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    The Silver Chair: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition)
    The Silver Chair: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition)
    The Silver Chair: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition)
    Ebook215 pages3 hours

    The Silver Chair: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition)

    By C. S. Lewis and Pauline Baynes

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Illustrations in this ebook appear in vibrant full color on a full-color ebook device and in rich black and white on all other devices.

    Narnia . . . where giants wreak havoc . . . where evil weaves a spell . . . where enchantment rules.

    Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, a noble band of friends is sent to rescue a prince held captive. But their mission to Underland brings them face-to-face with an evil more beautiful and more deadly than they ever expected.

    The Silver Chair is the sixth book in C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that has become part of the canon of classic literature, drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over sixty years. This is a complete stand-alone read, but if you want to discover what happens in the final days of Narnia, read The Last Battle, the seventh and concluding book in The Chronicles of Narnia.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061974236
    The Silver Chair: The Classic Fantasy Adventure Series (Official Edition)
    Author

    C. S. Lewis

    Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a fellow and tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.

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    Reviews for The Silver Chair

    4.5/5

    276 ratings211 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Similar to the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it is a great stand alone story however it doesn't compare the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Prince Caspian!
    • 3/5
      This is the second time I've read the series...the third time I've read The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe...it's interesting the things I've picked up on this time around that I just didn't pay attention to before. And I'm not talking the obvious Christian spin...I'm talking about the geographic layout of Narnia and the way the stories intertwine. So far I've finished the first 3 books (if you're reading chronologically) and I'm far more impressed this time around than I was a couple of years ago.

      I made it through The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and I have to take a breather. It's so much easier to read the HP books all in a row...these just get tiresome after a while.
    • 3/5
      The last two books are definitely not in line for my favourites. There are various factors -- one of which is simply that I don't like seeing Narnia come to an end! But the main one is that I don't find Jill, Eustace and Puddleglum that compelling as main characters. Or Rillian, for that matter, even though he's Caspian's son. They're quite realistic and human, and lack the nobility that Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy have, I think. Perhaps too realistic. I want to kick Jill a lot of the time for making excuses and not doing what she knows is right. Nobody else is much better. Puddleglum is an interesting idea for a character, but I don't find him that compelling.

      It doesn't help that this book is fairly dreary. Snow, stone, cold, giants, underground, sunless seas... there are some beautiful, beautiful sections, like the description of Bism, and little gems about Narnia, like about how serious it is to ask a centaur to stay for the weekend. Overall, though, I find it hard to get into and sympathise with the characters.

      I do find myself tearing up, even now, at Caspian's death and renewal.
    • 3/5
      Eh, Narnia. I just can't warm to it. Too episodic, and I always end up tripping over the allegory. After seeing a documentary that posits that each Narnia book corresponds to one of the planets in the medieval understanding of the cosmos, I picked up The Silver Chair because it was the next one in order I hadn't yet read. I might just get the book which inspired the documentary ([Planet Narnia]) and put the rest of the Chronicles aside. I don't know. I want to like them. I'll allow as how this one held my attention more than the dreadful, interminable Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Blee.
    • 5/5
      Great series, I loved these as a kid. Read them over and over again.
    • 5/5
      I did not come upon these books until I was in or just out of college, I don't know why. But I have enjoyed being drawn into Narnia several times since then and will probably do so again some day (especially if I have grandchildren). Lewis's theology is not mine, or not completely, but I think one can enjoy these books with or without the Christian allegory.
    • 5/5
      Once again C.S. Lewis went beyond the borders of Narnia for another "Narnian" book - and once again, he came up with a new character with enormous humor and appeal for children.

      In this case, the character is Puddleglum the Marsh-Wiggle. He guides Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb as they "follow the signs" on a quest given them by Aslan. They must rescue the lost Prince Rilian, son of Prince Caspian.

      There are several points at which characters are irritatingly oblivious to the obvious, throughout the book. I'll give no spoilers, but they're rather obvious. And Aslan comes off as something of a nagging wanker; what's with the mysterious "signs"? Jerking people around with hints and confusing portents may represent some sort of divine test of their moral fiber, but in my book it's just irritating. As Lewis himself seems to realize, since Aslan says at the end "I shall not always be scolding."

