Chapter 16

THE HEALING OF HARMS

WHEN Jill woke next morning and found herself in a cave, she thought for one horrid moment that she was back in the Underworld. But when she noticed that she was lying on a bed of heather with a furry mantle over her, and saw a cheery fire crackling (as if newly lit) on a stone hearth and, farther off, morning sunlight coming in through the cave's mouth, she remembered all the happy truth. They had had a delightful supper, all crowded into that cave, in spite of being so sleepy before it was properly over. She had a vague impression of Dwarfs crowding round the fire with frying-pans rather bigger than themselves, and the hissing, and delicious smell of sausages, and more, and more, and more sausages. And not wretched sausages half full of bread and soya bean either, but real meaty, spicy ones, fat and piping hot and burst and just the tiniest bit burnt. And great mugs of frothy chocolate, and roast potatoes and roast chestnuts, and baked apples with raisins stuck in where the cores had been, and then ices just to freshen you up after all the hot things.

Jill sat up and looked around. Puddleglum and Eustace were lying not far away, both fast asleep.

"Hi, you two!" shouted Jill in a loud voice. "Aren't you ever going to get up?"

"Shoo, shoo!" said a sleepy voice somewhere above her. "Time to be settling down. Have a good snooze, do, do. Don't make a to-do. Tu-whoo!"

"Why, I do believe," said Jill, glancing up at a white bundle of fluffy feathers which was perched on top of a grandfather clock in one corner of the cave, "I do believe it's Glimfeather!"

"True, true," whirred the Owl, lifting its head out from under its wing and opening one eye. "I came up with a message for the Prince at about two. The squirrels brought us the good news. Message for the Prince. He's gone. You're to follow too. Good-day -" and the head disappeared again.

As there seemed no further hope of getting any information from the Owl, Jill got up and began looking round for any chance of a wash and some breakfast. But almost at once a little Faun came trotting into the cave with a sharp click-clack of his goaty hoofs on the stone floor.

"Ah! You've woken up at last, Daughter of Eve," he said. "Perhaps you'd better wake the Son of Adam. You've got to be off in a few minutes and two Centaurs have very kindly offered to let you ride on their backs down to Cair Paravel." He added in a lower voice. "Of course, you realize it is a most special and unheard-of honour to be allowed to ride a Centaur. I don't know that I ever heard of anyone doing it before. It wouldn't do to keep them waiting."

"Where's the Prince?" was the first question of Eustace and Puddleglum as soon as they had been wakened.

"He's gone down to meet the King, his father, at Cair Paravel," answered the Faun, whose name was Orruns. "His Majesty's ship is expected in harbour any moment. It seems that the King met Aslan - I don't know whether it was in a vision or face to face - before he had sailed far, and Aslan turned him back and told him he would find his long-lost son awaiting him when he reached Narnia."

Eustace was now up and he and Jill set about helping Orruns to get the breakfast. Puddleglum was told to stay in bed. A Centaur called Cloudbirth, a famous healer, or (as Orruns called it) a 'leech', was coming to see to his burnt foot.

"Ah!" said Puddleglum in a tone almost of contentment, "he'll want to have the leg off at the knee, I shouldn't wonder. You see if he doesn't." But he was quite glad to stay in bed.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs and toast and Eustace tackled it just as if he had not had a very large supper in the middle of the night.

"I say, Son of Adam," said the Faun, looking with a certain awe at Eustace's mouthfuls. "There's no need to hurry quite so dreadfully as that. I don't think the Centaurs have quite finished their breakfasts yet."

"Then they must have got up very late," said Eustace. "I bet it's after ten o'clock."

"Oh no," said Orruns. "They got up before it was light."

"Then they must have waited the dickens of a time for breakfast," said Eustace.

"No, they didn't," said Orruns. "They began eating the minute they awoke."

"Golly!" said Eustace. "Do they eat a very big breakfast?"

"Why, Son of Adam, don't you understand? A Centaur has a man-stomach and a horse-stomach. And of course both want breakfast. So first of all he has porridge and pavenders and kidneys and bacon and omelette and cold ham and toast and marmalade and coffee and beer. And after that he attends to the horse part of himself by grazing for an hour or so and finishing up with a hot mash, some oats, and a bag of sugar. That's why it's such a serious thing to ask a Centaur to stay for the week-end. A very serious thing indeed."

At that moment there was a sound of horse-hoofs tapping on rock from the mouth of the cave, and the children looked up. The two Centaurs, one with a black and one with a golden beard flowing over their magnificent bare chests, stood waiting for them, bending their heads a little so as to look into the cave. Then the children became very polite and finished their breakfast very quickly. No one thinks a Centaur funny when he sees it. They are solemn, majestic people, full of ancient wisdom which they learn from the stars, not easily made either merry or angry; but their anger is terrible as a tidal wave when it comes.

