第1章

TO DrWallisBudgeoftheBritishMuseumasasmalltokenofgratitudeforhisunfailingkindnessandhelpinthemakingofitCONTENTS 1。ThePsammead2。TheHalfAmulet3。ThePast4。EightThousandYearsAgo5。TheFightintheVillage6。TheWaytoBabylon7。’TheDeepestDungeonBelowtheCastleMoat’ 8。TheQueeninLondon9。Atlantis10。TheLittleBlackGirlandJuliusCaesar11。BeforePharaoh12。TheSorry—PresentandtheExpelledLittleBoy13。TheShipwreckontheTinIslands14。TheHeart’sDesireCHAPTER1 THEPSAMMEAD Therewereoncefourchildrenwhospenttheirsummerholidaysinawhitehouse，happilysituatedbetweenasandpitandachalkpit。 Onedaytheyhadthegoodfortunetofindinthesandpitastrangecreature。Itseyeswereonlonghornslikesnail’seyes，anditcouldmovetheminandoutliketelescopes。Ithadearslikeabat’sears，anditstubbybodywasshapedlikeaspider’sandcoveredwiththicksoftfur——andithadhandsandfeetlikeamonkey’s。Ittoldthechildren——whosenameswereCyril，Robert，Anthea，andJane——thatitwasaPsammeadorsand—fairy。 （PsammeadispronouncedSammy—ad。）Itwasold，old，old，anditsbirthdaywasalmostattheverybeginningofeverything。Andithadbeenburiedinthesandforthousandsofyears。Butitstillkeptitsfairylikeness，andpartofthisfairylikenesswasitspowertogivepeoplewhatevertheywishedfor。Youknowfairieshavealwaysbeenabletodothis。Cyril，Robert，Anthea，andJanenowfoundtheirwishescometrue；but，somehow，theynevercouldthinkofjusttherightthingstowishfor，andtheirwishessometimesturnedoutveryoddlyindeed。IntheendtheirunwisewishingslandedtheminwhatRobertcalled’averytightplaceindeed’，andthePsammeadconsentedtohelpthemoutofitinreturnfortheirpromisenevernevertoaskittograntthemanymorewishes，andnevertotellanyoneaboutit，becauseitdidnotwanttobebotheredtogivewishestoanyoneeveranymore。AtthemomentofpartingJanesaidpolitely—— ’Iwishweweregoingtoseeyouagainsomeday。’ AndthePsammead，touchedbythisfriendlythought，grantedthewish。ThebookaboutallthisiscalledFiveChildrenandIt，anditendsupinamosttiresomewaybysaying—— ’ThechildrenDIDseethePsammeadagain，butitwasnotinthesandpit；itwas——butImustsaynomore——’ ThereasonthatnothingmorecouldbesaidwasthatIhadnotthenbeenabletofindoutexactlywhenandwherethechildrenmetthePsammeadagain。OfcourseIknewtheywouldmeetit，becauseitwasabeastofitsword，andwhenitsaidathingwouldhappen，thatthinghappenedwithoutfail。HowdifferentfromthepeoplewhotellusaboutwhatweatheritisgoingtobeonThursdaynext，inLondon，theSouthCoast，andChannel！ ThesummerholidaysduringwhichthePsammeadhadbeenfoundandthewishesgivenhadbeenwonderfulholidaysinthecountry，andthechildrenhadthehighesthopesofjustsuchanotherholidayforthenextsummer。ThewinterholidayswerebeguiledbythewonderfulhappeningsofThePhoenixandtheCarpet，andthelossofthesetwotreasureswouldhaveleftthechildrenindespair，butforthesplendidhopeoftheirnextholidayinthecountry。 Theworld，theyfelt，andindeedhadsomereasontofeel，wasfullofwonderfulthings——andtheywerereallythesortofpeoplethatwonderfulthingshappento。Sotheylookedforwardtothesummerholiday；butwhenitcameeverythingwasdifferent，andvery，veryhorrid。FatherhadtogoouttoManchuriatotelegraphnewsaboutthewartothetiresomepaperhewrotefor——theDailyBellower，orsomethinglikethat，wasitsname。 AndMother，poordearMother，wasawayinMadeira，becauseshehadbeenveryill。AndTheLamb——Imeanthebaby——waswithher。 AndAuntEmma，whowasMother’ssister，hadsuddenlymarriedUncleReginald，whowasFather’sbrother，andtheyhadgonetoChina，whichismuchtoofaroffforyoutoexpecttobeaskedtospendtheholidaysin，howeverfondyourauntandunclemaybeofyou。SothechildrenwereleftinthecareofoldNurse，wholivedinFitzroyStreet，neartheBritishMuseum，andthoughshewasalwaysverykindtothem，andindeedspoiledthemfarmorethanwouldbegoodforthemostgrown—upofus，thefourchildrenfeltperfectlywretched，andwhenthecabhaddrivenoffwithFatherandallhisboxesandgunsandthesheepskin，withblanketsandthealuminiummess—kitinsideit，thestoutestheartquailed，andthegirlsbrokedownaltogether，andsobbedineachother’sarms，whiletheboyseachlookedoutofoneofthelonggloomywindowsoftheparlour，andtriedtopretendthatnoboywouldbesuchamuffastocry。 IhopeyounoticethattheywerenotcowardlyenoughtocrytilltheirFatherhadgone；theyknewhehadquiteenoughtoupsethimwithoutthat。Butwhenhewasgoneeveryonefeltasifithadbeentryingnottocryallitslife，andthatitmustcrynow，ifitdiedforit。Sotheycried。 Tea——withshrimpsandwatercress——cheeredthemalittle。Thewatercresswasarrangedinahedgeroundafatglasssalt—cellar，atastefuldevicetheyhadneverseenbefore。Butitwasnotacheerfulmeal。 AfterteaAntheawentuptotheroomthathadbeenFather’s，andwhenshesawhowdreadfullyhewasn’tthere，andrememberedhoweveryminutewastakinghimfurtherandfurtherfromher，andnearerandnearertothegunsoftheRussians，shecriedalittlemore。ThenshethoughtofMother，illandalone，andperhapsatthatverymomentwantingalittlegirltoputeau—de—cologneonherhead，andmakehersuddencupsoftea，andshecriedmorethanever。AndthensherememberedwhatMotherhadsaid，thenightbeforeshewentaway，aboutAntheabeingtheeldestgirl，andabouttryingtomaketheothershappy，andthingslikethat。 Soshestoppedcrying，andthoughtinstead。Andwhenshehadthoughtaslongasshecouldbearshewashedherfaceandcombedherhair，andwentdowntotheothers，tryingherbesttolookasthoughcryingwereanexerciseshehadneverevenheardof。 Shefoundtheparlourindeepestgloom，hardlyrelievedatallbytheeffortsofRobert，who，tomakethetimepass，waspullingJane’shair——nothard，butjustenoughtotease。 ’Lookhere，’saidAnthea。’Let’shaveapalaver。’ThisworddatedfromtheawfuldaywhenCyrilhadcarelesslywishedthattherewereRedIndiansinEngland——andtherehadbeen。Thewordbroughtbackmemoriesoflastsummerholidaysandeveryonegroaned；theythoughtofthewhitehousewiththebeautifultangledgarden——lateroses，asters，marigold，sweetmignonette，andfeatheryasparagus——ofthewildernesswhichsomeonehadoncemeanttomakeintoanorchard，butwhichwasnow，asFathersaid，’fiveacresofthistleshauntedbytheghostsofbabycherry—trees’。Theythoughtoftheviewacrossthevalley，wherethelime—kilnslookedlikeAladdin’spalacesinthesunshine，andtheythoughtoftheirownsandpit，withitsfringeofyellowygrassesandpale—stringy—stalkedwildflowers，andthelittleholesinthecliffthatwerethelittlesand—martins’littlefrontdoors。Andtheythoughtofthefreefreshairsmellingofthymeandsweetbriar，andthescentofthewood—smokefromthecottagesinthelane——andtheylookedroundoldNurse’sstuffyparlour，andJanesaid—— ’Oh，howdifferentitallis！’ Itwas。OldNursehadbeeninthehabitoflettinglodgings，tillFathergaveherthechildrentotakecareof。Andherroomswerefurnished’forletting’。Nowitisaveryoddthingthatnooneeverseemstofurnisharoom’forletting’inabitthesamewayasonewouldfurnishitforlivingin。Thisroomhadheavydarkredstuffcurtains——thecolourthatbloodwouldnotmakeastainon——withcoarselacecurtainsinside。Thecarpetwasyellow，andviolet，withbitsofgreyandbrownoilclothinoddplaces。Thefireplacehadshavingsandtinselinit。Therewasaveryvarnishedmahoganychiffonier，orsideboard，withalockthatwouldn’tact。Therewerehardchairs——fartoomanyofthem——withcrochetantimacassarsslippingofftheirseats，allofwhichslopedthewrongway。Thetableworeaclothofacruelgreencolourwithayellowchain—stitchpatternroundit。Overthefireplacewasalooking—glassthatmadeyoulookmuchuglierthanyoureallywere，howeverplainyoumightbetobeginwith。 Thentherewasamantelboardwithmaroonplushandwoolfringethatdidnotmatchtheplush；adrearyclocklikeablackmarbletomb——itwassilentasthegravetoo，forithadlongsinceforgottenhowtotick。Andtherewerepaintedglassvasesthatneverhadanyflowersin，andapaintedtambourinethatnooneeverplayed，andpaintedbracketswithnothingonthem。 ’Andmaple—framedengravingsoftheQueen，theHousesofParliament，thePlainsofHeaven，andofablunt—nosedwoodman’sflatreturn。’ Thereweretwobooks——lastDecember’sBradshaw，andanoddvolumeofPlumridge’sCommentaryonThessalonians。Therewere——butI cannotdwelllongeronthispainfulpicture。Itwasindeed，asJanesaid，verydifferent。 ’Let’shaveapalaver，’saidAntheaagain。 ’Whatabout？’saidCyril，yawning。 ’There’snothingtohaveANYTHINGabout，’saidRobertkickingthelegofthetablemiserably。 ’Idon’twanttoplay，’saidJane，andhertonewasgrumpy。 Antheatriedveryhardnottobecross。Shesucceeded。 ’Lookhere，’shesaid，’don’tthinkIwanttobepreachyorabeastinanyway，butIwanttowhatFathercallsdefinethesituation。Doyouagree？’ ’Fireahead，’saidCyrilwithoutenthusiasm。 ’Wellthen。Weallknowthereasonwe’restayinghereisbecauseNursecouldn’tleaveherhouseonaccountofthepoorlearnedgentlemanonthetop—floor。AndtherewasnooneelseFathercouldentrusttotakecareofus——andyouknowit’stakenalotofmoney，Mother’sgoingtoMadeiratobemadewell。’ Janesniffedmiserably。 ’Yes，Iknow，’saidAntheainahurry，’butdon’tlet’sthinkabouthowhorriditallis。Imeanwecan’tgotothingsthatcostalot，butwemustdoSOMETHING。AndIknowthereareheapsofthingsyoucanseeinLondonwithoutpayingforthem，andI thoughtwe’dgoandseethem。Weareallquiteoldnow，andwehaven’tgotTheLamb——’ Janesniffedharderthanbefore。 ’Imeannoonecansay\"No\"becauseofhim，dearpet。AndI thoughtweMUSTgetNursetoseehowquiteoldweare，andletusgooutbyourselves，orelseweshallneverhaveanysortofatimeatall。AndIvoteweseeeverythingthereis，andlet’sbeginbyaskingNursetogiveussomebitsofbreadandwe’llgotoStJames’sPark。Thereareducksthere，Iknow，wecanfeedthem。OnlywemustmakeNurseletusgobyourselves。’ ’Hurrahforliberty！’saidRobert，’butshewon’t。’ ’Yesshewill，’saidJaneunexpectedly。’_I_thoughtaboutthatthismorning，andIaskedFather，andhesaidyes；andwhat’smorehetoldoldNursewemight，onlyhesaidwemustalwayssaywherewewantedtogo，andifitwasrightshewouldletus。’ ’ThreecheersforthoughtfulJane，’criedCyril，nowrousedatlastfromhisyawningdespair。’Isay，let’sgonow。’ Sotheywent，oldNurseonlybeggingthemtobecarefulofcrossings，andtoaskapolicemantoassistinthemoredifficultcases。Buttheywereusedtocrossings，fortheyhadlivedinCamdenTownandknewtheKentishTownRoadwherethetramsrushupanddownlikemadatallhoursofthedayandnight，andseemasthough，ifanything，theywouldratherrunoveryouthannot。 Theyhadpromisedtobehomebydark，butitwasJuly，sodarkwouldbeverylateindeed，andlongpastbedtime。 TheystartedtowalktoStJames’sPark，andalltheirpocketswerestuffedwithbitsofbreadandthecrustsoftoast，tofeedtheduckswith。Theystarted，Irepeat，buttheynevergotthere。 BetweenFitzroyStreetandStJames’sParkthereareagreatmanystreets，and，ifyougotherightwayyouwillpassagreatmanyshopsthatyoucannotpossiblyhelpstoppingtolookat。Thechildrenstoppedtolookatseveralwithgold—laceandbeadsandpicturesandjewelleryanddresses，andhats，andoystersandlobstersintheirwindows，andtheirsorrowdidnotseemnearlysoimpossibletobearasithaddoneinthebestparlouratNo。 300，FitzroyStreet。 Presently，bysomewonderfulchanceturnofRobert’s（whohadbeenvotedCaptainbecausethegirlsthoughtitwouldbegoodforhim——andindeedhethoughtsohimself——andofcourseCyrilcouldn’tvoteagainsthimbecauseitwouldhavelookedlikeameanjealousy），theycameintothelittleinterestingcriss—crossystreetsthatheldthemostinterestingshopsofall——theshopswherelivethingsweresold。Therewasoneshopwindowentirelyfilledwithcages，andallsortsofbeautifulbirdsinthem。Thechildrenweredelightedtilltheyrememberedhowtheyhadoncewishedforwingsthemselves，andhadhadthem——andthentheyfelthowdesperatelyunhappyanythingwithwingsmustbeifitisshutupinacageandnotallowedtofly。 ’Itmustbefairlybeastlytobeabirdinacage，’saidCyril。 ’Comeon！’ Theywenton，andCyriltriedtothinkoutaschemeformakinghisfortuneasagold—diggeratKlondyke，andthenbuyingallthecagedbirdsintheworldandsettingthemfree。Thentheycametoashopthatsoldcats，butthecatswereincages，andthechildrencouldnothelpwishingsomeonewouldbuyallthecatsandputthemonhearthrugs，whicharetheproperplacesforcats。 Andtherewasthedog—shop，andthatwasnotahappythingtolookateither，becauseallthedogswerechainedorcaged，andallthedogs，bigandlittle，lookedatthefourchildrenwithsadwistfuleyesandwaggedbeseechingtailsasiftheyweretryingtosay，’Buyme！buyme！buyme！andletmegoforawalkwithyou；oh，dobuyme，andbuymypoorbrotherstoo！Do！do！ do！’Theyalmostsaid，’Do！do！do！’plaintotheear，astheywhined；allbutonebigIrishterrier，andhegrowledwhenJanepattedhim。 ’Grrrrr，’heseemedtosay，ashelookedatthemfromthebackcornerofhiseye——’YOUwon’tbuyme。Nobodywill——ever——Ishalldiechainedup——andIdon’tknowthatIcarehowsoonitis，either！’ Idon’tknowthatthechildrenwouldhaveunderstoodallthis，onlyoncetheyhadbeeninabesiegedcastle，sotheyknewhowhatefulitistobekeptinwhenyouwanttogetout。 Ofcoursetheycouldnotbuyanyofthedogs。Theydid，indeed，askthepriceofthevery，verysmallest，anditwassixty—fivepounds——butthatwasbecauseitwasaJapanesetoyspanielliketheQueenoncehadherportraitpaintedwith，whenshewasonlyPrincessofWales。