THELION,THEWITCHANDTHEWARDROBE

BYC.S.LEWISCHAPTERONELUCY LOOKS INTO A

WARDROBEONCE there were four

children whose names werePeter, Susan, Edmund andLucy. This story is aboutsomething that happened tothem when they were sentawayfromLondonduringthe

war because of the air-raids.They were sent to the houseofanoldProfessorwholivedintheheartofthecountry,tenmiles from the nearestrailwaystationandtwomilesfrom the nearest post office.He had nowife and he livedin a very large house with ahousekeeper called MrsMacreadyand three servants.(Their names were Ivy,Margaret andBetty, but theydo not come into the story

much.)Hehimselfwasaveryold man with shaggy whitehairwhichgrewovermostofhis face as well as on hishead, and they liked himalmost at once; but on thefirst evening when he cameout tomeet themat the frontdoor he was so odd-lookingthat Lucy (who was theyoungest) was a little afraidof him, and Edmund (whowas the next youngest)wanted to laugh and had to

keep on pretending he wasblowinghisnosetohideit.

As soon as they had saidgood night to the Professorandgoneupstairson thefirstnight, theboyscame into thegirls'roomandtheyalltalkeditover.

"We've fallen on our feetand no mistake," said Peter."Thisisgoingtobeperfectlysplendid. That old chap willletusdoanythingwelike."

"Ithinkhe'sanolddear,"

saidSusan."Oh, come off it!" said

Edmund, who was tired andpretending not to be tired,whichalwaysmadehimbad-tempered. "Don't go ontalkinglikethat."

"Like what?" said Susan;"and anyway, it's time youwereinbed."

"Trying to talk likeMother," saidEdmund. "AndwhoareyoutosaywhenI'mto go to bed? Go to bed

yourself.""Hadn'tweallbettergoto

bed?" said Lucy. "There'ssuretobearowifwe'reheardtalkinghere."

"No there won't," saidPeter. "I tell you this is thesort of housewhere no one'sgoing to mind what we do.Anyway, they won't hear us.It's about ten minutes' walkfrom here down to thatdining-room,andanyamountof stairs and passages in

between.""What's that noise?" said

Lucy suddenly. It was a farlarger house than she hadever been in before and thethought of all those longpassages and rows of doorsleadingintoemptyroomswasbeginning tomake her feel alittlecreepy.

"It's only a bird, silly,"saidEdmund.

"It's an owl," said Peter."This is going to be a

wonderful place for birds. Ishall go to bed now. I say,let's go and exploretomorrow. You might findanything in a place like this.Didyou see thosemountainsas we came along? And thewoods? There might beeagles.Theremightbe stags.There'llbehawks."

"Badgers!"saidLucy."Foxes!"saidEdmund."Rabbits!"saidSusan.But when next morning

came therewas a steady rainfalling, so thick that whenyoulookedoutofthewindowyou could see neither themountainsnor thewoodsnoreventhestreaminthegarden.

"Of course it would beraining!" said Edmund. Theyhad just finished theirbreakfast with the Professorandwereupstairsintheroomhehad set apart for them - along, low room with twowindows looking out in one

directionandtwoinanother."Do stopgrumbling,Ed,"

said Susan. "Ten to one it'llclearupinanhourorso.Andin the meantime we're prettywell off. There's a wirelessandlotsofbooks."

"Not for me"said Peter;"I'm going to explore in thehouse."

Everyone agreed to thisand that was how theadventures began. It was thesort of house that you never

seem to come to the end of,and itwasfullofunexpectedplaces. The first few doorsthey tried ledonly into sparebedrooms, as everyone hadexpectedthattheywould;butsoontheycametoaverylongroom full of pictures andthere they found a suit ofarmour; and after that was aroom all hung with green,withaharpinonecorner;andthen came three steps downand five stepsup, and thena

kindoflittleupstairshallanda door that led out on to abalcony, and then a wholeseries of rooms that led intoeach other and were linedwith books - most of themvery old books and somebigger than a Bible in achurch.Andshortlyafterthatthey looked into a room thatwas quite empty except forone big wardrobe; the sortthathasalooking-glassinthedoor.Therewasnothing else

in the room at all except adead blue-bottle on thewindow-sill.

"Nothing there!" saidPeter,andtheyalltroopedoutagain - all except Lucy. Shestayed behind because shethought it would be worthwhile trying the door of thewardrobe, even though shefelt almost sure that itwouldbe locked. To her surprise itopened quite easily, and twomoth-ballsdroppedout.

Looking into the inside,shesawseveralcoatshangingup - mostly long fur coats.TherewasnothingLucylikedsomuchasthesmellandfeelof fur. She immediatelysteppedintothewardrobeandgot in among the coats andrubbedherfaceagainstthem,leaving the door open, ofcourse,becausesheknewthatit is very foolish to shutoneself into any wardrobe.Soonshewent further inand

foundthattherewasasecondrow of coats hanging upbehind the first one. It wasalmostquitedarkinthereandshe kept her arms stretchedoutinfrontofhersoasnottobump her face into the backof the wardrobe. She took astep further in - then two orthree steps always expectingto feelwoodworkagainst thetips of her fingers. But shecouldnotfeelit.

"This must be a simply

enormouswardrobe!"thoughtLucy, going still further inandpushing the soft folds ofthecoatsasidetomakeroomforher.Thenshenoticedthatthere was somethingcrunching under her feet. "Iwonder is that moremothballs?" she thought,stoopingdown to feel itwithher hand. But instead offeeling the hard, smoothwood of the floor of thewardrobe, she felt something

soft and powdery andextremely cold. "This is veryqueer,"shesaid,andwentonasteportwofurther.

Next moment she foundthatwhatwasrubbingagainsther face and hands was nolongersoft furbutsomethinghard and rough and evenprickly. "Why, it is just likebranchesoftrees!"exclaimedLucy.And then she saw thattherewasalightaheadofher;nota fewinchesawaywhere

the back of the wardrobeoughttohavebeen,butalongwayoff.Something cold andsoft was falling on her. Amoment later she found thatshe was standing in themiddle of a wood at night-timewithsnowunderherfeetand snowflakes fallingthroughtheair.

Lucy felt a littlefrightened, but she felt veryinquisitive and excited aswell. She looked back over

her shoulder and there,between thedark tree trunks;she could still see the opendoorwayofthewardrobeandeven catch a glimpse of theempty room from which shehad set out. (She had, ofcourse,leftthedooropen,forsheknewthatitisaverysillything to shut oneself into awardrobe.) It seemed to bestill daylight there. "I canalways get back if anythinggoes wrong," thought Lucy.

She began to walk forward,crunch-crunch over the snowand through the woodtowards the other light. Inabouttenminutesshereachedit and found it was a lamp-post.Asshestood lookingatit,wonderingwhytherewasalamp-post in themiddle of awoodandwonderingwhat todo next, she heard a pitterpatteroffeetcomingtowardsher. And soon after that avery strange person stepped

outfromamongthetreesintothelightofthelamp-post.

Hewasonlya little tallerthan Lucy herself and hecarried over his head anumbrella, white with snow.From the waist upwards hewas like a man, but his legswereshapedlikeagoat's(thehair on them was glossyblack) and instead of feet hehadgoat'shoofs.Healsohadatail,butLucydidnotnoticethis at first because it was

neatlycaughtupoverthearmthatheldtheumbrellasoastokeep it from trailing in thesnow. He had a red woollenmuffler round his neck andhis skin was rather reddishtoo. He had a strange, butpleasant little face, with ashortpointedbeardandcurlyhair,andoutofthehairtherestucktwohorns,oneoneachside of his forehead. One ofhishands,asIhavesaid,heldtheumbrella:intheotherarm

he carried several brown-paper parcels.Whatwith theparcels and the snow itlooked just as ifhehadbeendoing his Christmasshopping. He was a Faun.And when he saw Lucy hegave such a start of surprisethat he dropped all hisparcels.

"Goodness gracious me!"exclaimedtheFaun.

CHAPTERTWOWHAT LUCY FOUND

THERE"GOODEVENING,"said

Lucy. But the Faun was sobusy picking up its parcelsthat at first it did not reply.When ithadfinished itmadeheralittlebow.

"Good evening, goodevening," said the Faun."Excuseme - Idon'twant tobe inquisitive - but should Ibe right in thinking that youareaDaughterofEve?"

"My name's Lucy," said

she, not quite understandinghim.

"Butyouare-forgiveme- you are what they call agirl?"saidtheFaun.

"Of course I'm a girl,"saidLucy.

"YouareinfactHuman?""Of course I'm human,"

said Lucy, still a littlepuzzled.

"To be sure, to be sure,"saidtheFaun."Howstupidofme!ButI'veneverseenaSon

of Adam or a Daughter ofEve before. I am delighted.That is to say -" and then itstopped as if it had beengoingtosaysomethingithadnot intended but hadremembered in time."Delighted, delighted," itwent on. "Allow me tointroducemyself.MynameisTumnus."

"I am very pleased tomeet you,Mr Tumnus," saidLucy.

"Andmay I ask, O LucyDaughter of Eve," said MrTumnus, "how you havecomeintoNarnia?"

"Narnia? What's that?"saidLucy.

"This is the land ofNarnia," said the Faun,"where we are now; all thatlies between the lamp-postand the great castle of CairParavel on the eastern sea.And you - you have comefrom the wild woods of the

west?""I - I got in through the

wardrobe in thespare room,"saidLucy.

"Ah!"saidMrTumnusinarathermelancholyvoice,"ifonly I had worked harder atgeographywhenIwasalittleFaun,Ishouldnodoubtknowall about those strangecountries.Itistoolatenow."

"But they aren't countriesat all," said Lucy, almostlaughing. "It's only just back

there-at least- I'mnotsure.Itissummerthere."

"Meanwhile," said MrTumnus, "it is winter inNarnia,andhasbeenforeverso long, and we shall bothcatch cold if we stand heretalkinginthesnow.Daughterof Eve from the far land ofSpare Oom where eternalsummer reigns around thebright city of War Drobe,howwould itbe ifyoucameandhadteawithme?"

"Thank you very much,MrTumnus,"saidLucy."ButI was wondering whether Ioughttobegettingback."

"It's only just round thecorner," said the Faun, "andthere'llbearoaringfire-andtoast - and sardines - andcake."

"Well, it's very kind ofyou,"saidLucy."ButIshan'tbeabletostaylong."

"Ifyouwill takemyarm,Daughter of Eve," said Mr

Tumnus, "I shall be able tohold the umbrella over bothof us.That's theway.Now -offwego."

And so Lucy foundherself walking through thewood arm in arm with thisstrangecreatureasiftheyhadknown one another all theirlives.

They had not gone farbefore they came to a placewhere the ground becamerough and there were rocks

all about and little hills upand little hills down. At thebottom of one small valleyMr Tumnus turned suddenlyaside as if he were going towalk straight into anunusually large rock, but atthe last moment Lucy foundhe was leading her into theentranceofacave.Assoonasthey were inside she foundherselfblinkinginthelightofa wood fire. Then MrTumnus stooped and took a

flamingpieceofwoodoutofthe firewith aneat littlepairoftongs,andlitalamp."Nowwe shan't be long," he said,and immediately put a kettleon.

Lucy thought she hadneverbeeninanicerplace.Itwasalittle,dry,cleancaveofreddishstonewithacarpetonthefloorand two littlechairs("one for me and one for afriend,"saidMrTumnus)anda table and a dresser and a

mantelpieceover thefireandabovethatapictureofanoldFaun with a grey beard. Inone corner there was a doorwhich Lucy thought mustlead to Mr Tumnus'sbedroom, and on one wallwas a shelf full of books.Lucylookedatthesewhilehewassettingouttheteathings.Theyhad titles likeTheLifeand Letters of Silenus orNymphs and Their Ways orMen, Monks and

Gamekeepers; a Study inPopular Legend or Is Man aMyth?

"Now,Daughter ofEve!"saidtheFaun.

And really it was awonderful tea. There was anice brown egg, lightlyboiled, foreachof them,andthen sardines on toast, andthen buttered toast, and thentoast with honey, and then asugar-toppedcake.AndwhenLucy was tired of eating the

Faun began to talk. He hadwonderful tales to tell of lifein the forest. He told aboutthemidnightdancesandhowtheNymphswho lived in thewells and the Dryads wholivedin thetreescameout todance with the Fauns; aboutlong hunting parties after themilk-white stag who couldgiveyouwishesifyoucaughthim; about feasting andtreasure-seekingwiththewildRed Dwarfs in deep mines

and caverns far beneath theforest floor; and then aboutsummer when the woodsweregreenandoldSilenusonhisfatdonkeywouldcometovisit them, and sometimesBacchushimself,andthenthestreamswould runwithwineinstead of water and thewholeforestwouldgiveitselfup to jollification for weekson end. "Not that it isn'talwayswinternow,"headdedgloomily. Then to cheer

himself up he took out fromits case on the dresser astrangelittleflutethatlookedas if it were made of strawand began to play. And thetune he played made Lucywant to cry and laugh anddance and go to sleep all atthe same time. It must havebeen hours later when sheshookherselfandsaid:

"Oh,MrTumnus-I'msosorry to stop you, and I dolove that tune - but really, I

must go home. I only meanttostayforafewminutes."

"It's no good now, youknow," said the Faun, layingdownitsfluteandshakingitsheadatherverysorrowfully.

"No good?" said Lucy,jumpingupandfeelingratherfrightened. "What do youmean?I'vegottogohomeatonce. The others will bewondering what hashappened to me." But amoment later she asked, "Mr

Tumnus! Whatever is thematter?"fortheFaun'sbrowneyeshadfilledwithtearsandthen the tearsbegan tricklingdown its cheeks, and soontheywererunningofftheendof its nose; and at last itcovereditsfacewithitshandsandbegantohowl.

"Mr Tumnus! MrTumnus!" said Lucy in greatdistress. "Don't! Don't!Whatisthematter?Aren'youwell?DearMrTumnus, do tellme

whatiswrong."ButtheFauncontinued sobbing as if itsheartwouldbreak.And evenwhenLucywentoverandputher arms round him and lenthimherhandkerchief,hedidnot stop.Hemerely took thehandker chief and kept onusing it,wringing it outwithboth hands whenever it gottoo wet to be any more use,so that presently Lucy wasstandinginadamppatch.

"Mr Tumnus!" bawled

Lucyinhisear,shakinghim."Dostop.Stopitatonce!Youought to be ashamed ofyourself,agreatbigFaunlikeyou. What on earth are youcryingabout?"

"Oh-oh-oh!"sobbedMrTumnus, "I'm crying becauseI'msuchabadFaun."

"Idon'tthinkyou'reabadFaun at all," said Lucy. "Ithink you are a very goodFaun.YouarethenicestFaunI'veevermet."

"Oh - oh - you wouldn'tsaythatifyouknew,"repliedMrTumnusbetweenhissobs."No, I'm a bad Faun. I don'tsuppose there ever was aworse Faun since thebeginningoftheworld."

"But what have youdone?"askedLucy.

"My old father, now,"said Mr Tumnus; "that's hispicture over themantelpiece.Hewould never have done athinglikethis."

"A thing likewhat?" saidLucy.

"Like what I've done,"saidtheFaun."TakenserviceundertheWhiteWitch.That'swhat I am. I'm in the pay oftheWhiteWitch."

"The White Witch? Whoisshe?"

"Why, it is she that hasgot all Narnia under herthumb. It's she that makes italwayswinter.AlwayswinterandneverChristmas;thinkof

that!""How awful!" said Lucy.

"But what does she pay youfor?"

"That's the worst of it,"saidMrTumnuswith adeepgroan. "I'm a kidnapper forher,that'swhatIam.Lookatme,Daughter ofEve.Wouldyou believe that I'm the sortof Faun to meet a poorinnocent child in the wood,one that had never done meany harm, and pretend to be

friendlywith it, and invite ithome tomy cave, all for thesake of lulling it asleep andthen handing it over to theWhiteWitch?"

"No,"saidLucy."I'msureyou wouldn't do anything ofthesort."

"But I have," said theFaun.

"Well," said Lucy ratherslowly (for shewanted to betruthful and yet not be toohardonhim),"well, thatwas

pretty bad. But you're sosorry for it that I'm sure youwillneverdoitagain."

"Daughter of Eve, don'tyou understand?" said theFaun. "It isn't something Ihave done. I'mdoing it now,thisverymoment."

"What do you mean?"cried Lucy, turning verywhite.

"You are the child," saidTumnus. "I had orders fromtheWhiteWitchthatifeverI

saw a Son of Adam or aDaughterofEveinthewood,Iwastocatchthemandhandthemovertoher.Andyouarethe first I've ever met. AndI've pretended to be yourfriend an asked you to tea,and all the time I've beenmeaningtowaittillyouwereasleep and then go and tellHer."

"Oh, but you won't, MrTumnus," said Lucy. "Yowon't, will you? Indeed,

indeedyoureallymustn't.""And if I don't," said he,

beginning to cry again "she'ssure to find out. And she'llhave my tail cut off and myhornssawnoff,andmybeardplucked out, and she'll waveher wand over my beautifulclove hoofs and turn theminto horrid solid hoofs likewretched horse's. And if sheis extra and specially angryshe'llturnmeintostoneandIshallbeonlystatueofaFaun

inherhorriblehouseuntilthefour thrones at Cair Paravelare filled and goodnessknowswhenthatwillhappen,orwhetheritwilleverhappenatall."

"I'm very sorry, MrTumnus," said Lucy. "Butpleaseletmegohome."

"Of course I will," saidtheFaun. "Ofcourse I'vegotto. I see that now. I hadn'tknown what Humans werelike before I met you. Of

course I can't give you up tothe Witch; not now that Iknow you. But we must beoff at once. I'll see you backto the lamp-post. I supposeyou can find your own wayfrom there back to SpareOomandWarDrobe?"

"I'm sure I can," saidLucy.

"Wemustgoasquietlyaswe can," said Mr Tumnus."The whole wood is full ofher spies. Even some of the

treesareonherside."Theybothgotupandleft

the tea things on the table,and Mr Tumnus once moreputuphisumbrellaandgaveLucy his arm, and theywentout into the snow. Thejourney back was not at alllike the journey to theFaun'scave; they stole along asquicklyastheycould,withoutspeaking a word, and MrTumnus kept to the darkestplaces. Lucy was relieved

when they reached the lamp-postagain.

"Do you know your wayfromhere,Daughter oEve?"saidTumnus.

Lucy looked very hardbetween the trees and couldjust see in the distance apatchoflightthatlookedlikedaylight. "Yes," she said, "Icanseethewardrobedoor."

"Then be off home asquick as you can," said theFaun, "and - c-can you ever

forgivemeforwhatmeanttodo?"

"Why, of course I can,"said Lucy, shaking himheartily by the hand. "And Ido hope you won't get intodreadful trouble on myaccount."

"Farewell, Daughter ofEve,"saidhe."PerhapsImaykeepthehandkerchief?"

"Rather!" said Lucy, andthen ran towards the far offpatch of daylight as quickly

as her legs would carry her.And presently instead ofrough branch brushing pasthershefeltcoats,andinsteadof crunching snow under herfeet she felt wooden boardand all at once she foundherself jumping out of thewardrobe into the sameempty room from which thewhole adventure had started.She shut the wardrobe doortightlybehindherandlookedaround, panting for breath. It

was still raining and shecould hear the voices of theothersinthepassage.

"I'm here," she shouted."I'mhere.I'vecomebackI'mallright."

CHAPTERTHREEEDMUND AND THE

WARDROBELucyranoutoftheempty

room into the passage andfoundtheotherthree.

"It's all right," sherepeated,"I'vecomeback."

"What on earth are youtalking about, Lucy?" askedSusan.

"Why? said Lucy inamazement, "haven't you allbeen wondering where Iwas?"

"So you've been hiding,have you?" said Peter. "Poorold Lu, hiding and nobodynoticed! You'll have to hidelonger than that if you wantpeople to start looking foryou."

"But I've been away forhoursandhours,"saidLucy.

The others all stared atoneanother.

"Batty!" said Edmund,tapping his head. "Quitebatty."

"Whatdoyoumean,Lu?"askedPeter.

"What I said," answeredLucy. "It was just afterbreakfast when I went intothe wardrobe, and I've beenaway for hours and hours,

and had tea, and all sorts ofthingshavehappened."

"Don't be silly, Lucy,"said Susan. "We've only justcome out of that room amoment ago, and you weretherethen."

"She's not being silly atall," said Peter, "she's justmaking up a story for fun,aren't you, Lu? And whyshouldn'tshe?"

"No, Peter, I'm not," shesaid. "It's - it's a magic

wardrobe. There's a woodinsideit,andit'ssnowing,andthere's a Faun and a Witchand it's called Narnia; comeandsee."

The others did not knowwhat to think, but Lucy wasso excited that they all wentbackwith her into the room.She rushed ahead of them,flung open the door of thewardrobe and cried, "Now!goinandseeforyourselves."

"Why, you goose," said

Susan,puttingherheadinsideand pulling the fur coatsapart, "it's just an ordinarywardrobe; look! there's thebackofit."

Then everyone looked inand pulled the coats apart;and they all saw - Lucyherself saw - a perfectlyordinarywardrobe.Therewasno wood and no snow, onlythe back of the wardrobe,with hooks on it. Peter wentinandrappedhisknuckleson

it to make sure that it wassolid.

"A jolly good hoax, Lu,"hesaidashecameoutagain;"youhavereallytakenusin,Imustadmit.Wehalfbelievedyou."

"But it wasn't a hoax atall," said Lucy, "really andtruly. It was all different amomentago.Honestlyitwas.Ipromise."

"Come, Lu," said Peter,"that'sgoingabitfar.You've

had your joke. Hadn't youbetterdropitnow?"

Lucygrewveryredintheface and tried to saysomething,thoughshehardlyknewwhat shewas trying tosay,andburstintotears.

Forthenextfewdaysshewas very miserable. Shecould have made it up withthe others quite easily at anymoment if she could havebroughtherselftosaythatthewhole thingwasonlya story

made up for fun. But Lucywas a very truthful girl andshe knew that shewas reallyintheright;andshecouldnotbring herself to say this.Theothers who thought she wastelling a lie, and a silly lietoo, made her very unhappy.The two elder ones did thiswithoutmeaningtodoit,butEdmund could be spiteful,and on this occasion he wasspiteful. He sneered andjeered at Lucy and kept on

askingher if she'd foundanyother new countries in othercupboardsallover thehouse.Whatmade itworsewas thatthesedaysoughttohavebeendelightful. The weather wasfine and they were out ofdoors frommorning tonight,bathing, fishing, climbingtrees,andlyingintheheather.But Lucy could not properlyenjoyanyofit.Andsothingswent on until the next wetday.

Thatday,whenitcametothe afternoon and there wasstillnosignofabreakin theweather, theydecidedtoplayhide-and-seek.Susanwas"It"and as soon as the othersscattered to hide, Lucy wentto the room where thewardrobe was. She did notmeantohideinthewardrobe,becausesheknewthatwouldonly set the others talkingagain about the wholewretched business. But she

did want to have one morelookinsideit;forbythistimeshewasbeginning towonderherself whether Narnia andthe Faun had not been adream. The house was solarge and complicated andfull of hiding-places that shethought shewould have timeto have one look into thewardrobe and then hidesomewhere else.But as soonas she reached it she heardsteps in the passage outside,

and then there was nothingfor it but to jump into thewardrobe and hold the doorclosed behind her. She didnot shut it properly becauseshe knew that it is very sillyto shut oneself into awardrobe, even if it is not amagicone.

