Chapter 13

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

"WAKE up, Digory, wake up, Fledge," came the voice of Polly. "It has turned into a toffee tree. And it's the loveliest morning."

The low early sunshine was streaming through the wood and the grass was grey with dew and the cobwebs were like silver. Just beside them was a little, very darkwooded tree, about the size of an apple tree. The leaves were whitish and rather papery, like the herb called honesty, and it was loaded with little brown fruits that looked rather like dates.

"Hurrah!" said Digory. "But I'm going to have a dip first." He rushed through a flowering thicket or two down to the river's edge. Have you ever bathed in a mountain river that is running in shallow cataracts over red and blue and yellow stones with the sun on it? It is as good as the sea: in some ways almost better. Of course, he had to dress again without drying but it was well worth it. When he came back, Polly went down and had her bathe; at least she said that was what she'd been doing, but we know she was not much of a swimmer and perhaps it is best not to ask too many questions. Fledge visited the river too but he only stood in midstream, stooping down for a long drink of water and then shaking his mane and neighing several times.

Polly and Digory got to work on the toffee-tree. The fruit was delicious; not exactly like toffee - softer for one thing, and juicy - but like fruit which reminded one of toffee. Fledge also made an excellent breakfast; he tried one of the toffee fruits and liked it but said he felt more like grass at that hour in the morning. Then with some difficulty the children got on his back and the second journey began.

It was even better than yesterday, partly because every one was feeling so fresh, and partly because the newly risen sun was at their backs and, of course, everything looks nicer when the light is behind you. It was a wonderful ride. The big snowy mountains rose above them in every direction. The valleys, far beneath them, were so green, and all the streams which tumbled down from the glaciers into the main river were so blue, that it was like flying over gigantic pieces of jewellery. They would have liked this part of the adventure to go on longer than it did. But quite soon they were all sniffing the air and saying "What is it?" and "Did you smell something?" and "Where's it coming from?" For a heavenly smell, warm and golden, as if from all the most delicious fruits and flowers of the world, was coming up to them from somewhere ahead.

"It's coming from that valley with the lake in it," said Fledge.

"So it is," said Digory. "And look! There's a green hill at the far end of the lake. And look how blue the water is."

"It must be the Place," said all three.

Fledge came lower and lower in wide circles. The icy peaks rose up higher and higher above. The air came up warmer and sweeter every moment, so sweet that it almost brought the tears to your eyes. Fledge was now gliding with his wings spread out motionless on each side, and his hoofs pawing for the ground. The steep green hill was rushing towards them. A moment later he alighted on its slope, a little awkwardly. The children rolled off, fell without hurting themselves on the warm, fine grass, and stood up panting a little.

They were three-quarters of the way up the hill, and set out at once to climb to the top. (I don't think Fledge could have managed this without his wings to balance him and to give him the help of aflutter now and then.) All round the very top of the hill ran a high wall of green turf. Inside the wall trees were growing. Their branches hung out over the wall; their leaves showed not only green but also blue and silver when the wind stirred them. When the travellers reached the top they walked nearly all the way round it outside the green wall before they found the gates: high gates of gold, fast shut, facing due east.

Up till now I think Fledge and Polly had had the idea that they would go in with Digory. But they thought so no longer. You never saw a place which was so obviously private. You could see at a glance that it belonged to someone else. Only a fool would dream of going in unless he had been sent there on very special business. Digory himself understood at once that the others wouldn't and couldn't come in with him. He went forward to the gates alone.

When he had come close up to them he saw words written on the gold with silver letters; something like this:

Come in by the gold gates or not at all, Take of my fruit for others or forbear, For those who steal or those who climb my wall Shall find their heart's desire and find despair.

"Take of my fruit for others," said Digory to himself. "Well, that's what I'm going to do. It means I mustn't eat any myself, I suppose. I don't know what all that jaw in the last line is about. Come in by the gold gates. Well who'd want to climb a wall if he could get in by a gates.` But how do the gates open?" He laid his hand on them: and instantly they swung apart, opening inwards, turning on their hinges without the least noise.

