第3章

’Well，saidCyril，whowassubjecttopassingfitsofjustice，’webegan，youknow。Atleastyoudid。’Cyril’sjusticewasalwaysuncompromising。 ’I’mnotgoingtosayI’msorryifyoumeanthat，’saidRobert，andthechair—legcrackedtothekickhegaveashesaidit。 ’Oh，dolet’s，’saidAnthea，’we’rethreetoone，andMotherdoessohateitifwerow。Comeon。I’llsayI’msorryfirst，thoughIdidn’tsayanything，hardly。’ ’Allright，let’sgetitover，’saidCyril，openingthedoor。’Hi——you——Pussy！’ Farawayupthestairsavoicecouldbeheardsingingbrokenly，butstilldefiantly—— ’Howmanymiles（sniff）toBabylon？ Threescoreandten！（sniff） CanIgettherebycandlelight？ Yes（sniff），andbackagain！’ Itwastrying，forthiswasplainlymeanttoannoy。ButAntheawouldnotgiveherselftimetothinkthis。Sheledthewayupthestairs，takingthreeatatime，andboundedtothelevelofJane，whosatonthetopstepofall，thumpingherdolltothetuneofthesongshewastryingtosing。 ’Isay，Pussy，letitbepax！We’resorryifyouare——’ Itwasenough。Thekissofpeacewasgivenbyall。Janebeingtheyoungestwasentitledtothisceremonial。Antheaaddedaspecialapologyofherown。 ’I’msorryifIwasapig，Pussydear，’shesaid——’especiallybecauseinmyreallyandtrulyinsidemindI’vebeenfeelingalittleasifI’drathernotgointothePastagaineither。Butthen，dothink。Ifwedon’tgoweshan’tgettheAmulet，andoh，Pussy，thinkifwecouldonlygetFatherandMotherandTheLambsafeback！WeMUSTgo，butwe’llwaitadayortwoifyoulikeandthenperhapsyou’llfeelbraver。’ ’Rawmeatmakesyoubrave，howevercowardlyyouare，’saidRobert，toshowthattherewasnownoill—feeling，’andcranberries——that’swhatTartarseat，andthey’resobraveit’ssimplyawful。IsupposecranberriesareonlyforChristmastime，butI’llaskoldNursetoletyouhaveyourchopveryrawifyoulike。’ ’IthinkIcouldbebravewithoutthat，’saidJanehastily；shehatedunderdonemeat。’I’lltry。’ Atthismomentthedoorofthelearnedgentleman’sroomopened，andhelookedout。 ’Excuseme，’hesaid，inthatgentle，politewearyvoiceofhis，’butwasImistakeninthinkingthatIcaughtafamiliarwordjustnow？WereyounotsingingsomeoldballadofBabylon？’ ’No，’saidRobert，’atleastJanewassinging\"Howmanymiles，\" butIshouldn’thavethoughtyoucouldhaveheardthewordsfor——’ Hewouldhavesaid，’forthesniffing，’butAntheapinchedhimjustintime。 ’IdidnothearALLthewords，’saidthelearnedgentleman。’I wonderwouldyourecitethemtome？’ Sotheyallsaidtogether—— ’HowmanymilestoBabylon？ Threescoreandten！ CanIgettherebycandlelight？ Yes，andbackagain！’ ’Iwishonecould，’thelearnedgentlemansaidwithasigh。 ’Can’tyou？’askedJane。 ’Babylonhasfallen，’heansweredwithasigh。’Youknowitwasonceagreatandbeautifulcity，andthecentreoflearningandArt，andnowitisonlyruins，andsocoveredupwithearththatpeoplearenotevenagreedastowhereitoncestood。’ Hewasleaningonthebanisters，andhiseyeshadafar—awaylookinthem，asthoughhecouldseethroughthestaircasewindowthesplendourandgloryofancientBabylon。 ’Isay，’Cyrilremarkedabruptly。’Youknowthatcharmweshowedyou，andyoutoldushowtosaythenamethat’sonit？’ ’Yes！’ ’Well，doyouthinkthatcharmwaseverinBabylon？’ ’It’squitepossible，’thelearnedgentlemanreplied。’SuchcharmshavebeenfoundinveryearlyEgyptiantombs，yettheiroriginhasnotbeenaccuratelydeterminedasEgyptian。TheymayhavebeenbroughtfromAsia。Or，supposingthecharmtohavebeenfashionedinEgypt，itmightverywellhavebeencarriedtoBabylonbysomefriendlyembassy，orbroughtbackbytheBabylonisharmyfromsomeEgyptiancampaignaspartofthespoilsofwar。Theinscriptionmaybemuchlaterthanthecharm。Ohyes！itisapleasantfancy，thatthatsplendidspecimenofyourswasonceusedamidBabylonishsurroundings。’Theotherslookedateachother，butitwasJanewhospoke。 ’WeretheBabylonpeoplesavages，weretheyalwaysfightingandthrowingthingsabout？’Forshehadreadthethoughtsoftheothersbytheunerringlightofherownfears。 ’TheBabylonianswerecertainlymoregentlethantheAssyrians，’ saidthelearnedgentleman。’Andtheywerenotsavagesbyanymeans。Averyhighlevelofculture，’helookeddoubtfullyathisaudienceandwenton，’Imeanthattheymadebeautifulstatuesandjewellery，andbuiltsplendidpalaces。Andtheywereverylearned—theyhadgloriouslibrariesandhightowersforthepurposeofastrologicalandastronomicalobservation。’ ’Er？’saidRobert。 ’Imeanfor——star—gazingandfortune—telling，’saidthelearnedgentleman，’andthereweretemplesandbeautifulhanginggardens——’ ’I’llgotoBabylonifyoulike，’saidJaneabruptly，andtheothershastenedtosay’Done！’beforesheshouldhavetimetochangehermind。 ’Ah，’saidthelearnedgentleman，smilingrathersadly，’onecangosofarindreams，whenoneisyoung。’Hesighedagain，andthenaddingwithalabouredbriskness，’Ihopeyou’llhavea——a——jollygame，’hewentintohisroomandshutthedoor。 ’Hesaid\"jolly\"asifitwasaforeignlanguage，’saidCyril。 ’Comeon，let’sgetthePsammeadandgonow。IthinkBabylonseemsamostfrightfullyjollyplacetogoto。’ SotheywokethePsammeadandputitinitsbass—bagwiththewaterproofsheet，incaseofinclementweatherinBabylon。Itwasverycross，butitsaiditwouldassoongotoBabylonasanywhereelse。’Thesandisgoodthereabouts，’itadded。 ThenJaneheldupthecharm，andCyrilsaid—— ’WewanttogotoBabylontolookforthepartofyouthatwaslost。Willyoupleaseletusgotherethroughyou？’ ’Pleaseputusdownjustoutside，’saidJanehastily；’andthenifwedon’tlikeitweneedn’tgoinside。’ ’Don’tbeallday，’saidthePsammead。 SoAntheahastilyutteredthewordofpower，withoutwhichthecharmcoulddonothing。 ’Ur——Hekau——Setcheh！’shesaidsoftly，andasshespokethecharmgrewintoanarchsotallthatthetopofitwascloseagainstthebedroomceiling。Outsidethearchwasthebedroompaintedchest—of—drawersandtheKidderminstercarpet，andthewashhand—standwiththerivetedwillow—patternjug，andthefadedcurtains，andthedulllightofindoorsonawetday。Throughthearchshowedthegleamofsoftgreenleavesandwhiteblossoms。Theysteppedforwardquitehappily。