Now the steps she hadheardwerethoseofEdmund;and he came into the roomjust in time to see Lucyvanishing into the wardrobe.

Heatoncedecidedtogetintoit himself - not because hethought itaparticularlygoodplace to hide but because hewanted to go on teasing herabout her imaginary country.He opened the door. Therewere thecoatshangingupasusual, and a smell ofmothballs, and darkness andsilence,andnosignofLucy."She thinks I'm Susan cometocatchher,"saidEdmundtohimself,"andsoshe'skeeping

veryquietinattheback."Hejumped in and shut the door,forgettingwhataveryfoolishthing this is to do. Then hebegan feelingabout forLucyin the dark.He had expectedto find her in a few secondsandwasvery surprisedwhenhe did not. He decided toopenthedooragainandletinsome light. But he could notfindthedooreither.Hedidn'tlike this at all and begangroping wildly in every

direction; he even shoutedout, "Lucy! Lu! Where areyou?Iknowyou'rehere."

TherewasnoanswerandEdmundnoticedthathisownvoice had a curious sound -notthesoundyouexpectinacupboard,butakindofopen-air sound. He also noticedthat he was unexpectedlycold;andthenhesawalight.

"Thank goodness," saidEdmund,"thedoormusthaveswung open of its own

accord." He forgot all aboutLucy and went towards thelight, which he thought wasthe open door of thewardrobe. But instead offinding himself stepping outinto the spare roomhe foundhimselfsteppingoutfromtheshadowofsomethickdarkfirtreesintoanopenplaceinthemiddleofawood.

Therewascrisp,drysnowunderhisfeetandmoresnowlying on the branches of the

trees. Overhead there waspalebluesky, thesortofskyoneseesonafinewinterdayin the morning. Straightaheadofhimhesawbetweenthe tree-trunks the sun, justrising, very red and clear.Everythingwasperfectlystill,as if hewere the only livingcreature in that country.Therewasnotevenarobinora squirrel among the trees,andthewoodstretchedasfaras he could see in every

direction.Heshivered.He now remembered that

hehadbeenlookingforLucy;and also how unpleasant hehad been to her about her"imaginary country" whichnow turned out not to havebeen imaginary at all. Hethought that she must besomewherequitecloseandsoheshouted,"Lucy!Lucy!I'mheretoo-Edmund."

Therewasnoanswer."She'sangryaboutall the

things I've been sayinglately,"thoughtEdmund.Andthough he did not like toadmit that he had beenwrong, he also did notmuchlike being alone in thisstrange, cold, quiet place; soheshoutedagain.

"I say, Lu! I'm sorry Ididn't believeyou. I seenowyouwere right all along. Docomeout.MakeitPax."

Stilltherewasnoanswer."Just like a girl," said

Edmund to himself, "sulkingsomewhere, andwon't acceptanapology."Helookedroundhimagainanddecidedhedidnotmuch like thisplace, andhadalmostmadeuphismindto go home, when he heard,very far off in the wood, asound of bells. He listenedand the sound came nearerand nearer and at last thereswept into sight a sledgedrawnbytworeindeer.

The reindeer were about

the size of Shetland poniesand their hair was so whitethat even the snow hardlylooked white compared withthem; their branching hornswere gilded and shone likesomething on fire when thesunrise caught them. Theirharnesswasofscarlet leatherand covered with bells. Onthe sledge, driving thereindeer, sat a fat dwarfwhowould have been about threefeet high if he had been

standing. He was dressed inpolar bear's fur and on hisheadheworearedhoodwitha long gold tassel hangingdownfromitspoint;hishugebeard covered his knees andserved him instead of a rug.But behind him, on a muchhigher seat in the middle ofthesledgesataverydifferentperson - a great lady, tallerthananywomanthatEdmundhad ever seen. She also wascoveredinwhitefuruptoher

throatandheldalongstraightgoldenwandinherrighthandandwore a golden crown onherhead.Herfacewaswhite- not merely pale, but whitelike snow or paper or icing-sugar,exceptforherveryredmouth.Itwasabeautifulfacein other respects, but proudandcoldandstern.

The sledge was a finesight as it came sweepingtowards Edmund with thebells jingling and the dwarf

cracking his whip and thesnow flying up on each sideofit.

"Stop!"saidtheLady,andthe dwarf pulled the reindeerup so sharp that they almostsat down. Then theyrecovered themselves andstoodchampingtheirbitsandblowing. In the frosty air thebreath coming out of theirnostrilslookedlikesmoke.

"And what, pray, areyou?" said theLady, looking

hardatEdmund."I'm-I'm-my name's

Edmund," said Edmundratherawkwardly.Hedidnotlike the way she looked athim.

The Lady frowned, "Isthat how you address aQueen?" she asked, lookingsternerthanever.

"I beg your pardon, yourMajesty, I didn't know," saidEdmund:

"Not know the Queen of

Narnia?"criedshe."Ha!Youshallknowusbetterhereafter.ButIrepeat-whatareyou?"

"Please, your Majesty,"said Edmund, "I don't knowwhatyoumean.I'matschool- at least I was it's theholidaysnow."

CHAPTERFOURTURKISHDELIGHT"BUTwhatareyou?"said

theQueen again. "Are you agreat overgrown dwarf thathascutoffitsbeard?"

"No, your Majesty," saidEdmund, "I never had abeard,I'maboy."

"A boy!" said she. "Doyou mean you are a Son ofAdam?"

Edmund stood still,saying nothing. He was tooconfused by this time tounderstandwhat the questionmeant.

"I see you are an idiot,whatever else you may be,"said theQueen."Answerme,

once and for all, or I shalllose my patience. Are youhuman?"

"Yes,yourMajesty,"saidEdmund.

"And how, pray, did youcome to enter mydominions?"

"Please, your Majesty, Icameinthroughawardrobe."

"A wardrobe? What doyoumean?"

"I - I opened a door andjust found myself here, your

Majesty,"saidEdmund."Ha!" said the Queen,

speakingmoretoherselfthantohim."Adoor.Adoorfromthe world of men! I haveheard of such things. Thismaywreckall.Butheisonlyone, and he is easily dealtwith." As she spoke thesewords she rose fromher seatand looked Edmund full inthe face,hereyes flaming;atthe same moment she raisedher wand. Edmund felt sure

that she was going to dosomething dreadful but heseemed unable to move.Then,justashegavehimselfup for lost, she appeared tochangehermind.

"Mypoorchild,"shesaidin quite a different voice,"how cold you look! Comeand sit with me here on thesledge and I will put mymantleroundyouandwewilltalk."

Edmund did not like this

arrangement at all but hedarednotdisobey;hesteppedontothesledgeandsatatherfeet,andsheputafoldofherfur mantle round him andtuckeditwellin.

"Perhapssomethinghottodrink?" said the Queen."Shouldyoulikethat?"

"Yes please, yourMajesty," said Edmund,whoseteethwerechattering.

The Queen took fromsomewhere among her

wrappingsaverysmallbottlewhich looked as if it weremade of copper. Then,holding out her arm, she letone drop fall from it on thesnow beside the sledge.Edmund saw the drop for asecond in mid-air, shininglike a diamond. But themoment it touched the snowtherewasahissingsoundandtherestoodajewelledcupfullof something that steamed.The dwarf immediately took

thisandhandedittoEdmundwithabowandasmile;notaverynice smile.Edmund feltmuch better as he began tosip the hot drink. It wassomething he had nevertastedbefore,very sweetandfoamy and creamy, and itwarmedhimrightdowntohistoes.

"It is dull, Son ofAdam,todrinkwithouteating,"saidthe Queen presently. "Whatwouldyoulikebesttoeat?"

"Turkish Delight, please,yourMajesty,"saidEdmund.

The Queen let anotherdropfallfromherbottleontothe snow, and instantly thereappeared a round box, tiedwithgreensilkribbon,which,when opened, turned out tocontainseveralpoundsofthebest Turkish Delight. Eachpiece was sweet and light tothe very centre and Edmundhad never tasted anythingmoredelicious.Hewasquite

warm now, and verycomfortable.

While he was eating theQueen kept asking himquestions. At first Edmundtried to remember that it isrude to speak with one'smouthfull,butsoonheforgotaboutthisandthoughtonlyoftrying to shovel down asmuch Turkish Delight as hecould,andthemoreheatethemorehewantedtoeat,andhenever asked himself why the

Queen should be soinquisitive. She got him totell her that he had onebrother and two sisters, andthat one of his sisters hadalready been in Narnia andhadmetaFaunthere,andthatnooneexcepthimselfandhisbrother and his sisters knewanything about Narnia. Sheseemed especially interestedinthefactthattherewerefourof them, andkepton comingbacktoit."Youaresurethere

are just four of you?" sheasked. "Two Sons of Adamand two Daughters of Eve,neither more nor less?" andEdmund,with hismouth fullof Turkish Delight, kept onsaying, "Yes, I told you thatbefore,"andforgettingtocallher "Your Majesty", but shedidn'tseemtomindnow.

At last the TurkishDelight was all finished andEdmund was looking veryhard at the empty box and

wishing that she would askhim whether he would likesome more. Probably theQueen knew quite well whathe was thinking; for sheknew, though Edmund didnot, that this was enchantedTurkish Delight and thatanyonewhohadoncetasteditwouldwantmoreandmoreofit, and would even, if theywereallowed,gooneatingittill they killed themselves.Butshedidnotofferhimany

more. Instead, she said tohim,

"Son of Adam, I shouldso much like to see yourbrother and your two sisters.Will you bring them to seeme?"

"I'll try," said Edmund,stilllookingattheemptybox.

"Because,ifyoudidcomeagain - bringing them withyouofcourse-I'dbeable togive you somemore TurkishDelight.Ican'tdoitnow,the

magicwillonlyworkonce.Inmy own house it would beanothermatter."

"Whycan'twegotoyourhouse now?" said Edmund.When he had first got on tothesledgehehadbeenafraidthat she might drive awaywith him to some unknownplace from which he wouldnotbeabletogetback;buthehad forgotten about that fearnow.

"It is a lovely place, my

house,"saidtheQueen."Iamsureyouwould like it.Thereare whole rooms full ofTurkish Delight, and what'smore, I have no children ofmy own. I want a nice boywhom I could bring up as aPrince and who would beKing of Narnia when I amgone.WhilehewasPrincehewouldwearagoldcrownandeat Turkish Delight all daylong; and you are much thecleverest and handsomest

young man I've ever met. Ithink I would like to makeyou the Prince - some day,whenyoubring theothers tovisitme."

"Why not now?" saidEdmund. His face hadbecome very red and hismouth and fingers weresticky.Hedidnotlookeithercleverorhandsome,whatevertheQueenmightsay.

"Oh, but if I took youthere now," said she, "I

shouldn'tseeyourbrotherandyour sisters. I very muchwant to knowyour charmingrelations. You are to be thePrince and - later on - theKing; that is understood.Butyou must have courtiers andnobles. I will make yourbrother a Duke and yoursistersDuchesses."

"There's nothing specialabout them," said Edmund,"and,anyway,Icouldalwaysbringthemsomeothertime."

"Ah,butonceyouwereinmy house," said the Queen,"you might forget all aboutthern.Youwouldbeenjoyingyourself so much that youwouldn't want the bother ofgoingtofetchthem.No.Youmust go back to your owncountrynowandcometomeanother day, with them, youunderstand. It is no goodcomingwithoutthem."

"But I don't even knowthe way back to my own

country," pleaded Edmund."That's easy," answered theQueen. "Do you see thatlamp?" She pointed with herwandandEdmundturnedandsaw the same lamp-postunder which Lucy had metthe Faun. "Straight on,beyondthat,isthewaytotheWorldofMen.Andnowlookthe other way'- here shepointed in the oppositedirection-"andtellmeifyoucan see two little hills rising

abovethetrees.""I think I can," said

Edmund."Well, my house is

between those two hills. Sonexttimeyoucomeyouhaveonlytofindthelamp-postandlook for those two hills andwalk through the wood tillyou reach my house. Butremember - you must bringthe others with you. I mighthave to be very angry withyouifyoucamealone."

"I'll do my best," saidEdmund.

"And, by the way," saidthe Queen, "you needn't tellthem about me. It would befun to keep it a secretbetween us two, wouldn't it?Make it a surprise for them.Just bring them along to thetwo hills - a clever boy likeyouwilleasilythinkofsomeexcuse for doing that - andwhenyoucome tomyhouseyou could just say "Let's see

wholiveshere"orsomethinglikethat.Iamsurethatwouldbebest.Ifyoursisterhasmetone of the Fauns, she mayhave heard strange storiesabout me - nasty stories thatmight make her afraid tocome to me. Fauns will sayanything,youknow,andnow-"

"Please, please," saidEdmund suddenly, "pleasecouldn'tIhavejustonepieceof Turkish Delight to eat on

thewayhome?""No, no," said theQueen

witha laugh, "youmustwaittill next time." While shespoke, she signalled to thedwarf to drive on, but as thesledge swept away out ofsight, the Queen waved toEdmund, calling out, "Nexttime!Nexttime!Don'tforget.Comesoon."

Edmund was still staringafter the sledge when heheard someone calling his

ownname,andlookingroundhesawLucycomingtowardshim from another part of thewood.

"Oh,Edmund!"shecried."Soyou'vegot in too! Isn't itwonderful,andnow-"

"All right," saidEdmund,"Iseeyouwererightanditisamagicwardrobeafterall.I'llsayI'msorry ifyou like.Butwhereonearthhaveyoubeenall this time? I've beenlookingforyoueverywhere."

"IfI'dknownyouhadgotin I'd have waited for you,"said Lucy, who was toohappy and excited to noticehow snappishly Edmundspoke or how flushed andstrange his face was. "I'vebeen having lunch with dearMr Tumnus, the Faun, andhe's verywell and theWhiteWitch has done nothing tohim for lettingme go, so hethinks she can't have foundoutandperhapseverythingis

goingtobeallrightafterall.""TheWhiteWitch?" said

Edmund;"who'sshe?""Sheisaperfectlyterrible

person,"saidLucy."Shecallsherself the Queen of Narniathoughshehasnorighttobequeenatall,andalltheFaunsand Dryads and Naiads andDwarfsandAnimals-atleastall the good ones - simplyhate her. And she can turnpeople into stone and do allkindsof horrible things.And

shehasmadeamagicsothatitisalwayswinterinNarnia-always winter, but it nevergets to Christmas. And shedrives about on a sledge,drawn by reindeer, with herwandinherhandandacrownonherhead."

Edmund was alreadyfeeling uncomfortable fromhaving eaten too manysweets, and when he heardthat the Lady he had madefriendswithwasadangerous

witch he felt even moreuncomfortable. But he stillwanted to taste that TurkishDelight again more than hewantedanythingelse.

"Who told you all thatstuffabouttheWhiteWitch?"heasked.

"Mr Tumnus, the Faun,"saidLucy.

"Youcan'talwaysbelievewhat Fauns say," saidEdmund,tryingtosoundasifheknewfarmoreaboutthem

thanLucy."Who said so?" asked

Lucy."Everyoneknowsit,"said

Edmund; "ask anybody youlike.Butit'sprettypoorsportstanding here in the snow.Let'sgohome."

"Yes, let's," said Lucy."Oh, Edmund, I am gladyou'vegot in too.TheotherswillhavetobelieveinNarnianowthatbothofushavebeenthere.Whatfunitwillbe!"

But Edmund secretlythought that it would not beas good fun for him as forher.Hewould have to admitthat Lucy had been right,before all the others, and hefelt sure the otherswould allbe on the side of the Faunsand the animals; but he wasalreadymorethanhalfonthesideoftheWitch.Hedidnotknowwhat he would say, orhowhewouldkeephissecretonce they were all talking

aboutNarnia.By this time they had

walked a good way. Thensuddenly they felt coatsaround them instead ofbranches and next momentthey were both standingoutside the wardrobe in theemptyroom.

"I say," said Lucy, "youdo look awful, Edmund.Don'tyoufeelwell?"

"I'm all right," saidEdmund, but this was not

true. He was feeling verysick.

"Come on then," saidLucy, "let's find the others.What a lot we shall have totell them! And whatwonderful adventures weshall have now thatwe're allinittogether."

CHAPTERFIVEBACK ON THIS SIDE

OFTHEDOORBECAUSE the game of

hide-and-seekwas still going

on,ittookEdmundandLucysome time to find the others.Butwhenatlasttheywerealltogether (which happened inthelongroom,wherethesuitof armour was) Lucy burstout:

"Peter!Susan!It'salltrue.Edmund has seen it too.There is a country you canget to through the wardrobe.Edmund and I both got in.Wemetoneanother in there,inthewood.Goon,Edmund;

tellthemallaboutit.""What's all this about,

Ed?"saidPeter.Andnowwecometoone

of the nastiest things in thisstory. Up to that momentEdmund had been feelingsick, and sulky, and annoyedwithLucyforbeingright,buthe hadn't made up his mindwhat to do. When Petersuddenly asked him thequestion he decided all atonce to do the meanest and

most spiteful thing he couldthink of. He decided to letLucydown.

"Tellus,Ed,"saidSusan.AndEdmundgaveavery

superiorlookasifhewerefarolder than Lucy (there wasreally only a year'sdifference) and then a littlesnigger and said, "Oh, yes,LucyandIhavebeenplaying-pretendingthatallherstoryabout a country in thewardrobeistrue.justforfun,

of course. There's nothingtherereally."

Poor Lucy gave Edmundone look and rushed out oftheroom.

Edmund, who wasbecoming a nastier personeveryminute, thoughtthathehad scored a great success,and went on at once to say,"Thereshegoesagain.What'sthe matter with her? That'stheworstofyoungkids,theyalways-"

"Look here," said Peter,turning on him savagely,"shut up! You've beenperfectly beastly to Lu eversince she started thisnonsenseaboutthewardrobe,and now you go playinggames with her about it andsettingheroffagain.Ibelieveyou did it simply out ofspite."

"But it's all nonsense,"said Edmund, very takenaback.

"Of course it's allnonsense," said Peter, "that'sjust the point. Lu wasperfectly all right when weleft home, but since we'vebeendownheresheseemstobe either going queer in thehead or else turning into amost frightful liar. Butwhicheveritis,whatgooddoyouthinkyou'lldobyjeeringand nagging at her one dayand encouraging her thenext?"

"I thought - I thought,"saidEdmund;buthecouldn'tthinkofanythingtosay.

"You didn't thinkanything at all," said Peter;"it's justspite.You'vealwayslikedbeingbeastlytoanyonesmaller than yourself; we'veseen that at school beforenow."

"Do stop it," said Susan;"it won't make things anybetter having a row betweenyou two. Let's go and find

Lucy."It was not surprising that

when they found Lucy, agood deal later, everyonecould see that she had beencrying. Nothing they couldsay to her made anydifference. She stuck to herstoryandsaid:

"I don't care what youthink, and I don't care whatyou say. You can tell theProfessororyoucanwrite toMother or you can do

anythingyoulike.IknowI'vemet a Faun in there and - IwishI'dstayedthereandyouareallbeasts,beasts."

It was an unpleasantevening.Lucywasmiserableand Edmund was beginningto feel that his plan wasn'tworking as well as he hadexpected.Thetwoolderoneswerereallybeginningtothinkthat Lucy was out of hermind. They stood in thepassage talking about it in

whispers long after she hadgonetobed.

The result was the nextmorning they decided thatthey reallywouldgo and tellthe whole thing to theProfessor. "He'll write toFather if he thinks there isreally something wrong withLu," said Peter; "it's gettingbeyondus."Sotheywentandknocked at the study door,andtheProfessorsaid"Comein," and got up and found

chairs for them and said hewas quite at their disposal.Thenhesat listening to themwith the tips of his fingerspressed together and neverinterrupting, till they hadfinished the whole story.After thathesaidnothingforquite a long time. Then heclearedhisthroatandsaidthelast thing either of themexpected:

"How do you know," heasked,"thatyoursister'sstory

isnottrue?""Oh, but -" began Susan,

and then stopped. Anyonecould see from theoldman'sface that he was perfectlyserious. Then Susan pulledherself together and said,"But Edmund said they hadonlybeenpretending."

"That isapoint,"saidtheProfessor, "which certainlydeserves consideration; verycareful consideration. Forinstance - if you will excuse

me for asking the question -does your experience leadyoutoregardyourbrotheroryour sister as the morereliable?Imean,whichisthemoretruthful?"

"That's just the funnythingaboutit,sir,"saidPeter."Up till now, I'd have saidLucyeverytime."

"And what do you think,mydear?"saidtheProfessor,turningtoSusan.

"Well," said Susan, "in

general, I'd say the same asPeter,butthiscouldn'tbetrue- all this about thewoodandtheFaun."

"That is more than Iknow," said the Professor,"andachargeoflyingagainstsomeone whom you havealways found truthful is avery serious thing; a veryseriousthingindeed."

"We were afraid itmightn't even be lying," saidSusan; "we thought there

might be something wrongwithLucy."

"Madness, you mean?"said the Professor quitecoolly. "Oh, you can makeyour minds easy about that.One has only to look at herandtalktohertoseethatsheisnotmad."

"But then," said Susan,and stopped. She had neverdreamed that a grown-upwould talk like the Professorand didn't know what to

think."Logic!" said the

Professor half to himself."Why don't they teach logicat these schools? There areonlythreepossibilities.Eitheryour sister is telling lies, orshe is mad, or she is tellingthe truth. You know shedoesn't tell lies and it isobvious that she is not madFor the moment then andunless any further evidenceturnsup,wemustassumethat

sheistellingthetruth."Susan lookedathimvery

hardandwasquitesurefromtheexpressiononhisfacethathe was no making fun ofthem.

"Buthowcoulditbetrue,sir?"saidPeter.

"Why do you say that?"askedtheProfessor.

"Well,foronething,"saidPeter, "if it was true whydoesn't everyone find thiscountryeverytimetheygoto

the wardrobe? I mean, therewas nothing there when welooked; even Lucy didn'tpretendthewas."

"Whathasthattodowithit?"saidtheProfessor.

"Well, sir, if things arereal, they're there all thetime."

"Are they?" said theProfessor; and Peter did'ntknowquitewhattosay.

"But there was no time,"said Susan. "Lucy had no

time to have gone anywhere,even if there was such aplace.Shecamerunningafterus theverymomentwewereout of the room. It was lessthan minute, and shepretended tohavebeenawayforhours."

"That is the very thingthatmakesherstorysolikelytobetrue,"saidtheProfessor."If there really a door in thishousethatleadstosomeotherworld(andIshouldwarnyou

that this is a very strangehouse, andeven I knowverylittle about it) - if, I say, shehad got into anotherworld, Ishouldnotbeatasurprisedtofind that the otherworld hadaseparatetimeofitsown;sothat however long you staythere it would never take upanyofourtime.Ontheotherhand,Idon'tthinkmanygirlsof her age would invent thatidea for themselves. If shehad been pretending, she

would have hidden for areasonable time beforecoming out and telling herstory."

"But do you reallymean,sir," said Peter, "that therecould be other worlds - allover theplace, justroundthecorner-likethat?"

"Nothing is moreprobable,"said theProfessor,taking off his spectacles andbeginning to polish them,whilehemutteredtohimself,

"Iwonderwhattheydoteachthemattheseschools."

"Butwhatarewe todo?"said Susan. She felt that theconversation was beginningtogetoffthepoint.

"My dear young lady,"said the Professor, suddenlylookingupwith avery sharpexpression at both of them,"there is one plan which noone has yet suggested andwhichiswellworthtrying."