Now that he could see into the place it looked more private than ever. He went in very solemnly, looking about him. Everything was very quiet inside. Even the fountain which rose near the middle of the garden made only the faintest sound. The lovely smell was all round him: it was a happy place but very serious.

He knew which was the right tree at once, partly because it stood in the very centre and partly because the great silver apples with which it was loaded shone so and cast a light of their own down on the shadowy places where the sunlight did not reach. He walked straight across to it, picked an apple, and put it in the breast pocket of his Norfolk jacket. But he couldn't help looking at it and smelling it before he put it away.

It would have been better if he had not. A terrible thirst and hunger came over him and a longing to taste that fruit. He put it hastily into his pocket; but there were plenty of others. Could it be wrong to taste one? After all, he thought, the notice on the gate might not have been exactly an order; it might have been only a piece of advice - and who cares about advice? Or even if it were an order, would he be disobeying it by eating an apple? He had already obeyed the part about taking one "for others".

While he was thinking of all this he happened to look up through the branches towards the top of the tree. There, on a branch above his head, a wonderful bird was roosting. I say "roosting" because it seemed almost asleep; perhaps not quite. The tiniest slit of one eye was open. It was larger than an eagle, its breast saffron, its head crested with scarlet, and its tail purple.

"And it just shows," said Digory afterwards when he was telling the story to the others, "that you can't be too careful in these magical places. You never know what may be watching you." But I think Digory would not have taken an apple for himself in any case. Things like Do Not Steal were, I think, hammered into boys' heads a good deal harder in those days than they are now. Still, we can never be certain.

Digory was just turning to go back to the gates when he stopped to have one last look around. He got a terrible shock. He was not alone. There, only a few yards away from him, stood the Witch. She was just throwing away the core of an apple which she had eaten. The juice was darker than you would expect and had made a horrid stain round her mouth. Digory guessed at once that she must have climbed in over the wall. And he began to see that there might be some sense in that last line about getting your heart's desire and getting despair along with it. For the Witch looked stronger and prouder than ever, and even, in a way, triumphant; but her face was deadly white, white as salt.

All this flashed through Digory's mind in a second; then he took to his heels and ran for the gates as hard as he could pelt; the Witch after him. As soon as he was out, the gates closed behind him of their own accord. That gave him the lead but not for long. By the time he had reached the others and was shouting out "Quick, get on, Polly! Get up, Fledge", the Witch had climbed the wall, or vaulted over it, and was close behind him again.

"Stay where you are," cried Digory, turning round to face her, "or we'll all vanish. Don't come an inch nearer."

"Foolish boy," said the Witch. "Why do you run from me? I mean you no harm. If you do not stop and listen to me now, you will miss some knowledge that would have made you happy all your life."

"Well I don't want to hear it, thanks," said Digory. But he did.

"I know what errand you have come on," continued the Witch. "For it was I who was close beside you in the woods last night and heard all your counsels. You have plucked fruit in the garden yonder. You have it in your pocket now. And you are going to carry it back, untasted, to the Lion; for him to eat, for him to use. You simpleton! Do you know what that fruit is? I will tell you. It is the apple of youth, the apple of life. I know, for I have tasted it; and I feel already such changes in myself that I know I shall never grow old or die. Eat it, Boy, eat it; and you and I will both live forever and be king and queen of this whole world - or of your world, if we decide to go back there."

"No thanks," said Digory, "I don't know that I care much about living on and on after everyone I know is dead. I'd rather live an ordinary time and die and go to Heaven."

"But what about this Mother of yours whom you pretend to love so?"

"What's she got to do with it?" said Digory.

"Do you not see, Fool, that one bite of that apple would heal her? You have it in your pocket. We are here by ourselves and the Lion is far away. Use your Magic and go back to your own world. A minute later you can be at your Mother's bedside, giving her the fruit. Five minutes later you will see the colour coming back to her face. She will tell you the pain is gone. Soon she will tell you she feels stronger. Then she will fall asleep - think of that; hours of sweet natural sleep, without pain, without drugs. Next day everyone will be saying how wonderfully she has recovered. Soon she will be quite well again. All will be well again. Your home will be happy again. You will be like other boys."