"Good-bye, dear Puddleglum," said Jill, going over to the Marsh-wiggle's bed. "I'm sorry we called you a wet blanket."

"So'm I," said Eustace. "You've been the best friend in the world."

"And I do hope we'll meet again," added Jill.

"Not much chance of that, I should say," replied Puddleglum. "1 don't reckon I'm very likely to see my old wigwam again either. And that Prince - he's a nice chap - but do you think he's very strong? Constitution ruined with living underground, I shouldn't wonder. Looks the sort that might go off any day."

"Puddleglum!" said Jill. "You're a regular old humbug. You sound as doleful as a funeral and I believe you're perfectly happy. And you talk as if you were afraid of everything, when you're really as brave as-as a lion."

"Now, speaking of funerals," began Puddleglum, but Jill, who heard the Centaurs tapping with their hoofs behind her, surprised him very much by flinging her arms round his thin neck and kissing his muddy-looking face, while Eustace wrung his hand. Then they both rushed away to the Centaurs, and the Marsh-wiggle, sinking back on his bed, remarked to himself, "Well, I wouldn't have dreamt of her doing that. Even though I am a good-looking chap."

To ride on a Centaur is, no doubt, a great honour (and except Jill and Eustace there is probably no one alive in the world today who has had it) but it is very uncomfortable. For no one who valued his life would suggest putting a saddle on a Centaur, and riding bare-back is no fun; especially if, like Eustace, you have never learned to ride at all. The Centaurs were very polite in a grave, gracious, grown-up kind of way, and as they cantered through the Narnian woods they spoke, without turning their heads, telling the children about the properties of herbs and roots, the influences of the planets, the nine names of Aslan with their meanings, and things of that sort. But however sore and jolted the two humans were, they would now give anything to have that journey over again: to see those glades and slopes sparkling with last night's snow, to be met by rabbits and squirrels and birds that wished you good morning, to breathe again the air of Narnia and hear the voices of the Narnian trees.

They came down to the river, flowing bright and blue in winter sunshine, far below the last bridge (which is at the snug, red-roofed little town of Beruna) and were ferried across in a flat barge by the ferryman; or rather, by the ferry-wiggle, for it is Marsh-wiggles who do most of the watery and fishy kinds of work in Narnia. And when they had crossed they rode along the south bank of the river and presently came to Cair Paravel itself. And at the very moment of their arrival they saw that same bright ship which they had seen when they first set foot in Narnia, gliding up the river like a huge bird. All the court were once more assembled on the green between the castle and the quay to welcome King Caspian home again. Rilian, who had changed his black clothes and was now dressed in a scarlet cloak over silver mail, stood close to the water's edge, bare-headed, to receive his father; and the Dwarf Trumpkin sat beside him in his little donkey-chair. The children saw there would be no chance of reaching the Prince through all that crowd, and, anyway, they now felt rather shy. So they asked the Centaurs if they might go on sitting on their backs a little longer and thus see everything over the heads of the courtiers. And the Centaurs said they might.

A flourish of silver trumpets came over the water from the ship's deck: the sailors threw a rope; rats (Talking Rats, of course) and Marsh-wiggles made it fast ashore; and the ship was warped in. Musicians, hidden somewhere in the crowd, began to play solemn, triumphal music. And soon the King's galleon was alongside and the Rats ran the gangway on board her.

Jill expected to see the old King come down it. But there appeared to be some hitch. A Lord with a pale face came ashore and knelt to the Prince and to Trumpkin. The three were talking with their heads close together for a few minutes, but no one could hear what they said. The music played on, but you could feel that everyone was becoming uneasy. Then four Knights, carrying something and going very slowly, appeared on deck. When they started to come down the gangway you could see what they were carrying: it was the old King on a bed, very pale and still. They set him down. The Prince knelt beside him and embraced him. They could see King Caspian raising his hand to bless his son. And everyone cheered, but it was a half-hearted cheer, for they all felt that something was going wrong. Then suddenly the King's head fell back upon his pillows, the musicians stopped and there was a dead silence. The Prince, kneeling by the King's bed, laid down his head upon it and wept.

There were whisperings and goings to and fro. Then Jill noticed that all who wore hats, bonnets, helmets, or hoods were taking them off - Eustace included. Then she heard a rustling and flapping noise up above the castle; when she looked she saw that the great banner with the golden Lion on it was being brought down to half-mast. And after that, slowly, mercilessly, with wailing strings and disconsolate blowing of horns, the music began again: this time, a tune to break your heart.

They both slipped off their Centaurs (who took no notice of them).

"I wish I was at home," said Jill.

Eustace nodded, saying nothing, and bit his lip.