"What'sthat?"saidSusan.

"Wemightalltrymindingour own business," said he.And thatwas the end of thatconversation.

After this things were agood deal better for Lucy.Peter saw to it that Edmundstopped jeering at her, andneither she nor anyone elsefelt inclined to talkabout thewardrobe at all. It hadbecome a rather alarmingsubject. And so for a time itlookedasifalltheadventures

were coming to an end; butthatwasnottobe.

This house of theProfessor's - which even heknewso little about -was soold and famous that peoplefromalloverEnglandusedtocome and ask permission toseeover it. Itwas thesortofhouse that is mentioned inguide books and even inhistories; and well it mightbe, for all manner of storieswere told about it, some of

them even stranger than theone I am telling you now.And when parties ofsightseers arrived and askedto see the house, theProfessor always gave thempermission, and MrsMacready, the housekeeper,showed them round, tellingthem about the pictures andthe armour, and the rarebooks in the library. MrsMacready was not fond ofchildren, and did not like to

be interrupted when she wastelling visitors all the thingsshe knew. She had said toSusanandPeteralmostonthefirst morning (along with agood many otherinstructions), "And pleaseremember you're to keep outof the way whenever I'mtaking a party over thehouse."

"Justasifanyofuswouldwant to waste half themorningtrailingroundwitha

crowdofstrangegrown-ups!"said Edmund, and the otherthree thought the same. Thatwas how the adventuresbeganforthesecondtime.

A few mornings laterPeter and Edmund werelooking at the suit of armourand wondering if they couldtake it to bits when the twogirlsrushedintotheroomandsaid, "Look out!Here comesthe Macready and a wholegangwithher."

"Sharp's the word," saidPeter, and all four made offthrough the door at the farend of the room. But whenthey had got out into theGreen Room and beyond it,into the Library, theysuddenly heard voices aheadofthem,andrealizedthatMrsMacready must be bringingherpartyofsightseersup thebackstairs-insteadofupthefront stairs as they hadexpected. And after that -

whether it was that they losttheir heads, or that MrsMacreadywastryingtocatchthem, or that some magic inthe house had come to lifeand was chasing them intoNarnia they seemed to findthemselves being followedeverywhere, until at lastSusan said, "Oh bother thosetrippers! Here - let's get intothe Wardrobe Room tillthey've passed. No one willfollow us in there." But the

momenttheywereinsidetheyheard the voices in thepassage - and then someonefumbling at the door - andthen they saw the handleturning.

"Quick!" said Peter,"there's nowhere else," andflungopen thewardrobe.Allfourofthembundledinsideitand sat there, panting, in thedark. Peter held the doorclosedbutdidnotshutit;for,ofcourse,heremembered,as

every sensible person does,that you should never nevershut yourself up in awardrobe.

CHAPTERSIXINTOTHEFOREST"I wish the Macready

would hurry up and take allthese people away," saidSusan presently, "I'm gettinghorriblycramped."

"And what a filthy smellofcamphor!"saidEdmund.

"I expect the pockets of

thesecoatsarefullofit,"saidSusan, "to keep away themoths."

"There's somethingsticking into my back," saidPeter.

"And isn't it cold?" saidSusan.

"Nowthatyoumentionit,it is cold," said Peter, "andhangitall,it'swettoo.What'sthematterwiththisplace?I'msitting on somethingwet. It'sgettingwetter everyminute."

Hestruggledtohisfeet."Let's get out," said

Edmund,"they'vegone.""O-o-oh!" said Susan

suddenly,andeveryoneaskedherwhatwasthematter.

"I'm sitting against atree," said Susan, "and look!It'sgettinglight-overthere."

"By Jove, you're right,"said Peter, "and look there -and there. It's treesall round.And this wet stuff is snow.Why, I do believe we've got

intoLucy'swoodafterall."And now there was no

mistaking it and all fourchildrenstoodblinkinginthedaylight of a winter day.Behind them were coatshanging on pegs, in front ofthem were snow-coveredtrees.

Peter turned at once toLucy.

"I apologize for notbelieving you," he said, "I'msorry.Willyoushakehands?"

"Of course," said Lucy,anddid.

"And now," said Susan,"whatdowedonext?"

"Do?" said Peter, "why,go and explore the wood, ofcourse."

"Ugh!" said Susan,stampingher feet, "it's prettycold. What about putting onsomeofthesecoats?"

"They're not ours," saidPeterdoubtfully.

"I amsurenobodywould

mind,"saidSusan;"itisn'tasifwewantedtotakethemoutof the house; we shan't takethem even out of thewardrobe."

"I never thought of that,Su," said Peter. "Of course,nowyouputitthatway,Isee.No one could say you hadbaggedacoatas longasyouleave it in the wardrobewhere you found it. And Isupposethiswholecountryisinthewardrobe."

They immediately carriedout Susan's very sensibleplan. The coats were rathertoobig for them so that theycamedowntotheirheelsandlookedmore like royal robesthancoatswhentheyhadputthem on. But they all felt agood deal warmer and eachthought the others lookedbetterintheirnewget-upandmore suitable to thelandscape.

"We can pretend we are

Arcticexplorers,"saidLucy."This is going to be

exciting enough withoutpretending," saidPeter, ashebegan leading the wayforwardintotheforest.Therewere heavy darkish cloudsoverhead and it looked as ifthere might be more snowbeforenight.

"I say," began Edmundpresently, "oughtn't we to bebearingabitmoretotheleft,that is, if we are aiming for

the lamp-post?" He hadforgottenforthemomentthathemustpretendnevertohavebeeninthewoodbefore.Themoment the words were outof hismouth he realized thathe had given himself away.Everyone stopped; everyonestaredathim.Peterwhistled.

"Soyoureallywerehere,"he said, "that time Lu saidshe'd met you in here - andyoumadeoutshewastellinglies."

Therewasadeadsilence."Well, of all the poisonouslittlebeasts-"saidPeter,andshrugged his shoulders andsaid nomore. There seemed,indeed, no more to say, andpresently the four resumedtheir journey; but Edmundwas saying to himself, "I'llpay you all out for this, youpackofstuck-up,selfsatisfiedprigs."

"Where are we goinganyway?" saidSusan, chiefly

for the sake of changing thesubject.

"I think Lu ought to bethe leader," said Peter;"goodness knows shedeserves it. Where will youtakeus,Lu?"

"Whataboutgoing to seeMr Tumnus?" said Lucy."He'stheniceFaunItoldyouabout."

Everyone agreed to thisand off they went walkingbriskly and stamping their

feet. Lucy proved a goodleader.At first shewonderedwhethershewouldbeabletofind the way, but sherecognized an oddlookingtreeononeplaceandastumpin another and brought themon to where the groundbecame uneven and into thelittle valley and at last to thevery door of Mr Tumnus'scave. But there a terriblesurpriseawaitedthem.

The door had been

wrenched off its hinges andbroken to bits. Inside, thecave was dark and cold andhad the damp feel and smellof a place that had not beenlived in for several days.Snowhaddrifted in fromthedoorway and was heaped onthe floor, mixed withsomething black, whichturned out to be the charredsticksandashesfromthefire.Someone had apparentlyflung it about the room and

then stamped it out. Thecrockery lay smashed on thefloor and the picture of theFaun's father had beenslashed into shreds with aknife.

"This is a pretty goodwash-out,"saidEdmund;"notmuchgoodcominghere."

"Whatisthis?"saidPeter,stooping down. He had justnoticed a piece of paperwhich had been nailedthrough the carpet to the

floor."Is there anythingwritten

onit?"askedSusan."Yes, I think there is,"

answered Peter, "but I can'tread it in this light. Let's getoutintotheopenair."

They all went out in thedaylight and crowded roundPeter as he read out thefollowingwords:

The former occupant ofthese premises, the FaunTumnus, is under arrest and

awaitinghis trialonachargeof High Treason against herImperial Majesty Jadis,Queen of Narnia, Chatelaineof Cair Paravel, Empress oftheLoneIslands,etc.,alsoofcomfortinghersaidMajesty'senemies, harbouring spiesand fraternizing withHumans.

signed MAUGRIM,Captain of the Secret Police,LONGLIVETHEQUEEN

The children stared at

eachother."I don't know that I'm

going to like this place afterall,"saidSusan.

"WhoisthisQueen,Lu?"said Peter. "Do you knowanythingabouther?"

"She isn't a real queen atall," answeredLucy; "she's ahorrible witch, the WhiteWitch.Everyoneallthewoodpeople - hate her. She hasmade an enchantment overthewholecountrysothatitis

alwayswinterhereandneverChristmas."

"I-Iwonderifthere'sanypoint in going on," saidSusan. "I mean, it doesn'tseem particularly safe hereand it looks as if it won't bemuch fun either. And it'sgetting colder every minute,andwe'vebroughtnothing toeat. What about just goinghome?"

"Oh, but we can't, wecan't," said Lucy suddenly;

"don'tyousee?Wecan't justgo home, not after this. It isall on my account that thepoor Faun has got into thistrouble. He hid me from theWitch and showed me theway back. That's what itmeans by comforting theQueen's enemies andfraternizing with Humans.Wesimplymusttrytorescuehim."

"A lot we could do! saidEdmund, "when we haven't

evengotanythingtoeat!""Shut up - you!" said

Peter, who was still veryangry with Edmund. "Whatdoyouthink,Susan?"

"I've a horrid feeling thatLu is right," said Susan. "Idon'twanttogoastepfurtherand Iwishwe'd never come.ButIthinkwemusttrytodosomething for MrWhatever-his-name is - I mean theFaun."

"That's what I feel too,"

saidPeter."I'mworriedabouthaving no food with us. I'dvote for going back andgetting something from thelarder, only there doesn'tseem to be any certainty ofgettingintothiscountryagainwhen once you've got out ofit. I think we'll have to goon."

"So do I," said both thegirls.

"If only we knew wherethe poor chap was

imprisoned!"saidPeter.They were all still

wondering what to do next,when Lucy said, "Look!There's a robin, with such ared breast. It's the first birdI've seen here. I say! - Iwonder can birds talk inNarnia? It almost looks as ifitwantedtosaysomethingtous." Then she turned to theRobin and said, "Please, canyoutelluswhereTumnustheFaun has been taken to?"As

she said this she took a steptowards the bird. It at onceflew away but only as far asto the next tree. There itperched and looked at themvery hard as if it understoodall they had been saying.Almost without noticing thatthey had done so, the fourchildren went a step or twonearertoit.AtthistheRobinflew away again to the nexttreeandoncemore lookedatthemveryhard.(Youcouldn't

have found a robin with aredder chest or a brightereye.)

"Do you know," saidLucy, "I really believe hemeansustofollowhim."

"I've an idea he does,"said Susan. "What do youthink,Peter?"

"Well, we might as welltryit,"answeredPeter.

The Robin appeared tounderstand the matterthoroughly. It kept going

from tree to tree, always afewyardsaheadof them,butalwayssonearthattheycouldeasilyfollowit.Inthiswayitled them on, slightlydownhill. Wherever theRobinalightedalittleshowerof snow would fall off thebranch. Presently the cloudsparted overhead and thewinter sun came out and thesnow all around them grewdazzlingly bright. They hadbeentravellinginthiswayfor

about half an hour, with thetwo girls in front, whenEdmund said to Peter, "ifyou're not still too high andmighty to talk to me, I'vesomethingtosaywhichyou'dbetterlistento."

"Whatisit?"askedPeter."Hush!Notsoloud,"said

Edmund; "there's no goodfrighteningthegirls.Buthaveyou realized what we'redoing?"

"What?" said Peter,

lowering his voice to awhisper.

"We're following a guideweknownothingabout.Howdo we know which side thatbird is on? Why shouldn't itbeleadingusintoatrap?"

"That'sanastyidea.Still-a robin, you know. They'regood birds in all the storiesI've ever read. I'm sure arobin wouldn't be on thewrongside."

"Itifcomestothat,which

is the right side?HowdoweknowthattheFaunsareintheright and the Queen (yes, Iknowwe'vebeen told she'sawitch) is in the wrong? Wedon't really know anythingabouteither."

"TheFaunsavedLucy.""Hesaidhedid.Buthow

do we know? And there'sanotherthingtoo.Hasanyonethe least idea of the wayhomefromhere?"

"Great Scott!" said Peter,

"Ihadn'tthoughtofthat.""Andnochanceofdinner

either,"saidEdmund.CHAPTERSEVENA DAY WITH THE

BEAVERSWHILE the two boys

werewhisperingbehind,boththegirlssuddenlycried"Oh!"andstopped.

"The robin!" cried Lucy,"the robin. It's flown away."And so it had - right out ofsight.

"Andnowwhatarewetodo?" said Edmund, givingPeter a look which was asmuch as to say "What did Itellyou?"

"Sh!Look!"saidSusan."What?"saidPeter."There's something

movingamong the treesovertheretotheleft."

Theyallstaredashardasthey could, and no one feltverycomfortable.

"Thereitgoesagain,"said

Susanpresently."I saw it that time too,"

saidPeter."It'sstillthere.It'sjust gone behind that bigtree."

"Whatis it?"askedLucy,tryingveryhardnot tosoundnervous.

"Whatever it is," saidPeter, "it's dodging us. It'ssomething that doesn't wanttobeseen."

"Let's go home," saidSusan. And then, though

nobody said it out loud,everyone suddenly realizedthe same fact that Edmundhadwhispered toPeterat theend of the last chapter. Theywerelost.

"What's it like?" saidLucy.

"It's - it's a kind ofanimal,"saidSusan;andthen,"Look!Look!Quick!Thereitis."

Theyallsawitthistime,awhiskered furry face which

had looked out at them frombehindatree.Butthistimeitdidn't immediately drawback. Instead, the animal putitspawagainst itsmouthjustashumansputtheirfingerontheir lips when they aresignalling to you to be quiet.Then it disappeared again.The children, all stoodholdingtheirbreath.

A moment later thestranger came out frombehind the tree, glanced all

round as if it were afraidsomeone was watching, said"Hush", made signs to themto join it in the thickerbitofwoodwhere it was standing,and then once moredisappeared.

"I know what it is," saidPeter;"it'sabeaver.Isawthetail."

"It wants us to go to it,"saidSusan,"anditiswarningusnottomakeanoise."

"Iknow,"saidPeter."The

questionis,arewetogotoitor not? What do you think,Lu?"

"Ithinkit'sanicebeaver,"saidLucy.

"Yes, but how do weknow?"saidEdmund.

"Shan't we have to riskit?" said Susan. "I mean, it'sno good just standing hereand I feel I want somedinner."

At this moment theBeaveragainpoppeditshead

out from behind the tree andbeckonedearnestlytothem.

"Come on," saidPeter,"let's give it a try. Allkeep close together. Weought to be a match for onebeaverifitturnsouttobeanenemy."

So the children all gotclose togetherandwalkedupto the tree and in behind it,and there, sure enough, theyfound the Beaver; but it stilldrewback, saying to them in

a hoarse throaty whisper,"Further in, come further in.Right in here.We're not safeintheopen!"

Only when it had ledthem into a dark spot wherefour trees grew so closetogetherthattheirboughsmetandthebrownearthandpineneedles could be seenunderfoot because no snowhad been able to fall there,diditbegintotalktothem.

"Are you the Sons of

Adam and the Daughters ofEve?"itsaid.

"We're some of them,"saidPeter.

"S-s-s-sh!" said theBeaver, "not so loud please.We'renotsafeevenhere."

"Why,whoareyouafraidof?" said Peter. "There's nooneherebutourselves."

"Therearethetrees,"saidthe Beaver. "They're alwayslistening.Mostofthemareonour side, but there are trees

that would betray us to her;youknowwhoImean,"anditnoddeditsheadseveraltimes.

"If it comes to talkingabout sides," said Edmund,"how do we know you're afriend?"

"Notmeaning to be rude,MrBeaver,"addedPeter,"butyousee,we'restrangers."

"Quite right, quite right,"said theBeaver. "Here ismytoken." With these words itheldup to thema littlewhite

object.Theyalllookedatitinsurprise, till suddenly Lucysaid, "Oh, of course. It's myhandkerchief-theoneIgavetopoorMrTumnus."

"That's right," said theBeaver. "Poor fellow, he gotwind of the arrest before itactuallyhappenedandhandedthis over tome.He said thatifanythinghappenedtohimImustmeetyouhere and takeyouonto-"HeretheBeaver'svoicesank intosilenceand it

gave one or two verymysterious nods. Thensignalling to the children tostand as close around it asthey possibly could, so thattheir faces were actuallytickled by its whiskers, itaddedinalowwhisper-

"TheysayAslanisonthemove - perhaps has alreadylanded."

And now a very curiousthing happened. None of thechildrenknewwhoAslanwas

anymorethanyoudo;butthemoment the Beaver hadspoken thesewordseveryonefeltquitedifferent.Perhapsithas sometimes happened toyou inadream that someonesays something which youdon't understand but in thedream it feels as if it hadsome enormous meaning -either a terrifying one whichturns thewhole dream into anightmare or else a lovelymeaningtoolovelytoputinto

words, which makes thedream so beautiful that youremember it all your life andarealwayswishingyoucouldget into that dream again. Itwas like that now. At thename of Aslan each one ofthe children felt somethingjump in its inside. Edmundfeltasensationofmysterioushorror. Peter felt suddenlybraveandadventurous.Susanfeltasifsomedelicioussmellor some delightful strain of

musichadjustfloatedbyher.AndLucygotthefeelingyouhave when you wake up inthemorningandrealizethatitis the beginning of theholidays or the beginning ofsummer.

"And what about MrTumnus," said Lucy; "whereishe?"

"S-s-s-sh," said theBeaver, "not here. I mustbringyouwherewecanhavearealtalkandalsodinner."

No one except Edmundfelt any difficulty abouttrusting the beaver now, andeveryone, includingEdmund,was very glad to hear theword"dinner".

They thereforeallhurriedalongbehindtheirnewfriendwho led them at asurprisingly quick pace, andalwaysinthethickestpartsofthe forest, for over an hour.Everyone was feeling verytired and very hungry when

suddenly the trees began toget thinner in front of themandthegroundtofallsteeplydownhill.Aminutelatertheycameoutunder theopen sky(thesunwasstillshining)andfound themselves lookingdownonafinesight.

They were standing onthe edge of a steep, narrowvalleyatthebottomofwhichran - at least it would havebeenrunningifithadn'tbeenfrozen - a fairly large river.

Just below them a dam hadbeen built across this river,and when they saw iteveryone suddenlyremembered that of coursebeavers are always makingdams and felt quite sure thatMrBeaverhadmadethisone.Theyalsonoticedthathenowhad a sort of modestexpression on his, face - thesortoflookpeoplehavewhenyou are visiting a gardenthey've made or reading a

story they've written. So itwas only common politenesswhen Susan said, "What alovelydam!"AndMrBeaverdidn't say "Hush" this timebut"Merelyatrifle!Merelyatrifle! And it isn't reallyfinished!"

Above thedamtherewaswhat ought to have been adeep pool but was now, ofcourse, a level floor of darkgreen ice. And below thedam,much lower down,was

moreice,butinsteadofbeingsmooth this was all frozeninto the foamy and wavyshapesinwhichthewaterhadbeenrushingalongattheverymomentwhenthefrostcame.And where the water hadbeen trickling over andspurting through the damthere was now a glitteringwall of icicles, as if the sideof thedamhadbeencoveredall over with flowers andwreaths and festoons of the

purest sugar. And out in themiddle, and partly on top ofthe dam was a funny littlehouse shaped rather like anenormousbeehiveandfromahole in the roof smoke wasgoing up, so that when yousawit{especiallyifyouwerehungry) you at once thoughtof cooking and becamehungrier than you werebefore.

Thatwaswhat the otherschiefly noticed, but Edmund

noticed something else. Alittle lower down the rivertherewasanother small riverwhich came down anothersmall valley to join it. Andlooking up that valley,Edmund could see two smallhills, andhewas almost suretheywerethetwohillswhichtheWhiteWitch had pointedout to him when he partedfromheratthelamp-postthatother day.And then betweenthem,hethought,mustbeher

palace,onlyamileofforless.AndhethoughtaboutTurkishDelight and about being aKing ("And I wonder howPeterwilllikethat?"heaskedhimself) and horrible ideascameintohishead.

"Here we are," said MrBeaver, "and it looks as ifMrs Beaver is expecting us.I'll lead the way. But becarefulanddon'tslip."

The top of the dam waswide enough to walk on,

though not (for humans) avery nice place to walkbecause it was covered withice, and though the frozenpoolwaslevelwithitononeside,therewasanastydroptothe lower river on the other.Along this route Mr Beaverled them in single file rightout to themiddlewhere theycouldlookalongwayuptheriverandalongwaydownit.And when they had reachedthe middle they were at the

doorofthehouse."Here we are, Mrs

Beaver," said Mr Beaver,"I'vefoundthem.HerearetheSonsandDaughtersofAdamand Eve'- and they all wentin.

The first thing Lucynoticed as shewent inwas aburring sound, and the firstthing she saw was akindlooking old she-beaversitting in the corner with athread in hermouth working

busilyathersewingmachine,and it was from it that thesoundcame.She stoppedherwork and got up as soon asthechildrencamein.

"Soyou'vecomeat last!"shesaid,holdingoutbothherwrinkled old paws. "At last!To think that ever I shouldlive to see this day! Thepotatoes are on boiling andthe kettle's singing and Idaresay,MrBeaver,you'llgetussomefish."

"That I will," said MrBeaver, and he went out ofthe house (Peter went withhim),andacrosstheiceofthedeep pool towhere he had alittleholeintheicewhichhekeptopeneverydaywithhishatchet.Theytookapailwiththem. Mr Beaver sat downquietlyattheedgeofthehole(he didn't seem to mind itbeing so chilly), looked hardinto it, then suddenly shot inhispaw,andbeforeyoucould

say Jack Robinson hadwhiskedoutabeautiful trout.Then he did it all over againuntil theyhada finecatchoffish.

Meanwhile the girlswerehelpingMrsBeavertofillthekettle and lay the table andcut the bread and put theplatesintheoventoheatanddraw a huge jug of beer forMr Beaver from a barrelwhich stood inone cornerofthe house, and to put on the

frying-pan and get thedripping hot. Lucy thoughtthe Beavers had a very snuglittlehome though itwasnotatall likeMrTumnus'scave.There were no books orpictures, and instead of bedsthere were bunks, like onboardship,builtintothewall.And there were hams andstrings of onions hangingfromtheroof,andagainstthewalls were gum boots andoilskins and hatchets and

pairsofshearsandspadesandtrowels and things forcarrying mortar in andfishing-rods and fishing-netsand sacks. And the cloth onthe table, though very clean,wasveryrough.

Justasthefrying-panwasnicely hissing Peter and MrBeaver came inwith the fishwhichMrBeaverhadalreadyopened with his knife andcleaned out in the open air.You can think how good the

new-caught fish smelledwhile they were frying andhow the hungry childrenlonged for them to be doneand howverymuch hungrierstill they had become beforeMr Beaver said, "Now we'renearly ready." Susan drainedthe potatoes and then putthem all back in the emptypot to dry on the side of therangewhileLucywashelpingMrs Beaver to dish up thetrout, so that in a very few

minutes everyone wasdrawing up their stools (itwasall three-leggedstools intheBeavers'houseexceptforMrs Beaver's own specialrockingchair beside the fire)and preparing to enjoythemselves. There was a jugof creamy milk for thechildren (MrBeaver stuck tobeer)andagreatbiglumpofdeep yellow butter in themiddle of the table fromwhicheveryonetookasmuch

as he wanted to go with hispotatoes, and all the childrenthought - and I agree withthem - that there's nothing tobeat good freshwater fish ifyou eat it when it has beenalivehalfanhouragoandhascome out of the pan half aminute ago. And when theyhad finished the fish MrsBeaver brought unexpectedlyout of the oven a great andgloriously sticky marmaladeroll, steaminghot, and at the

same time moved the kettleon to the fire, so that whenthey had finished themarmalade roll the tea wasmadeandready tobepouredout. And when each personhad got his (or her) cup oftea, eachpersonshovedbackhis (or her) stool so as to beable to lean against the walland gave a long sigh ofcontentment.

