第7章

TheAmuletwasheldup。’Takeussomewhere，’saidJane，’anywhereyoulikeinthePast——butsomewherewhereyouare。’ Thenshesaidtheword。 Nextmomenteveryonefeltaqueerrockingandswaying——somethinglikewhatyoufeelwhenyougooutinafishingboat。Andthatwasnotwonderful，whenyoucometothinkofit，foritwasinaboatthattheyfoundthemselves。Aqueerboat，withhighbulwarkspiercedwithholesforoarstogothrough。Therewasahighseatforthesteersman，andtheprowwasshapedliketheheadofsomegreatanimalwithbig，staringeyes。Theboatrodeatanchorinabay，andthebaywasverysmooth。Thecrewweredark，wiryfellowswithblackbeardsandhair。Theyhadnoclothesexceptatunicfromwaisttoknee，androundcapswithknobsonthetop。Theywereverybusy，andwhattheyweredoingwassointerestingtothechildrenthatatfirsttheydidnotevenwonderwheretheAmulethadbroughtthem。Andthecrewseemedtoobusytonoticethechildren。Theywerefasteningrushbasketstoalongropewithagreatpieceofcorkattheend，andineachbaskettheyputmusselsorlittlefrogs。Thentheycastouttherope，thebasketssank，butthecorkfloated。Andallaboutonthebluewaterwereotherboatsandallthecrewsofalltheboatswerebusywithropesandbasketsandfrogsandmussels。 ’Whateverareyoudoing？’Janesuddenlyaskedamanwhohadrathermoreclothesthantheothers，andseemedtobeasortofcaptainoroverseer。Hestartedandstaredather，buthehadseentoomanystrangelandstobeverymuchsurprisedatthesequeerly—dressedstowaways。 ’Settinglinesforthedyeshell—fish，’hesaidshortly。’Howdidyougethere？’ ’Asortofmagic，’saidRobertcarelessly。TheCaptainfingeredanAmuletthathungroundhisneck。 ’Whatisthisplace？’askedCyril。 ’Tyre，ofcourse，’saidtheman。Thenhedrewbackandspokeinalowvoicetooneofthesailors。 ’Nowweshallknowaboutyourpreciouscream—jugfish，’saidCyril。 ’ButweneverSAIDcometoTyre，’saidJane。 ’TheAmuletheardustalking，Iexpect。Ithinkit’sMOST obligingofit，’saidAnthea。 ’AndtheAmulet’sheretoo，’saidRobert。’Weoughttobeabletofinditinalittleshiplikethis。Iwonderwhichofthem’sgotit。’ ’Oh——look，look！’criedAntheasuddenly。Onthebarebreastofoneofthesailorsgleamedsomethingred。Itwastheexactcounterpartoftheirprecioushalf—Amulet。 Asilence，fullofemotion，wasbrokenbyJane。 ’Thenwe’vefoundit！’shesaid。’Ohdolet’stakeitandgohome！’ ’Easytosay\"takeit\"，’saidCyril；’helooksverystrong。’ Hedid——yetnotsostrongastheothersailors。 ’It’sodd，’saidAntheamusingly，’IdobelieveI’veseenthatmansomewherebefore。’ ’He’sratherlikeourlearnedgentleman，’saidRobert，’butI’lltellyouwhohe’smuchmorelike——’Atthatmomentthatsailorlookedup。HiseyesmetRobert’s——andRobertandtheothershadnolongeranydoubtastowheretheyhadseenhimbefore。ItwasRekh—mara，thepriestwhohadledthemtothepalaceofPharaoh——andwhomJanehadlookedbackatthroughthearch，whenhewascounsellingPharaoh’sguardtotakethejewelsandflyforhislife。 Nobodywasquitepleased，andnobodyquiteknewwhy。 Janevoicedthefeelingsofallwhenshesaid，fingeringTHEIR Amuletthroughthefoldsofherfrock，’Wecangobackinaminuteifanythingnastyhappens。’ Forthemomentnothingworsehappenedthananofferoffood——figsandcucumbersitwas，andverypleasant。 ’Isee，’saidtheCaptain，’thatyouarefromafarcountry。 Sinceyouhavehonouredmyboatbyappearingonit，youmuststayheretillmorning。ThenIwillleadyoutooneofourgreatones。Helovesstrangersfromfarlands。’ ’Let’sgohome，’Janewhispered，’allthefrogsaredrowningNOW。 Ithinkthepeopleherearecruel。’ Buttheboyswantedtostayandseethelinestakenupinthemorning。 ’It’sjustlikeeel—potsandlobster—pots，’saidCyril，’thebasketsonlyopenfromoutside——Ivotewestay。’ Sotheystayed。 ’That’sTyreoverthere，’saidtheCaptain，whowasevidentlytryingtobecivil。Hepointedtoagreatislandrock，thatrosesteeplyfromthesea，crownedwithhugewallsandtowers。Therewasanothercityonthemainland。 ’That’spartofTyre，too，’saidtheCaptain；’it’swherethegreatmerchantshavetheirpleasure—housesandgardensandfarms。’ ’Look，look！’Cyrilcriedsuddenly；’whatalovelylittleship！’ Ashipinfullsailwaspassingswiftlythroughthefishingfleet。TheCaptain’sfacechanged。Hefrowned，andhiseyesblazedwithfury。 ’Insolentyoungbarbarian！’hecried。’DoyoucalltheshipsofTyreLITTLE？Nonegreatersailtheseas。Thatshiphasbeenonathreeyears’voyage。SheisknowninallthegreattradingportsfromheretotheTinIslands。Shecomesbackrichandglorious。