"I have come," said a deep voice behind them. They turned and saw the Lion himself, so bright and real and strong that everything else began at once to look pale and shadowy compared with him. And in less time than it takes to breathe Jill forgot about the dead King of Narnia and remembered only how she had made Eustace fall over the cliff, and how she had helped to muff nearly all the signs, and about all the snappings and quarrellings. And she wanted to say "I'm sorry" but she could not speak. Then the Lion drew them towards him with his eyes, and bent down and touched their pale faces with his tongue, and said:

"Think of that no more. I will not always be scolding. You have done the work for which I sent you into Narnia."

"Please, Aslan," said Jill, "may we go home now?"

"Yes. I have come to bring you Home," said Aslan. Then he opened his mouth wide and blew. But this time they had no sense of flying through the air: instead, it seemed that they remained still, and the wild breath of Aslan blew away the ship and the dead King and the castle and the snow and the winter sky. For all these things floated off into the air like wreaths of smoke, and suddenly they were standing in a great brightness of mid-summer sunshine, on smooth turf, among mighty trees, and beside a fair, fresh stream.

Then they saw that they were once more on the Mountain of Aslan, high up above and beyond the end of that world in which Narnia lies. But the strange thing was that the funeral music for King Caspian still went on, though no one could tell where it came from. They were walking beside the stream and the Lion went before them: and he became so beautiful, and the music so despairing, that Jill did not know which of them it was that filled her eyes with tears.

Then Aslan stopped, and the children looked into the stream. And there, on the golden gravel of the bed of the stream, lay King Caspian, dead, with the water flowing over him like liquid glass. His long white beard swayed in it like water-weed. And all three stood and wept. Even the Lion wept: great Lion-tears, each tear more precious than the Earth would be if it was a single solid diamond. And Jill noticed that Eustace looked neither like a child crying, nor like a boy crying and wanting to hide it, but like a grownup crying. At least, that is the nearest she could get to it; but really, as she said, people don't seem to have any particular ages on that mountain.

"Son of Adam," said Aslan, "go into that thicket and pluck the thorn that you will find there, and bring it to me."

Eustace obeyed. The thorn was a foot long and sharp as a rapier.

"Drive it into my paw, Son of Adam," said Aslan, holding up his right fore-paw and spreading out the great pad towards Eustace.

"Must I?" said Eustace.

"Yes," said Aslan.

Then Eustace set his teeth and drove the thorn into the Lion's pad. And there came out a great drop of blood, redder than all redness that you have ever seen or imagined.

And it splashed into the stream over the dead body of the King. At the same moment the doleful music stopped. And the dead King began to be changed. His white beard turned to grey, and from grey to yellow, and got shorter and vanished altogether; and his sunken cheeks grew round and fresh, and the wrinkles were smoothed, and his eyes opened, and his eyes and lips both laughed, and suddenly he leaped up and stood before them - a very young man, or a boy. (But Jill couldn't say which, because of people having no particular ages in Aslan's country. Even in this world, of course, it is the stupidest children who are most childish and the stupidest grown-ups who are most grownup.) And he rushed to Aslan and flung his arms as far as they would go round the huge neck; and he gave Aslan the strong kisses of a King, and Aslan gave him the wild kisses of a Lion.

At last Caspian turned to the others. He gave a great laugh of astonished joy.

"Why! Eustace!" he said. "Eustace! So you did reach the end of the world after all. What about my second-best sword that you broke on the sea-serpent?"

Eustace made a step towards him with both hands held out, but then drew back with a somewhat startled expression.

"Look here! I say," he stammered. "It's all very well. But aren't you? - I mean didn't you -?"

"Oh, don't be such an ass," said Caspian.

"But," said Eustace, looking at Aslan. "Hasn't he - er died?"

"Yes," said the Lion in a very quiet voice, almost (Jill thought) as if he were laughing. "He has died. Most people have, you know. Even I have. There are very few who haven't."

"Oh," said Caspian. "I see what's bothering you. You think I'm a ghost, or some nonsense. But don't you see? I would be that if I appeared in Narnia now: because I don't belong there any more. But one can't be a ghost in one's own country. I might be a ghost if I got into your world. I don't know. But I suppose it isn't yours either, now you're here."

A great hope rose in the children's hearts. But Aslan shook his shaggy head. "No, my dears," he said. "When you meet me here again, you will have come to stay. But not now. You must go back to your own world for a while."

"Sir," said Caspian, "I've always wanted to have just one glimpse of their world. Is that wrong?"

"You cannot want wrong things any more, now that you have died, my son," said Aslan. "And you shall see their world - for five minutes of their time. It will take no longer for you to set things right there." Then Aslan explained to Caspian what Jill and Eustace were going back to and all about Experiment House: he seemed to know it quite as well as they did.

"Daughter," said Aslan to Jill, "pluck a switch off that bush." She did; and as soon as it was in her hand it turned into a fine new riding crop.