"And now," said MrBeaver, pushing away his

empty beer mug and pullinghiscupofteatowardshim,"ifyou'lljustwaittillI'vegotmypipelitupandgoingnicely-why, now we can get tobusiness. It'ssnowingagain,"he added, cocking his eye atthe window. "That's all thebetter, because it means weshan't have any visitors; andif anyone should have beentrying to followyou,whyhewon'tfindanytracks."

CHAPTEREIGHT

WHAT HAPPENEDAFTERDINNER

"AND now," said Lucy,"do please tell us what'shappenedtoMrTumnus."

"Ah, that's bad," saidMrBeaver, shaking his head."That's a very, very badbusiness.There'snodoubthewastakenoffbythepolice.Igot thatfromabirdwhosawitdone."

"But where's he beentakento?"askedLucy.

"Well, theywere headingnorthwards when they werelast seen and we all knowwhatthatmeans."

"No, we don't," saidSusan. Mr Beaver shook hishead in a very gloomyfashion.

"I'm afraid it means theywere taking him to herHouse,"hesaid.

"But what'll they do tohim, Mr Beaver?" gaspedLucy.

"Well," said Mr Beaver,"you can't exactly say forsure. But there's not manytakenintherethatevercomesoutagain.Statues.All fullofstatues they say it is - in thecourtyard and up the stairsand in the hall. People she'sturned" - (he paused andshuddered) "turned intostone."

"But, Mr Beaver," saidLucy, "can'twe - Imeanwemust do something to save

him. It's too dreadful and it'sallonmyaccount."

"I don't doubt you'd savehimifyoucould,dearie,"saidMrs Beaver, "but you've nochance of getting into thatHouse against her will andevercomingoutalive."

"Couldn't we have somestratagem?" said Peter. "Imeancouldn'twedressupassomething,orpretend tobe -oh, pedlars or anything - orwatch till shewasgoneout -

or-oh,hangitall,theremustbe some way. This Faunsaved my sister at his ownrisk,MrBeaver.Wecan'tjustleave him to be - to be - tohavethatdonetohim."

"It's no good, Son ofAdam," saidMr Beaver, "nogood your trying, of allpeople.ButnowthatAslanisonthemove-"

"Oh, yes! Tell us aboutAslan!"saidseveralvoicesatonce; for once again that

strangefeeling- like thefirstsigns of spring, like goodnews,hadcomeoverthem.

"Who is Aslan?" askedSusan.

"Aslan?"saidMrBeaver."Why, don't you know?He'stheKing.He'stheLordofthewhole wood, but not oftenhere, you understand. Neverin my time or my father'stime. But the word hasreached us that he has comeback. He is in Narnia at this

moment. He'll settle theWhite Queen all right. It ishe,notyou,thatwillsaveMrTumnus."

"She won't turn him intostonetoo?"saidEdmund.

"Lord love you, Son ofAdam,whatasimplethingtosay!" answered Mr Beaverwithagreatlaugh."Turnhiminto stone? If she can standonher twofeetandlookhimin the face it'll be the mostshe can do and more than I

expect of her. No, no. He'llput all to rights as it says inanoldrhymeintheseparts:

Wrongwillberight,whenAslancomesinsight,

At the sound of his roar,sorrowswillbenomore,

When he bares his teeth,wintermeetsitsdeath,

And when he shakes hismane, we shall have springagain.

You'll understand whenyouseehim."

"But shall we see him?"askedSusan.

"Why, Daughter of Eve,that'swhatIbroughtyouherefor.I'mtoleadyouwhereyoushall meet him," said MrBeaver.

"Is-is he a man?" askedLucy.

"Aslan a man!" said MrBeaver sternly. "Certainlynot. I tell youhe is theKingof the wood and the son ofthe great Emperor-beyond-

the-Sea.Don'tyouknowwhois theKing ofBeasts?Aslanisa lion - theLion, thegreatLion."

"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'dthoughthewasaman.Ishe-quite safe? I shall feel rathernervous about meeting alion."

"That you will, dearie,and no mistake," said MrsBeaver; "if there's anyonewhocanappearbeforeAslanwithouttheirkneesknocking,

they're either braver thanmostorelsejustsilly."

"Thenhe isn't safe?" saidLucy.

"Safe?" said Mr Beaver;"don't you hear what MrsBeaver tells you? Who saidanything about safe? 'Coursehe isn't safe. But he's good.He'stheKing,Itellyou."

"I'm longing to see him,"said Peter, "even if I do feelfrightened when it comes tothepoint."

"That's right, Son ofAdam," said Mr Beaver,bringinghispawdownonthetable with a crash that madeallthecupsandsaucersrattle."Andsoyoushall.Wordhasbeensentthatyouaretomeethim, tomorrow if youcan, attheStoneTable.'

"Where's that?" saidLucy.

"I'll show you," said MrBeaver."It'sdowntheriver,agoodstep fromhere. I'll take

youtoit!""But meanwhile what

aboutpoorMrTumnus?"saidLucy.

"The quickest way youcan help him is by going tomeetAslan,"saidMrBeaver,"once he's with us, then wecan begin doing things. Notthat we don't need you too.For that's another of the oldrhymes:

When Adam's flesh andAdam'sbone

Sits at Cair Paravel inthrone,

Theeviltimewillbeoveranddone.

So things must bedrawing near their end nowhe's come and you've come.We'veheardofAslancominginto thesepartsbefore - longago, nobody can say when.Butthere'sneverbeenanyofyourraceherebefore."

"That's what I don'tunderstand,MrBeaver," said

Peter,"Imeanisn'ttheWitchherselfhuman?"

"She'd like us to believeit," saidMrBeaver, "and it'son that that she bases herclaim to beQueen.But she'sno Daughter of Eve. ShecomesofyourfatherAdam's"- (here Mr Beaver bowed)"your father Adam's firstwife, her they called Lilith.Andshewasoneof theJinn.That's what she comes fromononeside.Andontheother

she comes of the giants. No,no, there isn't a drop of realhumanbloodintheWitch."

"That's why she's bad allthrough, Mr Beaver," saidMrsBeaver.

"True enough, MrsBeaver," replied he, "theremay be two views abouthumans (meaning no offenceto thepresent company).Butthere's no two views aboutthings that look like humansandaren't."

"I've known goodDwarfs,"saidMrsBeaver.

"So'veI,nowyoucometospeakofit,"saidherhusband,"but precious few, and theywere theones least likemen.But in general, take myadvice, when you meetanything that's going to behuman and isn't yet, or usedto be human once and isn'tnow, or ought to be humanand isn't,youkeepyoureyeson it and feel for your

hatchet. And that's why theWitch is always on thelookout for any humans inNarnia. She's been watchingforyouthismanyayear,andifsheknewtherewerefourofyoushe'dbemoredangerousstill."

"What's that to do withit?"askedPeter.

"Because of anotherprophecy," said Mr Beaver."DownatCairParavel-that'sthe castle on the sea coast

down at the mouth of thisriver which ought to be thecapitalofthewholecountryifallwasasitshouldbe-downatCairParavel thereare fourthrones and it's a saying inNarnia timeout ofmind thatwhen twoSonsofAdamandtwo Daughters of Eve sit inthosefourthrones,thenitwillbe the end not only of theWhite Witch's reign but ofher life, and that is why wehad to be so cautious as we

came along, for if she knewabout you four, your liveswouldn'tbewortha shakeofmywhiskers!"

All thechildrenhadbeenattendingsohard towhatMrBeaver was telling them thattheyhadnoticednothingelsefor a long time. Then duringthe moment of silence thatfollowed his last remark,Lucysuddenlysaid:

"Isay-where'sEdmund?"There was a dreadful

pause, and then everyonebegan asking "Who saw himlast? How long has he beenmissing? Is he outside? andthen all rushed to the doorand looked out. The snowwas falling thickly andsteadily, the green ice of thepool had vanished under athickwhiteblanket,andfromwherethelittlehousestoodinthe centre of the dam youcould hardly see either bank.Out theywent,plungingwell

overtheiranklesintothesoftnew snow, and went roundthe house in every direction."Edmund! Edmund!" theycalled till they were hoarse.But the silently falling snowseemedtomuffletheirvoicesand there was not even anechoinanswer.

"Howperfectlydreadful!"said Susan as they at lastcame back in despair. "Oh,howIwishwe'dnevercome."

"Whaton earth arewe to

do,MrBeaver?"saidPeter."Do?" said Mr Beaver,

who was already putting onhis snow-boots, "do? Wemust be off at once. Wehaven'tamomenttospare!"

"We'd better divide intofour search parties," saidPeter,"andallgoindifferentdirections. Whoever findshimmust come back here atonceand-"

"Search parties, Son ofAdam?" said Mr Beaver;

"whatfor?""Why, to look for

Edmund,ofcourse!""There's no point in

looking for him," said MrBeaver.

"What do you mean?"said Susan. "He can't be faraway yet. And we've got tofindhim.Whatdoyoumeanwhen you say there's no uselookingforhim?"

"Thereasonthere'snouselooking,"saidMrBeaver,"is

that we know already wherehe's gone!" Everyone staredin amazement. "Don't youunderstand?"saidMrBeaver."He's gone to her, to theWhiteWitch.Hehasbetrayedusall."

"Oh, surely-oh, really!"said Susan, "he can't havedonethat."

"Can't he?" said MrBeaver, looking very hard atthe three children, andeverythingtheywantedtosay

diedontheirlips,foreachfeltsuddenly quite certain insidethat this was exactly whatEdmundhaddone.

"But will he know theway?"saidPeter.

"Has he been in thiscountry before?" asked MrBeaver. "Has he ever beenherealone?"

"Yes," said Lucy, almostin a whisper. "I'm afraid hehas."

"Anddidhetellyouwhat

he'ddoneorwhohe'dmet?""Well,no,hedidn't,"said

Lucy."Then mark my words,"

said Mr Beaver, "he hasalreadymet theWhiteWitchandjoinedherside,andbeentold where she lives. I didn'tlike to mention it before (hebeing your brother and all)but themoment IseteyesonthatbrotherofyoursIsaidtomyself `Treacherous'.Hehadthelookofonewhohasbeen

with theWitchandeatenherfood. You can always tellthem if you've lived long inNarnia;somethingabouttheireyes."

"Allthesame,"saidPeterin a rather choking sort ofvoice, "we'll still have to goand look for him. He is ourbrotherafterall,evenifheisrather a little beast.And he'sonlyakid."

"Go to the Witch'sHouse?" said Mrs Beaver.

"Don't you see that the onlychance of saving either himoryourselvesistokeepawayfromher?"

"Howdoyoumean?"saidLucy.

"Why, all shewants is toget all four of you (she'sthinkingall the timeof thosefour thronesatCairParavel).Onceyouwereallfourinsideher House her job would bedone - and there'd be fournew statues in her collection

before you'd had time tospeak. But she'll keep himaliveas longashe's theonlyone she's got, because she'llwant to use him as a decoy;asbaittocatchtherestofyouwith."

"Oh,cannoonehelpus?"wailedLucy.

"Only Aslan," said MrBeaver, "wemust go on andmeet him. That's our onlychancenow."

"It seems to me, my

dears,"saidMrsBeaver,"thatit is very important to knowjust when he slipped away.How much he can tell herdepends on how much heheard. For instance, had westarted talking of Aslanbeforeheleft?Ifnot,thenwemay do very well, for shewon't know that Aslan hascome to Narnia, or that wearemeeting him, andwill bequite off her guard as far asthatisconcerned."

"I don't remember hisbeing here when we weretalking aboutAslan -" beganPeter, but Lucy interruptedhim.

"Ohyes,hewas,"shesaidmiserably; "don't youremember, it was he whoasked whether the Witchcouldn'tturnAslanintostonetoo?"

"Sohedid,byJove,"saidPeter; "just the sort of thinghewouldsay,too!"

"Worse and worse," saidMr Beaver, "and the nextthingisthis.WashestillherewhenItoldyouthattheplacefor meeting Aslan was theStoneTable?"

And of course no oneknew the answer to thisquestion.

"Because, if he was,"continued Mr Beaver, "thenshe'll simply sledge down inthatdirectionandgetbetweenus and the Stone Table and

catchusonourwaydown.Infactwe shall be cut off fromAslan."

"But that isn't what she'lldo first," said Mrs Beaver,"not if I know her. Themoment that Edmund tellsher that we're all here she'llset out to catch us this verynight, and if he's been goneabout half an hour, she'll behere in about another twentyminutes."

"You're right, Mrs

Beaver," said her husband,"we must all get away fromhere.There'snotamomenttolose."

CHAPTERNINEIN THE WITCH'S

HOUSEAND now of course you

want to know what hadhappenedtoEdmund.Hehadeatenhis shareof thedinner,buthehadn'treallyenjoyeditbecause he was thinking allthe time about Turkish

Delight - and there's nothingthat spoils the taste of goodordinaryfoodhalfsomuchasthe memory of bad magicfood. And he had heard theconversation, and hadn'tenjoyed it much either,because he kept on thinkingthattheothersweretakingnonotice of him and trying togive him the cold shoulder.They weren't, but heimaginedit.Andthenhehadlistened untilMrBeaver told

themaboutAslananduntilhehad heard the wholearrangement for meetingAslan at the Stone Table. Itwas then that he began veryquietlytoedgehimselfunderthe curtain which hung overthe door. For themention ofAslangavehimamysteriousandhorrible feeling just as itgave the others a mysteriousandlovelyfeeling.

Just as Mr Beaver hadbeen repeating the rhyme

about Adam's flesh andAdam's bone Edmund hadbeen very quietly turning thedoorhandle; and just beforeMrBeaver had begun tellingthem that the White Witchwasn'treallyhumanatallbuthalfaJinnandhalfagiantess,Edmundhadgot outside intothe snow and cautiouslyclosedthedoorbehindhim.

You mustn't think thateven nowEdmundwas quitesobadthatheactuallywanted

his brother and sisters to beturned into stone. He didwant Turkish Delight and tobeaPrince(andlateraKing)and to pay Peter out forcalling him a beast. As forwhat the Witch would dowiththeothers,hedidn'twanther to be particularly nice tothem - certainly not to putthem on the same level ashimself; but he managed tobelieve, or to pretend hebelieved,thatshewouldn'tdo

anything very bad to them,"Because,"hesaidtohimself,"all these people who saynastythingsaboutherareherenemiesandprobablyhalfofitisn'ttrue.Shewasjollyniceto me, anyway, much nicerthan theyare. I expect she isthe rightful Queen really.Anyway, she'llbebetter thanthat awful Aslan!" At least,thatwas the excuse hemadein his ownmind forwhat hewas doing. It wasn't a very

good excuse, however, fordeep down inside him hereally knew that the WhiteWitchwasbadandcruel.

Thefirstthingherealizedwhen he got outside andfound the snow falling allround him, was that he hadleft his coat behind in theBeavers' house. And ofcoursetherewasnochanceofgoingbacktogetitnow.Thenext thing he realized wasthat the daylight was almost

gone, for it had been nearlythree o'clock when they satdowntodinnerandthewinterdays were short. He hadn'treckoned on this; but he hadtomake the best of it. So heturned up his collar andshuffledacross the topof thedam (luckily it wasn't soslippery since the snow hadfallen) to the far side of theriver.

Itwasprettybadwhenhereached the far side. It was

growing darker everyminuteand what with that and thesnowflakesswirlingallroundhimhecouldhardlyseethreefeetahead.Andthentootherewasnoroad.Hekeptslippinginto deep drifts of snow, andskidding on frozen puddles,and tripping over fallen tree-trunks, and sliding downsteep banks, and barking hisshins against rocks, till hewaswetandcoldandbruisedall over. The silence and the

loneliness were dreadful. Infact I really think he mighthavegivenupthewholeplanandgonebackandownedupand made friends with theothers, if he hadn't happenedto say tohimself, "When I'mKingofNarniathefirstthingI shall do will be to makesome decent roads." And ofcourse that set him offthinking about being a Kingand all the other things hewould do and this cheered

him up a good deal. He hadjust settled in his mind whatsort ofpalacehewouldhaveand how many cars and allabout his private cinema andwhere the principal railwayswould run and what laws hewould make against beaversanddamsandwasputtingthefinishing touches to someschemes for keeping Peter inhis place, when the weatherchanged. First the snowstopped.Then awind sprang

up and it became freezingcold. Finally, the cloudsrolled away and the mooncameout. Itwasa fullmoonand,shiningonallthatsnow,itmade everything almost asbright as day - only theshadows were ratherconfusing.

He would never havefound his way if the moonhadn't come out by the timehe got to the other river yourememberhehadseen(when

they first arrived at theBeavers') a smaller riverflowing into the great onelowerdown.Henowreachedthis and turned to follow itup.Butthelittlevalleydownwhich it came was muchsteeper and rockier than theonehehadjustleftandmuchovergrown with bushes, sothat he could not havemanaged it atall in thedark.Even as it was, he got wetthrough for he had to stoop

under branches and greatloads of snow came slidingoffontohisback.AndeverytimethishappenedhethoughtmoreandmorehowhehatedPeter - just as if all this hadbeenPeter'sfault.

But at last he came to apartwhere itwasmore leveland the valley opened out.And there, on the other sideof the river, quite close tohim, in themiddle of a littleplain between two hills, he

sawwhatmust be theWhiteWitch'sHouse.Andthemoonwas shining brighter thanever.TheHousewasreallyasmall castle. It seemed to beall towers; little towers withlong pointed spires on them,sharpasneedles.Theylookedlike huge dunce's caps orsorcerer's caps. And theyshone in the moonlight andtheir long shadows lookedstrangeonthesnow.Edmundbegan to be afraid of the

House.But it was too late to

thinkofturningbacknow.He crossed the river on

the ice andwalked up to theHouse. There was nothingstirring; not the slightestsound anywhere. Even hisown feet made no noise onthe deep newly fallen snow.He walked on and on, pastcorner after corner of theHouse, and past turret afterturrettofindthedoor.Hehad

to go right round to the farsidebeforehefoundit.Itwasahugearchbutthegreatirongatesstoodwideopen.

Edmund crept up to thearch and looked inside intothe courtyard, and there hesaw a sight that nearlymadehis heart stop beating. Justinside the gate, with themoonlightshiningonit,stoodanenormouslioncrouchedasifitwasreadytospring.AndEdmundstood in the shadow

of the arch, afraid to go onand afraid to go back, withhis knees knocking together.He stood there so long thathis teeth would have beenchattering with cold even ifthey had not been chatteringwith fear. How long thisreallylastedIdon'tknow,butit seemed to Edmund to lastforhours.

Then at last he began towonder why the lion wasstandingsostill-forithadn't

movedoneinchsincehefirstset eyes on it. Edmund nowventured a little nearer, stillkeeping in the shadowof thearchasmuchashecould.Henow saw from the way thelion was standing that itcouldn'thavebeenlookingathimatall. ("Butsupposing itturns its head?" thoughtEdmund.) In fact it wasstaring at something elsenamely a little: dwarf whostoodwithhisbacktoitabout

four feet away. "Aha!"thought Edmund. "When itspringsatthedwarfthenwillbemychancetoescape."Butstillthelionnevermoved,nordid the dwarf. And now atlast Edmund rememberedwhat the others had saidabout the White Witchturning people into stone.Perhapsthiswasonlyastonelion. And as soon as he hadthoughtofthathenoticedthatthelion'sbackandthetopof

its head were covered withsnow. Of course it must beonly a statue! No livinganimal would have let itselfget coveredwith snow.Thenveryslowlyandwithhisheartbeating as if it would burst,Edmundventuredtogouptothe lion.Evennowhehardlydared to touch it, but at lasthe put out his hand, veryquickly, and did. Itwas coldstone.Hehadbeenfrightenedofamerestatue!

The reliefwhichEdmundfeltwassogreat that in spiteof the cold he suddenly gotwarm all over right down tohistoes,andatthesametimetherecameintohisheadwhatseemed a perfectly lovelyidea. "Probably," he thought,"this is the great Lion Aslanthat they were all talkingabout. She's caught himalready and turned him intostone.So that's theendofalltheir fine ideas about him!

Pooh! Who's afraid ofAslan?"

And he stood theregloating over the stone lion,and presently he didsomething very silly andchildish.He took a stump oflead pencil out of his pocketandscribbledamoustacheonthelion'supperlipandthenapairofspectaclesonitseyes.Thenhesaid,"Yah!SillyoldAslan!Howdoyoulikebeingastone?Youthoughtyourself

mightyfine,didn'tyou?"Butin spite of the scribbles on itthe face of the great stonebeast still looked so terrible,andsad,andnoble,staringupin the moonlight, thatEdmunddidn't really get anyfun out of jeering at it. Heturned away and began tocrossthecourtyard.

Ashegot intothemiddleof it he saw that there weredozens of statues all about -standinghereandthererather

as the pieces stand on achess-board when it is half-waythroughthegame.Therewere stone satyrs, and stonewolves, and bears and foxesand cat-amountains of stone.There were lovely stoneshapes that looked likewomen but who were reallythespiritsoftrees.Therewasthe great shape of a centaurand a winged horse and along lithe creature thatEdmundtooktobeadragon.

They all looked so strangestanding there perfectly life-likeandalsoperfectlystill,inthe bright cold moonlight,that it was eerie workcrossing the courtyard. Rightin the very middle stood ahugeshapelikeaman,butastall as a tree, with a fiercefaceandashaggybeardandagreat club in its right hand.Even though he knew that itwas only a stone giant andnot a live one, Edmund did

notlikegoingpastit.He now saw that there

wasadimlightshowingfroma doorway on the far side ofthe courtyard. Hewent to it;there was a flight of stonesteps going up to an opendoor.Edmundwentup them.Across the threshold lay agreatwolf.

"It's all right, it's allright," he kept saying tohimself; "it's only a stonewolf.Itcan'thurtme",andhe

raised his leg to step over it.Instantly the huge creaturerose,withallthehairbristlingalong its back, opened agreat,redmouthandsaidinagrowlingvoice:

"Who's there? Who'sthere? Stand still, stranger,andtellmewhoyouare."

"If you please, sir," saidEdmund,tremblingsothathecould hardly speak, "mynameisEdmund,andI'mtheSon of Adam that Her

Majestymet in thewood theother day and I've come tobring her the news that mybrotherandsistersarenowinNarnia - quite close, in theBeavers' house. She - shewantedtoseethem."

"I will tell HerMajesty,"said the Wolf. "Meanwhile,standstillonthethreshold,asyou value your life." Then itvanishedintothehouse.

Edmund stood andwaited, his fingers aching

with cold and his heartpounding in his chest, andpresently the grey wolf,Maugrim, the Chief of theWitch's Secret Police, camebounding back and said,"Come in! Come in!Fortunate favourite of theQueen - or else not sofortunate."

And Edmund went in,takinggreat carenot to treadontheWolf'spaws.