      It's towards the very end of the book that we get a flash of that imagination that made The Voyage of the Dawn Treader such a refreshing change in the Narnia series. The deep land of Bism sounds quite interesting, and I wish Lewis had set a Narnia story there.

      All in all, The Silver Chair is quite an exciting and well-told story. It's clear that Lewis' considerable talents as a writer continued to develop over time. The later Narnia books are better than the earlier ones, although The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe does have a special quality that makes it particularly memorable.

      (As always, I must note that recent editions have been burdened with an incorrect ordering by the publisher. The books should be read in the order in which they were written and published, NOT the order indicated by the numbering of modern editions. The publisher's recommended order spoils many of the nicest surprises, and I regard it as pure idiocy.)

      One small point, however: there are a number of rather dated Briticisms which have changed greatly in meaning since The Silver Chair, at least in the United States. I had a hard time keeping a straight face while reading some of them aloud.

      For example, within seven pages I found these three gems:
      "Gay," said Puddleglum with a deep sigh. "That's what we've got to be. Gay." ...

      "All right. Gay's the word," said Scrubb. "Now, if we could only get someone to open this door. While we're fooling about and being gay, we've got to find out all we can about this castle."
      and
      She made love to everyone - the grooms, the porters, the housemaids, the ladies-in-waiting, and the elderly giant lords whose hunting days were long past them. She submitted to being kissed and pawed about...
      and
      ...the children soon took no more notice of it than you would of hooters outside the window...
      It is, of course, dreadfully unfair of me to take these quotes out of context. They had quite a different meaning back when C.S. Lewis wrote them, and in context, they're quite innocent. Still, they were a bit unsettling to come across when I read them aloud. As I recall, I changed "made love to" to "made friends with" on the fly.

      There are similar examples in some of the other Narnia books, but The Silver Chair is the most extreme case.

      I might also mention the BBC television adaptation of this book. It featured Tom Baker (best known as Doctor Who) in the role of Puddleglum, and he did his usual outstanding job. But some of his best lines were cut, which surprised me - particularly since my rendition of them while reading to my son earned me some very enthusiastic laughs.
    • 3/5
      If you are a well read person, you probably already know that C.S. Lewis wrote this series as an allegory to help children understand Christianity. Well, I am not religious, but I don't think you have to be to appreciate this series.

      So what does this series have to offer? For me, it is about free will (making choices and learning to live with them) and friendship (discovering the rewards of friendship, and what sacrifices one would be willing to make to help a friend). In fact, the lessons in this series were sort of the written version of my grandmother. (I miss you Gma. Scattering your ashes over Lake Tahoe seemed like a bad idea at the time, but every time I look at the lake now, I think of you.)

      My Gma took me to church on Sundays when I was a kid, but she also ran a pizza parlor where she earned the respect of hard living biker types. IMO, my Gma was 'The Man' in the best sense of the word: tough, but compassionate, and always looking for the stick that would whack the unruly in the head to wake 'em up so they could see where their current path was heading...just in case that might not be where they wanted to go.

      If my Gma sounds a bit rough to you, just remember that the lion, Aslan, also doled out lessons in tough love. Like the time that Aslan slashed his claws across Aravis' back. He did it so Aravis would know what it felt like when her family's slave received a whipping as punishment for 'letting' Aravis escape. (Aravis had actually drugged the slave to escape from an arranged marriage, so the slave did not 'willfully' abet her escape.)
    • 4/5
      I love that Lewis introduces us to a new protagonist in nearly every book so that, in introducing Narnia to that character he is re-introducing it to us. Unlike most series of today, Lewis doesn't waste his time repeating lots of information from books past, which I love. Instead, he adds even more detail to Narnia -- introducing more characters and more layers to the strange world.

      Puddleglum may be my favorite character in any of the books I've read so far of the series and Eustace and Jill make for fantastic substitutions for the Pevensies.
    • 3/5
      The Narnia books are all over the map in quality. I love "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and "The Magician's Nephew." I'm okay with "Dawn Treader," "Caspian," and "The Silver Chair." I loathe "The Last Battle." I still don't know what to think about "The Horse and his Boy." So the three stars is very much an average; there is wide variation.
    • 5/5
      I read these novels individually a couple of times in the 70s, again in the 80s and most recently when the movie was released in 2005.

