’Well,saidCyril,whowassubjecttopassingfitsofjustice,’webegan,youknow。Atleastyoudid。’Cyril’sjusticewasalwaysuncompromising。
  ’I’mnotgoingtosayI’msorryifyoumeanthat,’saidRobert,andthechair—legcrackedtothekickhegaveashesaidit。
  ’Oh,dolet’s,’saidAnthea,’we’rethreetoone,andMotherdoessohateitifwerow。Comeon。I’llsayI’msorryfirst,thoughIdidn’tsayanything,hardly。’
  ’Allright,let’sgetitover,’saidCyril,openingthedoor。’Hi——you——Pussy!’
  Farawayupthestairsavoicecouldbeheardsingingbrokenly,butstilldefiantly——
  ’Howmanymiles(sniff)toBabylon?
  Threescoreandten!(sniff)
  CanIgettherebycandlelight?
  Yes(sniff),andbackagain!’
  Itwastrying,forthiswasplainlymeanttoannoy。ButAntheawouldnotgiveherselftimetothinkthis。Sheledthewayupthestairs,takingthreeatatime,andboundedtothelevelofJane,whosatonthetopstepofall,thumpingherdolltothetuneofthesongshewastryingtosing。
  ’Isay,Pussy,letitbepax!We’resorryifyouare——’
  Itwasenough。Thekissofpeacewasgivenbyall。Janebeingtheyoungestwasentitledtothisceremonial。Antheaaddedaspecialapologyofherown。
  ’I’msorryifIwasapig,Pussydear,’shesaid——’especiallybecauseinmyreallyandtrulyinsidemindI’vebeenfeelingalittleasifI’drathernotgointothePastagaineither。Butthen,dothink。Ifwedon’tgoweshan’tgettheAmulet,andoh,Pussy,thinkifwecouldonlygetFatherandMotherandTheLambsafeback!WeMUSTgo,butwe’llwaitadayortwoifyoulikeandthenperhapsyou’llfeelbraver。’
  ’Rawmeatmakesyoubrave,howevercowardlyyouare,’saidRobert,toshowthattherewasnownoill—feeling,’andcranberries——that’swhatTartarseat,andthey’resobraveit’ssimplyawful。IsupposecranberriesareonlyforChristmastime,butI’llaskoldNursetoletyouhaveyourchopveryrawifyoulike。’
  ’IthinkIcouldbebravewithoutthat,’saidJanehastily;shehatedunderdonemeat。’I’lltry。’
  Atthismomentthedoorofthelearnedgentleman’sroomopened,andhelookedout。
  ’Excuseme,’hesaid,inthatgentle,politewearyvoiceofhis,’butwasImistakeninthinkingthatIcaughtafamiliarwordjustnow?WereyounotsingingsomeoldballadofBabylon?’
  ’No,’saidRobert,’atleastJanewassinging"Howmanymiles,"
  butIshouldn’thavethoughtyoucouldhaveheardthewordsfor——’
  Hewouldhavesaid,’forthesniffing,’butAntheapinchedhimjustintime。
  ’IdidnothearALLthewords,’saidthelearnedgentleman。’I
  wonderwouldyourecitethemtome?’
  Sotheyallsaidtogether——
  ’HowmanymilestoBabylon?
  Threescoreandten!
  CanIgettherebycandlelight?
  Yes,andbackagain!’
  ’Iwishonecould,’thelearnedgentlemansaidwithasigh。
  ’Can’tyou?’askedJane。
  ’Babylonhasfallen,’heansweredwithasigh。’Youknowitwasonceagreatandbeautifulcity,andthecentreoflearningandArt,andnowitisonlyruins,andsocoveredupwithearththatpeoplearenotevenagreedastowhereitoncestood。’
  Hewasleaningonthebanisters,andhiseyeshadafar—awaylookinthem,asthoughhecouldseethroughthestaircasewindowthesplendourandgloryofancientBabylon。
  ’Isay,’Cyrilremarkedabruptly。’Youknowthatcharmweshowedyou,andyoutoldushowtosaythenamethat’sonit?’
  ’Yes!’
  ’Well,doyouthinkthatcharmwaseverinBabylon?’
  ’It’squitepossible,’thelearnedgentlemanreplied。’SuchcharmshavebeenfoundinveryearlyEgyptiantombs,yettheiroriginhasnotbeenaccuratelydeterminedasEgyptian。TheymayhavebeenbroughtfromAsia。Or,supposingthecharmtohavebeenfashionedinEgypt,itmightverywellhavebeencarriedtoBabylonbysomefriendlyembassy,orbroughtbackbytheBabylonisharmyfromsomeEgyptiancampaignaspartofthespoilsofwar。Theinscriptionmaybemuchlaterthanthecharm。Ohyes!itisapleasantfancy,thatthatsplendidspecimenofyourswasonceusedamidBabylonishsurroundings。’Theotherslookedateachother,butitwasJanewhospoke。
  ’WeretheBabylonpeoplesavages,weretheyalwaysfightingandthrowingthingsabout?’Forshehadreadthethoughtsoftheothersbytheunerringlightofherownfears。
  ’TheBabylonianswerecertainlymoregentlethantheAssyrians,’
  saidthelearnedgentleman。’Andtheywerenotsavagesbyanymeans。Averyhighlevelofculture,’helookeddoubtfullyathisaudienceandwenton,’Imeanthattheymadebeautifulstatuesandjewellery,andbuiltsplendidpalaces。Andtheywereverylearned—theyhadgloriouslibrariesandhightowersforthepurposeofastrologicalandastronomicalobservation。’
  ’Er?’saidRobert。
  ’Imeanfor——star—gazingandfortune—telling,’saidthelearnedgentleman,’andthereweretemplesandbeautifulhanginggardens——’
  ’I’llgotoBabylonifyoulike,’saidJaneabruptly,andtheothershastenedtosay’Done!’beforesheshouldhavetimetochangehermind。
  ’Ah,’saidthelearnedgentleman,smilingrathersadly,’onecangosofarindreams,whenoneisyoung。’Hesighedagain,andthenaddingwithalabouredbriskness,’Ihopeyou’llhavea——a——jollygame,’hewentintohisroomandshutthedoor。
  ’Hesaid"jolly"asifitwasaforeignlanguage,’saidCyril。
  ’Comeon,let’sgetthePsammeadandgonow。IthinkBabylonseemsamostfrightfullyjollyplacetogoto。’
  SotheywokethePsammeadandputitinitsbass—bagwiththewaterproofsheet,incaseofinclementweatherinBabylon。Itwasverycross,butitsaiditwouldassoongotoBabylonasanywhereelse。’Thesandisgoodthereabouts,’itadded。
  ThenJaneheldupthecharm,andCyrilsaid——
  ’WewanttogotoBabylontolookforthepartofyouthatwaslost。Willyoupleaseletusgotherethroughyou?’