He found himself in a

long gloomy hall with manypillars, full, as the courtyardhadbeen,ofstatues.Theonenearest the door was a littlefaun with a very sadexpression on its face, andEdmund couldn't helpwondering if this might beLucy's friend. The only lightcamefromasingle lampandclosebesidethissattheWhiteWitch.

"I'mcome,yourMajesty,"saidEdmund,rushingeagerly

forward."How dare you come

alone?" said the Witch in aterrible voice. "Did I not tellyou to bring the others withyou?"

"Please, your Majesty,"said Edmund, "I've done thebest I can. I've brought themquite close. They're in thelittlehouseontopofthedamjust up the riverwithMr andMrsBeaver."

A slow cruel smile came

overtheWitch'sface."Is this all your news?"

sheasked."No, your Majesty," said

Edmund, and proceeded totell her all he had heardbefore leaving the Beavers'house.

"What! Aslan?" cried theQueen,"Aslan!Isthistrue?IfIfindyouhaveliedtome-"

"Please, I'm onlyrepeating what they said,"stammeredEdmund.

But the Queen, who wasno longer attending to him,clapped her hands. Instantlythe same dwarf whomEdmund had seen with herbeforeappeared.

"Make ready our sledge,"ordered the Witch, "and usetheharnesswithoutbells."

CHAPTERTENTHESPELLBEGINSTO

BREAKNowwemustgoback to

Mr and Mrs Beaver and the

threeother children.As soonas Mr Beaver said, "There'sno time to lose," everyonebegan bundling themselvesinto coats, except MrsBeaver, who started pickingup sacks and laying them onthe tableandsaid:"Now,MrBeaver, just reach down thatham. And here's a packet oftea, and there's sugar, andsome matches. And ifsomeonewillgettwoorthreeloaves out of the crock over

thereinthecorner.""Whatareyoudoing,Mrs

Beaver?"exclaimedSusan."Packing a load for each

of us, dearie," said MrsBeaver very coolly. "Youdidn't thinkwe'dsetoutonajourney with nothing to eat,didyou?"

"But we haven't time!"said Susan, buttoning thecollar of her coat. "She maybehereanyminute."

"That's what I say,"

chimedinMrBeaver."Get alongwith you all,"

said hiswife. "Think it over,MrBeaver.Shecan'tbeherefor quarter of an hour atleast."

"Butdon'twewantasbiga start as we can possiblyget," said Peter, "if we're toreach the Stone Table beforeher?"

"You've got to rememberthat,MrsBeaver,"saidSusan."Assoonasshehaslookedin

here and finds we're goneshe'llbeoffattopspeed."

"That shewill," saidMrsBeaver. "But we can't gettherebeforeherwhateverwedo, for she'll be on a sledgeandwe'llbewalking."

"Then - have we nohope?"saidSusan.

"Now don't you getfussing, there's a dear," saidMrsBeaver,"butjustgethalfa dozen clean handkerchiefsout of the drawer. 'Course

we've got a hope. We can'tget there before her but wecankeepunder cover andgobywaysshewon'texpectandperhapswe'llgetthrough."

"That's true enough, MrsBeaver," said her husband."But it's timewewereoutofthis."

"And don't you startfussing either, Mr Beaver,"said his wife. "There. That'sbetter. There's five loads andthe smallest for the smallest

of us: that's you, my dear,"sheadded,lookingatLucy.

"Oh,dopleasecomeon,"saidLucy.

"Well, I'm nearly readynow," answered Mrs Beaverat last, allowing her husbandto help her into; her snow-boots. "I suppose the sewingmachine's took heavy tobring?"

"Yes. It is," said MrBeaver. "A great deal tooheavy. And you don't think

you'll be able to use itwhilewe'reontherun,Isuppose?"

"I can't abide the thoughtof that Witch fiddling withit," said Mrs Beaver, "andbreaking it or stealing it, aslikelyasnot."

"Oh, please, please,please, do hurry!" said thethree children.And so at lastthey all got outside and MrBeaver locked thedoor ("It'lldelayherabit,"hesaid)andtheysetoff,allcarryingtheir

loadsovertheirshoulders.The snow had stopped

and the moon had come outwhen they began theirjourney. Theywent in singlefile - first Mr Beaver, thenLucy, thenPeter, thenSusan,andMrsBeaverlastofall.MrBeaver led them across thedamandon to therightbankof the river and then along avery rough sort of pathamong the trees right downby the river-bank. The sides

of the valley, shining in themoonlight, towered up farabove them on either hand."Best keep down here asmuch as possible," he said."She'll have to keep to thetop, for you couldn't bring asledgedownhere."

It would have been aprettyenoughscenetolookatit through a window from acomfortable armchair; andeven as things were, Lucyenjoyeditatfirst.Butasthey

wentonwalkingandwalking-andwalkingandasthesackshewas carrying felt heavierand heavier, she began towonderhowshewasgoingtokeep up at all. And shestopped looking at thedazzling brightness of thefrozen river with all itswaterfalls of ice and at thewhitemassesof the tree-topsand the great glaring moonand the countless stars andcould only watch the little

shortlegsofMrBeavergoingpad-pad-pad-pad through thesnowinfrontofherasiftheywere never going to stop.Then the moon disappearedand the snow began to falloncemore.And at last Lucywas so tired that she wasalmost asleep andwalking atthesametimewhensuddenlyshefoundthatMrBeaverhadturned away from the river-bank to the right and wasleading them steeply uphill

into thevery thickestbushes.And then as she came fullyawake she found that MrBeaver was just vanishinginto a little hole in the bankwhich had been almosthiddenunderthebushesuntilyouwerequiteontopofit.Infact, by the time she realizedwhatwashappening,onlyhisshortflattailwasshowing.

Lucy immediatelystoopeddownandcrawledinafter him. Then she heard

noises of scrambling andpuffing and panting behindher and in amoment all fiveofthemwereinside.

"Wherever is this?" saidPeter's voice, sounding tiredand pale in the darkness. (Ihope you knowwhat Imeanbyavoicesoundingpale.)

"It's an old hiding-placefor beavers in bad times,"saidMrBeaver, "andagreatsecret. It's not much of aplace butwemust get a few

hours'sleep.""If you hadn't all been in

suchaplagueyfusswhenwewere starting, I'd havebrought some pillows," saidMrsBeaver.

It wasn't nearly such anice cave as Mr Tumnus's,Lucy thought - just a hole inthe ground but dry andearthy. It was very small sothat when they all lay downthey were all a bundle ofclothes together, and what

with that and being warmedup by their long walk theywere really rather snug. Ifonlythefloorofthecavehadbeen a little smoother! ThenMrs Beaver handed round inthe dark a little flask out ofwhich everyone dranksomething - it made onecoughandsplutteralittleandstung the throat, but it alsomade you feel deliciouslywarm after you'd swallowedit andeveryonewent straight

tosleep.It seemed to Lucy only

the next minute (thoughreally itwashoursandhourslater) when she woke upfeeling a little cold anddreadfully stiff and thinkinghow she would like a hotbath. Then she felt a set oflong whiskers tickling hercheek and saw the colddaylight coming in throughthe mouth of the cave. Butimmediately after that she

wasverywideawakeindeed,and sowas everyone else. Infact they were all sitting upwith their mouths and eyeswide open listening to asound which was the verysoundthey'dallbeenthinkingof (and sometimes imaginingtheyheard)during theirwalklast night. It was a sound ofjinglingbells.

MrBeaverwasoutofthecave like a flash themomenthe heard it. Perhaps you

think, as Lucy thought for amoment, that thiswas averysilly thing to do? But it wasreallyaverysensibleone.Heknew he could scramble tothe top of the bank amongbushes and brambleswithoutbeing seen; and he wantedaboveall things toseewhichway theWitch's sledgewent.Theothersall sat in thecavewaitingandwondering.Theywaited nearly five minutes.Then they heard something

that frightened them verymuch. They heard voices."Oh," thought Lucy, "he'sbeenseen.She'scaughthim!"

Great was their surprisewhenalittlelater,theyheardMr Beaver's voice calling tothem from just outside thecave.

"It's all right," he wasshouting. "Come out, MrsBeaver. Come out, Sons andDaughters of Adam. It's allright! It isn't Her!" This was

bad grammar of course, butthatishowbeaverstalkwhenthey are excited; I mean, inNarnia - in our world theyusuallydon'ttalkatall.

So Mrs Beaver and thechildrencamebundlingoutofthe cave, all blinking in thedaylight, and with earth allover them, and looking veryfrowsty and unbrushed anduncombedandwith thesleepintheireyes.

"Come on!" cried Mr

Beaver, who was almostdancing with delight. "Comeandsee!Thisisanastyknockfor the Witch! It looks as ifher power is alreadycrumbling."

"What do you mean, MrBeaver?"pantedPeterastheyall scrambled up the steepbankofthevalleytogether.

"Didn't I tell you,"answered Mr Beaver, "thatshe'd made it always winterandneverChristmas?Didn'tI

tellyou?Well,justcomeandsee!"

And then theywereallatthetopanddidsee.

Itwasasledge,anditwasreindeer with bells on theirharness. But they were farbigger than the Witch'sreindeer, and they were notwhitebutbrown.Andon thesledge sat a person whomeveryone knew the momenttheyseteyesonhim.Hewasa huge man. in a bright red

robe (bright as hollyberries)with a hood that had furinside it and a great whitebeard, that fell like a foamywaterfalloverhischest.

Everyone knew himbecause, though you seepeople of his sort only inNarnia, you see pictures ofthem and hear them talkedabouteveninourworld-theworld on this side of thewardrobedoor.ButwhenyoureallyseetheminNarniaitis

rather different. Some of thepictures of Father Christmasin our world make him lookonlyfunnyandjolly.Butnowthat the children actuallystood looking at him theydidn't find it quite like that.He was so big, and so glad,and so real, that they allbecame quite still. They feltveryglad,butalsosolemn.

"I've come at last," saidhe."Shehaskeptmeoutforalongtime,butIhavegotinat

last. Aslan is on the move.The Witch's magic isweakening."

And Lucy felt runningthrough her that deep shiverof gladness which you onlyget if you are being solemnandstill.

"And now," said FatherChristmas,"foryourpresents.There is a new and bettersewingmachineforyou,MrsBeaver. Iwilldrop it inyourhouseas,Ipass."

"If you please, sir," saidMrs Beaver, making acurtsey."It'slockedup."

"Locksandboltsmakenodifferencetome,"saidFatherChristmas. "And as for you,Mr Beaver, when you gethomeyouwillfindyourdamfinished and mended and allthe leaks stopped and a newsluicegatefitted."

MrBeaverwassopleasedthatheopenedhismouthverywide and then found he

couldn'tsayanythingatall."Peter,Adam'sSon,"said

FatherChristmas."Here,sir,"saidPeter."Theseareyourpresents,"

wastheanswer,"andtheyaretoolsnottoys.Thetimetousethemisperhapsnearathand.Bear them well." With thesewords he handed to Peter ashield and a sword. Theshieldwasthecolourofsilverand across it there ramped ared lion, as bright as a ripe

strawberry at the momentwhenyoupick it.Thehiltofthe swordwasof gold and ithadasheathandaswordbeltandeverythingitneeded,anditwas just the right size andweightforPeter touse.Peterwas silent and solemn as hereceived these gifts, for hefelt theywere a very seriouskindofpresent.

"Susan, Eve's Daughter,"saidFatherChristmas."Theseare for you," and he handed

herabowandaquiverfullofarrowsandalittleivoryhorn."Youmust use the bow onlyingreatneed,"hesaid,"forIdo not mean you to fight inthe battle. It does not easilymiss.Andwhenyouput thishorntoyourlips;andblowit,then, wherever you are, Ithink help of some kindwillcometoyou."

Lastofallhesaid,"Lucy,Eve's Daughter," and Lucycame forward.Hegavehera

little bottle of what lookedlike glass (but people saidafterwardsthatitwasmadeofdiamond)andasmalldagger."Inthisbottle,"hesaid,"thereiscordialmadeofthejuiceofone of the fireflowers thatgrow in themountainsof thesun. If you or any of yourfriendsishurt,afewdropsofthis restore them. And thedagger is todefendyourseatgreat need. For you also arenottobeinbattle."

"Why, sir?" saidLucy. "Ithink - I don't know but Ithink I could be braveenough."

"Thatisnotthepoint,"hesaid. "But battles are uglywhenwomenfight.Andnow"-herehesuddenlylookedlessgrave-"hereissomethingforthemoment foryouall!"andhe brought out (I supposefrom thebigbagathisback,butnobodyquitesawhimdoit)alargetraycontainingfive

cups and saucers, a bowl oflump sugar, a jug of cream,and a great big teapot allsizzlingandpipinghot.Thenhe cried out "MerryChristmas!LonglivethetrueKing!"andcrackedhiswhip,and he and the reindeer andthesledgeandallwereoutofsight before anyone realizedthattheyhadstarted.

Peter had just drawn hissword out of its sheath andwasshowingittoMrBeaver,

whenMrsBeaversaid:"Now then, now then!

Don't stand talking there tillthe tea's got cold. Just likemen.Comeandhelptocarrythe traydownandwe'll havebreakfast. What a mercy Ithoughtofbringingthebread-knife."

So down the steep bankthey went and back to thecave, and Mr Beaver cutsome of the bread and haminto sandwiches and Mrs

Beaverpouredouttheteaandeveryoneenjoyedthemselves.But long before they hadfinished enjoying themselvesMrBeaver said, "Time to bemovingonnow."

CHAPTERELEVENASLANISNEAREREDMUND meanwhile

had been having a mostdisappointingtime.Whenthedwarf had gone to get thesledgereadyheexpectedthatthe Witch would start being

nice to him, as she had beenat their lastmeeting.But shesaidnothingatall.AndwhenatlastEdmundpluckeduphiscourage to say, "Please, yourMajesty, could I have someTurkishDelight?You-you-said -" she answered,"Silence, fool!" Then sheappeared to change hermindand said, as if to herself, a"And yet it will not do tohave the brat fainting on theway,"andoncemoreclapped

her hands. Another, dwarfappeared.

"Bringthehumancreaturefoodanddrink,"shesaid.

Thedwarfwentawayandpresentlyreturnedbringinganironbowlwithsomewaterinit and an iron plate with ahunk of dry bread on it. Hegrinnedinarepulsivemanneras he set them down on thefloor beside Edmund andsaid:

"Turkish Delight for the

littlePrince.Ha!Ha!Ha!""Take it away," said

Edmundsulkily."Idon'twantdry bread." But the Witchsuddenly turned on himwithsuch a terrible expression onher face that he, apologizedand began to nibble at thebread, though, itwassostalehecouldhardlygetitdown.

"Youmaybegladenoughof it before you taste breadagain,"saidtheWitch.

While he was still

chewingaway thefirstdwarfcame back and announcedthat the sledge was ready.The White Witch rose andwentout,orderingEdmundtogo with her. The snow wasagain falling as they cameinto the courtyard, but shetook no notice of that andmade Edmund sit beside heronthesledge.ButbeforetheydroveoffshecalledMaugrimandhecameboundinglikeanenormous dog to the side of

thesledge."Take with you the

swiftest of your wolves andgoatoncetothehouseoftheBeavers," said the Witch,"and kill whatever you findthere. If they are alreadygone, thenmake all speed totheStoneTable,butdonotbeseen. Wait for me there inhiding. Imeanwhilemust gomany miles to the Westbefore I find a placewhere Ican drive across the river.

You may overtake thesehumansbeforetheyreachtheStone Table. You will knowwhattodoifyoufindthem!"

"I hear and obey, OQueen," growled the Wolf,and immediately he shotaway into the snow anddarkness, as quickly as ahorse can gallop. In a fewminuteshehadcalledanotherwolfandwaswithhimdownon the dam sniffing at theBeavers'house.Butofcourse

theyfounditempty.Itwouldhavebeenadreadfulthingforthe Beavers and the childrenif the night had remainedfine, for the wolves wouldthenhavebeenabletofollowtheir trail - and ten to onewould have overtaken thembefore they had got to thecave. But now that the snowhad begun again the scentwas cold and even thefootprintswerecoveredup.

Meanwhile the dwarf

whippedup the reindeer, andtheWitchandEdmunddroveoutunderthearchwayandonand away into the darknessand the cold. This was aterrible journey for Edmund,whohadnocoat.Beforetheyhadbeengoingquarterof anhourall the frontofhimwascoveredwith snow -he soonstopped trying to shake itoffbecause,asquicklyashedidthat, a new lot gathered, andhewassotired.Soonhewas

wettotheskin.Andoh,howmiserable he was! It didn'tlook now as if the WitchintendedtomakehimaKing.All the things he had said tomakehimselfbelievethatshewas good and kind and thather side was really the rightside sounded to him sillynow. He would have givenanythingtomeettheothersatthis moment - even Peter!The only way to comforthimself now was to try to

believe that the whole thingwas a dream and that hemight wake up at anymoment. And as they wenton, hour after hour, it didcometoseemlikeadream.

This lasted longer than IcoulddescribeevenifIwrotepagesandpagesaboutit.ButI will skip on to the timewhen the snow had stoppedand the morning had comeandtheywereracingalonginthe daylight. And still they

went on and on, with nosound but the everlastingswish of the snow and thecreaking of the reindeer'sharness. And then at last theWitch said, "What have wehere?Stop!"andtheydid.

How Edmund hoped shewas going to say somethingabout breakfast! But she hadstopped for quite a differentreason.Alittlewayoffatthefoot of a tree sat a merryparty, a squirrel and hiswife

with their children and twosatyrsandadwarfandanolddogfox, all on stools round atable. Edmund couldn't quitesee what they were eating,but it smelled lovely andthere seemed to bedecorations of holly and hewasn'tatallsurethathedidn'tsee something like a plumpudding. At the momentwhen the sledge stopped, theFox, who was obviously theoldestpersonpresent,hadjust

risen to its feet, holding aglass in its right paw as if itwas going to say something.But when the whole partysaw the sledge stopping andwho was in it, all the gaietywent out of their faces. Thefather squirrel stopped eatingwith his fork half-way to hismouth and one of the satyrsstoppedwith its forkactuallyin its mouth, and the babysquirrels squeaked withterror.

"What is the meaning ofthis?"askedtheWitchQueen.Nobodyanswered.

"Speak,vermin!"shesaidagain. "Or do you want mydwarf to find you a tonguewith his whip? What is themeaning of all this gluttony,this waste, thisselfindulgence? Where didyougetallthesethings?"

"Please, your Majesty,"saidtheFox,"weweregiventhem.AndifImightmakeso

bold as to drink yourMajesty'sverygoodhealth-"

"Whogavethemtoyou?"saidtheWitch.

"F-F-F-FatherChristmas,"stammeredtheFox.

"What?" roared theWitch, springing from thesledge and taking a fewstrides nearer to the terrifiedanimals. "He has not beenhere! He cannot have beenhere!Howdareyou-butno.Sayyouhavebeen lyingand

you shall even now beforgiven."

Atthatmomentoneoftheyoung squirrels lost its headcompletely.

"He has - he has - hehas!" it squeaked, beating itslittle spoon on the table.Edmund saw the Witch biteher lips so that a drop ofblood appeared on her whitecheek. Then she raised herwand. "Oh, don't, don't,please don't," shouted

Edmund, but even while hewas shouting she had wavedherwandandinstantlywherethe merry party had beenthere were only statues ofcreatures (one with its stoneforkfixedforeverhalf-waytoitsstonemouth)seatedrounda stone table on which therewerestoneplatesandastoneplumpudding.

"As for you," said theWitch, giving Edmund astunning blowon the face as

she re-mounted the sledge,"let that teach you to askfavour for spies and traitors.Drive on!" And Edmund forthefirsttimeinthisstoryfeltsorry for someone besideshimself. It seemed so pitifulto think of those little stonefigures sitting there all thesilent days and all the darknights,yearafteryear,tillthemoss grew on them and atlasteventheirfacescrumbledaway.

Now they were steadilyracing on again. And soonEdmund noticed that thesnowwhich splashed againstthem as they rushed throughitwasmuchwetterthanithadbeen all last night. At thesame timehe noticed that hewasfeelingmuchlesscold.Itwas also becoming foggy. Infact every minute it grewfoggier andwarmer.And thesledgewasnotrunningnearlyaswellasithadbeenrunning

up till now. At first hethought this was because thereindeerwere tired, but soonhe saw that that couldn't bethe real reason. The sledgejerked, and skidded and kepton jolting as if it had struckagainst stones. And howeverthe dwarf whipped the poorreindeer the sledge wentslowerandslower.Therealsoseemed tobe a curiousnoiseall round them, but the noiseof their driving and jolting

and the dwarf's shouting atthe reindeer preventedEdmundfromhearingwhatitwas,untilsuddenlythesledgestuck so fast that it wouldn'tgo on at all. When thathappened there was amoment'ssilence.Andinthatsilence Edmund could at lastlisten to the other noiseproperly. A strange, sweet,rustling, chattering noise -and yet not so strange, forhe'd heard it before - if only

he could remember where!Then all at once he didremember.Itwasthenoiseofrunning water. All roundthem though out of sight,there were streams,chattering, murmuring,bubbling, splashing and even(inthedistance)roaring.Andhis heart gave a great leap(thoughhehardlyknewwhy)whenherealizedthatthefrostwas over. And much nearerthere was a drip-drip-drip

from the branches of all thetrees.And then,ashe lookedatonetreehesawagreatloadof snow slide off it and forthe first time since he hadentered Narnia he saw thedark green of a fir tree. Buthe hadn't time to listen orwatch any longer, for theWitchsaid:

"Don't sit staring, fool!Getoutandhelp."

And of course Edmundhad to obey. He stepped out

into the snow - but it wasreally only slush by now -and began helping the dwarfto get the sledge out of themuddy hole it had got into.Theygotitoutintheend,andby being very cruel to thereindeer the dwarf managedto get it on the move again,andtheydrovealittlefurther.Andnowthesnowwasreallymelting in earnest andpatches of green grass werebeginning to appear in every

direction. Unless you havelookedataworldofsnowaslong as Edmund had beenlooking at it, youwill hardlybe able to imagine what arelief those green patcheswere after the endless white.Then the sledge stoppedagain.

"It's no good, yourMajesty,"saidthedwarf."Wecan'tsledgeinthisthaw."

"Then we must walk,"saidtheWitch.

"We shall never overtakethem walking," growled thedwarf. "Not with the startthey'vegot."

"Areyoumycouncillorormy slave?" said the Witch."Do as you're told. Tie thehands of the human creaturebehinditandkeepholdoftheend of the rope. And takeyour whip. And cut theharnessofthereindeer;they'llfindtheirownwayhome."

Thedwarfobeyed,andin

afewminutesEdmundfoundhimself being forced towalkas fast as he could with hishands tied behind him. Hekept on slipping in the slushand mud and wet grass, andevery time he slipped thedwarf gave him a curse andsometimes a flick with thewhip. The Witch walkedbehindthedwarfandkeptonsaying,"Faster!Faster!"

Every moment thepatchesofgreengrewbigger

andthepatchesofspowgrewsmaller.Everymomentmoreand more of the trees shookofftheirrobesofsnow.Soon,whereveryou looked, insteadof white shapes you saw thedarkgreenoffirsortheblackpricklybranchesofbareoaksand beeches and elms. Thenthemistturnedfromwhitetogold and presently clearedaway altogether. Shafts ofdelicious sunlight struckdown on to the forest floor

andoverheadyoucouldseeablue sky between the treetops.

