some poor prisoner may be concealed．”
And into the interior they all rushed and for several minutes the whole of that dark，horrible，fusty old castle echoed with the opening of windows and with everyone’s voices crying out at once，“Don’t forget the dungeons-Give us a hand with this door ！——Here’s another little winding stair-Oh ！ I say．Here’s a poor kangaroo．Call Aslan-Phew ！ How it smells in here-Look out for trap-doors-Up here ！ There are a whole lot more on the landing ！”But the best of all was when Lucy came rushing upstairs shouting out，
“Aslan！ Aslan！ I’ve found Mr. Tumnus．Oh，do come quick．”
A moment later Lucy and the little Faun were holding each other by both hands and dancing round and round for joy．The little chap was none the worse for having been a statue and was of course very interested in all she had to tell him．
But at last the ransacking of the Witch’s fortress was ended． The whole castle stood empty with every door and window open and the light and the sweet spring air flooding into all the dark and evil places which needed them so badly．The whole crowd of liberated statues surged back into the courtyard．And it was then that someone（Tumnus，I think）first said，
“But how are we going to get out ？”for Aslan had got in by a jump and the gates were still locked．
“That’ll be all right，”said Aslan；and then，rising on his hind-legs，he bawled up at the Giant．“Hi ！ You up there，”he roared．“What’s your name ？”
“Giant Rumblebuffin，if it please your honour，”said the Giant，once more touching his cap．
“Well then，Giant Rumblebuffin，”said Aslan，“just let us out of this，will you ？”
“Certainly，your honour．It will be a pleasure，”said Giant Rumblebuffin．“Stand well away from the gates，all you little，uns.” Then he strode to the gate himself and bang-bang-bang-went his huge club．The gates creaked at the first blow，cracked at the second，and shivered at the third．Then he tackled the towers on each side of them and after a few minutes of crashing and thudding both the towers and a good bit of the wall on each side went thundering down in a mass of hopeless rubble；and when the dust cleared it was odd，standing in that dry，grim，stony yard，to see through the gap all the grass and waving trees and sparkling streams of the forest，and the blue hills beyond that and beyond them the sky．
“Blowed if I ain’t all in a muck sweat，”said the Giant，puffing like the largest railway engine．“Comes of being out of condition． I suppose neither of you young ladies has such a thing as a pocket-handkerchee about you ？”
“Yes，I have，”said Lucy，standing on tip-toes and holding her handkerchief up as far as she could reach．
“Thank you，Missie，”said Giant Rumblebuffin，stooping down．Next moment Lucy got rather a fright for she found herself caught up in mid-air between the Giant’s finger and thumb．But just as she was getting near his face he suddenly started and then put her gently back on the ground muttering，“Bless me ！ I’ve picked up the little girl instead．I beg your pardon，Missie，I thought you was the handkerchee ！”
“No，no，”said Lucy laughing，“here it is ！”This time he managed to get it but it was only about the same size to him that a saccharine tablet would be to you，so that when she saw him solemnly rubbing it to and fro across his great red face，she said，“I’m afraid it’s not much use to you，Mr. Rumblebuffin．”
“Not at all．Not at all，”said the giant politely．“Never met a nicer handkerchee．So fine，so handy．So-I don’t know how to describe it．”
“What a nice giant he is ！”said Lucy to Mr. Tumnus．
“Oh yes，”replied the Faun．“All the Buffins always were.One of the most respected of all the giant families in Narnia．Not very clever，perhaps（I never knew a giant that was），but an old family．With traditions，you know．If he’d been the other sort she’d never have turned him into stone．”
At this point Aslan clapped his paws together and called for silence.
“Our day’s work is not yet over，”he said，“and if the Witch is to be finally defeated before bed-time we must find the battle at once．”
“And join in，I hope，sir ！”added the largest of the Centaurs.