  ’Pleaseputusdownjustoutside,’saidJanehastily;’andthenifwedon’tlikeitweneedn’tgoinside。’
  ’Don’tbeallday,’saidthePsammead。
  SoAntheahastilyutteredthewordofpower,withoutwhichthecharmcoulddonothing。
  ’Ur——Hekau——Setcheh!’shesaidsoftly,andasshespokethecharmgrewintoanarchsotallthatthetopofitwascloseagainstthebedroomceiling。Outsidethearchwasthebedroompaintedchest—of—drawersandtheKidderminstercarpet,andthewashhand—standwiththerivetedwillow—patternjug,andthefadedcurtains,andthedulllightofindoorsonawetday。Throughthearchshowedthegleamofsoftgreenleavesandwhiteblossoms。Theysteppedforwardquitehappily。EvenJanefeltthatthisdidnotlooklikelions,andherhandhardlytrembledatallassheheldthecharmfortheotherstogothrough,andlast,slippedthroughherself,andhungthecharm,nowgrownsmallagain,roundherneck。
  Thechildrenfoundthemselvesunderawhite—blossomed,green—leafedfruit—tree,inwhatseemedtobeanorchardofsuchtrees,allwhite—floweredandgreen—foliaged。Amongthelonggreengrassundertheirfeetgrewcrocusesandlilies,andstrangeblueflowers。Inthebranchesoverheadthrushesandblackbirdsweresinging,andthecooofapigeoncamesoftlytotheminthegreenquietnessoftheorchard。
  ’Oh,howperfectlylovely!’criedAnthea。
  ’Why,it’slikehomeexactly——ImeanEngland——onlyeverything’sbluer,andwhiter,andgreener,andtheflowersarebigger。’
  Theboysownedthatitcertainlywasfairlydecent,andevenJaneadmittedthatitwasallverypretty。
  ’I’mcertainthere’snothingtobefrightenedofhere,’saidAnthea。
  ’Idon’tknow,’saidJane。’Isupposethefruit—treesgoonjustthesameevenwhenpeoplearekillingeachother。Ididn’thalflikewhatthelearnedgentlemansaidaboutthehanginggardens。
  Isupposetheyhavegardensonpurposetohangpeoplein。Idohopethisisn’tone。’
  ’Ofcourseitisn’t,’saidCyril。’Thehanginggardensarejustgardenshungup——_I_thinkonchainsbetweenhouses,don’tyouknow,liketrays。Comeon;let’sgetsomewhere。’
  Theybegantowalkthroughthecoolgrass。Asfarastheycouldseewasnothingbuttrees,andtreesandmoretrees。Attheendoftheirorchardwasanotherone,onlyseparatedfromtheirsbyalittlestreamofclearwater。Theyjumpedthis,andwenton。
  Cyril,whowasfondofgardening——whichmeantthathelikedtowatchthegardeneratwork——wasabletocommandtherespectoftheothersbytellingthemthenamesofagoodmanytrees。Therewerenut—treesandalmond—trees,andapricots,andfig—treeswiththeirbigfive—fingeredleaves。Andeverynowandthenthechildrenhadtocrossanotherbrook。
  ’It’slikebetweenthesquaresinThroughtheLooking—glass,’
  saidAnthea。
  Atlasttheycametoanorchardwhichwasquitedifferentfromtheotherorchards。Ithadalowbuildinginonecorner。
  ’Thesearevines,’saidCyrilsuperiorly,’andIknowthisisavineyard。Ishouldn’twonderiftherewasawine—pressinsidethatplaceoverthere。’
  Atlasttheygotoutoftheorchardsandontoasortofroad,veryrough,andnotatallliketheroadsyouareusedto。Ithadcypresstreesandacaciatreesalongit,andasortofhedgeoftamarisks,likethoseyouseeontheroadbetweenNiceandCannes,ornearLittlehampton,ifyou’veonlybeenasfarasthat。
  Andnowinfrontofthemtheycouldseeagreatmassofbuildings。Therewerescatteredhousesofwoodandstonehereandthereamonggreenorchards,andbeyondtheseagreatwallthatshoneredintheearlymorningsun。Thewallwasenormouslyhigh——morethanhalftheheightofStPaul’s——andinthewallweresetenormousgatesthatshonelikegoldastherisingsunbeatonthem。Eachgatehadasolidsquaretoweroneachsideofitthatstoodoutfromthewallandroseaboveit。Beyondthewallweremoretowersandhouses,gleamingwithgoldandbrightcolours。Awaytotheleftranthesteel—blueswirlofagreatriver。Andthechildrencouldsee,throughagapinthetrees,thattheriverflowedoutfromthetownunderagreatarchinthewall。
  ’Thosefeatherythingsalongbythewaterarepalms,’saidCyrilinstructively。
  ’Oh,yes;youknoweverything,’Robertreplied。’What’sallthatgrey—greenstuffyouseeawayoverthere,whereit’sallflatandsandy?’
  ’Allright,’saidCyrilloftily,’_I_don’twanttotellyouanything。Ionlythoughtyou’dliketoknowapalm—treewhenyousawitagain。’
  ’Look!’criedAnthea;’they’reopeningthegates。’
  Andindeedthegreatgatesswungbackwithabrazenclang,andinstantlyalittlecrowdofadozenormorepeoplecameoutandalongtheroadtowardsthem。
  Thechildren,withoneaccord,crouchedbehindthetamariskhedge。
  ’Idon’tlikethesoundofthosegates,’saidJane。’Fancybeinginsidewhentheyshut。You’dnevergetout。’
  ’You’vegotanarchofyourowntogooutby,’thePsammeadputitsheadoutofthebaskettoremindher。’Don’tbehavesolikeagirl。IfIwereyouIshouldjustmarchrightintothetownandasktoseetheking。’
  Therewassomethingatoncesimpleandgrandaboutthisidea,anditpleasedeveryone。
  Sowhenthework—peoplehadpassed(theyWEREwork—people,thechildrenfeltsure,becausetheyweredressedsoplainly——justonelongblueshirtthing——ofblueoryellow)thefourchildrenmarchedboldlyuptothebrazengatebetweenthetowers。Thearchabovethegatewasquiteatunnel,thewallsweresothick。
  ’Courage,’saidCyril。’Stepout。It’snousetryingtosneakpast。Bebold!’
  Robertansweredthisappealbyunexpectedlyburstinginto’TheBritishGrenadiers’,andtoitsquick—steptheyapproachedthegatesofBabylon。
  ’SometalkofAlexander,AndsomeofHercules,OfHectorandLysander,Andsuchgreatnamesasthese。
  Butofallthegallantheroes……’
  Thisbroughtthemtothethresholdofthegate,andtwomeninbrightarmoursuddenlybarredtheirwaywithcrossedspears。
  ’Whogoesthere?’theysaid。
  (IthinkImusthaveexplainedtoyoubeforehowitwasthatthechildrenwerealwaysabletounderstandthelanguageofanyplacetheymighthappentobein,andtobethemselvesunderstood。Ifnot,Ihavenotimetoexplainitnow。)
  ’Wecomefromveryfar,’saidCyrilmechanically。’FromtheEmpirewherethesunneversets,andwewanttoseeyourKing。’
  ’Ifit’squiteconvenient,’amendedAnthea。’TheKing(mayheliveforever!),’saidthegatekeeper,’isgonetofetchhomehisfourteenthwife。Whereonearthhaveyoucomefromnottoknowthat?’
  ’TheQueenthen,’saidAntheahurriedly,andnottakinganynoticeofthequestionastowheretheyhadcomefrom。
  ’TheQueen,’saidthegatekeeper,’(maysheliveforever!)givesaudiencetodaythreehoursaftersunrising。’
  ’Butwhatarewetodotilltheendofthethreehours?’askedCyril。
  Thegatekeeperseemedneithertoknownortocare。Heappearedlessinterestedinthemthantheycouldhavethoughtpossible。
  Butthemanwhohadcrossedspearswithhimtobarthechildren’swaywasmorehuman。
  ’Letthemgoinandlookaboutthem,’hesaid。’I’llwagermybestswordthey’veneverseenanythingtocomenearourlittle——village。’HesaiditinthetonepeopleuseforwhentheycalltheAtlanticOceanthe’herringpond’。
  Thegatekeeperhesitated。
  ’They’reonlychildren,afterall,’saidtheother,whohadchildrenofhisown。’Letmeoffforafewminutes,Captain,andI’lltakethemtomyplaceandseeifmygoodwomancan’tfitthemupinsomethingalittlelessoutlandishthantheirpresentrig。Thentheycanhavealookroundwithoutbeingmobbed。MayIgo?’