Herveryanchorisofsilver。’ ’I’msurewebegyourpardon，’saidAntheahastily。’Inourcountrywesay\"little\"forapetname。Yourwifemightcallyouherdearlittlehusband，youknow。’ ’Ishouldliketocatchheratit，’growledtheCaptain，buthestoppedscowling。 ’It’sarichtrade，’hewenton。’ForclothONCEdipped，second—bestglass，andtheroughimagesouryoungartistscarveforpractice，thebarbarianKinginTessosletsusworkthesilvermines。Wegetsomuchsilvertherethatweleavethemourironanchorsandcomebackwithsilverones。’ ’Howsplendid！’saidRobert。’Dogoon。What’sclothoncedipped？’ ’YouMUSTbebarbariansfromtheouterdarkness，’saidtheCaptainscornfully。’Allwealthynationsknowthatourfineststuffsaretwicedyed——dibaptha。They’reonlyfortherobesofkingsandpriestsandprinces。’ ’Whatdotherichmerchantswear，’askedJane，withinterest，’inthepleasure—houses？’ ’Theywearthedibaptha。OURmerchantsAREprinces，’scowledtheskipper。 ’Oh，don’tbecross，wedosolikehearingaboutthings。WewanttoknowALLaboutthedyeing，’saidAntheacordially。 ’Oh，youdo，doyou？’growledtheman。’Sothat’swhatyou’reherefor？Well，youwon’tgetthesecretsofthedyetradeoutofME。’ Hewentaway，andeveryonefeltsnubbedanduncomfortable。Andallthetimethelong，narroweyesoftheEgyptianwerewatching，watching。Theyfeltasthoughhewaswatchingthemthroughthedarkness，whentheylaydowntosleeponapileofcloaks。 Nextmorningthebasketsweredrawnupfullofwhatlookedlikewhelkshells。 Thechildrenwereratherintheway，buttheymadethemselvesassmallastheycould。Whiletheskipperwasattheotherendoftheboattheydidaskonequestionofasailor，whosefacewasalittlelessunkindthantheothers。 ’Yes，’heanswered，’thisisthedye—fish。It’sasortofmurex——andthere’sanotherkindthattheycatchatSidonandthen，ofcourse，there’sthekindthat’susedforthedibaptha。 Butthat’squitedifferent。It’s——’ ’Holdyourtongue！’shoutedtheskipper。Andthemanheldit。 Theladenboatwasrowedslowlyroundtheendoftheisland，andwasmadefastinoneofthetwogreatharboursthatlayinsidealongbreakwater。Theharbourwasfullofallsortsofships，sothatCyrilandRobertenjoyedthemselvesmuchmorethantheirsisters。Thebreakwaterandthequayswereheapedwithbalesandbaskets，andcrowdedwithslavesandsailors。Fartheralongsomemenwerepractisingdiving。 ’That’sjollygood，’saidRobert，asanakedbrownbodycleftthewater。 ’Ishouldthinkso，’saidtheskipper。’Thepearl—diversofPersiaarenotmoreskilful。Why，we’vegotafresh—waterspringthatcomesoutatthebottomofthesea。Ourdiversdivedownandbringupthefreshwaterinskinbottles！Canyourbarbariandiversdoasmuch？’ ’Isupposenot，’saidRobert，andputawayawilddesiretoexplaintotheCaptaintheEnglishsystemofwaterworks，pipes，taps，andtheintricaciesoftheplumbers’trade。 Astheynearedthequaytheskippermadeahastytoilet。Hedidhishair，combedhisbeard，putonagarmentlikeajerseywithshortsleeves，anembroideredbelt，anecklaceofbeads，andabigsignetring。 ’Now，’saidhe，’I’mfittobeseen。Comealong？’ ’Whereto？’saidJanecautiously。 ’ToPheles，thegreatsea—captain，saidtheskipper，’themanI toldyouof，wholovesbarbarians。’ ThenRekh—maracameforward，and，forthefirsttime，spoke。 ’Ihaveknownthesechildreninanotherland，’hesaid。’Youknowmypowersofmagic。Itwasmymagicthatbroughtthesebarbarianstoyourboat。Andyouknowhowtheywillprofityou。 Ireadyourthoughts。Letmecomewithyouandseetheendofthem，andthenIwillworkthespellIpromisedyouinreturnforthelittleexperienceyouhavesokindlygivenmeonyourboat。’ TheskipperlookedattheEgyptianwithsomedisfavour。 ’SoitwasYOURdoing，’hesaid。’Imighthaveguessedit。 Well，comeon。’ Sohecame，andthegirlswishedhehadn’t。ButRobertwhispered—— ’Nonsense——aslongashe’swithuswe’vegotsomechanceoftheAmulet。Wecanalwaysflyifanythinggoeswrong。’ Themorningwassofreshandbright；theirbreakfasthadbeensogoodandsounusual；theyhadactuallyseentheAmuletroundtheEgyptian’sneck。Oneortwo，orallthesethings，suddenlyraisedthechildren’sspirits。Theywentoffquitecheerfullythroughthecitygate——itwasnotarched，butroofedoverwithagreatflatstone——andsothroughthestreet，whichsmelthorriblyoffishandgarlicandathousandotherthingsevenlessagreeable。Butfarworsethanthestreetscentswasthescentofthefactory，wheretheskippercalledintosellhisnight’scatch。IwishIcouldtellyouallaboutthatfactory，butI haven’ttime，andperhapsafterallyouaren’tinterestedindyeingworks。