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trying to keep his head on by them and writhing to and fro as if he had a pain in his inside。
〃dont speak to me； dont speak to me；〃 said tumnus。 〃im thinking。 im thinking so that i can hardly breathe。 wait； wait； do wait。鈥�
there was a moments puzzled silence and then the faun looked up； drew a long breath； mopped its forehead and said： 〃the only difficulty is how to get down to our ship…with some stores； too… without being seen and stopped。鈥�
〃yes；〃 said a dwarf dryly。 〃just as the beggars only difficulty about riding is that he has no horse。鈥�
〃wait； wait；〃 said mr tumnus impatiently。 〃all we need is some pretext for going down to our ship today and taking stuff on board。鈥�
〃yes；〃 said king edmund doubtfully。
〃well； then；〃 said the faun； 〃how would it be if your majesties bade the prince to a great banquet to be held on board our own galleon； the spendour hyaline； tomorrow night？
and let the message be worded as graciously as the queen can contrive without pledging her honour： so as to give the prince a hope that she is weakening。鈥�
〃this is very good counsel； sire；〃 croaked the raven。
〃and then；〃 continued tumnus excitedly； 〃everyone will expect us to be going down to the ship all day； making preparations for our guests。 and let some of us go to the bazaars and spend every minim we have at the fruiterers and the sweetmeat sellers and the wine merchants； just as we would if we were really giving a feast。 and let us order magicians and jugglers and dancing girls and flute players； all to be on board tomorrow night。鈥�
〃i see； i see；〃 said king edmund； rubbing his hands。
〃and then；〃 said tumnus； 〃well all be on board tonight。 and as soon as it is quite dark…鈥�
〃up sails and out oars…！〃 said the king。
〃and so to sea；〃 cried tumnus； leaping up and beginning to dance。
〃and our nose northward；〃 said the first dwarf。
〃running for home！ hurrah for narnia and the north！〃 said the other。
〃and the prince waking next morning and finding his birds flown！〃 said peridan； clapping his hands。
〃oh master tumnus； dear master tumnus；〃 said the queen； catching his hands and swinging with him as he danced。 〃you have saved us all。鈥�
〃the prince will chase us；〃 said another lord； whose name shasta had not heard。
〃thats the least of my fears；〃 said edmund。 〃i have seen all the shipping in the river and theres no tall ship of war nor swift galley there。 i wish he may chase us！ for the splendour hyaline could sink anything he has to send after her … if we were overtaken at all。鈥�
〃sire；〃 said the raven。 〃you shall hear no better plot than the fauns though we sat in council for seven days。 and now； as we birds say； nests before eggs。 which is as much as to say； let us all take our food and then at once be about our business。鈥�
everyone arose at this and the doors were opened and the lords and the creatures stood aside for the king and queen to go out first。 shasta wondered what he ought to do； but mr tumnus said； 〃lie there； your highness； and i will bring you up a little feast to yourself in a few moments。 there is no need for you to move until we are all ready to embark。鈥�
shasta laid his head down again on the pillows and soon he was alone in the room。
〃this is perfectly dreadful；〃 thought shasta。 it never came into his head to tell these narnians the whole truth and ask for their help。 having been brought up by a hard； closefisted man like arsheesh； he had a fixed habit of never telling grown …ups anything if he could help it： he thought they would always spoil or stop whatever you were trying to do。 and he thought that even if the narnian king might be friendly to the two horses； because they were talking beasts of narnia； he would hate aravis； because she was a calormene； and either sell her for a slave or send her back to her father。 as for himself； 〃i simply dnt tell them im not prince corin now；〃 thought shasta。 〃ive heard all their plans。 if they knew i wasnt one of themselves； theyd never let me out of this house alive。
theyd be afraid id betray them to the tisroc。 theyd kill me。 and if the real corin turns up； itll all e out； and they will！〃 he had； you see； no idea of how noble and free…born people behave。
〃what am i to do？ what am i to do？〃 he kept saying to himself。 〃what…hullo； here es that goaty little creature again。鈥�
the faun trotted in； half dancing； with a tray in its hands which was nearly as large as itself。 this he set on an inlaid table beside shastas sofa； and sat down himself on the carpeted floor with his goaty legs crossed。
