CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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HOW THE DWARFS REFUSED TO BE TAKEN IN TIRIAN had thought - or he would have thought if he had time to think at all - that they were inside a little thatched stable, about twelve feet long and six feet wide. Iy they stood on grass, the deep blue sky was overhead, and the air which blew gently on their faces was that of a day in early summer. Not far away from them rose a grove of trees, thickly leaved, but under every leaf there peeped out the gold or faint yellow or purple lowing red of fruits such as no one has seen in our world. The fruit made Tiriahat it must be autumn but there was something in the feel of the air that told him it could not<samp></samp> be later than Juhey all moved towards the trees.Everyone raised his hand to pick the fruit he best liked the look of, and then everyone paused for a sed. This fruit was so be<big></big>autiful that each felt "It t be meant for me... surely were not allowed to pluck it.”
"Its all right," said Peter. "I know what were all thinking. But Im sure, quite sure, we . Ive a feeling weve got to the try where everything is allowed.”
"Here goes, then!" said Eustace. And they all began to eat.
What was the fruit like? Unfortunately no one describe a taste. All I say is that, pared with those fruits, the freshest grapefruit youve ever eaten was dull, and the juiciest e was dry, and the most melting pear was hard and woody, and the sbbr>藏书网</abbr>weetest wild strawberry was sour. And there were no seeds or stones, and no s. If you had oen that fruit, all the hings in this world would taste like medies after it.
But I t describe it. You t find out what it is like unless you get to that try and taste it for yourself.
When they had eaten enough, Eustace said to Kier, "You haveold us how you got here. You were just going to, when King Tirian turned up.”
"Theres not much to tell," said Peter. "Edmund and I were standing on the platform and we saw your train ing in. I remember thinking it was taking the bend far too fast. And I remember thinking how funny it was that our people were probably in the same train though Lucy didnt know about it -”
"Your people, High King?" said Tirian.
"I mean my Father and Mother - Edmunds and Lucys and mine.”
"Why were they?" asked Jill. "You doo say they know about Narnia?”
"Oh no, it had nothing to do with Narnia. They were on their way to Bristol. Id only heard they were going that m. But Edmund said theyd be bound to be going by that train." (Edmund was the sort of person who knows about railways.)
"And what happehen?" said Jill.
"Well, its not very easy to describe, is it, Edmund?" said the High King.
"Not very," said Edmund. "It wasnt at all like that other time when we were pulled out of our own world by Magic. There was a frightful roar and something hit me with a bang, but it didnt hurt. And I felt not so much scared as - well, excited. Oh - and this is one queer thing.
Id had a rather sore knee, from a hack at rugger. I noticed it had suddenly gone. And I felt very light. And then - here we were.”
"It was much the same for us in the railway carriage," said the Lord Digory, wiping the last traces of the fruit from his golden beard. "Only I think you and I, Polly, chiefly felt
that wed been unstiffened. You youngsters wont uand. But we stopped feeling old.”
"Youngsters, indeed!" said Jill. "I dont believe you two really are much older than we are here.”
"Well if we arent, we have been," said the Lady Polly.
"And what has been happening since you got here?" asked Eustace.
"Well," said Peter, "for a long time (at least I suppose it was a long time) nothing happehen the door opened -”
"The door?" said Tirian.
"Yes," said Peter. "The door you came in - or came out - by. Have you fotten?”
"But where is it?”
"Look," said Peter and pointed.
Tirian looked and saw the queerest and most ridiculous thing you imagine. Only a few yards away, clear to be seen in the sunlight, there stood up a rough wooden door and, round it, the framework of the doorway: nothing else, no walls, no roof. He walked towards it, bewildered, and the others followed, watg to see what he would do. He walked round to the other side of the door. But it looked just the same from the other side: he was still in the open air, on a summer m. The door was simply standing up by itself as if it had grown there like a tree.
"Fair Sir," said Tirian to the High King, "this is a great marvel.”
"It is the door<u></u> you came through with that ene five minutes ago," said Peter smiling.
"But did I not e in out of the wood into the stable? Whereas this seems to be a door leading from o nowhere.”
"It looks like that if you walk round it," said Peter. "But put your eye to that place where there is a crack between two of the planks and look through.”
Tirian put his eye to the hole. At first he could see nothing but blaess. Then, at his eyes grew used to it, he saw the dull red glow of a bohat was nearly going out, and above that, in a black sky, stars. Then he could see dark figures moving about or standiween him and the fire: he could hear them talking and their voices were like those of enes. So he khat he was looking out through the stable door into the darkness of Lantern Waste where he had fought his last battle. The men were discussing
whether to go in and look for Rishda Tarkaan (but none of them wao do that) or to set fire to the stable.