      As a child, I enjoyed these stories because they were great adventures. As an adult, with children of my own, I saw and appreciated the deeper meaning and morals presented on many levels.

      I would highly recommend this to children, parents and just about anyone else.
    • 3/5
      I'm glad I am reading this series in the original order. The new (chronological) order doesn't make as much sense.
    • 5/5
      These are the complete books about the fantasy land of Narnia, ruled by the lion Aslan, visited sometimes by children from our world.These are allegorical Christian novels. I loved them as a child.Read as a child (1970s).
    • 4/5
      When Digory meets Polly in London the last thing he expects is that they’re going to be thrown into the adventure of a lifetime, but thanks to his scheming uncle and the curiosity of kids, what was looking to be a dreadful summer turns into a journey the two never saw coming. They encounter the Wood Between the Worlds, an evil empress accidentally awakened, there’s havoc in London, and not to mention they find the newly created Narnia. All in all, it’s bunches of excitement packed into a short period of time.I’ll admit it again… this is going to be my first full read of all of the Narnia books. I’ve seen the movies and did read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was younger, but the full series? Nope. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I jumped into this read, but I think I was expecting something more like the idea of Narnia that I had in my head. While The Magician’s Nephew wasn’t that, in the end I wasn’t disappointed.The Magician’s Nephew is a really great opening to the Chronicles of Narnia. The characters were great. It was so easy to love or hate them, which in my mind is important when I’m reading. We also learn about the founding of Narnia. On that note, can I just say… I knew that Aslan was ‘The Dude’ of Narnia, but I didn’t realize that he was more like God Dude than King Dude (though knowing what I know about Lewis it makes sense in hindsight). Reading this book really does answer a lot of questions that one has about the world of Narnia and for that I was glad.I do have one thing that I wasn’t crazy about when reading this though. The way the story is narrated was difficult for me. After a while I started to adjust, but it was still weird. In the end it didn’t take away from the story.Overall, The Magician’s Nephew was a fun, quick, and easy read. I look forward to completing the series and finally knowing everything that’s going on in Narnia.
    • 4/5
      Still a great read after all these years. May be a little slow for readers living at today's fast pace. Nice to know the beginning of the story.
    • 3/5
      This one isn't as good as the others. It's a little too predictable, and some of its moral points are a bit trite. So so.
    • 4/5
      Before this, the only CS Lewis I'd read was in my Philosophy of Religion course in college. When people would talk about the Christian symbolism in the Narnia books, I thought it would be more subtle than it is. It's not at all subtle, but I found the stories a pleasure to read. I look forward to sharing Narnia with my daughter when she's a little older; it will be a chance to combine a literature lesson, a religion lesson, and the fun of sharing a vivid fantasy world with her.
    • 4/5
      In The Silver Chair we return to Narnia with Eustace Scrubb (the tag-along cousin of the Pevensie's in Voyage of the Dawn Treader). Some time has passed since Dawn Treader and Eustace is at a boarding school. As the book begins, he's just run across a classmate Jill Pole who's crying after being bullied. They are commiserating together about how awful school is and how nice it would be to get away. Eustace starts romanticizing his times in Narnia and before long the two children want to go there. At the same time, the group of bullies is rapidly approaching to continuing their bullying efforts. They find themselves cornered by a door that is always locked. In desperation they try the handle, and it is surprisingly unlocked…and whisks them away to Narnia.Like the previous books, Eustace and Jill are a bit disoriented and unsure of their location upon arriving. In this instance, they aren't in the kingdom of Narnia but rather high high high up in the kingdom of Aslan Himself. This introduction to the world seemed more unique than some of the other entrances to this mystical land. Eustace and Jill find themselves perched on a cliff so high that they aren't entirely sure what they're looking at below them. They encounter Aslan and are given a quest before being blown off (quite literally) to the kingdom of Narnia.Aslan gives the children a quest to find and return the long lost prince. We learn that the prince is the son of Prince Caspian from the previous two adventures. Eustace is a little dismayed that he didn't get to talk to Caspian and he's also surprised to find that Caspian is now an old man on the verge of death. We learn that the prince went missing after seeking revenge for his mother's death. Many quests were undertaken to find him, but years later there has been no success.The children seek allies to help in their quest and are guided into the company of a Marsh Wiggle named Puddleglum. I loved the character of Puddleglum. First of all, the Marsh Wiggle creature characteristics are fun in themselves just physically. As