"Now, Sons of Adam, draw your swords," said Aslan. "But use only the flat, for it is cowards and children, not warriors, against whom 1 send you."

"Are you coming with us, Aslan?" said Jill.

"They shall see only my back," said Aslan.

He led them rapidly through the wood, and before they had gone many paces, the wall of Experiment House appcared before them. Then Aslan roared so that the sun shook in the sky and thirty feet of the wall fell down before them. They looked through the gap, down into the school shrubbery and on to the roof of the gym, all under the same dull autumn sky which they had seen before their adventures began. Aslan turned to Jill and Eustace and breathed upon them and touched their foreheads with his tongue. Then he lay down amid the gap he had made in the wall and turned his golden back to England, and his lordly face towards his own lands. At the same moment Jill saw figures whom she knew only too well running up through the laurels towards them. Most of the gang were there Adela Pennyfather and Cholmondely Major, Edith Winterblott, `Spotty' Sorrier, big Bannister, and the two loathsome Garrett twins. But suddenly they stopped. Their faces changed, and all the meanness, conceit, cruelty, and sneakishness almost disappeared in one single expression of terror. For they saw the wall fallen down, and a lion as large as a young elephant lying in the gap, and three figures in glittering clothes with weapons in their hands rushing down upon them. For, with the strength of Aslan in them, Jill plied her crop on the girls and Caspian and Eustace plied the flats of their swords on the boys so well that in two minutes all the bullies were running like mad, crying out, `Murder! Fascists! Lions! It isn't fair.' And then the Head (who was, by the way, a woman) came running out to see what was happening. And when she saw the lion and the broken wall and Caspian and Jill and Eustace (whom she quite failed to recognize) she had hysterics and went back to the house and began ringing up the police with stories about a lion escaped from a circus, and escaped convicts who broke down walls and carried drawn swords. In the midst of all this fuss Jill and Eustace slipped quietly indoors and changed out of their bright clothes into ordinary things, and Caspian went back into his own world. And the wall, at Aslan's word, was made whole again. When the police arrived and found no lion, no broken wall, and no convicts, and the Head behaving like a lunatic, there was an inquiry into the whole thing. And in the inquiry all sorts of things about Experiment House came out, and about ten people got expelled. After that, the Head's friends saw that the Head was no use as a Head, so they got her made an Inspector to interfere with other Heads. And when they found she wasn't much good even at that, they got her into Parliament where she lived happily ever after.

Eustace buried his fine clothes secretly one night in the school grounds, but Jill smuggled hers home and wore them at a fancy-dress ball next holidays. And from that day forth things changed for the better at Experiment House, and it became quite a good school. And Jill and Eustace were always friends.

But far off in Narnia, King Rilian buried his father, Caspian the Navigator, Tenth of that name, and mourned for him. He himself ruled Narnia well and the land was happy in his days, though Puddleglum (whose foot was as good as new in three weeks) often pointed out that bright mornings brought on wet afternoons, and that you couldn't expect good times to last. The opening into the hillside was left open, and often in hot summer days the Narnians go in there with ships and lanterns and down to the water and sail to and fro, singing, on the cool, dark underground sea, telling each other stories of the cities that lie fathoms deep below. If ever you have the luck to go to Narnia yourself, do not forget to have a look at those caves.