IwillonlymentionthatRobertwastriumphantlyprovedtoberight。ThedyeWASayellowish—whiteliquidofacreamyconsistency，anditsmeltmorestronglyofgarlicthangarlicitselfdoes。 WhiletheskipperwasbargainingwiththemasterofthedyeworkstheEgyptiancameclosetothechildren，andsaid，suddenlyandsoftly—— ’Trustme。’ ’Iwishwecould，’saidAnthea。 ’Youfeel，’saidtheEgyptian，’thatIwantyourAmulet。Thatmakesyoudistrustme。’ ’Yes，’saidCyrilbluntly。 ’Butyoualso，youwantmyAmulet，andIamtrustingyou。’ ’There’ssomethinginthat，’saidRobert。 ’WehavethetwohalvesoftheAmulet，’saidthePriest，’butnotyetthepinthatjoinedthem。Ouronlychanceofgettingthatistoremaintogether。Oncepartthesetwohalvesandtheymayneverbefoundinthesametimeandplace。Bewise。Ourinterestsarethesame。’ Beforeanyonecouldsaymoretheskippercameback，andwithhimthedye—master。Hishairandbeardwerecurledlikethemen’sinBabylon，andhewasdressedliketheskipper，butwithaddedgrandeurofgoldandembroidery。Hehadnecklacesofbeadsandsilver，andaglassamuletwithaman’sface，verylikehisown，setbetweentwobull’sheads，aswellasgoldandsilverbraceletsandarmlets。Helookedkeenlyatthechildren。Thenhesaid—— ’MybrotherPheleshasjustcomebackfromTarshish。He’sathisgardenhouse——unlesshe’shuntingwildboarinthemarshes。Hegetsfrightfullyboredonshore。’ ’Ah，’saidtheskipper，’he’satrue—bornPhoenician。\"Tyre，Tyreforever！Oh，Tyrerulesthewaves！\"astheoldsongsays。 I’llgoatonce，andshowhimmyyoungbarbarians。’ ’Ishould，’saidthedye—master。’Theyareveryrum，aren’tthey？Whatfrightfulclothes，andwhatalotofthem！Observethecoveringoftheirfeet。Hideousindeed。’ Robertcouldnothelpthinkinghoweasy，andatthesametimepleasant，itwouldbetocatchholdofthedye—master’sfeetandtiphimbackwardintothegreatsunkenvatjustnearhim。Butifhehad，flightwouldhavehadtobethenextmove，soherestrainedhisimpulse。 TherewassomethingaboutthisTyrianadventurethatwasdifferentfromalltheothers。Itwas，somehow，calmer。AndtherewastheundoubtedfactthatthecharmwasthereontheneckoftheEgyptian。 Sotheyenjoyedeverythingtothefull，therowfromtheIslandCitytotheshore，therideonthedonkeysthattheskipperhiredatthegateofthemainlandcity，andthepleasantcountry——palmsandfigsandcedarsallabout。Itwaslikeagarden——clematis，honeysuckle，andjasmineclungabouttheoliveandmulberrytrees，andthereweretulipsandgladiolus，andclumpsofmandrake，whichhasbell—flowersthatlookasthoughtheywerecutoutofdarkbluejewels。InthedistancewerethemountainsofLebanon。Thehousetheycametoatlastwasratherlikeabungalow——longandlow，withpillarsallalongthefront。Cedarsandsycamoresgrewnearitandsheltereditpleasantly。 Everyonedismounted，andthedonkeyswereledaway。 ’WhyisthislikeRosherville？’whisperedRobert，andinstantlysuppliedtheanswer。 ’Becauseit’stheplacetospendahappyday。’ ’It’sjollydecentoftheskippertohavebroughtustosucharippingplace，’saidCyril。 ’Doyouknow，’saidAnthea，’thisfeelsmorerealthananythingelsewe’veseen？It’slikeaholidayinthecountryathome。’ Thechildrenwereleftaloneinalargehall。Thefloorwasmosaic，donewithwonderfulpicturesofshipsandsea—beastsandfishes。Throughanopendoorwaytheycouldseeapleasantcourtyardwithflowers。 ’Ishouldliketospendaweekhere，’saidJane，’anddonkeyrideeveryday。’ Everyonewasfeelingveryjolly。EventheEgyptianlookedpleasanterthanusual。Andthen，quitesuddenly，theskippercamebackwithajoyoussmile。Withhimcamethemasterofthehouse。Helookedsteadilyatthechildrenandnoddedtwice。 ’Yes，’hesaid，’mystewardwillpayyoutheprice。ButIshallnotpayatthathighratefortheEgyptiandog。’ Thetwopassedon。 ’This，’saidtheEgyptian，’isaprettykettleoffish。’ ’Whatis？’askedallthechildrenatonce。 ’Ourpresentposition，’saidRekh—mara。’Ourseafaringfriend，’ headded，’hassoldusallforslaves！’ Ahastycouncilsucceededtheshockofthisannouncement。ThePriestwasallowedtotakepartinit。Hisadvicewas’stay’，becausetheywereinnodanger，andtheAmuletinitscompletenessmustbesomewherenear，or，ofcourse，theycouldnothavecometothatplaceatall。Andaftersomediscussiontheyagreedtothis。 Thechildrenweretreatedmoreasgueststhanasslaves，buttheEgyptianwassenttothekitchenandmadetowork。 Pheles，themasterofthehouse，wentoffthatveryevening，bytheKing’sorders，tostartonanothervoyage。