TO
DrWallisBudgeoftheBritishMuseumasasmalltokenofgratitudeforhisunfailingkindnessandhelpinthemakingofitCONTENTS
1。ThePsammead2。TheHalfAmulet3。ThePast4。EightThousandYearsAgo5。TheFightintheVillage6。TheWaytoBabylon7。’TheDeepestDungeonBelowtheCastleMoat’
8。TheQueeninLondon9。Atlantis10。TheLittleBlackGirlandJuliusCaesar11。BeforePharaoh12。TheSorry—PresentandtheExpelledLittleBoy13。TheShipwreckontheTinIslands14。TheHeart’sDesireCHAPTER1
THEPSAMMEAD
Therewereoncefourchildrenwhospenttheirsummerholidaysinawhitehouse，happilysituatedbetweenasandpitandachalkpit。
Onedaytheyhadthegoodfortunetofindinthesandpitastrangecreature。Itseyeswereonlonghornslikesnail’seyes，anditcouldmovetheminandoutliketelescopes。Ithadearslikeabat’sears，anditstubbybodywasshapedlikeaspider’sandcoveredwiththicksoftfur——andithadhandsandfeetlikeamonkey’s。Ittoldthechildren——whosenameswereCyril，Robert，Anthea，andJane——thatitwasaPsammeadorsand—fairy。
（PsammeadispronouncedSammy—ad。）Itwasold，old，old，anditsbirthdaywasalmostattheverybeginningofeverything。Andithadbeenburiedinthesandforthousandsofyears。Butitstillkeptitsfairylikeness，andpartofthisfairylikenesswasitspowertogivepeoplewhatevertheywishedfor。Youknowfairieshavealwaysbeenabletodothis。Cyril，Robert，Anthea，andJanenowfoundtheirwishescometrue；but，somehow，theynevercouldthinkofjusttherightthingstowishfor，andtheirwishessometimesturnedoutveryoddlyindeed。IntheendtheirunwisewishingslandedtheminwhatRobertcalled’averytightplaceindeed’，andthePsammeadconsentedtohelpthemoutofitinreturnfortheirpromisenevernevertoaskittograntthemanymorewishes，andnevertotellanyoneaboutit，becauseitdidnotwanttobebotheredtogivewishestoanyoneeveranymore。AtthemomentofpartingJanesaidpolitely——
’Iwishweweregoingtoseeyouagainsomeday。’
AndthePsammead，touchedbythisfriendlythought，grantedthewish。ThebookaboutallthisiscalledFiveChildrenandIt，anditendsupinamosttiresomewaybysaying——
’ThechildrenDIDseethePsammeadagain，butitwasnotinthesandpit；itwas——butImustsaynomore——’
ThereasonthatnothingmorecouldbesaidwasthatIhadnotthenbeenabletofindoutexactlywhenandwherethechildrenmetthePsammeadagain。OfcourseIknewtheywouldmeetit，becauseitwasabeastofitsword，andwhenitsaidathingwouldhappen，thatthinghappenedwithoutfail。HowdifferentfromthepeoplewhotellusaboutwhatweatheritisgoingtobeonThursdaynext，inLondon，theSouthCoast，andChannel！
ThesummerholidaysduringwhichthePsammeadhadbeenfoundandthewishesgivenhadbeenwonderfulholidaysinthecountry，andthechildrenhadthehighesthopesofjustsuchanotherholidayforthenextsummer。ThewinterholidayswerebeguiledbythewonderfulhappeningsofThePhoenixandtheCarpet，andthelossofthesetwotreasureswouldhaveleftthechildrenindespair，butforthesplendidhopeoftheirnextholidayinthecountry。
Theworld，theyfelt，andindeedhadsomereasontofeel，wasfullofwonderfulthings——andtheywerereallythesortofpeoplethatwonderfulthingshappento。Sotheylookedforwardtothesummerholiday；butwhenitcameeverythingwasdifferent，andvery，veryhorrid。FatherhadtogoouttoManchuriatotelegraphnewsaboutthewartothetiresomepaperhewrotefor——theDailyBellower，orsomethinglikethat，wasitsname。
AndMother，poordearMother，wasawayinMadeira，becauseshehadbeenveryill。AndTheLamb——Imeanthebaby——waswithher。
AndAuntEmma，whowasMother’ssister，hadsuddenlymarriedUncleReginald，whowasFather’sbrother，andtheyhadgonetoChina，whichismuchtoofaroffforyoutoexpecttobeaskedtospendtheholidaysin，howeverfondyourauntandunclemaybeofyou。SothechildrenwereleftinthecareofoldNurse，wholivedinFitzroyStreet，neartheBritishMuseum，andthoughshewasalwaysverykindtothem，andindeedspoiledthemfarmorethanwouldbegoodforthemostgrown—upofus，thefourchildrenfeltperfectlywretched，andwhenthecabhaddrivenoffwithFatherandallhisboxesandgunsandthesheepskin，withblanketsandthealuminiummess—kitinsideit，thestoutestheartquailed，andthegirlsbrokedownaltogether，andsobbedineachother’sarms，whiletheboyseachlookedoutofoneofthelonggloomywindowsoftheparlour，andtriedtopretendthatnoboywouldbesuchamuffastocry。
IhopeyounoticethattheywerenotcowardlyenoughtocrytilltheirFatherhadgone；theyknewhehadquiteenoughtoupsethimwithoutthat。Butwhenhewasgoneeveryonefeltasifithadbeentryingnottocryallitslife，andthatitmustcrynow，ifitdiedforit。Sotheycried。
Tea——withshrimpsandwatercress——cheeredthemalittle。Thewatercresswasarrangedinahedgeroundafatglasssalt—cellar，atastefuldevicetheyhadneverseenbefore。Butitwasnotacheerfulmeal。
AfterteaAntheawentuptotheroomthathadbeenFather’s，andwhenshesawhowdreadfullyhewasn’tthere，andrememberedhoweveryminutewastakinghimfurtherandfurtherfromher，andnearerandnearertothegunsoftheRussians，shecriedalittlemore。ThenshethoughtofMother，illandalone，andperhapsatthatverymomentwantingalittlegirltoputeau—de—cologneonherhead，andmakehersuddencupsoftea，andshecriedmorethanever。AndthensherememberedwhatMotherhadsaid，thenightbeforeshewentaway，aboutAntheabeingtheeldestgirl，andabouttryingtomaketheothershappy，andthingslikethat。
Soshestoppedcrying，andthoughtinstead。Andwhenshehadthoughtaslongasshecouldbearshewashedherfaceandcombedherhair，andwentdowntotheothers，tryingherbesttolookasthoughcryingwereanexerciseshehadneverevenheardof。
Shefoundtheparlourindeepestgloom，hardlyrelievedatallbytheeffortsofRobert，who，tomakethetimepass，waspullingJane’shair——nothard，butjustenoughtotease。
’Lookhere，’saidAnthea。’Let’shaveapalaver。’ThisworddatedfromtheawfuldaywhenCyrilhadcarelesslywishedthattherewereRedIndiansinEngland——andtherehadbeen。Thewordbroughtbackmemoriesoflastsummerholidaysandeveryonegroaned；theythoughtofthewhitehousewiththebeautifultangledgarden——lateroses，asters，marigold，sweetmignonette，andfeatheryasparagus——ofthewildernesswhichsomeonehadoncemeanttomakeintoanorchard，butwhichwasnow，asFathersaid，’fiveacresofthistleshauntedbytheghostsofbabycherry—trees’。Theythoughtoftheviewacrossthevalley，wherethelime—kilnslookedlikeAladdin’spalacesinthesunshine，andtheythoughtoftheirownsandpit，withitsfringeofyellowygrassesandpale—stringy—stalkedwildflowers，andthelittleholesinthecliffthatwerethelittlesand—martins’littlefrontdoors。Andtheythoughtofthefreefreshairsmellingofthymeandsweetbriar，andthescentofthewood—smokefromthecottagesinthelane——andtheylookedroundoldNurse’sstuffyparlour，andJanesaid——