      16、皆大欢喜
      第二天早上吉尔醒来发现自己在一个山洞里，一时吓坏了，竟以为又回到地下世界去了。不过等她注意到自己正躺在一张石南铺成的床上，盖着一件皮斗篷，看见石头壁炉里的火正劈劈啪啪响得欢(像是刚刚生好的)，在那一边，早上的阳光正从山洞口照进来，她这才想起了一切快乐的现实。尽管晚餐还没正式结束，她就困得要命，可是他们总算美美吃了一顿晚餐，大家都挤进那个山洞里，她模模糊糊地记得好多小矮人围在炉火边，拿着比他们自己还大的煎锅，还有煎得嘶嘶响的、美味可口的香肠，有好多，好多，好多香肠呢。不是那种里面一半塞满面包和黄豆的劣质香肠，而是肉多味辣、肥壮滚烫、煎得裂开、略微焦黄的真正香肠。还有一大杯一大杯满是泡沫的巧克力、烤土豆、烤栗子、挖掉心子里面塞满葡萄干的烘苹果。随后还有雪糕，让你吃了那么多热的以后提提神。
      吉尔坐起来看看周围，普德格伦和尤斯塔斯就睡在离她不远的地方，两个都睡得很熟。“嗨，你们两个!”吉尔大声叫道，“你们还不打算起来吗？”
      “嘘，嘘，”她上面有个睡意蒙眬的声音说，“是安静下来的时候了。好好睡一觉。睡吧，睡吧。别吵。喔嗬!”“咦，我就相信，”吉尔说着，朝山洞一角那只落地大钟顶上雪白一团蓬蓬松松的羽毛看了一眼，“我就相信那准是格里姆费瑟!”
      “不错，不错，”猫头鹰呼噜呼噜说，脑袋从翅膀下伸出来，张开一只眼睛，“我在两点钟左右给王子送了个信。是松鼠带来的好消息。给王子的信。他走了。你们也要跟着去。再见……”脑袋又不见了。2
      看来没希望从猫头鹰那儿再打听到什么消息了，吉尔起来开始到处看看有没有机会洗漱一下，吃点早饭。不料一只小羊怪几乎一下子就一溜小跑进了山洞，羊蹄子踩着石板地发出清脆的咔哒咔哒声。,
      “啊呀，你总算醒了，夏娃的女儿，”它说，“也许你最好叫醒亚当的儿子，你们一会儿工夫就要走了，两匹人头马恭请你们骑上它们去凯尔帕拉维尔。”它放低声音又说，“当然，你们要明白，骑人头马这可是一种闻所未闻的特殊荣誉。我就从来没听见过以前有谁骑过。让它们等着可不好。”
      尤斯塔斯和普德格伦一被叫醒首先就问：“王子到哪儿去了?”
      “他到凯尔帕拉维尔去见他父王了，”那只名叫沃伦斯的羊怪回答说，“陛下的船随时都会进港。看来好像是国王还没走远就遇见了阿斯兰——我不知道是在梦里看见，还是当面碰到——阿斯兰就叫他回来，还告诉他，他到达纳尼亚的时候，就会看到失踪已久的儿子在等着他。”
      尤斯塔斯已经起来了，他和吉尔动手帮沃伦斯准备早餐。普德格伦按吩咐躺在床上。有匹名叫克劳德伯斯的人头马是有名的郎中，或者说(沃伦斯那么称呼它)“医师”，要来治疗它那只烧伤的脚。
      “啊!”普德格伦说话的声调几乎是心满意足的了，“它会把我的腿齐膝截掉，这我不奇怪。它不截掉才怪呢。”不过它倒很高兴躺在床上。
      早餐是炒蛋和烤面包片，尤斯塔斯那副吃相就像他半夜里并没吃过一顿丰富的晚餐似的。
      “嗨，亚当的儿子，”羊怪说，看着尤斯塔斯大口大口地吃，不免有点害怕，“用不着那么急急忙忙，吃得那么快。我想人头马这会儿还没吃好早餐呢。”
      “那么它们一定起来得很晚，”尤斯塔斯说，“我敢说现在已经有十点多了。”
      “哦，不，”沃伦斯说，“它们天不亮就起来了。”
      “那么它们一定是在等开早餐的时间。”尤斯塔斯说。
      “不，它们没等，”沃伦斯说，“它们一醒来就开始吃。”
      “天哪，”尤斯塔斯说，“他们要吃一大份早餐吗?”
      “怎么，亚当的儿子，难道你不明白?一匹人头马有一个人的胃和一个马的胃。当然两个胃都要填上早餐。因此它先吃点粥和帕文德鱼、腰子、熏肉、煎蛋卷、冷火腿、烤面包片、果酱、咖啡和啤酒。吃过后再照顾自己身上马的那一部分，吃上一个多小时的青草，临了再来点热面糊，一点燕麦和一袋糖。这就是为什么说邀请人头马来度周末是件大事。的确是件天大的事。”