Andwhenhewasgonehiswifefoundthechildrenamusingcompany，andkeptthemtalkingandsinginganddancingtillquitelate。’Todistractmymindfrommysorrows，’shesaid。 ’Idolikebeingaslave，’remarkedJanecheerfully，astheycurleduponthebig，softcushionsthatweretobetheirbeds。 Itwasblacknightwhentheywereawakened，eachbyahandpassedsoftlyoveritsface，andalowvoicethatwhispered—— ’Bequiet，orallislost。’ Sotheywerequiet。 ’It’sme，Rekh—mara，thePriestofAmen，’saidthewhisperer。 ’Themanwhobroughtushasgonetoseaagain，andhehastakenmyAmuletfrommebyforce，andIknownomagictogetitback。 IstheremagicforthatintheAmuletyoubear？’ Everyonewasinstantlyawakebynow。 ’Wecangoafterhim，’saidCyril，leapingup；’buthemighttakeOURSaswell；orhemightbeangrywithusforfollowinghim。’ ’I’llseetoTHAT，’saidtheEgyptianinthedark。’HideyourAmuletwell。’ ThereinthedeepblacknessofthatroomintheTyriancountryhousetheAmuletwasoncemoreheldupandthewordspoken。 Allpassedthroughontoashipthattossedandtumbledonawind—blownsea。Theycrouchedtogethertheretillmorning，andJaneandCyrilwerenotatallwell。Whenthedawnshowed，dove—coloured，acrossthesteelywaves，theystoodupaswellastheycouldforthetumblingoftheship。Pheles，thathardysailorandadventurer，turnedquitepalewhenheturnedroundsuddenlyandsawthem。 ’Well！’hesaid，’well，Ineverdid！’ ’Master，’saidtheEgyptian，bowinglow，andthatwasevenmoredifficultthanstandingup，’weareherebythemagicofthesacredAmuletthathangsroundyourneck。’ ’Ineverdid！’repeatedPheles。’Well，well！’ ’Whatportistheshipboundfor？’askedRobert，withanauticalair。 ButPhelessaid，’Areyouanavigator？’Roberthadtoownthathewasnot。 ’Then，’saidPheles，’Idon’tmindtellingyouthatwe’reboundfortheTinIsles。TyrealoneknowswheretheTinIslesare。Itisasplendidsecretwekeepfromalltheworld。Itisasgreatathingtousasyourmagictoyou。’ Hespokeinquiteanewvoice，andseemedtorespectboththechildrenandtheAmuletagooddealmorethanhehaddonebefore。 ’TheKingsentyou，didn’the？’saidJane。 ’Yes，’answeredPheles，’hebademesetsailwithhalfascorebravegentlemenandthiscrew。Youshallgowithus，andseemanywonders。’Hebowedandleftthem。 ’Whatarewegoingtodonow？’saidRobert，whenPheleshadcausedthemtobeleftalongwithabreakfastofdriedfruitsandasortofhardbiscuit。 ’WaittillhelandsintheTinIsles，’saidRekh—mara，’thenwecangetthebarbarianstohelpus。WewillattackhimbynightandtearthesacredAmuletfromhisaccursedheathenneck，’headded，grindinghisteeth。 ’WhenshallwegettotheTinIsles？’askedJane。 ’Oh——sixmonths，perhaps，orayear，’saidtheEgyptiancheerfully。 ’AyearofTHIS？’criedJane，andCyril，whowasstillfeelingfartoounwelltocareaboutbreakfast，huggedhimselfmiserablyandshuddered。ItwasRobertwhosaid—— ’Lookhere，wecanshortenthatyear。Jane，outwiththeAmulet！ WishthatwewerewheretheAmuletwillbewhentheshipistwentymilesfromtheTinIsland。That’llgiveustimetomatureourplans。’ Itwasdone——theworkofamoment——andtheretheywereonthesameship，betweengreynorthernskyandgreynorthernsea。Thesunwassettinginapaleyellowline。Itwasthesameship，butitwaschanged，andsowerethecrew。Weather—wornanddirtywerethesailors，andtheirclothestornandragged。Andthechildrensawthat，ofcourse，thoughtheyhadskippedtheninemonths，theshiphadhadtolivethroughthem。Pheleslookedthinner，andhisfacewasruggedandanxious。 ’Ha！’hecried，’thecharmhasbroughtyouback！Ihaveprayedtoitdailytheseninemonths——andnowyouarehere？Haveyounomagicthatcanhelp？’ ’Whatisyourneed？’askedtheEgyptianquietly。 ’Ineedagreatwavethatshallwhelmawaytheforeignshipthatfollowsus。Amonthagoitlayinwaitforus，bythepillarsofthegods，anditfollows，follows，tofindoutthesecretofTyre——theplaceoftheTinIslands。IfIcouldsteerbynightI couldescapethemyet，buttonighttherewillbenostars。’ ’Mymagicwillnotserveyouhere，’saidtheEgyptian。 ButRobertsaid，’Mymagicwillnotbringupgreatwaves，butI canshowyouhowtosteerwithoutstars。’ Hetookouttheshillingcompass，still，fortunately，inworkingorder，thathehadboughtoffanotherboyatschoolforfivepence，apieceofindiarubber，astripofwhalebone，andhalfastickofredsealing—wax。 AndheshowedPheleshowitworked。AndPheleswonderedatthecompass’smagictruth。 ’Iwillgiveittoyou，’Robertsaid，’inreturnforthatcharmaboutyourneck。’ Phelesmadenoanswer。