’Oh，howdifferentitallis！’
Itwas。OldNursehadbeeninthehabitoflettinglodgings，tillFathergaveherthechildrentotakecareof。Andherroomswerefurnished’forletting’。Nowitisaveryoddthingthatnooneeverseemstofurnisharoom’forletting’inabitthesamewayasonewouldfurnishitforlivingin。Thisroomhadheavydarkredstuffcurtains——thecolourthatbloodwouldnotmakeastainon——withcoarselacecurtainsinside。Thecarpetwasyellow，andviolet，withbitsofgreyandbrownoilclothinoddplaces。Thefireplacehadshavingsandtinselinit。Therewasaveryvarnishedmahoganychiffonier，orsideboard，withalockthatwouldn’tact。Therewerehardchairs——fartoomanyofthem——withcrochetantimacassarsslippingofftheirseats，allofwhichslopedthewrongway。Thetableworeaclothofacruelgreencolourwithayellowchain—stitchpatternroundit。Overthefireplacewasalooking—glassthatmadeyoulookmuchuglierthanyoureallywere，howeverplainyoumightbetobeginwith。
Thentherewasamantelboardwithmaroonplushandwoolfringethatdidnotmatchtheplush；adrearyclocklikeablackmarbletomb——itwassilentasthegravetoo，forithadlongsinceforgottenhowtotick。Andtherewerepaintedglassvasesthatneverhadanyflowersin，andapaintedtambourinethatnooneeverplayed，andpaintedbracketswithnothingonthem。
’Andmaple—framedengravingsoftheQueen，theHousesofParliament，thePlainsofHeaven，andofablunt—nosedwoodman’sflatreturn。’
Thereweretwobooks——lastDecember’sBradshaw，andanoddvolumeofPlumridge’sCommentaryonThessalonians。Therewere——butI
cannotdwelllongeronthispainfulpicture。Itwasindeed，asJanesaid，verydifferent。
’Let’shaveapalaver，’saidAntheaagain。
’Whatabout？’saidCyril，yawning。
’There’snothingtohaveANYTHINGabout，’saidRobertkickingthelegofthetablemiserably。
’Idon’twanttoplay，’saidJane，andhertonewasgrumpy。
Antheatriedveryhardnottobecross。Shesucceeded。
’Lookhere，’shesaid，’don’tthinkIwanttobepreachyorabeastinanyway，butIwanttowhatFathercallsdefinethesituation。Doyouagree？’
’Fireahead，’saidCyrilwithoutenthusiasm。
’Wellthen。Weallknowthereasonwe’restayinghereisbecauseNursecouldn’tleaveherhouseonaccountofthepoorlearnedgentlemanonthetop—floor。AndtherewasnooneelseFathercouldentrusttotakecareofus——andyouknowit’stakenalotofmoney，Mother’sgoingtoMadeiratobemadewell。’
Janesniffedmiserably。
’Yes，Iknow，’saidAntheainahurry，’butdon’tlet’sthinkabouthowhorriditallis。Imeanwecan’tgotothingsthatcostalot，butwemustdoSOMETHING。AndIknowthereareheapsofthingsyoucanseeinLondonwithoutpayingforthem，andI
thoughtwe’dgoandseethem。Weareallquiteoldnow，andwehaven’tgotTheLamb——’
Janesniffedharderthanbefore。
’Imeannoonecansay"No"becauseofhim，dearpet。AndI
thoughtweMUSTgetNursetoseehowquiteoldweare，andletusgooutbyourselves，orelseweshallneverhaveanysortofatimeatall。AndIvoteweseeeverythingthereis，andlet’sbeginbyaskingNursetogiveussomebitsofbreadandwe’llgotoStJames’sPark。Thereareducksthere，Iknow，wecanfeedthem。OnlywemustmakeNurseletusgobyourselves。’
’Hurrahforliberty！’saidRobert，’butshewon’t。’
’Yesshewill，’saidJaneunexpectedly。’_I_thoughtaboutthatthismorning，andIaskedFather，andhesaidyes；andwhat’smorehetoldoldNursewemight，onlyhesaidwemustalwayssaywherewewantedtogo，andifitwasrightshewouldletus。’
’ThreecheersforthoughtfulJane，’criedCyril，nowrousedatlastfromhisyawningdespair。’Isay，let’sgonow。’
Sotheywent，oldNurseonlybeggingthemtobecarefulofcrossings，andtoaskapolicemantoassistinthemoredifficultcases。Buttheywereusedtocrossings，fortheyhadlivedinCamdenTownandknewtheKentishTownRoadwherethetramsrushupanddownlikemadatallhoursofthedayandnight，andseemasthough，ifanything，theywouldratherrunoveryouthannot。
Theyhadpromisedtobehomebydark，butitwasJuly，sodarkwouldbeverylateindeed，andlongpastbedtime。
TheystartedtowalktoStJames’sPark，andalltheirpocketswerestuffedwithbitsofbreadandthecrustsoftoast，tofeedtheduckswith。Theystarted，Irepeat，buttheynevergotthere。
BetweenFitzroyStreetandStJames’sParkthereareagreatmanystreets，and，ifyougotherightwayyouwillpassagreatmanyshopsthatyoucannotpossiblyhelpstoppingtolookat。Thechildrenstoppedtolookatseveralwithgold—laceandbeadsandpicturesandjewelleryanddresses，andhats，andoystersandlobstersintheirwindows，andtheirsorrowdidnotseemnearlysoimpossibletobearasithaddoneinthebestparlouratNo。
300，FitzroyStreet。
Presently，bysomewonderfulchanceturnofRobert’s（whohadbeenvotedCaptainbecausethegirlsthoughtitwouldbegoodforhim——andindeedhethoughtsohimself——andofcourseCyrilcouldn’tvoteagainsthimbecauseitwouldhavelookedlikeameanjealousy），theycameintothelittleinterestingcriss—crossystreetsthatheldthemostinterestingshopsofall——theshopswherelivethingsweresold。Therewasoneshopwindowentirelyfilledwithcages，andallsortsofbeautifulbirdsinthem。Thechildrenweredelightedtilltheyrememberedhowtheyhadoncewishedforwingsthemselves，andhadhadthem——andthentheyfelthowdesperatelyunhappyanythingwithwingsmustbeifitisshutupinacageandnotallowedtofly。
’Itmustbefairlybeastlytobeabirdinacage，’saidCyril。
’Comeon！’
Theywenton，andCyriltriedtothinkoutaschemeformakinghisfortuneasagold—diggeratKlondyke，andthenbuyingallthecagedbirdsintheworldandsettingthemfree。Thentheycametoashopthatsoldcats，butthecatswereincages，andthechildrencouldnothelpwishingsomeonewouldbuyallthecatsandputthemonhearthrugs，whicharetheproperplacesforcats。
Andtherewasthedog—shop，andthatwasnotahappythingtolookateither，becauseallthedogswerechainedorcaged，andallthedogs，bigandlittle，lookedatthefourchildrenwithsadwistfuleyesandwaggedbeseechingtailsasiftheyweretryingtosay，’Buyme！buyme！buyme！andletmegoforawalkwithyou；oh，dobuyme，andbuymypoorbrotherstoo！Do！do！
do！’Theyalmostsaid，’Do！do！do！’plaintotheear，astheywhined；allbutonebigIrishterrier，andhegrowledwhenJanepattedhim。
’Grrrrr，’heseemedtosay，ashelookedatthemfromthebackcornerofhiseye——’YOUwon’tbuyme。Nobodywill——ever——Ishalldiechainedup——andIdon’tknowthatIcarehowsoonitis，either！’
Idon’tknowthatthechildrenwouldhaveunderstoodallthis，onlyoncetheyhadbeeninabesiegedcastle，sotheyknewhowhatefulitistobekeptinwhenyouwanttogetout。
Ofcoursetheycouldnotbuyanyofthedogs。Theydid，indeed，askthepriceofthevery，verysmallest，anditwassixty—fivepounds——butthatwasbecauseitwasaJapanesetoyspanielliketheQueenoncehadherportraitpaintedwith，whenshewasonlyPrincessofWales。Butthechildrenthought，ifthesmallestwasallthatmoney，thebiggestwouldrunintothousands——sotheywenton。