  ’Ohyes,ifyoulike,’saidtheCaptain,’butdon’tbeallday。’
  Themanledthemthroughthedarkarchintothetown。AnditwasverydifferentfromLondon。Foronething,everythinginLondonseemstobepatchedupoutofoddsandends,butthesehousesseemedtohavebeenbuiltbypeoplewholikedthesamesortofthings。Notthattheywereallalike,forthoughallweresquarish,theywereofdifferentsizes,anddecoratedinallsortsofdifferentways,somewithpaintingsinbrightcolours,somewithblackandsilverdesigns。Therewereterraces,andgardens,andbalconies,andopenspaceswithtrees。Theirguidetookthemtoalittlehouseinabackstreet,whereakind—facedwomansatspinningatthedoorofaverydarkroom。
  ’Here,’hesaid,’justlendthesechildrenamantleeach,sothattheycangoaboutandseetheplacetilltheQueen’saudiencebegins。Youleavethatwoolforabit,andshowthemroundifyoulike。Imustbeoffnow。’
  Thewomandidasshewastold,andthefourchildren,wrappedinfringedmantles,wentwithherallaboutthetown,andoh!howI
  wishIhadtimetotellyouallthattheysaw。Itwasallsowonderfullydifferentfromanythingyouhaveeverseen。Foronething,allthehousesweredazzlinglybright,andmanyofthemcoveredwithpictures。Somehadgreatcreaturescarvedinstoneateachsideofthedoor。Thenthepeople——therewerenoblackfrock—coatsandtallhats;nodingycoatsandskirtsofgood,useful,uglystuffswarrantedtowear。Everyone’sclotheswerebrightandbeautifulwithblueandscarletandgreenandgold。
  Themarketwasbrighterthanyouwouldthinkanythingcouldbe。
  Therewerestallsforeverythingyoucouldpossiblywant——andforagreatmanythingsthatifyouwantedhereandnow,wantwouldbeyourmaster。Therewerepineapplesandpeachesinheaps——andstallsofcrockeryandglassthings,beautifulshapesandgloriouscolours,therewerestallsfornecklaces,andclasps,andbracelets,andbrooches,forwovenstuffs,andfurs,andembroideredlinen。Thechildrenhadneverseenhalfsomanybeautifulthingstogether,evenatLiberty’s。Itseemednotimeatallbeforethewomansaid——
  ’It’snearlytimenow。Weoughttobegettingontowardsthepalace。It’saswelltobeearly。’Sotheywenttothepalace,andwhentheygotthereitwasmoresplendidthananythingtheyhadseenyet。
  Foritwasglowingwithcolours,andwithgoldandsilverandblackandwhite——likesomemagnificentembroidery。Flightafterflightofbroadmarblestepsleduptoit,andattheedgesofthestairsstoodgreatimages,twentytimesasbigasaman——imagesofmenwithwingslikechainarmour,andhawks’
  heads,andwingedmenwiththeheadsofdogs。Andtherewerethestatuesofgreatkings。
  Betweentheflightsofstepswereterraceswherefountainsplayed,andtheQueen’sGuardinwhiteandscarlet,andarmourthatshonelikegold,stoodbytwosliningthewayupthestairs;
  andagreatbodyofthemwasmassedbythevastdoorofthepalaceitself,whereitstoodglitteringlikeanimpossiblyradiantpeacockinthenoon—daysun。
  AllsortsofpeoplewerepassingupthestepstoseekaudienceoftheQueen。Ladiesinrichly—embroidereddresseswithfringyflounces,poorfolksinplainandsimpleclothes,dandieswithbeardsoiledandcurled。
  AndCyril,Robert,AntheaandJane,wentwiththecrowd。
  AtthegateofthepalacethePsammeadputoneeyecautiouslyoutofthebasketandwhispered——
  ’Ican’tbebotheredwithqueens。I’llgohomewiththislady。
  I’msureshe’llgetmesomesandifyouaskherto。’
  ’Oh!don’tleaveus,’saidJane。ThewomanwasgivingsomelastinstructionsinCourtetiquettetoAnthea,anddidnothearJane。
  ’Don’tbealittlemuff,’saidthePsammeadquitefiercely。
  ’It’snotabitofgoodyourhavingacharm。Youneveruseit。
  Ifyouwantmeyou’veonlygottosaythenameofpowerandaskthecharmtobringmetoyou。’
  ’I’drathergowithyou,’saidJane。Anditwasthemostsurprisingthingshehadeversaidinherlife。
  Everyoneopeneditsmouthwithoutthinkingofmanners,andAnthea,whowaspeepingintothePsammead’sbasket,sawthatitsmouthopenedwiderthananybody’s。
  ’Youneedn’tgawplikethat,’Janewenton。’I’mnotgoingtobebotheredwithqueensanymorethanITis。AndIknow,whereveritis,it’lltakejollygoodcarethatit’ssafe。’
  ’She’srightthere,’saideveryone,fortheyhadobservedthatthePsammeadhadawayofknowingwhichsideitsbreadwasbuttered。
  Sheturnedtothewomanandsaid,’You’lltakemehomewithyou,won’tyou?AndletmeplaywithyourlittlegirlstilltheothershavedonewiththeQueen。’
  ’SurelyIwill,littleheart!’saidthewoman。
  AndthenAntheahurriedlystrokedthePsammeadandembracedJane,whotookthewoman’shand,andtrottedcontentedlyawaywiththePsammead’sbagundertheotherarm。
  Theothersstoodlookingafterhertillshe,thewoman,andthebasketwerelostinthemany—colouredcrowd。ThenAntheaturnedoncemoretothepalace’smagnificentdoorwayandsaid——
  ’Let’sasktheportertotakecareofourBabylonianovercoats。’
  SotheytookoffthegarmentsthatthewomanhadlentthemandstoodamidthejostlingpetitionersoftheQueenintheirownEnglishfrocksandcoatsandhatsandboots。
  ’WewanttoseetheQueen,’saidCyril;’wecomefromthefarEmpirewherethesunneversets!’
  Amurmurofsurpriseandathrillofexcitementranthroughthecrowd。Thedoor—porterspoketoablackman,hespoketosomeoneelse。Therewasawhispering,waitingpause。Thenabigman,withacleanly—shavenface,beckonedthemfromthetopofaflightofredmarblesteps。
  Theywentup;thebootsofRobertclatteringmorethanusualbecausehewassonervous。Adoorswungopen,acurtainwasdrawnback。Adoublelineofbowingformsingorgeousraimentformedalanethatledtothestepsofthethrone,andasthechildrenadvancedhurriedlytherecamefromthethroneavoiceverysweetandkind。
  ’Threechildrenfromthelandwherethesunneversets!Letthemdrawhitherwithoutfear。’
  Inanotherminutetheywerekneelingatthethrone’sfoot,saying,’OQueen,liveforever!’exactlyasthewomanhadtaughtthem。Andasplendiddream—lady,allgoldandsilverandjewelsandsnowydriftofveils,wasraisingAnthea,andsaying——
  ’Don’tbefrightened,IreallyamSOgladyoucame!Thelandwherethesunneversets!Iamdelightedtoseeyou!Iwasgettingquitetoodreadfullyboredforanything!’
