第2章

Butthelightgrewstronger。Itwasgreeny，likeglow—worms’ lamps，anditgrewandgrewtillitwasasthoughthousandsandthousandsofglow—wormsweresignallingtotheirwingedsweetheartsfromthemiddleofthecircle。Andthevoicegrew，notsomuchinloudnessasinsweetness（thoughitgrewlouder，too），tillitwassosweetthatyouwantedtocrywithpleasurejustatthesoundofit。Itwaslikenightingales，andthesea，andthefiddle，andthevoiceofyourmotherwhenyouhavebeenalongtimeaway，andshemeetsyouatthedoorwhenyougethome。 Andthevoicesaid—— ’Speak。Whatisitthatyouwouldhear？’ Icannottellyouwhatlanguagethevoiceused。Ionlyknowthateveryonepresentunderstooditperfectly。Ifyoucometothinkofit，theremustbesomelanguagethateveryonecouldunderstand，ifweonlyknewwhatitwas。NorcanItellyouhowthecharmspoke，norwhetheritwasthecharmthatspoke，orsomepresenceinthecharm。Thechildrencouldnothavetoldyoueither。Indeed，theycouldnotlookatthecharmwhileitwasspeaking，becausethelightwastoobright。TheylookedinsteadatthegreenradianceonthefadedKidderminstercarpetattheedgeofthecircle。Theyallfeltveryquiet，andnotinclinedtoaskquestionsorfidgetwiththeirfeet。ForthiswasnotlikethethingsthathadhappenedinthecountrywhenthePsammeadhadgiventhemtheirwishes。Thathadbeenfunnysomehow，andthiswasnot。ItwassomethinglikeArabianNightsmagic，andsomethinglikebeinginchurch。Noonecaredtospeak。 ItwasCyrilwhosaidatlast—— ’Pleasewewanttoknowwheretheotherhalfofthecharmis。’ ’ThepartoftheAmuletwhichislost，’saidthebeautifulvoice，’wasbrokenandgroundintothedustoftheshrinethatheldit。 Itandthepinthatjoinedthetwohalvesarethemselvesdust，andthedustisscatteredovermanylandsandsunkinmanyseas。’ ’Oh，Isay！’murmuredRobert，andablanksilencefell。’Thenit’sallup？’saidCyrilatlast；’it’snouseourlookingforathingthat’ssmashedintodust，andthedustscatteredallovertheplace。’ ’Ifyouwouldfindit，’saidthevoice，’Youmustseekitwhereitstillis，perfectasever。’ ’Idon’tunderstand，’saidCyril。 ’InthePastyoumayfindit，’saidthevoice。 ’IwishweMAYfindit，’saidCyril。 ThePsammeadwhisperedcrossly，’Don’tyouunderstand？ThethingexistedinthePast。IfyouwereinthePast，too，youcouldfindit。It’sverydifficulttomakeyouunderstandthings。 Timeandspaceareonlyformsofthought。’ ’Isee，’saidCyril。 ’No，youdon’t，’saidthePsammead，’anditdoesn’tmatterifyoudon’t，either。WhatImeanisthatifyouwereonlymadetherightway，youcouldseeeverythinghappeninginthesameplaceatthesametime。Nowdoyousee？’ ’I’mafraid_I_don’t，’saidAnthea；’I’msorryI’msostupid。’ ’Well，atanyrate，youseethis。ThatlosthalfoftheAmuletisinthePast。Thereforeit’sinthePastwemustlookforit。 Imustn’tspeaktothecharmmyself。Askitthings！Findout！’ ’Wherecanwefindtheotherpartofyou？’askedCyrilobediently。 ’InthePast，’saidthevoice。 ’WhatpartofthePast？’ ’Imaynottellyou。Ifyouwillchooseatime，Iwilltakeyoutotheplacethatthenheldit。Youyourselvesmustfindit。’ ’Whendidyouseeitlast？’askedAnthea——’Imean，whenwasittakenawayfromyou？’ Thebeautifulvoiceanswered—— ’Thatwasthousandsofyearsago。TheAmuletwasperfectthen，andlayinashrine，thelastofmanyshrines，andIworkedwonders。Thencamestrangemenwithstrangeweaponsanddestroyedmyshrine，andtheAmulettheyboreawaywithmanycaptives。Butofthese，one，mypriest，knewthewordofpower，andspokeitforme，sothattheAmuletbecameinvisible，andthusreturnedtomyshrine，buttheshrinewasbrokendown，andereanymagiccouldrebuilditonespokeawordbeforewhichmypowerboweddownandwasstill。AndtheAmuletlaythere，stillperfect，butenslaved。Thenonecomingwithstonestorebuildtheshrine，droppedahewnstoneontheAmuletasitlay，andonehalfwassunderedfromtheother。Ihadnopowertoseekforthatwhichwaslost。Andtherebeingnonetospeakthewordofpower，Icouldnotrejoinit。SotheAmuletlayinthedustofthedesertmanythousandyears，andatlastcameasmallman，aconquerorwithanarmy，andafterhimacrowdofmenwhosoughttoseemwise，andoneofthesefoundhalftheAmuletandbroughtittothisland。Butnonecouldreadthename。SoIlaystill。 Andthismandyingandhissonafterhim，theAmuletwassoldbythosewhocameaftertoamerchant，andfromhimyouboughtit，anditishere，andnow，thenameofpowerhavingbeenspoken，I alsoamhere。’ Thisiswhatthevoicesaid。IthinkitmusthavemeantNapoleonbythesmallman，theconqueror。BecauseIknowIhavebeentoldthathetookanarmytoEgypt，andthatafterwardsalotofwisepeoplewentgrubbinginthesand，andfishedupallsortsofwonderfulthings，olderthanyouwouldthinkpossible。AndoftheseIbelievethischarmtohavebeenone，andthemostwonderfuloneofall。 Everyonelistened：andeveryonetriedtothink。ItisnoteasytodothisclearlywhenyouhavebeenlisteningtothekindoftalkIhavetoldyouabout。 AtlastRobertsaid—— ’CanyoutakeusintothePast——totheshrinewhereyouandtheotherthingweretogether。Ifyoucouldtakeusthere，wemightfindtheotherpartstillthereafterallthesethousandsofyears。’ ’Stillthere？silly！’saidCyril。’Don’tyousee，ifwegobackintothePastitwon’tbethousandsofyearsago。ItwillbeNOW forus——won’tit？’HeappealedtothePsammead，whosaid—— ’You’renotsofarofftheideaasyouusuallyare！’ ’Well，’saidAnthea，’willyoutakeusbacktowhentherewasashrineandyouweresafeinit——allofyou？’ ’Yes，’saidthevoice。’Youmustholdmeup，andspeakthewordofpower，andonebyone，beginningwiththefirst—born，youshallpassthroughmeintothePast。Butletthelastthatpassesbetheonethatholdsme，andlethimnotlosehishold，lestyouloseme，andsoremaininthePastforever。’ ’That’sanastyidea，’saidRobert。 ’Whenyoudesiretoreturn，’thebeautifulvoicewenton，’holdmeuptowardstheEast，andspeaktheword。Then，passingthroughme，youshallreturntothistimeanditshallbethepresenttoyou。’ ’Buthow——’Abellrangloudly。 ’Ohcrikey！’exclaimedRobert，’that’stea！Willyoupleasemakeitproperdaylightagainsothatwecangodown。Andthankyousomuchforallyourkindness。’ ’We’veenjoyedourselvesverymuchindeed，thankyou！’addedAntheapolitely。 Thebeautifullightfadedslowly。Thegreatdarknessandsilencecameandthesesuddenlychangedtothedazzlementofdayandthegreatsoft，rustlingsoundofLondon，thatislikesomevastbeastturningoverinitssleep。 Thechildrenrubbedtheireyes，thePsammeadranquicklytoitssandybath，andtheotherswentdowntotea。Anduntilthecupswereactuallyfilledteaseemedlessrealthanthebeautifulvoiceandthegreenylight。 AfterteaAntheapersuadedtheotherstoallowhertohangthecharmroundherneckwithapieceofstring。 ’Itwouldbesoawfulifitgotlost，’shesaid：’itmightgetlostanywhere，youknow，anditwouldberatherbeastlyforustohavetostayinthePastforeverandever，wouldn’tit？’ CHAPTER4 EIGHTTHOUSANDYEARSAGO NextmorningAntheagotoldNursetoallowhertotakeupthe’poorlearnedgentleman’s’breakfast。Hedidnotrecognizeheratfirst，butwhenhedidhewasvaguelypleasedtoseeher。 ’YouseeI’mwearingthecharmroundmyneck，’shesaid；’I’mtakingcareofit——likeyoutoldusto。’ ’That’sright，’saidhe；’didyouhaveagoodgamelastnight？’ ’Youwilleatyourbreakfastbeforeit’scold，won’tyou？’saidAnthea。’Yes，wehadasplendidtime。Thecharmmadeitalldark，andthengreenylight，andthenitspoke。Oh！Iwishyoucouldhaveheardit——itwassuchadarlingvoice——andittoldustheotherhalfofitwaslostinthePast，soofcourseweshallhavetolookforitthere！’ ThelearnedgentlemanrubbedhishairwithbothhandsandlookedanxiouslyatAnthea。 ’Isupposeit’snatural——youthfulimaginationandsoforth，’hesaid。’Yetsomeonemusthave……Whotoldyouthatsomepartofthecharmwasmissing？’ ’Ican’ttellyou，’shesaid。’Iknowitseemsmostawfullyrude，especiallyafterbeingsokindabouttellingusthenameofpower，andallthat，butreally，I’mnotallowedtotellanybodyanythingaboutthe——the——thepersonwhotoldme。Youwon’tforgetyourbreakfast，willyou？’ Thelearnedgentlemansmiledfeeblyandthenfrowned——notacross—frown，butapuzzle—frown。 ’Thankyou，’hesaid，’Ishallalwaysbepleasedifyou’lllookin——anytimeyou’repassingyouknow——atleast……’ ’Iwill，’shesaid；’goodbye。I’llalwaystellyouanythingI MAYtell。’ Hehadnothadmanyadventureswithchildreninthem，andhewonderedwhetherallchildrenwerelikethese。Hespentquitefiveminutesinwonderingbeforehesettleddowntothefifty—secondchapterofhisgreatbookon’TheSecretRitesofthePriestsofAmenRa’。 ItisnousetopretendthatthechildrendidnotfeelagooddealofagitationatthethoughtofgoingthroughthecharmintothePast。Thatidea，thatperhapstheymightstayinthePastandnevergetbackagain，wasanythingbutpleasing。Yetnoonewouldhavedaredtosuggestthatthecharmshouldnotbeused； andthougheachwasinitsheartveryfrightenedindeed，theywouldallhavejoinedinjeeringatthecowardiceofanyoneofthemwhoshouldhaveutteredthetimidbutnaturalsuggestion，’Don’tlet’s！’ Itseemednecessarytomakearrangementsforbeingoutallday，fortherewasnoreasontosupposethatthesoundofthedinner—bellwouldbeabletoreachbackintothePast，anditseemedunwisetoexciteoldNurse’scuriositywhennothingtheycouldsay——noteventhetruth——couldinanywaysatisfyit。TheywereallveryproudtothinkhowwelltheyhadunderstoodwhatthecharmandthePsammeadhadsaidaboutTimeandSpaceandthingslikethat，andtheywereperfectlycertainthatitwouldbequiteimpossibletomakeoldNurseunderstandasinglewordofit。SotheymerelyaskedhertoletthemtaketheirdinneroutintoRegent’sPark——andthis，withtheimpliedcoldmuttonandtomatoes，wasreadilygranted。 ’Youcangetyourselvessomebunsorsponge—cakes，orwhateveryoufancy—like，’saidoldNurse，givingCyrilashilling。’Don’tgogettingjam—tarts，now——somessyatthebestoftimes，andwithoutforksandplatesruinationtoyourclothes，besidesyournotbeingabletowashyourhandsandfacesafterwards。’ SoCyriltooktheshilling，andtheyallstartedoff。TheywentroundbytheTottenhamCourtRoadtobuyapieceofwaterproofsheetingtoputoverthePsammeadincaseitshouldberaininginthePastwhentheygotthere。ForitisalmostcertaindeathtoaPsammeadtogetwet。 Thesunwasshiningverybrightly，andevenLondonlookedpretty。 Womenweresellingrosesfrombigbaskets—full，andAntheaboughtfourroses，oneeach，forherselfandtheothers。Theywereredrosesandsmeltofsummer——thekindofrosesyoualwayswantsodesperatelyataboutChristmas—timewhenyoucanonlygetmistletoe，whichispalerightthroughtoitsveryscent，andhollywhichpricksyournoseifyoutrytosmellit。Sonoweveryonehadaroseinitsbuttonhole，andsooneveryonewassittingonthegrassinRegent’sParkundertreeswhoseleaveswouldhavebeenclean，cleargreeninthecountry，buthereweredustyandyellowish，andbrownattheedges。 ’We’vegottogoonwithit，’saidAnthea，’andastheeldesthastogofirst，you’llhavetobelast，Jane。Youquiteunderstandaboutholdingontothecharmasyougothrough，don’tyou，Pussy？’ ’IwishIhadn’tgottobelast，’saidJane。 ’YoushallcarrythePsammeadifyoulike，’saidAnthea。’Thatis，’sheadded，rememberingthebeast’squeertemper，’ifit’llletyou。’ ThePsammead，however，wasunexpectedlyamiable。 ’_I_don’tmind，’itsaid，’whocarriesme，solongasitdoesn’tdropme。Ican’tbearbeingdropped。’ JanewithtremblinghandstookthePsammeadanditsfish—basketunderonearm。Thecharm’slongstringwashungroundherneck。 Thentheyallstoodup。Janeheldoutthecharmatarm’slength，andCyrilsolemnlypronouncedthewordofpower。 Ashespokeitthecharmgrewtallandbroad，andhesawthatJanewasjustholdingontotheedgeofagreatredarchofverycuriousshape。Theopeningofthearchwassmall，butCyrilsawthathecouldgothroughit。AllroundandbeyondthearchwerethefadedtreesandtrampledgrassofRegent’sPark，wherethelittleraggedchildrenwereplayingRing—o’—Roses。Butthroughtheopeningofitshoneablazeofblueandyellowandred。 Cyrildrewalongbreathandstiffenedhislegssothattheothersshouldnotseethathiskneesweretremblingandalmostknockingtogether。’Heregoes！’hesaid，and，steppingupthroughthearch，disappeared。ThenfollowedAnthea。Robert，comingnext，heldfast，atAnthea’ssuggestion，tothesleeveofJane，whowasthusdraggedsafelythroughthearch。AndassoonastheywereontheothersideofthearchtherewasnomorearchatallandnomoreRegent’sParkeither，onlythecharminJane’shand，anditwasitspropersizeagain。Theywerenowinalightsobrightthattheywinkedandblinkedandrubbedtheireyes。 DuringthisdazzlingintervalAntheafeltforthecharmandpusheditinsideJane’sfrock，sothatitmightbequitesafe。 Whentheireyesgotusedtothenewwonderfullightthechildrenlookedaroundthem。Theskywasvery，veryblue，anditsparkledandglitteredanddazzledliketheseaathomewhenthesunshinesonit。 Theywerestandingonalittleclearinginathick，lowforest； thereweretreesandshrubsandaclose，thorny，tanglyundergrowth。Infrontofthemstretchedabankofstrangeblackmud，thencamethebrowny—yellowyshiningribbonofariver。 Thenmoredry，cakedmudandmoregreeny—brownyjungle。Theonlythingsthattoldthathumanpeoplehadbeenthereweretheclearing，apaththatledtoit，andanoddarrangementofcutreedsintheriver。 Theylookedateachother。 ’Well！’saidRobert，’thisISachangeofair！’ Itwas。Theairwashotterthantheycouldhaveimagined，eveninLondoninAugust。 ’IwishIknewwherewewere，’saidCyril。 ’Here’sariver，now——Iwonderwhetherit’stheAmazonortheTiber，orwhat。’ ’It’stheNile，’saidthePsammead，lookingoutofthefish—bag。 ’ThenthisisEgypt，’saidRobert，whohadoncetakenageographyprize。 ’Idon’tseeanycrocodiles，’Cyrilobjected。Hisprizehadbeenfornaturalhistory。 ThePsammeadreachedoutahairyarmfromitsbasketandpointedtoaheapofmudattheedgeofthewater。 ’Whatdoyoucallthat？’itsaid；andasitspoketheheapofmudslidintotheriverjustasaslabofdampmixedmortarwillslipfromabricklayer’strowel。 ’Oh！’saideverybody。 Therewasacrashingamongthereedsontheothersideofthewater。 ’Andthere’sariver—horse！’saidthePsammead，asagreatbeastlikeanenormousslaty—blueslugshoweditselfagainsttheblackbankonthefarsideofthestream。 ’It’sahippopotamus，’saidCyril；’itseemsmuchmorerealsomehowthantheoneattheZoo，doesn’tit？’ ’I’mgladit’sbeingrealontheothersideoftheriver，’saidJane。Andnowtherewasacracklingofreedsandtwigsbehindthem。Thiswashorrible。Ofcourseitmightbeanotherhippopotamus，oracrocodile，oralion——or，infact，almostanything。 ’Keepyourhandonthecharm，Jane，’saidRoberthastily。’Weoughttohaveameansofescapehandy。I’mdeadcertainthisisthesortofplacewheresimplyanythingmighthappentous。’ ’Ibelieveahippopotamusisgoingtohappentous，’saidJane——’avery，verybigone。’ Theyhadallturnedtofacethedanger。 ’Don’tbesillylittleduffers，’saidthePsammeadinitsfriendly，informalway；’it’snotariver—horse。It’sahuman。’ Itwas。Itwasagirl——ofaboutAnthea’sage。Herhairwasshortandfair，andthoughherskinwastannedbythesun，youcouldseethatitwouldhavebeenfairtooifithadhadachance。Shehadeverychanceofbeingtanned，forshehadnoclothestospeakof，andthefourEnglishchildren，carefullydressedinfrocks，hats，shoes，stockings，coats，collars，andalltherestofit，enviedhermorethananywordsoftheirsorofminecouldpossiblysay。Therewasnodoubtthatherewastherightcostumeforthatclimate。 Shecarriedapotonherhead，ofredandblackearthenware。Shedidnotseethechildren，whoshrankbackagainsttheedgeofthejungle，andshewentforwardtothebrinkoftherivertofillherpitcher。Asshewentshemadeastrangesortofdroning，humming，melancholynoiseallontwonotes。Antheacouldnothelpthinkingthatperhapsthegirlthoughtthisnoisewassinging。 Thegirlfilledthepitcherandsetitdownbytheriverbank。 Thenshewadedintothewaterandstoopedoverthecircleofcutreeds。Shepulledhalfadozenfinefishoutofthewaterwithinthereeds，killingeachasshetookitout，andthreadingitonalongosierthatshecarried。Thensheknottedtheosier，hungitonherarm，pickedupthepitcher，andturnedtocomeback。Andassheturnedshesawthefourchildren。ThewhitedressesofJaneandAntheastoodoutlikesnowagainstthedarkforestbackground。Shescreamedandthepitcherfell，andthewaterwasspilledoutoverthehardmudsurfaceandoverthefish，whichhadfallentoo。Thenthewaterslowlytrickledawayintothedeepcracks。 ’Don’tbefrightened，’Antheacried，’wewon’thurtyou。’ ’Whoareyou？’saidthegirl。 Now，onceforall，IamnotgoingtobebotheredtotellyouhowitwasthatthegirlcouldunderstandAntheaandAntheacouldunderstandthegirl。YOU，atanyrate，wouldnotunderstandME，ifItriedtoexplainit，anymorethanyoucanunderstandabouttimeandspacebeingonlyformsofthought。Youmaythinkwhatyoulike。Perhapsthechildrenhadfoundouttheuniversallanguagewhicheveryonecanunderstand，andwhichwisemensofarhavenotfound。Youwillhavenoticedlongagothattheyweresingularlyluckychildren，andtheymayhavehadthispieceofluckaswellasothers。Oritmayhavebeenthat……butwhypursuethequestionfurther？Thefactremainsthatinalltheiradventuresthemuddle—headedinventionswhichwecallforeignlanguagesneverbotheredthemintheleast。Theycouldalwaysunderstandandbeunderstood。Ifyoucanexplainthis，pleasedo。IdaresayIcouldunderstandyourexplanation，thoughyoucouldneverunderstandmine。 Sowhenthegirlsaid，’Whoareyou？’everyoneunderstoodatonce，andAntheareplied—— ’Wearechildren——justlikeyou。Don’tbefrightened。Won’tyoushowuswhereyoulive？’ JaneputherfacerightintothePsammead’sbasket，andburrowedhermouthintoitsfurtowhisper—— ’Isitsafe？Won’ttheyeatus？Aretheycannibals？’ ThePsammeadshruggeditsfur。 ’Don’tmakeyourvoicebuzzlikethat，itticklesmyears，’itsaidrathercrossly。’YoucanalwaysgetbacktoRegent’sParkintimeifyoukeepfastholdofthecharm，’itsaid。 Thestrangegirlwastremblingwithfright。 Antheahadabangleonherarm。Itwasasevenpenny—halfpennytrumperythingthatpretendedtobesilver；ithadaglassheartofturquoisebluehangingfromit，anditwasthegiftofthemaid—of—all—workattheFitzroyStreethouse。’Here，’saidAnthea，’thisisforyou。Thatistoshowwewillnothurtyou。 AndifyoutakeitIshallknowthatyouwon’thurtus。’ Thegirlheldoutherhand。Antheaslidthebangleoverit，andthegirl’sfacelightedupwiththejoyofpossession。 ’Come，’shesaid，lookinglovinglyatthebangle；’itispeacebetweenyourhouseandmine。’ Shepickedupherfishandpitcherandledthewayupthenarrowpathbywhichshehadcomeandtheothersfollowed。 ’Thisissomethinglike！’saidCyril，tryingtobebrave。 ’Yes！’saidRobert，alsoassumingaboldnesshewasfarfromfeeling，’thisreallyandtrulyISanadventure！ItsbeinginthePastmakesitquitedifferentfromthePhoenixandCarpethappenings。’ Thebeltofthick—growingacaciatreesandshrubs——mostlypricklyandunpleasant—looking——seemedabouthalfamileacross。Thepathwasnarrowandthewooddark。Atlast，ahead，daylightshonethroughtheboughsandleaves。 Thewholepartysuddenlycameoutofthewood’sshadowintotheglareofthesunlightthatshoneonagreatstretchofyellowsand，dottedwithheapsofgreyrockswherespikycactusplantsshowedgaudycrimsonandpinkflowersamongtheirshabby，sand—pepperedleaves。Awaytotherightwassomethingthatlookedlikeagrey—brownhedge，andfrombeyonditbluesmokewentuptothebluersky。Andoverallthesunshonetillyoucouldhardlybearyourclothes。 ’ThatiswhereIlive，’saidthegirlpointing。 ’Iwon’tgo，’whisperedJaneintothebasket，’unlessyousayit’sallright。’ ThePsammeadoughttohavebeentouchedbythisproofofconfidence。Perhaps，however，itlookeduponitasaproofofdoubt，foritmerelysnarled—— ’Ifyoudon’tgonowI’llneverhelpyouagain。’ ’OH，’whisperedAnthea，’dearJane，don’t！ThinkofFatherandMotherandallofusgettingourheart’sdesire。Andwecangobackanyminute。Comeon！’ ’Besides，’saidCyril，inalowvoice，’thePsammeadmustknowthere’snodangeroritwouldn’tgo。It’snotsooverandabovebraveitself。Comeon！’ ThisJaneatlastconsentedtodo。 Astheygotnearertothebrownyfencetheysawthatitwasagreathedgeabouteightfeethigh，madeofpiled—upthornbushes。 ’What’sthatfor？’askedCyril。 ’Tokeepoutfoesandwildbeasts，’saidthegirl。 ’Ishouldthinkitoughtto，too，’saidhe。’Why，someofthethornsareaslongasmyfoot。’ Therewasanopeninginthehedge，andtheyfollowedthegirlthroughit。Alittlewayfurtheronwasanotherhedge，notsohigh，alsoofdrythornbushes，verypricklyandspiteful—looking，andwithinthiswasasortofvillageofhuts。 Therewerenogardensandnoroads。Justhutsbuiltofwoodandtwigsandclay，androofedwithgreatpalm—leaves，dumpeddownanywhere。Thedoorsofthesehouseswereverylow，likethedoorsofdog—kennels。Thegroundbetweenthemwasnotpathsorstreets，butjustyellowsandtrampledveryhardandsmooth。 InthemiddleofthevillagetherewasahedgethatenclosedwhatseemedtobeapieceofgroundaboutasbigastheirowngardeninCamdenTown。 Nosoonerwerethechildrenwellwithintheinnerthornhedgethandozensofmenandwomenandchildrencamecrowdingroundfrombehindandinsidethehuts。 Thegirlstoodprotectinglyinfrontofthefourchildren，andsaid—— ’Theyarewonder—childrenfrombeyondthedesert。Theybringmarvellousgifts，andIhavesaidthatitispeacebetweenusandthem。’ SheheldoutherarmwiththeLowtherArcadebangleonit。 ThechildrenfromLondon，wherenothingnowsurprisesanyone，hadneverbeforeseensomanypeoplelooksoastonished。 Theycrowdedroundthechildren，touchingtheirclothes，theirshoes，thebuttonsontheboys’jackets，andthecoralofthegirls’necklaces。 ’Dosaysomething，’whisperedAnthea。 ’Wecome，’saidCyril，withsomedimremembranceofadreadfuldaywhenhehadhadtowaitinanouterofficewhilehisfatherinterviewedasolicitor，andtherehadbeennothingtoreadbuttheDailyTelegraph——’wecomefromtheworldwherethesunneversets。Andpeacewithhonouriswhatwewant。WearethegreatAnglo—Saxonorconqueringrace。NotthatwewanttoconquerYOU，’headdedhastily。’Weonlywanttolookatyourhousesandyour——well，atallyou’vegothere，andthenweshallreturntoourownplace，andtellofallthatwehaveseensothatyournamemaybefamed。’ Cyril’sspeechdidn’tkeepthecrowdfrompressingroundandlookingaseagerlyaseverattheclothingofthechildren。 Antheahadanideathatthesepeoplehadneverseenwovenstuffbefore，andshesawhowwonderfulandstrangeitmustseemtopeoplewhohadneverhadanyclothesbuttheskinsofbeasts。 Thesewing，too，ofmodernclothesseemedtoastonishthemverymuch。Theymusthavebeenabletosewthemselves，bytheway，formenwhoseemedtobethechiefsworeknickerbockersofgoat—skinordeer—skin，fastenedroundthewaistwithtwistedstripsofhide。Andthewomenworelongskimpyskirtsofanimals’skins。Thepeoplewerenotverytall，theirhairwasfair，andmenandwomenbothhaditshort。Theireyeswereblue，andthatseemedoddinEgypt。Mostofthemweretattooedlikesailors，onlymoreroughly。 ’Whatisthis？Whatisthis？’theykeptaskingtouchingthechildren’sclothescuriously。 AntheahastilytookoffJane’sfrillylacecollarandhandedittothewomanwhoseemedmostfriendly。 ’Takethis，’shesaid，’andlookatit。Andleaveusalone。Wewanttotalkamongourselves。’ Shespokeinthetoneofauthoritywhichshehadalwaysfoundsuccessfulwhenshehadnottimetocoaxherbabybrothertodoashewastold。Thetonewasjustassuccessfulnow。Thechildrenwerelefttogetherandthecrowdretreated。Itpausedadozenyardsawaytolookatthelacecollarandtogoontalkingashardasitcould。 Thechildrenwillneverknowwhatthosepeoplesaid，thoughtheyknewwellenoughthatthey，thefourstrangers，werethesubjectofthetalk。Theytriedtocomfortthemselvesbyrememberingthegirl’spromiseoffriendliness，butofcoursethethoughtofthecharmwasmorecomfortablethananythingelse。Theysatdownonthesandintheshadowofthehedged—roundplaceinthemiddleofthevillage，andnowforthefirsttimetheywereabletolookaboutthemandtoseesomethingmorethanacrowdofeager，curiousfaces。 Theyherenoticedthatthewomenworenecklacesmadeofbeadsofdifferentcolouredstone，andfromthesehungpendantsofodd，strangeshapes，andsomeofthemhadbraceletsofivoryandflint。 ’Isay，’saidRobert，’whatalotwecouldteachthemifwestayedhere！’ ’Iexpecttheycouldteachussomethingtoo，’saidCyril。’DidyounoticethatflintbraceletthewomanhadthatAntheagavethecollarto？Thatmusthavetakensomemaking。Lookhere，they’llgetsuspiciousifwetalkamongourselves，andIdowanttoknowabouthowtheydothings。Let’sgetthegirltoshowusround，andwecanbethinkingabouthowtogettheAmuletatthesametime。Onlymind，wemustkeeptogether。’ Antheabeckonedtothegirl，whowasstandingalittlewayofflookingwistfullyatthem，andshecamegladly。 ’Tellushowyoumakethebracelets，thestoneones，’saidCyril。 ’Withotherstones，’saidthegirl；’themenmakethem；wehavemenofspecialskillinsuchwork。’ ’Haven’tyouanyirontools？’ ’Iron，’saidthegirl，’Idon’tknowwhatyoumean。’Itwasthefirstwordshehadnotunderstood。 ’Areallyourtoolsofflint？’askedCyril。’Ofcourse，’saidthegirl，openinghereyeswide。 IwishIhadtimetotellyouofthattalk。TheEnglishchildrenwantedtohearallaboutthisnewplace，buttheyalsowantedtotelloftheirowncountry。Itwaslikewhenyoucomebackfromyourholidaysandyouwanttohearandtotelleverythingatthesametime。Asthetalkwentonthereweremoreandmorewordsthatthegirlcouldnotunderstand，andthechildrensoongaveuptheattempttoexplaintoherwhattheirowncountrywaslike，whentheybegantoseehowveryfewofthethingstheyhadalwaysthoughttheycouldnotdowithoutwerereallynotatallnecessarytolife。 Thegirlshowedthemhowthehutsweremade——indeed，asonewasbeingmadethatverydayshetookthemtolookatit。Thewayofbuildingwasverydifferentfromours。Themenstucklongpiecesofwoodintoapieceofgroundthesizeofthehuttheywantedtomake。Thesewereabouteightinchesapart；thentheyputinanotherrowabouteightinchesawayfromthefirst，andthenathirdrowstillfurtherout。Thenallthespacebetweenwasfilledupwithsmallbranchesandtwigs，andthendaubedoverwithblackmudworkedwiththefeettillitwassoftandstickylikeputty。 Thegirltoldthemhowthemenwenthuntingwithflintspearsandarrows，andhowtheymadeboatswithreedsandclay。Thensheexplainedthereedthingintheriverthatshehadtakenthefishoutof。Itwasafish—trap——justaringofreedssetupinthewaterwithonlyonelittleopeninginit，andinthisopening，justbelowthewater，werestuckreedsslantingthewayoftheriver’sflow，sothatthefish，whentheyhadswumsillilyin，sillilycouldn’tgetoutagain。Sheshowedthemtheclaypotsandjarsandplatters，someofthemornamentedwithblackandredpatterns，andthemostwonderfulthingsmadeofflintanddifferentsortsofstone，beads，andornaments，andtoolsandweaponsofallsortsandkinds。 ’Itisreallywonderful，’saidCyrilpatronizingly，’whenyouconsiderthatit’salleightthousandyearsago——’ ’Idon’tunderstandyou，’saidthegirl。 ’ItISN’Teightthousandyearsago，’whisperedJane。’It’sNOW——andthat’sjustwhatIdon’tlikeaboutit。Isay，DOlet’sgethomeagainbeforeanythingmorehappens。Youcanseeforyourselvesthecharmisn’there。’ ’What’sinthatplaceinthemiddle？’askedAnthea，struckbyasuddenthought，andpointingtothefence。 ’That’sthesecretsacredplace，’saidthegirlinawhisper。 ’Nooneknowswhatisthere。Therearemanywalls，andinsidetheinsidestoneITis，butnooneknowswhatITisexcepttheheadsmen。’ ’IbelieveYOUknow，’saidCyril，lookingatherveryhard。 ’I’llgiveyouthisifyou’lltellme，’saidAntheatakingoffabead—ringwhichhadalreadybeenmuchadmired。 ’Yes，’saidthegirl，catchingeagerlyatthering。’Myfatherisoneoftheheads，andIknowawatercharmtomakehimtalkinhissleep。Andhehasspoken。Iwilltellyou。ButiftheyknowIhavetoldyoutheywillkillme。Intheinsidestinsidethereisastonebox，andinitthereistheAmulet。Noneknowswhenceitcame。Itcamefromveryfaraway。’ ’Haveyouseenit？’askedAnthea。 Thegirlnodded。 ’Isitanythinglikethis？’askedJane，rashlyproducingthecharm。 Thegirl’sfaceturnedasicklygreenish—white。 ’Hideit，hideit，’shewhispered。’Youmustputitback。Iftheyseeittheywillkillusall。Youfortakingit，andmeforknowingthattherewassuchathing。Oh，woe——woe！whydidyouevercomehere？’ ’Don’tbefrightened，’saidCyril。’Theyshan’tknow。Jane，don’tyoubesuchalittlejack—apeagain——that’sall。Youseewhatwillhappenifyoudo。Now，tellme——’Heturnedtothegirl，butbeforehehadtimetospeakthequestiontherewasaloudshout，andamanboundedinthroughtheopeninginthethorn—hedge。 ’Manyfoesareuponus！’hecried。’Makereadythedefences！’ Hisbreathonlyservedforthat，andhelaypantingontheground。’Oh，DOlet’sgohome！’saidJane。’Lookhere——Idon’tcare——IWILL！’ Sheheldupthecharm。Fortunatelyallthestrange，fairpeopleweretoobusytonoticeHER。Sheheldupthecharm。Andnothinghappened。 ’Youhaven’tsaidthewordofpower，’saidAnthea。 Janehastilysaidit——andstillnothinghappened。 ’HoldituptowardstheEast，yousilly！’saidRobert。 ’WhichIStheEast？’saidJane，dancingaboutinheragonyofterror。 Nobodyknew。Sotheyopenedthefish—bagtoaskthePsammead。 Andthebaghadonlyawaterproofsheetinit。 ThePsammeadwasgone。 ’Hidethesacredthing！Hideit！Hideit！’whisperedthegirl。 Cyrilshruggedhisshoulders，andtriedtolookasbraveasheknewheoughttofeel。 ’Hideitup，Pussy，’hesaid。’Weareinforitnow。We’vejustgottostayandseeitout。’ CHAPTER5 THEFIGHTINTHEVILLAGE Herewasahorribleposition！FourEnglishchildren，whoseproperdatewasA。D。1905，andwhoseproperaddresswasLondon，setdowninEgyptintheyear6000B。C。withnomeanswhateverofgettingbackintotheirowntimeandplace。TheycouldnotfindtheEast，andthesunwasofnouseatthemoment，becausesomeofficiouspersonhadonceexplainedtoCyrilthatthesundidnotreallysetintheWestatall——norriseintheEasteither，forthematterofthat。 ThePsammeadhadcreptoutofthebass—bagwhentheywerenotlookingandhadbaselydesertedthem。 Anenemywasapproaching。Therewouldbeafight。Peoplegetkilledinfights，andtheideaoftakingpartinafightwasonethatdidnotappealtothechildren。 Themanwhohadbroughtthenewsoftheenemystilllaypantingonthesand。Histonguewashangingout，longandred，likeadog’s。Thepeopleofthevillagewerehurriedlyfillingthegapsinthefencewiththorn—bushesfromtheheapthatseemedtohavebeenpiledtherereadyforjustsuchaneed。Theyliftedthecluster—thornswithlongpoles——muchasmenathome，nowadays，lifthaywithafork。 Janebitherlipandtriedtodecidenottocry。 Robertfeltinhispocketforatoypistolandloadeditwithapinkpapercap。Itwashisonlyweapon。 Cyriltightenedhisbelttwoholes。 AndAntheaabsentlytookthedroopingredrosesfromthebuttonholesoftheothers，bittheendsofthestalks，andsettheminapotofwaterthatstoodintheshadowbyahutdoor。 Shewasalwaysrathersillyaboutflowers。 ’Lookhere！’shesaid。’IthinkperhapsthePsammeadisreallyarrangingsomethingforus。Idon’tbelieveitwouldgoawayandleaveusallaloneinthePast。I’mcertainitwouldn’t。’ Janesucceededindecidingnottocry——atanyrateyet。 ’Butwhatcanwedo？’Robertasked。 ’Nothing，’Cyrilansweredpromptly，’exceptkeepoureyesandearsopen。Look！Thatrunnerchap’sgettinghiswind。Let’sgoandhearwhathe’sgottosay。’ Therunnerhadrisentohiskneesandwassittingbackonhisheels。Nowhestoodupandspoke。Hebeganbysomerespectfulremarksaddressedtotheheadsofthevillage。Hisspeechgotmoreinterestingwhenhesaid—— ’Iwentoutinmyrafttosnareibises，andIhadgoneupthestreamanhour’sjourney。ThenIsetmysnaresandwaited。AndIheardthesoundofmanywings，andlookingup，sawmanyheronscirclingintheair。AndIsawthattheywereafraid；soItookthought。Abeastmayscareoneheron，cominguponitsuddenly，butnobeastwillscareawholeflockofherons。Andstilltheyflewandcircled，andwouldnotlight。SothenIknewthatwhatscaredtheheronsmustbemen，andmenwhoknewnotourwaysofgoingsoftlysoastotakethebirdsandbeastsunawares。BythisIknewtheywerenotofourraceorofourplace。So，leavingmyraft，Icreptalongtheriverbank，andatlastcameuponthestrangers。Theyaremanyasthesandsofthedesert，andtheirspear—headsshineredlikethesun。Theyareaterriblepeople，andtheirmarchistowardsUS。Havingseenthis，Iran，anddidnotstaytillIwasbeforeyou。’ ’TheseareYOURfolk，’saidtheheadman，turningsuddenlyandangrilyonCyril，’youcameasspiesforthem。’ ’WedidNOT，’saidCyrilindignantly。’Wewouldn’tbespiesforanything。I’mcertainthesepeoplearen’tabitlikeus。Aretheynow？’heaskedtherunner。 ’No，’wastheanswer。’Thesemen’sfacesweredarkened，andtheirhairblackasnight。Yetthesestrangechildren，maybe，aretheirgods，whohavecomebeforetomakereadythewayforthem。’ Amurmurranthroughthecrowd。 ’No，NO，’saidCyrilagain。’Weareonyourside。Wewillhelpyoutoguardyoursacredthings。’ TheheadmanseemedimpressedbythefactthatCyrilknewthatthereWEREsacredthingstobeguarded。Hestoodamomentgazingatthechildren。Thenhesaid—— ’Itiswell。Andnowletallmakeoffering，thatwemaybestronginbattle。’ Thecrowddispersed，andninemen，wearingantelope—skins，groupedthemselvesinfrontoftheopeninginthehedgeinthemiddleofthevillage。Andpresently，onebyone，themenbroughtallsortsofthings——hippopotamusflesh，ostrich—feathers，thefruitofthedatepalms，redchalk，greenchalk，fishfromtheriver，andibexfromthemountains；andtheheadmanreceivedthesegifts。Therewasanotherhedgeinsidethefirst，aboutayardfromit，sothattherewasalaneinsidebetweenthehedges。