a character Puddleglum is a lot of fun because of his personality and the way he interacts with everything. To some degree, he seems to be the eternal pessimist, always imagining the worst possible outcomes to any situation. At the same time, he often finds the most realistic perspective (once you shave away some of the more unlikely scenarios). He also has a bravery and insight that really helps the kids out along the way.As part of their instructions, Aslan provided certain signs that would help them on their way. They continually "muff up" finding or recognizing the signs until it's too late. Naturally this makes the adventure a lot more interesting, but it certainly frustrates matters for the group.As the kids encounter various people, creatures and clues along their way most of the time I found the encounters to be fairly predictable (even though the kids and Puddleglum didn't immediately jump to the obvious conclusion). Still, the encounters were pretty fun. There were a lot of different elements and adventures throughout the story. Each new area was unique and interesting. I found it interesting that we make our way almost to the very end of the book before we come upon the source of the title…The Silver Chair. While it played a key element in the story, I really would like to have had a little more development of the Chair. To learn more about it. To perhaps have found another object, weapon or item that used the same magic as the Chair. I really found it to be very interesting. I also loved the final confrontation with the witch. That whole scene was lightly suspenseful and creepy the way she wrapped them in her spell.After the successful conclusion of the adventure, I was a little surprised at the sort of postlogue encounter with Aslan and Caspian. As far as the plot of the story, it was completely unnecessary, but it did provide the author with a chance to expand his allegorical allusions. I felt like the God allegories for Aslan were more heavy handed than they'd been in previous books. Granted, there were some pretty overt situations in the earlier books as well, but this time it felt like Lewis was pulling the curtain back even a little farther in case you didn't happen to catch on earlier. He doesn't explicitly say anything overly religious, but the allegory felt even more straightforward to me in this book than it had in the earlier novels.I really enjoyed this story. As I said, I found a number of the elements to be predictable and I would liked to have seen some elements (especially the Chair) to have been developed a bit more. But overall, this was a lot of fun. I especially loved the characterizations in this book, particularly Puddleglum. They were super fun.This is a great addition to the Narnia adventures and makes me look forward to the conclusion in The Last Battle.****4 out of 5 stars
    • 4/5
      Four kids- Peter, Edmond, Susan and Lucy, go through the door of a wardrobe and find Narnia- a world locked in winter by the White Witch. Lucy (the youngest) finds Narnia and her siblings don't believe her until Peter discovers it for himself. The four, with the help of Aslan (a lion) and many other magical creatures save Narnia from the Witch Witch and clear up the snowy grounds. I was mad at Peter for betraying his siblings and going on the White Witch's side. I would never leave my brothers- ever. I don't like Peter! I wanted to give him a swirly, or hang him by his draws to a flag pole. And The White Witch scared the crap out of me! I didn't like her either. Overall, this book was very well written and the movie doesn't do the book any justice. Sometimes your imagination can make a much better movie than some producer can. That's why I like books.
    • 5/5
      This fantasy book, originally published as the sixth book in the series, is in fact chronologically the first. The story goes back to when Professor Digory Kirke was a child, and he and his friend, Polly Plummer, travel to other worlds including Narnia. Their adventures are all assisted by Digory's Uncle Andrew. Throughout the story, Digory is faced with many choices, and some of the decisions he makes have consequences with which he has to deal. By the end, one is given the way in which the wardrobe from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is created.This series has become a timeless classic among children, teens, and adults. People are drawn to the senses of magic, morals, and lessons that are contained therein. There is also a lot of action and character exploration which keep readers' reading. This is definitely an accessible series the books of which are not overly long, so it is a great way to get a younger reader to read.
    • 3/5
      Incredibly imaginative and beautiful. If you are religious, you can enjoy the immense allegory in the series, if not, enjoy it for the marvel that it is.This is my least favorite of the series. It's just very awkward and unusual. When I saw the movie version, I was embarrassed to have my mother walk in on me watching it; the book was the same, just a quieter embarrassment.
    • 5/5
      Narnia ... where giants wreak havoc ... where evil weaves a spell ... where enchantment rules.Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, a noble band of friends are sent to rescue a prince held captive. But their mission to Underland brings them face-to-face with an evil more beautiful and more deadly than they ever expected.