Butthechildrenthought，ifthesmallestwasallthatmoney，thebiggestwouldrunintothousands——sotheywenton。 Andtheydidnotstopatanymorecatordogorbirdshops，butpassedthemby，andatlasttheycametoashopthatseemedasthoughitonlysoldcreaturesthatdidnotmuchmindwheretheywere——suchasgoldfishandwhitemice，andsea—anemonesandotheraquariumbeasts，andlizardsandtoads，andhedgehogsandtortoises，andtamerabbitsandguinea—pigs。Andtheretheystoppedforalongtime，andfedtheguinea—pigswithbitsofbreadthroughthecage—bars，andwonderedwhetheritwouldbepossibletokeepasandy—coloureddouble—lopinthebasementofthehouseinFitzroyStreet。 ’Idon’tsupposeoldNursewouldmindVERYmuch，’saidJane。 ’Rabbitsaremostawfullytamesometimes。Iexpectitwouldknowhervoiceandfollowherallabout。’ ’She’dtumbleoverittwentytimesaday，’saidCyril；’nowasnake——’ ’Therearen’tanysnakes，saidRoberthastily，’andbesides，I nevercouldcottontosnakessomehow——Iwonderwhy。’ ’Wormsareasbad，’saidAnthea，’andeelsandslugs——Ithinkit’sbecausewedon’tlikethingsthathaven’tgotlegs。’ ’Fathersayssnakeshavegotlegshiddenawayinsideofthem，’ saidRobert。 ’Yes——andhesaysWE’VEgottailshiddenawayinsideus——butitdoesn’teitherofitcometoanythingREALLY，’saidAnthea。’I hatethingsthathaven’tanylegs。’ ’It’sworsewhentheyhavetoomany，’saidJanewithashudder，’thinkofcentipedes！’ Theystoodthereonthepavement，acauseofsomeinconveniencetothepassersby，andthusbeguiledthetimewithconversation。 Cyrilwasleaninghiselbowonthetopofahutchthathadseemedemptywhentheyhadinspectedthewholeedificeofhutchesonebyone，andhewastryingtoreawakentheinterestofahedgehogthathadcurleditselfintoaballearlierintheinterview，whenasmall，softvoicejustbelowhiselbowsaid，quietly，plainlyandquiteunmistakably——notinanysqueakorwhinethathadtobetranslated——butindownrightcommonEnglish—— ’Buyme——do——pleasebuyme！’ Cyrilstartedasthoughhehadbeenpinched，andjumpedayardawayfromthehutch。 ’Comeback——oh，comeback！’saidthevoice，ratherlouderbutstillsoftly；’stoopdownandpretendtobetyingupyourbootlace——Iseeit’sundone，asusual。’ Cyrilmechanicallyobeyed。Hekneltononekneeonthedry，hotdustypavement，peeredintothedarknessofthehutchandfoundhimselffacetofacewith——thePsammead！ Itseemedmuchthinnerthanwhenhehadlastseenit。Itwasdustyanddirty，anditsfurwasuntidyandragged。Ithadhuncheditselfupintoamiserablelump，anditslongsnail’seyesweredrawninquitetightsothattheyhardlyshowedatall。 ’Listen，’saidthePsammead，inavoicethatsoundedasthoughitwouldbegintocryinaminute，’Idon’tthinkthecreaturewhokeepsthisshopwillaskaveryhighpriceforme。I’vebittenhimmorethanonce，andI’vemademyselflookascommonasIcan。 He’sneverhadaglancefrommybeautiful，beautifuleyes。TelltheothersI’mhere——buttellthemtolookatsomeofthoselow，commonbeastswhileI’mtalkingtoyou。Thecreatureinsidemustn’tthinkyoucaremuchaboutme，orhe’llputapriceuponmefar，farbeyondyourmeans。Irememberinthedearolddayslastsummeryouneverhadmuchmoney。Oh——IneverthoughtI shouldbesogladtoseeyou——Ineverdid。’Itsniffed，andshotoutitslongsnail’seyesexpresslytodropatearwellawayfromitsfur。’TelltheothersI’mhere，andthenI’lltellyouexactlywhattodoaboutbuyingme。’Cyriltiedhisbootlaceintoahardknot，stoodupandaddressedtheothersinfirmtones—— ’Lookhere，’hesaid，’I’mnotkidding——andIappealtoyourhonour，’anappealwhichinthisfamilywasnevermadeinvain。 ’Don’tlookatthathutch——lookatthewhiterat。NowyouarenottolookatthathutchwhateverIsay。’ Hestoodinfrontofittopreventmistakes。 ’Nowgetyourselvesreadyforagreatsurprise。Inthathutchthere’sanoldfriendofours——DON’Tlook！——Yes；it’sthePsammead，thegoodoldPsammead！itwantsustobuyit。Itsaysyou’renottolookatit。Lookatthewhiteratandcountyourmoney！Onyourhonourdon’tlook！’ Theothersrespondednobly。Theylookedatthewhiterattilltheyquitestaredhimoutofcountenance，sothathewentandsatuponhishindlegsinafarcornerandhidhiseyeswithhisfrontpaws，andpretendedhewaswashinghisface。 Cyrilstoopedagain，busyinghimselfwiththeotherbootlaceandlistenedforthePsammead’sfurtherinstructions。 ’Goin，’saidthePsammead，’andaskthepriceoflotsofotherthings。Thensay，\"Whatdoyouwantforthatmonkeythat’slostitstail——themangyoldthinginthethirdhutchfromtheend。\" Oh——don’tmindMYfeelings——callmeamangymonkey——I’vetriedhardenoughtolooklikeone！Idon’tthinkhe’llputahighpriceonme——I’vebittenhimeleventimessinceIcameherethedaybeforeyesterday。Ifhenamesabiggerpricethanyoucanafford，sayyouwishyouhadthemoney。’ ’Butyoucan’tgiveuswishes。I’vepromisednevertohaveanotherwishfromyou，’saidthebewilderedCyril。 ’Don’tbeasillylittleidiot，’saidtheSand—fairyintremblingbutaffectionatetones，’butfindouthowmuchmoneyyou’vegotbetweenyou，anddoexactlywhatItellyou。’ Cyril，pointingastiffandunmeaningfingeratthewhiterat，soastopretendthatitscharmsaloneemployedhistongue，explainedmatterstotheothers，whilethePsammeadhuncheditself，andbuncheditself，anddiditsverybesttomakeitselflookuninteresting。Thenthefourchildrenfiledintotheshop。 ’Howmuchdoyouwantforthatwhiterat？’askedCyril。 ’Eightpence，’wastheanswer。 ’Andtheguinea—pigs？’ ’Eighteenpencetofivebob，accordingtothebreed。’ ’Andthelizards？’ ’Ninepenceeach。’ ’Andtoads？’ ’Fourpence。Nowlookhere，’saidthegreasyownerofallthiscagedlifewithasuddenferocitywhichmadethewholepartybackhurriedlyontothewainscotingofhutcheswithwhichtheshopwaslined。’Lookeehere。Iain’tagoin’tohaveyouacomin’inhereaturnin’thewholeplaceouterwinder，an’prizingeveryanimileinthestockjustforyourlarks，sodon’tthinkit！Ifyou’reabuyer，BEabuyer——butIneverhadacustomeryetaswantedtobuymice，andlizards，andtoads，andguineasallatonce。Sohoutyougoes。’ ’Oh！waitaminute，’saidthewretchedCyril，feelinghowfoolishlyyetwell—meaninglyhehadcarriedoutthePsammead’sinstructions。’Justtellmeonething。Whatdoyouwantforthemangyoldmonkeyinthethirdhutchfromtheend？’ Theshopmanonlysawinthisanewinsult。 ’Mangyyoungmonkeyyourself，’saidhe；’getalongwithyourbloomingcheek。Houtyougoes！’ ’Oh！don’tbesocross，’saidJane，losingherheadaltogether，’don’tyouseehereallyDOESwanttoknowTHAT！’ ’Ho！does’eindeed，’sneeredthemerchant。Thenhescratchedhisearsuspiciously，forhewasasharpbusinessman，andheknewtheringoftruthwhenheheardit。Hishandwasbandaged，andthreeminutesbeforehewouldhavebeengladtosellthe’mangyoldmonkey’fortenshillings。Now——’Ho！’