Hefirstlaughed，snatchedthecompassfromRobert’shand，andturnedawaystilllaughing。 ’Becomforted，’thePriestwhispered，’ourtimewillcome。’ Theduskdeepened，andPheles，crouchedbesideadimlantern，steeredbytheshillingcompassfromtheCrystalPalace。 Nooneeverknewhowtheothershipsailed，butsuddenly，inthedeepnight，thelook—outmanatthesterncriedoutinaterriblevoice—— ’Sheiscloseuponus！’ ’Andwe，’saidPheles，’areclosetotheharbour。’Hewassilentamoment，thensuddenlyhealteredtheship’scourse，andthenhestoodupandspoke。 ’Goodfriendsandgentlemen，’hesaid，’whoareboundwithmeinthisbraveventurebyourKing’scommand，thefalse，foreignshipiscloseonourheels。Ifweland，theyland，andonlythegodsknowwhethertheymightnotbeatusinfight，andthemselvessurvivetocarrybackthetaleofTyre’ssecretislandtoenrichtheirownmiserableland。Shallthisbe？’ ’Never！’criedthehalf—dozenmennearhim。Theslaveswererowinghardbelowandcouldnothearhiswords。 TheEgyptianleapeduponhim；suddenly，fiercely，asawildbeastleaps。’GivemebackmyAmulet，’hecried，andcaughtatthecharm。Thechainthathelditsnapped，anditlayinthePriest’shand。 Pheleslaughed，standingbalancedtotheleapoftheshipthatansweredtheoarstroke。 ’Thisisnotimeforcharmsandmummeries，’hesaid。’We’velivedlikemen，andwe’lldielikegentlemenforthehonourandgloryofTyre，oursplendidcity。\"Tyre，Tyreforever！It’sTyrethatrulesthewaves。\"IsteerherstraightfortheDragonrocks，andwegodownforourcity，asbravemenshould。Thecreepingcowardswhofollowshallgodownasslaves——andslavestheyshallbetous——whenweliveagain。Tyre，Tyreforever！’ Agreatshoutwentup，andtheslavesbelowjoinedinit。 ’Quick，theAmulet，’criedAnthea，andhelditup。Rekh—marahelduptheonehehadsnatchedfromPheles。Thewordwasspoken，andthetwogreatarchesgrewontheplungingshipintheshriekingwindunderthedarksky。FromeachAmuletagreatandbeautifulgreenlightstreamedandshonefaroutoverthewaves。 Itilluminated，too，theblackfacesandjaggedteethofthegreatrocksthatlaynottwoships’lengthsfromtheboat’speakednose。 ’Tyre，Tyreforever！It’sTyrethatrulesthewaves！’thevoicesofthedoomedroseinatriumphantshout。Thechildrenscrambledthroughthearch，andstoodtremblingandblinkingintheFitzroyStreetparlour，andintheirearsstillsoundedthewhistleofthewind，andtherattleoftheoars，thecrashoftheshipsbowontherocks，andthelastshoutofthebravegentlemen—adventurerswhowenttotheirdeathssinging，forthesakeofthecitytheyloved。 ’Andsowe’velosttheotherhalfoftheAmuletagain，’saidAnthea，whentheyhadtoldthePsammeadallaboutit。 ’Nonsense，pooh！’saidthePsammead。’Thatwasn’ttheotherhalf。Itwasthesamehalfthatyou’vegot——theonethatwasn’tcrushedandlost。’ ’Buthowcoulditbethesame？’saidAntheagently。 ’Well，notexactly，ofcourse。Theoneyou’vegotisagoodmanyyearsolder，butatanyrateit’snottheotherone。Whatdidyousaywhenyouwished？’ ’Iforget，’saidJane。 ’Idon’t，’saidthePsammead。’Yousaid，\"TakeuswhereYOU are\"——anditdid，soyouseeitwasthesamehalf。’ ’Isee，’saidAnthea。 ’Butyoumarkmywords，’thePsammeadwenton，’you’llhavetroublewiththatPriestyet。’ ’Why，hewasquitefriendly，’saidAnthea。 ’Allthesameyou’dbetterbewareoftheReverendRekh—mara。’ ’Oh，I’msickoftheAmulet，’saidCyril，’weshallnevergetit。’ ’Ohyesweshall，’saidRobert。’Don’tyourememberDecember3rd？’ ’Jinks！’saidCyril，’I’dforgottenthat。’ ’Idon’tbelieveit，’saidJane，’andIdon’tfeelatallwell。’ ’IfIwereyou，’saidthePsammead，’IshouldnotgooutintothePastagaintillthatdate。You’llfinditsafernottogowhereyou’relikelytomeetthatEgyptiananymorejustatpresent。’ ’Ofcoursewe’lldoasyousay，’saidAntheasoothingly，’thoughthere’ssomethingabouthisfacethatIreallydolike。’ ’Still，youdon’twanttorunafterhim，Isuppose，’snappedthePsammead。’Youwaittillthe3rd，andthenseewhathappens。’ CyrilandJanewerefeelingfarfromwell，Antheawasalwaysobliging，soRobertwasoverruled。Andtheypromised。Andnoneofthem，noteventhePsammead，atallforesaw，asyounodoubtdoquiteplainly，exactlywhatitwasthatWOULDhappenonthatmemorabledate。 CHAPTER14 THEHEART’SDESIRE IfIonlyhadtimeIcouldtellyoulotsofthings。Forinstance，how，inspiteoftheadviceofthePsammead，thefourchildrendid，oneverywetday，gothroughtheirAmuletArchintothegoldendesert，andtherefindthegreatTempleofBaalbecandmeetwiththePhoenixwhomtheyneverthoughttoseeagain。