Andtheydidnotstopatanymorecatordogorbirdshops，butpassedthemby，andatlasttheycametoashopthatseemedasthoughitonlysoldcreaturesthatdidnotmuchmindwheretheywere——suchasgoldfishandwhitemice，andsea—anemonesandotheraquariumbeasts，andlizardsandtoads，andhedgehogsandtortoises，andtamerabbitsandguinea—pigs。Andtheretheystoppedforalongtime，andfedtheguinea—pigswithbitsofbreadthroughthecage—bars，andwonderedwhetheritwouldbepossibletokeepasandy—coloureddouble—lopinthebasementofthehouseinFitzroyStreet。
’Idon’tsupposeoldNursewouldmindVERYmuch，’saidJane。
’Rabbitsaremostawfullytamesometimes。Iexpectitwouldknowhervoiceandfollowherallabout。’
’She’dtumbleoverittwentytimesaday，’saidCyril；’nowasnake——’
’Therearen’tanysnakes，saidRoberthastily，’andbesides，I
nevercouldcottontosnakessomehow——Iwonderwhy。’
’Wormsareasbad，’saidAnthea，’andeelsandslugs——Ithinkit’sbecausewedon’tlikethingsthathaven’tgotlegs。’
’Fathersayssnakeshavegotlegshiddenawayinsideofthem，’
saidRobert。
’Yes——andhesaysWE’VEgottailshiddenawayinsideus——butitdoesn’teitherofitcometoanythingREALLY，’saidAnthea。’I
hatethingsthathaven’tanylegs。’
’It’sworsewhentheyhavetoomany，’saidJanewithashudder，’thinkofcentipedes！’
Theystoodthereonthepavement，acauseofsomeinconveniencetothepassersby，andthusbeguiledthetimewithconversation。
Cyrilwasleaninghiselbowonthetopofahutchthathadseemedemptywhentheyhadinspectedthewholeedificeofhutchesonebyone，andhewastryingtoreawakentheinterestofahedgehogthathadcurleditselfintoaballearlierintheinterview，whenasmall，softvoicejustbelowhiselbowsaid，quietly，plainlyandquiteunmistakably——notinanysqueakorwhinethathadtobetranslated——butindownrightcommonEnglish——
’Buyme——do——pleasebuyme！’
Cyrilstartedasthoughhehadbeenpinched，andjumpedayardawayfromthehutch。
’Comeback——oh，comeback！’saidthevoice，ratherlouderbutstillsoftly；’stoopdownandpretendtobetyingupyourbootlace——Iseeit’sundone，asusual。’
Cyrilmechanicallyobeyed。Hekneltononekneeonthedry，hotdustypavement，peeredintothedarknessofthehutchandfoundhimselffacetofacewith——thePsammead！
Itseemedmuchthinnerthanwhenhehadlastseenit。Itwasdustyanddirty，anditsfurwasuntidyandragged。Ithadhuncheditselfupintoamiserablelump，anditslongsnail’seyesweredrawninquitetightsothattheyhardlyshowedatall。
’Listen，’saidthePsammead，inavoicethatsoundedasthoughitwouldbegintocryinaminute，’Idon’tthinkthecreaturewhokeepsthisshopwillaskaveryhighpriceforme。I’vebittenhimmorethanonce，andI’vemademyselflookascommonasIcan。
He’sneverhadaglancefrommybeautiful，beautifuleyes。TelltheothersI’mhere——buttellthemtolookatsomeofthoselow，commonbeastswhileI’mtalkingtoyou。Thecreatureinsidemustn’tthinkyoucaremuchaboutme，orhe’llputapriceuponmefar，farbeyondyourmeans。Irememberinthedearolddayslastsummeryouneverhadmuchmoney。Oh——IneverthoughtI
shouldbesogladtoseeyou——Ineverdid。’Itsniffed，andshotoutitslongsnail’seyesexpresslytodropatearwellawayfromitsfur。’TelltheothersI’mhere，andthenI’lltellyouexactlywhattodoaboutbuyingme。’Cyriltiedhisbootlaceintoahardknot，stoodupandaddressedtheothersinfirmtones——
’Lookhere，’hesaid，’I’mnotkidding——andIappealtoyourhonour，’anappealwhichinthisfamilywasnevermadeinvain。
’Don’tlookatthathutch——lookatthewhiterat。NowyouarenottolookatthathutchwhateverIsay。’
Hestoodinfrontofittopreventmistakes。
’Nowgetyourselvesreadyforagreatsurprise。Inthathutchthere’sanoldfriendofours——DON’Tlook！——Yes；it’sthePsammead，thegoodoldPsammead！itwantsustobuyit。Itsaysyou’renottolookatit。Lookatthewhiteratandcountyourmoney！Onyourhonourdon’tlook！’
Theothersrespondednobly。Theylookedatthewhiterattilltheyquitestaredhimoutofcountenance，sothathewentandsatuponhishindlegsinafarcornerandhidhiseyeswithhisfrontpaws，andpretendedhewaswashinghisface。
Cyrilstoopedagain，busyinghimselfwiththeotherbootlaceandlistenedforthePsammead’sfurtherinstructions。
’Goin，’saidthePsammead，’andaskthepriceoflotsofotherthings。Thensay，"Whatdoyouwantforthatmonkeythat’slostitstail——themangyoldthinginthethirdhutchfromtheend。"
Oh——don’tmindMYfeelings——callmeamangymonkey——I’vetriedhardenoughtolooklikeone！Idon’tthinkhe’llputahighpriceonme——I’vebittenhimeleventimessinceIcameherethedaybeforeyesterday。Ifhenamesabiggerpricethanyoucanafford，sayyouwishyouhadthemoney。’
’Butyoucan’tgiveuswishes。I’vepromisednevertohaveanotherwishfromyou，’saidthebewilderedCyril。
’Don’tbeasillylittleidiot，’saidtheSand—fairyintremblingbutaffectionatetones，’butfindouthowmuchmoneyyou’vegotbetweenyou，anddoexactlywhatItellyou。’
Cyril，pointingastiffandunmeaningfingeratthewhiterat，soastopretendthatitscharmsaloneemployedhistongue，explainedmatterstotheothers，whilethePsammeadhuncheditself，andbuncheditself，anddiditsverybesttomakeitselflookuninteresting。Thenthefourchildrenfiledintotheshop。
’Howmuchdoyouwantforthatwhiterat？’askedCyril。
’Eightpence，’wastheanswer。
’Andtheguinea—pigs？’
’Eighteenpencetofivebob，accordingtothebreed。’
’Andthelizards？’
’Ninepenceeach。’
’Andtoads？’
’Fourpence。Nowlookhere，’saidthegreasyownerofallthiscagedlifewithasuddenferocitywhichmadethewholepartybackhurriedlyontothewainscotingofhutcheswithwhichtheshopwaslined。’Lookeehere。Iain’tagoin’tohaveyouacomin’inhereaturnin’thewholeplaceouterwinder，an’prizingeveryanimileinthestockjustforyourlarks，sodon’tthinkit！Ifyou’reabuyer，BEabuyer——butIneverhadacustomeryetaswantedtobuymice，andlizards，andtoads，andguineasallatonce。Sohoutyougoes。’
’Oh！waitaminute，’saidthewretchedCyril，feelinghowfoolishlyyetwell—meaninglyhehadcarriedoutthePsammead’sinstructions。’Justtellmeonething。Whatdoyouwantforthemangyoldmonkeyinthethirdhutchfromtheend？’
Theshopmanonlysawinthisanewinsult。
’Mangyyoungmonkeyyourself，’saidhe；’getalongwithyourbloomingcheek。Houtyougoes！’
’Oh！don’tbesocross，’saidJane，losingherheadaltogether，’don’tyouseehereallyDOESwanttoknowTHAT！’
’Ho！does’eindeed，’sneeredthemerchant。Thenhescratchedhisearsuspiciously，forhewasasharpbusinessman，andheknewtheringoftruthwhenheheardit。Hishandwasbandaged，andthreeminutesbeforehewouldhavebeengladtosellthe’mangyoldmonkey’fortenshillings。Now——’Ho！’edoes，does’e，’hesaid，’thentwopunten’smyprice。He’snotgothisfellowthatmonkeyain’t，noryethismatch，notthissideoftheequator，whichhecomesfrom。AndtheonlyoneeverseeninLondon。OughttobeintheZoo。Twopunten，downonthenail，orhoutyougoes！’