edoes，does’e，’hesaid，’thentwopunten’smyprice。He’snotgothisfellowthatmonkeyain’t，noryethismatch，notthissideoftheequator，whichhecomesfrom。AndtheonlyoneeverseeninLondon。OughttobeintheZoo。Twopunten，downonthenail，orhoutyougoes！’ Thechildrenlookedateachother——twenty—threeshillingsandfivepencewasalltheyhadintheworld，anditwouldhavebeenmerelythreeandfivepence，butforthesovereignwhichFatherhadgiventothem’betweenthem’atparting。’We’veonlytwenty—threeshillingsandfivepence，’saidCyril，rattlingthemoneyinhispocket。 ’Twenty—threefarthingsandsomebody’sowncheek，’saidthedealer，forhedidnotbelievethatCyrilhadsomuchmoney。 Therewasamiserablepause。ThenAnthearemembered，andsaid—— ’Oh！IWISHIhadtwopoundsten。’ ’SodoI，Miss，I’msure，’saidthemanwithbitterpoliteness； ’Iwishyou’ad，I’msure！’ Anthea’shandwasonthecounter，somethingseemedtoslideunderit。Sheliftedit。Therelayfivebrighthalfsovereigns。 ’Why，IHAVEgotitafterall，’shesaid；’here’sthemoney，nowlet’shavetheSammy，……themonkeyImean。’ Thedealerlookedhardatthemoney，buthemadehastetoputitinhispocket。 ’Ionlyhopeyoucomebyithonest，’hesaid，shrugginghisshoulders。Hescratchedhisearagain。 ’Well！’hesaid，’IsupposeImustletyouhaveit，butit’sworththribblethemoney，soitis——’ Heslowlyledthewayouttothehutch——openedthedoorgingerly，andmadeasuddenfiercegrabatthePsammead，whichthePsammeadacknowledgedinonelastlonglingeringbite。 ’Here，takethebrute，’saidtheshopman，squeezingthePsammeadsotightthathenearlychokedit。’It’sbitmetothemarrow，ithave。’ Theman’seyesopenedasAntheaheldoutherarms。 ’Don’tblamemeifittearsyourfaceoffitsbones，’hesaid，andthePsammeadmadealeapfromhisdirtyhornyhands，andAntheacaughtitinhers，whichwerenotveryclean，certainly，butatanyrateweresoftandpink，andhelditkindlyandclosely。 ’Butyoucan’ttakeithomelikethat，’Cyrilsaid，’weshallhaveacrowdafterus，’andindeedtwoerrandboysandapolicemanhadalreadycollected。 ’Ican’tgiveyounothinkonlyapaper—bag，likewhatweputthetortoisesin，’saidthemangrudgingly。 Sothewholepartywentintotheshop，andtheshopman’seyesnearlycameoutofhisheadwhen，havinggivenAntheathelargestpaper—baghecouldfind，hesawherholditopen，andthePsammeadcarefullycreepintoit。’Well！’hesaid，’ifthattheredon’tbeatcockfighting！Butp’rapsyou’vemetthebruteafore。’ ’Yes，’saidCyrilaffably，’he’sanoldfriendofours。’ ’IfI’daknownthat，’themanrejoined，’youshouldn’tahadhimundertwicethemoney。’Owever，’headded，asthechildrendisappeared，’Iain’tdonesobad，seeingasIonlygivefivebobforthebeast。Butthenthere’sthebitestotakeintoaccount！’ Thechildrentremblinginagitationandexcitement，carriedhomethePsammead，tremblinginitspaper—bag。 Whentheygotithome，Antheanursedit，andstrokedit，andwouldhavecriedoverit，ifshehadn’trememberedhowithatedtobewet。 Whenitrecoveredenoughtospeak，itsaid—— ’Getmesand；silversandfromtheoilandcolourshop。Andgetmeplenty。’ Theygotthesand，andtheyputitandthePsammeadintheroundbathtogether，anditrubbeditself，androlleditself，andshookitselfandscrapeditself，andscratcheditself，andpreeneditself，tillitfeltcleanandcomfy，andthenitscrabbledahastyholeinthesand，andwenttosleepinit。 Thechildrenhidthebathunderthegirls’bed，andhadsupper。 OldNursehadgotthemalovelysupperofbreadandbutterandfriedonions。Shewasfullofkindanddelicatethoughts。 WhenAntheawokethenextmorning，thePsammeadwassnugglingdownbetweenhershoulderandJane’s。 ’Youhavesavedmylife，’itsaid。’Iknowthatmanwouldhavethrowncoldwateronmesoonerorlater，andthenIshouldhavedied。Isawhimwashoutaguinea—pig’shutchyesterdaymorning。 I’mstillfrightfullysleepy，IthinkI’llgobacktosandforanothernap。WaketheboysandthisdormouseofaJane，andwhenyou’vehadyourbreakfastswe’llhaveatalk。’ ’Don’tYOUwantanybreakfast？’askedAnthea。 ’IdaresayIshallpickabitpresently，’itsaid；’butsandisallIcareabout——it’smeatanddrinktome，andcoalsandfireandwifeandchildren。’Withthesewordsitclambereddownbythebedclothesandscrambledbackintothebath，wheretheyhearditscratchingitselfoutofsight。 ’Well！’saidAnthea，’anyhowourholidayswon’tbedullNOW。 We’vefoundthePsammeadagain。’ ’No，’saidJane，beginningtoputonherstockings。’Weshan’tbedull——butit’llbeonlylikehavingapetdognowitcan’tgiveuswishes。’ ’Oh，don’tbesodiscontented，’saidAnthea。’Ifitcan’tdoanythingelseitcantellusaboutMegatheriumsandthings。’ CHAPTER2 THEHALFAMULET Longago——thatistosaylastsummer——thechildren，findingthemselvesembarrassedbysomewishwhichthePsammeadhadgrantedthem，andwhichtheservantshadnotreceivedinaproperspirit，hadwishedthattheservantsmightnotnoticethegiftswhichthePsammeadgave。AndwhentheypartedfromthePsammeadtheirlastwishhadbeenthattheyshouldmeetitagain。 ThereforetheyHADmetit（anditwasjollyluckyforthePsammead，asRobertpointedout）。Now，ofcourse，youseethatthePsammead’sbeingwhereitwas，wastheconsequenceofoneoftheirwishes，andthereforewasaPsammead—wish，andassuchcouldnotbenoticedbytheservants。AnditwassoonplainthatinthePsammead’sopinionoldNursewasstillaservant，althoughshehadnowahouseofherown，forshenevernoticedthePsammeadatall。Andthatwasaswell，forshewouldneverhaveconsentedtoallowthegirlstokeepananimalandabathofsandundertheirbed。 Whenbreakfasthadbeenclearedaway——itwasaverynicebreakfastwithhotrollstoit，aluxuryquiteoutofthecommonway——Antheawentanddraggedoutthebath，andwokethePsammead。 Itstretchedandshookitself。 ’Youmusthaveboltedyourbreakfastmostunwholesomely，’itsaid，’youcan’thavebeenfiveminutesoverit。’ ’We’vebeennearlyanhour，’saidAnthea。’Come——youknowyoupromised。’ ’Nowlookhere，’saidthePsammead，sittingbackonthesandandshootingoutitslongeyessuddenly，’we’dbetterbeginaswemeantogoon。Itwon’tdotohaveanymisunderstanding，soI tellyouplainlythat——’ ’Oh，PLEASE，’Antheapleaded，’dowaittillwegettotheothers。 They’llthinkitmostawfullysneakishofmetotalktoyouwithoutthem；docomedown，there’sadear。’ Shekneltbeforethesand—bathandheldoutherarms。ThePsammeadmusthaverememberedhowgladithadbeentojumpintothosesamelittlearmsonlythedaybefore，foritgavealittlegrudginggrunt，andjumpedoncemore。 Antheawrappeditinherpinaforeandcarrieditdownstairs。Itwaswelcomedinathrillingsilence。AtlastAntheasaid，’Nowthen！’ ’Whatplaceisthis？’askedthePsammead，shootingitseyesoutandturningthemslowlyround。 ’It’sasitting—room，ofcourse，’saidRobert。 ’ThenIdon’tlikeit，’saidthePsammead。 ’Nevermind，’saidAntheakindly；’we’lltakeyouanywhereyoulikeifyouwantusto。