EvenJanefeltthatthisdidnotlooklikelions，andherhandhardlytrembledatallassheheldthecharmfortheotherstogothrough，andlast，slippedthroughherself，andhungthecharm，nowgrownsmallagain，roundherneck。 Thechildrenfoundthemselvesunderawhite—blossomed，green—leafedfruit—tree，inwhatseemedtobeanorchardofsuchtrees，allwhite—floweredandgreen—foliaged。Amongthelonggreengrassundertheirfeetgrewcrocusesandlilies，andstrangeblueflowers。Inthebranchesoverheadthrushesandblackbirdsweresinging，andthecooofapigeoncamesoftlytotheminthegreenquietnessoftheorchard。 ’Oh，howperfectlylovely！’criedAnthea。 ’Why，it’slikehomeexactly——ImeanEngland——onlyeverything’sbluer，andwhiter，andgreener，andtheflowersarebigger。’ Theboysownedthatitcertainlywasfairlydecent，andevenJaneadmittedthatitwasallverypretty。 ’I’mcertainthere’snothingtobefrightenedofhere，’saidAnthea。 ’Idon’tknow，’saidJane。’Isupposethefruit—treesgoonjustthesameevenwhenpeoplearekillingeachother。Ididn’thalflikewhatthelearnedgentlemansaidaboutthehanginggardens。 Isupposetheyhavegardensonpurposetohangpeoplein。Idohopethisisn’tone。’ ’Ofcourseitisn’t，’saidCyril。’Thehanginggardensarejustgardenshungup——_I_thinkonchainsbetweenhouses，don’tyouknow，liketrays。Comeon；let’sgetsomewhere。’ Theybegantowalkthroughthecoolgrass。Asfarastheycouldseewasnothingbuttrees，andtreesandmoretrees。Attheendoftheirorchardwasanotherone，onlyseparatedfromtheirsbyalittlestreamofclearwater。Theyjumpedthis，andwenton。 Cyril，whowasfondofgardening——whichmeantthathelikedtowatchthegardeneratwork——wasabletocommandtherespectoftheothersbytellingthemthenamesofagoodmanytrees。Therewerenut—treesandalmond—trees，andapricots，andfig—treeswiththeirbigfive—fingeredleaves。Andeverynowandthenthechildrenhadtocrossanotherbrook。 ’It’slikebetweenthesquaresinThroughtheLooking—glass，’ saidAnthea。 Atlasttheycametoanorchardwhichwasquitedifferentfromtheotherorchards。Ithadalowbuildinginonecorner。 ’Thesearevines，’saidCyrilsuperiorly，’andIknowthisisavineyard。Ishouldn’twonderiftherewasawine—pressinsidethatplaceoverthere。’ Atlasttheygotoutoftheorchardsandontoasortofroad，veryrough，andnotatallliketheroadsyouareusedto。Ithadcypresstreesandacaciatreesalongit，andasortofhedgeoftamarisks，likethoseyouseeontheroadbetweenNiceandCannes，ornearLittlehampton，ifyou’veonlybeenasfarasthat。 Andnowinfrontofthemtheycouldseeagreatmassofbuildings。Therewerescatteredhousesofwoodandstonehereandthereamonggreenorchards，andbeyondtheseagreatwallthatshoneredintheearlymorningsun。Thewallwasenormouslyhigh——morethanhalftheheightofStPaul’s——andinthewallweresetenormousgatesthatshonelikegoldastherisingsunbeatonthem。Eachgatehadasolidsquaretoweroneachsideofitthatstoodoutfromthewallandroseaboveit。Beyondthewallweremoretowersandhouses，gleamingwithgoldandbrightcolours。Awaytotheleftranthesteel—blueswirlofagreatriver。Andthechildrencouldsee，throughagapinthetrees，thattheriverflowedoutfromthetownunderagreatarchinthewall。 ’Thosefeatherythingsalongbythewaterarepalms，’saidCyrilinstructively。 ’Oh，yes；youknoweverything，’Robertreplied。’What’sallthatgrey—greenstuffyouseeawayoverthere，whereit’sallflatandsandy？’ ’Allright，’saidCyrilloftily，’_I_don’twanttotellyouanything。Ionlythoughtyou’dliketoknowapalm—treewhenyousawitagain。’ ’Look！’criedAnthea；’they’reopeningthegates。’ Andindeedthegreatgatesswungbackwithabrazenclang，andinstantlyalittlecrowdofadozenormorepeoplecameoutandalongtheroadtowardsthem。 Thechildren，withoneaccord，crouchedbehindthetamariskhedge。 ’Idon’tlikethesoundofthosegates，’saidJane。’Fancybeinginsidewhentheyshut。You’dnevergetout。’ ’You’vegotanarchofyourowntogooutby，’thePsammeadputitsheadoutofthebaskettoremindher。’Don’tbehavesolikeagirl。IfIwereyouIshouldjustmarchrightintothetownandasktoseetheking。’ Therewassomethingatoncesimpleandgrandaboutthisidea，anditpleasedeveryone。 Sowhenthework—peoplehadpassed（theyWEREwork—people，thechildrenfeltsure，becausetheyweredressedsoplainly——justonelongblueshirtthing——ofblueoryellow）thefourchildrenmarchedboldlyuptothebrazengatebetweenthetowers。Thearchabovethegatewasquiteatunnel，thewallsweresothick。 ’Courage，’saidCyril。’Stepout。It’snousetryingtosneakpast。Bebold！’ Robertansweredthisappealbyunexpectedlyburstinginto’TheBritishGrenadiers’，andtoitsquick—steptheyapproachedthegatesofBabylon。 ’SometalkofAlexander，AndsomeofHercules，OfHectorandLysander，Andsuchgreatnamesasthese。 Butofallthegallantheroes……’ Thisbroughtthemtothethresholdofthegate，andtwomeninbrightarmoursuddenlybarredtheirwaywithcrossedspears。 ’Whogoesthere？’theysaid。 （IthinkImusthaveexplainedtoyoubeforehowitwasthatthechildrenwerealwaysabletounderstandthelanguageofanyplacetheymighthappentobein，andtobethemselvesunderstood。Ifnot，Ihavenotimetoexplainitnow。） ’Wecomefromveryfar，’saidCyrilmechanically。’FromtheEmpirewherethesunneversets，andwewanttoseeyourKing。’ ’Ifit’squiteconvenient，’amendedAnthea。’TheKing（mayheliveforever！），’saidthegatekeeper，’isgonetofetchhomehisfourteenthwife。Whereonearthhaveyoucomefromnottoknowthat？’ ’TheQueenthen，’saidAntheahurriedly，andnottakinganynoticeofthequestionastowheretheyhadcomefrom。 ’TheQueen，’saidthegatekeeper，’（maysheliveforever！）givesaudiencetodaythreehoursaftersunrising。’ ’Butwhatarewetodotilltheendofthethreehours？’askedCyril。 Thegatekeeperseemedneithertoknownortocare。Heappearedlessinterestedinthemthantheycouldhavethoughtpossible。 Butthemanwhohadcrossedspearswithhimtobarthechildren’swaywasmorehuman。 ’Letthemgoinandlookaboutthem，’hesaid。’I’llwagermybestswordthey’veneverseenanythingtocomenearourlittle——village。’HesaiditinthetonepeopleuseforwhentheycalltheAtlanticOceanthe’herringpond’。 Thegatekeeperhesitated。 ’They’reonlychildren，afterall，’saidtheother，whohadchildrenofhisown。’Letmeoffforafewminutes，Captain，andI’lltakethemtomyplaceandseeifmygoodwomancan’tfitthemupinsomethingalittlelessoutlandishthantheirpresentrig。Thentheycanhavealookroundwithoutbeingmobbed。MayIgo？’ ’Ohyes，ifyoulike，’saidtheCaptain，’butdon’tbeallday。’ Themanledthemthroughthedarkarchintothetown。AnditwasverydifferentfromLondon。Foronething，everythinginLondonseemstobepatchedupoutofoddsandends，butthesehousesseemedtohavebeenbuiltbypeoplewholikedthesamesortofthings。Notthattheywereallalike，forthoughallweresquarish，theywereofdifferentsizes，anddecoratedinallsortsofdifferentways，somewithpaintingsinbrightcolours，somewithblackandsilverdesigns。Therewereterraces，andgardens，andbalconies，andopenspaceswithtrees。Theirguidetookthemtoalittlehouseinabackstreet，whereakind—facedwomansatspinningatthedoorofaverydarkroom。 ’Here，’hesaid，’justlendthesechildrenamantleeach，sothattheycangoaboutandseetheplacetilltheQueen’saudiencebegins。Youleavethatwoolforabit，andshowthemroundifyoulike。Imustbeoffnow。’ Thewomandidasshewastold，andthefourchildren，wrappedinfringedmantles，wentwithherallaboutthetown，andoh！howI wishIhadtimetotellyouallthattheysaw。Itwasallsowonderfullydifferentfromanythingyouhaveeverseen。Foronething，allthehousesweredazzlinglybright，andmanyofthemcoveredwithpictures。Somehadgreatcreaturescarvedinstoneateachsideofthedoor。Thenthepeople——therewerenoblackfrock—coatsandtallhats；nodingycoatsandskirtsofgood，useful，uglystuffswarrantedtowear。Everyone’sclotheswerebrightandbeautifulwithblueandscarletandgreenandgold。 Themarketwasbrighterthanyouwouldthinkanythingcouldbe。 Therewerestallsforeverythingyoucouldpossiblywant——andforagreatmanythingsthatifyouwantedhereandnow，wantwouldbeyourmaster。Therewerepineapplesandpeachesinheaps——andstallsofcrockeryandglassthings，beautifulshapesandgloriouscolours，therewerestallsfornecklaces，andclasps，andbracelets，andbrooches，forwovenstuffs，andfurs，andembroideredlinen。Thechildrenhadneverseenhalfsomanybeautifulthingstogether，evenatLiberty’s。Itseemednotimeatallbeforethewomansaid—— ’It’snearlytimenow。Weoughttobegettingontowardsthepalace。It’saswelltobeearly。’Sotheywenttothepalace，andwhentheygotthereitwasmoresplendidthananythingtheyhadseenyet。 Foritwasglowingwithcolours，andwithgoldandsilverandblackandwhite——likesomemagnificentembroidery。Flightafterflightofbroadmarblestepsleduptoit，andattheedgesofthestairsstoodgreatimages，twentytimesasbigasaman——imagesofmenwithwingslikechainarmour，andhawks’ heads，andwingedmenwiththeheadsofdogs。Andtherewerethestatuesofgreatkings。 Betweentheflightsofstepswereterraceswherefountainsplayed，andtheQueen’sGuardinwhiteandscarlet，andarmourthatshonelikegold，stoodbytwosliningthewayupthestairs； andagreatbodyofthemwasmassedbythevastdoorofthepalaceitself，whereitstoodglitteringlikeanimpossiblyradiantpeacockinthenoon—daysun。 AllsortsofpeoplewerepassingupthestepstoseekaudienceoftheQueen。Ladiesinrichly—embroidereddresseswithfringyflounces，poorfolksinplainandsimpleclothes，dandieswithbeardsoiledandcurled。 AndCyril，Robert，AntheaandJane，wentwiththecrowd。 AtthegateofthepalacethePsammeadputoneeyecautiouslyoutofthebasketandwhispered—— ’Ican’tbebotheredwithqueens。I’llgohomewiththislady。 I’msureshe’llgetmesomesandifyouaskherto。’ ’Oh！don’tleaveus，’saidJane。ThewomanwasgivingsomelastinstructionsinCourtetiquettetoAnthea，anddidnothearJane。 ’Don’tbealittlemuff，’saidthePsammeadquitefiercely。 ’It’snotabitofgoodyourhavingacharm。Youneveruseit。 Ifyouwantmeyou’veonlygottosaythenameofpowerandaskthecharmtobringmetoyou。’ ’I’drathergowithyou，’saidJane。Anditwasthemostsurprisingthingshehadeversaidinherlife。 Everyoneopeneditsmouthwithoutthinkingofmanners，andAnthea，whowaspeepingintothePsammead’sbasket，sawthatitsmouthopenedwiderthananybody’s。 ’Youneedn’tgawplikethat，’Janewenton。’I’mnotgoingtobebotheredwithqueensanymorethanITis。AndIknow，whereveritis，it’lltakejollygoodcarethatit’ssafe。’ ’She’srightthere，’saideveryone，fortheyhadobservedthatthePsammeadhadawayofknowingwhichsideitsbreadwasbuttered。 Sheturnedtothewomanandsaid，’You’lltakemehomewithyou，won’tyou？AndletmeplaywithyourlittlegirlstilltheothershavedonewiththeQueen。’ ’SurelyIwill，littleheart！’saidthewoman。 AndthenAntheahurriedlystrokedthePsammeadandembracedJane，whotookthewoman’shand，andtrottedcontentedlyawaywiththePsammead’sbagundertheotherarm。 Theothersstoodlookingafterhertillshe，thewoman，andthebasketwerelostinthemany—colouredcrowd。ThenAntheaturnedoncemoretothepalace’smagnificentdoorwayandsaid—— ’Let’sasktheportertotakecareofourBabylonianovercoats。’ SotheytookoffthegarmentsthatthewomanhadlentthemandstoodamidthejostlingpetitionersoftheQueenintheirownEnglishfrocksandcoatsandhatsandboots。 ’WewanttoseetheQueen，’saidCyril；’wecomefromthefarEmpirewherethesunneversets！’ Amurmurofsurpriseandathrillofexcitementranthroughthecrowd。Thedoor—porterspoketoablackman，hespoketosomeoneelse。Therewasawhispering，waitingpause。Thenabigman，withacleanly—shavenface，beckonedthemfromthetopofaflightofredmarblesteps。 Theywentup；thebootsofRobertclatteringmorethanusualbecausehewassonervous。Adoorswungopen，acurtainwasdrawnback。Adoublelineofbowingformsingorgeousraimentformedalanethatledtothestepsofthethrone，andasthechildrenadvancedhurriedlytherecamefromthethroneavoiceverysweetandkind。 ’Threechildrenfromthelandwherethesunneversets！Letthemdrawhitherwithoutfear。’ Inanotherminutetheywerekneelingatthethrone’sfoot，saying，’OQueen，liveforever！’exactlyasthewomanhadtaughtthem。Andasplendiddream—lady，allgoldandsilverandjewelsandsnowydriftofveils，wasraisingAnthea，andsaying—— ’Don’tbefrightened，IreallyamSOgladyoucame！