Chapter 2 What Lucy found there

CHAPTER TWO

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 don't

want to be inquisitive—but should I be right in thinking that you are a

Daughter of Eve?"

"My name's Lucy," said she, not quite understanding him.

"But you are—forgive me—you are what they call a girl?" said the Faun.

"Of course I'm a girl," said Lucy.

"You are in fact Human?"

"Of course I'm human," said Lucy, still a little puzzled.

"To be sure, to be sure," said the Faun. "How stupid of me! But I've

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."

"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 come into Narnia?"

"Narnia? What's 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 come from the wild woods of the west?"

"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."

6

"But they aren't countries at all," said Lucy, almost laughing. "It's only

just back there—at least—I'm not sure. It is summer there."

"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?"

"Thank you very much,

Mr

Tumnus," said Lucy. "But I was

wondering whether I ought to be getting back."

"It's only just

round

the corner," said the Faun, "and there'll be a

roaring fire—and toast—and sardines—and cake."

"Well, it's very kind of you," said Lucy. "But I shan't be able to stay

long."

"If you will take my arm, Daughter of Eve," said

Mr

Tumnus, "I shall

be able to hold the umbrella over both of us. That's the way. Now—off we

go."

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 shan't be long," he said, and immediately put a kettle on.

Lucy thought she had never been in a nicer place.