CHAPTER EIGHT
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WHAT HAPPENED AFTER DINNER"AND now," said Lucy, "do please tell us whats happeo Mr Tumnus.”
"Ah, thats bad," said Mr Beaver, shaking his head. "Thats a very, very bad business.
Theres no doubt he was taken off by the police. I got that from a bird who saw it done.”
"But wheres he been taken to?" asked Lucy.
"Well, they were heading northwards when they were last seen and we all know what that means.”
"No, we dont," said Susan. Mr Beaver shook his head in a very gloomy fashion.
"Im afraid it means they were taking him to her House," he said.
"But whatll they do to him, Mr Beaver?" gasped Lucy.
"Well," said Mr Beaver, "you t exactly say for sure. But theres not many taken ihat ever es out again. Statues. All full of statues they say it is - in the courtyard and up the stairs and in the hall. People shes turned" - (he paused and shuddered) "turned into stone.”
"But, Mr Beaver," said Lucy, "t we - I mean we must do something to save him. Its too dreadful and its all on my at.”
"I dont doubt youd save him if you could, dearie," said Mrs Beaver, "but youve no ce of getting into that House against her will and ever ing out alive.”
"Couldnt we have some stratagem?" said Peter. "I mean couldnt we dress up as something, or pretend to be - oh, pedlars or anything - or watch till she was go - or- oh, hang it all, there must be some way. This Faun saved my sister at his own risk, Mr Beaver. We t just leave him to be - to be - to have that doo him.”
"Its no good, Son of Adam," said Mr Beaver, "no good your trying, of all people. But now that Aslan is on the move-”
"Oh, yes! Tell us about Aslan!" said several voices at once; for once again that strange feeling - like the first signs of spring, like good news, had e over them.
"Who is Aslan?" asked Susan.
"Aslan?" said Mr Beaver. "Why, dont you know? Hes the King. Hes the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here, you uand. Never in my time or my fathers time.
But the word has reached us that he has e back. He is in Narnia at this moment. Hell settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that will save Mr Tumnus.”
"She wont turn him into stooo?" said Edmund.
"Lord love you, Son of Adam, what a simple thing to say!" answered Mr Beaver with a great laugh. "Turn him into stone? If she stand owo feet and look him in the face itll be the most she do and more than I expect of her. No, no. Hell put all thts as it says in an old rhyme in these parts: Wrong will be right, when Aslan es in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
Youll uand when you see him.”
"But shall we see him?" asked Susan.
"Why, Daughter of Eve, thats what I brought you here for. Im to lead you where you shall meet him," said Mr Beaver.
"Is-is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Dont you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion - the Lion, the great Lion.”
"Ooh!" said Susan, "Id thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs Beaver; "if theres anyone who appear before Aslan without their knees knog, theyre either braver than most or else just silly.”
"Then he isnt safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr Beaver; "dont you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you<cite>..</cite>? Who said anything about safe? Course he isnt safe. But hes good. Hes the King, I tell you.”
"Im longing to see him," said Peter, "even if I do feel frightened when it es to the point.”
"Thats right, Son of Adam," said Mr Beaver, bringing his paw down oable with a crash that made all the cups and saucers rattle. "And so you shall. Word has beehat you are to meet him, tomorrow if you , at the Stoable.
"Wheres that?" said Lucy.
"Ill show you," said Mr Beaver. "Its down the river, a good step from here. Ill take you to it!”
"But meanwhile what about poor Mr Tumnus?" said Lucy.
"The quickest way you help him is by going to meet Aslan," said Mr Beaver, "once hes with us, then we begin doing things. Not that we dont need you too. For thats another of the old rhymes: When Adams flesh and Adams bone Sits at Cair Paravel in throhe evil time will be over and done.
So things must be drawiheir end now hes e and youve e. Weve heard of Aslan ing into these parts before - long ago, nobody say when. But theres never been any of your race here before.”
"Thats what I dont uand, Mr Beaver," said Peter, "I mean isnt the Witch herself human?”
"Shed like us to believe it," said Mr Beaver, "and its on that that she bases her claim to be Queen. But shes no Daughter of Eve. She es of your father Adams" - (here Mr Beaver bowed) "your father Adams first wife, her they called Lilith. And she was one of the Jinn. Thats what she es from on one side. And oher she es of the giants. No, no, there isnt a drop of real human blood ich.”
"Thats why shes bad all through, Mr Beaver," said Mrs Beaver.
"True enough, Mrs Beaver," replied he, "there may be two views about humans (meaning no offeo the present pany). But theres no two views about things that look like humans and arent.”
"Ive known good Dwarfs," said Mrs Beaver.
"Sove I, now you e to speak of it," said her husband, "but precious few, and they were the ones least like men. But in general, take my advice, when you meet anything thats going to be human and is, or used to be human ond isnt now, ht to be human and isnt, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet. And thats why the Witch is always on the lookout for any humans in Narnia. Shes been watg for you this many a year, and if she khere were four of you shed be more dangerous still.”