Thelandwherethesunneversets！Iamdelightedtoseeyou！Iwasgettingquitetoodreadfullyboredforanything！’ AndbehindAntheathekneelingCyrilwhisperedintheearsoftherespectfulRobert—— ’Bobs，don’tsayanythingtoPanther。It’snouseupsettingher，butwedidn’taskforJane’saddress，andthePsammead’swithher。’ ’Well，’whisperedRobert，’thecharmcanbringthemtousatanymoment。ITsaidso。’ ’Oh，yes，’whisperedCyril，inmiserablederision，’WE’REallright，ofcourse。Soweare！Oh，yes！Ifwe’donlyGOTthecharm。’ ThenRobertsaw，andhemurmured，’Crikey！’atthefootofthethroneofBabylon；whileCyrilhoarselywhisperedtheplainEnglishfact—— ’Jane’sgotthecharmroundherneck，yousillycuckoo。’ ’Crikey！’Robertrepeatedinheart—brokenundertones。 CHAPTER7 ’THEDEEPESTDUNGEONBELOWTHECASTLEMOAT’ TheQueenthrewthreeoftheredandgoldembroideredcushionsoffthethroneontothemarblestepsthatleduptoit。 ’Justmakeyourselvescomfortablethere，’shesaid。’I’msimplydyingtotalktoyou，andtohearallaboutyourwonderfulcountryandhowyougothere，andeverything，butIhavetodojusticeeverymorning。Suchabore，isn’tit？Doyoudojusticeinyourowncountry？’ ’No，saidCyril；’atleastofcoursewetryto，butnotinthispublicsortofway，onlyinprivate。’’Ah，yes，’saidtheQueen，’Ishouldmuchpreferaprivateaudiencemyself——mucheasiertomanage。Butpublicopinionhastobeconsidered。Doingjusticeisveryhardwork，evenwhenyou’rebroughtuptoit。’ ’Wedon’tdojustice，butwehavetodoscales，Janeandme，’ saidAnthea，’twentyminutesaday。It’ssimplyhorrid。’ ’Whatarescales？’askedtheQueen，’andwhatisJane？’ ’Janeismylittlesister。Oneoftheguards—at—the—gate’swifeistakingcareofher。Andscalesaremusic。’ ’Ineverheardoftheinstrument，’saidtheQueen。’Doyousing？’ ’Oh，yes。Wecansinginparts，’saidAnthea。 ’ThatISmagic，’saidtheQueen。’Howmanypartsareyoueachcutintobeforeyoudoit？’ ’Wearen’tcutatall，’saidRoberthastily。’Wecouldn’tsingifwewere。We’llshowyouafterwards。’ ’Soyoushall，andnowsitquietlikedearchildrenandhearmedojustice。ThewayIdoithasalwaysbeenadmired。Ioughtn’ttosaythatoughtI？Soundssoconceited。ButIdon’tmindwithyou，dears。SomehowIfeelasthoughI’dknownyouquitealongtimealready。’ TheQueensettledherselfonherthroneandmadeasignaltoherattendants。Thechildren，whisperingtogetheramongthecushionsonthestepsofthethrone，decidedthatshewasverybeautifulandverykind，butperhapsjusttheleastbitflighty。 Thefirstpersonwhocametoaskforjusticewasawomanwhosebrotherhadtakenthemoneythefatherhadleftforher。Thebrothersaiditwastheunclewhohadthemoney。Therewasagooddealoftalkandthechildrenweregrowingratherbored，whentheQueensuddenlyclappedherhands，andsaid—— ’Putboththemeninprisontilloneofthemownsupthattheotherisinnocent。’ ’Butsupposetheybothdidit？’Cyrilcouldnothelpinterrupting。 ’Thenprison’sthebestplaceforthem，’saidtheQueen。 ’Butsupposeneitherdidit。’ ’That’simpossible，’saidtheQueen；’athing’snotdoneunlesssomeonedoesit。Andyoumustn’tinterrupt。’ Thencameawoman，intears，withatornveilandrealashesonherhead——atleastAntheathoughtso，butitmayhavebeenonlyroad—dust。Shecomplainedthatherhusbandwasinprison。 ’Whatfor？’saidtheQueen。 ’TheySAIDitwasforspeakingevilofyourMajesty，’saidthewoman，’butitwasn’t。Someonehadaspiteagainsthim。Thatwaswhatitwas。’ ’Howdoyouknowhehadn’tspokenevilofme？’saidtheQueen。 ’Noonecould，’saidthewomansimply，’whenthey’donceseenyourbeautifulface。’ ’Letthemanout，’saidtheQueen，smiling。’Nextcase。’ Thenextcasewasthatofaboywhohadstolenafox。’LiketheSpartanboy，’whisperedRobert。ButtheQueenruledthatnobodycouldhaveanypossiblereasonforowningafox，andstilllessforstealingone。AndshedidnotbelievethattherewereanyfoxesinBabylon；she，atanyrate，hadneverseenone。Sotheboywasreleased。 ThepeoplecametotheQueenaboutallsortsoffamilyquarrelsandneighbourlymisunderstandings——fromafightbetweenbrothersoverthedivisionofaninheritance，tothedishonestandunfriendlyconductofawomanwhohadborrowedacooking—potatthelastNewYear’sfestival，andnotreturnedityet。 AndtheQueendecidedeverything，very，verydecidedlyindeed。 Atlastsheclappedherhandsquitesuddenlyandwithextremeloudness，andsaid—— ’Theaudienceisoverfortoday。’ Everyonesaid，’MaytheQueenliveforever！’andwentout。 Andthechildrenwereleftaloneinthejustice—hallwiththeQueenofBabylonandherladies。 ’There！’saidtheQueen，withalongsighofrelief。’THAT’S over！Icouldn’thavedoneanotherstitchofjusticeifyou’dofferedmethecrownofEgypt！Nowcomeintothegarden，andwe’llhaveanice，long，cosytalk。’ Sheledthemthroughlong，narrowcorridorswhosewallstheysomehowfelt，werevery，verythick，intoasortofgardencourtyard。Therewerethickshrubscloselyplanted，androsesweretrainedovertrellises，andmadeapleasantshade——needed，indeed，foralreadythesunwasashotasitisinEnglandinAugustattheseaside。 Slavesspreadcushionsonalow，marbleterrace，andabigmanwithasmoothfaceservedcooldrinkincupsofgoldstuddedwithberyls。HedrankalittlefromtheQueen’scupbeforehandingittoher。 ’That’sratheranastytrick，’whisperedRobert，whohadbeencarefullytaughtnevertodrinkoutofoneofthenice，shiny，metalcupsthatarechainedtotheLondondrinkingfountainswithoutfirstrinsingitoutthoroughly。 TheQueenoverheardhim。 ’Notatall，’saidshe。’Ritti—Mardukisaverycleanman。AndonehastohaveSOMEONEastaster，youknow，becauseofpoison。’ Thewordmadethechildrenfeelrathercreepy；butRitti—Mardukhadtastedallthecups，sotheyfeltprettysafe。Thedrinkwasdelicious——verycold，andtastinglikelemonadeandpartlylikepennyices。 ’Leaveus，’saidtheQueen。AndalltheCourtladies，intheirbeautiful，many—folded，many—coloured，fringeddresses，filedoutslowly，andthechildrenwereleftalonewiththeQueen。 ’Now，’shesaid，’tellmeallaboutyourselves。’ Theylookedateachother。 ’You，Bobs，’saidCyril。 ’No——Anthea，’saidRobert。 ’No——you——Cyril，’saidAnthea。’