AndhowthePhoenixdidnotrememberthematalluntilitwentintoasortofprophetictrance——ifthatcanbecalledremembering。 But，alas！IHAVEN’Ttime，soImustleaveallthatoutthoughitwasawonderfullythrillingadventure。Imustleaveout，too，allaboutthevisitofthechildrentotheHippodromewiththePsammeadinitstravellingbag，andabouthowthewishesofthepeopleroundaboutthemweregrantedsosuddenlyandsurprisinglythatatlastthePsammeadhadtobetakenhurriedlyhomebyAnthea，whoconsequentlymissedhalftheperformance。Thentherewasthetimewhen，NursehavinggonetoteawithafriendoutIvalunkway，theywereplaying’devilinthedark’——andinthemidstofthatmostcreepypastimethepostman’sknockfrightenedJanenearlyoutofherlife。Shetookintheletters，however，andputtheminthebackofthehat—standdrawer，sothattheyshouldbesafe。Andsafetheywere，forsheneverthoughtofthemagainforweeksandweeks。 OnereallygoodthinghappenedwhentheytookthePsammeadtoamagic—lanternshowandlectureattheboys’schoolatCamdenTown。ThelecturewasallaboutoursoldiersinSouthAfrica。 Andthelecturerendedupbysaying，’AndIhopeeveryboyinthisroomhasinhishearttheseedsofcourageandheroismandself—sacrifice，andIwishthateveryoneofyoumaygrowuptobenobleandbraveandunselfish，worthycitizensofthisgreatEmpireforwhomoursoldiershavefreelygiventheirlives。’ And，ofcourse，thiscametrue——whichwasadistinctscoreforCamdenTown。 AsAntheasaid，itwasunluckythatthelecturersaidboys，becausenowsheandJanewouldhavetobenobleandunselfish，ifatall，withoutanyoutsidehelp。ButJanesaid，’Idaresaywearealreadybecauseofourbeautifulnatures。It’sonlyboysthathavetobemadebravebymagic’——whichnearlyledtoafirst—classrow。 AndIdaresayyouwouldliketoknowallabouttheaffairofthefishingrod，andthefish—hooks，andthecooknextdoor——whichwasamusingfromsomepointsofview，thoughnotperhapsthecook’s——buttherereallyisnotimeevenforthat。 Theonlythingthatthere’stimetotellaboutistheAdventureofMaskelyneandCooke’s，andtheUnexpectedApparition——whichisalsothebeginningoftheend。 ItwasNursewhobrokeintothegloomymusicoftheautumnrainonthewindowpanesbysuggestingavisittotheEgyptianHall，England’sHomeofMystery。Thoughtheyhadgood，butprivatereasonstoknowthattheirownparticularpersonalmysterywasofaverydifferentbrand，thefourallbrightenedattheidea。Allchildren，aswellasagoodmanygrown—ups，loveconjuring。 ’It’sinPiccadilly，’saidoldNurse，carefullycountingoutthepropernumberofshillingsintoCyril’shand，’notsoveryfardownontheleftfromtheCircus。There’sbigpillarsoutside，somethinglikeCarter’sseedplaceinHolborn，asusedtobeDayandMartin’sblackingwhenIwasagell。AndsomethinglikeEustonStation，onlynotsobig。’ ’Yes，Iknow，’saideverybody。 Sotheystarted。 Butthoughtheywalkedalongtheleft—handsideofPiccadillytheysawnopillaredbuildingthatwasatalllikeCarter’sseedwarehouseorEustonStationorEngland’sHomeofMysteryastheyrememberedit。 Atlasttheystoppedahurriedlady，andaskedherthewaytoMaskelyneandCooke’s。 ’Idon’tknow，I’msure，’shesaid，pushingpastthem。’IalwaysshopattheStores。’Whichjustshows，asJanesaid，howignorantgrown—uppeopleare。 ItwasapolicemanwhoatlastexplainedtothemthatEngland’sMysteriesarenowappropriatelyenoughenactedatStGeorge’sHall。 SotheytrampedtoLanghamPlace，andmissedthefirsttwoitemsintheprogramme。Buttheywereintimeforthemostwonderfulmagicappearancesanddisappearances，whichtheycouldhardlybelieve——evenwithalltheirknowledgeofalargermagic——wasnotreallymagicafterall。 ’IfonlytheBabylonianscouldhaveseenTHISconjuring，’ whisperedCyril。’Ittakestheshineoutoftheiroldconjurer，doesn’tit？’ ’Hush！’saidAntheaandseveralothermembersoftheaudience。 NowtherewasavacantseatnexttoRobert。AnditwaswhenalleyeswerefixedonthestagewhereMrDevantwaspouringoutglassesofallsortsofdifferentthingstodrink，outofonekettlewithonespout，andtheaudienceweredelightedlytastingthem，thatRobertfeltsomeoneinthatvacantseat。Hedidnotfeelsomeonesitdowninit。Itwasjustthatonemomenttherewasnoonesittingthere，andthenextmoment，suddenly，therewassomeone。 Robertturned。ThesomeonewhohadsuddenlyfilledthatemptyplacewasRekh—mara，thePriestofAmen！ ThoughtheeyesoftheaudiencewerefixedonMrDavidDevant，MrDavidDevant’seyeswerefixedontheaudience。Andithappenedthathiseyesweremoreparticularlyfixedonthatemptychair。 