“Of course，”said Aslan．“And now ！ Those who can’t keep up-that is，children，dwarfs，and small animals-must ride on the backs of those who can-that is，lions，centaurs，unicorns， horses，giants and eagles．Those who are good with their noses must come in front with us lions to smell out where the battle is．
Look lively and sort yourselves．”
And with a great deal of bustle and cheering they did．The most pleased of the lot was the other lion who kept running about everywhere pretending to be very busy but really in order to say to everyone he met．“Did you hear what he said ？ Us Lions．That means him and me．Us Lions．That’s what I like about Aslan． No side，no stand-off-ishness．Us Lions．That meant him and me．”At least he went on saying this till Aslan had loaded him up with three dwarfs，one dryad，two rabbits，and a hedgehog． That steadied him a bit．
When all were ready（it was a big sheep-dog who actually helped Aslan most in getting them sorted into their proper order） they set out through the gap in the castle wall．At first the lions and dogs went nosing about in all directions．But then suddenly one great hound picked up the scent and gave a bay．There was no time lost after that．Soon all the dogs and lions and wolves and other hunting animals were going at full speed with their noses to the ground，and all the others，streaked out for about half a mile behind them，were following as fast as they could．The noise was like an English fox-hunt only better because every now and then with the music of the hounds was mixed the roar of the other lion and sometimes the far deeper and more awful roar of Aslan himself．Faster and faster they went as the scent became easier and easier to follow．And then，just as they came to the last curve in a narrow，winding valley，Lucy heard above all these noises another noise-a different one，which gave her a queer feeling inside．It was a noise of shouts and shrieks and of the clashing of metal against metal．
Then they came out of the narrow valley and at once she saw the reason．There stood Peter and Edmund and all the rest of Aslan’s army fighting desperately against the crowd of horrible creatures whom she had seen last night；only now，in the daylight，they looked even stranger and more evil and more deformed．There also seemed to be far more of them．Peter’s army-which had their backs to her——looked terribly few．And there werestatues dotted all over the battlefield，so apparently the Witch had been using her wand．But she did not seem to be using it now.She was fighting with her stone knife．It was Peter she was fightin-both of them going at it so hard that Lucy could hardly make out what was happening；she only saw the stone knife and Peter’s sword flashing so quickly that they looked like three knives and three swords．That pair were in the centre．On each side the line stretched out．Horrible things were happening wherever she looked.
“Off my back，children，”shouted Aslan．And they both tumbled off．Then with a roar that shook all Narnia from the western lamp-post to the shores of the eastern sea the great beast flung himself upon the White Witch．Lucy saw her face lifted towards him for one second with an expression of terror and amazement．Then Lion and Witch had rolled over together but with the Witch underneath；and at the same moment all war-like creatures whom Aslan had led from the Witch’s house rushed madly on the enemy lines，dwarfs with their battleaxes，dogs with teeth，the Giant with his club（and his feet also crushed dozens of the foe），unicorns with their horns，centaurs with swords and hoofs．And Peter’s tired army cheered，and the newcomers roared，and the enemy squealed and gibbered till the wood re-echoed with the din of that onset．

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN THE HUNTING OF THE WHITE STAG
THE battle was all over a few minutes after their arrival． Most of the enemy had been killed in the first charge of Aslan and his companions；and when those who were still living saw that the Witch was dead they either gave themselves up or took to flight. The next thing that Lucy knew was that Peter and Aslan were shaking hands．It was strange to her to see Peter looking as he looked now-his face was so pale and stern and he seemed so much older．
“It was all Edmund’s doing，Aslan，”Peter was saying．“We’d have been beaten if it hadn’t been for him．The Witch was turning our troops into stone right and left．But nothing would stop him． He fought his way through three ogres to where she was just turning one of your leopards into a statue．And when he reached her he had sense to bring his sword smashing down on her wand instead of trying to go for her directly and simply getting made a statue himself for his pains．That was the mistake all the rest were making．Once
her wand was broken we began to have some chance-if we hadn’t lost so many already．He was terribly wounded．We must go and see him．”
They found Edmund in charge of Mrs. Beaver a little way back from the fighting line．He was covered with blood，his mouth was open，and his face a nasty green colour．
“Quick，Lucy，”said Aslan．
And then，almost for the first time，Lucy remembered the precious cordial that had been given her for a Christmas present. Her hands trembled so much that she could hardly undo the stopper，but she managed it in the end and poured a few drops into her brother’s mouth．
“There are other people wounded，”said Aslan while she was still looking eagerly into Edmund’s pale face and wondering if the cordial would have any result．