Thechildrenlookedateachother——twenty—threeshillingsandfivepencewasalltheyhadintheworld，anditwouldhavebeenmerelythreeandfivepence，butforthesovereignwhichFatherhadgiventothem’betweenthem’atparting。’We’veonlytwenty—threeshillingsandfivepence，’saidCyril，rattlingthemoneyinhispocket。
’Twenty—threefarthingsandsomebody’sowncheek，’saidthedealer，forhedidnotbelievethatCyrilhadsomuchmoney。
Therewasamiserablepause。ThenAnthearemembered，andsaid——
’Oh！IWISHIhadtwopoundsten。’
’SodoI，Miss，I’msure，’saidthemanwithbitterpoliteness；
’Iwishyou’ad，I’msure！’
Anthea’shandwasonthecounter，somethingseemedtoslideunderit。Sheliftedit。Therelayfivebrighthalfsovereigns。
’Why，IHAVEgotitafterall，’shesaid；’here’sthemoney，nowlet’shavetheSammy，……themonkeyImean。’
Thedealerlookedhardatthemoney，buthemadehastetoputitinhispocket。
’Ionlyhopeyoucomebyithonest，’hesaid，shrugginghisshoulders。Hescratchedhisearagain。
’Well！’hesaid，’IsupposeImustletyouhaveit，butit’sworththribblethemoney，soitis——’
Heslowlyledthewayouttothehutch——openedthedoorgingerly，andmadeasuddenfiercegrabatthePsammead，whichthePsammeadacknowledgedinonelastlonglingeringbite。
’Here，takethebrute，’saidtheshopman，squeezingthePsammeadsotightthathenearlychokedit。’It’sbitmetothemarrow，ithave。’
Theman’seyesopenedasAntheaheldoutherarms。
’Don’tblamemeifittearsyourfaceoffitsbones，’hesaid，andthePsammeadmadealeapfromhisdirtyhornyhands，andAntheacaughtitinhers，whichwerenotveryclean，certainly，butatanyrateweresoftandpink，andhelditkindlyandclosely。
’Butyoucan’ttakeithomelikethat，’Cyrilsaid，’weshallhaveacrowdafterus，’andindeedtwoerrandboysandapolicemanhadalreadycollected。
’Ican’tgiveyounothinkonlyapaper—bag，likewhatweputthetortoisesin，’saidthemangrudgingly。
Sothewholepartywentintotheshop，andtheshopman’seyesnearlycameoutofhisheadwhen，havinggivenAntheathelargestpaper—baghecouldfind，hesawherholditopen，andthePsammeadcarefullycreepintoit。’Well！’hesaid，’ifthattheredon’tbeatcockfighting！Butp’rapsyou’vemetthebruteafore。’
’Yes，’saidCyrilaffably，’he’sanoldfriendofours。’
’IfI’daknownthat，’themanrejoined，’youshouldn’tahadhimundertwicethemoney。’Owever，’headded，asthechildrendisappeared，’Iain’tdonesobad，seeingasIonlygivefivebobforthebeast。Butthenthere’sthebitestotakeintoaccount！’
Thechildrentremblinginagitationandexcitement，carriedhomethePsammead，tremblinginitspaper—bag。
Whentheygotithome，Antheanursedit，andstrokedit，andwouldhavecriedoverit，ifshehadn’trememberedhowithatedtobewet。
Whenitrecoveredenoughtospeak，itsaid——
’Getmesand；silversandfromtheoilandcolourshop。Andgetmeplenty。’
Theygotthesand，andtheyputitandthePsammeadintheroundbathtogether，anditrubbeditself，androlleditself，andshookitselfandscrapeditself，andscratcheditself，andpreeneditself，tillitfeltcleanandcomfy，andthenitscrabbledahastyholeinthesand，andwenttosleepinit。
Thechildrenhidthebathunderthegirls’bed，andhadsupper。
OldNursehadgotthemalovelysupperofbreadandbutterandfriedonions。Shewasfullofkindanddelicatethoughts。
WhenAntheawokethenextmorning，thePsammeadwassnugglingdownbetweenhershoulderandJane’s。
’Youhavesavedmylife，’itsaid。’Iknowthatmanwouldhavethrowncoldwateronmesoonerorlater，andthenIshouldhavedied。Isawhimwashoutaguinea—pig’shutchyesterdaymorning。
I’mstillfrightfullysleepy，IthinkI’llgobacktosandforanothernap。WaketheboysandthisdormouseofaJane，andwhenyou’vehadyourbreakfastswe’llhaveatalk。’
’Don’tYOUwantanybreakfast？’askedAnthea。
’IdaresayIshallpickabitpresently，’itsaid；’butsandisallIcareabout——it’smeatanddrinktome，andcoalsandfireandwifeandchildren。’Withthesewordsitclambereddownbythebedclothesandscrambledbackintothebath，wheretheyhearditscratchingitselfoutofsight。
’Well！’saidAnthea，’anyhowourholidayswon’tbedullNOW。
We’vefoundthePsammeadagain。’
’No，’saidJane，beginningtoputonherstockings。’Weshan’tbedull——butit’llbeonlylikehavingapetdognowitcan’tgiveuswishes。’
’Oh，don’tbesodiscontented，’saidAnthea。’Ifitcan’tdoanythingelseitcantellusaboutMegatheriumsandthings。’
CHAPTER2
THEHALFAMULET
Longago——thatistosaylastsummer——thechildren，findingthemselvesembarrassedbysomewishwhichthePsammeadhadgrantedthem，andwhichtheservantshadnotreceivedinaproperspirit，hadwishedthattheservantsmightnotnoticethegiftswhichthePsammeadgave。AndwhentheypartedfromthePsammeadtheirlastwishhadbeenthattheyshouldmeetitagain。
ThereforetheyHADmetit（anditwasjollyluckyforthePsammead，asRobertpointedout）。Now，ofcourse，youseethatthePsammead’sbeingwhereitwas，wastheconsequenceofoneoftheirwishes，andthereforewasaPsammead—wish，andassuchcouldnotbenoticedbytheservants。AnditwassoonplainthatinthePsammead’sopinionoldNursewasstillaservant，althoughshehadnowahouseofherown，forshenevernoticedthePsammeadatall。Andthatwasaswell，forshewouldneverhaveconsentedtoallowthegirlstokeepananimalandabathofsandundertheirbed。
Whenbreakfasthadbeenclearedaway——itwasaverynicebreakfastwithhotrollstoit，aluxuryquiteoutofthecommonway——Antheawentanddraggedoutthebath，andwokethePsammead。
Itstretchedandshookitself。
’Youmusthaveboltedyourbreakfastmostunwholesomely，’itsaid，’youcan’thavebeenfiveminutesoverit。’
’We’vebeennearlyanhour，’saidAnthea。’Come——youknowyoupromised。’
’Nowlookhere，’saidthePsammead，sittingbackonthesandandshootingoutitslongeyessuddenly，’we’dbetterbeginaswemeantogoon。Itwon’tdotohaveanymisunderstanding，soI
tellyouplainlythat——’
’Oh，PLEASE，’Antheapleaded，’dowaittillwegettotheothers。
They’llthinkitmostawfullysneakishofmetotalktoyouwithoutthem；docomedown，there’sadear。’
Shekneltbeforethesand—bathandheldoutherarms。ThePsammeadmusthaverememberedhowgladithadbeentojumpintothosesamelittlearmsonlythedaybefore，foritgavealittlegrudginggrunt，andjumpedoncemore。
Antheawrappeditinherpinaforeandcarrieditdownstairs。Itwaswelcomedinathrillingsilence。AtlastAntheasaid，’Nowthen！’
’Whatplaceisthis？’askedthePsammead，shootingitseyesoutandturningthemslowlyround。
’It’sasitting—room，ofcourse，’saidRobert。
’ThenIdon’tlikeit，’saidthePsammead。