Andeverynowandthenoneoftheheadmenwoulddisappearalongthislanewithfullhandsandcomebackwithhandsempty。 ’They’remakingofferingstotheirAmulet，’saidAnthea。’We’dbettergivesomethingtoo。’ Thepocketsoftheparty，hastilyexplored，yieldedapieceofpinktape，abitofsealing—wax，andpartoftheWaterburywatchthatRoberthadnotbeenabletohelptakingtopiecesatChristmasandhadneverhadtimetorearrange。Mostboyshaveawatchinthiscondition。Theypresentedtheirofferings，andAntheaaddedtheredroses。 Theheadmanwhotookthethingslookedatthemwithawe，especiallyattheredrosesandtheWaterbury—watchfragment。 ’Thisisadayofverywondroushappenings，’hesaid。’Ihavenomoreroominmetobeastonished。Ourmaidensaidtherewaspeacebetweenyouandus。Butforthiscomingofafoeweshouldhavemadesure。’ Thechildrenshuddered。 ’Nowspeak。Areyouuponourside？’ ’YES。Don’tIkeeptellingyouweare？’Robertsaid。’Lookhere。Iwillgiveyouasign。Youseethis。’Heheldoutthetoypistol。’Ishallspeaktoit，andifitanswersmeyouwillknowthatIandtheothersarecometoguardyoursacredthing——thatwe’vejustmadetheofferingsto。’ ’Willthatgodwhoseimageyouholdinyourhandspeaktoyoualone，orshallIalsohearit？’askedthemancautiously。 ’You’llbesurprisedwhenyouDOhearit，’saidRobert。’Now，then。’Helookedatthepistolandsaid—— ’Ifwearetoguardthesacredtreasurewithin’——hepointedtothehedged—inspace——’speakwiththyloudvoice，andweshallobey。’ Hepulledthetrigger，andthecapwentoff。Thenoisewasloud，foritwasatwo—shillingpistol，andthecapswereexcellent。 Everyman，woman，andchildinthevillagefellonitsfaceonthesand。Theheadmanwhohadacceptedthetestrosefirst。 ’Thevoicehasspoken，’hesaid。’Leadthemintotheante—roomofthesacredthing。’ Sonowthefourchildrenwereledinthroughtheopeningofthehedgeandroundthelanetilltheycametoanopeningintheinnerhedge，andtheywentthroughanopeninginthat，andsopassedintoanotherlane。 Thethingwasbuiltsomethinglikethis，andallthehedgeswereofbrushwoodandthorns：[Drawingofmazeomitted。] ’It’slikethemazeatHamptonCourt，’whisperedAnthea。 Thelaneswereallopentothesky，butthelittlehutinthemiddleofthemazewasround—roofed，andacurtainofskinshungoverthedoorway。 ’Hereyoumaywait，’saidtheirguide，’butdonotdaretopassthecurtain。’Hehimselfpasseditanddisappeared。 ’Butlookhere，’whisperedCyril，’someofusoughttobeoutsideincasethePsammeadturnsup。’ ’Don’tlet’sgetseparatedfromeachother，whateverwedo，’saidAnthea。’It’squitebadenoughtobeseparatedfromthePsammead。Wecan’tdoanythingwhilethatmanisinthere。 Let’sallgooutintothevillageagain。Wecancomebacklaternowweknowthewayin。Thatman’llhavetofightliketherest，mostlikely，ifitcomestofighting。IfwefindthePsammeadwe’llgostraighthome。 Itmustbegettinglate，andIdon’tmuchlikethismazyplace。’ Theywentoutandtoldtheheadmanthattheywouldprotectthetreasurewhenthefightingbegan。Andnowtheylookedaboutthemandwereabletoseeexactlyhowafirst—classworkerinflintflakesandnotchesanarrow—headortheedgeofanaxe——anadvantagewhichnootherpersonnowalivehaseverenjoyed。Theboysfoundtheweaponsmostinteresting。Thearrow—headswerenotonarrowssuchasyoushootfromabow，butonjavelins，forthrowingfromthehand。Thechiefweaponwasastonefastenedtoarathershortsticksomethinglikethethingsgentlemenusedtocarryaboutandcalllife—preserversinthedaysofthegarrotters。 Thentherewerelongthingslikespearsorlances，withflintknives——horriblysharp——andflintbattle—axes。 Everyoneinthevillagewassobusythattheplacewaslikeanant—heapwhenyouhavewalkedintoitbyaccident。Thewomenwerebusyandeventhechildren。 Quitesuddenlyalltheairseemedtoglowandgrowred——itwaslikethesuddenopeningofafurnacedoor，suchasyoumayseeatWoolwichArsenalifyoueverhavethelucktobetakenthere——andthenalmostassuddenlyitwasasthoughthefurnacedoorshadbeenshut。Forthesunhadset，anditwasnight。 ThesunhadthatabruptwayofsettinginEgypteightthousandyearsago，andIbelieveithasneverbeenabletobreakitselfofthehabit，andsetsinexactlythesamemannertothepresentday。Thegirlbroughttheskinsofwilddeerandledthechildrentoaheapofdrysedge。 ’Myfathersaystheywillnotattackyet。Sleep！’shesaid，anditreallyseemedagoodidea。Youmaythinkthatinthemidstofallthesedangersthechildrenwouldnothavebeenabletosleep——butsomehow，thoughtheywereratherfrightenednowandthen，thefeelingwasgrowinginthem——deepdownandalmosthiddenaway，butstillgrowing——thatthePsammeadwastobetrusted，andthattheywerereallyandtrulysafe。Thisdidnotpreventtheirbeingquiteasmuchfrightenedastheycouldbeartobewithoutbeingperfectlymiserable。 ’Isupposewe’dbettergotosleep，’saidRobert。’Idon’tknowwhatonearthpooroldNursewilldowithusoutallnight；setthepoliceonourtracks，Iexpect。Ionlywishtheycouldfindus！Adozenpolicemenwouldberatherwelcomejustnow。Butit’snousegettingintoastewoverit，’headdedsoothingly。 ’Goodnight。’ Andtheyallfellasleep。 Theywereawakenedbylong，loud，terriblesoundsthatseemedtocomefromeverywhereatonce——horriblethreateningshoutsandshrieksandhowlsthatsounded，asCyrilsaidlater，likethevoicesofmenthirstingfortheirenemies’blood。 ’Itisthevoiceofthestrangemen，’saidthegirl，comingtothemtremblingthroughthedark。’Theyhaveattackedthewalls，andthethornshavedriventhemback。Myfathersaystheywillnottryagaintilldaylight。Buttheyareshoutingtofrightenus。Asthoughweweresavages！Dwellersintheswamps！’shecriedindignantly。 Allnighttheterriblenoisewenton，butwhenthesunrose，asabruptlyashehadset，thesoundsuddenlyceased。 Thechildrenhadhardlytimetobegladofthisbeforeashowerofjavelinscamehurtlingoverthegreatthorn—hedge，andeveryoneshelteredbehindthehuts。Butnextmomentanothershowerofweaponscamefromtheoppositeside，andthecrowdrushedtoothershelter。Cyrilpulledoutajavelinthathadstuckintheroofofthehutbesidehim。Itsheadwasofbrightlyburnishedcopper。 Thenthesoundofshoutingaroseagainandthecrackleofdriedthorns。Theenemywasbreakingdownthehedge。Allthevillagersswarmedtothepointwhencethecracklingandtheshoutingcame；theyhurledstonesoverthehedges，andshortarrowswithflintheads。Thechildrenhadneverbeforeseenmenwiththefightinglightintheireyes。Itwasverystrangeandterrible，andgaveyouaqueerthickfeelinginyourthroat；itwasquitedifferentfromthepicturesoffightsintheillustratedpapersathome。 Itseemedthattheshowerofstoneshaddrivenbackthebesiegers。