      那时山洞口传达了马蹄叩击石头的声音，两个孩子抬头望去。两匹人头马，一匹是黑胡子，一匹是金黄色胡子，胡子飘拂在它们健壮的光胸脯上，正站着等他们。人头马还把头低下来，往山洞里看。于是两个孩子变得很有礼貌，快快地吃完了早餐。看见人头马时谁也不会觉得它可笑。人头马是庄重而威严的动物，一肚子古代学问，那是跟星星学来的，它们轻易不流露喜怒，但它们发起火来就像海啸一样可怕。
      “再见，亲爱的普德格伦，”吉尔走到沼泽怪床边说，“很抱歉我们叫你扫兴鬼。”
      “我也是，”尤斯塔斯说，“你是世界上最好的朋友。”
      “我真希望我们能再见。”吉尔又加了一句。
      “我得说，这种机会不多，”普德格伦说，“我想我很可能再也见不到自己的旧棚屋了。还有那个王子——他是个好人——但你们认为他很强壮吗?地下生活把他的身子骨毁了，这我不奇怪。看来他随时都会送命的。”
      “普德格伦!’，吉尔说，“你真是个一成不变的鬼话大王。听上去你口气伤心得像在出席葬礼，而我相信你心里十分快活。你说话像是样样事都害怕，其实你勇敢得就像一头狮子。”
      “好了，说起葬礼……”普德格伦开始说，但吉尔听见人头马在她后面一个劲儿顿蹄子，就出其不意伸出双臂搂住它的细脖子，亲亲它那泥土色的脸，尤斯塔斯也趁此和它紧紧握手。接着他们都奔向人头马去了，沼泽怪倒在床上，自言自语道：“啊，即使我是个漂亮的家伙，我做梦也没想到她会来这一手。”
      骑上一匹人头马，虽然无疑是一份极大的光荣(除了吉尔和尤斯塔斯，今天在世的人大概没一个有过这份光荣)，不过骑在上面十分不舒服。因为爱惜自己生命的人没一个会提出在人头马身上放个马鞍子，而骑光背马可不是闹着玩的，尤其是像尤斯塔斯那种根本没学过骑马的人。人头马非常有礼貌，可以说又庄重又高雅，一副成年人的态度，它们慢慢跑过纳尼亚的树林时，头也不回就说开了，告诉两个孩子草药和根茎的性质、行星的影响、阿斯兰九个名字的意思，等等等等。但不管这两个人当时一路上多颠多痛，如今他们却愿意不惜一切代价再来一趟：看看那些林间空地和山坡在隔夜雪后闪闪发亮，遇上一些兔子、松鼠和鸟儿向你道早安，再呼吸一下纳尼亚的空气，再听听纳尼亚树木的声音。
      他们来到河的下游，河水在冬天的阳光下流淌，晶莹碧蓝，在最后一座桥下面(桥在舒适的红屋顶的小镇柏卢纳)，乘上一艘大平底船，由渡船工把他们送到对岸，或者说，由渡船怪送过去，因为在纳尼亚，大多数拖泥带水或沾点鱼腥的活儿都由沼泽怪干。过河以后他们就沿着南岸飞驰，一会儿就到了凯尔帕拉维尔。他们刚到就看见他们第一次踏上纳尼亚时看见过的那条颜色鲜艳的船，正像大鸟似的在河里轻轻驶来。满朝上下又一次聚集在城堡和码头之间的草坪上，欢迎凯斯宾国王再次归来。瑞廉王子已经换掉了黑衣服，现在在银铠甲上披了一件深红的斗篷，没戴帽子，站在靠近河边的地方迎接他的父亲。小矮人杜鲁普金就在他旁边，坐在那辆小驴车里。两个孩子看出他们没法穿过这么多人群到王子身边去，至少，这会儿他们感到有点不敢上去。因此他们请求人头马，是否可以在它们背上多坐一会儿，好看到给那些大臣挡住的一切。人头马说尽坐不妨。水面传来船甲板上一阵响亮的银号声，水手们扔过一根缆绳，老鼠(当然是会说话的老鼠)和沼泽怪把船紧紧拴在岸上；船就给拖进来了。躲在人群中的乐师开始奏起庄重的凯旋音乐。国王的大帆船刚靠岸，老鼠就把跳板架上。
      吉尔原想会看见老国王走下跳板。但那边似乎有什么事耽搁了。一位爵爷脸色苍白，走上岸，对王子和杜鲁普金跪拜行礼。过后三个人头凑在一起谈了一会儿，但没人听得出他们在谈什么。音乐还在演奏，不过你能感到大家都变得不安了。接着是四位骑士，抬着什么东西，出现在甲板上，缓缓走来。当他们要走下跳板时你才看得见他们拾的是什么：原来是老国王躺在床上，脸色灰白，一动不动。他们把他放下。王子跪在他身边拥抱他。他们看得见凯斯宾国王举起手祝福他的儿子。大家都欢呼起来，不过这种欢呼无精打采，因为大家全都感到大事不妙。随后国王脑袋突然倒在枕头上，乐师们停下了，四下一片寂静。王子跪在国王床前，头挨着床，哭了起来。
      周围一片悄悄说话声，人们来回走动。后来吉尔注意到所有戴帽子的，软帽啊，头盔啊，风帽啊，都脱下了——尤斯塔斯也脱了。随后她又听见城堡上方一阵窸窸窣窣、啪啦啪啦的声音；她抬眼望去，只见那面有金色狮王的大旗正降成半旗。此后，又慢慢无情地奏起乐来，弦乐器在哭泣，号角忧伤地哀号，这一次演奏的是一首令人心碎的曲调