Soon there were morewonderful things happening.Coming suddenly round acorner into a glade of silverbirch trees Edmund saw theground covered in alldirections with little yellowflowers - celandines. Thenoise of water grew louder.Presently they actuallycrossed a stream. Beyond it

they found snowdropsgrowing.

"Mind your ownbusiness!" said the dwarfwhen he saw that Edmundhadturnedhisheadtolookatthem;andhegave theropeaviciousjerk.

But of course this didn'tpreventEdmundfromseeing.Only five minutes later henoticed a dozen crocusesgrowing round the footofanoldtree-goldandpurpleand

white. Then came a soundevenmore delicious than thesound of the water. Closebeside the path they werefollowing a bird suddenlychirped from the branch of atree. It was answered by thechuckleofanotherbirdalittlefurther off. And then, as ifthat had been a signal, therewaschatteringandchirrupingineverydirection,andthenamoment of full song, andwithinfiveminutesthewhole

woodwas ringingwithbirds'music, and whereverEdmund'seyesturnedhesawbirds alighting on branches,orsailingoverheadorchasingone another or having theirlittle quarrels or tidying uptheir feathers with theirbeaks.

"Faster! Faster!" said theWitch.

Therewasnotraceof thefog now. The sky becamebluer and bluer, and now

there were white cloudshurrying across it from timeto time. In the wide gladestherewereprimroses.A lightbreeze sprang up whichscattered drops of moisturefrom the swaying branchesand carried cool, deliciousscentsagainstthefacesofthetravellers.The trees began tocome fullyalive.The larchesand birches were coveredwith green, the laburnumswith gold. Soon the beech

trees had put forth theirdelicate, transparent leaves.As the travellers walkedunder them the light alsobecame green.A bee buzzedacrosstheirpath.

"Thisisnothaw,"saidthedwarf, suddenly stopping."This isSpring.Whatareweto do?Your winter has beendestroyed, I tell you! This isAslan'sdoing."

"If either of youmentionthat name again," said the

Witch, "he shall instantly bekilled."

CHAPTERTWELVEPETER'S FIRST

BATTLEWHILEthedwarfandthe

White Witch were sayingthis, miles away the Beaversand the children werewalking on hour after hourintowhat seemed a deliciousdream.Longagotheyhadleftthe coats behind them. Andby now they had even

stopped saying to oneanother, "Look! there's akingfisher," or "I say,bluebells!"or"Whatwasthatlovely smell?" or "Just listento that thrush!" Theywalkedoninsilencedrinkingitallin,passing through patches ofwarm sunlight into cool,green thickets and out againintowidemossygladeswheretallelmsraisedtheleafyrooffar overhead, and then intodense masses of flowering

currant and among hawthornbusheswherethesweetsmellwasalmostoverpowering.

They had been just assurprised as Edmund whentheysawthewintervanishingand the whole wood passingin a few hours or so fromJanuary toMay. They hadn'teven known for certain (asthe Witch did) that this waswhat would happen whenAslan came to Narnia. Butthey all knew that itwas her

spells which had producedthe endless winter; andtherefore theyallknewwhenthis magic spring began thatsomething had gone wrong,and badly wrong, with theWitch's schemes. And afterthe thaw had been going onfor some time they allrealizedthattheWitchwouldno longer be able to use hersledge. After that they didn'thurry so much and theyallowed themselves more

rests and longer ones. Theywere pretty tired by now ofcourse; but not what I'd callbitterly tired - only slow andfeelingverydreamyandquietinside as one doeswhen oneiscomingtotheendofalongday in theopen.Susanhadaslightblisterononeheel.

They had left the courseof the big river some timeago; for one had to turn alittletotheright(thatmeantalittletothesouth)toreachthe

place of the Stone Table.Evenifthishadnotbeentheirway they couldn't have keptto the river valley once thethaw began, for with all thatmelting snow the river wassoon in flood - a wonderful,roaring, thundering yellowflood - and their path wouldhavebeenunderwater.

Andnowthesungot lowand the light got redder andthe shadows got longer andthe flowers began to think

aboutclosing."Not long now," saidMr

Beaver, and began leadingthemuphillacrosssomeverydeep, springy moss (it feltniceunder their tired feet) ina place where only tall treesgrew, very wide apart. Theclimb, coming at the end ofthe long day, made them allpant and blow. And just asLucywaswonderingwhethershecouldreallygettothetopwithout another long rest,

suddenlytheywereatthetop.Andthisiswhattheysaw.

They were on a greenopen space from which youcouldlookdownontheforestspreadingas farasonecouldseeineverydirection-exceptright ahead.There, far to theEast, was somethingtwinkling and moving. "Bygum!" whispered Peter toSusan, "the sea!" In the verymiddle of this open hill-topwastheStoneTable.Itwasa

greatgrim slabofgrey stonesupported on four uprightstones. It looked very old;and it was cut all over withstrange lines and figures thatmight be the letters of anunknown language. Theygave you a curious feelingwhen you looked at them.The next thing they sawwasapavilionpitchedononesideof the open place. Awonderful pavilion it was -and especially nowwhen the

light of the setting sun fellupon it - with sides of whatlooked like yellow silk andcords of crimson and tent-pegsofivory;andhighaboveit on a pole a banner whichbore a red rampant lionflutteringinthebreezewhichwas blowing in their facesfrom the far-off sea. Whiletheywerelookingatthistheyheard a sound of music ontheirright;andturninginthatdirection they sawwhat they

hadcometosee.Aslan stood in the centre

of a crowd of creatures whohad grouped themselvesround him in the shape of ahalf-moon. There were Tree-Women there and Well-Women (Dryads and Naiadsas they used to be called inour world) who had stringedinstruments; it was theywhohad made the music. Therewerefourgreatcentaurs.Thehorse part of them was like

huge English farm horses,and the man part was likestern but beautiful giants.Therewasalsoaunicorn,andabullwiththeheadofaman,and a pelican, and an eagle,andagreatDog.AndnexttoAslan stood two leopards ofwhom one carried his crownandtheotherhisstandard.

But as forAslan himself,the Beavers and the childrendidn'tknowwhattodoorsaywhen they saw him. People

whohavenotbeen inNarniasometimes think that a thingcannotbegoodandterribleatthesametime.Ifthechildrenhad ever thought so, theywere cured of it now. Forwhen they tried to look atAslan'sfacetheyjustcaughtaglimpse of the golden maneand the great, royal, solemn,overwhelmingeyes; and thentheyfoundtheycouldn't lookathimandwentalltrembly.

"Go on," whispered Mr

Beaver."No," whispered Peter,

"youfirst.""No, Sons of Adam

before animals," whisperedMrBeaverbackagain.

"Susan,"whisperedPeter,"What about you? Ladiesfirst."

"No, you're the eldest,"whispered Susan. And ofcourse the longer they wenton doing this the moreawkward they felt. Then at

lastPeter realized that itwasuptohim.Hedrewhisswordandraisedittothesaluteandhastily saying to the others"Come on. Pull yourselvestogether,"headvanced to theLionandsaid:

"Wehavecome-Aslan.""Welcome, Peter, Son of

Adam," said Aslan."Welcome, Susan and Lucy,Daughters of Eve. WelcomeHe-BeaverandShe-Beaver."

His voice was deep and

rich and somehow took thefidgets out of them. Theynowfeltgladandquietanditdidn'tseemawkwardtothemtostandandsaynothing.

"Butwhereisthefourth?"askedAslan.

"He has tried to betraythem and joined the WhiteWitch, O Aslan," said MrBeaver. And then somethingmadePetersay,

"Thatwaspartlymyfault,Aslan. Iwas angrywith him

andIthinkthathelpedhimtogowrong."

And Aslan said nothingeither to excuse Peter or toblame him but merely stoodlookingathimwithhisgreatunchanging eyes. And itseemed to all of them thattherewasnothingtobesaid.

"Please - Aslan," saidLucy, "can anything be donetosaveEdmund?"

"All shall be done," saidAslan. "But itmaybeharder

thanyou think."And thenhewas silent again for sometime. Up to that momentLucy had been thinking howroyalandstrongandpeacefulhis face looked; now itsuddenly came into her headthat he looked sad as well.But next minute thatexpression was quite gone.TheLionshookhismaneandclapped his paws together("Terrible paws," thoughtLucy,"ifhedidn'tknowhow

tovelvetthem!")andsaid,"Meanwhile, let the feast

be prepared. Ladies, taketheseDaughtersofEvetothepavilion and minister tothem."

When the girls had goneAslan laid his paw - andthoughitwasvelveteditwasvery heavy - on Peter'sshoulder and said, "Come,SonofAdam,andIwillshowyou a far-off sight of thecastle where you are to be

King."AndPeterwithhissword

still drawn in his hand wentwith the Lion to the easternedge of the hilltop. There abeautifulsightmettheireyes.The sun was setting behindtheir backs. That meant thatthe whole country belowthemlayintheeveninglight-forest and hills and valleysand, winding away like asilversnake,thelowerpartofthe great river. And beyond

all this, miles away, was thesea, and beyond the sea thesky, full of clouds whichwere just turning rose colourwith the reflection of thesunset. But just where theland of Narniamet the sea -in fact, at the mouth of thegreat river - there wassomething on a little hill,shining. It was shiningbecauseitwasacastleandofcourse the sunlight wasreflected from all the

windows which lookedtowardsPeterand thesunset;but to Peter it looked like agreat star resting on theseashore.

"That, O Man," saidAslan,"isCairParavelofthefourthrones, inoneofwhichyoumust sit asKing. I showit toyoubecauseyouare thefirst-born and you will beHighKingoveralltherest."

AndoncemorePetersaidnothing,foratthatmomenta

strange noise woke thesilencesuddenly.Itwaslikeabugle,butricher.

"It is your sister's horn,"said Aslan to Peter in a lowvoice;solowas tobealmostapurr,ifitisnotdisrespectfultothinkofaLionpurring.

For a moment Peter didnot understand. Then, whenhesawall theothercreaturesstartforwardandheardAslansay with a wave of his paw,"Back!LetthePrincewinhis

spurs,"hedidunderstand,andset off running as hard as hecould to the pavilion. Andtherehesawadreadfulsight.

The Naiads and Dryadswere scattering in everydirection. Lucy was runningtowards him as fast as hershort legs would carry herandher facewas aswhite aspaper. Then he saw Susanmake a dash for a tree, andswingherselfup,followedbya huge grey beast. At first

Peter thought it was a bear.Then he saw that it lookedlike an Alsatian, though itwas far too big to be a dog.Thenherealizedthatitwasawolf - awolf standing on itshindlegs,withitsfrontpawsagainst the tree-trunk,snappingandsnarling.Allthehair on its back stood up onend.Susanhadnotbeenabletogethigher than the secondbig branch. One of her legshung down so that her foot

was only an inch or twoabove the snapping teeth.Peter wondered why she didnotgethigheroratleasttakeabettergrip;thenherealizedthat she was just going tofaint and that if she faintedshewouldfalloff.

Peter did not feel verybrave; indeed, he felt hewasgoing to be sick. But thatmade no difference to whathe had to do. He rushedstraightuptothemonsterand

aimedaslashofhisswordatits side. That stroke neverreached the Wolf. Quick aslightning it turned round, itseyes flaming, and its mouthwideopeninahowlofanger.If it had not been so angrythat it simply had to howl itwould have got him by thethroat at once. As it was -though all this happened tooquickly for Peter to think atall -hehadjust timetoduckdown and plunge his sword,

as hard as he could, betweenthe brute's forelegs into itsheart. Then came a horrible,confused moment likesomethinginanightmare.Hewas tugging and pulling andtheWolfseemedneitheralivenor dead, and its bared teethknockedagainsthisforehead,andeverythingwasbloodandheatandhair.Amomentlaterhefoundthatthemonsterlaydead and he had drawn hissword out of it and was

straightening his back andrubbingthesweatoffhisfaceand out of his eyes. He felttiredallover.

Then, after a bit, Susancamedown the tree.She andPeter felt pretty shaky whentheymetandIwon'tsaytherewasn't kissing and crying onboth sides. But in Narnia noone thinks any the worse ofyouforthat.

"Quick! Quick!" shoutedthevoiceofAslan."Centaurs!

Eagles! I see anotherwolf inthe thickets. There - behindyou.Hehasjustdartedaway.Afterhim,allofyou.Hewillbegoingtohismistress.Nowis your chance to find theWitch and rescue the fourthSonofAdam."And instantlywith a thunder of hoofs andbeating of wings a dozen orso of the swiftest creaturesdisappearedintothegatheringdarkness.

Peter, still out of breath,

turnedandsawAslancloseathand.

"You have forgotten toclean your sword," saidAslan.

Itwas true.Peterblushedwhenhe looked at the brightblade and saw it all smearedwith the Wolf's hair andblood.He stooped down andwiped it quite clean on thegrass,andthenwipeditquitedryonhiscoat.

"Handittomeandkneel,

Son of Adam," said Aslan.AndwhenPeterhaddone sohestruckhimwiththeflatofthe blade and said, "Rise up,Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane. And,whatever happens, neverforgettowipeyoursword."

NowwemustgetbacktoEdmund. When he had beenmadetowalkfarfurtherthanhe had ever known thatanybody could walk, theWitchat lasthalted inadarkvalleyallovershadowedwith

fir trees and yew trees.Edmund simply sank downand lay on his face doingnothing at all and not evencaring what was going tohappen next provided theywouldlethimliestill.Hewastoo tired even to notice howhungry and thirsty he was.The Witch and the dwarfweretalkingclosebesidehiminlowtones.

"No,"saidthedwarf,"itisno use now, O Queen. They

must have reached the StoneTablebynow."

"Perhaps the Wolf willsmell us out and bring usnews,"saidtheWitch.

"Itcannotbegoodnewsifhedoes,"saidthedwarf.

"Four thrones in CairParavel," said the Witch."How if only three werefilled? That would not fulfiltheprophecy."

"What difference wouldthat make now that He is

here?"saidthedwarf.Hedidnot dare, even now, tomentionthenameofAslantohismistress.

"He may not stay long.And then - we would falluponthethreeatCair."

"Yet it might be better,"said the dwarf, "to keep thisone" (here he kickedEdmund) "for bargainingwith."

CHAPTERTHIRTEENDEEP MAGIC FROM

THEDAWNOFTIME"Yes! and have him

rescued," said the Witchscornfully.

"Then," said the dwarf,"we had better do what wehavetodoatonce."

"I would like to have itdone on the Stone Tableitself," said theWitch. "Thatis the proper place. That iswhere it has always beendonebefore."

"It will be a long time

now before the Stone Tablecanagainbeputtoitsproperuse,"saidthedwarf.

"True," said the Witch;andthen,"Well,Iwillbegin."

At that moment with arush and a snarl a Wolfrusheduptothem.

"I have seen them. Theyare all at the Stone Table,with Him. They have killedmy captain, Maugrim. I washiddeninthethicketsandsawit all. One of the Sons of

Adamkilledhim.Fly!Fly!""No," said the Witch.

"Thereneedbenoflying.Goquickly. Summon all ourpeople to meet me here asspeedilyastheycan.Calloutthegiantsandthewerewolvesand the spirits of those treeswhoareonourside.Call theGhouls, and theBoggles, theOgresandtheMinotaurs.Callthe Cruels, the Hags, theSpectres, and the people oftheToadstools.Wewillfight.

What? Have I not still mywand? Will not their ranksturn into stone even as theycome on? Be off quickly, Ihave a little thing to finishherewhileyouareaway."

Thegreatbruteboweditshead, turned, and gallopedaway.

"Now!" she said, "wehavenotable-letmesee.Wehad better put it against thetrunkofatree."

Edmund found himself

being roughly forced to hisfeet. Then the dwarf set himwith his back against a treeand bound him fast. He sawthe Witch take off her outermantle. Her arms were bareunderneath it and terriblywhite. Because they were soverywhitehecouldseethem,but he could not see muchelse, it was so dark in thisvalleyunderthedarktrees.

"Preparethevictim,",saidthe Witch. And the dwarf

undid Edmund's collar andfolded back his shirt at theneck.ThenhetookEdmund'shairandpulledhisheadbackso that he had to raise hischin. After that Edmundheardastrangenoise-whizzwhizz-whizz.Foramomenthecouldn'tthinkwhatitwas.Then he realized. It was thesound of a knife beingsharpened.

At that very moment heheardloudshoutsfromevery

direction - a drumming ofhoofsandabeatingofwings- a scream from theWitch -confusionallroundhim.Andthen he found he was beinguntied. Strong arms wereround him and he heard big,kindvoicessayingthingslike-

"Let him lie down - givehim somewine - drink this -steady now - you'll be allrightinaminute."

Then he heard the voices

of people who were nottalking to him but to oneanother. And they weresayingthingslike"Who'sgotthe Witch?" "I thought youhad her." "I didn't see herafter I knocked the knife outof her hand - Iwas after thedwarf - do you mean to sayshe's escaped?" "- A chapcan'tmindeverythingatonce- what's that? Oh, sorry, it'sonly an old stump!"But justatthispointEdmundwentoff

inadeadfaint.Presentlythecentaursand

unicorns and deer and birds(they were of course therescuepartywhichAslanhadsentinthelastchapter)allsetoff to go back to the StoneTable,carryingEdmundwiththem.But if they could haveseen what happened in thatvalley after they had gone, Ithink they might have beensurprised.

It was perfectly still and

presently the moon grewbright; if you had been thereyou would have seen themoonlight shining on an oldtree-stumpandona fairsizedboulder.But if youhadgoneon looking you wouldgraduallyhavebeguntothinkthere was something oddaboutboth thestumpand theboulder.Andnextyouwouldhave thought that the stumpdid look really remarkablylikealittlefatmancrouching

ontheground.Andifyouhadwatched long enough youwould have seen the stumpwalk across to the boulderand the boulder sit up andbegin talking to the stump;for in reality the stump andthe boulder were simply theWitch and the dwarf. For itwaspartofhermagicthatshecould make things look likewhat theyaren't,andshehadthepresenceofmindtodosoat theverymomentwhenthe

knifewasknockedoutofherhand. She had kept hold ofherwand,soithadbeenkeptsafe,too.

When the other childrenwoke up next morning (theyhadbeensleepingonpilesofcushions in the pavilion) thefirst thing they heard -fromMrs Beaver - was that theirbrotherhadbeenrescuedandbrought into camp late lastnight;andwasatthatmomentwith Aslan. As soon as they

had breakfasted4 they allwent out, and there they sawAslan and Edmund walkingtogether in the dewy grass,apart from the rest of thecourt.Thereisnoneedtotellyou (and no one ever heard)whatAslanwassaying,butitwas a conversation whichEdmundnever forgot.As theothers drew nearer Aslanturnedtomeetthem,bringingEdmundwithhim.

"Hereisyourbrother,"he

said, "and - there is no needto talk to him about what ispast."

Edmund shook handswith each of the others andsaid to each of them in turn,"I'm sorry," and everyonesaid, "That's all right." Andthen everyone wanted veryhard to say somethingwhichwouldmakeitquiteclearthattheywereallfriendswithhimagain -something ordinaryandnatural-andofcourseno

onecouldthinkofanythinginthe world to say. But beforethey had time to feel reallyawkward one of the leopardsapproachedAslanandsaid,

"Sire,thereisamessengerfrom the enemy who cravesaudience."

"Let him approach," saidAslan.

The leopard went awayandsoonreturnedleadingtheWitch'sdwarf.

"What is your message,

SonofEarth?"askedAslan."TheQueenofNarniaand

Empress of the Lone Islandsdesires a safe conduct tocome and speak with you,"said the dwarf, "on a matterwhich is as much to youradvantageastohers."

"Queen of Narnia,indeed!"saidMrBeaver."Ofallthecheek-"

"Peace, Beaver," saidAslan. "All names will soonbe restored to their proper

owners. In the meantime wewill not dispute about them.Tell your mistress, Son ofEarth, that I grant her safeconductonconditionthatsheleavesherwandbehindheratthatgreatoak."

This was agreed to andtwo leopardswent backwiththe dwarf to see that theconditions were properlycarried out. "But supposingshe turns the two leopardsinto stone?" whispered Lucy

toPeter.Ithinkthesameideahad occurred to the leopardsthemselves; at any rate, astheywalkedoff their furwasallstandingupontheirbacksandtheirtailswerebristling-like a cat's when it sees astrangedog.

"It'll be all right,"whisperedPeterinreply."Hewouldn't send them if itweren't."

A few minutes later theWitch herself walked out on

tothetopofthehillandcamestraight across and stoodbefore Aslan. The threechildrenwhohadnotseenherbefore felt shudders runningdown their backs at the sightof her face; and there werelow growls among all theanimals present. Though itwasbrightsunshineeveryonefelt suddenly cold. The onlytwo people present whoseemed to be quite at theirease were Aslan and the

Witch herself. It was theoddest thing tosee those twofaces - the golden face andthe dead-white face so closetogether. Not that the Witchlooked Aslan exactly in hiseyes;MrsBeaverparticularlynoticedthis.

"Youhavea traitor there,Aslan," said the Witch. Ofcourseeveryonepresentknewthat she meant Edmund. ButEdmundhadgotpastthinkingabout himself after all he'd

been through and after thetalk he'd had that morning.He just went on looking atAslan.Itdidn'tseemtomatterwhattheWitchsaid.

"Well," said Aslan. "Hisoffencewasnotagainstyou."

"Have you forgotten theDeep Magic?" asked theWitch.

"Let us say I haveforgotten it," answeredAslangravely."TellusofthisDeepMagic."

"Tell you?" said theWitch, her voice growingsuddenly shriller. "Tell youwhat is written on that veryTable of Stone which standsbeside us? Tell you what iswritten in letters deep as aspearislongonthefirestoneson the Secret Hill? Tell youwhat is engraved on thesceptre of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea?Youat leastknow the Magic which theEmperor put into Narnia at

the very beginning. Youknow that every traitorbelongs to me as my lawfulprey and that for everytreachery I have a right to akill."

"Oh," said Mr Beaver."So that's how you came toimagine yourself a queen -because you were theEmperor'shangman.Isee."

"Peace, Beaver," saidAslan,withaverylowgrowl."And so," continued the

Witch, "that human creatureis mine. His life is forfeit tome. His blood is myproperty."

"Come and take it then,"said the Bull with the man'shead in a great bellowingvoice.

"Fool," said the Witchwith a savage smile thatwasalmostasnarl,"doyoureallythinkyourmastercanrobmeof my rights by mere force?He knows the Deep Magic

better than that. He knowsthatunlessIhavebloodastheLaw says all Narnia will beoverturned and perish in fireandwater."

"It is very true," saidAslan,"Idonotdenyit."

"Oh, Aslan!" whisperedSusanintheLion'sear,"can'twe - Imean, youwon't,willyou? Can't we do somethingabout the Deep Magic? Isn'tthere something you canworkagainstit?"

"Work against theEmperor's Magic?" saidAslan, turning to her withsomethinglikeafrownonhisface.And nobody evermadethatsuggestiontohimagain.

EdmundwasontheothersideofAslan, lookingall thetimeatAslan'sface.Hefeltachoking feeling andwondered if he ought to saysomething; but a momentlater he felt that he was notexpected to do anything

except to wait, and do whathewastold.

"Fall back, all of you,"saidAslan,"andIwilltalktotheWitchalone."