Sothathesawquiteplainlythesuddenappearance，fromnowhere，oftheEgyptianPriest。 ’Ajollygoodtrick，’hesaidtohimself，’andworkedundermyowneyes，inmyownhall。I’llfindouthowthat’sdone。’Hehadneverseenatrickthathecouldnotdohimselfifhetried。 Bythistimeagoodmanyeyesintheaudiencehadturnedontheclean—shaven，curiously—dressedfigureoftheEgyptianPriest。 ’Ladiesandgentlemen，’saidMrDevant，risingtotheoccasion，’thisisatrickIhaveneverbeforeperformed。Theemptyseat，thirdfromtheend，secondrow，gallery——youwillnowfindoccupiedbyanAncientEgyptian，warrantedgenuine。’ Helittleknewhowtruehiswordswere。 AndnowalleyeswereturnedonthePriestandthechildren，andthewholeaudience，afteramoment’sbreathlesssurprise，shoutedapplause。OnlytheladyontheothersideofRekh—maradrewbackalittle。SheKNEWnoonehadpassedher，and，asshesaidlater，overteaandcoldtongue，’itwasthatsuddenitmadeherfleshcreep。’ Rekh—maraseemedverymuchannoyedatthenoticehewasexciting。 ’Comeoutofthiscrowd，’hewhisperedtoRobert。’Imusttalkwithyouapart。’ ’Oh，no，’Janewhispered。’IdidsowanttoseetheMascotMoth，andtheVentriloquist。’ ’Howdidyougethere？’wasRobert’sreturnwhisper。 ’HowdidyougettoEgyptandtoTyre？’retortedRekh—mara。 ’Come，letusleavethiscrowd。’ ’There’snohelpforit，Isuppose，’Robertshruggedangrily。 Buttheyallgotup。 ’Confederates！’saidamanintherowbehind。’Nowtheygoroundtothebackandtakepartinthenextscene。’ ’Iwishwedid，’saidRobert。 ’Confederateyourself！’saidCyril。Andsotheygotaway，theaudienceapplaudingtothelast。 InthevestibuleofStGeorge’sHalltheydisguisedRekh—maraaswellastheycould，butevenwithRobert’shatandCyril’sInvernesscapehewastoostrikingafigureforfoot—exerciseintheLondonstreets。Ithadtobeacab，andittookthelast，leastmoneyofallofthem。Theystoppedthecabafewdoorsfromhome，andthenthegirlswentinandengagedoldNurse’sattentionbyanaccountoftheconjuringandafervententreatyfordripping—toastwiththeirtea，leavingthefrontdooropensothatwhileNursewastalkingtothemtheboyscouldcreepquietlyinwithRekh—maraandsmugglehim，unseen，upthestairsintotheirbedroom。 WhenthegirlscameuptheyfoundtheEgyptianPriestsittingonthesideofCyril’sbed，hishandsonhisknees，lookinglikeastatueofaking。 ’Comeon，’saidCyrilimpatiently。’Hewon’tbegintillwe’reallhere。Andshutthedoor，can’tyou？’ WhenthedoorwasshuttheEgyptiansaid—— ’Myinterestsandyoursareone。’ ’Veryinteresting，’saidCyril，’andit’llbeajollysightmoreinterestingifyoukeepfollowingusaboutinadecentcountrywithnomoreclothesonthanTHAT！’ ’Peace，’saidthePriest。’Whatisthiscountry？andwhatisthistime？’ ’Thecountry’sEngland，’saidAnthea，’andthetime’sabout6，000 yearslaterthanYOURtime。’ ’TheAmulet，then，’saidthePriest，deeplythoughtful，’givesthepowertomovetoandfrointimeaswellasinspace？’ ’That’saboutit，’saidCyrilgruffly。’Lookhere，it’llbetea—timedirectly。Whatarewetodowithyou？’ ’Youhaveone—halfoftheAmulet，Itheother，’saidRekh—mara。 ’Allthatisnowneededisthepintojointhem。’ ’Don’tyouthinkit，’saidRobert。’Thehalfyou’vegotisthesamehalfastheonewe’vegot。’ ’Butthesamethingcannotbeinthesameplaceandthesametime，andyetbenotone，buttwain，’saidthePriest。’See，hereismyhalf。’HelaiditontheMarcellacounterpane。 ’Whereisyours？’ Janewatchingtheeyesoftheothers，unfastenedthestringoftheAmuletandlaiditonthebed，buttoofaroffforthePriesttoseizeit，evenifhehadbeensodishonourable。CyrilandRobertstoodbesidehim，readytospringonhimifoneofhishandshadmovedbuteversolittletowardsthemagictreasurethatwastheirs。Buthishandsdidnotmove，onlyhiseyesopenedverywide，andsodideveryoneelse’sfortheAmuletthePriesthadnowquiveredandshook；andthen，assteelisdrawntothemagnet，itwasdrawnacrossthewhitecounterpane，nearerandnearertotheAmulet，warmfromtheneckofJane。Andthen，asonedropofwatermingleswithanotheronarain—wrinkledwindow—pane，asonebeadofquick—silverisdrawnintoanotherbead，Rekh—mara’sAmuletslippedintotheotherone，and，behold！ therewasnomorebuttheoneAmulet！ ’Blackmagic！’criedRekh—mara，andsprangforwardtosnatchtheAmuletthathadswallowedhis。ButAntheacaughtitup，andatthesamemomentthePriestwasjerkedbackbyaropethrownoverhishead。Itdrew，tightenedwiththepullofhisforwardleap，andboundhiselbowstohissides。