He looked round again and could hardly believe his eyes. There was the blue sky overhead, and grassy try spreading as far as he could see in every dire, and his new friends all round him laughing.
"It seems, then," said Tirian, smiling himself, "that the stable seen from within and the stable seen from without are two different places.”
"Yes," said the Lord Digory. "Its inside is bigger than its outside.”
"Yes," said Queen Lucy. "In our world too, a stable once had something i that was bigger than our whole world." It was the first time she had spoken, and from the thrill in her voice, Tirian now knew why. She was drinking everything in even more deeply thahers. She had been too happy to speak. He wao hear her speak again, so he said: "Of your courtesy, Madam, tell on. Tell me your whole adventure.”
"After the shod the noise," said Lucy, "we found ourselves here. And we wo the door, as you did. Then the door opened for the first time (we saw darkhrough the doorway when it did) and there came through a big man with a naked sword. We saw by his arms that he was a ene. He took his stand beside the door with his sword raised, resting on his shoulder, ready to cut down anyone who came through. We went to him and spoke to him, but we thought he could her see nor hear us. And he never looked round on the sky and the sunlight and the grass: I think he couldnt see them either. So then we waited a long time. Then we heard the bolt being drawn oher side of the door. But the man did ready to strike with his sword till he could see who was ing in. So we supposed he had been told to strike some and spare others.
But at the very moment when the door opened, all of a sudden Tash was there, on this side of the door; none of us saw where he came from. And through the door there came a big Cat. It gave one look at Tash and ran for its life: just in time, for he pou it and the door hit his beak as it was shut. The man could see Tash. He turned very pale and bowed down before the Monster: but it vanished away.
"Then we waited a long time again. At last the door opened for the third time and there came in a young ene. I liked him. The se the door started, and looked very surprised, when he saw him. I think hed been expeg someone quite different -”
"I see it all now," said Eustace (he had the bad habit of interrupting stories). "The Cat was to go in first and the sentry had orders to do him no harm. The was to e out and say hed seen their beastly Tashlan and pretend to be frightened so as to scare the other Animals. But what Shift never guessed was that the real Tash would turn up; so Ginger came out really frightened. And after that, Shift would send in anyone he wao get rid of and the sentry would kill them.
And -”
"Friend," said Tirian softly, "you hihe lady iale.”
"Well," said Lucy, "the sentry was surprised. That gave the other man just time to get on guard. They had a fight. He killed the sentry and flung him outside the door. Then he came walking slowly forward to where we were. He could see us, and everything else.
We tried to talk to him but he was rather like a man in a trance. He kept on saying Tash, Tash, where is Tash? I go to Tash. So we gave it up and he went away somewhere - over there. I liked him. And after that ... ugh!" Lucy made a face.
"After that," said Edmund, "someone flung a mohrough the door. And Tash was there again. My sister is so tender-hearted she doesnt like to tell you that Tash made one ped the Monkey was gone!”
"Serve him right!" said Eustace. "All the same, I hope hell disagree with Tash too.”
"And after that," said Edmund, "came about a dozen Dwarfs: and then Jill, aace, and last of all yourself.”
"I hope Tash ate the Dwarfs too," said Eustace. "Little swine.”
"No, he didnt," said Lucy. "And dont be horrid. Theryre still here. In fact you see them from here. And Ive tried and tried to make friends with them but its no use.”
"Friends with them!" cried Eustace. "If you knew how those Dwarfs have been behaving!”
"Oh stop it, Eustace," said Lucy. "Do e ahem. King Tirian, perhaps you could do something with them.”
"I feel no great love for Dwarfs today," said Tirian. "Yet at your asking, Lady, I would do a greater thing than this.”
Lucy led the way and soon they could all see the Dwarfs. They had a very odd look. They werent strolling about or enjoying themselves (although the cords with which they had been tied seemed to have vanished) nor were they lying down and having a rest. They were sitting very close together in a little circle fag one another. They never looked round or took any notice of the humans till Lud Tirian were almost near enough to touch them. Then the Dwarfs all cocked their heads as if they couldnt see a were listening hard and trying to guess by the sound what was happening.
"Look out!" said one of them in a surly voice. "Mind where yoing. Dont walk into our faces!”
"All right!" said Eustadignantly. "Were not blind. Weve got eyes in our heads.”
"They must be darn good ones if you see in here," said the same Dwarf whose name was Diggle.