  AndbehindAntheathekneelingCyrilwhisperedintheearsoftherespectfulRobert——
  ’Bobs,don’tsayanythingtoPanther。It’snouseupsettingher,butwedidn’taskforJane’saddress,andthePsammead’swithher。’
  ’Well,’whisperedRobert,’thecharmcanbringthemtousatanymoment。ITsaidso。’
  ’Oh,yes,’whisperedCyril,inmiserablederision,’WE’REallright,ofcourse。Soweare!Oh,yes!Ifwe’donlyGOTthecharm。’
  ThenRobertsaw,andhemurmured,’Crikey!’atthefootofthethroneofBabylon;whileCyrilhoarselywhisperedtheplainEnglishfact——
  ’Jane’sgotthecharmroundherneck,yousillycuckoo。’
  ’Crikey!’Robertrepeatedinheart—brokenundertones。
  CHAPTER7
  ’THEDEEPESTDUNGEONBELOWTHECASTLEMOAT’
  TheQueenthrewthreeoftheredandgoldembroideredcushionsoffthethroneontothemarblestepsthatleduptoit。
  ’Justmakeyourselvescomfortablethere,’shesaid。’I’msimplydyingtotalktoyou,andtohearallaboutyourwonderfulcountryandhowyougothere,andeverything,butIhavetodojusticeeverymorning。Suchabore,isn’tit?Doyoudojusticeinyourowncountry?’
  ’No,saidCyril;’atleastofcoursewetryto,butnotinthispublicsortofway,onlyinprivate。’’Ah,yes,’saidtheQueen,’Ishouldmuchpreferaprivateaudiencemyself——mucheasiertomanage。Butpublicopinionhastobeconsidered。Doingjusticeisveryhardwork,evenwhenyou’rebroughtuptoit。’
  ’Wedon’tdojustice,butwehavetodoscales,Janeandme,’
  saidAnthea,’twentyminutesaday。It’ssimplyhorrid。’
  ’Whatarescales?’askedtheQueen,’andwhatisJane?’
  ’Janeismylittlesister。Oneoftheguards—at—the—gate’swifeistakingcareofher。Andscalesaremusic。’
  ’Ineverheardoftheinstrument,’saidtheQueen。’Doyousing?’
  ’Oh,yes。Wecansinginparts,’saidAnthea。
  ’ThatISmagic,’saidtheQueen。’Howmanypartsareyoueachcutintobeforeyoudoit?’
  ’Wearen’tcutatall,’saidRoberthastily。’Wecouldn’tsingifwewere。We’llshowyouafterwards。’
  ’Soyoushall,andnowsitquietlikedearchildrenandhearmedojustice。ThewayIdoithasalwaysbeenadmired。Ioughtn’ttosaythatoughtI?Soundssoconceited。ButIdon’tmindwithyou,dears。SomehowIfeelasthoughI’dknownyouquitealongtimealready。’
  TheQueensettledherselfonherthroneandmadeasignaltoherattendants。Thechildren,whisperingtogetheramongthecushionsonthestepsofthethrone,decidedthatshewasverybeautifulandverykind,butperhapsjusttheleastbitflighty。
  Thefirstpersonwhocametoaskforjusticewasawomanwhosebrotherhadtakenthemoneythefatherhadleftforher。Thebrothersaiditwastheunclewhohadthemoney。Therewasagooddealoftalkandthechildrenweregrowingratherbored,whentheQueensuddenlyclappedherhands,andsaid——
  ’Putboththemeninprisontilloneofthemownsupthattheotherisinnocent。’
  ’Butsupposetheybothdidit?’Cyrilcouldnothelpinterrupting。
  ’Thenprison’sthebestplaceforthem,’saidtheQueen。
  ’Butsupposeneitherdidit。’
  ’That’simpossible,’saidtheQueen;’athing’snotdoneunlesssomeonedoesit。Andyoumustn’tinterrupt。’
  Thencameawoman,intears,withatornveilandrealashesonherhead——atleastAntheathoughtso,butitmayhavebeenonlyroad—dust。Shecomplainedthatherhusbandwasinprison。
  ’Whatfor?’saidtheQueen。
  ’TheySAIDitwasforspeakingevilofyourMajesty,’saidthewoman,’butitwasn’t。Someonehadaspiteagainsthim。Thatwaswhatitwas。’
  ’Howdoyouknowhehadn’tspokenevilofme?’saidtheQueen。
  ’Noonecould,’saidthewomansimply,’whenthey’donceseenyourbeautifulface。’
  ’Letthemanout,’saidtheQueen,smiling。’Nextcase。’
  Thenextcasewasthatofaboywhohadstolenafox。’LiketheSpartanboy,’whisperedRobert。ButtheQueenruledthatnobodycouldhaveanypossiblereasonforowningafox,andstilllessforstealingone。AndshedidnotbelievethattherewereanyfoxesinBabylon;she,atanyrate,hadneverseenone。Sotheboywasreleased。
  ThepeoplecametotheQueenaboutallsortsoffamilyquarrelsandneighbourlymisunderstandings——fromafightbetweenbrothersoverthedivisionofaninheritance,tothedishonestandunfriendlyconductofawomanwhohadborrowedacooking—potatthelastNewYear’sfestival,andnotreturnedityet。
  AndtheQueendecidedeverything,very,verydecidedlyindeed。
  Atlastsheclappedherhandsquitesuddenlyandwithextremeloudness,andsaid——
  ’Theaudienceisoverfortoday。’
  Everyonesaid,’MaytheQueenliveforever!’andwentout。
  Andthechildrenwereleftaloneinthejustice—hallwiththeQueenofBabylonandherladies。
  ’There!’saidtheQueen,withalongsighofrelief。’THAT’S
  over!Icouldn’thavedoneanotherstitchofjusticeifyou’dofferedmethecrownofEgypt!Nowcomeintothegarden,andwe’llhaveanice,long,cosytalk。’
  Sheledthemthroughlong,narrowcorridorswhosewallstheysomehowfelt,werevery,verythick,intoasortofgardencourtyard。Therewerethickshrubscloselyplanted,androsesweretrainedovertrellises,andmadeapleasantshade——needed,indeed,foralreadythesunwasashotasitisinEnglandinAugustattheseaside。
  Slavesspreadcushionsonalow,marbleterrace,andabigmanwithasmoothfaceservedcooldrinkincupsofgoldstuddedwithberyls。HedrankalittlefromtheQueen’scupbeforehandingittoher。
  ’That’sratheranastytrick,’whisperedRobert,whohadbeencarefullytaughtnevertodrinkoutofoneofthenice,shiny,metalcupsthatarechainedtotheLondondrinkingfountainswithoutfirstrinsingitoutthoroughly。
  TheQueenoverheardhim。
  ’Notatall,’saidshe。’Ritti—Mardukisaverycleanman。AndonehastohaveSOMEONEastaster,youknow,becauseofpoison。’
  Thewordmadethechildrenfeelrathercreepy;butRitti—Mardukhadtastedallthecups,sotheyfeltprettysafe。Thedrinkwasdelicious——verycold,andtastinglikelemonadeandpartlylikepennyices。
  ’Leaveus,’saidtheQueen。AndalltheCourtladies,intheirbeautiful,many—folded,many—coloured,fringeddresses,filedoutslowly,andthechildrenwereleftalonewiththeQueen。
  ’Now,’shesaid,’tellmeallaboutyourselves。’
  Theylookedateachother。
  ’You,Bobs,’saidCyril。
  ’No——Anthea,’saidRobert。
  ’No——you——Cyril,’saidAnthea。’Don’tyourememberhowpleasedtheQueenofIndiawaswhenyoutoldherallaboutus?’