Don’tyourememberhowpleasedtheQueenofIndiawaswhenyoutoldherallaboutus？’ Cyrilmutteredthatitwasallverywell，andsoitwas。ForwhenhehadtoldthetaleofthePhoenixandtheCarpettotheRanee，ithadbeenonlythetruth——andallthetruththathehadtotell。ButnowitwasnoteasytotellaconvincingstorywithoutmentioningtheAmulet——which，ofcourse，itwouldn’thavedonetomention——andwithoutowningthattheywerereallylivinginLondon，about2，500yearslaterthanthetimetheyweretalkingin。 CyriltookrefugeinthetaleofthePsammeadanditswonderfulpowerofmakingwishescometrue。Thechildrenhadneverbeenabletotellanyonebefore，andCyrilwassurprisedtofindthatthespellwhichkeptthemsilentinLondondidnotworkhere。 ’SomethingtodowithourbeinginthePast，Isuppose，’hesaidtohimself。 ’ThisisMOSTinteresting，’saidtheQueen。’WemusthavethisPsammeadforthebanquettonight。Itsperformancewillbeoneofthemostpopularturnsinthewholeprogramme。Whereisit？’ Antheaexplainedthattheydidnotknow；alsowhyitwasthattheydidnotknow。 ’Oh，THAT’Squitesimple，’saidtheQueen，andeveryonebreathedadeepsighofreliefasshesaidit。 ’Ritti—Mardukshallrundowntothegatesandfindoutwhichguardyoursisterwenthomewith。’ ’Mighthe’——Anthea’svoicewastremulous——’mighthe——woulditinterferewithhismeal—times，oranythinglikethat，ifhewentNOW？’ ’Ofcourseheshallgonow。Hemaythinkhimselfluckyifhegetshismealsatanytime，’saidtheQueenheartily，andclappedherhands。 ’MayIsendaletter？’askedCyril，pullingoutared—backedpennyaccount—book，andfeelinginhispocketsforastumpofpencilthatheknewwasinoneofthem。 ’Byallmeans。I’llcallmyscribe。’ ’Oh，Icanscriberightenough，thanks，’saidCyril，findingthepencilandlickingitspoint。Heevenhadtobitethewoodalittle，foritwasveryblunt。 ’Oh，youclever，cleverboy！’saidtheQueen。’DOletmewatchyoudoit！’ Cyrilwroteonaleafofthebook——itwasofrough，woollypaper，withhairsthatstuckoutandwouldhavegotinhispenifhehadbeenusingone，andruledforaccounts。 ’HideITmostcarefullybeforeyoucomehere，’hewrote，’anddon’tmentionit——anddestroythisletter。EverythingisgoingA1。TheQueenisafairtreat。There’snothingtobeafraidof。’ ’Whatcuriouscharacters，andwhatastrangeflatsurface！’saidtheQueen。’Whathaveyouinscribed？’ ’I’ve’scribed，’repliedCyrilcautiously，’thatyouarefair，anda——andlikea——likeafestival；andthatsheneednotbeafraid，andthatsheistocomeatonce。’ Ritti—Marduk，whohadcomeinandhadstoodwaitingwhileCyrilwrote，hisBabylonisheyesnearlystartingoutofhisBabylonishhead，nowtooktheletter，withsomereluctance。 ’OQueen，liveforever！Isitacharm？’hetimidlyasked。’A strongcharm，mostgreatlady？’ ’YES，’saidRobert，unexpectedly，’itISacharm，butitwon’thurtanyoneuntilyou’vegivenittoJane。Andthenshe’lldestroyit，sothatitCAN’Thurtanyone。It’smostawfulstrong！——asstrongas——Peppermint！’heendedabruptly。 ’Iknownotthegod，’saidRitti—Marduk，bendingtimorously。 ’She’lltearitupdirectlyshegetsit，’saidRobert，’That’llendthecharm。Youneedn’tbeafraidifyougonow。’ Ritti—Mardukwent，seemingonlypartlysatisfied；andthentheQueenbegantoadmirethepennyaccount—bookandthebitofpencilinsomarkedandsignificantawaythatCyrilfelthecouldnotdolessthanpressthemuponherasagift。Sheruffledtheleavesdelightedly。 ’Whatawonderfulsubstance！’shesaid。’Andwiththisstyleyoumakecharms？Makeacharmforme！Doyouknow，’hervoicesanktoawhisper，’thenamesofthegreatonesofyourownfarcountry？’ ’Rather！’saidCyril，andhastilywrotethenamesofAlfredtheGreat，Shakespeare，Nelson，Gordon，LordBeaconsfield，MrRudyardKipling，andMrSherlockHolmes，whiletheQueenwatchedhimwith’unbaitedbreath’，asAntheasaidafterwards。 Shetookthebookandhiditreverentlyamongthebrightfoldsofhergown。 ’Youshallteachmelatertosaythegreatnames，’shesaid。 ’AndthenamesoftheirMinisters——perhapsthegreatNisrochisoneofthem？’ ’Idon’tthinkso，’saidCyril。’MrCampbellBannerman’sPrimeMinisterandMrBurnsaMinister，andsoistheArchbishopofCanterbury，Ithink，butI’mnotsure——andDrParkerwasone，I know，and——’ ’Nomore，’saidtheQueen，puttingherhandstoherears。’Myhead’sgoingroundwithallthosegreatnames。Youshallteachthemtomelater——becauseofcourseyou’llmakeusanicelongvisitnowyouhavecome，won’tyou？Nowtellme——butno，Iamquitetiredoutwithyourbeingsoclever。Besides，I’msureyou’dlikeMEtotellYOUsomething，wouldn’tyou？’ ’Yes，’saidAnthea。’IwanttoknowhowitisthattheKinghasgone——’ ’Excuseme，butyoushouldsay\"theKingmay—he—live—for—ever\"，’ saidtheQueengently。 ’Ibegyourpardon，’Antheahastenedtosay——’theKingmay—he—live—for—everhasgonetofetchhomehisfourteenthwife？ Idon’tthinkevenBluebeardhadasmanyasthat。And，besides，hehasn’tkilledYOUatanyrate。’ TheQueenlookedbewildered。 ’Shemeans，’explainedRobert，’thatEnglishkingsonlyhaveonewife——atleast，HenrytheEighthhadsevenoreight，butnotallatonce。’ ’Inourcountry，’saidtheQueenscornfully，’akingwouldnotreignadaywhohadonlyonewife。Noonewouldrespecthim，andquiterighttoo。’ ’Thenarealltheotherthirteenalive？’askedAnthea。 ’Ofcoursetheyare——poormean—spiritedthings！Idon’tassociatewiththem，ofcourse，IamtheQueen：they’reonlythewives。’ ’Isee，’saidAnthea，gasping。 ’Butoh，mydears，’theQueenwenton，’suchato—doasthere’sbeenaboutthislastwife！Youneverdid！ItreallywasTOO funny。WewantedanEgyptianprincess。TheKingmay—he—live—for—everhasgotawifefrommostoftheimportantnations，andhehadsethisheartonanEgyptianonetocompletehiscollection。Well，ofcourse，tobeginwith，wesentahandsomepresentofgold。TheEgyptiankingsentbacksomehorses——quiteafew；he’sfearfullystingy！——andhesaidhelikedthegoldverymuch，butwhattheywerereallyshortofwaslapislazuli，soofcoursewesenthimsome。Butbythattimehe’dbeguntousethegoldtocoverthebeamsoftheroofoftheTempleoftheSun—God，andhehadn’tnearlyenoughtofinishthejob，sowesentsomemore。Andsoitwenton，oh，foryears。 Youseeeachjourneytakesatleastsixmonths。Andatlastweaskedthehandofhisdaughterinmarriage。’ ’Yes，andthen？’saidAnthea，whowantedtogettotheprincesspartofthestory。 ’Well，then，’saidtheQueen，’whenhe’dgoteverythingoutofusthathecould，andonlygiventhemeanestpresentsinreturn，hesenttosayhewouldesteemthehonourofanallianceveryhighly，onlyunfortunatelyhehadn’tanydaughter，buthehopedonewouldbebornsoon，andifso，sheshouldcertainlybereservedfortheKingofBabylon！’ ’Whatatrick！’saidCyril。 ’Yes，wasn’tit？Sothenwesaidhissisterwoulddo，andthenthereweremoregiftsandmorejourneys；andnowatlastthetiresome，black—hairedthingiscoming，andtheKingmay—he—live—for—everhasgonesevendays’journeytomeetheratCarchemish。Andhe’sgoneinhisbestchariot，theoneinlaidwithlapislazuliandgold，withthegold—platedwheelsandonyx—studdedhubs——muchtoogreatanhonourinmyopinion。 She’llbeheretonight；there’llbeagrandbanquettocelebrateherarrival。SHEwon’tbepresent，ofcourse。She’llbehavingherbathsandheranointings，andallthatsortofthing。Wealwayscleanourforeignbridesverycarefully。Ittakestwoorthreeweeks。Nowit’sdinnertime，andyoushalleatwithme，forIcanseethatyouareofhighrank。’Sheledthemintoadark，coolhall，withmanycushionsonthefloor。Onthesetheysatandlowtableswerebrought——beautifultablesofsmooth，bluestonemountedingold。Onthese，goldentrayswereplaced；buttherewerenoknives，orforks，orspoons。ThechildrenexpectedtheQueentocallforthem；butno。Shejustatewithherfingers，andasthefirstdishwasagreattrayofboiledcorn，andmeatandraisinsallmixeduptogether，andmeltedfatpouredalloverthetray，itwasfounddifficulttofollowherexamplewithanythinglikewhatweareusedtothinkofasgoodtablemanners。Therewerestewedquincesafterwards，anddatesinsyrup，andthickyellowycream。ItwasthekindofdinneryouhardlyevergetinFitzroyStreet。 Afterdinnereverybodywenttosleep，eventhechildren。 TheQueenawokewithastart。 ’Goodgracious！’shecried，’whatatimewe’veslept！Imustrushoffanddressforthebanquet。Ishan’thavemuchmorethantime。’ ’Hasn’tRitti—MardukgotbackwithoursisterandthePsammeadyet？’Antheaasked。 ’IQUITEforgottoask。I’msorry，’saidtheQueen。’Andofcoursetheywouldn’tannounceherunlessItoldthemto，exceptduringjusticehours。Iexpectshe’swaitingoutside。I’llsee。’ Ritti—Mardukcameinamomentlater。 ’Iregret，’hesaid，’thatIhavebeenunabletofindyoursister。Thebeastshebearswithherinabaskethasbittenthechildoftheguard，andyoursisterandthebeastsetouttocometoyou。Thepolicesaytheyhaveaclue。Nodoubtweshallhavenewsofherinafewweeks。’Hebowedandwithdrew。 Thehorrorofthisthreefoldloss——Jane，thePsammead，andtheAmulet——gavethechildrensomethingtotalkaboutwhiletheQueenwasdressing。Ishallnotreporttheirconversation；itwasverygloomy。Everyonerepeatedhimselfseveraltimes，andthediscussionendedineachofthemblamingtheothertwoforhavingletJanego。Youknowthesortoftalkitwas，don’tyou？AtlastCyrilsaid—— ’Afterall，she’swiththePsammead，soSHE’Sallright。ThePsammeadisjollycarefulofitselftoo。Anditisn’tasifwewereinanydanger。Let’strytobuckupandenjoythebanquet。’ Theydidenjoythebanquet。Theyhadabeautifulbath，whichwasdelicious，wereheavilyoiledallover，includingtheirhair，andthatwasmostunpleasant。Then，theydressedagainandwerepresentedtotheKing，whowasmostaffable。Thebanquetwaslong；therewereallsortsofnicethingstoeat，andeverybodyseemedtoeatanddrinkagooddeal。Everyonelayoncushionsandcouches，ladiesononesideandgentlemenontheother；andaftertheeatingwasdoneeachladywentandsatbysomegentleman，whoseemedtobehersweetheartorherhusband，fortheywereveryaffectionatetoeachother。TheCourtdresseshadgoldthreadswoveninthem，verybrightandbeautiful。 Themiddleoftheroomwasleftclear，anddifferentpeoplecameanddidamusingthings。Therewereconjurersandjugglersandsnake—charmers，whichlastAntheadidnotlikeatall。 Whenitgotdarktorcheswerelighted。Cedarsplintersdippedinoilblazedincopperdishessethighonpoles。 Thentherewasadancer，whohardlydancedatall，onlyjuststruckattitudes。Shehadhardlyanyclothes，andwasnotatallpretty。Thechildrenwereratherboredbyher，buteveryoneelsewasdelighted，includingtheKing。 ’BythebeardofNimrod！’hecried，’askwhatyoulikegirl，andyoushallhaveit！’ ’Iwantnothing，’saidthedancer；’thehonourofhavingpleasedtheKingmay—he—live—for—everisrewardenoughforme。’ AndtheKingwassopleasedwiththismodestandsensiblereplythathegaveherthegoldcollaroffhisownneck。 ’Isay！’saidCyril，awedbythemagnificenceofthegift。 ’It’sallright，’whisperedtheQueen，’it’snothisbestcollarbyanymeans。Wealwayskeepastockofcheapjewelleryfortheseoccasions。Andnow——youpromisedtosingussomething。 Wouldyoulikemyminstrelstoaccompanyyou？’ ’No，thankyou，’saidAntheaquickly。Theminstrelshadbeenplayingoffandonallthetime，andtheirmusicremindedAntheaofthebandsheandtheothershadoncehadonthefifthofNovember——withpennyhorns，atinwhistle，atea—tray，thetongs，apoliceman’srattle，andatoydrum。Theyhadenjoyedthisbandverymuchatthetime。Butitwasquitedifferentwhensomeoneelsewasmakingthesamekindofmusic。AntheaunderstoodnowthatFatherhadnotbeenreallyheartlessandunreasonablewhenhehadtoldthemtostopthatinfuriatingdin。 ’Whatshallwesing？’Cyrilwasasking。 ’Sweetandlow？’suggestedAnthea。 ’Toosoft——Ivotefor\"Whowillo’erthedowns\"。Nowthen——one，two，three。 ’Oh，whowillo’erthedownssofree，Oh，whowillwithmeride，Oh，whowillupandfollowme，Towinabloomingbride？ Herfatherhehaslockedthedoor，Hermotherkeepsthekey； ButneitherboltnorbarshallkeepMyowntruelovefromme。’ Jane，thealto，wasmissing，andRobert，unlikethemotheroftheladyinthesong，nevercould’keepthekey’，butthesong，evenso，wassufficientlyunlikeanythinganyofthemhadeverheardtorousetheBabylonianCourttothewildestenthusiasm。 ’More，more，’criedtheKing；’bymybeard，thissavagemusicisanewthing。Singagain！’ Sotheysang： ’Isawherbowerattwilightgray，’Twasguardedsafeandsure。 Isawherboweratbreakofday，’Twasguardedthennomore。 