ASLAN IS NEARER

    EDMUND meaning time. o get ted t tcart being  nice to  t meeting. But s all. And  Edmund plucked up o say, quot;Please, your Majesty, could I urkis?

    You - you - said -quot; s;Silence, fool!quot; to  co ;And yet it  do to   fainting on the way,”

    and once more clapped her, dwarf appeared.

    quot;Bring ture food and drink,quot; she said.

    t aly returned bringing an iron boer in it and an iron plate .  t;turkis for ttle Prince. ;   quot;take it a; said Edmund sulkily. quot;I dont  dry bread.quot; But tcurned on errible expression on  o nibble at t ale  it down.

    quot;You may be glad enoug before you taste bread again,quot; said tch.

    ill c d te itc out, ordering Edmund to go o tyard, but sook no  notice of t and made Edmund sit beside  before to the sledge.

    quot;take est of your  once to the Beavers,”

    said tc;and kill o tone table, but do not be seen. ait for me t go many miles to t before I find a place whe river.

    You may overtake tone table. You o do if you find them!”

    quot;I ; groely  ao tes  t of course t empty. It rail - and ten to one  to t no t prints were covered up.

    Meano terrible

    journey for Edmund, er of  an  of opped trying to s  off because, as quickly as , a ne gatired. Soon  to t didnt look nocended to make o make  s  side sounded to o meet t t - even Peter! to comfort o try to believe t t

    any moment. And as t on, er  did come to  seem like a dream.

    ted longer te pages and pages  about it. But I o time . And still t on and on,  ting s tc; op!quot; and they did.

    o say somet breakfast! But sopped for quite a different reason. A little  t of a  tree sat a merry party, a squirrel and yrs and a dools round a table. Edmund couldnt quite see ing, but it smelled lovely and to be decorations of  at  all sure t  see somet t  person present,  risen to its  feet, s rig o say somet opping and y  out of topped eating o yrs stopped s fork actually in its mouterror.

    quot; is t; asked tch Queen. Nobody answered.

    quot;Speak, vermin!quot; s;Or do you  my do find you a  tongue  is ttony, te, t all things?”

    quot;Please, your Majesty,quot; said t;  make so bold as to drink your Majestys very good h - “

    quot;o you?quot; said tch.

    quot;F-F-F-Fatmas,quot; stammered the Fox.

    quot;?quot; roared tcaking a ferides nearer to terrified animals. quot; been   no. Say you have been lying and you shall even now be forgiven.”

    At t moment one of t its ely.

    quot;; it squeaked, beating its little spoon on table. Edmund sace  a drop of blood appeared on e  c;O, dont, please dont,quot; sed Edmund, but even  ly ues of creatures (one s stone fork fixed forever o its stone mouted round a stone table on es and a  stone plum pudding.

    quot;As for you,quot; said tcunning bloed t;let t teaco ask favour for spies and  traitors. Drive on!”

    And Edmund for t time in tory felt sorry for someone besides   seemed so pitiful to ttle stone figures sitting t days and all ts, year after year, till t  last even their faces crumbled away.

    Noeadily racing on again. And soon Edmund noticed t t t er t  nig time iced t

    every minute it gre running nearly as  ill no first  tired, but soon  t couldnt be t on jolting as if it ruck against  stones. And  sloo be a curious noise all round t ting and ting at ted Edmund from   it il suddenly tuck so fast t it  go on at all.  s silence. And in t silence Edmund could at last  listen to trange, s, rustling, ctering noise - and yet not  so strange, for  before - if only  once  er. All round t of  sigreams, ctering, murmuring, bubbling, splasance) roaring. And  gave a great leap (t t  one tree  load of  sno and for t time since ered Narnia ree. But  time to listen or cc;Dont sit staring, fool! Get out and help.”

    And of course Edmund o obey. epped out into t it  t of t  into. t it out in to to get it on ttle furting in earnest and patco  appear in

    every direction. Unless you  a , you cer te. topped again.

    quot;Its no good, your Majesty,quot; said t;e cant sledge in thaw.”

    quot;t ; said tch.

    quot;e sake t; gro;Not art t.”

    quot;Are you my councillor or my slave?quot; said tc;Do as youre told.  tie ture be and keep ake  your whip.

    And cut their own way home.”

    tes Edmund found o   as ied be on slipping in t grass, and every time imes a flick c on saying,  quot;Faster!

    Faster!”

    Every moment tcches of spow grew  smaller.

    Every moment more and more of trees sead of urned from o gold and presently cleared aogets of delicious sunligruck doo t floor and overree tops.

    Soon to a glade of silver bircrees Edmund saions tle yelloer grely tually crossed a stream. Beyond it they found snowdrops growing.

    quot;Mind your o; said t Edmund urned  o look at the rope a vicious jerk.

    But of course t prevent Edmund from seeing. Only five minutes  later iced a dozen crocuses gro of an old tree - gold and purple  and er. Close beside  tree. It tle furt tering and cion, and t of full  song, and es turned ing on branctle quarrels or tidying up their beaks.

    quot;Faster! Faster!quot; said tch.

    trace of te clouds  from time to time. In t breeze sprang up ure from  ts against travellers. trees began to come fully alive. trees  forte,  transparent leaves.

    As travellers  also became green. A bee  buzzed across th.

    quot;t; said topping. quot;t  are o do?

    Your er royed, I tell you! this is Aslans doing.”

    quot;If eition t name again,quot; said tc;antly be killed.”