’Nevermind，’saidAntheakindly；’we’lltakeyouanywhereyoulikeifyouwantusto。WhatwasityouweregoingtosayupstairswhenIsaidtheotherswouldn’tlikeitifIstayedtalkingtoyouwithoutthem？’
Itlookedkeenlyather，andsheblushed。
’Don’tbesilly，’itsaidsharply。’Ofcourse，it’squitenaturalthatyoushouldlikeyourbrothersandsisterstoknowexactlyhowgoodandunselfishyouwere。’
’Iwishyouwouldn’t，’saidJane。’Antheawasquiteright。Whatwasityouweregoingtosaywhenshestoppedyou？’
’I’lltellyou，’saidthePsammead，’sinceyou’resoanxioustoknow。Iwasgoingtosaythis。You’vesavedmylife——andI’mnotungrateful——butitdoesn’tchangeyournatureormine。
You’restillveryignorant，andrathersilly，andIamworthathousandofyouanydayoftheweek。’
’Ofcourseyouare！’Antheawasbeginningbutitinterruptedher。
’It’sveryrudetointerrupt，’itsaid；’whatImeanisthatI’mnotgoingtostandanynonsense，andifyouthinkwhatyou’vedoneistogiveyoutherighttopetmeormakemedemeanmyselfbyplayingwithyou，you’llfindoutthatwhatyouthinkdoesn’tmatterasinglepenny。See？It’swhat_I_thinkthatmatters。’
’Iknow，’saidCyril，’italwayswas，ifyouremember。’
’Well，’saidthePsammead，’thenthat’ssettled。We’retobetreatedaswedeserve。Iwithrespect，andallofyouwith——butIdon’twishtobeoffensive。DoyouwantmetotellyouhowI
gotintothathorribledenyouboughtmeoutof？Oh，I’mnotungrateful！Ihaven’tforgottenitandIshan’tforgetit。’
’Dotellus，’saidAnthea。’Iknowyou’reawfullyclever，butevenwithallyourcleverness，Idon’tbelieveyoucanpossiblyknowhow——howrespectfullywedorespectyou。Don’twe？’
Theothersallsaidyes——andfidgetedintheirchairs。Robertspokethewishesofallwhenhesaid——
’Idowishyou’dgoon。’Soitsatuponthegreen—coveredtableandwenton。
’Whenyou’dgoneaway，’itsaid，’Iwenttosandforabit，andslept。Iwastiredoutwithallyoursillywishes，andIfeltasthoughIhadn’treallybeentosandforayear。’
’Tosand？’Janerepeated。
’WhereIsleep。Yougotobed。Igotosand。’
Janeyawned；thementionofbedmadeherfeelsleepy。
’Allright，’saidthePsammead，inoffendedtones。’I’msure_I_
don’twanttotellyoualongtale。Amancaughtme，andIbithim。Andheputmeinabagwithadeadhareandadeadrabbit。
AndhetookmetohishouseandputmeoutofthebagintoabasketwithholesthatIcouldseethrough。AndIbithimagain。
Andthenhebroughtmetothiscity，whichIamtoldiscalledtheModernBabylon——thoughit’snotabitliketheoldBabylon——andhesoldmetothemanyouboughtmefrom，andthenI
bitthemboth。Now，what’syournews？’
’There’snotquitesomuchbitinginourstory，’saidCyrilregretfully；’infact，thereisn’tany。Father’sgonetoManchuria，andMotherandTheLambhavegonetoMadeirabecauseMotherwasill，anddon’tIjustwishthattheywerebothsafehomeagain。’
Merelyfromhabit，theSand—fairybegantoblowitselfout，butitstoppedshortsuddenly。
’Iforgot，’itsaid；’Ican’tgiveyouanymorewishes。’
’No——butlookhere，’saidCyril，’couldn’twecallinoldNurseandgethertosaySHEwishestheyweresafehome。I’msureshedoes。’
’Nogo，’saidthePsammead。’It’sjustthesameasyourwishingyourselfifyougetsomeoneelsetowishforyou。Itwon’tact。’
’Butitdidyesterday——withthemanintheshop，’saidRobert。
’Ahyes，’saidthecreature，’butyoudidn’tASKhimtowish，andyoudidn’tknowwhatwouldhappenifhedid。Thatcan’tbedoneagain。It’splayedout。’
’Thenyoucan’thelpusatall，’saidJane；’oh——Ididthinkyoucoulddosomething；I’vebeenthinkingaboutiteversincewesavedyourlifeyesterday。Ithoughtyou’dbecertaintobeabletofetchbackFather，evenifyoucouldn’tmanageMother。’
AndJanebegantocry。
’NowDON’T，’saidthePsammeadhastily；’youknowhowitalwaysupsetsmeifyoucry。Ican’tfeelsafeamoment。Lookhere；
youmusthavesomenewkindofcharm。’
’That’seasiersaidthandone。’
’Notabitofit，’saidthecreature；’there’soneofthestrongestcharmsintheworldnotastone’sthrowfromwhereyouboughtmeyesterday。ThemanthatIbitso——thefirstone，I
mean——wentintoashoptoaskhowmuchsomethingcost——Ithinkhesaiditwasaconcertina——andwhilehewastellingthemanintheshophowmuchtoomuchhewantedforit，Isawthecharminasortoftray，withalotofotherthings。IfyoucanonlybuyTHAT，youwillbeabletohaveyourheart’sdesire。’
ThechildrenlookedateachotherandthenatthePsammead。ThenCyrilcoughedawkwardlyandtooksuddencouragetosaywhateveryonewasthinking。
’Idohopeyouwon’tbewaxy，’hesaid；’butit’slikethis：whenyouusedtogiveusourwishestheyalmostalwaysgotusintosomeroworother，andweusedtothinkyouwouldn’thavebeenpleasediftheyhadn’t。Now，aboutthischarm——wehaven’tgotoverandabovetoomuchtin，andifweblueitallonthischarmanditturnsouttobenotuptomuch——well——youseewhatI’mdrivingat，don’tyou？’
’IseethatYOUdon’tseemorethanthelengthofyournose，andTHAT’Snotfar，’saidthePsammeadcrossly。’Lookhere，IHADtogiveyouthewishes，andofcoursetheyturnedoutbadly，inasortofway，becauseyouhadn’tthesensetowishforwhatwasgoodforyou。Butthischarm’squitedifferent。Ihaven’tGOT
todothisforyou，it’sjustmyowngenerouskindnessthatmakesmetellyouaboutit。Soit’sboundtobeallright。See？’
’Don’tbecross，’saidAnthea，’Please，PLEASEdon’t。Yousee，it’sallwe’vegot；weshan’thaveanymorepocket—moneytillDaddycomeshome——unlesshesendsussomeinaletter。ButweDO
trustyou。AndIsayallofyou，’shewenton，’don’tyouthinkit’sworthspendingALLthemoney，ifthere’seventhechanciestchanceofgettingFatherandMotherbacksafeNOW？Justthinkofit！Oh，dolet’s！’
’_I_don’tcarewhatyoudo，’saidthePsammead；’I’llgobacktosandagaintillyou’vemadeupyourminds。’
’No，don’t！’saideverybody；andJaneadded，’Wearequitemindmade—up——don’tyouseeweare？Let’sgetourhats。Willyoucomewithus？’
’Ofcourse，’saidthePsammead；’howelsewouldyoufindtheshop？’
Soeverybodygotitshat。ThePsammeadwasputintoaflatbass—bagthathadcomefromFarringdonMarketwithtwopoundsoffilletedplaiceinit。NowitcontainedaboutthreepoundsandaquarterofsolidPsammead，andthechildrentookitinturnstocarryit。
’It’snothalftheweightofTheLamb，’Robertsaid，andthegirlssighed。
ThePsammeadpokedawaryeyeoutofthetopofthebasketeverynowandthen，andtoldthechildrenwhichturningstotake。
’Howonearthdoyouknow？’askedRobert。’Ican’tthinkhowyoudoit。’
AndthePsammeadsaidsharply，’No——Idon’tsupposeyoucan。’
AtlasttheycametoTHEshop。Ithadallsortsandkindsofthingsinthewindow——concertinas，andsilkhandkerchiefs，chinavasesandtea—cups，blueJapanesejars，pipes，swords，pistols，lacecollars，silverspoonstiedupinhalf—dozens，andwedding—ringsinaredlacqueredbasin。Therewereofficers’