  Cyrilmutteredthatitwasallverywell,andsoitwas。ForwhenhehadtoldthetaleofthePhoenixandtheCarpettotheRanee,ithadbeenonlythetruth——andallthetruththathehadtotell。ButnowitwasnoteasytotellaconvincingstorywithoutmentioningtheAmulet——which,ofcourse,itwouldn’thavedonetomention——andwithoutowningthattheywerereallylivinginLondon,about2,500yearslaterthanthetimetheyweretalkingin。
  CyriltookrefugeinthetaleofthePsammeadanditswonderfulpowerofmakingwishescometrue。Thechildrenhadneverbeenabletotellanyonebefore,andCyrilwassurprisedtofindthatthespellwhichkeptthemsilentinLondondidnotworkhere。
  ’SomethingtodowithourbeinginthePast,Isuppose,’hesaidtohimself。
  ’ThisisMOSTinteresting,’saidtheQueen。’WemusthavethisPsammeadforthebanquettonight。Itsperformancewillbeoneofthemostpopularturnsinthewholeprogramme。Whereisit?’
  Antheaexplainedthattheydidnotknow;alsowhyitwasthattheydidnotknow。
  ’Oh,THAT’Squitesimple,’saidtheQueen,andeveryonebreathedadeepsighofreliefasshesaidit。
  ’Ritti—Mardukshallrundowntothegatesandfindoutwhichguardyoursisterwenthomewith。’
  ’Mighthe’——Anthea’svoicewastremulous——’mighthe——woulditinterferewithhismeal—times,oranythinglikethat,ifhewentNOW?’
  ’Ofcourseheshallgonow。Hemaythinkhimselfluckyifhegetshismealsatanytime,’saidtheQueenheartily,andclappedherhands。
  ’MayIsendaletter?’askedCyril,pullingoutared—backedpennyaccount—book,andfeelinginhispocketsforastumpofpencilthatheknewwasinoneofthem。
  ’Byallmeans。I’llcallmyscribe。’
  ’Oh,Icanscriberightenough,thanks,’saidCyril,findingthepencilandlickingitspoint。Heevenhadtobitethewoodalittle,foritwasveryblunt。
  ’Oh,youclever,cleverboy!’saidtheQueen。’DOletmewatchyoudoit!’
  Cyrilwroteonaleafofthebook——itwasofrough,woollypaper,withhairsthatstuckoutandwouldhavegotinhispenifhehadbeenusingone,andruledforaccounts。
  ’HideITmostcarefullybeforeyoucomehere,’hewrote,’anddon’tmentionit——anddestroythisletter。EverythingisgoingA1。TheQueenisafairtreat。There’snothingtobeafraidof。’
  ’Whatcuriouscharacters,andwhatastrangeflatsurface!’saidtheQueen。’Whathaveyouinscribed?’
  ’I’ve’scribed,’repliedCyrilcautiously,’thatyouarefair,anda——andlikea——likeafestival;andthatsheneednotbeafraid,andthatsheistocomeatonce。’
  Ritti—Marduk,whohadcomeinandhadstoodwaitingwhileCyrilwrote,hisBabylonisheyesnearlystartingoutofhisBabylonishhead,nowtooktheletter,withsomereluctance。
  ’OQueen,liveforever!Isitacharm?’hetimidlyasked。’A
  strongcharm,mostgreatlady?’
  ’YES,’saidRobert,unexpectedly,’itISacharm,butitwon’thurtanyoneuntilyou’vegivenittoJane。Andthenshe’lldestroyit,sothatitCAN’Thurtanyone。It’smostawfulstrong!——asstrongas——Peppermint!’heendedabruptly。
  ’Iknownotthegod,’saidRitti—Marduk,bendingtimorously。
  ’She’lltearitupdirectlyshegetsit,’saidRobert,’That’llendthecharm。Youneedn’tbeafraidifyougonow。’
  Ritti—Mardukwent,seemingonlypartlysatisfied;andthentheQueenbegantoadmirethepennyaccount—bookandthebitofpencilinsomarkedandsignificantawaythatCyrilfelthecouldnotdolessthanpressthemuponherasagift。Sheruffledtheleavesdelightedly。
  ’Whatawonderfulsubstance!’shesaid。’Andwiththisstyleyoumakecharms?Makeacharmforme!Doyouknow,’hervoicesanktoawhisper,’thenamesofthegreatonesofyourownfarcountry?’
  ’Rather!’saidCyril,andhastilywrotethenamesofAlfredtheGreat,Shakespeare,Nelson,Gordon,LordBeaconsfield,MrRudyardKipling,andMrSherlockHolmes,whiletheQueenwatchedhimwith’unbaitedbreath’,asAntheasaidafterwards。
  Shetookthebookandhiditreverentlyamongthebrightfoldsofhergown。
  ’Youshallteachmelatertosaythegreatnames,’shesaid。
  ’AndthenamesoftheirMinisters——perhapsthegreatNisrochisoneofthem?’
  ’Idon’tthinkso,’saidCyril。’MrCampbellBannerman’sPrimeMinisterandMrBurnsaMinister,andsoistheArchbishopofCanterbury,Ithink,butI’mnotsure——andDrParkerwasone,I
  know,and——’
  ’Nomore,’saidtheQueen,puttingherhandstoherears。’Myhead’sgoingroundwithallthosegreatnames。Youshallteachthemtomelater——becauseofcourseyou’llmakeusanicelongvisitnowyouhavecome,won’tyou?Nowtellme——butno,Iamquitetiredoutwithyourbeingsoclever。Besides,I’msureyou’dlikeMEtotellYOUsomething,wouldn’tyou?’
  ’Yes,’saidAnthea。’IwanttoknowhowitisthattheKinghasgone——’
  ’Excuseme,butyoushouldsay"theKingmay—he—live—for—ever",’
  saidtheQueengently。
  ’Ibegyourpardon,’Antheahastenedtosay——’theKingmay—he—live—for—everhasgonetofetchhomehisfourteenthwife?
  Idon’tthinkevenBluebeardhadasmanyasthat。And,besides,hehasn’tkilledYOUatanyrate。’
  TheQueenlookedbewildered。
  ’Shemeans,’explainedRobert,’thatEnglishkingsonlyhaveonewife——atleast,HenrytheEighthhadsevenoreight,butnotallatonce。’
  ’Inourcountry,’saidtheQueenscornfully,’akingwouldnotreignadaywhohadonlyonewife。Noonewouldrespecthim,andquiterighttoo。’
  ’Thenarealltheotherthirteenalive?’askedAnthea。
  ’Ofcoursetheyare——poormean—spiritedthings!Idon’tassociatewiththem,ofcourse,IamtheQueen:they’reonlythewives。’
  ’Isee,’saidAnthea,gasping。
  ’Butoh,mydears,’theQueenwenton,’suchato—doasthere’sbeenaboutthislastwife!Youneverdid!ItreallywasTOO
  funny。WewantedanEgyptianprincess。TheKingmay—he—live—for—everhasgotawifefrommostoftheimportantnations,andhehadsethisheartonanEgyptianonetocompletehiscollection。Well,ofcourse,tobeginwith,wesentahandsomepresentofgold。TheEgyptiankingsentbacksomehorses——quiteafew;he’sfearfullystingy!——andhesaidhelikedthegoldverymuch,butwhattheywerereallyshortofwaslapislazuli,soofcoursewesenthimsome。Butbythattimehe’dbeguntousethegoldtocoverthebeamsoftheroofoftheTempleoftheSun—God,andhehadn’tnearlyenoughtofinishthejob,sowesentsomemore。Andsoitwenton,oh,foryears。
  Youseeeachjourneytakesatleastsixmonths。Andatlastweaskedthehandofhisdaughterinmarriage。’
  ’Yes,andthen?’saidAnthea,whowantedtogettotheprincesspartofthestory。
  ’Well,then,’saidtheQueen,’whenhe’dgoteverythingoutofusthathecould,andonlygiventhemeanestpresentsinreturn,hesenttosayhewouldesteemthehonourofanallianceveryhighly,onlyunfortunatelyhehadn’tanydaughter,buthehopedonewouldbebornsoon,andifso,sheshouldcertainlybereservedfortheKingofBabylon!’