Thevarletstheywereallasleep，AndtherewasnonetoseeThegreetingfairthatpassedthereBetweenmyloveandme。’ Shoutsofapplausegreetedtheendingoftheverse，andtheKingwouldnotbesatisfiedtilltheyhadsungalltheirpart—songs（theyonlyknewthree）twiceover，andendedupwith’MenofHarlech’inunison。ThentheKingstoodupinhisroyalrobeswithhishigh，narrowcrownonhisheadandshouted—— ’BythebeakofNisroch，askwhatyouwill，strangersfromthelandwherethesunneversets！’ ’Weoughttosayit’senoughhonour，likethedancerdid，’ whisperedAnthea’No，let’saskforIT，’saidRobert。 ’No，no，I’msuretheother’smanners，’saidAnthea。ButRobert，whowasexcitedbythemusic，andtheflaringtorches，andtheapplauseandtheopportunity，spokeupbeforetheotherscouldstophim。 ’GiveusthehalfoftheAmuletthathasonitthenameURHEKAU SETCHEH，’hesaid，addingasanafterthought，’OKing，live—for—ever。’ Ashespokethegreatnamethoseinthepillaredhallfellontheirfaces，andlaystill。AllbuttheQueenwhocrouchedamidhercushionswithherheadinherhands，andtheKing，whostoodupright，perfectlystill，likethestatueofakinginstone。Itwasonlyforamomentthough。Thenhisgreatvoicethunderedout—— ’Guard，seizethem！’ Instantly，fromnowhereasitseemed，sprangeightsoldiersinbrightarmourinlaidwithgold，andtunicsofredandwhite。 Verysplendidtheywere，andveryalarming。 ’Impiousandsacrilegiouswretches！’shoutedtheKing。’Tothedungeonswiththem！Wewillfindaway，tomorrow，tomakethemspeak。ForwithoutdoubttheycantelluswheretofindthelosthalfofIt。’ Awallofscarletandwhiteandsteelandgoldcloseduproundthechildrenandhurriedthemawayamongthemanypillarsofthegreathall。Astheywenttheyheardthevoicesofthecourtiersloudinhorror。 ’You’vedoneitthistime，’saidCyrilwithextremebitterness。 ’Oh，itwillcomeright。ItMUST。Italwaysdoes，’saidAntheadesperately。 Theycouldnotseewheretheyweregoing，becausetheguardsurroundedthemsoclosely，butthegroundundertheirfeet，smoothmarbleatfirst，grewrougherlikestone，thenitwaslooseearthandsand，andtheyfeltthenightair。Thentherewasmorestone，andstepsdown。 ’It’smybeliefwereallyAREgoingtothedeepestdungeonbelowthecastlemoatthistime，’saidCyril。 Andtheywere。Atleastitwasnotbelowamoat，butbelowtheriverEuphrates，whichwasjustasbadifnotworse。Inamostunpleasantplaceitwas。Dark，very，verydamp，andwithanodd，mustysmellratherliketheshellsofoysters。Therewasatorch——thatistosay，acopperbasketonahighstickwithoiledwoodburninginit。Byitslightthechildrensawthatthewallsweregreen，andthattricklesofwaterrandownthemanddrippedfromtheroof。Therewerethingsonthefloorthatlookedlikenewts，andinthedarkcornerscreepy，shinythingsmovedsluggishly，uneasily，horribly。 Robert’sheartsankrightintothosereallyreliablebootsofhis。AntheaandCyrileachhadaprivatestrugglewiththatinsidedisagreeablenesswhichispartofallofus，andwhichissometimescalledtheOldAdam——andbothwerevictors。NeitherofthemsaidtoRobert（andbothtriedhardnoteventothinkit），’ThisisYOURdoing。’Antheahadtheadditionaltemptationtoadd，’Itoldyouso。’Andsheresisteditsuccessfully。 ’Sacrilege，andimpiouscheek，’saidthecaptainoftheguardtothegaoler。’TobekeptduringtheKing’spleasure。Iexpecthemeanstogetsomepleasureoutofthemtomorrow！He’llticklethemup！’ ’Poorlittlekids，’saidthegaoler。 ’Oh，yes，’saidthecaptain。’I’vegotkidsofmyowntoo。Butitdoesn’tdotoletdomesticsentimentinterferewithone’spublicduties。Goodnight。’ Thesoldierstrampedheavilyoffintheirwhiteandredandsteelandgold。Thegaoler，withabunchofbigkeysinhishand，stoodlookingpityinglyatthechildren。Heshookhisheadtwiceandwentout。 ’Courage！’saidAnthea。’Iknowitwillbeallright。It’sonlyadreamREALLY，youknow。ItMUSTbe！Idon’tbelieveabouttimebeingonlyasomethingorotherofthought。ItISadream，andwe’reboundtowakeupallrightandsafe。’ ’Humph，’saidCyrilbitterly。AndRobertsuddenlysaid—— ’It’sallmydoing。IfitreallyISallupdopleasenotkeepadownonmeaboutit，andtellFather——Oh，Iforgot。’ Whathehadforgottenwasthathisfatherwas3，000milesand5，000ormoreyearsawayfromhim。 ’Allright，Bobs，oldman，’saidCyril；andAntheagotholdofRobert’shandandsqueezedit。 Thenthegaolercamebackwithaplatterofhard，flatcakesmadeofcoarsegrain，verydifferentfromthecream—and—juicy—datefeastsofthepalace；alsoapitcherofwater。 ’There，’hesaid。 ’Oh，thankyousoverymuch。YouAREkind，’saidAntheafeverishly。 ’Gotosleep，’saidthegaoler，pointingtoaheapofstrawinacorner；’tomorrowcomessoonenough。’ ’Oh，dearMrGaoler，’saidAnthea，’whateverwilltheydotoustomorrow？’ ’They’lltrytomakeyoutellthings，’saidthegaolergrimly，’andmyadviceisifyou’venothingtotell，makeupsomething。 Thenperhapsthey’llsellyoutotheNorthernnations。RegularsavagesTHEYare。Goodnight。’ ’Goodnight，’saidthreetremblingvoices，whichtheirownersstroveinvaintorenderfirm。Thenhewentout，andthethreewereleftaloneinthedamp，dimvault。 ’Iknowthelightwon’tlastlong，’saidCyril，lookingattheflickeringbrazier。 ’Isitanygood，doyouthink，callingonthenamewhenwehaven’tgotthecharm？’suggestedAnthea。 ’Ishouldn’tthinkso。Butwemighttry。’ Sotheytried。Buttheblanksilenceofthedampdungeonremainedunchanged。 ’WhatwasthenametheQueensaid？’askedCyrilsuddenly。 ’Nisbeth——Nesbit——something？Youknow，theslaveofthegreatnames？’ ’Waitasec，’saidRobert，’thoughIdon’tknowwhyyouwantit。 Nusroch——Nisrock——Nisroch——that’sit。’ ThenAntheapulledherselftogether。Allhermusclestightened，andthemusclesofhermindandsoul，ifyoucancallthemthat，tightenedtoo。 ’URHEKAUSETCHEH，’shecriedinaferventvoice。’Oh，Nisroch，servantoftheGreatOnes，comeandhelpus！’ Therewasawaitingsilence。Thenacold，bluelightawokeinthecornerwherethestrawwas——andinthelighttheysawcomingtowardsthemastrangeandterriblefigure。Iwon’ttrytodescribeit，becausethedrawingshowsit，exactlyasitwas，andexactlyastheoldBabylonianscarveditontheirstones，sothatyoucanseeitinourownBritishMuseumatthisday。