"Oh!" gasped Digory as if he had been hurt, and put his hand to his head. For he now knew that the most terrible choice lay before him.

"What has the Lion ever done for you that you should be his slave?" said the Witch. "What can he do to you once you are back in your own world? And what would your Mother think if she knew that you could have taken her pain away and given her back her life and saved your Father's heart from being broken, and that you wouldn't - that you'd rather run messages for a wild animal in a strange world that is no business of yours?"

"I - I don't think he is a wild animal," said Digory in a dried-up sort of voice. "He is - I don't know -"

"Then he is something worse," said the Witch. "Look what he has done to you already; look how heartless he has made you. That is what he does to everyone who listens to him. Cruel, pitiless boy! you would let your own Mother die rather than -"

"Oh shut up," said the miserable Digory, still in the same voice. "Do you think I don't see? But I - I promised."

"Ah, but you didn't know what you were promising. And no one here can prevent you."

"Mother herself," said Digory, getting the words out with difficulty, "wouldn't like it - awfully strict about keeping promises - and not stealing - and all that sort of thing. She'd tell me not to do it - quick as anything - if she was here."

"But she need never know," said the Witch, speaking more sweetly than you would have thought anyone with so fierce a face could speak. "You wouldn't tell her how you'd got the apple. Your Father need never know. No one in your world need know anything about this whole story. You needn't take the little girl back with you, you know."

That was where the Witch made her fatal mistake. Of course Digory knew that Polly could get away by her own ring as easily as he could get away by his. But apparently the Witch didn't know this. And the meanness of the suggestion that he should leave Polly behind suddenly made all the other things the Witch had been saying to him sound false and hollow. And even in the midst of all his misery, his head suddenly cleared, and he said (in a different and much louder' voice):

"Look here; where do you come into all this? Why are you so precious fond of my Mother all of a sudden? What's it got to do with you? What's your game?"

"Good for you, Digs," whispered Polly in his ear. "Quick! Get away now." She hadn't dared to say anything all through the argument because, you see, it wasn't her Mother who was dying.

"Up then," said Digory, heaving her on to Fledge's back and then scrambling up as quickly as he could. The horse spread its wings.

"Go then, Fools," called the Witch. "Think of me, Boy, when you lie old and weak and dying, and remember how you threw away the chance of endless youth! It won't be offered you again."

They were already so high that they could only just hear her. Nor did the Witch waste any time gazing up at them; they saw her set off northward down the slope of the hill.

They had started early that morning and what happened in the garden had not taken very long, so that Fledge and Polly both said they would easily get back to Narnia before nightfall. Digory never spoke on the way back, and the others were shy of speaking to him. He was very sad and he wasn't even sure all the time that he had done the right thing; but whenever he remembered the shining tears in Aslan's eyes he became sure.

All day Fledge flew steadily with untiring wings; eastward with the river to guide him, through the mountains and over the wild wooded hills, and then over the great waterfall and down, and down, to where the woods of Narnia were darkened by the shadow of the mighty cliff, till at last, when the sky was growing red with sunset behind them, he saw a place where many creatures were gathered together by the riverside. And soon he could see Aslan himself in the midst of them. Fledge glided down, spread out his four legs, closed his wings, and landed cantering. Then he pulled up. The children dismounted. Digory saw all the animals, dwarfs, satyrs, nymphs, and other things drawing back to the left and right to make way for him. He walked up to Aslan, handed him the apple and said:

"I've brought you the apple you wanted, sir."