  ’Whatatrick!’saidCyril。
  ’Yes,wasn’tit?Sothenwesaidhissisterwoulddo,andthenthereweremoregiftsandmorejourneys;andnowatlastthetiresome,black—hairedthingiscoming,andtheKingmay—he—live—for—everhasgonesevendays’journeytomeetheratCarchemish。Andhe’sgoneinhisbestchariot,theoneinlaidwithlapislazuliandgold,withthegold—platedwheelsandonyx—studdedhubs——muchtoogreatanhonourinmyopinion。
  She’llbeheretonight;there’llbeagrandbanquettocelebrateherarrival。SHEwon’tbepresent,ofcourse。She’llbehavingherbathsandheranointings,andallthatsortofthing。Wealwayscleanourforeignbridesverycarefully。Ittakestwoorthreeweeks。Nowit’sdinnertime,andyoushalleatwithme,forIcanseethatyouareofhighrank。’Sheledthemintoadark,coolhall,withmanycushionsonthefloor。Onthesetheysatandlowtableswerebrought——beautifultablesofsmooth,bluestonemountedingold。Onthese,goldentrayswereplaced;buttherewerenoknives,orforks,orspoons。ThechildrenexpectedtheQueentocallforthem;butno。Shejustatewithherfingers,andasthefirstdishwasagreattrayofboiledcorn,andmeatandraisinsallmixeduptogether,andmeltedfatpouredalloverthetray,itwasfounddifficulttofollowherexamplewithanythinglikewhatweareusedtothinkofasgoodtablemanners。Therewerestewedquincesafterwards,anddatesinsyrup,andthickyellowycream。ItwasthekindofdinneryouhardlyevergetinFitzroyStreet。
  Afterdinnereverybodywenttosleep,eventhechildren。
  TheQueenawokewithastart。
  ’Goodgracious!’shecried,’whatatimewe’veslept!Imustrushoffanddressforthebanquet。Ishan’thavemuchmorethantime。’
  ’Hasn’tRitti—MardukgotbackwithoursisterandthePsammeadyet?’Antheaasked。
  ’IQUITEforgottoask。I’msorry,’saidtheQueen。’Andofcoursetheywouldn’tannounceherunlessItoldthemto,exceptduringjusticehours。Iexpectshe’swaitingoutside。I’llsee。’
  Ritti—Mardukcameinamomentlater。
  ’Iregret,’hesaid,’thatIhavebeenunabletofindyoursister。Thebeastshebearswithherinabaskethasbittenthechildoftheguard,andyoursisterandthebeastsetouttocometoyou。Thepolicesaytheyhaveaclue。Nodoubtweshallhavenewsofherinafewweeks。’Hebowedandwithdrew。
  Thehorrorofthisthreefoldloss——Jane,thePsammead,andtheAmulet——gavethechildrensomethingtotalkaboutwhiletheQueenwasdressing。Ishallnotreporttheirconversation;itwasverygloomy。Everyonerepeatedhimselfseveraltimes,andthediscussionendedineachofthemblamingtheothertwoforhavingletJanego。Youknowthesortoftalkitwas,don’tyou?AtlastCyrilsaid——
  ’Afterall,she’swiththePsammead,soSHE’Sallright。ThePsammeadisjollycarefulofitselftoo。Anditisn’tasifwewereinanydanger。Let’strytobuckupandenjoythebanquet。’
  Theydidenjoythebanquet。Theyhadabeautifulbath,whichwasdelicious,wereheavilyoiledallover,includingtheirhair,andthatwasmostunpleasant。Then,theydressedagainandwerepresentedtotheKing,whowasmostaffable。Thebanquetwaslong;therewereallsortsofnicethingstoeat,andeverybodyseemedtoeatanddrinkagooddeal。Everyonelayoncushionsandcouches,ladiesononesideandgentlemenontheother;andaftertheeatingwasdoneeachladywentandsatbysomegentleman,whoseemedtobehersweetheartorherhusband,fortheywereveryaffectionatetoeachother。TheCourtdresseshadgoldthreadswoveninthem,verybrightandbeautiful。
  Themiddleoftheroomwasleftclear,anddifferentpeoplecameanddidamusingthings。Therewereconjurersandjugglersandsnake—charmers,whichlastAntheadidnotlikeatall。
  Whenitgotdarktorcheswerelighted。Cedarsplintersdippedinoilblazedincopperdishessethighonpoles。
  Thentherewasadancer,whohardlydancedatall,onlyjuststruckattitudes。Shehadhardlyanyclothes,andwasnotatallpretty。Thechildrenwereratherboredbyher,buteveryoneelsewasdelighted,includingtheKing。
  ’BythebeardofNimrod!’hecried,’askwhatyoulikegirl,andyoushallhaveit!’
  ’Iwantnothing,’saidthedancer;’thehonourofhavingpleasedtheKingmay—he—live—for—everisrewardenoughforme。’
  AndtheKingwassopleasedwiththismodestandsensiblereplythathegaveherthegoldcollaroffhisownneck。
  ’Isay!’saidCyril,awedbythemagnificenceofthegift。
  ’It’sallright,’whisperedtheQueen,’it’snothisbestcollarbyanymeans。Wealwayskeepastockofcheapjewelleryfortheseoccasions。Andnow——youpromisedtosingussomething。
  Wouldyoulikemyminstrelstoaccompanyyou?’
  ’No,thankyou,’saidAntheaquickly。Theminstrelshadbeenplayingoffandonallthetime,andtheirmusicremindedAntheaofthebandsheandtheothershadoncehadonthefifthofNovember——withpennyhorns,atinwhistle,atea—tray,thetongs,apoliceman’srattle,andatoydrum。Theyhadenjoyedthisbandverymuchatthetime。Butitwasquitedifferentwhensomeoneelsewasmakingthesamekindofmusic。AntheaunderstoodnowthatFatherhadnotbeenreallyheartlessandunreasonablewhenhehadtoldthemtostopthatinfuriatingdin。
  ’Whatshallwesing?’Cyrilwasasking。
  ’Sweetandlow?’suggestedAnthea。
  ’Toosoft——Ivotefor"Whowillo’erthedowns"。Nowthen——one,two,three。
  ’Oh,whowillo’erthedownssofree,Oh,whowillwithmeride,Oh,whowillupandfollowme,Towinabloomingbride?
  Herfatherhehaslockedthedoor,Hermotherkeepsthekey;
  ButneitherboltnorbarshallkeepMyowntruelovefromme。’
  Jane,thealto,wasmissing,andRobert,unlikethemotheroftheladyinthesong,nevercould’keepthekey’,butthesong,evenso,wassufficientlyunlikeanythinganyofthemhadeverheardtorousetheBabylonianCourttothewildestenthusiasm。
  ’More,more,’criedtheKing;’bymybeard,thissavagemusicisanewthing。Singagain!’
  Sotheysang:
  ’Isawherbowerattwilightgray,’Twasguardedsafeandsure。
  Isawherboweratbreakofday,’Twasguardedthennomore。
  Thevarletstheywereallasleep,AndtherewasnonetoseeThegreetingfairthatpassedthereBetweenmyloveandme。’
  Shoutsofapplausegreetedtheendingoftheverse,andtheKingwouldnotbesatisfiedtilltheyhadsungalltheirpart—songs(theyonlyknewthree)twiceover,andendedupwith’MenofHarlech’inunison。ThentheKingstoodupinhisroyalrobeswithhishigh,narrowcrownonhisheadandshouted——
  ’BythebeakofNisroch,askwhatyouwill,strangersfromthelandwherethesunneversets!’
