The Story of the Amulet

e gravy had become cold, and consequently white. It looked very nasty, and it was the first thing the children saw when, after knocking three times and receiving no reply, one of them ventur

hind, with little strange things in them. The cases

lso of the long snail's eyes of the Psammead. The gentleman was very long and thin, and his long, thin boots stuck out under the other side of his table. He did not hear the door open, and the children stood hesitating. At last Robert gave

um at once and find out. Anyway, it is not at all the sort of thing that you expect to meet in a

er loud, and their boots cla

said-'I beg your pardon,' in a very soft, quiet pleasa

said Cyril politely. 'We

ed courtesy, Anthea told herself. 'I am delighted to see you. W

miling and looking kindly throu

spered Robert, 'and he doesn't see

isn't manners to whisper.

Run away now", or that you couldn't be bothered just now, or to come when you weren't so busy, or any of the things peopl

id the gentleman

e first chair had things like bricks that tiny, tiny birds' feet have walked over when the bricks were soft, only the marks were in regular lines. The

t a charm, and we want you to read the name on it, because it isn

s is a very fair foundation on which to buil

d I'm only in Caesar with that.' The gentleman took off his spectacles and la

live downstairs, are you not? Yes. I have seen you as I have passed in and out. And you have found something that

nspect it,' said the truthful Anthea. 'It was just

think it rude of us if we ask you first, before we

nour and upright de

ollow you,' said the gentle

ame that's on it. But, of course, if you've got another name that can lick ours, our charm will be no go; so we want you to give us your word of honour as a gentleman-though I'm sure, now

s looking at Cyril through them. He now said: 'Bless

said Cyril. 'I'm ver

for he smiled. 'I see,' he said. 'It is some sort of game that you are engaged in? Of cour

said Cyril; and Anthea said, 'Her

ok it. But after the first glance all his body suddenly

d it over. He fixed his spy-glass in his eye and looked again. No one said anything. Only Robert made a shuff

ou find this

a shop. Jacob Absalom the name is-no

nd-sixpence for

I suppose? You do not

s extremely valuable-extraord

know that, so of cour

essively; 'and if ever you should wish to part wit

ref

ne else until you have given me

't. But we don't want to sell it

at anything else,' said the gentleman; 'b

aren't if I could tell you about our last summer holidays. On

can re

he name,' said the gentle

'Thanks awfully. I do hope we have

do let me entreat you to be very, very

hink of, and filed out of the door and down the stairs. Anthea was

he mummy-case were standing opposite to each other, and

ed when Anthea put

hink you ought to eat it? Father forgets his dinner sometimes when he's writing, and Mother always says I

nd my reminding you, because you don

nly did not look as though it would ever

looked at her for a

ly thought. No, I haven't anyone t

and looked

ery nasty,'

es. I'll eat it immedi

because he longed for the charm which the children did not want to sell, perhaps

is done, because you might try to do it. And for you any such trying would be almost sure to end in disappointment. Because in the first place it is a thousand million to one against your ev

room, because in the parlour they might have been interrupted by old Nurse's comi

Through the open window came the hum and rattle of London, an

room was dark. The world outside was dark-darker than the darkest night that ever was. And all the sounds went out too, so that there was a silence

the middle of the circle, and at the same moment a faint, beautiful voice began to speak. The light was too small for one to

arts from the middle of the circle. And the voice grew, not so much in loudness as in sweetness (though it grew louder, too), till it was so sweet that you wanted to cry with pleasure just

e voic

is it that yo

me presence in the charm. The children could not have told you either. Indeed, they could not look at the charm while it was speaking, because the light was too bright. They looked instead at the green radiance on the faded Kidderminster carpet at the edge of the circle. They all felt very quiet, and not incl

il who sai

now where the other

nd into the dust of the shrine that held it. It and the pin that joined the two halves

all up?' said Cyril at last; 'it's no use our looking for a thing t

e voice, 'You must seek it wher

derstand,'

u may find it,'

AY find it,'

the Past. If you were in the Past, too, you could find it. It's very difficu

,' sai

ther. What I mean is that if you were only made the right way, you could se

' said Anthea; 'I'm

is in the Past. Therefore it's in the Past we must look for it.

other part of you?' a

st,' said

rt of th

time, I will take you to the place that

asked Anthea-'I mean, when

iful voic

ould rebuild it one spoke a word before which my power bowed down and was still. And the Amulet lay there, still perfect, but enslaved. Then one coming with stones to rebuild the shrine, dropped a hewn stone on the Amulet as it lay, and one half was sundered from the other. I had no power to seek for that which was lost. And there being none to speak the word of power, I could not rejoin it. So the Amulet lay in the dust of the desert many t

at he took an army to Egypt, and that afterwards a lot of wise people went grubbing in the sand, and fished up all sorts of wonderfu

is not easy to do this clearly when you have been l

t Robe

her thing were together. If you could take us there, we might fin

ck into the Past it won't be thousands of years ago. It will

r off the idea as

us back to when there was a shrine

with the first-born, you shall pass through me into the Past. But let the last that passes be the on

asty idea,'

up towards the East, and speak the word. Then, passing through me

A bell ra

please make it proper daylight again so that we can g

very much indeed, thank y

these suddenly changed to the dazzlement of day and the great soft, rustli

th, and the others went down to tea. And until the cups were actually fi

rs to allow her to hang the charm r

lost anywhere, you know, and it would be rather beastly for u