Iwilljustsaythatithadeagle’swingsandaneagle’sheadandthebodyofaman。 Itcametowardsthem，strongandunspeakablyhorrible。 ’Oh，goaway，’criedAnthea；butCyrilcried，’No；stay！’ Thecreaturehesitated，thenbowedlowbeforethemonthedampfloorofthedungeon。 ’Speak，’itsaid，inaharsh，gratingvoicelikelargerustykeysbeingturnedinlocks。’TheservantoftheGreatOnesisYOUR servant。WhatisyourneedthatyoucallonthenameofNisroch？’ ’Wewanttogohome，’saidRobert。 ’No，no，’criedAnthea；’wewanttobewhereJaneis。’ Nisrochraisedhisgreatarmandpointedatthewallofthedungeon。And，ashepointed，thewalldisappeared，andinsteadofthedamp，green，rockysurface，thereshoneandglowedaroomwithrichhangingsofredsilkembroideredwithgoldenwater—lilies，withcushionedcouchesandgreatmirrorsofpolishedsteel；andinitwastheQueen，andbeforeher，onaredpillow，satthePsammead，itsfurhunchedupinanirritated，discontentedway。Onablue—coveredcouchlayJanefastasleep。 ’Walkforwardwithoutfear，’saidNisroch。’IsthereaughtelsethattheServantofthegreatNamecandoforthosewhospeakthatname？’ ’No——oh，no，’saidCyril。’It’sallrightnow。Thankseverso。’ ’Youareadear，’criedAnthea，notintheleastknowingwhatshewassaying。’Oh，thankyouthankyou。ButDOgoNOW！’ Shecaughtthehandofthecreature，anditwascoldandhardinhers，likeahandofstone。 ’Goforward，’saidNisroch。Andtheywent。 ’Oh，mygoodgracious，’saidtheQueenastheystoodbeforeher。 ’Howdidyougethere？IKNEWyouweremagic。Imeanttoletyououtthefirstthinginthemorning，ifIcouldslipaway——butthanksbetoDagon，you’vemanageditforyourselves。Youmustgetaway。I’llwakemychiefladyandsheshallcallRitti—Marduk，andhe’llletyououtthebackway，and——’ ’Don’trouseanybodyforgoodness’sake，’saidAnthea，’exceptJane，andI’llrouseher。’ SheshookJanewithenergy，andJaneslowlyawoke。 ’Ritti—Mardukbroughttheminhoursago，really，’saidtheQueen，’butIwantedtohavethePsammeadalltomyselfforabit。 You’llexcusethelittlenaturaldeception？——it’spartoftheBabylonishcharacter，don’tyouknow？ButIdon’twantanythingtohappentoyou。Doletmerousesomeone。’ ’No，no，no，’saidAntheawithdesperateearnestness。ShethoughtsheknewenoughofwhattheBabylonianswerelikewhentheywereroused。’Wecangobyourownmagic。AndyouwilltelltheKingitwasn’tthegaoler’sfault。ItwasNisroch。’ ’Nisroch！’echoedtheQueen。’Youareindeedmagicians。’ Janesatup，blinkingstupidly。 ’HoldItup，andsaytheword，’criedCyril，catchingupthePsammead，whichmechanicallybithim，butonlyveryslightly。 ’WhichistheEast？’askedJane。 ’Behindme，’saidtheQueen。’Why？’ ’UrHekauSetcheh，’saidJanesleepily，andheldupthecharm。 Andtheretheyallwereinthedining—roomat300，FitzroyStreet。 ’Jane，’criedCyrilwithgreatpresenceofmind，’goandgettheplateofsanddownforthePsammead。’ Janewent。 ’Lookhere！’hesaidquickly，asthesoundofherbootsgrewlessloudonthestairs，’don’tlet’stellheraboutthedungeonandallthat。It’llonlyfrightenhersothatshe’llneverwanttogoanywhereelse。’ ’Righto！’saidCyril；butAntheafeltthatshecouldnothavesaidawordtosaveherlife。 ’Whydidyouwanttocomebackinsuchahurry？’askedJane，returningwiththeplateofsand。’ItwasawfullyjollyinBabylon，Ithink！Ilikeditnoend。’ ’Oh，yes，’saidCyrilcarelessly。’Itwasjollyenough，ofcourse，butIthoughtwe’dbeentherelongenough。Motheralwayssaysyououghtn’ttowearoutyourwelcome！’ CHAPTER8 THEQUEENINLONDON ’Nowtelluswhathappenedtoyou，’saidCyriltoJane，whenheandtheothershadtoldherallabouttheQueen’stalkandthebanquet，andthevarietyentertainment，carefullystoppingshortbeforethebeginningofthedungeonpartofthestory。 ’Itwasn’tmuchgoodgoing，’saidJane，’ifyoudidn’teventrytogettheAmulet。’ ’Wefoundoutitwasnogo，’saidCyril；’it’snottobegotinBabylon。Itwaslostbeforethat。We’llgotosomeotherjollyfriendlyplace，whereeveryoneiskindandpleasant，andlookforitthere。Nowtellusaboutyourpart。’ ’Oh，’saidJane，’theQueen’smanwiththesmoothface——whatwashisname？’ ’Ritti—Marduk，’saidCyril。 ’Yes，’saidJane，’Ritti—Marduk，hecameformejustafterthePsammeadhadbittentheguard—of—the—gate’swife’slittleboy，andhetookmetothePalace。AndwehadsupperwiththenewlittleQueenfromEgypt。Sheisadear——notmucholderthanyou。 ShetoldmeheapsaboutEgypt。Andweplayedballaftersupper。 AndthentheBabylonQueensentforme。Ilikehertoo。AndshetalkedtothePsammeadandIwenttosleep。Andthenyouwokemeup。That’sall。’ ThePsammead，rousedfromitssoundsleep，toldthesamestory。 ’But，’itadded，’whatpossessedyoutotellthatQueenthatI couldgivewishes？Isometimesthinkyouwerebornwithouteventhemostrudimentaryimitationofbrains。’ Thechildrendidnotknowthemeaningofrudimentary，butitsoundedarude，insultingword。 ’Idon’tseethatwedidanyharm，’saidCyrilsulkily。 ’Oh，no，’saidthePsammeadwithwitheringirony，’notatall！ Ofcoursenot！Quitethecontrary！Exactlyso！Onlyshehappenedtowishthatshemightsoonfindherselfinyourcountry。Andsoonmaymeananymoment。’ ’Thenit’syourfault，’saidRobert，’becauseyoumightjustaswellhavemade\"soon\"meansomemomentnextyearornextcentury。’ ’That’swhereyou，assooftenhappens，makethemistake，’ rejoinedtheSand—fairy。’_I_couldn’tmeananythingbutwhatSHEmeantby\"soon\"。Itwasn’tmywish。AndwhatSHEmeantwasthenexttimetheKinghappenstogooutlionhunting。Soshe’llhaveawholeday，andperhapstwo，todoasshewisheswith。SHE doesn’tknowabouttimeonlybeingamodeofthought。’ ’Well，’saidCyril，withasighofresignation，’wemustdowhatwecantogiveheragoodtime。Shewasjollydecenttous。I say，supposeweweretogotoStJames’sParkafterdinnerandfeedthoseducksthatweneverdidfeed。AfterallthatBabylonandallthoseyearsago，IfeelasifIshouldliketoseesomethingREAL，andNOW。You’llcome，Psammead？’ ’Where’smypricelesswovenbasketofsacredrushes？’askedthePsammeadmorosely。’Ican’tgooutwithnothingon。AndI won’t，what’smore。’ Andtheneverybodyrememberedwithpainthatthebassbaghad，inthehurryofdeparturefromBabylon，notbeenremembered。