      1 3、不期而遇
      “醒醒，迪格雷，醒醒，弗兰奇，”波莉喊道，“太妃糖树已经长成了。这是最美好的早晨。”
      初升的朝阳照进树林，草叶上蒙着一层灰白的露珠，蜘蛛网上银光闪闪。就在他们身旁，长出了一棵与苹果树一样大小的木色极暗的树。白白的树叶形似纸张，很像一种叫做缎花的草药，上面挂着枣儿一样的褐色小果实。"
      “哈!”迪格雷说，“可我要先去洗个澡。”他迅速穿过几丛开花的灌木到了河边。阳光下，山里的河水在红、蓝、黄三色石头上形成许多小瀑布奔涌而来，你曾在这样的河里洗过澡吗?跟在海里一样美妙；某些方面还更好些。当然，他只好不擦干身子就穿上衣服，但即使这样也很值得。他回来后，波莉也去洗了一次澡；至少她自己说她洗了澡，但就我们所知，她游泳不行，也许最好不要问得太多。弗兰奇也去了一次，但它只是站在河水中，俯身长长地吸了一口水，然后，甩甩鬃毛，长嘶几声。
      波莉和迪格雷开始对太妃糖树采取行动了。果实很好吃：跟太妃糖不完全相似，软一些，而且多汁——是一种吃了便令人想到太妃糖的水果。弗兰奇也美美地吃了一顿早餐：它试着尝了一个太妃果，很喜欢，但又说，在早晨的那个时候，它觉得更喜欢吃草。然后，孩子们有点儿艰难地上了马，第二天的旅行又开始了。
      今天的情况稍好于昨天，因为大家都感到神清气爽，而初升的太阳又在他们背后，自然，周围的景致就比阳光从前面射来时显得美丽一些。这是一段奇妙的飞行，四面八方都耸立着高大的雪山，底下的深谷里一片苍翠，从冰山上流下来注入那条大河的溪涧全部是蓝色的。他们像飞行在巨大的宝石上，盼望着这段旅行能延续得更长些。然而，过了一会儿，他们便闻到一股味道。“是什么?”“你闻到了吗?”“这味道是从哪儿来的?”从前面飘来一股似乎从世上最美好的果实和花卉中提炼出的温馨、浓郁的奇香。
      “是从一个有湖的山谷里飘来的。”弗兰奇说。
      “是的，”迪格雷说，“快看!湖那边有座绿色的山。看，湖水多蓝。”
      “肯定就是这个地方。”三个声音一齐说。
      弗兰奇绕着大圈，越飞越低，冰峰则越变越高。空气每一秒钟都更加暖和、甜美，几乎使你热泪盈眶。弗兰奇一动不动地伸开它那巨大的双翅滑行着，马蹄随时准备着陆。那座陡峭的绿色小山向他们迎面扑来。很快，弗兰奇就稍微有点儿不熟练地落在了山坡上。孩子们翻身下马，稳稳当当地站在温暖柔软的草地上，轻轻地喘着气。
      离山顶还有四分之一的路，他们立即出发向上爬去。(我认为弗兰奇如果没有那对翅膀时不时地扇动一下帮助它维持平衡的话，它是很难上去的。)山的最高处被一圈绿色的草墙围了起来。墙内密密地栽着树，树枝伸出墙外。叶子在风中闪出绿色、蓝色和银色的光芒。当三位旅行者到达山顶时，他们在绿墙外绕了几乎整整一圈，才找到面向正东、紧闭着的高大金门。
      直到现在，我还认为弗兰奇和波莉曾经想过和迪格雷一起进去，但他们很快就打消了这个念头。你从未见过如此幽寂的地方，一看就知道是私人所有。除非负有特殊使命，只有傻瓜才会梦想走进去。迪格雷马上就明白别人不会也不能和他一起进去。他独自向门走去。
      来到门前，他看见金门上写着一些银色的字，大意是这样的：
      从金门走进，或者留在外面，
      为他人摘取果实，或者克制欲望。
      因为那些偷窃和跳墙的人
      会如愿以偿，也会丧气绝望。
      “为他人摘取果实，”迪格雷对自己说，“好，这就是我要做的事。就是说，我自己一点儿也不能吃。我想，我不懂后面两行字是什么道理。要是可以从门进来谁愿意爬墙呢?但这门怎么开?”他把手放在上面，门一下子朝里面打开了，铰链转动时没发出一点儿