〃now； princeling；〃 he said。 〃make a good dinner。 it will be your last meal in tashbaan。鈥�
it was a fine meal after the calormene fashion。 i dont know whether you would have liked it or not； but shasta did。 there were lobsters； and salad； and snipe stuffed with almonds and truffles； and a plicated dish made of chickenlivers and rice and raisins and nuts； and there were cool melons and gooseberry fools and mulberry fools； and every kind of nice thing that can be made with ice。 there was also a little flagon of the sort of wine that is called 〃white〃 though it is really yellow。
while shasta was eating； the good little faun； who thought he was still dazed with sunstroke； kept talking to him about the fine times he would have when they all got home； about his good old father king lune of archenland and the little castle where he lived on the southern slopes of the pass。 〃and dont forget；〃 said mr tumnus； 〃that you are promised your first suit of armour and your first war horse on your next birthday。 and then your highness will begin to learn how to tilt and joust。 and in a few years； if all goes well； king peter has promised your royal father that he himself will make you knight at cair paravel。 and in the meantime there will be plenty of ings and goings between narnia and archenland across the neck of the mountains。 and of course you remember you have promised to e for a whole week to stay with me for the summer festival； and therell be bonfires and all…night dances of fauns and dryads in the heart of the woods and； who knows？…we might see aslan himself！鈥�
when the meal was over the faun told shasta to stay quietly where he was。 〃and it wouldnt do you any harm to have a little sleep；〃 he added。 〃ill call you in plenty of time to get on board。 and then； home。 narnia and the north！鈥�
shasta had so enjoyed his dinner and all the things tumnus had been telling him that when he was left alone his thoughts took a different turn。 he only hoped now that the real prince corin would not turn up until it was too late and that he would be taken away to narnia by ship。 i am afraid he did not think at all of what might happen to the real corin when he was left behind in tashbaan。 he was a little worried about aravis and bree waiting for him at the tombs。 but then he said to himself； 〃well； how can i help it？〃 and； 〃anyway； that aravis thinks shes too good to go about with me； so she can jolly well go alone；〃 and at the same time he couldnt help feeling that it would be much nicer going to narnia by sea than toiling across the desert。
when he had thought all this he did what i expect you would have done if you had been up very early and had a long walk and a great deal of excitement and then a very good meal； and were lying on a sofa in a cool room with no noise in it except when a bee came buzzing in through the wide open windows。 he fell asleep。
what woke him was a loud crash。 he jumped up off the sofa； staring。 he saw at once from the mere look of the room … the lights and shadows all looked different … that he must have slept for several hours。 he saw also what had made the crash： a costly porcelain vase which had been standing on the window…sill lay on …the floor broken into about thirty pieces。 but he hardly noticed all these things。 what he did notice was two hands gripping the window…sill from outside。 they gripped harder and harder （getting
white at the knuckles） and then up came a head and a pair of shoulders。 a moment later there was a boy of shastas own age sitting astride the sill with one leg hanging down inside the room。
shasta had never seen his own face in a looking…glass。 even if he had； he might not have realized that the other boy was （at ordinary times） almost exactly like himself。 at the moment this boy was not particularly like anyone for he had the finest black eye you ever saw； and a tooth missing； and his clothes （which must have been splendid ones when he put them on） were torn and dirty； and there was both blood and mud on his face。
〃who are you？〃 said the boy in a whisper。
〃are you prince corin？〃 said shasta。
〃yes； of course；〃 said the other。 〃but who are you？鈥�
〃im nobody； nobody in particular； i mean；〃 said shasta。 〃king edmund caught me in the street and mistook me for you。 i suppose we must look like one another。 can i get out the way youve got in？鈥�
〃yes； if youre any good at climbing；〃 said corin。 〃but why are you in such a hurry？ i say： we ought to be able to get some fun out of this being mistaken for one another。鈥�
〃no； no；〃 said shasta。 〃we must change places at once。