“Yes，I know，”said Lucy crossly．“Wait a minute．”
“Daughter of Eve，”said Aslan in a graver voice，“others also are at the point of death．Must more people die for Edmund ？”
“I’m sorry，Aslan，”said Lucy，getting up and going with him. And for the next half-hour they were busy-she attending to the wounded while he restored those who had been turned into stone. When at last she was free to come back to Edmund she found him standing on his feet and not only healed of his wounds but looking better than she had seen him look-oh，for ages；in fact ever since his first term at that horrid school which was where he had begun to go wrong．He had become his real old self again and could look you in the face．And there on the field of battle Aslan made him a knight．
“Does he know，”whispered Lucy to Susan，“what Aslan did for him ？ Does he know what the arrangement with the Witch really was ？”
“Hush ！ No．Of course not，”said Susan．
“Oughtn’t he to be told ？”said Lucy．
“Oh，surely not，”said Susan．“It would be too awful for him. Think how you’d feel if you were he．”
“All the same I think he ought to know，”said Lucy．But at that moment they were interrupted．
That night they slept where they were．How Aslan provided food for them all I don’t know；but somehow or other they found themselves all sitting down on the grass to a fine high tea at about eight o’clock．Next day they began marching eastward down the side of the great river．And the next day after that，at about teatime，they actually reached the mouth．The castle of Cair Paravel on its little hill towered up above them；before them were the sands，with rocks and little pools of salt water，and seaweed， and the smell of the sea and long miles of bluish-green waves breaking for ever and ever on the beach．And oh，the cry of the sea-gulls ！ Have you heard it ？ Can you remember ？
That evening after tea the four children all managed to get down to the beach again and get their shoes and stockings off and feel the sand between their toes．But next day was more solemn. For then，in the Great Hall of Cair Paravel-that wonderful hall with the ivory roof and the west wall hung with peacock’s feathers and the eastern door which looks towards the sea，in the presence of all their friends and to the sound of trumpets，Aslan solemnly crowned them and led them to the four thrones amid deafening shouts of， “Long Live King Peter ！ Long Live Queen Susan ！ Long Live King Edmund ！ Long Live Queen Lucy ！”
“Once a king or queen in Narnia，always a king or queen. Bear it well，Sons of Adam ！ Bear it well，Daughters of Eve ！”said Aslan．
And through the eastern door，which was wide open，came the voices of the mermen and the mermaids swimming close to the shore and singing in honour of their new Kings and Queens．
So the children sat on their thrones and sceptres were put into their hands and they gave rewards and honours to all their friends，to Tumnus the Faun，and to the Beavers，and Giant Rumblebuffin，to the leopards，and the good centaurs，and the good dwarfs，and to the lion．And that night there was a great feast in Cair Paravel，and revelry and dancing，and gold flashed and wine flowed，and answering to the music inside，but stranger，sweeter，and more piercing，came the music of the sea people．
But amid all these rejoicings Aslan himself quietly slipped away．And when the Kings and Queens noticed that he wasn’t there they said nothing about it．For Mr. Beaver had warned them，“He’ll be coming and going，”he had said．“One day you’ll see him and another you won’t．He doesn’t like being tied down—and of course he has other countries to attend to．It’s quite all right. He’ll often drop in．Only you mustn’t press him．He’s wild，you know．Not like a tame lion．”
And now，as you see，this story is nearly（but not quite） at an end．These two Kings and two Queens governed Narnia well，and long and happy was their reign．At first much of their time was spent in seeking out the remnants of the White Witch’s army and destroying them，and indeed for a long time there would be news of evil things lurking in the wilder parts of the forest-a haunting here and a killing there，a glimpse of a werewolf one month and a rumour of a hag the next．But in the end all that foul brood was stamped out．And they made good laws and kept the peace and saved good trees from being unnecessarily cut down， and liberated young dwarfs and young satyrs from being sent to school，and generally stopped busybodies and interferers and encouraged ordinary people who wanted to live and let live．And they drove back the fierce giants（quite a different sort from Giant Rumblebuffin）on the north of Narnia when these ventured across the frontier．And they entered into friendship and alliance with countries beyond the sea and paid them visits of state and received visits of state from them．And they themselves grew and changed as the years passed over them．And Peter became a tall and deep-chested man and a great warrior，and he was called King Peter the Magnificent．And Susan grew into a tall and gracious woman with black hair that fell almost to her feet and the kings of the countries beyond the sea began to send ambassadors asking for her hand in marriage．And she was called Susan the Gentle．Edmund was a graver and quieter man than Peter，and great in council and judgement．He was called King Edmund the Just．But as for Lucy，she was always gay and golden-haired，and all princes in those parts desired her to be their Queen，and her own people called her Queen Lucy the Valiant．