WhatwasityouweregoingtosayupstairswhenIsaidtheotherswouldn’tlikeitifIstayedtalkingtoyouwithoutthem？’ Itlookedkeenlyather，andsheblushed。 ’Don’tbesilly，’itsaidsharply。’Ofcourse，it’squitenaturalthatyoushouldlikeyourbrothersandsisterstoknowexactlyhowgoodandunselfishyouwere。’ ’Iwishyouwouldn’t，’saidJane。’Antheawasquiteright。Whatwasityouweregoingtosaywhenshestoppedyou？’ ’I’lltellyou，’saidthePsammead，’sinceyou’resoanxioustoknow。Iwasgoingtosaythis。You’vesavedmylife——andI’mnotungrateful——butitdoesn’tchangeyournatureormine。 You’restillveryignorant，andrathersilly，andIamworthathousandofyouanydayoftheweek。’ ’Ofcourseyouare！’Antheawasbeginningbutitinterruptedher。 ’It’sveryrudetointerrupt，’itsaid；’whatImeanisthatI’mnotgoingtostandanynonsense，andifyouthinkwhatyou’vedoneistogiveyoutherighttopetmeormakemedemeanmyselfbyplayingwithyou，you’llfindoutthatwhatyouthinkdoesn’tmatterasinglepenny。See？It’swhat_I_thinkthatmatters。’ ’Iknow，’saidCyril，’italwayswas，ifyouremember。’ ’Well，’saidthePsammead，’thenthat’ssettled。We’retobetreatedaswedeserve。Iwithrespect，andallofyouwith——butIdon’twishtobeoffensive。DoyouwantmetotellyouhowI gotintothathorribledenyouboughtmeoutof？Oh，I’mnotungrateful！Ihaven’tforgottenitandIshan’tforgetit。’ ’Dotellus，’saidAnthea。’Iknowyou’reawfullyclever，butevenwithallyourcleverness，Idon’tbelieveyoucanpossiblyknowhow——howrespectfullywedorespectyou。Don’twe？’ Theothersallsaidyes——andfidgetedintheirchairs。Robertspokethewishesofallwhenhesaid—— ’Idowishyou’dgoon。’Soitsatuponthegreen—coveredtableandwenton。 ’Whenyou’dgoneaway，’itsaid，’Iwenttosandforabit，andslept。Iwastiredoutwithallyoursillywishes，andIfeltasthoughIhadn’treallybeentosandforayear。’ ’Tosand？’Janerepeated。 ’WhereIsleep。Yougotobed。Igotosand。’ Janeyawned；thementionofbedmadeherfeelsleepy。 ’Allright，’saidthePsammead，inoffendedtones。’I’msure_I_ don’twanttotellyoualongtale。Amancaughtme，andIbithim。Andheputmeinabagwithadeadhareandadeadrabbit。 AndhetookmetohishouseandputmeoutofthebagintoabasketwithholesthatIcouldseethrough。AndIbithimagain。 Andthenhebroughtmetothiscity，whichIamtoldiscalledtheModernBabylon——thoughit’snotabitliketheoldBabylon——andhesoldmetothemanyouboughtmefrom，andthenI bitthemboth。Now，what’syournews？’ ’There’snotquitesomuchbitinginourstory，’saidCyrilregretfully；’infact，thereisn’tany。Father’sgonetoManchuria，andMotherandTheLambhavegonetoMadeirabecauseMotherwasill，anddon’tIjustwishthattheywerebothsafehomeagain。’ Merelyfromhabit，theSand—fairybegantoblowitselfout，butitstoppedshortsuddenly。 ’Iforgot，’itsaid；’Ican’tgiveyouanymorewishes。’ ’No——butlookhere，’saidCyril，’couldn’twecallinoldNurseandgethertosaySHEwishestheyweresafehome。I’msureshedoes。’ ’Nogo，’saidthePsammead。’It’sjustthesameasyourwishingyourselfifyougetsomeoneelsetowishforyou。Itwon’tact。’ ’Butitdidyesterday——withthemanintheshop，’saidRobert。 ’Ahyes，’saidthecreature，’butyoudidn’tASKhimtowish，andyoudidn’tknowwhatwouldhappenifhedid。Thatcan’tbedoneagain。It’splayedout。’ ’Thenyoucan’thelpusatall，’saidJane；’oh——Ididthinkyoucoulddosomething；I’vebeenthinkingaboutiteversincewesavedyourlifeyesterday。Ithoughtyou’dbecertaintobeabletofetchbackFather，evenifyoucouldn’tmanageMother。’ AndJanebegantocry。 ’NowDON’T，’saidthePsammeadhastily；’youknowhowitalwaysupsetsmeifyoucry。Ican’tfeelsafeamoment。Lookhere； youmusthavesomenewkindofcharm。’ ’That’seasiersaidthandone。’ ’Notabitofit，’saidthecreature；’there’soneofthestrongestcharmsintheworldnotastone’sthrowfromwhereyouboughtmeyesterday。ThemanthatIbitso——thefirstone，I mean——wentintoashoptoaskhowmuchsomethingcost——Ithinkhesaiditwasaconcertina——andwhilehewastellingthemanintheshophowmuchtoomuchhewantedforit，Isawthecharminasortoftray，withalotofotherthings。IfyoucanonlybuyTHAT，youwillbeabletohaveyourheart’sdesire。’ ThechildrenlookedateachotherandthenatthePsammead。ThenCyrilcoughedawkwardlyandtooksuddencouragetosaywhateveryonewasthinking。 ’Idohopeyouwon’tbewaxy，’hesaid；’butit’slikethis：whenyouusedtogiveusourwishestheyalmostalwaysgotusintosomeroworother，andweusedtothinkyouwouldn’thavebeenpleasediftheyhadn’t。Now，aboutthischarm——wehaven’tgotoverandabovetoomuchtin，andifweblueitallonthischarmanditturnsouttobenotuptomuch——well——youseewhatI’mdrivingat，don’tyou？’ ’IseethatYOUdon’tseemorethanthelengthofyournose，andTHAT’Snotfar，’saidthePsammeadcrossly。’Lookhere，IHADtogiveyouthewishes，andofcoursetheyturnedoutbadly，inasortofway，becauseyouhadn’tthesensetowishforwhatwasgoodforyou。Butthischarm’squitedifferent。Ihaven’tGOT todothisforyou，it’sjustmyowngenerouskindnessthatmakesmetellyouaboutit。Soit’sboundtobeallright。See？’ ’Don’tbecross，’saidAnthea，’Please，PLEASEdon’t。Yousee，it’sallwe’vegot；weshan’thaveanymorepocket—moneytillDaddycomeshome——unlesshesendsussomeinaletter。ButweDO trustyou。AndIsayallofyou，’shewenton，’don’tyouthinkit’sworthspendingALLthemoney，ifthere’seventhechanciestchanceofgettingFatherandMotherbacksafeNOW？Justthinkofit！Oh，dolet’s！’ ’_I_don’tcarewhatyoudo，’saidthePsammead；’I’llgobacktosandagaintillyou’vemadeupyourminds。’ ’No，don’t！’saideverybody；andJaneadded，’Wearequitemindmade—up——don’tyouseeweare？Let’sgetourhats。Willyoucomewithus？’ ’Ofcourse，’saidthePsammead；’howelsewouldyoufindtheshop？’ Soeverybodygotitshat。ThePsammeadwasputintoaflatbass—bagthathadcomefromFarringdonMarketwithtwopoundsoffilletedplaiceinit。NowitcontainedaboutthreepoundsandaquarterofsolidPsammead，andthechildrentookitinturnstocarryit。 ’It’snothalftheweightofTheLamb，’Robertsaid，andthegirlssighed。 ThePsammeadpokedawaryeyeoutofthetopofthebasketeverynowandthen，andtoldthechildrenwhichturningstotake。 ’Howonearthdoyouknow？’askedRobert。’Ican’tthinkhowyoudoit。’ AndthePsammeadsaidsharply，’No——Idon’tsupposeyoucan。’ AtlasttheycametoTHEshop。Ithadallsortsandkindsofthingsinthewindow——concertinas，andsilkhandkerchiefs，chinavasesandtea—cups，blueJapanesejars，pipes，swords，pistols，lacecollars，silverspoonstiedupinhalf—dozens，andwedding—ringsinaredlacqueredbasin。Therewereofficers’ epauletsanddoctors’lancets。Thereweretea—caddiesinlaidwithredturtle—shellandbrasscurly—wurlies，platesofdifferentkindsofmoney，andstacksofdifferentkindsofplates。