epauletsanddoctors’lancets。Thereweretea—caddiesinlaidwithredturtle—shellandbrasscurly—wurlies，platesofdifferentkindsofmoney，andstacksofdifferentkindsofplates。Therewasabeautifulpictureofalittlegirlwashingadog，whichJanelikedverymuch。Andinthemiddleofthewindowtherewasadirtysilvertrayfullofmother—of—pearlcardcounters，oldseals，pastebuckles，snuff—boxes，andallsortsoflittledingyoddsandends。
ThePsammeadputitsheadquiteoutofthefish—baskettolookinthewindow，whenCyrilsaid——
’There’satraytherewithrubbishinit。’
Andthenitslongsnail’seyessawsomethingthatmadethemstretchoutsomuchthattheywereaslongandthinasnewslate—pencils。Itsfurbristledthickly，anditsvoicewasquitehoarsewithexcitementasitwhispered——
’That’sit！That’sit！There，underthatblueandyellowbuckle，youcanseeabitstickingout。It’sred。Doyousee？’
’Isitthatthingsomethinglikeahorse—shoe？’askedCyril。
’Andred，likethecommonsealing—waxyoudoupparcelswith？’
’Yes，that’sit，’saidthePsammead。’Now，youdojustasyoudidbefore。Askthepriceofotherthings。Thatbluebucklewoulddo。Thenthemanwillgetthetrayoutofthewindow。I
thinkyou’dbetterbetheone，’itsaidtoAnthea。’We’llwaitouthere。’
Sotheothersflattenedtheirnosesagainsttheshopwindow，andpresentlyalarge，dirty，short—fingeredhandwithaverybigdiamondringcamestretchingthroughthegreenhalf—curtainsatthebackoftheshopwindowandtookawaythetray。
TheycouldnotseewhatwashappeningintheinterviewbetweenAntheaandtheDiamondRing，anditseemedtothemthatshehadhadtime——ifshehadhadmoney——tobuyeverythingintheshopbeforethemomentcamewhenshestoodbeforethem，herfacewreathedingrins，asCyrilsaidlater，andinherhandthecharm。
Itwassomethinglikethis：[Drawingomitted。]anditwasmadeofared，smooth，softlyshinystone。
’I’vegotit，’Antheawhispered，justopeningherhandtogivetheothersaglimpseofit。’Dolet’sgethome。Wecan’tstandherelikestuck—pigslookingatitinthestreet。’
Sohometheywent。TheparlourinFitzroyStreetwasaveryflatbackgroundtomagichappenings。Downinthecountryamongtheflowersandgreenfieldsanythinghadseemed——andindeedhadbeen——possible。ButitwashardtobelievethatanythingreallywonderfulcouldhappensoneartheTottenhamCourtRoad。ButthePsammeadwasthere——anditinitselfwaswonderful。Anditcouldtalk——andithadshownthemwhereacharmcouldbeboughtthatwouldmaketheownerofitperfectlyhappy。Sothefourchildrenhurriedhome，takingverylongsteps，withtheirchinsstuckout，andtheirmouthsshutverytightindeed。TheywentsofastthatthePsammeadwasquiteshakenaboutinitsfish—bag，butitdidnotsayanything——perhapsforfearofattractingpublicnotice。
Theygothomeatlast，veryhotindeed，andsetthePsammeadonthegreentablecloth。
’Nowthen！’saidCyril。
ButthePsammeadhadtohaveaplateofsandfetchedforit，foritwasquitefaint。Whenithadrefresheditselfalittleitsaid——
’Nowthen！Letmeseethecharm，’andAnthealaiditonthegreentable—cover。ThePsammeadshotouthislongeyestolookatit，thenitturnedthemreproachfullyonAntheaandsaid——
’Butthere’sonlyhalfofithere！’
Thiswasindeedablow。
’Itwasalltherewas，’saidAnthea，withtimidfirmness。Sheknewitwasnotherfault。’Thereshouldbeanotherpiece，’saidthePsammead，’andasortofpintofastenthetwotogether。’
’Isn’thalfanygood？’——’Won’titworkwithouttheotherbit？’——’Itcostseven—and—six。’——’Oh，bother，bother，bother！’——’Don’tbesillylittleidiots！’saideveryoneandthePsammeadaltogether。
Thentherewasawretchedsilence。Cyrilbrokeit——
’Whatshallwedo？’
’Gobacktotheshopandseeiftheyhaven’tgottheotherhalf，’
saidthePsammead。’I’llgotosandtillyoucomeback。Cheerup！Eventhebityou’vegotisSOMEgood，butit’llbenoendofabotherifyoucan’tfindtheother。’
SoCyrilwenttotheshop。AndthePsammeadtosand。Andtheotherthreewenttodinner，whichwasnowready。AndoldNursewasverycrossthatCyrilwasnotreadytoo。
ThethreewerewatchingatthewindowswhenCyrilreturned，andevenbeforehewasnearenoughforthemtoseehisfacetherewassomethingabouttheslouchofhisshouldersandsetofhisknickerbockersandthewayhedraggedhisbootsalongthatshowedbuttooplainlythathiserrandhadbeeninvain。
’Well？’theyallsaid，hopingagainsthopeonthefront—doorstep。
’Nogo，’Cyrilanswered；’themansaidthethingwasperfect。HesaiditwasaRomanlady’slocket，andpeopleshouldn’tbuycuriosiftheydidn’tknowanythingaboutarky——somethingorother，andthatheneverwentbackonabargain，becauseitwasn’tbusiness，andheexpectedhiscustomerstoactthesame。
Hewassimplynasty——that’swhathewas，andIwantmydinner。’
ItwasplainthatCyrilwasnotpleased。
Theunlikelinessofanythingreallyinterestinghappeninginthatparlourlaylikeaweightofleadoneveryone’sspirits。Cyrilhadhisdinner，andjustashewasswallowingthelastmouthfulofapple—puddingtherewasascratchatthedoor。AntheaopeneditandinwalkedthePsammead。
’Well，’itsaid，whenithadheardthenews，’thingsmightbeworse。Onlyyouwon’tbesurprisedifyouhaveafewadventuresbeforeyougettheotherhalf。Youwanttogetit，ofcourse。’
’Rather，’wasthegeneralreply。’Andwedon’tmindadventures。’
’No，’saidthePsammead，’Iseemtorememberthataboutyou。
Well，sitdownandlistenwithallyourears。Eight，arethere？
Right——Iamgladyouknowarithmetic。Nowpayattention，becauseIdon’tintendtotellyoueverythingtwiceover。’
Asthechildrensettledthemselvesonthefloor——itwasfarmorecomfortablethanthechairs，aswellasmorepolitetothePsammead，whowasstrokingitswhiskersonthehearth—rug——asuddencoldpaincaughtatAnthea’sheart。Father——Mother——thedarlingLamb——allfaraway。Thenawarm，comfortablefeelingflowedthroughher。ThePsammeadwashere，andatleasthalfacharm，andthereweretobeadventures。（Ifyoudon’tknowwhatacoldpainis，Iamgladforyoursakes，andIhopeyounevermay。）
’Now，’saidthePsammeadcheerily，’youarenotparticularlynice，norparticularlyclever，andyou’renotatallgood—looking。Still，you’vesavedmylife——oh，whenIthinkofthatmanandhispailofwater！——soI’lltellyouallIknow。Atleast，ofcourseIcan’tdothat，becauseIknowfartoomuch。
ButI’lltellyouallIknowaboutthisredthing。’
’Do！Do！Do！Do！’saideveryone。
’Well，then，’saidthePsammead。’ThisthingishalfofanAmuletthatcandoallsortsofthings；itcanmakethecorngrow，andthewatersflow，andthetreesbearfruit，andthelittlenewbeautifulbabiescome。（NotthatbabiesARE
beautiful，ofcourse，’itbrokeofftosay，’buttheirmothersthinktheyare——andaslongasyouthinkathing’strueitIS
trueasfarasyou’reconcerned。）’
Robertyawned。
ThePsammeadwenton。
’ThecompleteAmuletcankeepoffallthethingsthatmakepeopleunhappy——jealousy，badtemper，pride，disagreeableness，greediness，selfishness，laziness。Evilspirits，peoplecalledthemwhentheAmuletwasmade。Don’tyouthinkitwouldbenicetohaveit？’