  ’Weoughttosayit’senoughhonour,likethedancerdid,’
  whisperedAnthea’No,let’saskforIT,’saidRobert。
  ’No,no,I’msuretheother’smanners,’saidAnthea。ButRobert,whowasexcitedbythemusic,andtheflaringtorches,andtheapplauseandtheopportunity,spokeupbeforetheotherscouldstophim。
  ’GiveusthehalfoftheAmuletthathasonitthenameURHEKAU
  SETCHEH,’hesaid,addingasanafterthought,’OKing,live—for—ever。’
  Ashespokethegreatnamethoseinthepillaredhallfellontheirfaces,andlaystill。AllbuttheQueenwhocrouchedamidhercushionswithherheadinherhands,andtheKing,whostoodupright,perfectlystill,likethestatueofakinginstone。Itwasonlyforamomentthough。Thenhisgreatvoicethunderedout——
  ’Guard,seizethem!’
  Instantly,fromnowhereasitseemed,sprangeightsoldiersinbrightarmourinlaidwithgold,andtunicsofredandwhite。
  Verysplendidtheywere,andveryalarming。
  ’Impiousandsacrilegiouswretches!’shoutedtheKing。’Tothedungeonswiththem!Wewillfindaway,tomorrow,tomakethemspeak。ForwithoutdoubttheycantelluswheretofindthelosthalfofIt。’
  Awallofscarletandwhiteandsteelandgoldcloseduproundthechildrenandhurriedthemawayamongthemanypillarsofthegreathall。Astheywenttheyheardthevoicesofthecourtiersloudinhorror。
  ’You’vedoneitthistime,’saidCyrilwithextremebitterness。
  ’Oh,itwillcomeright。ItMUST。Italwaysdoes,’saidAntheadesperately。
  Theycouldnotseewheretheyweregoing,becausetheguardsurroundedthemsoclosely,butthegroundundertheirfeet,smoothmarbleatfirst,grewrougherlikestone,thenitwaslooseearthandsand,andtheyfeltthenightair。Thentherewasmorestone,andstepsdown。
  ’It’smybeliefwereallyAREgoingtothedeepestdungeonbelowthecastlemoatthistime,’saidCyril。
  Andtheywere。Atleastitwasnotbelowamoat,butbelowtheriverEuphrates,whichwasjustasbadifnotworse。Inamostunpleasantplaceitwas。Dark,very,verydamp,andwithanodd,mustysmellratherliketheshellsofoysters。Therewasatorch——thatistosay,acopperbasketonahighstickwithoiledwoodburninginit。Byitslightthechildrensawthatthewallsweregreen,andthattricklesofwaterrandownthemanddrippedfromtheroof。Therewerethingsonthefloorthatlookedlikenewts,andinthedarkcornerscreepy,shinythingsmovedsluggishly,uneasily,horribly。
  Robert’sheartsankrightintothosereallyreliablebootsofhis。AntheaandCyrileachhadaprivatestrugglewiththatinsidedisagreeablenesswhichispartofallofus,andwhichissometimescalledtheOldAdam——andbothwerevictors。NeitherofthemsaidtoRobert(andbothtriedhardnoteventothinkit),’ThisisYOURdoing。’Antheahadtheadditionaltemptationtoadd,’Itoldyouso。’Andsheresisteditsuccessfully。
  ’Sacrilege,andimpiouscheek,’saidthecaptainoftheguardtothegaoler。’TobekeptduringtheKing’spleasure。Iexpecthemeanstogetsomepleasureoutofthemtomorrow!He’llticklethemup!’
  ’Poorlittlekids,’saidthegaoler。
  ’Oh,yes,’saidthecaptain。’I’vegotkidsofmyowntoo。Butitdoesn’tdotoletdomesticsentimentinterferewithone’spublicduties。Goodnight。’
  Thesoldierstrampedheavilyoffintheirwhiteandredandsteelandgold。Thegaoler,withabunchofbigkeysinhishand,stoodlookingpityinglyatthechildren。Heshookhisheadtwiceandwentout。
  ’Courage!’saidAnthea。’Iknowitwillbeallright。It’sonlyadreamREALLY,youknow。ItMUSTbe!Idon’tbelieveabouttimebeingonlyasomethingorotherofthought。ItISadream,andwe’reboundtowakeupallrightandsafe。’
  ’Humph,’saidCyrilbitterly。AndRobertsuddenlysaid——
  ’It’sallmydoing。IfitreallyISallupdopleasenotkeepadownonmeaboutit,andtellFather——Oh,Iforgot。’
  Whathehadforgottenwasthathisfatherwas3,000milesand5,000ormoreyearsawayfromhim。
  ’Allright,Bobs,oldman,’saidCyril;andAntheagotholdofRobert’shandandsqueezedit。
  Thenthegaolercamebackwithaplatterofhard,flatcakesmadeofcoarsegrain,verydifferentfromthecream—and—juicy—datefeastsofthepalace;alsoapitcherofwater。
  ’There,’hesaid。
  ’Oh,thankyousoverymuch。YouAREkind,’saidAntheafeverishly。
  ’Gotosleep,’saidthegaoler,pointingtoaheapofstrawinacorner;’tomorrowcomessoonenough。’
  ’Oh,dearMrGaoler,’saidAnthea,’whateverwilltheydotoustomorrow?’
  ’They’lltrytomakeyoutellthings,’saidthegaolergrimly,’andmyadviceisifyou’venothingtotell,makeupsomething。
  Thenperhapsthey’llsellyoutotheNorthernnations。RegularsavagesTHEYare。Goodnight。’
  ’Goodnight,’saidthreetremblingvoices,whichtheirownersstroveinvaintorenderfirm。Thenhewentout,andthethreewereleftaloneinthedamp,dimvault。
  ’Iknowthelightwon’tlastlong,’saidCyril,lookingattheflickeringbrazier。
  ’Isitanygood,doyouthink,callingonthenamewhenwehaven’tgotthecharm?’suggestedAnthea。
  ’Ishouldn’tthinkso。Butwemighttry。’
  Sotheytried。Buttheblanksilenceofthedampdungeonremainedunchanged。
  ’WhatwasthenametheQueensaid?’askedCyrilsuddenly。
  ’Nisbeth——Nesbit——something?Youknow,theslaveofthegreatnames?’
  ’Waitasec,’saidRobert,’thoughIdon’tknowwhyyouwantit。
  Nusroch——Nisrock——Nisroch——that’sit。’
  ThenAntheapulledherselftogether。Allhermusclestightened,andthemusclesofhermindandsoul,ifyoucancallthemthat,tightenedtoo。
  ’URHEKAUSETCHEH,’shecriedinaferventvoice。’Oh,Nisroch,servantoftheGreatOnes,comeandhelpus!’
  Therewasawaitingsilence。Thenacold,bluelightawokeinthecornerwherethestrawwas——andinthelighttheysawcomingtowardsthemastrangeandterriblefigure。Iwon’ttrytodescribeit,becausethedrawingshowsit,exactlyasitwas,andexactlyastheoldBabylonianscarveditontheirstones,sothatyoucanseeitinourownBritishMuseumatthisday。Iwilljustsaythatithadeagle’swingsandaneagle’sheadandthebodyofaman。
  Itcametowardsthem,strongandunspeakablyhorrible。
  ’Oh,goaway,’criedAnthea;butCyrilcried,’No;stay!’