Theyallobeyed. Itwasaterrible time this - waitingandwonderingwhiletheLionand the Witch talkedearnestly together in lowvoices. Lucy said, "Oh,Edmund!" and began to cry.Peter stood with his back tothe others looking out at the

distant sea. The Beaversstood holding each other'spawswiththeirheadsbowed.The centaurs stampeduneasilywiththeirhoofs.Buteveryone became perfectlystill in the end, so that younoticed even small soundslikeabumble-beeflyingpast,orthebirdsintheforestdownbelow them, or the windrustling the leaves. And stillthe talk between Aslan andtheWhiteWitchwenton.

Atlast theyheardAslan'svoice, "You can all comeback,"hesaid."Ihavesettledthematter.Shehasrenouncedthe claim on your brother'sblood." And all over the hillthere was a noise as ifeveryone had been holdingtheir breath and had nowbegun breathing again, andthenamurmuroftalk.

The Witch was justturning away with a look offierce joy on her face when

shestoppedandsaid,"But how do I know this

promisewillbekept?""Haa-a-arrh!" roared

Aslan, half rising from histhrone; and his great mouthopened wider and wider andthe roar grew louder andlouder, and the Witch, afterstaringforamomentwithherlipswideapart,pickedupherskirts and fairly ran for herlife.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

THETRIUMPHOFTHEWITCH

AssoonastheWitchhadgone Aslan said, "We mustmovefromthisplaceatonce,it will be wanted for otherpurposes. We shall encamptonight at the Fords ofBeruna.

Of course everyone wasdyingtoaskhimhowhehadarranged matters with thewitch; but his facewas sternandeveryone'searswerestill

ringingwith the soundofhisroarandsonobodydared.

After a meal, which wastaken in the open air on thehill-top (for the sun had gotstrong by now and dried thegrass), they were busy for awhile taking the paviliondown and packing things up.Beforetwoo'clocktheywereonthemarchandsetoff inanortheasterly direction,walking at an easy pace fortheyhadnotfartogo.

Duringthefirstpartofthejourney Aslan explained toPeter his plan of campaign."As soon as she has finishedher business in these parts,"he said, "the Witch and hercrewwillalmostcertainlyfallback to her House andprepareforasiege.Youmayormaynotbeabletocutheroff and prevent her fromreachingit."Hethenwentontooutlinetwoplansofbattle-one for fighting the Witch

and her people in the woodandanotherforassaultinghercastle. And all the time hewas advising Peter how toconduct the operations,sayingthingslike,"YoumustputyourCentaursinsuchandsuch a place" or "You mustpost scouts to see that shedoesn't do so-and-so," till atlastPetersaid,

"But you will be thereyourself,Aslan."

"I can give you no

promise of that," answeredthe Lion. And he continuedgivingPeterhisinstructions.

For the last part of thejourney it was Susan andLucy who saw most of him.He did not talk very muchandseemedtothemtobesad.

It was still afternoonwhen they came down to aplace where the river valleyhadwidenedoutandtheriverwas broad and shallow. Thiswas theFordsofBeruna and

Aslan gave orders to halt onthis side of the water. ButPetersaid,

"Wouldn't it be better tocamponthefarside-forfearshe should try a night attackoranything?"

Aslan, who seemed tohave been thinking aboutsomething else, rousedhimself with a shake of hismagnificent mane and said,"Eh?What's that?"Petersaiditalloveragain.

"No,"saidAslaninadullvoice, as if it didn't matter."No. She will not make anattack to-night."And thenhesighed deeply. But presentlyhe added, "All the same itwas well thought of. That ishowa soldierought to think.But it doesn't really matter."So they proceeded to pitchtheircamp.

Aslan's mood affectedeveryone that evening. Peterwas feeling uncomfortable

tooattheideaoffightingthebattle on his own; the newsthatAslanmightnotbetherehadcomeasagreatshock tohim.Supperthateveningwasa quiet meal. Everyone felthowdifferentithadbeenlastnightoreventhatmorning.Itwas as if the good times,having just begun, werealreadydrawingtotheirend.

This feeling affectedSusan so much that shecouldn'tgettosleepwhenshe

went to bed. And after shehad lain counting sheep andturning over and over sheheard Lucy give a long sighand turn over just beside herinthedarkness.

"Can't you get to sleepeither?"saidSusan.

"No," said Lucy. "Ithought you were asleep. Isay,Susan!"

"What?""I've a most Horrible

feeling-asifsomethingwere

hangingoverus.""Haveyou?Because,asa

matteroffact,sohaveI.""SomethingaboutAslan,"

said Lucy. "Either somedreadful thing is going tohappen to him, or somethingdreadful that he's going todo."

"There's been somethingwrong with him allafternoon," said Susan."Lucy!Whatwasthathesaidaboutnotbeingwithusatthe

battle? You don't think hecould be stealing away andleavingustonight,doyou?"

"Where is he now?" saidLucy. "Is he here in thepavilion?"

"Idon'tthinkso.""Susan! let's go outside

and have a look round. Wemightseehim."

"All right. Let's," saidSusan;"wemightjustaswellbe doing that as lying awakehere."

Veryquietlythetwogirlsgroped their way among theothersleepersandcreptoutofthe tent. The moonlight wasbright and everything wasquitestillexceptforthenoiseof the river chattering overthe stones. Then Susansuddenly caught Lucy's armand said, "Look!"On the farside of the camping ground,just where the trees began,they saw the Lion slowlywalkingawayfromtheminto

the wood. Without a wordtheybothfollowedhim.

He led themup the steepslope out of the river valleyandthenslightlytotheright-apparently by the very sameroute which they had usedthatafternoonincomingfromthe Hill of the Stone Table.On and on he led them, intodark shadows and out intopale moonlight, getting theirfeetwetwith theheavydew.Helookedsomehowdifferent

from the Aslan they knew.His tail and his head hunglowandhewalkedslowlyasif he were very, very tired.Then, when they werecrossing a wide open placewhere there where noshadows for them to hide in,hestoppedandlookedround.Itwas no good trying to runaway so they came towardshim. When they were closerhesaid,

"Oh, children, children,

whyareyoufollowingme?""We couldn't sleep," said

Lucy-andthenfeltsure thatsheneedsaynomoreandthatAslanknewalltheyhadbeenthinking.

"Please, may we comewith you - wherever you'regoing?"askedSusan.

"Well -" said Aslan, andseemed to be thinking. Thenhe said, "I should be glad ofcompany tonight. Yes, youmay come, if you will

promise to stop when I tellyou, and after that leave metogoonalone."

"Oh, thank you, thankyou. And we will," said thetwogirls.

Forward they went againand one of the girls walkedoneachsideoftheLion.Buthow slowly he walked! Andhisgreat, royalheaddroopedso that his nose nearlytouched the grass. Presentlyhe stumbled and gave a low

moan."Aslan!DearAslan!"said

Lucy, "what is wrong? Can'tyoutellus?"

"Areyouill,dearAslan?"askedSusan.

"No," said Aslan. "I amsad and lonely. Lay yourhands on my mane so that Icanfeelyouare thereandletuswalklikethat."

Andso thegirlsdidwhattheywould never have daredtodowithouthispermission,

but what they had longed todo ever since they first sawhimburiedtheircoldhandsinthe beautiful sea of fur andstroked it and, so doing,walked with him. Andpresently they saw that theywere going with him up theslopeofthehillonwhichtheStoneTablestood.Theywentupatthesidewherethetreescame furthest up, and whentheygottothelasttree(itwasone that had some bushes

about it) Aslan stopped andsaid,

"Oh, children, children.Here you must stop. Andwhatever happens, do not letyourselves be seen.Farewell."

And both the girls criedbitterly (though they hardlyknew why) and clung to theLionandkissedhismaneandhisnoseandhispawsandhisgreat, sad eyes. Then heturnedfromthemandwalked

out on to the top of the hill.And Lucy and Susan,crouching in the bushes,looked after him, and this iswhattheysaw.

A great crowd of peoplewere standing all round theStone Table and though themoon was shining many ofthem carried torches whichburned with evil-looking redflames andblack smoke.Butsuch people! Ogres withmonstrous teeth, andwolves,

and bull-headed men; spiritsof evil trees and poisonousplants; and other creatureswhom I won't describebecauseifIdidthegrownupswould probably not let youread this book - Cruels andHagsandIncubuses,Wraiths,Horrors, Efreets, Sprites,Orknies,Wooses, and Ettins.In fact here were all thosewhowereontheWitch'ssideand whom the Wolf hadsummoned at her command.

And right in the middle,standing by the Table, wastheWitchherself.

A howl and a gibber ofdismay went up from thecreatureswhen theyfirstsawthegreatLionpacingtowardsthem,andforamomenteventheWitchseemedtobestruckwithfear.Thensherecoveredherselfandgaveawildfiercelaugh.

"The fool!" she cried."Thefoolhascome.Bindhim

fast."LucyandSusanheldtheir

breaths waiting for Aslan'sroar and his spring upon hisenemies. But it never came.Four Hags, grinning andleering, yet also (at first)hanging back and half afraidof what they had to do, hadapproachedhim."Bindhim,Isay!" repeated the WhiteWitch.TheHagsmadeadartat him and shrieked withtriumphwhentheyfoundthat

hemade no resistance at all.Thenothers-evildwarfsandapes-rushedintohelpthem,andbetweenthemtheyrolledthe huge Lion over on hisback and tied all his fourpaws together, shouting andcheering as if they had donesomethingbrave,though,hadtheLionchosen,oneofthosepaws could have been thedeath of them all. But hemadenonoise,evenwhentheenemies, straining and

tugging, pulled the cords sotight that they cut into hisflesh. Then they began todrag him towards the StoneTable.

"Stop!" said the Witch."Lethimfirstbeshaved."

Another roar of meanlaughter went up from herfollowers as an ogre with apair of shears came forwardandsquatteddownbyAslan'shead.Snip-snip-snipwenttheshears andmasses of curling

gold began to fall to theground. Then the ogre stoodback and the children,watching from their hiding-place, could see the face ofAslan looking all small anddifferent without its mane.The enemies also saw thedifference.

"Why, he's only a greatcatafterall!"criedone.

"Is that what we wereafraidof?"saidanother.

And they surged round

Aslan, jeering at him, sayingthings like "Puss, Puss! PoorPussy,"and"Howmanymicehaveyoucaughttoday,Cat?"and"Wouldyoulikeasaucerofmilk,Pussums?"

"Oh,howcan they?"saidLucy, tears streaming downher cheeks. "The brutes, thebrutes!"fornowthat thefirstshockwasovertheshornfaceofAslanlookedtoherbraver,andmorebeautiful,andmorepatientthanever.

"Muzzle him!" said theWitch.Andevennow,astheyworkedabouthisfaceputtingon themuzzle, onebite fromhisjawswouldhavecosttwoor three of them their hands.Buthenevermoved.Andthisseemed to enrage all thatrabble. Everyone was at himnow. Those who had beenafraidtocomenearhimevenafter he was bound began tofind their courage, and for afew minutes the two girls

could not even see him - sothicklywashesurroundedbythewholecrowdofcreatureskicking him, hitting him,spitting on him, jeering athim.

Atlasttherabblehadhadenoughofthis.Theybegantodrag the bound and muzzledLiontotheStoneTable,somepullingandsomepushing.Hewas so huge that even whentheygothim there it tookalltheireffortstohoisthimonto

the surface of it. Then therewas more tying andtighteningofcords.

"The cowards! Thecowards!" sobbed Susan."Are they still afraid of him,evennow?"

When once Aslan hadbeen tied(and tiedso thathewas really a mass of cords)on the flat stone, a hush fellon the crowd. Four Hags,holdingfourtorches,stoodatthecornersof theTable.The

Witch bared her arms as shehad bared them the previousnight when it had beenEdmund instead of Aslan.Then she began to whet herknife. It looked to thechildren, when the gleam ofthe torchlight fell on it, as iftheknifeweremadeofstone,not of steel, and it was of astrangeandevilshape.

Aslastshedrewnear.Shestood by Aslan's head. Herface was working and

twitching with passion, buthis lookedupat thesky,stillquiet, neither angry norafraid, but a little sad. Then,justbeforeshegavetheblow,shestoopeddownandsaidinaquiveringvoice,

"Andnow,whohaswon?Fool,didyouthinkthatbyallthis you would save thehumantraitor?NowIwillkillyouinsteadofhimasourpactwas and so the Deep Magicwill be appeased. But when

you are dead what willprevent me from killing himas well? And who will takehim out of my hand then?Understand that you havegivenmeNarniaforever,youhave lost your own life andyou have not saved his. Inthat knowledge, despair anddie."

The children did not seethe actual moment of thekilling.They couldn't bear tolook and had covered their

eyes.CHAPTERFIFTEENDEEPERMAGICFROM

BEFORE THE DAWN OFTIME

WHILEthetwogirlsstillcrouched in the bushes withtheir hands over their faces,they heard the voice of theWitchcallingout,

"Now!Followmeallandwe will set about whatremains of this war! It willnot take us long to crush the

humanverminandthetraitorsnow that the great Fool, thegreatCat,liesdead."

At this moment thechildren were for a fewseconds inverygreatdanger.For with wild cries and anoise of skirling pipes andshrill horns blowing, thewhole of that vile rabblecame sweeping off the hill-top and down the slope rightpast their hiding-place. Theyfelt the Spectres go by them

likeacoldwindandtheyfeltthe ground shake beneaththemunderthegallopingfeetof the Minotaurs; andoverhead there went a flurryoffoulwingsandablacknessofvulturesandgiantbats.Atany other time they wouldhave trembled with fear; butnow the sadness and shameandhorrorofAslan'sdeathsofilled their minds that theyhardlythoughtofit.

Assoonas thewoodwas

silent again Susan and Lucycrept out onto the open hill-top. The moon was gettinglow and thin clouds werepassing across her, but stillthey could see the shape ofthe Lion lying dead in hisbonds. And down they bothknelt in the wet grass andkissed his cold face andstroked his beautiful fur -whatwasleftofit-andcriedtill they could cry no more.Andthentheylookedateach

other and held each other'shandsformerelonelinessandcried again; and then againweresilent.AtlastLucysaid,

"Ican'tbeartolookatthathorrible muzzle. I wondercouldwetakeifoff?"

Sotheytried.Andafteralot ofworking at it (for theirfingers were cold and it wasnow the darkest part of thenight) they succeeded. Andwhen they saw his facewithout it they burst out

cryingagainandkisseditandfondleditandwipedawaythebloodandthefoamaswellasthey could. And it was allmorelonelyandhopelessandhorrid than I know how todescribe.

"Iwondercouldweuntiehim as well?" said Susanpresently. But the enemies,out of pure spitefulness, haddrawn the cords so tight thatthe girls couldmake nothingoftheknots.

I hope no onewho readsthis book has been quite asmiserableasSusanandLucywere that night; but if youhavebeen-ifyou'vebeenupall night and cried till youhavenomoretearsleftinyou- you will know that therecomes in the end a sort ofquietness. You feel as ifnothing was ever going tohappenagain.Atanyratethatwas how it felt to these two.Hours and hours seemed to

go by in this dead calm, andthey hardly noticed that theywere getting colder andcolder. But at last Lucynoticedtwootherthings.Onewas that the sky on the eastsideofthehillwasalittlelessdarkthanithadbeenanhourago.Theotherwassometinymovement going on in thegrass at her feet.At first shetooknointerest inthis.Whatdid it matter? Nothingmatterednow!Butatlastshe

saw thatwhatever-it-was hadbeguntomoveuptheuprightstones of the Stone Table.Andnowwhatever-they-werewere moving about onAslan's body. She peeredcloser. They were little greythings.

"Ugh!" said Susan fromthe other side of the Table."How beastly! There arehorrid little mice crawlingoverhim.Goaway,youlittlebeasts." And she raised her

handtofrightenthemaway."Wait!" said Lucy, who

had been looking at themmore closely still. "Can youseewhatthey'redoing?"

Bothgirlsbentdownandstared.

"I do believe -" saidSusan. "But how queer!They're nibbling away at thecords!"

"That's what I thought,"said Lucy. "I think they'refriendly mice. Poor little

things-theydon'trealizehe'sdead.Theythinkit'lldosomegooduntyinghim."

It was quite definitelylighter by now. Each of thegirlsnoticedforthefirsttimethe white face of the other.They could see the micenibbling away; dozens anddozens, even hundreds, oflittle field mice. And at last,onebyone,theropeswereallgnawedthrough.

The sky in the east was

whitish by now and the starswere getting fainter - allexcept one very big one lowdownon the easternhorizon.Theyfeltcolderthantheyhadbeenallnight.Themicecreptawayagain.

Thegirlsclearedawaytheremainsofthegnawedropes.Aslan looked more likehimself without them. Everymomenthisdeadfacelookednobler, as the light grew andtheycouldseeitbetter.

In thewood behind thema bird gave a chucklingsound.Ithadbeensostillforhours and hours that itstartled them. Then anotherbird answered it. Soon therewere birds singing all overtheplace.

It was quite definitelyearly morning now, not latenight.

"I'msocold,"saidLucy."So am I," said Susan.

"Let'swalkaboutabit."

They walked to theeastern edge of the hill andlooked down. The one bigstar had almost disappeared.The country all looked darkgrey,butbeyond, at theveryend of the world, the seashowed pale. The sky beganto turn red. They walked toandsfromoretimesthantheycouldcountbetweenthedeadAslan and the eastern ridge,trying tokeepwarm;andoh,howtiredtheirlegsfelt.Then

at last, as they stood for amoment looking out towardsthey sea and Cair Paravel(which they could now justmake out) the red turned togoldalongthelinewheretheseaandtheskymetandveryslowly up came the edge ofthesun.Atthatmoment theyheard from behind them aloudnoise-agreatcracking,deafening noise as if a gianthadbrokenagiant'splate.

"What's that?" saidLucy,

clutchingSusan'sarm."I - I feel afraid to turn

round," said Susan;"something awful ishappening."

"They'redoingsomethingworse to Him," said Lucy."Come on!" And she turned,pullingSusanroundwithher.

The risingof the sunhadmade everything look sodifferent - all colours andshadows were changed thatfor amoment they didn't see

the important thing. Thenthey did. The Stone Tablewas broken into two piecesby a great crack that randownitfromendtoend;andtherewasnoAslan.

"Oh, oh, oh!" cried thetwogirls,rushingbacktotheTable.

"Oh,it's toobad,"sobbedLucy; "they might have leftthebodyalone."

"Who's done it?" criedSusan. "What does it mean?

Isitmagic?""Yes!" said a great voice

behindtheirbacks."Itismoremagic." They looked round.There, shining in the sunrise,largerthantheyhadseenhimbefore,shakinghismane(forit had apparently grownagain)stoodAslanhimself.

"Oh, Aslan!" cried boththe children, staring up athim, almost as muchfrightenedastheywereglad.

"Aren't you dead then,

dearAslan?"saidLucy."Notnow,"saidAslan."You're not - not a - ?"

askedSusaninashakyvoice.She couldn't bring herself tosay the word ghost. Aslanstooped his golden head andlicked her forehead. Thewarmth of his breath and arichsortofsmellthatseemedto hang about his hair camealloverher.

"DoIlookit?"hesaid."Oh, you're real, you're

real!Oh,Aslan!"criedLucy,and both girls flungthemselves upon him andcoveredhimwithkisses.

"But what does it allmean?" asked Susan whentheyweresomewhatcalmer.

"It means," said Aslan,"that though theWitch knewthe Deep Magic, there is amagic deeper still which shedidnotknow:Herknowledgegoesbackonlytothedawnoftime. But if she could have

looked a little further back,into the stillness and thedarkness before Timedawned,shewouldhavereadthere a different incantation.She would have known thatwhen a willing victim whohad committed no treacherywaskilledina traitor'sstead,the Table would crack andDeath itself would startworkingbackwards.Andnow-"

"Oh yes. Now?" said

Lucy, jumping up andclappingherhands.

"Oh, children," said theLion, "I feel my strengthcoming back to me. Oh,children, catch me if youcan!"He stood for a second,hiseyesverybright,hislimbsquivering, lashing himselfwithhistail.Thenhemadealeaphighovertheirheadsandlanded on the other side ofthe Table. Laughing, thoughshe didn't know why, Lucy

scrambled over it to reachhim. Aslan leaped again. Amadchasebegan.Roundandround the hill-top he ledthem, now hopelessly out oftheir reach, now letting themalmost catch his tail, nowdiving between them, nowtossing them in the air withhis huge and beautifullyvelveted paws and catchingthemagain,andnowstoppingunexpectedlysothatall threeof them rolled over together

in a happy laughing heap offurandarmsandlegs.Itwassuch a romp as no one hasever had except in Narnia;andwhether itwasmore likeplaying with a thunderstormorplayingwithakittenLucycould never make up hermind. And the funny thingwasthatwhenallthreefinallylay together panting in thesunthegirlsnolongerfelt inthe least tired or hungry orthirsty.

"And now," said Aslanpresently, "to business. I feelI am going to roar. You hadbetterputyourfingersinyourears."

And they did.AndAslanstoodupandwhenheopenedhis mouth to roar his facebecame so terrible that theydidnotdaretolookatit.Andtheysawallthetreesinfrontof him bend before the blastof his roaring as grass bendsinameadowbeforethewind.

Thenhesaid,"We have a long journey

togo.Youmustrideonme."And he crouched down andthechildrenclimbedontohiswarm, golden back, andSusan sat first, holding ontightly tohismaneandLucysat behind holding on tightlyto Susan. And with a greatheave he rose underneaththemandthenshotoff,fasterthan any horse could go,down hill and into the thick

oftheforest.Thatridewasperhapsthe

most wonderful thing thathappened to them in Narnia.Have you ever had a galloponahorse?Thinkofthat;andthen take away the heavynoise of the hoofs and thejingleofthebitsandimagineinstead the almost noiselesspadding of the great paws.Then imagine instead of theblackorgreyorchestnutbackof the horse the soft

roughness of golden fur, andthe mane flying back in thewind. And then imagine youare going about twice as fastas the fastest racehorse. Butthis is a mount that doesn'tneed to be guided and nevergrowstired.Herushesonandon,nevermissinghisfooting,neverhesitating,threadinghisway with perfect skillbetween tree trunks, jumpingover bush and briar and thesmaller streams, wading the

larger, swimming the largestofall.Andyouareridingnoton a road nor in a park noreven on the downs, but rightacross Narnia, in spring,down solemn avenues ofbeech and across sunnyglades of oak, through wildorchards of snow-whitecherry trees, past roaringwaterfalls and mossy rocksand echoing caverns, upwindy slopes alight withgorse bushes, and across the

shoulders of heatherymountains and along giddyridgesanddown,down,downagain into wild valleys andoutintoacresofblueflowers.

It was nearly middaywhen they found themselveslookingdownasteephillsideatacastle -a little toycastleit looked from where theystood - which seemed to beall pointed towers. But theLion was rushing down atsuch a speed that it grew

larger every moment andbefore they had time even toask themselves what it wasthey were already on a levelwithit.Andnowitnolongerlooked like a toy castle butrose frowning in front ofthem. No face looked overthe battlements and the gateswere fast shut. And Aslan,not at all slacking his pace,rushed straight as a bullettowardsit.

"The Witch's home!" he

cried. "Now, children, holdtight."

Next moment the wholeworld seemed to turn upsidedown,andthechildrenfeltasif they had left their insidesbehindthem;fortheLionhadgathered himself together foragreaterleapthananyhehadyetmadeandjumped-oryoumay call it flying rather thanjumping-rightoverthecastlewall.Thetwogirls,breathlessbut unhurt, found themselves

tumbling off his back in themiddle of a wide stonecourtyardfullofstatues.

