THEinvisiblepeoplefeastedtheirguestsroyally.Itwasveryfunnytoseetheplatesanddishescomingtothetableandnottoseeanyonecarryingthem.Itwouldhavebeenfunnyeveniftheyhadmovedalonglevelwiththefloor,asyouwouldexpectthingstodoininvisiblehands.Buttheydidn’t.Theyprogressedupthelongdining-hallinaseriesofboundsorjumps.Atthehighestpointofeachjumpadishwouldbeaboutfifteenfeetupintheair;thenitwouldcomedownandstopquitesuddenlyaboutthreefeetfromthefloor.Whenthedishcontainedanythinglikesouporstewtheresultwasratherdisastrous.
“I’mbeginningtofeelveryinquisitiveaboutthesepeople,”whisperedEustacetoEdmund.“Doyouthinkthey’rehumanatall?Morelikehugegrasshoppersorgiantfrogs,Ishouldsay.”
“Itdoeslooklikeit,”saidEdmund.“Butdon’tputtheideaofthegrasshoppersintoLucy’shead.She’snottookeenoninsects;especiallybigones.”
Themealwouldhavebeenpleasanterifithadnotbeensoexceedinglymessy,andalsoiftheconversationhadnotconsistedentirelyofagreements.Theinvisiblepeopleagreedabouteverything.Indeedmostoftheirremarkswerethesortitwouldnotbeeasytodisagreewith:“WhatIalwayssayis,whenachap’shungry,helikessomevictuals,”or“Gettingdarknow;alwaysdoesatnight,”oreven“Ah,you’vecomeoverthewater.Powerfulwetstuff,ain’tit?”AndLucycouldnothelplookingatthedarkyawningentrancetothefootofthestaircase-shecouldseeitfromwhereshesat-andwonderingwhatshewouldfindwhenshewentupthosestairsnextmorning.Butitwasagoodmealotherwise,withmushroomsoupandboiledchickensandhotboiledhamandgooseberries,redcurrants,curds,cream,milk,andmead.TheotherslikedthemeadbutEustacewassorryafterwardsthathehaddrunkany.
WhenLucywokeupnextmorningitwaslikewakinguponthedayofanexaminationoradaywhenyouaregoingtothedentist.ItwasalovelymorningwithbeesbuzzinginandoutofheropenwindowandthelawnoutsidelookingverylikesomewhereinEngland.Shegotupanddressedandtriedtotalkandeatordinarilyatbreakfast.Then,afterbeinginstructedbytheChiefVoiceaboutwhatshewastodoupstairs,shebidgoodbyetotheothers,saidnothing,walkedtothebottomofthestairs,andbegangoingupthemwithoutoncelookingback.
Itwasquitelight,thatwasonegoodthing.Therewas,indeed,awindowstraightaheadofheratthetopofthefirstflight.Aslongasshewasonthatflightshecouldhearthetick-tock-tick-tockofagrandfatherclockinthehallbelow.Thenshecametothelandingandhadtoturntoherleftupthenextflight;afterthatshecouldn’theartheclockanymore.
Nowshehadcometothetopofthestairs.Lucylookedandsawalong,widepassagewithalargewindowatthefarend.Apparentlythepassageranthewholelengthofthehouse.Itwascarvedandpanelledandcarpetedandverymanydoorsopenedoffitoneachside.Shestoodstillandcouldn’thearthesqueakofamouse,orthebuzzingofafly,ortheswayingofacurtain,oranything-exceptthebeatingofherownheart.
“Thelastdoorwayontheleft,”shesaidtoherself.Itdidseemabithardthatitshouldbethelast.Toreachitshewouldhavetowalkpastroomafterroom.Andinanyroomtheremightbethemagician-asleep,orawake,orinvisible,orevendead.Butitwouldn’tdotothinkaboutthat.Shesetoutonherjourney.Thecarpetwassothickthatherfeetmadenonoise.
“There’snothingwhatevertobeafraidofyet,”Lucytoldherself.Andcertainlyitwasaquiet,sunlitpassage;perhapsabittooquiet.Itwouldhavebeenniceriftherehadnotbeenstrangesignspaintedinscarletonthedoorstwisty,complicatedthingswhichobviouslyhadameaninganditmightn’tbeaverynicemeaningeither.Itwouldhavebeennicerstillifthereweren’tthosemaskshangingonthewall.Notthattheywereexactlyugly-ornotsoveryugly-buttheemptyeye-holesdidlookqueer,andifyouletyourselfyouwouldsoonstartimaginingthatthemasksweredoingthingsassoonasyourbackwasturnedtothem.
Afteraboutthesixthdoorshegotherfirstrealfright.Foronesecondshefeltalmostcertainthatawickedlittlebeardedfacehadpoppedoutofthewallandmadeagrimaceather.Sheforcedherselftostopandlookatit.Anditwasnotafaceatall.Itwasalittlemirrorjustthesizeandshapeofherownface,withhaironthetopofitandabeardhangingdownfromit,sothatwhenyoulookedinthemirroryourownfacefittedintothehairandbeardanditlookedasiftheybelongedtoyou.“IjustcaughtmyownreflectionwiththetailofmyeyeasIwentpast,”saidLucytoherself.“Thatwasallitwas.It’squiteharmless.”Butshedidn’tlikethelookofherownfacewiththathairandbeard,andwenton.(Idon’tknowwhattheBeardedGlasswasforbecauseIamnotamagician.)
Beforeshereachedthelastdoorontheleft,Lucywasbeginningtowonderwhetherthecorridorhadgrownlongersinceshebeganherjourneyandwhetherthiswaspartofthemagicofthehouse.Butshegottoitatlast.Andthedoorwasopen.