  Thecreaturehesitated,thenbowedlowbeforethemonthedampfloorofthedungeon。
  ’Speak,’itsaid,inaharsh,gratingvoicelikelargerustykeysbeingturnedinlocks。’TheservantoftheGreatOnesisYOUR
  servant。WhatisyourneedthatyoucallonthenameofNisroch?’
  ’Wewanttogohome,’saidRobert。
  ’No,no,’criedAnthea;’wewanttobewhereJaneis。’
  Nisrochraisedhisgreatarmandpointedatthewallofthedungeon。And,ashepointed,thewalldisappeared,andinsteadofthedamp,green,rockysurface,thereshoneandglowedaroomwithrichhangingsofredsilkembroideredwithgoldenwater—lilies,withcushionedcouchesandgreatmirrorsofpolishedsteel;andinitwastheQueen,andbeforeher,onaredpillow,satthePsammead,itsfurhunchedupinanirritated,discontentedway。Onablue—coveredcouchlayJanefastasleep。
  ’Walkforwardwithoutfear,’saidNisroch。’IsthereaughtelsethattheServantofthegreatNamecandoforthosewhospeakthatname?’
  ’No——oh,no,’saidCyril。’It’sallrightnow。Thankseverso。’
  ’Youareadear,’criedAnthea,notintheleastknowingwhatshewassaying。’Oh,thankyouthankyou。ButDOgoNOW!’
  Shecaughtthehandofthecreature,anditwascoldandhardinhers,likeahandofstone。
  ’Goforward,’saidNisroch。Andtheywent。
  ’Oh,mygoodgracious,’saidtheQueenastheystoodbeforeher。
  ’Howdidyougethere?IKNEWyouweremagic。Imeanttoletyououtthefirstthinginthemorning,ifIcouldslipaway——butthanksbetoDagon,you’vemanageditforyourselves。Youmustgetaway。I’llwakemychiefladyandsheshallcallRitti—Marduk,andhe’llletyououtthebackway,and——’
  ’Don’trouseanybodyforgoodness’sake,’saidAnthea,’exceptJane,andI’llrouseher。’
  SheshookJanewithenergy,andJaneslowlyawoke。
  ’Ritti—Mardukbroughttheminhoursago,really,’saidtheQueen,’butIwantedtohavethePsammeadalltomyselfforabit。
  You’llexcusethelittlenaturaldeception?——it’spartoftheBabylonishcharacter,don’tyouknow?ButIdon’twantanythingtohappentoyou。Doletmerousesomeone。’
  ’No,no,no,’saidAntheawithdesperateearnestness。ShethoughtsheknewenoughofwhattheBabylonianswerelikewhentheywereroused。’Wecangobyourownmagic。AndyouwilltelltheKingitwasn’tthegaoler’sfault。ItwasNisroch。’
  ’Nisroch!’echoedtheQueen。’Youareindeedmagicians。’
  Janesatup,blinkingstupidly。
  ’HoldItup,andsaytheword,’criedCyril,catchingupthePsammead,whichmechanicallybithim,butonlyveryslightly。
  ’WhichistheEast?’askedJane。
  ’Behindme,’saidtheQueen。’Why?’
  ’UrHekauSetcheh,’saidJanesleepily,andheldupthecharm。
  Andtheretheyallwereinthedining—roomat300,FitzroyStreet。
  ’Jane,’criedCyrilwithgreatpresenceofmind,’goandgettheplateofsanddownforthePsammead。’
  Janewent。
  ’Lookhere!’hesaidquickly,asthesoundofherbootsgrewlessloudonthestairs,’don’tlet’stellheraboutthedungeonandallthat。It’llonlyfrightenhersothatshe’llneverwanttogoanywhereelse。’
  ’Righto!’saidCyril;butAntheafeltthatshecouldnothavesaidawordtosaveherlife。
  ’Whydidyouwanttocomebackinsuchahurry?’askedJane,returningwiththeplateofsand。’ItwasawfullyjollyinBabylon,Ithink!Ilikeditnoend。’
  ’Oh,yes,’saidCyrilcarelessly。’Itwasjollyenough,ofcourse,butIthoughtwe’dbeentherelongenough。Motheralwayssaysyououghtn’ttowearoutyourwelcome!’
  CHAPTER8
  THEQUEENINLONDON
  ’Nowtelluswhathappenedtoyou,’saidCyriltoJane,whenheandtheothershadtoldherallabouttheQueen’stalkandthebanquet,andthevarietyentertainment,carefullystoppingshortbeforethebeginningofthedungeonpartofthestory。
  ’Itwasn’tmuchgoodgoing,’saidJane,’ifyoudidn’teventrytogettheAmulet。’
  ’Wefoundoutitwasnogo,’saidCyril;’it’snottobegotinBabylon。Itwaslostbeforethat。We’llgotosomeotherjollyfriendlyplace,whereeveryoneiskindandpleasant,andlookforitthere。Nowtellusaboutyourpart。’
  ’Oh,’saidJane,’theQueen’smanwiththesmoothface——whatwashisname?’
  ’Ritti—Marduk,’saidCyril。
  ’Yes,’saidJane,’Ritti—Marduk,hecameformejustafterthePsammeadhadbittentheguard—of—the—gate’swife’slittleboy,andhetookmetothePalace。AndwehadsupperwiththenewlittleQueenfromEgypt。Sheisadear——notmucholderthanyou。
  ShetoldmeheapsaboutEgypt。Andweplayedballaftersupper。
  AndthentheBabylonQueensentforme。Ilikehertoo。AndshetalkedtothePsammeadandIwenttosleep。Andthenyouwokemeup。That’sall。’
  ThePsammead,rousedfromitssoundsleep,toldthesamestory。
  ’But,’itadded,’whatpossessedyoutotellthatQueenthatI
  couldgivewishes?Isometimesthinkyouwerebornwithouteventhemostrudimentaryimitationofbrains。’
  Thechildrendidnotknowthemeaningofrudimentary,butitsoundedarude,insultingword。
  ’Idon’tseethatwedidanyharm,’saidCyrilsulkily。
  ’Oh,no,’saidthePsammeadwithwitheringirony,’notatall!
  Ofcoursenot!Quitethecontrary!Exactlyso!Onlyshehappenedtowishthatshemightsoonfindherselfinyourcountry。Andsoonmaymeananymoment。’
  ’Thenit’syourfault,’saidRobert,’becauseyoumightjustaswellhavemade"soon"meansomemomentnextyearornextcentury。’
  ’That’swhereyou,assooftenhappens,makethemistake,’
  rejoinedtheSand—fairy。’_I_couldn’tmeananythingbutwhatSHEmeantby"soon"。Itwasn’tmywish。AndwhatSHEmeantwasthenexttimetheKinghappenstogooutlionhunting。Soshe’llhaveawholeday,andperhapstwo,todoasshewisheswith。SHE
  doesn’tknowabouttimeonlybeingamodeofthought。’
  ’Well,’saidCyril,withasighofresignation,’wemustdowhatwecantogiveheragoodtime。Shewasjollydecenttous。I
  say,supposeweweretogotoStJames’sParkafterdinnerandfeedthoseducksthatweneverdidfeed。AfterallthatBabylonandallthoseyearsago,IfeelasifIshouldliketoseesomethingREAL,andNOW。You’llcome,Psammead?’
  ’Where’smypricelesswovenbasketofsacredrushes?’askedthePsammeadmorosely。’Ican’tgooutwithnothingon。AndI
  won’t,what’smore。’
  Andtheneverybodyrememberedwithpainthatthebassbaghad,inthehurryofdeparturefromBabylon,notbeenremembered。