CHAPTERSIXTEENWHAT HAPPENED

ABOUTTHESTATUES"WHAT an extraordinary

place!"criedLucy."Allthosestone animals -and peopletoo!It's-it'slikeamuseum."

"Hush," said Susan,"Aslan'sdoingsomething."

He was indeed. He hadbounded up to the stone lion

and breathed on him. Thenwithoutwaitingamomenthewhisked round - almost as ifhehadbeena cat chasing itstail -andbreathedalsoon thestone dwarf, which (as youremember) was standing afew feet from the lion withhis back to it. Then hepouncedonatallstonedryadwhich stood beyond thedwarf,turnedrapidlyasidetodealwithastonerabbitonhisright, and rushed on to two

centaurs.But at thatmomentLucysaid,

"Oh, Susan! Look! Lookatthelion."

I expect you've seensomeone put a lightedmatchtoabitofnewspaperwhichisproppedup inagrateagainstanunlitfire.Andforasecondnothing seems to havehappened; and then younotice a tiny streak of flamecreepingalongtheedgeofthenewspaper. It was like that

now.ForasecondafterAslanhad breathed upon him thestone lion looked just thesame. Then a tiny streak ofgold began to run along hiswhite marble back then itspread - then the colourseemedtolickalloverhimasthe flame licks all over a bitof paper - then, while hishindquarters were stillobviously stone, the lionshook his mane and all theheavy, stone folds rippled

into living hair. Then heopened a great red mouth,warm and living, and gave aprodigious yawn. And nowhishindlegshadcometolife.He lifted one of them andscratched himself. Then,havingcaughtsightofAslan,he went bounding after himand frisking round himwhimpering with delight andjumpinguptolickhisface.

Of course the children'seyesturnedtofollowthelion;

butthesighttheysawwassowonderful that they soonforgotabouthim.Everywherethe statues were coming tolife.Thecourtyard lookednolonger like a museum; itlooked more like a zoo.Creatures were running afterAslananddancingroundhimtill he was almost hidden inthe crowd. Instead of all thatdeadly white the courtyardwas now a blaze of colours;glossy chestnut sides of

centaurs, indigo horns ofunicorns, dazzling plumageof birds, reddy-brown offoxes,dogsandsatyrs,yellowstockings and crimson hoodsofdwarfs;and thebirch-girlsin silver, and the beech-girlsin fresh, transparent green,andthelarch-girlsingreensobright that it was almostyellow. And instead of thedeadly silence the wholeplace rangwith the sound ofhappy roarings, brayings,

yelpings, barkings,squealings, cooings,neighings, stampings, shouts,hurrahs,songsandlaughter.

"Oh!" said Susan in adifferent tone. "Look! Iwonder-Imean,isitsafe?"

LucylookedandsawthatAslan had just breathed onthefeetofthestonegiant.

"It's all right!" shoutedAslan joyously. "Once thefeet are put right, all the restofhimwillfollow."

"Thatwasn'texactlywhatImeant,"whisperedSusantoLucy. But it was too late todo anything about it noweven if Aslan would havelistened to her. The changewas already creeping up theGiant's legs. Now he wasmoving his feet. A momentlaterheliftedhiscluboffhisshoulder,rubbedhiseyesandsaid,

"Bless me! I must havebeen asleep. Now! Where's

that dratted little Witch thatwas running about on theground. Somewhere just bymy feet it was." But wheneveryone had shouted up tohim to explain what hadreally happened, and whentheGianthadputhishandtohisearandgotthemtorepeatit all again so that at last heunderstood, then he boweddown till his head was nofurther off than the top of ahaystackand touchedhiscap

repeatedly toAslan,beamingall overhishonest ugly face.(Giantsofanysortarenowsorare in England and so fewgiantsaregood-temperedthatten to one you have neverseenagiantwhenhis face isbeaming. It's a sight wellworthlookingat.)

"Now for the inside ofthis house!" said Aslan."Look alive, everyone. Upstairs and down stairs and inmylady'schamber!Leaveno

cornerunsearched.Youneverknow where some poorprisonermaybeconcealed."

And into the interior theyall rushed and for severalminutes the whole of thatdark,horrible,fustyoldcastleechoed with the opening ofwindowsandwitheveryone'svoices crying out at once,"Don't forget the dungeons -Give us a hand with thisdoor! Here's another littlewinding stair - Oh! I say.

Here's a poor kangaroo. CallAslan -Phew!How it smellsin here - Look out for trap-doors -Uphere!There are awhole lot more on thelanding!" But the best of allwaswhenLucycamerushingupstairsshoutingout,

"Aslan!Aslan! I've foundMr Tumnus. Oh, do comequick."

AmomentlaterLucyandthe little Faun were holdingeachotherbybothhandsand

dancing round and round forjoy.The littlechapwasnonethe worse for having been astatueandwasofcourseveryinterestedinallshehadtotellhim.

Butat last the ransackingof the Witch's fortress wasended.Thewholecastlestoodempty with every door andwindow open and the lightand the sweet spring airfloodingintoall thedarkandevil places which needed

them so badly. The wholecrowd of liberated statuessurged back into thecourtyard. And it was thenthat someone (Tumnus, Ithink)firstsaid,

"Buthowarewegoingtogetout?"forAslanhadgotinbyajumpandthegateswerestilllocked.

"That'll be all right," saidAslan;andthen,risingonhishind-legs,hebawledupattheGiant."Hi!Youupthere,"he

roared."What'syourname?""GiantRumblebuffin,ifit

pleaseyourhonour,"said theGiant,oncemoretouchinghiscap.

"Well then, GiantRumblebuffin," said Aslan,"just let us out of this, willyou?"

"Certainly, your honour.It will be a pleasure," saidGiant Rumblebuffin. "Standwellaway from thegates,allyou little 'uns." Then he

strodetothegatehimselfandbang-bang-bang-wenthishugeclub.Thegatescreakedat the first blow, cracked atthe second, and shivered atthethird.Thenhetackledthetowers on each side of themand after a few minutes ofcrashing and thudding boththe towers and a good bit ofthe wall on each side wentthunderingdowninamassofhopeless rubble; and whenthe dust cleared it was odd,

standing in that dry, grim,stonyyard,toseethroughthegap all the grass andwavingtreesandsparklingstreamsofthe forest, and the blue hillsbeyondthatandbeyondthemthesky.

"Blowed if I ain't all in amuck sweat," said theGiant,puffing like the largestrailway engine. "Comes ofbeing out of condition. Isupposeneitherofyouyoungladies has such a thing as a

pocket-handkerchee aboutyou?"

"Yes, I have," saidLucy,standing on tip-toes andholding her handkerchief upasfarasshecouldreach.

"Thankyou,Missie,"saidGiantRumblebuffin,stoopingdown.NextmomentLucygotrather a fright for she foundherself caught up in mid-airbetween the Giant's fingerand thumb. But just as shewas getting near his face he

suddenlystartedandthenputhergentlybackonthegroundmuttering, "Bless me! I'vepicked up the little girlinstead. I beg your pardon,Missie,Ithoughtyouwasthehandkerchee!"

"No, no," said Lucylaughing, "here it is!" Thistimehemanagedtogetitbutit was only about the samesize to him that a saccharinetabletwouldbetoyou,sothatwhen she saw him solemnly

rubbing it to and fro acrosshis great red face, she said,"I'm afraid it's not much usetoyou,MrRumblebuffin."

"Not at all. Not at all,"saidthegiantpolitely."Nevermet a nicer handkerchee. Sofine, so handy. So - I don'tknowhowtodescribeit."

"Whatanicegiantheis!"saidLucytoMrTumnus.

"Oh yes," replied theFaun."AlltheBuffinsalwayswere. One of the most

respected of all the giantfamilies in Narnia. Not veryclever,perhaps(Ineverknewa giant that was), but an oldfamily. With traditions, youknow. If he'd been the othersort she'd never have turnedhimintostone."

At this point Aslanclappedhispawstogetherandcalledforsilence.

"Ourday'sworkisnotyetover," he said, "and if theWitchistobefinallydefeated

beforebed-timewemustfindthebattleatonce."

"Andjoinin,Ihope,sir!"added the largest of theCentaurs.

"Of course," said Aslan."And now! Those who can'tkeep up - that is, children,dwarfs, and small animals -must ride on the backs ofthosewhocan-thatis,lions,centaurs, unicorns, horses,giantsandeagles.Thosewhoare good with their noses

must come in front with uslions to smell out where thebattleis.Looklivelyandsortyourselves."

And with a great deal ofbustle and cheering they did.The most pleased of the lotwas the other lion who keptrunning about everywherepretending to be very busybut really in order to say toeveryone he met. "Did youhearwhathe said?UsLions.That means him andme. Us

Lions. That's what I likeabout Aslan. No side, nostand-off-ishness. Us Lions.Thatmeant him andme."Atleast he went on saying thistillAslan had loaded him upwiththreedwarfs,onedryad,two rabbits, and a hedgehog.Thatsteadiedhimabit.

When all were ready (itwas a big sheep-dog whoactuallyhelpedAslanmostingetting themsorted into theirproper order) they set out

through the gap in the castlewall. At first the lions anddogswentnosingaboutinalldirections.But then suddenlyonegreathoundpickedupthescent and gave a bay. Therewas no time lost after that.Soon all the dogs and lionsandwolvesandotherhuntinganimals were going at fullspeedwith their noses to theground, and all the others,streaked out for about half amile behind them, were

following as fast as theycould. The noisewas like anEnglish fox-hunt only betterbecause every now and thenwith themusicof thehoundswas mixed the roar of theother lion and sometimes thefar deeper and more awfulroar ofAslan himself. Fasterand faster they went as thescent became easier andeasier to follow. And then,just as they came to the lastcurve in a narrow, winding

valley, Lucy heard above allthesenoisesanothernoise-adifferentone,whichgaveheraqueer feeling inside. Itwasanoiseof shouts and shrieksand of the clashing of metalagainstmetal.

Thentheycameoutofthenarrowvalleyandatonceshesaw the reason. There stoodPeterandEdmundandalltherest of Aslan's army fightingdesperatelyagainstthecrowdof horrible creatures whom

she had seen last night; onlynow, in the daylight, theylooked even stranger andmore evil and moredeformed.Therealsoseemedtobefarmoreofthem.Peter'sarmy-whichhadtheirbacksto her looked terribly few.And therewerestatues dottedall over the battlefield, soapparently the Witch hadbeenusingherwand.Butshedid not seem to be using itnow. She was fighting with

her stone knife. It was Petershewasfightin-bothofthemgoing at it so hard thatLucycould hardly make out whatwashappening;sheonlysawthe stone knife and Peter'sswordflashingsoquicklythatthey looked like three knivesand three swords. That pairwere in the centre. On eachside the line stretched out.Horrible things werehappening wherever shelooked.

"Off my back, children,"shoutedAslan.Andtheybothtumbledoff.ThenwitharoarthatshookallNarniafromthewestern lamp-post to theshores of the eastern sea thegreat beast flung himselfupon theWhiteWitch. Lucysaw her face lifted towardshim for one second with anexpression of terror andamazement. Then Lion andWitch had rolled overtogether but with the Witch

underneath; and at the samemomentallwar-likecreatureswhomAslanhadledfromtheWitch's house rushed madlyon the enemy lines, dwarfswith their battleaxes, dogswithteeth, theGiantwithhisclub (and his feet alsocrushed dozens of the foe),unicorns with their horns,centaurs with swords andhoofs.AndPeter's tiredarmycheered, and the newcomersroared, and the enemy

squealedandgibberedtillthewood re-echoedwith the dinofthatonset.

CHAPTERSEVENTEENTHEHUNTINGOFTHE

WHITESTAGTHEbattlewasallovera

few minutes after theirarrival. Most of the enemyhad been killed in the firstcharge of Aslan and his -companions; and when thosewhowerestilllivingsawthatthe Witch was dead they

either gave themselves up ortook to flight.Thenext thingthatLucyknewwasthatPeterand Aslan were shakinghands.Itwasstrangetohertosee Peter looking as helookednow-hisfacewassopaleandsternandheseemedsomucholder.

"It was all Edmund'sdoing, Aslan," Peter wassaying. "We'd have beenbeaten if it hadn't been forhim. The Witch was turning

ourtroopsintostonerightandleft. But nothing would stophim. He fought his waythrough three ogres towhereshe was just turning one ofyour leopards into a statue.Andwhenhe reached her hehad sense to bring his swordsmashing down on her wandinsteadoftryingtogoforherdirectly and simply gettingmadea statuehimself forhispains. That was the mistakeall the rest were making.

Once her wand was brokenwe began to have somechance - if we hadn't lost somanyalready.Hewasterriblywounded. We must go andseehim."

They found Edmund inchargeofMrsBeaver a littleway back from the fightingline. He was covered withblood, his mouth was open,and his face a nasty greencolour.

"Quick, Lucy," said

Aslan.And then, almost for the

first time, Lucy rememberedthe precious cordial that hadbeen given her for aChristmaspresent.Herhandstrembled so much that shecould hardly undo thestopper,butshemanageditinthe end and poured a fewdrops into her brother'smouth.

"There are other peoplewounded," said Aslan while

she was still looking eagerlyinto Edmund's pale face andwondering if the cordialwouldhaveanyresult.

"Yes, I know," saidLucycrossly."Waitaminute."

"Daughter of Eve," saidAslan in a graver voice,"othersalsoareatthepointofdeath.Mustmore people dieforEdmund?"

"I'm sorry, Aslan," saidLucy, getting up and goingwith him. And for the next

half-hour they were busy -sheattendingtothewoundedwhile he restored those whohad been turned into stone.When at last shewas free tocome back to Edmund shefound him standing on hisfeet and not only healed ofhiswoundsbutlookingbetterthanshehadseenhim look -oh,forages;infacteversincehis first term at that horridschool which was where hehad begun to go wrong. He

had become his real old selfagain and could look you inthe face. And there on thefield of battle Aslan madehimaknight.

"Does he know,"whispered Lucy to Susan,"what Aslan did for him?Does he know what thearrangement with the Witchreallywas?"

"Hush! No. Of coursenot,"saidSusan.

"Oughtn't he to be told?"

saidLucy."Oh, surely not," said

Susan."Itwouldbetooawfulforhim.Thinkhowyou'dfeelifyouwerehe."

"All the same I think heought to know," said Lucy.Butatthatmomenttheywereinterrupted.

That night they sleptwhere theywere.HowAslanprovided food for them all Idon't know; but somehow orother they found themselves

all sitting down on the grassto a fine high tea at abouteight o'clock. Next day theybegan marching eastwarddown the side of the greatriver.And the next day afterthat, at about teatime, theyactually reached the mouth.ThecastleofCairParavelonitslittlehilltoweredupabovethem; before them were thesands, with rocks and littlepools of salt water, andseaweed,andthesmellofthe

seaand longmilesofbluish-green waves breaking forever and ever on the beach.And oh, the cry of the sea-gulls!Haveyouheardit?Canyouremember?

Thateveningafter teathefour children all managed toget down to the beach againand get their shoes andstockings off and feel thesand between their toes. Butnext day was more solemn.Forthen,intheGreatHallof

CairParavel - thatwonderfulhall with the ivory roof andthe west wall hung withpeacock's feathers and theeastern door which lookstowards the sea, in thepresence of all their friendsandtothesoundoftrumpets,Aslan solemnly crownedthemandledthemtothefourthrones amid deafeningshouts of, "Long Live KingPeter! Long Live QueenSusan! Long Live King

Edmund! Long Live QueenLucy!"

"Onceakingorqueen inNarnia, always a king orqueen. Bear it well, Sons ofAdam! Bear it well,Daughters of Eve!" saidAslan.

And through the easterndoor, which was wide open,came the voices of themermen and the mermaidsswimming close to the shoreandsinginginhonouroftheir

newKingsandQueens.So the children sat on

their thrones and sceptreswereput intotheirhandsandthey gave rewards andhonourstoalltheirfriends,toTumnus theFaun, and to theBeavers, and GiantRumblebuffin, to theleopards, and the goodcentaurs, and the gooddwarfs, and to the lion. Andthat night there was a greatfeast in Cair Paravel, and

revelryanddancing,andgoldflashedandwineflowed,andanswering to the musicinside, but stranger, sweeter,and more piercing, came themusicoftheseapeople.

But amidst all theserejoicings Aslan himselfquietly slipped away. Andwhen the Kings and Queensnoticed that he wasn't theretheysaidnothingaboutit.ForMrBeaverhadwarned them,"He'llbecomingandgoing,"

he had said. "One day you'llsee him and another youwon't. He doesn't like beingtied down and of course hehas other countries to attendto. It's quite all right. He'lloften drop in. Only youmustn'tpresshim.He'swild,'you know. Not like a tamelion."

Andnow,asyousee,thisstoryisnearly(butnotquite)at an end. These two Kingsand two Queens governed

Narnia well, and long andhappywastheirreign.Atfirstmuchof their timewasspentinseekingouttheremnantsofthe White Witch's army anddestroying them, and indeedfor a long time there wouldbenewsofevilthingslurkingin the wilder parts of theforest-ahauntinghereandakilling there, a glimpse of awerewolf one month and arumourofahagthenext.Butin theendall that foulbrood

was stamped out. And theymadegoodlawsandkept thepeace and saved good treesfrom being unnecessarily cutdown, and liberated youngdwarfsandyoungsatyrsfrombeing sent to school, andgenerally stoppedbusybodiesand interferers andencouraged ordinary peoplewho wanted to live and letlive.Andtheydrovebackthefiercegiants(quiteadifferentsort from Giant

Rumblebuffin) on the northof Narnia when theseventured across the frontier.And they entered intofriendship and alliance withcountries beyond the sea andpaid them visits of state andreceived visits of state fromthem. And they themselvesgrew and changed as theyears passed over them.AndPeterbecameatallanddeep-chested man and a greatwarrior, and he was called

King Peter the Magnificent.And Susan grew into a talland gracious woman withblack hair that fell almost toher feet and the kings of thecountries beyond the seabegan to send ambassadorsasking for her hand inmarriage.AndshewascalledSusan the Gentle. Edmundwasagraverandquietermanthan Peter, and great incouncil and judgement. Hewas calledKingEdmund the

Just.ButasforLucy,shewasalways gay and golden-haired, and all princes inthose parts desired her to betheir Queen, and her ownpeoplecalledherQueenLucytheValiant.

So they lived ingreat joyand if ever they rememberedtheir life in thisworld itwasonly as one remembers adream. And one year it fellout that Tumnus (whowas amiddle-aged Faun by now

and beginning to be stout)camedownriverandbroughtthem news that the WhiteStaghadoncemoreappearedin his parts - theWhite Stagwhowouldgiveyouwishesifyoucaughthim.SothesetwoKings and two Queens withthe principal members oftheir court, rode a-huntingwithhornsandhounds in theWesternWoodstofollowtheWhiteStag.Andtheyhadnothuntedlongbeforetheyhada

sightofhim.Andheledthema great pace over rough andsmoothandthroughthickandthin, till the horses of all thecourtiers were tired out andthese four were stillfollowing. And they saw thestagenterintoathicketwheretheirhorsescouldnotfollow.Then said King Peter (fortheytalkedinquiteadifferentstylenow,havingbeenKingsand Queens for so long),"Fair Consorts, let us now

alight from our horses andfollow this beast into thethicket; for in all my days Inever hunted a noblerquarry."

"Sir," said the others,"evensoletusdo."

So they alighted and tiedtheirhorsestotreesandwenton into the thick wood onfoot.AndassoonastheyhadentereditQueenSusansaid,

"Fair friends, here is agreat marvel, for I seem to

seeatreeofiron.""Madam," said,King

Edmund, "if you look wellupon it you shall see it is apillar of iron with a lanternsetonthetopthereof."

"By the Lion's Mane, astrange device," said KingPeter, "to set a lantern herewhere the trees cluster sothick about it and so highabove it that if it were lit itshouldgivelighttonoman!"

"Sir," said Queen Lucy.

"Bylikelihoodwhenthispostand this lamp were set herethereweresmallertreesintheplace, or fewer, or none. Forthis isayoungwoodand theiron post is old." And theystood looking upon it. ThensaidKingEdmund,

"Iknownothowitis,butthislamponthepostworkethuponme strangely. It runs inmymindthatIhaveseenthelike before; as it were in adream, or in the dream of a

dream.""Sir," answered they all,

"itisevensowithusalso.""And more," said Queen

Lucy, "for it will not go outof my mind that if we passthispostandlanterneitherweshall find strange adventuresor else somegreat change ofourfortunes."

"Madam," said KingEdmund,"thelikeforebodingstirrethinmyheartalso."

"And in mine, fair

brother,"saidKingPeter."And in mine too," said

QueenSusan. "Wherefore bymy counsel we shall lightlyreturn to our horses andfollow this White Stag nofurther."

"Madam," said KingPeter, "therein I pray thee tohave me excused. For neversincewefourwereKingsandQueensinNarniahavewesetourhandstoanyhighmatter,as battles, quests, feats of

arms, acts of justice, and thelike,andthengivenover;butalwayswhatwehavetakeninhand, the same we haveachieved."

"Sister," said QueenLucy, "my royal brotherspeaks rightly. And it seemstomeweshouldbeshamedifforanyfearingor forebodingwe turned back fromfollowingsonobleabeastasnowwehaveinchase."

"AndsosayI,"saidKing

Edmund. "And I have suchdesiretofindthesignificationof this thing that IwouldnotbymygoodwillturnbackfortherichestjewelinallNarniaandalltheislands."

"Then in the name ofAslan,"saidQueenSusan,"ifyewillallhaveitso,letusgoonandtaketheadventurethatshallfalltous."

So these Kings andQueens entered the thicket,and before they had gone a

score of paces they allremembered that the thingthey had seen was called alamppost,andbeforetheyhadgone twenty more theynoticed that they were.makingtheirwaynotthroughbranches but through coats.And next moment they allcame tumbling out of awardrobedoorintotheemptyroom, and They were nolonger Kings and Queens intheir hunting array but just

Peter, Susan, Edmund andLucy in their old clothes. Itwas the same day and thesame hour of the day onwhich they had all gone intothe wardrobe to hide. MrsMacready and the visitorswere still talking in thepassage; but luckily theynever came into the emptyroom and so the childrenweren'tcaught.

Andthatwouldhavebeentheveryendof thestory if it

hadn'tbeenthattheyfelttheyreally must explain to theProfessor why four of thecoats out of his wardrobewere missing. And theProfessor, who was a veryremarkable man, didn't tellthemnot tobesillyornot totell lies, but believed thewholestory."No,"hesaid,"Idon'tthinkitwillbeanygoodtryingtogobackthroughthewardrobe door to get thecoats. You won't get into

Narniaagainbythatroute. Nor would the

coatsbemuchusebynow ifyoudid!

Eh?What's that? Yes, ofcourse you'll get back toNarnia

again some day. Once aKing in Narnia, always aKingin

Narnia. But don't gotrying to use the same routetwice.

Indeed, don't try to get

thereatall.It'llhappenwhenyou're not looking for it.

And don't talk too muchaboutit

even among yourselves.And don't mention it toanyoneelse

unless you find thatthey've

had adventures of thesamesort themselves.What'sthat?How

willyouknow?Oh,you'llknow all right. Odd things

theysay - even their looks -

will let the secret out. Keepyour

eyesopen.Blessme,whatdotheyteachthematthese

schools?And that is the very end

of the adventure of thewardrobe.

But if the Professor wasright it was only thebeginningof

theadventuresofNarnia.