So they lived in great joy and if ever they remembered their life in this world it was only as one remembers a dream．And one year it fell out that Tumnus（who was a middle-aged Faun by now and beginning to be stout）came down river and brought them news that the White Stag had once more appeared in his parts-the White Stag who would give you wishes if you caught him．So these two Kings and two Queens with the principal members of their court，rode a-hunting with horns and hounds in the Western Woods to follow the White Stag．And they had not hunted long before they had a sight of him．And he led them a great pace over rough and smooth and through thick and thin，till the horses of all the courtiers were tired out and these four were still following．And they saw the stag enter into a thicket where their horses could not follow．Then said King Peter（for they talked in quite a different style now，having been Kings and Queens for so long），“Fair Consorts，let us now alight from our horses and follow this beast into the thicket；for in all my days I never hunted a nobler quarry．”
“Sir，”said the others，“even so let us do．”
So they alighted and tied their horses to trees and went on into the thick wood on foot．And as soon as they had entered it Queen Susan said，
“Fair friends，here is a great marvel，for I seem to see a tree of iron．”
“Madam，”said，King Edmund，“if you look well upon it you shall see it is a pillar of iron with a lantern set on the top thereof. ”
“By the Lion’s Mane，a strange device，”said King Peter， “to set a lantern here where the trees cluster so thick about it and so high above it that if it were lit it should give light to no man ！”
“Sir，”said Queen Lucy．“By likelihood when this post and this lamp were set here there were smaller trees in the place，or fewer， or none．For this is a young wood and the iron post is old. ” And they stood looking upon it．Then said King Edmund，
“I know not how it is，but this lamp on the post worketh upon me strangely．It runs in my mind that I have seen the like before； as it were in a dream，or in the dream of a dream．”
“Sir，”answered they all，“it is even so with us also．”
“And more，”said Queen Lucy，“for it will not go out of my mind that if we pass this post and lantern either we shall find strange adventures or else some great change of our fortunes．”
“Madam，”said King Edmund，“the like foreboding stirreth in my heart also．”
“And in mine，fair brother，”said King Peter．
“And in mine too，”said Queen Susan．“Wherefore by my counsel we shall lightly return to our horses and follow this White Stag no further．”
“Madam，”said King Peter，“therein I pray thee to have me excused．For never since we four were Kings and Queens in Narnia have we set our hands to any high matter，as battles，quests，feats of arms，acts of justice，and the like，and then given over；but always what we have taken in hand，the same we have achieved．”
“Sister，”said Queen Lucy，“my royal brother speaks rightly. And it seems to me we should be shamed if for any fearing or foreboding we turned back from following so noble a beast as now we have in chase．”
“And so say I，”said King Edmund．“And I have such desire to find the signification of this thing that I would not by my good will turn back for the richest jewel in all Narnia and all the islands．”
“Then in the name of Aslan，”said Queen Susan，“if ye will all have it so，let us go on and take the adventure that shall fall to us．”
So these Kings and Queens entered the thicket，and before they had gone a score of paces they all remembered that the thing they had seen was called a lamppost，and before they had gone twenty more they noticed that they were．making their way not through branches but through coats．And next moment they all came tumbling out of a wardrobe door into the empty room，and They were no longer Kings and Queens in their hunting array but just Peter，Susan，Edmund and Lucy in their old clothes．It was the same day and the same hour of the day on which they had all gone into the wardrobe to hide．Mrs. Macready and the visitors were still talking in the passage；but luckily they never came into the empty room and so the children weren’t caught．
And that would have been the very end of the story if it hadn’t been that they felt they really must explain to the Professor why four of the coats out of his wardrobe were missing．And the Professor， who was a very remarkable man，didn’t tell them not to be silly or not to tell lies，but believed the whole story．“No，”he said， I don’t think it will be any good trying to go back through the wardrobe door to get the coats．You won’t get into Narnia again by that route．Nor would the coats be much use by now if you did ！ Eh ？ What’s that ？ Yes，of course you’ll get back to Narnia again some day．Once a King in Narnia，always a King in Narnia. But don’t go trying to use the same route twice．Indeed，don’t try to get there at all．It’ll happen when you’re not looking for it. And don’t talk too much about it even among yourselves．And don’t mention it to anyone else unless you find that they’ve had adventures of the same sort themselves．What’s that ？ How will you know ？ Oh，you’ll know all right．Odd things they say-even their looks-will let the secret out．Keep your eyes open．Bless me，what do they teach them at these schools ？”
And that is the very end of the adventure of the wardrobe.But if the Professor was right it was only the beginning of the adventures of Narnia.



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