Therewasabeautifulpictureofalittlegirlwashingadog，whichJanelikedverymuch。Andinthemiddleofthewindowtherewasadirtysilvertrayfullofmother—of—pearlcardcounters，oldseals，pastebuckles，snuff—boxes，andallsortsoflittledingyoddsandends。 ThePsammeadputitsheadquiteoutofthefish—baskettolookinthewindow，whenCyrilsaid—— ’There’satraytherewithrubbishinit。’ Andthenitslongsnail’seyessawsomethingthatmadethemstretchoutsomuchthattheywereaslongandthinasnewslate—pencils。Itsfurbristledthickly，anditsvoicewasquitehoarsewithexcitementasitwhispered—— ’That’sit！That’sit！There，underthatblueandyellowbuckle，youcanseeabitstickingout。It’sred。Doyousee？’ ’Isitthatthingsomethinglikeahorse—shoe？’askedCyril。 ’Andred，likethecommonsealing—waxyoudoupparcelswith？’ ’Yes，that’sit，’saidthePsammead。’Now，youdojustasyoudidbefore。Askthepriceofotherthings。Thatbluebucklewoulddo。Thenthemanwillgetthetrayoutofthewindow。I thinkyou’dbetterbetheone，’itsaidtoAnthea。’We’llwaitouthere。’ Sotheothersflattenedtheirnosesagainsttheshopwindow，andpresentlyalarge，dirty，short—fingeredhandwithaverybigdiamondringcamestretchingthroughthegreenhalf—curtainsatthebackoftheshopwindowandtookawaythetray。 TheycouldnotseewhatwashappeningintheinterviewbetweenAntheaandtheDiamondRing，anditseemedtothemthatshehadhadtime——ifshehadhadmoney——tobuyeverythingintheshopbeforethemomentcamewhenshestoodbeforethem，herfacewreathedingrins，asCyrilsaidlater，andinherhandthecharm。 Itwassomethinglikethis：[Drawingomitted。]anditwasmadeofared，smooth，softlyshinystone。 ’I’vegotit，’Antheawhispered，justopeningherhandtogivetheothersaglimpseofit。’Dolet’sgethome。Wecan’tstandherelikestuck—pigslookingatitinthestreet。’ Sohometheywent。TheparlourinFitzroyStreetwasaveryflatbackgroundtomagichappenings。Downinthecountryamongtheflowersandgreenfieldsanythinghadseemed——andindeedhadbeen——possible。ButitwashardtobelievethatanythingreallywonderfulcouldhappensoneartheTottenhamCourtRoad。ButthePsammeadwasthere——anditinitselfwaswonderful。Anditcouldtalk——andithadshownthemwhereacharmcouldbeboughtthatwouldmaketheownerofitperfectlyhappy。Sothefourchildrenhurriedhome，takingverylongsteps，withtheirchinsstuckout，andtheirmouthsshutverytightindeed。TheywentsofastthatthePsammeadwasquiteshakenaboutinitsfish—bag，butitdidnotsayanything——perhapsforfearofattractingpublicnotice。 Theygothomeatlast，veryhotindeed，andsetthePsammeadonthegreentablecloth。 ’Nowthen！’saidCyril。 ButthePsammeadhadtohaveaplateofsandfetchedforit，foritwasquitefaint。Whenithadrefresheditselfalittleitsaid—— ’Nowthen！Letmeseethecharm，’andAnthealaiditonthegreentable—cover。ThePsammeadshotouthislongeyestolookatit，thenitturnedthemreproachfullyonAntheaandsaid—— ’Butthere’sonlyhalfofithere！’ Thiswasindeedablow。 ’Itwasalltherewas，’saidAnthea，withtimidfirmness。Sheknewitwasnotherfault。’Thereshouldbeanotherpiece，’saidthePsammead，’andasortofpintofastenthetwotogether。’ ’Isn’thalfanygood？’——’Won’titworkwithouttheotherbit？’——’Itcostseven—and—six。’——’Oh，bother，bother，bother！’——’Don’tbesillylittleidiots！’saideveryoneandthePsammeadaltogether。 Thentherewasawretchedsilence。Cyrilbrokeit—— ’Whatshallwedo？’ ’Gobacktotheshopandseeiftheyhaven’tgottheotherhalf，’ saidthePsammead。’I’llgotosandtillyoucomeback。Cheerup！Eventhebityou’vegotisSOMEgood，butit’llbenoendofabotherifyoucan’tfindtheother。’ SoCyrilwenttotheshop。AndthePsammeadtosand。Andtheotherthreewenttodinner，whichwasnowready。AndoldNursewasverycrossthatCyrilwasnotreadytoo。 ThethreewerewatchingatthewindowswhenCyrilreturned，andevenbeforehewasnearenoughforthemtoseehisfacetherewassomethingabouttheslouchofhisshouldersandsetofhisknickerbockersandthewayhedraggedhisbootsalongthatshowedbuttooplainlythathiserrandhadbeeninvain。 ’Well？’theyallsaid，hopingagainsthopeonthefront—doorstep。 ’Nogo，’Cyrilanswered；’themansaidthethingwasperfect。HesaiditwasaRomanlady’slocket，andpeopleshouldn’tbuycuriosiftheydidn’tknowanythingaboutarky——somethingorother，andthatheneverwentbackonabargain，becauseitwasn’tbusiness，andheexpectedhiscustomerstoactthesame。 Hewassimplynasty——that’swhathewas，andIwantmydinner。’ ItwasplainthatCyrilwasnotpleased。 Theunlikelinessofanythingreallyinterestinghappeninginthatparlourlaylikeaweightofleadoneveryone’sspirits。Cyrilhadhisdinner，andjustashewasswallowingthelastmouthfulofapple—puddingtherewasascratchatthedoor。AntheaopeneditandinwalkedthePsammead。 ’Well，’itsaid，whenithadheardthenews，’thingsmightbeworse。Onlyyouwon’tbesurprisedifyouhaveafewadventuresbeforeyougettheotherhalf。Youwanttogetit，ofcourse。’ ’Rather，’wasthegeneralreply。’Andwedon’tmindadventures。’ ’No，’saidthePsammead，’Iseemtorememberthataboutyou。 Well，sitdownandlistenwithallyourears。Eight，arethere？ Right——Iamgladyouknowarithmetic。Nowpayattention，becauseIdon’tintendtotellyoueverythingtwiceover。’ Asthechildrensettledthemselvesonthefloor——itwasfarmorecomfortablethanthechairs，aswellasmorepolitetothePsammead，whowasstrokingitswhiskersonthehearth—rug——asuddencoldpaincaughtatAnthea’sheart。Father——Mother——thedarlingLamb——allfaraway。Thenawarm，comfortablefeelingflowedthroughher。ThePsammeadwashere，andatleasthalfacharm，andthereweretobeadventures。（Ifyoudon’tknowwhatacoldpainis，Iamgladforyoursakes，andIhopeyounevermay。） ’Now，’saidthePsammeadcheerily，’youarenotparticularlynice，norparticularlyclever，andyou’renotatallgood—looking。Still，you’vesavedmylife——oh，whenIthinkofthatmanandhispailofwater！——soI’lltellyouallIknow。Atleast，ofcourseIcan’tdothat，becauseIknowfartoomuch。 ButI’lltellyouallIknowaboutthisredthing。’ ’Do！Do！Do！Do！’saideveryone。 ’Well，then，’saidthePsammead。’ThisthingishalfofanAmuletthatcandoallsortsofthings；itcanmakethecorngrow，andthewatersflow，andthetreesbearfruit，andthelittlenewbeautifulbabiescome。（NotthatbabiesARE beautiful，ofcourse，’itbrokeofftosay，’buttheirmothersthinktheyare——andaslongasyouthinkathing’strueitIS trueasfarasyou’reconcerned。）’ Robertyawned。 ThePsammeadwenton。 ’ThecompleteAmuletcankeepoffallthethingsthatmakepeopleunhappy——jealousy，badtemper，pride，disagreeableness，greediness，selfishness，laziness。Evilspirits，peoplecalledthemwhentheAmuletwasmade。Don’tyouthinkitwouldbenicetohaveit？’ ’Very，’saidthechildren，quitewithoutenthusiasM。 ’Anditcangiveyoustrengthandcourage。’ ’That’sbetter，’saidCyril。 ’Andvirtue。’ ’Isupposeit’snicetohavethat，’saidJane，butnotwithmuchinterest。 ’Anditcangiveyouyourheart’sdesire。’ ’Nowyou’retalking，’saidRobert。 ’OfcourseIam，’retortedthePsammeadtartly，’sothere’snoneedforyouto。’ ’Heart’sdesireisgoodenoughforme，’saidCyril。 ’Yes，but，’Antheaventured，’allthat’swhattheWHOLEcharmcando。There’ssomethingthatthehalfwe’vegotcanwinoffitsownbat——isn’tthere？’SheappealedtothePsammead。Itnodded。 ’Yes，’itsaid；’thehalfhasthepowertotakeyouanywhereyouliketolookfortheotherhalf。’ ThisseemedabrilliantprospecttillRobertasked—— ’Doesitknowwheretolook？’ ThePsammeadshookitsheadandanswered，’Idon’tthinkit’slikely。’ ’Doyou？’ ’No。’ ’Then，’saidRobert，’wemightaswelllookforaneedleinabottleofhay。Yes——itISbottle，andnotbundle，Fathersaidso。’ ’Notatall，’saidthePsammeadbriskly—，’youthinkyouknoweverything，butyouarequitemistaken。Thefirstthingistogetthethingtotalk。’ ’Canit？’Janequestioned。Jane’squestiondidnotmeanthatshethoughtitcouldn’t，forinspiteoftheparlourfurniturethefeelingofmagicwasgrowingdeeperandthicker，andseemedtofilltheroomlikeadreamofascentedfog。 ’Ofcourseitcan。Isupposeyoucanread。’ ’Ohyes！’Everyonewasratherhurtatthequestion。 ’Well，then——allyou’vegottodoistoreadthenamethat’swrittenonthepartofthecharmthatyou’vegot。Andassoonasyousaythenameoutloudthethingwillhavepowertodo——well，severalthings。’ Therewasasilence。Theredcharmwaspassedfromhandtohand。 ’There’snonameonit，’saidCyrilatlast。 ’Nonsense，’saidthePsammead；’what’sthat？’ ’Oh，THAT！’saidCyril，’it’snotreading。Itlookslikepicturesofchickensandsnakesandthings。’ Thiswaswhatwasonthecharm：[Hieroglyphicsomitted。] ’I’venopatiencewithyou，’saidthePsammead；’ifyoucan’treadyoumustfindsomeonewhocan。Apriestnow？’ ’Wedon’tknowanypriests，’saidAnthea；’weknowaclergyman——he’scalledapriestintheprayer—book，youknow——butheonlyknowsGreekandLatinandHebrew，andthisisn’tanyofthose——Iknow。’ ThePsammeadstampedafurryfootangrily。 ’IwishI’dneverseenyou，’itsaid；’youaren’tanymoregoodthansomanystoneimages。Notsomuch，ifI’mtotellthetruth。IstherenowisemaninyourBabylonwhocanpronouncethenamesoftheGreatOnes？’ ’There’sapoorlearnedgentlemanupstairs，’saidAnthea，’wemighttryhim。Hehasalotofstoneimagesinhisroom，andiron—lookingonestoo——wepeepedinoncewhenhewasout。OldNursesayshedoesn’teatenoughtokeepacanaryalive。Hespendsitallonstonesandthings。’ ’Tryhim，’saidthePsammead，’onlybecareful。Ifheknowsagreaternamethanthisandusesitagainstyou，yourcharmwillbeofnouse。Bindhimfirstwiththechainsofhonouranduprightdealing。Andthenaskhisaid——oh，yes，you’dbetterallgo；youcanputmetosandasyougoupstairs。Imusthaveafewminutes’peaceandquietness。’ Sothefourchildrenhastilywashedtheirhandsandbrushedtheirhair——thiswasAnthea’sidea——andwentuptoknockatthedoorofthe’poorlearnedgentleman’，andto’bindhimwiththechainsofhonouranduprightdealing’。 CHAPTER3 THEPAST Thelearnedgentlemanhadlethisdinnergetquitecold。Itwasmuttonchop，andasitlayontheplateitlookedlikeabrownislandinthemiddleofafrozenpond，becausethegreaseofthegravyhadbecomecold，andconsequentlywhite。Itlookedverynasty，anditwasthefirstthingthechildrensawwhen，afterknockingthreetimesandreceivingnoreply，oneofthemventuredtoturnthehandleandsoftlytoopenthedoor。Thechopwasontheendofalongtablethatrandownonesideoftheroom。Thetablehadimagesonitandqueer—shapedstones，andbooks。Andtherewereglasscasesfixedagainstthewallbehind，withlittlestrangethingsinthem。Thecaseswereratherliketheonesyouseeinjewellers’shops。 The’poorlearnedgentleman’wassittingatatableinthewindow，lookingatsomethingverysmallwhichheheldinapairoffinepincers。Hehadaroundspy—glasssortofthinginoneeye——whichremindedthechildrenofwatchmakers，andalsoofthelongsnail’seyesofthePsammead。Thegentlemanwasverylongandthin，andhislong，thinbootsstuckoutundertheothersideofhistable。Hedidnothearthedooropen，andthechildrenstoodhesitating。AtlastRobertgavethedoorapush，andtheyallstartedback，forinthemiddleofthewallthatthedoorhadhiddenwasamummy—case——very，very，verybig——paintedinredandyellowandgreenandblack，andthefaceofitseemedtolookatthemquiteangrily。 Youknowwhatamummy—caseislike，ofcourse？Ifyoudon’tyouhadbettergototheBritishMuseumatonceandfindout。 Anyway，itisnotatallthesortofthingthatyouexpecttomeetinatop—floorfrontinBloomsbury，lookingasthoughitwouldliketoknowwhatbusinessYOUhadthere。 Soeveryonesaid，’Oh！’ratherloud，andtheirbootsclatteredastheystumbledback。 Thelearnedgentlemantooktheglassoutofhiseyeandsaid——’I begyourpardon，’inaverysoft，quietpleasantvoice——thevoiceofagentlemanwhohasbeentoOxford。 ’It’susthatbegyours，’saidCyrilpolitely。’Wearesorrytodisturbyou。’ ’Comein，’saidthegentleman，rising——withthemostdistinguishedcourtesy，Antheatoldherself。’Iamdelightedtoseeyou。Won’tyousitdown？No，notthere；allowmetomovethatpapyrus。’ Heclearedachair，andstoodsmilingandlookingkindlythroughhislarge，roundspectacles。 ’Hetreatsuslikegrown—ups，’whisperedRobert，’andhedoesn’tseemtoknowhowmanyofusthereare。’ ’Hush，’saidAnthea，’itisn’tmannerstowhisper。Yousay，Cyril——goahead。’ ’We’reverysorrytodisturbyou，’saidCyrilpolitely，’butwedidknockthreetimes，andyoudidn’tsay\"Comein\"，or\"Runawaynow\"，orthatyoucouldn’tbebotheredjustnow，ortocomewhenyouweren’tsobusy，oranyofthethingspeopledosaywhenyouknockatdoors，soweopenedit。Weknewyouwereinbecauseweheardyousneezewhilewewerewaiting。’ ’Notatall，’saidthegentleman；’dositdown。’ ’Hehasfoundouttherearefourofus，’saidRobert，asthegentlemanclearedthreemorechairs。Heputthethingsoffthemcarefullyonthefloor。Thefirstchairhadthingslikebricksthattiny，tinybirds’feethavewalkedoverwhenthebricksweresoft，onlythemarkswereinregularlines。Thesecondchairhadroundthingsonitlikeverylarge，fat，long，palebeads。Andthelastchairhadapileofdustypapersonit。Thechildrensatdown。 ’Weknowyouarevery，verylearned，’saidCyril，’andwehavegotacharm，andwewantyoutoreadthenameonit，becauseitisn’tinLatinorGreek，orHebrew，oranyofthelanguagesWE know——’ ’Athoroughknowledgeofeventhoselanguagesisaveryfairfoundationonwhichtobuildaneducation，’saidthegentlemanpolitely。 ’Oh！’saidCyrilblushing，’butweonlyknowthemtolookat，exceptLatin——andI’monlyinCaesarwiththat。’