LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter VIII

       What Happened after Dinner

       Table of Contents

      "And now," said Lucy, "do please tell us what's happened to Mr. Tumnus."

      "Ah, that's bad," said Mr. Beaver shaking his head. "That's a very, very bad business. There's no doubt he was taken off by the police. I got that from a bird who saw it done."

      "But where's 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 don't," said Susan. But Mr. Beaver shook his head in a very gloomy fashion.

      "I'm afraid it means they were taking him to her house," said Mr. Beaver.

      "But what'll they do to him, Mr. Beaver?" gasped Lucy.

      "Well," said Mr. Beaver, "you can't exactly say for sure. But there's not many taken in there that ever comes out again. Statues. All full of statues they say it is—in the courtyard and up the stairs and in the hall. People she's turned—" (he paused and shuddered) "turned into stone."

      "But, Mr. Beaver," said Lucy, "can't we—I mean we must do something to save him. It's too dreadful and it's all on my account."

      "I don't doubt you'd save him if you could, dearie," said Mrs. Beaver, "but you've no chance of getting into that House against her will and ever coming out alive."

      "Couldn't we have some stratagem?" said Peter. "I mean couldn't we dress up as something, or pretend to be—oh, pedlars or anything—or watch till she was gone out—or—oh, hang it all, there must be some way. This Faun saved my sister at his own risk, Mr. Beaver. We can't just leave him to be—to be—to have that done to him."

      "It's 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 come over them.

      "Who is Aslan?" asked Susan.

      "Aslan?" said Mr. Beaver, "Why don't you know? He's the King. He's the Lord of the whole wood, but not often here, you understand. Never in my time or my father's time. But the word has reached us that he has come back. He is in Narnia at this moment. He'll settle the White Queen all right. It is he, not you, that will save Mr. Tumnus."

      "She won't turn him into stone too?" 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 can stand on her two feet and look him in the face it'll be the most she can do and more than I expect of her. No, no. He'll put all to rights as it says in an old rhyme in these parts:—

      Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes 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.

      You'll understand when you see him."

      "But shall we see him?" asked Susan.

      "Why, Daughter of Eve, that's what I brought you here for. I'm 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. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion."

      "Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd 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 there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

      "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

      "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

      "I'm longing to see him," said Peter, "even if I do feel frightened when it comes to the point."

      "That's right, Son of Adam," said Mr. Beaver bringing his paw down on the table with a crash that made all the cups and saucers rattle. "And so you shall. Word has been sent that you are to meet him, to-morrow if you can, at the Stone Table."

      "Where's that?" said Lucy.

      "I'll show you," said Mr. Beaver. "It's down the river, a good step from here. I'll take you to it!"

      "But meanwhile what about poor Mr. Tumnus?" said Lucy.

      "The quickest way you can help him is by going to meet Aslan," said Mr. Beaver, "once he's with us, then we can begin doing things. Not that we don't need you too. For that's another of the old rhymes:—

      When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone

       Sits at Cair Paravel in throne,

       The evil time will be over and done.

      So things must be drawing near their end now he's come and you've come. We've heard of Aslan coming into these parts before—long ago, nobody can say when. But there's never been any of your race here before."

      "That's what I don't understand, Mr. Beaver," said Peter, "I mean isn't the Witch herself human?"

      "She'd like us to believe it," said Mr. Beaver, "and it's on that that she bases her claim to be Queen. But she's no Daughter of Eve. She comes of your father Adam's—" (here Mr. Beaver bowed) "your father Adam's first wife, her they called Lilith. And she was one of the Jinn. That's what she comes from on one side. And on the other she comes of the giants. No, no, there isn't a drop of real Human blood in the Witch."

      "That's why she's bad all through, Mr. Beaver," said Mrs. Beaver.

      "True enough, Mrs. Beaver," replied he, "there may be two views about Humans (meaning no offence to the present company). But there's no two views about things that look like Humans and aren't."

      "I've known good dwarfs," said Mrs. Beaver.

      "So've I, now you come 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 that's going to be Human and isn't yet, or used to be Human once and isn't now, or ought to be Human and isn't, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet. And that's why the Witch is always on the lookout for any Humans in Narnia. She's been watching for you this many a year, and if she knew there were four of you she'd be more dangerous still."

      "What's that to do with it?" asked Peter.

      "Because of another prophecy," said Mr. Beaver. "Down at Cair Paravel—that's the castle on the sea coast down at the mouth of this river which ought to be the capital of the whole country if all was as it should be—down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it's a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life, and that is why we had to be so cautious as we came along, for if she knew

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