    • 4/5
      The chronological beginning of the Narnia-series, this story tells of how Narnia came to be. Having read the other books, it's quite fun reading about how it all started. This is a quick, cheerful, feel-good read. I quite enjoyed it, more so than a few of the other Narnia-books.
    • 3/5
      A fine and enchanting little tale though not quite as good as I had perhaps hoped. I liked it, but I'm not so sure I want to read 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' that much after this, but if it were to stray upon my path I wouldn't say no to it either!
    • 4/5
      SUMMARY - The Magicians nephew is a story about a boy and a girl named polly and Digory. Digory is a young boy whose mother is ill and has gone with Digory to his aunt and uncle's house to stay. Polly Plumber is an average girl who is the first human ever to leave our world. Digory's uncle is a magician, and likes to play around with magic, and wants to know if his invention of the rings will really take people from this world. So to experiment, The magician tricks Polly into trying on a ring, and instantly she vanishes into the world between worlds, a mysterious, and peaceful wood full of pools that take you to other worlds. Following her Digory finds Polly in the wood, but because the wood has an almost a narcotic affect, they do not recognize one another. Then their senses come back to them, and they decide to explore the wood, and accidentally jump into a pool leading them to an almost dead world where they discover an evil yet beautiful queen, who follows them out into the wood. Thinking it was the earth pool, the group jump into a world just beginning....the world of Narnia.REVIEW - I like this books, tone, and style. In this incredible story we are taken into a completely new world, a land with centaurs, and talking beasts. Lewis Carol does a great job of really making you feel as if you are actually in the land of Narnia. This book is a great way to start out the Narnia series, and it actually explains a lot of themes appearing in "the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe," (the second book in this incredible series.) I think that unlike many other stories of people entering other worlds, this story is actually realistic, and it makes you feel the actual emotion and theme of this story, so that you really can't register it as a fairy tail. I would suggest this book for people who like adventures and mystical places, and for anyone else who wants to read a good book. I would also read this book before any of the others in the Narnia series.
    • 5/5
      Time cannot wither, nor custom stale these stories for me. Although I can recite them, they remain new and fresh. I think it is Lewis' perfect employmnet of 'the plain style' that makes them so very readable. He uses short sentences, and unremarkable words, but he uses them with precision.
    • 5/5
      Eustace Scrubb ventures back to Narnia with his schoolmate Jill Pole. There they are sent on a mission to rescue Prince Rilian, who has been kidnapped by an evil witch. This is another lovely installment of the Chronicles of Narnia. Very cute.
    • 4/5
      I remember my third grade teacher reading all of these to my class as a child, and it is so wonderful to read them again through the adult lens. Each book is different but builds into a wonderful overall story. They are creative and completely transports the reader to another place and time. Excellent books for children and adults.
    • 5/5
      This book, the first in the series, was a great way to explain what was going on. We've all seen, or heard, about the movies, such as "The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe", and "Prince Caspian", but do you know how it all started? This book describes the creation of Narnia. Now, I know what you're thinking, I don't care how it started that's boring, and that's what I thought too. But the more you get into the book the more unpredictable it got. I love the way C.S. Lewis writes. All of his books are figurative. They are used, I believe, to spread the gospel and the news of Jesus. I very much enjoy that his characters aren't run of the mill characters either. They all have their own unique personalities and their own backgrounds. All of their lives come with a twist. Each person's life is completely different than the other. And in the end, the characters have all grown. They reach their full potential. This book is a good example of a bildungsroman. The main character goes from being conceited to a loving happy child. Every character has a psychological growth, weather good or bad. All in all, I would most defiantly recommend this book to anyone looking to start a good series, or anyone looking for a good adventure.
    • 4/5
      The Magician's Nephew is the story of Narnia's creation and, as all the stories do, is full of Biblical allegory and inspirational aphorism. In it we learn how the White Witch comes to Narnia, where the lamp post comes from and how the Wardrobe came into being. Of the Narnia series, it is perhaps my very favourite. Especially as I did not read it first (it was not the first written) and got to experience the joy of piecing the puzzle together. As with all the stories, I find that they mean something entirely different to me now, as an adult, then they did when I read them as a child. Well worth reading and re-reading. They never get old.