Itwasalargeroomwiththreebigwindowsanditwaslinedfromfloortoceilingwithbooks;morebooksthanLucyhadeverseenbefore,tinylittlebooks,fatanddumpybooks,andbooksbiggerthananychurchBibleyouhaveeverseen,allboundinleatherandsmellingoldandlearnedandmagical.Butsheknewfromherinstructionsthatsheneednotbotheraboutanyofthese.FortheBook,theMagicBook,waslyingonareading-deskintheverymiddleoftheroom.Shesawshewouldhavetoreaditstanding(andanywaytherewerenochairs)andalsothatshewouldhavetostandwithherbacktothedoorwhileshereadit.Soatoncesheturnedtoshutthedoor.
Itwouldn’tshut.
SomepeoplemaydisagreewithLucyaboutthis,butIthinkshewasquiteright.Shesaidshewouldn’thavemindedifshecouldhaveshutthedoor,butthatitwasunpleasanttohavetostandinaplacelikethatwithanopendoorwayrightbehindyourback.Ishouldhavefeltjustthesame.Buttherewasnothingelsetobedone.
OnethingthatworriedheragooddealwasthesizeoftheBook.TheChiefVoicehadnotbeenabletogiveheranyideawhereaboutsintheBookthespellformakingthingsvisiblecame.Heevenseemedrathersurprisedatherasking.Heexpectedhertobeginatthebeginningandgoontillshecametoit;obviouslyhehadneverthoughtthattherewasanyotherwayoffindingaplaceinabook.“Butitmighttakemedaysandweeks!”saidLucy,lookingatthehugevolume,“andIfeelalreadyasifI’dbeeninthisplaceforhours.”
Shewentuptothedeskandlaidherhandonthebook;herfingerstingledwhenshetoucheditasifitwerefullofelectricity.Shetriedtoopenitbutcouldn’tatfirst;this,however,wasonlybecauseitwasfastenedbytwoleadenclasps,andwhenshehadundonetheseitopenedeasilyenough.Andwhatabookitwas!
Itwaswritten,notprinted;writteninaclear,evenhand,withthickdownstrokesandthinupstrokes,verylarge,easierthanprint,andsobeautifulthatLucystaredatitforawholeminuteandforgotaboutreadingit.Thepaperwascrispandsmoothandanicesmellcamefromit;andinthemargins,androundthebigcolouredcapitallettersatthebeginningofeachspell,therewerepictures.
Therewasnotitlepageortitle;thespellsbeganstraightaway,andatfirsttherewasnothingveryimportantinthem.Theywerecuresforwarts(bywashingyourhandsinmoonlightinasilverbasin)andtoothacheandcramp,andaspellfortakingaswarmofbees.Thepictureofthemanwithtoothachewassolifelikethatitwouldhavesetyourownteethachingifyoulookedatittoolong,andthegoldenbeeswhichweredottedallroundthefourthspelllookedforamomentasiftheywerereallyflying.
Lucycouldhardlytearherselfawayfromthatfirstpage,butwhensheturnedover,thenextwasjustasinteresting.“ButImustgeton,”shetoldherself.Andonshewentforaboutthirtypageswhich,ifshecouldhaverememberedthem,wouldhavetaughtherhowtofindburiedtreasure,howtorememberthingsforgotten,howtoforgetthingsyouwantedtoforget,howtotellwhetheranyonewasspeakingthetruth,howtocallup(orprevent)wind,fog,snow,sleetorrain,howtoproduceenchantedsleepsandhowtogiveamananass’shead(astheydidtopoorBottom).Andthelongershereadthemorewonderfulandmorerealthepicturesbecame.
Thenshecametoapagewhichwassuchablazeofpicturesthatonehardlynoticedthewriting.Hardly-butshedidnoticethefirstwords.Theywere,Aninfalliblespelltomakebeautifulherthatutterethitbeyondthelotofmortals.Lucypeeredatthepictureswithherfaceclosetothepage,andthoughtheyhadseemedcrowdedandmuddlesomebefore,shefoundshecouldnowseethemquiteclearly.Thefirstwasapictureofagirlstandingatareading-deskreadinginahugebook.AndthegirlwasdressedexactlylikeLucy.InthenextpictureLucy(forthegirlinthepicturewasLucyherself)wasstandingupwithhermouthopenandaratherterribleexpressiononherface,chantingorrecitingsomething.Inthethirdpicturethebeautybeyondthelotofmortalshadcometoher.Itwasstrange,consideringhowsmallthepictureshadlookedatfirst,thattheLucyinthepicturenowseemedquiteasbigastherealLucy;andtheylookedintoeachother’seyesandtherealLucylookedawayafterafewminutesbecauseshewasdazzledbythebeautyoftheotherLucy;thoughshecouldstillseeasortoflikenesstoherselfinthatbeautifulface.Andnowthepicturescamecrowdingonherthickandfast.ShesawherselfthronedonhighatagreattournamentinCalormenandalltheKingsoftheworldfoughtbecauseofherbeauty.Afterthatitturnedfromtournamentstorealwars,andallNarniaandArchenland,TelmarandCalormen,GalmaandTerebinthia,werelaidwastewiththefuryofthekingsanddukesandgreatlordswhofoughtforherfavour.ThenitchangedandLucy,stillbeautifulbeyondthelotofmortals,wasbackinEngland.AndSusan(whohadalwaysbeenthebeautyofthefamily)camehomefromAmerica.TheSusaninthepicturelookedexactlyliketherealSusanonlyplainerandwithanastyexpression.AndSusanwasjealousofthedazzlingbeautyofLucy,butthatdidn’tmatterabitbecausenoonecaredanythingaboutSusannow.
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