"Whats that to do with it?" asked Peter.
"Because of another prophecy," said Mr Beaver. "Down at Cair Paravel - thats the castle on the sea coast down at the mouth of this river which ought to be the capital of the whole try if all was as it should be - down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and its a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four throhen it will be the end not only of the White Witchs reign but of her life, and that is why we had to be so cautious as we came along, for if she knew about you four, your lives wouldnt be worth a shake of my whiskers!”
All the children had been attending so hard to what Mr Beaver was telling them that they had notiothing else for a long time. Then during the moment of silehat followed his last remark, Lucy suddenly said: "I say-wheres Edmund?”
There was a dreadful pause, and then everyone began asking "Who saw him last? How long has he been missing? Is he outside? and then all rushed to the door and looked out.
The snow was falling thickly and steadily, the green ice of the pool had vanished under a thick white bla, and from where the little house stood in the tre of the dam you could hardly see either bank. Out they went, plunging well over their ankles into the soft new snow, a round the house in every dire. "Edmund! Edmund!" they called till they were hoarse. But the silently falling snow seemed to muffle their voices and there was not even an echo in answer.
"How perfectly dreadful!" said Susan as they at last came ba despair. "Oh, how I wish wed never e.”
"What oh are we to do, Mr Beaver?" said Peter.
"Do?" said Mr Beaver, who was already putting on his snow-boots, "do? We must be off at once. We havent a moment to spare!”
"Wed better divide into four search parties," said Peter, "and all go in different dires. Whoever finds him must e back here at ond-”
"Search parties, Son of Adam?" said Mr Beaver; "what for?”
"Why, to look for Edmund, of course!”
"Theres no point in looking for him," said Mr Beaver.
"What do you mean?" said Susan. "He t be far away yet. And weve got to find him.
What do you mean when you say theres no use looking for him?”
"The reason theres no use looking," said Mr Beaver, "is that we know already where hes gone!" Everyoared in amazement. "Dont you uand?" said Mr Beaver. "Hes goo her, to the White Witch. He has betrayed us all.”
"Oh, surely-oh, really!" said Susan, "he t have dohat.”
"t he?" said Mr Beaver, looking very hard at the three children, and everything they wao say died on their lips, for each felt suddenly quite certain ihat this was exactly what Edmund had done.
"But will he know the way?" said Peter.
"Has he been in this try before?" asked Mr Beaver. "Has he ever been here alone?”
"Yes," said Lucy, almost in a whisper. "Im afraid he has.”
"And did he tell you what hed done or who hed met?”
"Well, no, he didnt," said Lucy.
"Then mark my words," said Mr Beaver, "he has already met the White Witch and joined her side, aold where she lives. I didnt like to mention it before (he being your brother and all) but the moment I set eyes on that brother of yours I said to myself `Treacherous. He had the look of one who has been with the Witd eaten her food.
You always tell them if youve lived long in Narnia; something about their eyes.”
"All the same," said Peter in a rather choking sort of voice, "well still have to go and look for him. He is our brother after all, even if he is rather a little beast. And hes only a kid.”
"Go to the Witchs House?" said Mrs Beaver. "Dont you see that the only ce of saviher him or yourselves is to keep away from her?”
"How do you mean?" said Lucy.
"Why, all she wants is to get all four of you (shes thinking all the time of those four thro Cair Paravel). Once you were all four inside her House her job would be done - and thered be four atues in her colle before youd had time to speak. But shell keep him alive as long as hes the only one shes got, because shell want to use him as a decoy; as bait to catch the rest of you with.”
"Oh, o one help us?" wailed Lucy.
"Only Aslan," said Mr Beaver, "we must go on a him. Thats our only ow.”
"It seems to me, my dears," said Mrs Beaver, "that it is very important to know just when he slipped away. How much he tell her depends on how much he heard. For instance, had we started talking of Aslan before he left? If not, then we may do very well, for she wont know that Aslan has e to Narnia, or that we are meeting him, and will be quite off her guard as far as that is ed.”
"I dont remember his being here when we were talking about Aslan -" begaer, but Luterrupted him.
"Oh yes, he was," she said miserably; "dont you remember, it was he who asked whether the Witch couldnt turn Aslan into stooo?”
"So he did, by Jove," said Peter; "just the sort of thing he would say, too!”
"Worse and worse," said Mr Beaver, "and the hing is this. Was he still here when I told you that the plaeeting Aslan was the Stoable?”
And of course no one khe ao this question.
"Because, if he was," tinued Mr Beaver, "then shell simply sledge down in that dire a between us and the Stoable and catch us on our way down. In fact we shall be cut off from Aslan. “
"But that isnt what shell do first," said Mrs Beaver, "not if I know her. The moment that Edmund tells her that were all here shell set out to catch us this very night, and if hes been gone about half an hour, shell be here in about awenty minutes.”
"Youre right, Mrs Beaver," said her husband, "we must all get away from here. Theres not a moment to lose.”
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