He now saw that there was a dim light showing from a doorway on the far side of the courtyard. He went to it; there was a flight of (一段) stone steps going up to an open door. Edmund went up them. Across the threshold (入口) lay a great wolf.
"It's all right, it's all right," he kept saying to himself; "it's only a stone wolf. It can't hurt me", and he raised his leg to step over it. Instantly (立刻) the huge creature rose, with all the hair bristling (毛发竖立) along its back, opened a great, red mouth and said in a growling (咆哮) voice:
"Who's there? Who's there? Stand still, stranger, and tell me who you are."
"If you please, sir," said Edmund, trembling so that he could hardly speak, "my name is Edmund, and I'm the Son of Adam that Her Majesty met in the wood the other day and I've come to bring her the news that my brother and sisters are now in Narnia - quite close, in the Beavers' house. She - she wanted to see them."
"I will tell Her Majesty," said the Wolf. "Meanwhile, stand still on the threshold, as you value your life." Then it vanished into the house.
Edmund stood and waited, his fingers aching with cold and his heart pounding (怦怦跳) in his chest, and presently the grey wolf, Maugrim, the Chief of the Witch's Secret Police, came bounding back and said, "Come in! Come in! Fortunate (幸运的) favourite of the Queen - or else not so fortunate." {1}
And Edmund went in, taking great care not to tread on (踩着) the Wolf's paws.
He found himself in a long gloomy (昏暗的) hall with many pillars, full, as the courtyard had been, of statues.
The one nearest the door was a little faun with a very sad expression on its face, and Edmund couldn't help wondering if this might be Lucy's friend. The only light came from a single lamp and close beside this sat the White Witch.
"I'm come, your Majesty," said Edmund, rushing eagerly forward.
"How dare you come alone?" said the Witch in a terrible voice. "Did I not tell you to bring the others with you?"
"Please, your Majesty," said Edmund, "I've done the best I can. I've brought them quite close. They're in the little house on top of the dam just up the river with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver."
A slow cruel smile came over the Witch's face.
"Is this all your news?" she asked.
"No, your Majesty," said Edmund, and proceeded to tell her all he had heard before leaving the Beavers' house.
"What! Aslan?" cried the Queen, "Aslan! Is this true? If I find you have lied to me -"
"Please, I'm only repeating what they said," stammered (结结巴巴地说) Edmund.
But the Queen, who was no longer attending to him, clapped (拍) her hands. Instantly the same dwarf whom Edmund had seen with her before appeared.
"Make ready our sledge," ordered the Witch, "and use the harness (马具) without bells."
Now we must go back to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and the three other children. As soon as Mr. Beaver said, "There's no time to lose," everyone began bundling themselves into coats, except Mrs. Beaver, who started picking up sacks (麻布袋) and laying them on the table and said: "Now, Mr. Beaver, just reach down that ham.
And here's a packet of tea, and there's sugar, and some matches. And if someone will get two or three loaves (烤过的食物) out of the crock (瓦罐) over there in the corner."
"What are you doing, Mrs. Beaver?" exclaimed Susan.
"Packing a load for each of us, dearie," said Mrs. Beaver very coolly. "You didn't think we'd set out on a journey with nothing to eat, did you?"
"But we haven't time!" said Susan, buttoning (系纽扣) the collar of her coat. "She may be here any minute." {2}
"That's what I say," chimed in (插嘴) Mr. Beaver.
"Get along with you all," said his wife. "Think it over, Mr. Beaver. She can't be here for quarter of an hour at least."
"But don't we want as big a start as we can possibly get," said Peter, "if we're to reach the Stone Table before her?" {3}
"You've got to remember that, Mrs. Beaver," said Susan. "As soon as she has looked in here and finds we're gone she'll be off at top speed."
"That she will," said Mrs. Beaver. "But we can't get there before her whatever we do, for she'll be on a sledge and we'll be walking."
"Then - we have no hope?" said Susan.
"Now don't you get fussing (大惊小怪), there's a dear," said Mrs. Beaver, "but just get half a dozen clean handkerchiefs out of the drawer. Course we've got a hope. We can't get there before her but we can keep under cover and go by ways she won't expect and perhaps we'll get through."
"That's true enough, Mrs. Beaver," said her husband. "But it's time we were out of this."
"And don't you start fussing either, Mr. Beaver," said his wife. "There. That's better. There's five loads and the smallest for the smallest of us: that's you, my dear," she added, looking at Lucy.
"Oh, do please come on," said Lucy.
"Well, I'm nearly ready now," answered Mrs. Beaver at last, allowing her husband to help her into her snow-boots. "I suppose the sewing machine's (缝纫机) too heavy to bring?"
"Yes. It is," said Mr. Beaver. "A great deal too heavy. And you don't think you'll be able to use it while we're on the run, I suppose?"
"I can't abide (忍受) the thought of that Witch fiddling with it," said Mrs. Beaver, "and breaking it or stealing it, as likely as not."
"Oh, please, please, please, do hurry!" said the three children. And so at last they all got outside and Mr. Beaver locked the door ("It'll delay her a bit," he said) and they set off, all carrying their loads over their shoulders.
The snow had stopped and the moon had come out when they began their journey. They went in single file - first Mr. Beaver, then Lucy, then Peter, then Susan, and Mrs. Beaver last of all. Mr. Beaver led them across the dam and on to the right bank of the river and then along a very rough sort of path among the trees right down by the river-bank.
The sides of the valley, shining in the moonlight, towered up far above them on either hand. "Best keep down here as much as possible," he said. "She'll have to keep to the top, for you couldn't bring a sledge down here."