’Very，’saidthechildren，quitewithoutenthusiasM。
’Anditcangiveyoustrengthandcourage。’
’That’sbetter，’saidCyril。
’Andvirtue。’
’Isupposeit’snicetohavethat，’saidJane，butnotwithmuchinterest。
’Anditcangiveyouyourheart’sdesire。’
’Nowyou’retalking，’saidRobert。
’OfcourseIam，’retortedthePsammeadtartly，’sothere’snoneedforyouto。’
’Heart’sdesireisgoodenoughforme，’saidCyril。
’Yes，but，’Antheaventured，’allthat’swhattheWHOLEcharmcando。There’ssomethingthatthehalfwe’vegotcanwinoffitsownbat——isn’tthere？’SheappealedtothePsammead。Itnodded。
’Yes，’itsaid；’thehalfhasthepowertotakeyouanywhereyouliketolookfortheotherhalf。’
ThisseemedabrilliantprospecttillRobertasked——
’Doesitknowwheretolook？’
ThePsammeadshookitsheadandanswered，’Idon’tthinkit’slikely。’
’Doyou？’
’No。’
’Then，’saidRobert，’wemightaswelllookforaneedleinabottleofhay。Yes——itISbottle，andnotbundle，Fathersaidso。’
’Notatall，’saidthePsammeadbriskly—，’youthinkyouknoweverything，butyouarequitemistaken。Thefirstthingistogetthethingtotalk。’
’Canit？’Janequestioned。Jane’squestiondidnotmeanthatshethoughtitcouldn’t，forinspiteoftheparlourfurniturethefeelingofmagicwasgrowingdeeperandthicker，andseemedtofilltheroomlikeadreamofascentedfog。
’Ofcourseitcan。Isupposeyoucanread。’
’Ohyes！’Everyonewasratherhurtatthequestion。
’Well，then——allyou’vegottodoistoreadthenamethat’swrittenonthepartofthecharmthatyou’vegot。Andassoonasyousaythenameoutloudthethingwillhavepowertodo——well，severalthings。’
Therewasasilence。Theredcharmwaspassedfromhandtohand。
’There’snonameonit，’saidCyrilatlast。
’Nonsense，’saidthePsammead；’what’sthat？’
’Oh，THAT！’saidCyril，’it’snotreading。Itlookslikepicturesofchickensandsnakesandthings。’
Thiswaswhatwasonthecharm：[Hieroglyphicsomitted。]
’I’venopatiencewithyou，’saidthePsammead；’ifyoucan’treadyoumustfindsomeonewhocan。Apriestnow？’
’Wedon’tknowanypriests，’saidAnthea；’weknowaclergyman——he’scalledapriestintheprayer—book，youknow——butheonlyknowsGreekandLatinandHebrew，andthisisn’tanyofthose——Iknow。’
ThePsammeadstampedafurryfootangrily。
’IwishI’dneverseenyou，’itsaid；’youaren’tanymoregoodthansomanystoneimages。Notsomuch，ifI’mtotellthetruth。IstherenowisemaninyourBabylonwhocanpronouncethenamesoftheGreatOnes？’
’There’sapoorlearnedgentlemanupstairs，’saidAnthea，’wemighttryhim。Hehasalotofstoneimagesinhisroom，andiron—lookingonestoo——wepeepedinoncewhenhewasout。OldNursesayshedoesn’teatenoughtokeepacanaryalive。Hespendsitallonstonesandthings。’
’Tryhim，’saidthePsammead，’onlybecareful。Ifheknowsagreaternamethanthisandusesitagainstyou，yourcharmwillbeofnouse。Bindhimfirstwiththechainsofhonouranduprightdealing。Andthenaskhisaid——oh，yes，you’dbetterallgo；youcanputmetosandasyougoupstairs。Imusthaveafewminutes’peaceandquietness。’
Sothefourchildrenhastilywashedtheirhandsandbrushedtheirhair——thiswasAnthea’sidea——andwentuptoknockatthedoorofthe’poorlearnedgentleman’，andto’bindhimwiththechainsofhonouranduprightdealing’。
CHAPTER3
THEPAST
Thelearnedgentlemanhadlethisdinnergetquitecold。Itwasmuttonchop，andasitlayontheplateitlookedlikeabrownislandinthemiddleofafrozenpond，becausethegreaseofthegravyhadbecomecold，andconsequentlywhite。Itlookedverynasty，anditwasthefirstthingthechildrensawwhen，afterknockingthreetimesandreceivingnoreply，oneofthemventuredtoturnthehandleandsoftlytoopenthedoor。Thechopwasontheendofalongtablethatrandownonesideoftheroom。Thetablehadimagesonitandqueer—shapedstones，andbooks。Andtherewereglasscasesfixedagainstthewallbehind，withlittlestrangethingsinthem。Thecaseswereratherliketheonesyouseeinjewellers’shops。
The’poorlearnedgentleman’wassittingatatableinthewindow，lookingatsomethingverysmallwhichheheldinapairoffinepincers。Hehadaroundspy—glasssortofthinginoneeye——whichremindedthechildrenofwatchmakers，andalsoofthelongsnail’seyesofthePsammead。Thegentlemanwasverylongandthin，andhislong，thinbootsstuckoutundertheothersideofhistable。Hedidnothearthedooropen，andthechildrenstoodhesitating。AtlastRobertgavethedoorapush，andtheyallstartedback，forinthemiddleofthewallthatthedoorhadhiddenwasamummy—case——very，very，verybig——paintedinredandyellowandgreenandblack，andthefaceofitseemedtolookatthemquiteangrily。
Youknowwhatamummy—caseislike，ofcourse？Ifyoudon’tyouhadbettergototheBritishMuseumatonceandfindout。
Anyway，itisnotatallthesortofthingthatyouexpecttomeetinatop—floorfrontinBloomsbury，lookingasthoughitwouldliketoknowwhatbusinessYOUhadthere。
Soeveryonesaid，’Oh！’ratherloud，andtheirbootsclatteredastheystumbledback。
Thelearnedgentlemantooktheglassoutofhiseyeandsaid——’I
begyourpardon，’inaverysoft，quietpleasantvoice——thevoiceofagentlemanwhohasbeentoOxford。
’It’susthatbegyours，’saidCyrilpolitely。’Wearesorrytodisturbyou。’
’Comein，’saidthegentleman，rising——withthemostdistinguishedcourtesy，Antheatoldherself。’Iamdelightedtoseeyou。Won’tyousitdown？No，notthere；allowmetomovethatpapyrus。’
Heclearedachair，andstoodsmilingandlookingkindlythroughhislarge，roundspectacles。
’Hetreatsuslikegrown—ups，’whisperedRobert，’andhedoesn’tseemtoknowhowmanyofusthereare。’
’Hush，’saidAnthea，’itisn’tmannerstowhisper。Yousay，Cyril——goahead。’
’We’reverysorrytodisturbyou，’saidCyrilpolitely，’butwedidknockthreetimes，andyoudidn’tsay"Comein"，or"Runawaynow"，orthatyoucouldn’tbebotheredjustnow，ortocomewhenyouweren’tsobusy，oranyofthethingspeopledosaywhenyouknockatdoors，soweopenedit。Weknewyouwereinbecauseweheardyousneezewhilewewerewaiting。’
’Notatall，’saidthegentleman；’dositdown。’
’Hehasfoundouttherearefourofus，’saidRobert，asthegentlemanclearedthreemorechairs。Heputthethingsoffthemcarefullyonthefloor。Thefirstchairhadthingslikebricksthattiny，tinybirds’feethavewalkedoverwhenthebricksweresoft，onlythemarkswereinregularlines。Thesecondchairhadroundthingsonitlikeverylarge，fat，long，palebeads。Andthelastchairhadapileofdustypapersonit。Thechildrensatdown。
’Weknowyouarevery，verylearned，’saidCyril，’andwehavegotacharm，andwewantyoutoreadthenameonit，becauseitisn’tinLatinorGreek，orHebrew，oranyofthelanguagesWE
know——’
’Athoroughknowledgeofeventhoselanguagesisaveryfairfoundationonwhichtobuildaneducation，’saidthegentlemanpolitely。
’Oh！’saidCyrilblushing，’butweonlyknowthemtolookat，exceptLatin——andI’monlyinCaesarwiththat。’Thegentlemantookoffhisspectaclesandlaughed。Hislaughsoundedrusty，Cyrilthought，asthoughitwasn’toftenused。