      响声。   
      现在他可以看到这地方的内部了，它比先前更显得幽寂。他环顾四周，庄严地走了进去。里面悄无声息，竖立在花园中心的那座喷泉也只发出微弱的声音。他的周围弥漫着一股香味。那是个令人愉快但十分严肃的地方。
      他立刻就认出要找的树，因为那棵树就在正中，树上银色的大苹果将光投射到阳光照射不到的阴暗处。他径直走过去，摘下一个苹果放在他诺福克上衣贴胸的口袋里，但他在放进去之前又情不自禁地看了看，闻了闻。
      这一看一闻不要紧，一阵极度的饥渴朝他袭来，他突然非常想尝一尝那个苹果。他赶紧放进口袋；但树上还有那么多，尝一个有什么错呢?他想，门上的告示不一定就是禁令，可能只是一个劝告，谁在乎劝告呢?或者即使是禁令，他吃了一个苹果就不对吗?他已经做到“为他人”取苹果了。
      他想着想着，不经意地拾起头，透过树枝一直看到树顶。一只神奇的鸟儿正栖息在他头上的一根树枝上。说“栖息”，是因为它似乎睡着了，但也许并没有真正睡着。一只眼睛睁开一条细得不能再细的缝隙。那只鸟比鹰还大，胸部呈橘黄色，头上的冠毛杂有猩红，尾巴是紫色的。
      “这恰恰说明，”迪格雷后来对别人讲起这个故事时说，“在这种有魔法的地方，你无论如何仔细都不过分。你无法知道什么东西正监视着你。”但我想，不管怎样，迪格雷是不会为自己摘苹果的。那时候，在男孩们的心目中，“不偷窃”之类的观念比现在牢固得多。但我们仍然没有十分的把握。
      迪格雷转身向大门走去时，停下来最后朝四下里看了一眼。他吓了一大跳，原来不光他一个人在这儿，几步开外，站着那个女巫。她正在扔掉她吃剩的苹果核。那苹果汁的颜色比你想像的要深些，她的嘴边留下一圈令人厌恶的痕迹。迪格雷马上就猜到，她是翻墙过来的。而且，他开始明白最后一行“会如愿以偿，也会丧气绝望”可能是有含义的。因为女巫看上去比以前强壮、傲慢，甚至在某种程度上更加得意扬扬，但她的脸苍白得像盐一样。
      迪格雷心中很快闪过这些念头后，便抬起脚，尽快地朝大门跑去。女巫在后面紧迫。他一出来，门就自动合上了。这使他领先一步，但不一会儿，当他喊着“快，波莉，上马!快飞，弗兰奇!”冲到他同伴身边时，女巫已爬过墙或者跳过墙追了过来，又紧跟在他身后了。
      “站住，别动!”迪格雷大声说道，转身对着她，“否则，我们就全部消失了。一步也不准靠近。”
      “傻孩子，”女巫说，“你干吗逃呀?我又不会伤害你。如果你不停下来听我说，你会漏掉一些能使你终身幸福的知识。”
      “我不想听，谢谢。”迪格雷说。但他是想听的。
      “我知道你是来干什么的，”女巫继续说道，“因为昨天夜里在树林中就是我藏在你们身边，听到了你们的议论。你已经从那边花园里摘下苹果，装在口袋里了。你将一口也不尝就带回去给狮子，给它吃，给它用，你这个傻瓜!你知道这是什么果吗?我告诉你，这是青春果，生命果。我懂，因为我已经吃了。我已感到我自己身上发生了变化，我知道我不会老也不会死。吃吧，孩子，吃了它，你和我都会长生不老，做这个世界的国王和王后，或者我们决定回去的话，也可以去你们的世界称王。”
      “不，谢谢，”迪格雷说，“我不知道自己是不是在每一个认识的人都死了以后还想长久地活下去。我宁肯活到一般的年龄就死去，然后进天堂。”
      “可你的妈妈怎么办呢?你装得那么爱她。”
      “她跟这事儿有什么关系?”迪格雷说。