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    The Silver Chair - C. S. Lewis

    ONE

    BEHIND THE GYM

    IT WAS A DULL AUTUMN DAY AND JILL Pole was crying behind the gym.

    She was crying because they had been bullying her. This is not going to be a school story, so I shall say as little as possible about Jill’s school, which is not a pleasant subject. It was Co-educational, a school for both boys and girls, what used to be called a mixed school; some said it was not nearly so mixed as the minds of the people who ran it. These people had the idea that boys and girls should be allowed to do what they liked. And unfortunately what ten or fifteen of the biggest boys and girls liked best was bullying the others. All sorts of things, horrid things, went on which at an ordinary school would have been found out and stopped in half a term; but at this school they weren’t. Or even if they were, the people who did them were not expelled or punished. The Head said they were interesting psychological cases and sent for them and talked to them for hours. And if you knew the right sort of things to say to the Head, the main result was that you became rather a favorite than otherwise.

    That was why Jill Pole was crying on that dull autumn day on the damp little path which runs between the back of the gym and the shrubbery. And she hadn’t nearly finished her cry when a boy came round the corner of the gym whistling, with his hands in his pockets. He nearly ran into her.

    Can’t you look where you’re going? said Jill Pole.

    "All right, said the boy, you needn’t start— and then he noticed her face. I say, Pole, he said, what’s up?"

    Jill only made faces; the sort you make when you’re trying to say something but find that if you speak you’ll start crying again.

    "It’s Them, I suppose—as usual," said the boy grimly, digging his hands farther into his pockets.

    Jill nodded. There was no need for her to say anything, even if she could have said it. They both knew.

    Now, look here, said the boy, there’s no good us all—

    He meant well, but he did talk rather like someone beginning a lecture. Jill suddenly flew into a temper (which is quite a likely thing to happen if you have been interrupted in a cry).

    Oh, go away and mind your own business, she said. Nobody asked you to come barging in, did they? And you’re a nice person to start telling us what we all ought to do, aren’t you? I suppose you mean we ought to spend all our time sucking up to Them, and currying favor, and dancing attendance on Them like you do.

    Oh, Lor! said the boy, sitting down on the grassy bank at the edge of the shrubbery and very quickly getting up again because the grass was soaking wet. His name unfortunately was Eustace Scrubb, but he wasn’t a bad sort.

    Pole! he said. Is that fair? Have I been doing anything of the sort this term? Didn’t I stand up to Carter about the rabbit? And didn’t I keep the secret about Spivvins—under torture too? And didn’t I—

    I d-don’t know and I don’t care, sobbed Jill.

    Scrubb saw that she wasn’t quite herself yet and very sensibly offered her a peppermint. He had one too. Presently Jill began to see things in a clearer light.

    I’m sorry, Scrubb, she said presently. I wasn’t fair. You have done all that—this term.

    Then wash out last term if you can, said Eustace. I was a different chap then. I was—gosh! what a little tick I was.

    Well, honestly, you were, said Jill.

    You think there has been a change, then? said Eustace.

    It’s not only me, said Jill. "Everyone’s been saying so. They’ve noticed it. Eleanor Blakiston heard Adela Pennyfather talking about it in our changing room yesterday. She said, ‘Someone’s got hold of that Scrubb kid. He’s quite unmanageable this term. We shall have to attend to him next.’"

    Eustace gave a shudder. Everyone at Experiment House knew what it was like being attended to by Them.

    Both children were quiet for a moment. The drops dripped off the laurel leaves.

    Why were you so different last term? said Jill presently.

    A lot of queer things happened to me in the hols, said Eustace mysteriously.

    What sort of things? asked Jill.

