ER DINNER
quot;AND no; said Lucy, quot;do please tell us umnus.”
quot;As bad,quot; said Mr Beaver, s;ts a very, very bad business.
t aken off by t t from a bird w done.”
quot;But o?quot; asked Lucy.
quot;ell, t seen and means.”
quot;No, ,quot; said Susan. Mr Beaver shook his head in a very gloomy fashion.
quot;Im afraid it means taking o ; he said.
quot;But o ; gasped Lucy.
quot;ell,quot; said Mr Beaver, quot;you cant exactly say for sure. But t many taken in t ever comes out again. Statues. All full of statues t is - in tyard and up tairs and in turnedquot; - (;turned into stone.”
quot;But, Mr Beaver,quot; said Lucy, quot;cant do someto save s too dreadful and its all on my account.”
quot;I dont doubt youd save ; said Mrs Beaver, quot;but youve no cting into t
alive.”
quot;Couldnt agem?quot; said Peter. quot;I mean couldnt end to be - ocill s - or- o all, t be some er at just leave o be - to be - to done to him.”
quot;Its no good, Son of Adam,quot; said Mr Beaver, quot;no good your trying, of all people. But no Aslan is on the move-”
quot;Oell us about Aslan!quot; said several voices at once; for once again t strange feeling - like t signs of spring, like good news, hem.
quot;; asked Susan.
quot;Aslan?quot; said Mr Beaver. quot; you kno often and. Never in my time or my fatime.
But t t. tle te Queen all rig is you, t umnus.”
quot;S turn o stone too?quot; said Edmund.
quot;Lord love you, Son of Adam, o say!quot; ans laug;turn o stone? If sand on and look ll be t s of all to rig says in an old rs: rong teeter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.
Youll understand when you see him.”
quot;But s; asked Susan.
quot;er of Eve, ts w I brougo lead you w ; said Mr Beaver.
quot;Is-is ; asked Lucy.
quot;Aslan a man!quot; said Mr Beaver sternly. quot;Certainly not. I tell you Emperor-beyond-t you kno Lion.”
quot;Oo; said Susan, quot;Id t e safe? I s meeting a lion.”
quot;t you ake,quot; said Mrs Beaver; quot;if t t or else just silly.”
quot;t safe?quot; said Lucy.
quot;Safe?quot; said Mr Beaver; quot;dont you Mrs Beaver tells you? safe? Course safe. But ell you.”
quot;Im longing to see ; said Peter, quot;even if I do feel frig comes to t.”
quot;ts rig; said Mr Beaver, bringing able made all ttle. quot;And so you s t you are to meet omorro tone table.
quot;?quot; said Lucy.
quot;Ill s; said Mr Beaver. quot;Its doep from ake you to it!”
quot;But mean poor Mr tumnus?quot; said Lucy.
quot;t Aslan,quot; said Mr Beaver, quot;once t need you too. For ts anots at Cair Paravel in time will be over and done.
So t be drao ts before - long ago, nobody can say heres never been any of your race here before.”
quot;ts understand, Mr Beaver,quot; said Peter, quot;I mean isnt tch herself human?”
quot;So believe it,quot; said Mr Beaver, quot;and its on t t so be Queen. But ser of Eve. S; - (;your fat a drop of real ch.”
quot;ts w; said Mrs Beaver.
quot;true enoug; replied ;t o t company). But t t look like .”
quot;Ive kno; said Mrs Beaver.
quot;Sove I, noo speak of it,quot; said ;but precious fe like men. But in general, take my advice, s going to be yet, or used to be no and feel for your c. And ts wc for any cill.”
quot;s t to do ?quot; asked Peter.
quot;Because of anot; said Mr Beaver. quot;Do Cair Paravel - ts tle on t do t to be tal of try if all s Cair Paravel ts a saying in Narnia time out of mind t only of te itc of is ious as be h a shake of my whiskers!”
All ttending so o elling t ticed notime. t of silence t follo;I say-wheres Edmund?”
t;? side? and to t.
teadily, te blanket, and from re of t t, plunging o t ne round tion. quot;Edmund! Edmund!quot; till t tly falling snoo muffle t even an echo in answer.
quot;ly dreadful!quot; said Susan as t last came back in despair. quot;Oh, how I wish wed never come.”
quot; on earto do, Mr Beaver?quot; said Peter.
quot;Do?quot; said Mr Beaver, ;do? e must be off at once. e a moment to spare!”
quot;ed better divide into four searcies,quot; said Peter, quot;and all go in different directions. come back once and-”
quot;Searcies, Son of Adam?quot; said Mr Beaver; quot;w for?”
quot;o look for Edmund, of course!”
quot;t in looking for ; said Mr Beaver.
quot; do you mean?quot; said Susan. quot; be far a. And to find him.
do you mean wheres no use looking for him?”
quot;t; said Mr Beaver, quot;is t ared in amazement. quot;Dont you understand?quot; said Mr Beaver. quot;o o te itcrayed us all.”
quot;O; said Susan, quot; .”
quot;Cant ; said Mr Beaver, looking very ted to say died on t suddenly quite certain inside t tly w Edmund had done.
quot;But er.
quot;ry before?quot; asked Mr Beaver. quot;has he ever been here alone?”
quot;Yes,quot; said Lucy, almost in a w;Im afraid he has.”
quot;And did ell you w ?”
quot;ell, no, ,quot; said Lucy.
quot;t; said Mr Beaver, quot; te itcold o mention it before ( t I set eyes on t broto myself `treaccen her food.
You can alell t their eyes.”
quot;All t; said Peter in a rat of voice, quot;ill o go and look for er all, even if tle beast. And hes only a kid.”
quot;Go to tc; said Mrs Beaver. quot;Dont you see t to keep away from her?”
quot;; said Lucy.
quot;s is to get all four of you (sime of t Cair Paravel). Once you ues in ion before youd ime to speak. But s, because s to use to catc of you h.”
quot;O; wailed Lucy.
quot;Only Aslan,quot; said Mr Beaver, quot; go on and meet s our only chance now.”
quot;It seems to me, my dears,quot; said Mrs Beaver, quot;t it is very important to kno ed talking of Aslan before ? If not, t kno Aslan o Narnia, or t ing e off is concerned.”
quot;I dont remember alking about Aslan -quot; began Peter, but Lucy interrupted him.
quot;O; s;dont you remember, it urn Aslan into stone too?”
quot;So ; said Peter; quot;just t of too!”
quot;orse and ; said Mr Beaver, quot;and t till old you t ting Aslan one table?”
And of course no one kneo tion.
quot;Because, if ; continued Mr Beaver, quot;t direction and get betone table and catc we s off from Aslan. “
quot;But t isnt ; said Mrs Beaver, quot;not if I kno Edmund tells to catc, and if anoty minutes.”
quot;Youre rig; said ; all get a to lose.”