’Ofcourse！’hesaid。’I’msureIbegyourpardon。IthinkI
musthavebeeninadream。Youarethechildrenwholivedownstairs，areyounot？Yes。IhaveseenyouasIhavepassedinandout。Andyouhavefoundsomethingthatyouthinktobeanantiquity，andyou’vebroughtittoshowme？Thatwasverykind。
Ishouldliketoinspectit。"
’I’mafraidwedidn’tthinkaboutyourlikingtoinspectit，’
saidthetruthfulAnthea。’ItwasjustforUSbecausewewantedtoknowthenameonit——’
’Oh，yes——and，Isay，’Robertinterjected，’youwon’tthinkitrudeofusifweaskyoufirst，beforeweshowit，tobeboundinthewhat—do—you—call—itof——’
’Inthebondsofhonouranduprightdealing，’saidAnthea。
’I’mafraidIdon’tquitefollowyou，’saidthegentleman，withgentlenervousness。
’Well，it’sthisway，’saidCyril。’We’vegotpartofacharm。
AndtheSammy——Imean，somethingtoldusitwouldwork，thoughit’sonlyhalfaone；butitwon’tworkunlesswecansaythenamethat’sonit。But，ofcourse，ifyou’vegotanothernamethatcanlickours，ourcharmwillbenogo；sowewantyoutogiveusyourwordofhonourasagentleman——thoughI’msure，nowI’veseenyou，thatit’snotnecessary；butstillI’vepromisedtoaskyou，sowemust。Willyoupleasegiveusyourhonourablewordnottosayanynamestrongerthanthenameonourcharm？’
ThegentlemanhadputonhisspectaclesagainandwaslookingatCyrilthroughthem。Henowsaid：’Blessme！’morethanonce，adding，’Whotoldyouallthis？’
’Ican’ttellyou，’saidCyril。’I’mverysorry，butIcan’t。’
Somefaintmemoryofafar—offchildhoodmusthavecometothelearnedgentlemanjustthen，forhesmiled。’Isee，’hesaid。
’Itissomesortofgamethatyouareengagedin？Ofcourse！
Yes！Well，Iwillcertainlypromise。YetIwonderhowyouheardofthenamesofpower？’
’Wecan’ttellyouthateither，’saidCyril；andAntheasaid，’Hereisourcharm，’andhelditout。
Withpoliteness，butwithoutinterest，thegentlemantookit。
Butafterthefirstglanceallhisbodysuddenlystiffened，asapointer’sdoeswhenheseesapartridge。
’Excuseme，’hesaidinquiteachangedvoice，andcarriedthecharmtothewindow。Helookedatit；heturneditover。Hefixedhisspy—glassinhiseyeandlookedagain。Noonesaidanything。OnlyRobertmadeashufflingnoisewithhisfeettillAntheanudgedhimtoshutup。Atlastthelearnedgentlemandrewalongbreath。
’Wheredidyoufindthis？’heasked。
’Wedidn’tfindit。Weboughtitatashop。JacobAbsalomthenameis——notfarfromCharingCross，’saidCyril。
’Wegaveseven—and—sixpenceforit，’addedJane。
’Itisnotforsale，Isuppose？Youdonotwishtopartwithit？
Ioughttotellyouthatitisextremelyvaluable——extraordinarilyvaluable，Imaysay。’
’Yes，’saidCyril，’weknowthat，soofcoursewewanttokeepit。’
’Keepitcarefully，then，’saidthegentlemanimpressively；’andifeveryoushouldwishtopartwithit，mayIaskyoutogivemetherefusalofit？’
’Therefusal？’
’Imean，donotsellittoanyoneelseuntilyouhavegivenmetheopportunityofbuyingit。’
’Allright，’saidCyril，’wewon’t。Butwedon’twanttosellit。Wewanttomakeitdothings。’
’Isupposeyoucanplayatthataswellasatanythingelse，’
saidthegentleman；’butI’mafraidthedaysofmagicareover。’
’Theyaren’tREALLY，’saidAntheaearnestly。’You’dseetheyaren’tifIcouldtellyouaboutourlastsummerholidays。OnlyImustn’t。Thankyouverymuch。Andcanyoureadthename？’
’Yes，Icanreadit。’
’Willyoutellitus？’’Thename，’saidthegentleman，’isUrHekauSetcheh。’
’UrHekauSetcheh，’repeatedCyril。’Thanksawfully。Idohopewehaven’ttakenuptoomuchofyourtime。’
’Notatall，’saidthegentleman。’Anddoletmeentreatyoutobevery，verycarefulofthatmostvaluablespecimen。’
Theysaid’Thankyou’inallthedifferentpolitewaystheycouldthinkof，andfiledoutofthedooranddownthestairs。Antheawaslast。Half—waydowntothefirstlandingsheturnedandranupagain。
Thedoorwasstillopen，andthelearnedgentlemanandthemummy—casewerestandingoppositetoeachother，andbothlookedasthoughtheyhadstoodlikethatforyears。
ThegentlemanstartedwhenAntheaputherhandonhisarm。
’Ihopeyouwon’tbecrossandsayit’snotmybusiness，’shesaid，’butdolookatyourchop！Don’tyouthinkyououghttoeatit？Fatherforgetshisdinnersometimeswhenhe’swriting，andMotheralwayssaysIoughttoremindhimifshe’snotathometodoitherself，becauseit’ssobadtomissyourregularmeals。
SoIthoughtperhapsyouwouldn’tmindmyremindingyou，becauseyoudon’tseemtohaveanyoneelsetodoit。’
Sheglancedatthemummy—case；ITcertainlydidnotlookasthoughitwouldeverthinkofremindingpeopleoftheirmeals。
Thelearnedgentlemanlookedatherforamomentbeforehesaid——
’Thankyou，mydear。Itwasakindlythought。No，Ihaven’tanyonetoremindmeaboutthingslikethat。’
Hesighed，andlookedatthechop。
’Itlooksverynasty，’saidAnthea。
’Yes，’hesaid，’itdoes。I’lleatitimmediately，beforeI
forget。’
Asheateithesighedmorethanonce。Perhapsbecausethechopwasnasty，perhapsbecausehelongedforthecharmwhichthechildrendidnotwanttosell，perhapsbecauseitwassolongsinceanyonecaredwhetherheatehischopsorforgotthem。
Antheacaughttheothersatthestair—foot。TheywokethePsammead，andittaughtthemexactlyhowtousethewordofpower，andtomakethecharmspeak。Iamnotgoingtotellyouhowthisisdone，becauseyoumighttrytodoit。Andforyouanysuchtryingwouldbealmostsuretoendindisappointment。
Becauseinthefirstplaceitisathousandmilliontooneagainstyourevergettingholdoftherightsortofcharm，andifyoudid，therewouldbehardlyanychanceatallofyourfindingalearnedgentlemancleverenoughandkindenoughtoreadthewordforyou。
ThechildrenandthePsammeadcrouchedinacircleonthefloor——inthegirls’bedroom，becauseintheparlourtheymighthavebeeninterruptedbyoldNurse’scomingintolaytheclothfortea——andthecharmwasputinthemiddleofthecircle。
Thesunshonesplendidlyoutside，andtheroomwasverylight。
ThroughtheopenwindowcamethehumandrattleofLondon，andinthestreetbelowtheycouldhearthevoiceofthemilkman。
Whenallwasready，thePsammeadsignedtoAntheatosaytheword。Andshesaidit。Instantlythewholelightofalltheworldseemedtogoout。Theroomwasdark。Theworldoutsidewasdark——darkerthanthedarkestnightthateverwas。Andallthesoundswentouttoo，sothattherewasasilencedeeperthananysilenceyouhaveeverevendreamedofimagining。Itwaslikebeingsuddenlydeafandblind，onlydarkerandquietereventhanthat。
Butbeforethechildrenhadgotoverthesuddenshockofitenoughtobefrightened，afaint，beautifullightbegantoshowinthemiddleofthecircle，andatthesamemomentafaint，beautifulvoicebegantospeak。Thelightwastoosmallforonetoseeanythingby，andthevoicewastoosmallforyoutohearwhatitsaid。Youcouldjustseethelightandjusthearthevoice。