    Eustace didn’t say anything for quite a long time. Then he said:

    Look here, Pole, you and I hate this place about as much as anybody can hate anything, don’t we?

    I know I do, said Jill.

    Then I really think I can trust you.

    Dam’ good of you, said Jill.

    Yes, but this is a really terrific secret. Pole, I say, are you good at believing things? I mean things that everyone here would laugh at?

    I’ve never had the chance, said Jill, but I think I would be.

    Could you believe me if I said I’d been right out of the world—outside this world—last hols?

    I wouldn’t know what you meant.

    Well, don’t let’s bother about worlds then. Supposing I told you I’d been in a place where animals can talk and where there are—er—enchantments and dragons—and—well, all the sorts of things you have in fairy-tales. Scrubb felt terribly awkward as he said this and got red in the face.

    How did you get there? said Jill. She also felt curiously shy.

    The only way you can—by Magic, said Eustace almost in a whisper. I was with two cousins of mine. We were just—whisked away. They’d been there before.

    Now that they were talking in whispers Jill somehow felt it easier to believe. Then suddenly a horrible suspicion came over her and she said (so fiercely that for the moment she looked like a tigress):

    If I find you’ve been pulling my leg I’ll never speak to you again; never, never, never.

    I’m not, said Eustace. I swear I’m not. I swear by—by everything.

    (When I was at school one would have said, I swear by the Bible. But Bibles were not encouraged at Experiment House.)

    All right, said Jill, I’ll believe you.

    And tell nobody?

    What do you take me for?

    They were very excited as they said this. But when they had said it and Jill looked round and saw the dull autumn sky and heard the drip off the leaves and thought of all the hopelessness of Experiment House (it was a thirteen-week term and there were still eleven weeks to come) she said:

    "But after all, what’s the good? We’re not there: we’re here. And we jolly well can’t get there. Or can we?"

    That’s what I’ve been wondering, said Eustace. When we came back from That Place, Someone said that the two Pevensie kids (that’s my two cousins) could never go there again. It was their third time, you see. I suppose they’ve had their share. But he never said I couldn’t. Surely he would have said so, unless he meant that I was to get back? And I can’t help wondering, can we—could we—?

    Do you mean, do something to make it happen?

    Eustace nodded.

    You mean we might draw a circle on the ground—and write in queer letters in it—and stand inside it—and recite charms and spells?

    Well, said Eustace after he had thought hard for a bit. I believe that was the sort of thing I was thinking of, though I never did it. But now that it comes to the point, I’ve an idea that all those circles and things are rather rot. I don’t think he’d like them. It would look as if we thought we could make him do things. But really, we can only ask him.

    Who is this person you keep on talking about?

    They call him Aslan in That Place, said Eustace.

    What a curious name!

    Not half so curious as himself, said Eustace solemnly. But let’s get on. It can’t do any harm, just asking. Let’s stand side by side, like this. And we’ll hold out our arms in front of us with the palms down: like they did in Ramandu’s island—

    Whose island?

    I’ll tell you about that another time. And he might like us to face the east. Let’s see, where is the east?

    I don’t know, said Jill.

    It’s an extraordinary thing about girls that they never know the points of the compass, said Eustace.

    You don’t know either, said Jill indignantly.

    Yes I do, if only you didn’t keep on interrupting. I’ve got it now. That’s the east, facing up into the laurels. Now, will you say the words after me?

    What words? asked Jill.

    The words I’m going to say, of course, answered Eustace. Now—

    And he began, Aslan. Aslan, Aslan!

    Aslan, Aslan, Aslan, repeated Jill.

    Please let us two go into—

    At that moment a voice from the other side of the gym was heard shouting out, Pole? Yes. I know where she is. She’s blubbing behind the gym. Shall I fetch her out?

    Jill and Eustace gave one glance at each other, dived under the laurels, and began scrambling up the steep, earthy slope of the shrubbery at a speed which did them great credit. (Owing to the curious methods of teaching at Experiment House, one did not learn much French or Maths or Latin or things of that sort; but one did learn a lot about getting away quickly and quietly when They were looking for one.)

    After about a minute’s scramble they stopped to listen, and knew by the noises they heard that they were being followed.