      他们俩都从人头马身上溜了下来(但它们并没注意他们)。
      “但愿我在家里就好了。”吉尔说。
      尤斯塔斯点点头，咬着嘴唇一声不吭。
      “我来了。”一个深沉的声音在他们身后说。他们转过身来，看见了狮王本人，浑身闪光，真实不假，威武雄壮，其他的一切跟他相比顿时显得黯然失色。转眼工夫，吉尔就忘掉了纳尼亚国王死了，只记得自己害得尤斯塔斯摔下悬崖，自己把所有的指示几乎都错过了，还记得谩骂和吵架。她想说声“对不起”，但她说不出来。于是狮王用眼神把他们招到身边，弯下身子，用舌头舔舔他们苍白的脸，说道：
      “别再想那些了。我不会老是责怪你们。你们已经完成了我和你们到纳尼亚办的事。”
      “阿斯兰，请问你，”吉尔说，“我们现在是不是可以回家了?”
      “是啊，我就是来带你们回家的，”阿斯兰说。接着他又张大了嘴，吹啊吹。不过这一次他们可不觉得自己在空中飞；相反，他们似乎留在原地不动，阿斯兰那口猛烈的气吹走了那艘船、死去的国王、城堡以及雪和冬日的天空。这一切都像一团团烟圈那样在空中飘走了，突然间，他们站在一大片明亮的仲夏阳光下，站在柔滑的草地上，周围有好多大树，旁边是一条清澈的小溪。这时他们才看出自己又来到了阿斯兰大山，高高耸立在纳尼亚那个世界的尽头之上和之外。奇怪的是凯斯宾国王的哀乐仍然连续不断，然而没人说得出音乐是从哪儿来的。他们在小溪边走着，狮王走在他们前面。他变得那么美，那音乐却是那么令人悲观绝望，吉尔不知道自己为了哪一点才眼泪汪汪。
      后来阿斯兰停下了，两个孩子看看那条小溪。在小溪底层的金色碎石上，躺着死去的凯斯宾国王，溪水像透明的玻璃般流过他身上。他那把长长的白胡子在水中像水草一样摇摇摆摆。他们三个都站在那儿哭了。连狮王也哭了，伟大的狮王的眼泪，每颗泪珠如果是一颗纯净钻石的话，那比尘世间什么都珍贵。吉尔注意到尤斯塔斯既不像一个小孩儿哭，也不像一个男孩子哭时要躲躲闪闪，而是像个大人似的哭着。至少这点是她认为最接近事实的看法。不过实际上，正像她说过的一样，在那座山上人们似乎没有什么具体年龄。
      “亚当的儿子，”阿斯兰说，“到那边灌木丛里去，看到有刺就拔一根来给我。”
      尤斯塔斯遵命去办。那根刺有一英尺长，像把双刃剑那么锐利。
      “把刺扎进我爪子里，亚当的儿子。”阿斯兰说，一面伸出他的右前爪，向尤斯塔斯露出那一大块肉趾。
      “我非扎不可?”尤斯塔斯说。
      “对。”阿斯兰说。
      于是尤斯塔斯咬紧牙齿，把刺扎进狮王的肉趾。肉趾上就流出了一大滴血，比你见过的或想像中的所有红色更红。
      这滴血溅到小溪里国王的尸体上。同时，哀乐停止了，国王的尸体开始有了变化。白胡子变成了灰胡子，灰胡子又变为黄胡子，越变越短，直到完全消失。凹陷的双颊变成圆滚滚的，脸色也好起来，皱纹都变光滑了，他睁开眼睛，笑容满面，突然一下子跳起来站在他们面前——一个很年轻的男人，或者说是一个男孩子。(不过吉尔说不出他是哪一种，因为在阿斯兰的国家里人们没有具体年龄。当然，即使在这个世界里，最孩子气的才是最笨的孩子，最成人气的是最笨的成人。)他冲向阿斯兰，张开双臂尽量想搂住狮王那粗大的脖子；他给了阿斯兰一个国王的有力的吻，而阿斯兰给了他一个狮王的野性的吻。
      最后凯斯宾转身对着那两个孩子。他又惊又喜地哈哈大笑。
     “啊呀，尤斯塔斯!”他说，“尤斯塔斯!你到底还是到世界尽头来了!你在海蛇身上砍断的我那第二把好剑怎么样了?”
      尤斯塔斯伸出双手向他迎上一步，但又吃惊地缩回来。“瞧，嗨，”他结结巴巴地说，“好倒是好，不过你不是——我是说你没有?……”
      “哦，别傻了。”凯斯宾说。
      “但是，”尤斯塔斯看着阿斯兰说，“他不是——呃——死了吗?”
      “是啊，”狮王十分平静地说，(吉尔觉得)他几乎是在笑，“他已经死了。你们也知道，大多数人都死过。甚至我也死过。没死过的人很少很少。”
