按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
nd even catch a glimpse of the empty room from which she had set out。 (she had; of course; left the door open; for she knew that it is a very silly thing to shut oneself into a wardrobe。) it seemed to be still daylight there。 〃i can always get back if anything goes wrong;〃 thought lucy。 she began to walk forward; crunch…crunch over the snow and through the wood towards the other light。 in about ten minutes she reached it and found it was a lamp…post。 as she stood looking at it; wondering why there was a lamp…post in the middle of a wood and wondering what to do next; she heard a pitter patter of feet ing towards her。 and soon after that a very strange person stepped out from among the trees into the light of the lamp…post。
he was only a little taller than lucy herself and he carried over his head an umbrella; white with snow。 from the waist upwards he was like a man; but his legs were shaped like a goats (the hair on them was glossy black) and instead of feet he had goats hoofs。
he also had a tail; but lucy did not notice this at first because it was neatly caught up over the arm that held the umbrella so as to keep it from trailing in the snow。 he had a red woollen muffler round his neck and his skin was rather reddish too。 he had a strange; but pleasant little face; with a short pointed beard and curly hair; and out of the hair there stuck two horns; one on each side of his forehead。 one of his hands; as i have said; held
the umbrella: in the other arm he carried several brown…paper parcels。 what with the parcels and the snow it looked just as if he had been doing his christmas shopping。 he was a faun。 and when he saw lucy he gave such a start of surprise that he dropped all his parcels。
〃goodness gracious me!〃 exclaimed the faun。
ww銆w。x锛゛oshuotxt。銆
CHAPTER TWO
銆灏忥伎璇磘…x…t锛垮ぉ/鍫
what lucy found there 〃good evening;〃 said lucy。 but the faun was so busy picking up its parcels that at first it did not reply。 when it had finished it made her a little bow。
〃good evening; good evening;〃 said the faun。 〃excuse me … i dont want to be inquisitive … but should i be right in thinking that you are a daughter of eve?鈥
〃my names lucy;〃 said she; not quite understanding him。
〃but you are … forgive me … you are what they call a girl?〃 said the faun。
〃of course im a girl;〃 said lucy。
〃you are in fact human?鈥
〃of course im human;〃 said lucy; still a little puzzled。
〃to be sure; to be sure;〃 said the faun。 〃how stupid of me! but ive never seen a son of adam or a daughter of eve before。 i am delighted。 that is to say …〃 and then it stopped as if it had been going to say something it had not intended but had remembered in time。
〃delighted; delighted;〃 it went on。 〃allow me to introduce myself。 my name is tumnus。鈥
〃i am very pleased to meet you; mr tumnus;〃 said lucy。
〃and may i ask; o lucy daughter of eve;〃 said mr tumnus; 〃how you have e into narnia?鈥
〃narnia? whats that?〃 said lucy。
〃this is the land of narnia;〃 said the faun; 〃where we are now; all that lies between the lamp…post and the great castle of cair paravel on the eastern sea。 and you … you have e from the wild woods of the west?鈥
〃i … i got in through the wardrobe in the spare room;〃 said lucy。
〃ah!〃 said mr tumnus in a rather melancholy voice; 〃if only i had worked harder at geography when i was a little faun; i should no doubt know all about those strange countries。 it is too late now。鈥
〃but they arent countries at all;〃 said lucy; almost laughing。 〃its only just back there … at least … im not sure。 it is summer there。鈥
〃meanwhile;〃 said mr tumnus; 〃it is winter in narnia; and has been for ever so long; and we shall both catch cold if we stand here talking in the snow。 daughter of eve from the far land of spare oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of war drobe; how would it be if you came and had tea with me?鈥
〃thank you very much; mr tumnus;〃 said lucy。 〃but i was wondering whether i ought to be getting back。鈥
〃its only just round the corner;〃 said the faun; 〃and therell be a roaring fire … and toast … and sardines … and cake。鈥
〃well; its very kind of you;〃 said lucy。 〃but i shant be able to stay long。鈥
〃if you will take my arm; daughter of eve;〃 said mr tumnus; 〃i shall be able to hold the umbrella over both of us。 thats the way。 now … off we go。鈥
and so lucy found herself walking through the wood arm in arm with this strange creature as if they had known one another all their lives。
they had not gone far before they came to a place where the ground became rough and there were rocks all about and little hills up and little hills down。 at the bottom of one small valley mr tumnus turned suddenly aside as if he were going to walk straight into an unusually large rock; but at the last moment lucy found he was leading her into the entrance of a cave。 as soon as they were inside she found herself blinking in the light of a wood fire。 then mr tumnus stooped and took a flaming piece of wood out of the fire with a neat little pair of tongs; and lit a lamp。 〃now we shant be long;〃 he said; and immediately put a kettle on。
lucy thought she had never been in a nicer place。 it was a little; dry; clean cave of reddish stone with a carpet on the floor and two little chairs (〃one for me and one for a friend;〃 said mr tumnus) and a table and a dresser and a mantelpiece over the fire and above that a picture of an old faun with a grey beard。 in one corner there was a door which lucy thought must lead to mr tumnuss bedroom; and on one wall was a shelf full of books。 lucy looked at these while he was setting out the tea things。 they had titles like the life and letters of silenus or nymphs and their ways or men; monks and gamekeepers; a study in popular legend or is man a myth?
〃now; daughter of eve!〃 said the faun。
and really it was a wonderful tea。 there was a nice brown egg; lightly boiled; for each of them; and then sardines on toast; and then buttered toast; and then toast with honey; and then a sugar…topped cake。 and when lucy was tired of eating the faun began to talk。 he had wonderful tales to tell of life in the forest。 he told about the midnight dances and how the nymphs who lived in the wells and the dryads who lived in the trees came out to dance with the fauns; about long hunting parties after the milk…white stag who could give you wishes if you caught him; about feasting and treasure…seeking with the wild red dwarfs in deep mines and caverns far beneath the forest floor; and then about summer when the woods were green and old silenus on his fat donkey would e to visit them; and sometimes bacchus himself; and then the streams would run with wine instead of water and the whole forest would give itself up to jollification for weeks on end。 〃not that it isnt always winter now;〃 he added gloomily。 then to cheer himself up he took out from its case on the dresser a strange little flute that looked as if it were made of straw and began to play。 and the tune he played made lucy want to cry and laugh and dance and go to sleep all at the same time。 it must have been hours l