Thebesiegeddrewbreath，butatthatmomenttheshoutingandthecracklingaroseontheoppositesideofthevillageandthecrowdhastenedtodefendthatpoint，andsothefightswayedtoandfroacrossthevillage，forthebesiegedhadnotthesensetodividetheirforcesastheirenemieshaddone。 Cyrilnoticedthateverynowandthencertainofthefighting—menwouldenterthemaze，andcomeoutwithbrighterfaces，abraveraspect，andamoreuprightcarriage。 ’IbelievetheygoandtouchtheAmulet，’hesaid。’YouknowthePsammeadsaiditcouldmakepeoplebrave。’ Theycreptthroughthemaze，andwatchingtheysawthatCyrilwasright。Aheadmanwasstandinginfrontoftheskincurtain，andasthewarriorscamebeforehimhemurmuredawordtheycouldnothear，andtouchedtheirforeheadswithsomethingthattheycouldnotsee。Andthissomethingheheldinhishands。Andthroughhisfingerstheysawthegleamofaredstonethattheyknew。 Thefightragedacrossthethorn—hedgeoutside。Suddenlytherewasaloudandbittercry。 ’They’rein！They’rein！Thehedgeisdown！’ Theheadmandisappearedbehindthedeer—skincurtain。 ’He’sgonetohideit，’saidAnthea。’Oh，Psammeaddear，howcouldyouleaveus！’ Suddenlytherewasashriekfrominsidethehut，andtheheadmanstaggeredoutwhitewithfearandfledoutthroughthemaze。Thechildrenwereaswhiteashe。 ’Oh！Whatisit？Whatisit？’moanedAnthea。’Oh，Psammead，howcouldyou！Howcouldyou！’ Andthesoundofthefightsankbreathlessly，andswelledfiercelyallaround。Itwasliketherisingandfallingofthewavesofthesea。 Antheashudderedandsaidagain，’Oh，Psammead，Psammead！’ ’Well？’saidabriskvoice，andthecurtainofskinswasliftedatonecornerbyafurryhand，andoutpeepedthebat’searsandsnail’seyesofthePsammead。 Antheacaughtitinherarmsandasighofdesperatereliefwasbreathedbyeachofthefour。 ’Oh！whichIStheEast！’Antheasaid，andshespokehurriedly，forthenoiseofwildfightingdrewnearerandnearer。 ’Don’tchokeme，’saidthePsammead，’comeinside。’ Theinsideofthehutwaspitchdark。 ’I’vegotamatch，’saidCyril，andstruckit。Thefloorofthehutwasofsoft，loosesand。 ’I’vebeenasleephere，’saidthePsammead；’mostcomfortableit’sbeen，thebestsandI’vehadforamonth。It’sallright。 Everything’sallright。Iknewyouronlychancewouldbewhilethefightwasgoingon。Thatmanwon’tcomeback。Ibithim，andhethinksI’manEvilSpirit。Nowyou’veonlygottotakethethingandgo。’ Thehutwashungwithskins。Heapedinthemiddleweretheofferingsthathadbeengiventhenightbefore，Anthea’srosesfadingonthetopoftheheap。Atonesideofthehutstoodalargesquarestoneblock，andonitanoblongboxofearthenwarewithstrangefiguresofmenandbeastsonit。 ’Isthethinginthere？’askedCyril，asthePsammeadpointedaskinnyfingeratit。 ’Youmustjudgeofthat，’saidthePsammead。’ThemanwasjustgoingtoburytheboxinthesandwhenIjumpedoutathimandbithim。’ ’Lightanothermatch，Robert，’saidAnthea。’Now，thenquick！ whichistheEast？’ ’Why，wherethesunrises，ofcourse！’ ’Butsomeonetoldus——’ ’Oh！they’lltellyouanything！’saidthePsammeadimpatiently，gettingintoitsbass—bagandwrappingitselfinitswaterproofsheet。 ’Butwecan’tseethesuninhere，anditisn’trisinganyhow，’ saidJane。 ’Howyoudowastetime！’thePsammeadsaid。’Why，theEast’swheretheshrineis，ofcourse。THERE！’ Itpointedtothegreatstone。 Andstilltheshoutingandtheclashofstoneonmetalsoundednearerandnearer。Thechildrencouldhearthattheheadmenhadsurroundedthehuttoprotecttheirtreasureaslongasmightbefromtheenemy。ButnonedaretocomeinafterthePsammead’ssuddenfiercebitingoftheheadman。 ’Now，Jane，’saidCyril，veryquickly。’I’lltaketheAmulet，youstandreadytoholdupthecharm，andbesureyoudon’tletitgoasyoucomethrough。’ Hemadeastepforward，butatthatinstantagreatcracklingoverheadendedinablazeofsunlight。Theroofhadbeenbrokeninatoneside，andgreatslabsofitwerebeingliftedoffbytwospears。Asthechildrentrembledandwinkedinthenewlight，largedarkhandstoredownthewall，andadarkface，withablobbyfatnose，lookedoverthegap。EvenatthatawfulmomentAntheahadtimetothinkthatitwasverylikethefaceofMrJacobAbsalom，whohadsoldthemthecharmintheshopnearCharingCross。 ’HereistheirAmulet，’criedaharsh，strangevoice；’itisthisthatmakesthemstrongtofightandbravetodie。Andwhatelsehavewehere——godsordemons？’ Heglaredfiercelyatthechildren，andthewhitesofhiseyeswereverywhiteindeed。Hehadawet，redcopperknifeinhisteeth。Therewasnotamomenttolose。 ’Jane，JANE，QUICK！’criedeveryonepassionately。 JanewithtremblinghandsheldupthecharmtowardstheEast，andCyrilspokethewordofpower。TheAmuletgrewtoagreatarch。 OutbeyonditwastheglaringEgyptiansky，thebrokenwall，thecruel，dark，big—nosedfacewiththered，wetknifeinitsgleamingteeth。Withinthearchwasthedull，faint，greeny—brownofLondongrassandtrees。 ’Holdtight，Jane！’Cyrilcried，andhedashedthroughthearch，draggingAntheaandthePsammeadafterhim。Robertfollowed，clutchingJane。Andintheearsofeach，astheypassedthroughthearchofthecharm，thesoundandfuryofbattlediedoutsuddenlyandutterly，andtheyheardonlythelow，dull，discontentedhumofvastLondon，andthepeekingandpattingofthesparrowsonthegravelandthevoicesoftheraggedbabychildrenplayingRing—o’—Rosesontheyellowtrampledgrass。AndthecharmwasalittlecharmagaininJane’shand，andtherewasthebasketwiththeirdinnerandthebathbunslyingjustwheretheyhadleftit。 ’Myhat！’saidCyril，drawingalongbreath；’thatwassomethinglikeanadventure。’ ’Itwasratherlikeone，certainly，’saidthePsammead。 Theyalllaystill，breathinginthesafe，quietairofRegent’sPark。 ’We’dbettergohomeatonce，’saidAntheapresently。’OldNursewillbemostfrightfullyanxious。Thesunlooksaboutthesameasitdidwhenwestartedyesterday。We’vebeenawaytwenty—fourhours。’’Thebunsarequitesoftstill，’saidCyril，feelingone； ’Isupposethedewkeptthemfresh。’ Theywerenothungry，curiouslyenough。 Theypickedupthedinner—basketandthePsammead—basket，andwentstraighthome。 OldNursemetthemwithamazement。 ’Well，ifeverIdid！’shesaid。’What’sgonewrong？You’vesoontiredofyourpicnic。’ Thechildrentookthistobebitterirony，whichmeanssayingtheexactoppositeofwhatyoumeaninordertomakeyourselfdisagreeable；aswhenyouhappentohaveadirtyface，andsomeonesays，’Howniceandcleanyoulook！’ ’We’reverysorry，’beganAnthea，butoldNursesaid—— ’Oh，blessme，child，Idon’tcare！Pleaseyourselvesandyou’llpleaseme。Comeinandgetyourdinnerscomf’table。I’vegotapotatoona—boiling。’ Whenshehadgonetoattendtothepotatoesthechildrenlookedateachother。CoulditbethatoldNursehadsochangedthatshenolongercaredthattheyshouldhavebeenawayfromhomefortwenty—fourhours——allnightinfact——withoutanyexplanationwhatever？ ButthePsammeadputitsheadoutofitsbasketandsaid—— ’What’sthematter？Don’tyouunderstand？Youcomebackthroughthecharm—archatthesametimeasyougothroughit。Thisisn’ttomorrow！’’Isitstillyesterday？’askedJane。 ’No，it’stoday。Thesameasit’salwaysbeen。Itwouldn’tdotogomixingupthepresentandthePast，andcuttingbitsoutofonetofitintotheother。’ ’Thenallthatadventuretooknotimeatall？’ ’Youcancallitthatifyoulike，’saidthePsammead。’Ittooknoneofthemoderntime，anyhow。’ ThateveningAntheacarriedupasteakforthelearnedgentleman’sdinner。ShepersuadedBeatrice，themaid—of—all—work，whohadgivenherthebanglewiththebluestone，toletherdoit。Andshestayedandtalkedtohim，byspecialinvitation，whileheatethedinner。 Shetoldhimthewholeadventure，beginningwith—— ’ThisafternoonwefoundourselvesonthebankoftheRiverNile，’andendingupwith，’Andthenwerememberedhowtogetback，andtherewewereinRegent’sPark，andithadn’ttakenanytimeatall。’ ShedidnottellanythingaboutthecharmorthePsammead，becausethatwasforbidden，butthestorywasquitewonderfulenoughevenasitwastoentrancethelearnedgentleman。 ’Youareamostunusuallittlegirl，’hesaid。’Whotellsyouallthesethings？’ ’Noone，’saidAnthea，’theyjusthappen。’ ’Make—believe，’hesaidslowly，asonewhorecallsandpronouncesalong—forgottenword。 Hesatlongaftershehadlefthim。Atlastherousedhimselfwithastart。 ’Ireallymusttakeaholiday，’hesaid；’mynervesmustbealloutoforder。IactuallyhaveaperfectlydistinctimpressionthatthelittlegirlfromtheroomsbelowcameinandgavemeacoherentandgraphicpictureoflifeasIconceiveittohavebeeninpre—dynasticEgypt。Strangewhattricksthemindwillplay！Ishallhavetobemorecareful。’ Hefinishedhisbreadconscientiously，andactuallywentforamilewalkbeforehewentbacktohiswork。 CHAPTER6 THEWAYTOBABYLON ’HowmanymilestoBabylon？ Threescoreandten！ CanIgettherebycandlelight？ Yes，andbackagain！’ Janewassingingtoherdoll，rockingittoandfrointhehousewhichshehadmadeforherselfandit。Theroofofthehousewasthedining—table，andthewallsweretableclothsandantimacassarshangingallround，andkeptintheirplacesbybookslaidontheirtopendsatthetableedge。 Theothersweretastingthefearfuljoysofdomestictobogganing。 Youknowhowitisdone——withthelargestandbesttea—trayandthesurfaceofthestaircarpet。Itisbesttodoitonthedayswhenthestairrodsarebeingcleaned，andthecarpetisonlyheldbythenailsatthetop。Ofcourse，itisoneofthefiveorsixthoroughlytip—topgamesthatgrown—uppeoplearesounjustto——andoldNurse，thoughabrickinmanyrespects，wasquiteenoughofastandardgrown—uptoputherfootdownonthetobogganinglongbeforeanyoftheperformershadhadhalfenoughofit。Thetea—traywastakenaway，andthebaffledpartyenteredthesitting—room，inexactlythemoodnottobepleasediftheycouldhelpit。 SoCyrilsaid，’Whatabeastlymess！’ AndRobertadded，’Doshutup，Jane！’ EvenAnthea，whowasalmostalwayskind，advisedJanetotryanothersong。’I’msicktodeathofthat，’saidshe。 Itwasawetday，sononeoftheplansforseeingallthesightsofLondonthatcanbeseenfornothingcouldbecarriedout。 Everyonehadbeenthinkingallthemorningaboutthewonderfuladventuresofthedaybefore，whenJanehadheldupthecharmandithadturnedintoanarch，throughwhichtheyhadwalkedstraightoutofthepresenttimeandtheRegent’sParkintothelandofEgypteightthousandyearsago。Thememoryofyesterday’shappeningswasstillextremelyfreshandfrightening，sothateveryonehopedthatnoonewouldsuggestanotherexcursionintothepast，foritseemedtoallthatyesterday’sadventureswerequiteenoughtolastforatleastaweek。Yeteachfeltalittleanxiousthattheothersshouldnotthinkitwasafraid，andpresentlyCyril，whoreallywasnotacoward，begantoseethatitwouldnotbeatallniceifheshouldhavetothinkhimselfone。Sohesaid—— ’Isay——aboutthatcharm——Jane——comeout。Weoughttotalkaboutit，anyhow。’ ’Oh，ifthat’sall，’saidRobert。 Janeobedientlywriggledtothefrontofherhouseandsatthere。 Shefeltforthecharm，tomakesurethatitwasstillroundherneck。 ’ItISN’Tall，’saidCyril，sayingmuchmorethanhemeantbecausehethoughtRobert’stonehadbeenrude——asindeedithad。 ’WeoughttogoandlookforthatAmulet。What’sthegoodofhavingafirst—classcharmandkeepingitidle，justeatingitsheadoffinthestable。’ ’I’Mgameforanything，ofcourse，’saidRobert；butheadded，withafineairofchivalry，’onlyIdon’tthinkthegirlsarekeentodaysomehow。’ ’Oh，yes；Iam，’saidAntheahurriedly。’IfyouthinkI’mafraid，I’mnot。’ ’Iamthough，’saidJaneheavily；’Ididn’tlikeit，andIwon’tgothereagain——notforanythingIwon’t。’ ’Weshouldn’tgoTHEREagain，silly，’saidCyril；’itwouldbesomeotherplace。’ ’Idaresay；aplacewithlionsandtigersinitaslikelyasnot。’ SeeingJanesofrightened，madetheothersfeelquitebrave。 Theysaidtheywerecertaintheyoughttogo。 ’It’ssoungratefultothePsammeadnotto，’Antheaadded，alittleprimly。 Janestoodup。Shewasdesperate。 ’Iwon’t！’shecried；’Iwon’t，Iwon’t，Iwon’t！IfyoumakemeI’llscreamandI’llscream，andI’lltelloldNurse，andI’llgethertoburnthecharminthekitchenfire。Sonow，then！’ YoucanimaginehowfuriouseveryonewaswithJaneforfeelingwhateachofthemhadfeltallthemorning。Ineachbreastthesamethoughtarose，’Noonecansayit’sOURfault。’AndtheyatoncebegantoshowJanehowangrytheyallfeltthatallthefaultwashers。Thismadethemfeelquitebrave。 ’Tell—taletit，itstongueshallbesplit，Andallthedogsinourtownshallhavealittlebit，’ sangRobert。 ’It’salwaysthewayifyouhavegirlsinanything。’CyrilspokeinacolddispleasurethatwasworsethanRobert’scruelquotation，andevenAntheasaid，’Well，I’MnotafraidifIAMagirl，’whichofcourse，wasthemostcuttingthingofall。 Janepickedupherdollandfacedtheotherswithwhatissometimescalledthecourageofdespair。 ’Idon’tcare，’shesaid；’Iwon’t，sothere！It’sjustsillygoingtoplaceswhenyoudon’twantto，andwhenyoudon’tknowwhatthey’regoingtobelike！Youcanlaughatmeasmuchasyoulike。You’rebeasts——andIhateyouall！’ Withtheseawfulwordsshewentoutandbangedthedoor。 Thentheotherswouldnotlookateachother，andtheydidnotfeelsobraveastheyhaddone。 Cyriltookupabook，butitwasnotinterestingtoread。Robertkickedachair—legabsently。Hisfeetwerealwayseloquentinmomentsofemotion。Antheastoodpleatingtheendofthetableclothintofolds——sheseemedearnestlyanxioustogetallthepleatsthesamesize。ThesoundofJane’ssobshaddiedaway。 SuddenlyAntheasaid，’Oh！letitbe\"pax\"——poorlittlePussy——youknowshe’stheyoungest。’ ’Shecalledusbeasts，’saidRobert，kickingthechairsuddenly。