Thegentlemantookoffhisspectaclesandlaughed。Hislaughsoundedrusty，Cyrilthought，asthoughitwasn’toftenused。 ’Ofcourse！’hesaid。’I’msureIbegyourpardon。IthinkI musthavebeeninadream。Youarethechildrenwholivedownstairs，areyounot？Yes。IhaveseenyouasIhavepassedinandout。Andyouhavefoundsomethingthatyouthinktobeanantiquity，andyou’vebroughtittoshowme？Thatwasverykind。 Ishouldliketoinspectit。\" ’I’mafraidwedidn’tthinkaboutyourlikingtoinspectit，’ saidthetruthfulAnthea。’ItwasjustforUSbecausewewantedtoknowthenameonit——’ ’Oh，yes——and，Isay，’Robertinterjected，’youwon’tthinkitrudeofusifweaskyoufirst，beforeweshowit，tobeboundinthewhat—do—you—call—itof——’ ’Inthebondsofhonouranduprightdealing，’saidAnthea。 ’I’mafraidIdon’tquitefollowyou，’saidthegentleman，withgentlenervousness。 ’Well，it’sthisway，’saidCyril。’We’vegotpartofacharm。 AndtheSammy——Imean，somethingtoldusitwouldwork，thoughit’sonlyhalfaone；butitwon’tworkunlesswecansaythenamethat’sonit。But，ofcourse，ifyou’vegotanothernamethatcanlickours，ourcharmwillbenogo；sowewantyoutogiveusyourwordofhonourasagentleman——thoughI’msure，nowI’veseenyou，thatit’snotnecessary；butstillI’vepromisedtoaskyou，sowemust。Willyoupleasegiveusyourhonourablewordnottosayanynamestrongerthanthenameonourcharm？’ ThegentlemanhadputonhisspectaclesagainandwaslookingatCyrilthroughthem。Henowsaid：’Blessme！’morethanonce，adding，’Whotoldyouallthis？’ ’Ican’ttellyou，’saidCyril。’I’mverysorry，butIcan’t。’ Somefaintmemoryofafar—offchildhoodmusthavecometothelearnedgentlemanjustthen，forhesmiled。’Isee，’hesaid。 ’Itissomesortofgamethatyouareengagedin？Ofcourse！ Yes！Well，Iwillcertainlypromise。YetIwonderhowyouheardofthenamesofpower？’ ’Wecan’ttellyouthateither，’saidCyril；andAntheasaid，’Hereisourcharm，’andhelditout。 Withpoliteness，butwithoutinterest，thegentlemantookit。 Butafterthefirstglanceallhisbodysuddenlystiffened，asapointer’sdoeswhenheseesapartridge。 ’Excuseme，’hesaidinquiteachangedvoice，andcarriedthecharmtothewindow。Helookedatit；heturneditover。Hefixedhisspy—glassinhiseyeandlookedagain。Noonesaidanything。OnlyRobertmadeashufflingnoisewithhisfeettillAntheanudgedhimtoshutup。Atlastthelearnedgentlemandrewalongbreath。 ’Wheredidyoufindthis？’heasked。 ’Wedidn’tfindit。Weboughtitatashop。JacobAbsalomthenameis——notfarfromCharingCross，’saidCyril。 ’Wegaveseven—and—sixpenceforit，’addedJane。 ’Itisnotforsale，Isuppose？Youdonotwishtopartwithit？ Ioughttotellyouthatitisextremelyvaluable——extraordinarilyvaluable，Imaysay。’ ’Yes，’saidCyril，’weknowthat，soofcoursewewanttokeepit。’ ’Keepitcarefully，then，’saidthegentlemanimpressively；’andifeveryoushouldwishtopartwithit，mayIaskyoutogivemetherefusalofit？’ ’Therefusal？’ ’Imean，donotsellittoanyoneelseuntilyouhavegivenmetheopportunityofbuyingit。’ ’Allright，’saidCyril，’wewon’t。Butwedon’twanttosellit。Wewanttomakeitdothings。’ ’Isupposeyoucanplayatthataswellasatanythingelse，’ saidthegentleman；’butI’mafraidthedaysofmagicareover。’ ’Theyaren’tREALLY，’saidAntheaearnestly。’You’dseetheyaren’tifIcouldtellyouaboutourlastsummerholidays。OnlyImustn’t。Thankyouverymuch。Andcanyoureadthename？’ ’Yes，Icanreadit。’ ’Willyoutellitus？’’Thename，’saidthegentleman，’isUrHekauSetcheh。’ ’UrHekauSetcheh，’repeatedCyril。’Thanksawfully。Idohopewehaven’ttakenuptoomuchofyourtime。’ ’Notatall，’saidthegentleman。’Anddoletmeentreatyoutobevery，verycarefulofthatmostvaluablespecimen。’ Theysaid’Thankyou’inallthedifferentpolitewaystheycouldthinkof，andfiledoutofthedooranddownthestairs。Antheawaslast。Half—waydowntothefirstlandingsheturnedandranupagain。 Thedoorwasstillopen，andthelearnedgentlemanandthemummy—casewerestandingoppositetoeachother，andbothlookedasthoughtheyhadstoodlikethatforyears。 ThegentlemanstartedwhenAntheaputherhandonhisarm。 ’Ihopeyouwon’tbecrossandsayit’snotmybusiness，’shesaid，’butdolookatyourchop！Don’tyouthinkyououghttoeatit？Fatherforgetshisdinnersometimeswhenhe’swriting，andMotheralwayssaysIoughttoremindhimifshe’snotathometodoitherself，becauseit’ssobadtomissyourregularmeals。 SoIthoughtperhapsyouwouldn’tmindmyremindingyou，becauseyoudon’tseemtohaveanyoneelsetodoit。’ Sheglancedatthemummy—case；ITcertainlydidnotlookasthoughitwouldeverthinkofremindingpeopleoftheirmeals。 Thelearnedgentlemanlookedatherforamomentbeforehesaid—— ’Thankyou，mydear。Itwasakindlythought。No，Ihaven’tanyonetoremindmeaboutthingslikethat。’ Hesighed，andlookedatthechop。 ’Itlooksverynasty，’saidAnthea。 ’Yes，’hesaid，’itdoes。I’lleatitimmediately，beforeI forget。’ Asheateithesighedmorethanonce。Perhapsbecausethechopwasnasty，perhapsbecausehelongedforthecharmwhichthechildrendidnotwanttosell，perhapsbecauseitwassolongsinceanyonecaredwhetherheatehischopsorforgotthem。 Antheacaughttheothersatthestair—foot。TheywokethePsammead，andittaughtthemexactlyhowtousethewordofpower，andtomakethecharmspeak。Iamnotgoingtotellyouhowthisisdone，becauseyoumighttrytodoit。Andforyouanysuchtryingwouldbealmostsuretoendindisappointment。 Becauseinthefirstplaceitisathousandmilliontooneagainstyourevergettingholdoftherightsortofcharm，andifyoudid，therewouldbehardlyanychanceatallofyourfindingalearnedgentlemancleverenoughandkindenoughtoreadthewordforyou。 ThechildrenandthePsammeadcrouchedinacircleonthefloor——inthegirls’bedroom，becauseintheparlourtheymighthavebeeninterruptedbyoldNurse’scomingintolaytheclothfortea——andthecharmwasputinthemiddleofthecircle。 Thesunshonesplendidlyoutside，andtheroomwasverylight。 ThroughtheopenwindowcamethehumandrattleofLondon，andinthestreetbelowtheycouldhearthevoiceofthemilkman。 Whenallwasready，thePsammeadsignedtoAntheatosaytheword。Andshesaidit。Instantlythewholelightofalltheworldseemedtogoout。Theroomwasdark。Theworldoutsidewasdark——darkerthanthedarkestnightthateverwas。Andallthesoundswentouttoo，sothattherewasasilencedeeperthananysilenceyouhaveeverevendreamedofimagining。Itwaslikebeingsuddenlydeafandblind，onlydarkerandquietereventhanthat。 Butbeforethechildrenhadgotoverthesuddenshockofitenoughtobefrightened，afaint，beautifullightbegantoshowinthemiddleofthecircle，andatthesamemomentafaint，beautifulvoicebegantospeak。Thelightwastoosmallforonetoseeanythingby，andthevoicewastoosmallforyoutohearwhatitsaid。Youcouldjustseethelightandjusthearthevoice。