      “哦，”凯斯宾说，“我明白你为什么伤脑筋了。你当我是鬼，或什么歪门邪道的东西。不过难道你不明白吗?要是我眼下出现在纳尼亚，我就会是鬼，因为我再也不属于那儿了。但一个人不能在自己的国家里做鬼啊。要是我到了你们的世界，我就可以做鬼了。我不知道。但我想那边也不是你们的世界了，你们现在是在这儿。”
      两个孩子心里抱着很大的希望。谁知阿斯兰却摇摇蓬蓬松松的脑袋。“不，亲爱的，”他说，“你们再在这儿遇到我时，你们就得来住下了。不过现在不行。你们必须回到你们自己的世界去过些日子。”
      “大人，”凯斯宾说，“我一直想要看一眼他们的世界。这要求错了吗?”
      “我的儿子，你既然已经死了，想要的东西就再也不会错了。”阿斯兰说，“而且你将去看看他们的世界——按他们那里的时间是五分钟。你把那儿的事情纠正过来要不了更多时间。”接着阿斯兰向凯斯宾解释吉尔和尤斯塔斯是回到什么地方去，还有实验学校的一切事情。他似乎跟他们一样了解那里的情况。
      “女儿啊，”阿斯兰对吉尔说，“到那边灌木林去摘一根树枝。”树枝刚到她手里就变成了一根新的马鞭。
      “好了，亚当的儿子，抽出你们的剑。”阿斯兰说，“但你们只能用剑的平面，因为我派你们去对付的是胆小鬼和孩子们，不是武士。”
      “你跟我们一起去吗，阿斯兰?”吉尔说。
      “他们只能看见我的背。”阿斯兰说。
      他带他们迅速穿过树林，没走几步，实验学校的墙就出现在他们眼前。于是阿斯兰怒吼起来，吼得天上的太阳抖抖颤颤，他们眼前的墙也倒塌了三十英尺。他们从豁口往里看，看到学校的灌木丛，看到体育馆的屋顶，依然都在他们开始冒险之前看到的阴沉沉的秋日天空下。阿斯兰转身对着吉尔和尤斯塔斯，朝他们吹了口气，用舌头舔舔他们的前额。接着他躺在自己震塌的豁口上，他那金色的背部对着英格兰，高贵的脸对着自己的地方。同时，吉尔看见几个十分熟悉的身影正穿过月桂树向他们跑来。那一帮人大部分都来了——阿黛拉;潘尼法瑟，乔蒙德利;梅杰，伊迪丝;温特布洛特，“雀斑”索纳，大个子班尼斯特，还有加勒特家两个讨厌的双胞胎。不料他们突然都停下了，脸色也变了，所有那些卑鄙、自负、残酷、诡诈的神情几乎都不见了，统统变成一种恐怖神情。因为他们看到了倒塌的墙，一只像小象那么大的狮子躺在豁口上，三个衣着华丽的身影手持武器正向他们冲来。因为有了阿斯兰赋予他们的力量，吉尔用马鞭抽打着女孩子，凯斯宾和尤斯塔斯则得心应手地使劲挥舞着剑，用平面对付男孩子，不到两分钟那些小恶霸都疯也似的逃命去了，一面还大喊大叫：“杀人了!法西斯!狮子!这不公平!”接着校长(顺便说说，校长是个女的)跑出来看出了什么事。等她看到狮子和断墙、凯斯宾、吉尔和尤斯塔斯(她没认出他们)，就大发歇斯底里，回到屋里打电话给警察，编造出狮子逃出马戏团，以及逃犯砸倒了墙，还带着出鞘的剑等一套鬼话。吉尔和尤斯塔斯趁着一片混乱，悄悄溜进屋去，换掉鲜艳的衣服，穿上普通的服装，凯斯宾也回到他自己的世界去了。那堵墙按照阿斯兰的旨意也恢复了原状。等警察到达时，发现没有狮子，也没有断墙，也没有罪犯，而校长那副模样却像个疯子，就对整个事件做了调查。调查中实验学校的种种事情都暴露了，大约有十个人被开除出校。此后校长的朋友看出校长当一校之长不行，就让她当个督学去干涉其他校长。当他们发现她连这个工作也不大行，就把她送进议会，从此她就在议会里过得逍遥自在。
      有一天晚上，尤斯塔斯把他的好看衣服偷偷埋在校园里，但吉尔却偷偷把她的衣服带回家去，在接下来几个节日里的化装舞会上穿。从那天以后，实验学校的情况好转了，成了一所挺不错的学校。吉尔和尤斯塔斯一直是朋友。
      但在遥远的纳尼亚，瑞廉国王埋葬了他的父亲，航海家凯斯宾十世，并为他哀悼。瑞廉把纳尼亚治理得很好，在他那个时代可以说是国泰民安。尽管普德格伦(它的脚在三个星期后就完全好了)经常指出天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福，你不能指望好日子能一直过下去。山坡上那个裂口就一直开着，纳尼亚人常在炎热的夏天带着船和灯笼到里面去，在水面上来回航行，在阴凉黑暗的地下世界的海上唱歌，互相讲述在好多英寻下面深处的那些城市的故事。如果你有幸亲自到纳尼亚去，可别忘了去看看那些山洞啊。