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〃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； and been told 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 witch and eaten her food。
you can 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 chance of saving either 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 thrones at cair paravel）。 once you were all four inside her house her job would be done … and thered be four new statues in her collection 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； can no one help us？〃 wailed lucy。
〃only aslan；〃 said mr beaver； 〃we must go on and meet him。 thats our only chance now。”
〃it seems to me； my dears；〃 said mrs beaver； 〃that it is very important to know just when he slipped away。 how much he can 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 concerned。”
〃i dont remember his being here when we were talking about aslan …〃 began peter； but lucy interrupted him。
〃oh yes； he was；〃 she said miserably； 〃dont you remember； it was he who asked whether the witch couldnt turn aslan into stone too？”
〃so he did； by jove；〃 said peter； 〃just the sort of thing he would say； too！”
〃worse and worse；〃 said mr beaver； 〃and the next thing is this。 was he still here when i told you that the place for meeting aslan was the stone table？”
and of course no one knew the answer to this question。
〃because； if he was；〃 continued mr beaver； 〃then shell simply sledge down in that direction and get between us and the stone table 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 another twenty minutes。”
〃youre right； mrs beaver；〃 said her husband； 〃we must all get away from here。 theres not a moment to lose。”
。。
CHAPTER NINE
@小‘说〃网
in the witchs house and now of course you want to know what had happened to edmund。 he had eaten his share of the dinner； but he hadnt really enjoyed it because he was thinking all the time about turkish delight … and theres nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food。 and he had heard the conversation； and hadnt enjoyed it much either； because he kept on thinking that the others were taking no notice of him and trying to give him the cold shoulder。 they werent； but he imagined it。
and then he had listened until mr beaver told them about aslan and until he had heard the whole arrangement for meeting aslan at the stone table。 it was then that he began very quietly to edge himself under the curtain which hung over the door。 for the mention
of aslan gave him a mysterious and horrible feeling just as it gave the others a mysterious and lovely feeling。
just as mr beaver had been repeating the rhyme about adams flesh and adams bone edmund had been very quietly turning the doorhandle； and just before mr beaver had begun telling them that the white witch wasnt really human at all but half a jinn and half a giantess； edmund had got outside into the snow and cautiously closed the door behind him。
you mustnt think that even now edmund was quite so bad that he actually wanted his brother and sisters to be turned into stone。 he did want turkish delight and to be a prince （and later a king） and to pay peter out for calling him a beast。 as for what the witch would do with the others； he didnt want her to be particularly nice to them … certainly not to put them on the same level as himself； but he managed to believe； or to pretend he believed； that she wouldnt do anything very bad to them； 〃because；〃 he said to himself； 〃all these people who say nasty things about her are her enemies and probably half of it isnt true。 she was jolly nice to me； anyway； much nicer than they are。 i expect she is the rightful queen really。 anyway； shell be better than that awful aslan！〃 at least； that was the excuse he made in his own mind for what he was doing。 it wasnt a very good excuse； however； for deep down inside him he really knew that the white witch was bad and cruel。
the first thing he realized when he got outside and found the snow falling all round him； was that he had left his coat behind in the beavers house。 and of course there was no chance of going back to get it now。 the next thing he realized was that the daylight was almost gone； for it had been nearly three oclock when they sat down to dinner and the winter days were short。 he hadnt reckoned on this； but he had to make the best of it。 so he turned up his collar and shuffled across the top of the dam （luckily it wasnt so slippery since the snow had fallen） to the far side of the river。
it was pretty bad when he reached the far side。 it was growing darker every minute and what with that and the snowflakes swirling all round him he could hardly see three feet ahead。 and then too there was no road。 he kept slipping into deep drifts of snow； and skidding on frozen puddles； and tripping over fallen tree…trunks； and slidi