    If only the door was open again! said Scrubb as they went on, and Jill nodded. For at the top of the shrubbery was a high stone wall and in that wall a door by which you could get out on to open moor. This door was nearly always locked. But there had been times when people had found it open; or perhaps there had been only one time. But you may imagine how the memory of even one time kept people hoping, and trying the door; for if it should happen to be unlocked it would be a splendid way of getting outside the school grounds without being seen.

    Jill and Eustace, now both very hot and very grubby from going along bent almost double under the laurels, panted up to the wall. And there was the door, shut as usual.

    It’s sure to be no good, said Eustace with his hand on the handle; and then, O-o-oh. By Gum!! For the handle turned and the door opened.

    A moment before, both of them had meant to get through that doorway in double quick time, if by any chance the door was not locked. But when the door actually opened, they both stood stock still. For what they saw was quite different from what they had expected.

    They had expected to see the gray, heathery slope of the moor going up and up to join the dull autumn sky. Instead, a blaze of sunshine met them. It poured through the doorway as the light of a June day pours into a garage when you open the door. It made the drops of water on the grass glitter like beads and showed up the dirtiness of Jill’s tear-stained face. And the sunlight was coming from what certainly did look like a different world—what they could see of it. They saw smooth turf, smoother and brighter than Jill had ever seen before, and blue sky, and, darting to and fro, things so bright that they might have been jewels or huge butterflies.

    Although she had been longing for something like this, Jill felt frightened. She looked at Scrubb’s face and saw that he was frightened too.

    Come on, Pole, he said in a breathless voice.

    Can we get back? Is it safe? asked Jill.

    At that moment a voice shouted from behind, a mean, spiteful little voice. Now then, Pole, it squeaked. Everyone knows you’re there. Down you come. It was the voice of Edith Jackle, not one of Them herself but one of their hangers-on and tale-bearers.

    Quick! said Scrubb. Here. Hold hands. We mustn’t get separated. And before she quite knew what was happening, he had grabbed her hand and pulled her through the door, out of the school grounds, out of England, out of our whole world into That Place.

    The sound of Edith Jackle’s voice stopped as suddenly as the voice on the radio when it is switched off. Instantly there was a quite different sound all about them. It came from those bright things overhead, which now turned out to be birds. They were making a riotous noise, but it was much more like music—rather advanced music which you don’t quite take in at the first hearing—than birds’ songs ever are in our world. Yet, in spite of the singing, there was a sort of background of immense silence. That silence, combined with the freshness of the air, made Jill think they must be on the top of a very high mountain.

    Scrubb still had her by the hand and they were walking forward, staring about them on every side. Jill saw that huge trees, rather like cedars but bigger, grew in every direction. But as they did not grow close together, and as there was no undergrowth, this did not prevent one from seeing a long way into the forest to left and right. And as far as Jill’s eye could reach, it was all the same— level turf, darting birds with yellow, or dragonfly blue, or rainbow plumage, blue shadows, and emptiness. There was not a breath of wind in that cool, bright air. It was a very lonely forest.

    Right ahead there were no trees: only blue sky. They went straight on without speaking till suddenly Jill heard Scrubb say, Look out! and felt herself jerked back. They were at the very edge of a cliff.

    Jill was one of those lucky people who have a good head for heights. She didn’t mind in the least standing on the edge of a precipice. She was rather annoyed with Scrubb for pulling her back—just as if I was a kid, she said—and she wrenched her hand out of his. When she saw how very white he had turned, she despised him.

    What’s the matter? she said. And to show that she was not afraid, she stood very near the edge indeed; in fact, a good deal nearer than even she liked. Then she looked down.

    She now realized that Scrubb had some excuse for looking white, for no cliff in our world is to be compared with this. Imagine yourself at the top of the very highest cliff you know. And imagine yourself looking down to the very bottom. And then imagine that the precipice goes on below that, as far again, ten times as far, twenty times as far. And when you’ve looked down all that distance imagine little white things that might, at first glance, be mistaken for sheep, but presently you realize that they are clouds—not little wreaths of mist but the enormous white, puffy clouds which are themselves as big as most mountains. And at last, in between those clouds, you get your first glimpse of the real bottom, so far

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