"In where?" asked Edmund.
"Why you bone-head, in here of course," said Diggle. "In this pitch-black, poky, smelly little hole of a stable.”
"Are you blind?" said Tirian.
"Aint we all blind in the dark!" said Diggle.
"But it isnt dark, you poor stupid Dwarfs," said Lucy. "t you see? Look up! Look round! t you see the sky and the trees and the flowers? t you see me?”
"How in the name of all Humbug I see what aint there? And how I see you any more than you see me in this pitch darkness?”
"But I see you," said Lucy. "Ill prove I see you. Youve got a pipe in your mouth.”
"Ahat knows the smell of baccy could tell that," said Diggle.
"Oh the poor things! This is dreadful," said Lucy. Then she had an idea. She stopped and picked some wild violets. "Listen, Dwarf," she said. "Even if your eyes are wrong, perhaps your nose is all right: you smell that?" She leaned across and held the fresh, damp flowers to Diggles ugly nose. But she had to jump back quickly in order to avoid a blow from his hard little fist.
"None of that!" he shouted. "How dare you! What do you mean by shoving a lot of filthy stable-litter in my face? There was a thistle in it too. Its like your sauce! And who are you anyway?”
"Earth-man," said Tirian, "she is the Queen Lucy, sent hither by Aslan out of the deep past. And it is for her sake alohat I, Tirian your lawful King, do not cut all your heads from your shoulders, proved and twice-proved traitors that you are.”
"Well if that does everything!" exclaimed Diggle. "How you go on talking all that rot? Your wonderful Lion didnt e and help you, did he? Thought not. And now - even now - when youve beeen and shoved into this black hole, just the same as the rest of us, youre still at your old game. Starting a new lie! Trying to make us believe were none of us shut up, and it aint dark, and heaven knows what.”
"There is no black hole, save in your own fancy, fool," cried Tirian. "e out of it.”
And, leaning forward, he caught Diggle by the belt and the hood and swung him right out of the circle of Dwarfs. But the moment Tirian put him down, Diggle darted back to his place among the others, rubbing his nose and howling: "Ohat dyou do that for! Banging my face against the wall. Youve nearly broken my nose.”
"Oh dear!" said Lucy, "What are we to do for them?”
"Let em alone," said Eustace: but as he spoke the earth trembled. The sweet air grew suddenly sweeter. A brightness flashed behind them. All turirian turned last because he was afraid. There stood his hearts desire, huge and real, the golden Lion, Aslan himself, and already the others were kneeling in a circle round his forepaws and burying their hands and faces in his mane as he stooped his great head to touch them with his tohen he fixed his eyes upon Tirian, and Tirian came near, trembling, and flung himself at the Lio, and the Lion kissed him and said, "Well done, last of the Kings of Narnia who stood firm at the darkest hour.”
"Aslan," said Lucy through her tears, "could you - will you - do something for these poor Dwarfs?”
"Dearest," said Aslan, "I will show you both what I , and what I ot, do." He came close to the Dwarfs and gave a low growl: low, but it set all the air shaking. But the Dwarfs said to one another, "Hear that? Thats the gang at the other end of the stable.
Trying thten us. They do it with a mae of some kind. Dont take any notice.
They wont take us in again!”
Aslan raised his head and shook his mane. Instantly a glorious feast appeared on the Dwarfs knees: pies and tongues and pigeons and trifles and ices, and each Dwarf had a goblet of good wine in his right hand. But it wasnt much use. They begaing and drinking greedily enough, but it was clear that they couldnt taste it properly. They thought they were eating and drinking only the sort of things you might find in a stable.
One said he was trying to eat hay and another said he had a bit of an old turnip and a third said hed found a raw cabbage leaf. And they raised golden goblets of rich red wio their lips and said "Ugh! Fancy drinking dirty water out of a trough that a donkeys been at! hought wed e to this." But very soon every Dwarf began suspeg that every other Dwarf had found something han he had, and they started grabbing and snatg, a on to quarrelling, till in a few mihere was a free fight and all the good food was smeared on their faces and clothes or trodden under foot. But when at last they sat down to heir black eyes and their bleeding hey all said: "Well, at any rate theres no Humbug here. We have aake us in. The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs.”
"You see, " said Aslan. "They will not let us help them. They have chosen ing instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they ot be taken out. But e, children. I have other work to do.”
He went to the Door and they all followed him. He raised his head and roared, "Now it is time!" then louder, "Time!"; then so loud that it could have shakears, "TIME.”
The Door flew open.
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