      “你还不明白?傻瓜!她只要吃上一口那种苹果就会好。你的口袋里有。我们自己在这儿，狮子离得很远，运用魔法回到你自己的世界去。一分钟后你就把苹果送到你妈妈的床边了。五分钟后，你就会看到她的脸上有了血色。她将告诉你疼痛消失了。很快，她又会说感到强壮多了。然后，便能睡着了——想想吧，不痛也不吃药地酣睡上几个小时。第二天，谁都会说她恢复得多么神奇。她很快就完全好了。一切都会变好，你和其他孩子一样，又会有一个幸福的家庭。”
      “噢!”迪格雷像受了伤似的用手摸着头，喘着气。他知道最可怕的选择摆在了他面前。
      “狮子对你有什么好处，你情愿给它当奴隶?”女巫说，“一旦你回到自己的世界，谁也不能把你怎么样。要是你妈妈知道你本来可以解除她的痛苦，恢复她的生机，可以不使你爸爸的心灵破碎，而你却不愿意，宁肯为与你们毫不相干的陌生世界里的一只野兽效劳，她会怎么想呢?”
      “我——我不认为它是野兽，”迪格雷用干哑的声音说，“它是——我不知道——”
      “它比你想像的更坏，”女巫说，“看看它是怎样对待你的吧：你看它把你变得多么没有心肝。每一个服从它的人都会这样的。残忍的、没有同情心的孩子!你宁肯让自己的妈妈死而不愿……”
      “啊，别说了，”悲伤的迪格雷用依旧干哑的声音说，“你以为我不明白?但我……我答应了。”
      “嗨，可你当时并不懂你答应了什么。在这里谁也不能阻拦你。”
      “妈妈自己，”迪格雷艰难地吐出几句话，“也不会喜欢那种做法——她对我很严格，要我遵守诺言——不要偷东西——以及所有这一类的要求。如果她在这儿的话，也不会让我那样做的。”
      “但她没有必要知道，”女巫甜甜地说，你想不出一个长相那么凶的人能说得那么甜美动听，“你不用告诉她你是怎样弄到苹果的。你爸爸也不必知道。你的世界里谁也不需要知道这件事的来龙去脉。而且，你也不必把那小女孩带回去。”
      这正是女巫致命的错误所在。迪格雷当然知道波莉可以靠自己的戒指回去，跟他靠自己的戒指回去一样容易。但显然女巫不知道这一点。她要他丢下波莉，这卑鄙的建议使她刚才说过的一切全都成了假话和空话。迪格雷即使正沉浸在悲哀之中，头脑也很快清醒了，他说(声音变了，响亮得多)："
      “喂，你怎么知道这么多事情?为什么突然之间对我妈妈如此关心?她跟你有什么关系?你想干什么?”
      “好样的，迪格雷，”波莉在他耳边悄声说，“快!马上走。”在整个争论的过程中，她不敢说什么，因为，你知道，快死的不是她的妈妈。
      “上马。”迪格雷说着将她举上马背，然后自己尽快地爬了上去，弗兰奇展开了翅膀。
      “走吧，傻瓜们，”女巫叫着，“当你老了，虚弱得快死的时候就想想我，小男孩，记住你是怎样把永葆青春的机会扔掉的，机不可失，时不再来。”
      他们已经飞上了高空，只听见她的声音，但听不清她在说什么。女巫也不愿浪费时间目送他们，只见她朝北边的山坡下走去了。
      那天早上，他们走得很早，花园里发生的事没有耽误太多的时间，弗兰奇和波莉都说他们可以很容易地在天黑前赶回纳尼亚。回去的路上，迪格雷一言不发，其他两位也不好意思与他说话。他极度悲哀，一直拿不准自己是否做对了，但只要他想起阿斯兰眼中闪烁的泪光，他就坚信自己没有错。
      一整天，弗兰奇都不知疲倦地扇动着翅膀，稳稳地飞行。越过高山，飞过森林覆盖的原始山区，过了大瀑布，高度越来越低，一直飞到在高大岩壁投下的阴影中显得灰暗无光的纳尼亚林区。最后，背后的天空被夕阳染得绯红。它看见河边聚集了许多动物，很快就看见阿斯兰也在其中。弗兰奇收了双翅，伸开四蹄滑了下来，慢跑着落在地上。停稳后，孩子们下了马，迪格雷看见所有的动物、小矮人、森林之神、河泽仙女等全都朝两边退去，为他留出一条路来。他径直走到阿斯兰跟前，将苹果递给它，说：
      “阁下，我把你想要的苹果摘来了。”