Beforehehadtimetousehisstrengthtofreehimself，Roberthadknottedthecordbehindhimandtiedittothebedpost。Thenthefourchildren，overcomingthepriest’swrigglingsandkickings，tiedhislegswithmorerope。 ’Ithought，’saidRobert，breathinghard，anddrawingthelastknottight，’he’dhaveatryforOURS，soIgottheropesoutofthebox—room，soastobeready。’ Thegirls，withratherwhitefaces，applaudedhisforesight。 ’Loosenthesebonds！’criedRekh—marainfury，’beforeIblastyouwiththesevensecretcursesofAmen—Ra！’ ’Weshouldn’tbelikelytoloosethemAFTER，’Robertretorted。 ’Oh，don’tquarrel！’saidAntheadesperately。’Lookhere，hehasjustasmuchrighttothethingaswehave。This，’shetookuptheAmuletthathadswallowedtheotherone，’thishasgothisinitaswellasbeingours。Let’sgoshares。’ ’Letmego！’criedthePriest，writhing。 ’Now，lookhere，’saidRobert，’ifyoumakearowwecanjustopenthatwindowandcallthepolice——theguards，youknow——andtellthemyou’vebeentryingtorobus。NOWwillyoushutupandlistentoreason？’ ’Isupposeso，’saidRekh—marasulkily。 Butreasoncouldnotbespokentohimtillawhisperedcounselhadbeenheldinthefarcornerbythewashhand—standandthetowel—horse，acounselratherlongandveryearnest。 AtlastAntheadetachedherselffromthegroup，andwentbacktothePriest。 ’Lookhere，’shesaidinherkindlittlevoice，’wewanttobefriends。Wewanttohelpyou。Let’smakeatreaty。Let’sjointogethertogettheAmulet——thewholeone，Imean。Andthenitshallbelongtoyouasmuchastous，andweshallallgetourhearts’desire。’ ’Fairwords，’saidthePriest，’grownoonions。’ ’WEsay，\"Butternoparsnips\"，’Janeputin。’Butdon’tyouseeweWANTtobefair？Onlywewanttobindyouinthechainsofhonouranduprightdealing。’ ’Willyoudealfairlybyus？’saidRobert。 ’Iwill，’saidthePriest。’Bythesacred，secretnamethatiswrittenundertheAltarofAmen—Ra，Iwilldealfairlybyyou。 Willyou，too，taketheoathofhonourablepartnership？’ ’No，’saidAnthea，ontheinstant，andaddedratherrashly。’Wedon’tswearinEngland，exceptinpolicecourts，wheretheguardsare，youknow，andyoudon’twanttogothere。ButwhenweSAY we’lldoathing——it’sthesameasanoathtous——wedoit。Youtrustus，andwe’lltrustyou。’Shebegantounbindhislegs，andtheboyshastenedtountiehisarms。 Whenhewasfreehestoodup，stretchedhisarms，andlaughed。 ’Now，’hesaid，’Iamstrongerthanyouandmyoathisvoid。I haveswornbynothing，andmyoathisnothinglikewise。ForthereISnosecret，sacrednameunderthealtarofAmen—Ra。’ ’Oh，yesthereis！’saidavoicefromunderthebed。Everyonestarted——Rekh—maramostofall。 CyrilstoopedandpulledoutthebathofsandwherethePsammeadslept。’Youdon’tknoweverything，thoughyouAREaDivineFatheroftheTempleofAmen，’saidthePsammeadshakingitselftillthesandfelltinklingonthebathedge。’ThereISasecret，sacrednamebeneaththealtarofAmen—Ra。ShallIcallonthatname？’ ’No，no！’criedthePriestinterror。 ’No，’saidJane，too。’Don’tlet’shaveanycallingnames。’ ’Besides，’saidRekh—mara，whohadturnedverywhiteindeedunderhisnaturalbrownness，’Iwasonlygoingtosaythatthoughthereisn’tanynameunder——’ ’ThereIS，’saidthePsammeadthreateningly。 ’Well，evenifthereWASN’T，Iwillbeboundbythewordlessoathofyourstrangelyuprightland，andhavingsaidthatIwillbeyourfriend——Iwillbeit。’ ’Thenthat’sallright，’saidthePsammead；’andthere’sthetea—bell。Whatareyougoingtodowithyourdistinguishedpartner？Hecan’tgodowntotealikethat，youknow。’ ’Youseewecan’tdoanythingtillthe3rdofDecember，’saidAnthea，’that’swhenwearetofindthewholecharm。WhatcanwedowithRekh—maratillthen？’ ’Box—room，’saidCyrilbriefly，’andsmuggleuphismeals。Itwillberatherfun。’ ’LikeafleeingCavalierconcealedfromexasperatedRoundheads，’ saidRobert。’Yes。’ SoRekh—marawastakenuptothebox—roomandmadeascomfortableaspossibleinasnugnookbetweenanoldnurseryfenderandthewreckofabigfour—poster。Theygavehimabigrag—bagtositon，andanold，moth—eatenfurcoatoffthenailonthedoortokeephimwarm。Andwhentheyhadhadtheirownteatheytookhimsome。Hedidnotliketheteaatall，buthelikedthebreadandbutter，andcakethatwentwithit。Theytookitinturnstositwithhimduringtheevening，andlefthimfairlyhappyandquitesettledforthenight。 Butwhentheywentupinthemorningwithakipper，aquarterofwhicheachofthemhadgonewithoutatbreakfast，Rekh—marawasgone！Therewasthecosycornerwiththerag—bag，andthemoth—eatenfurcoat——butthecosycornerwasempty。 ’Goodriddance！’wasnaturallythefirstdelightfulthoughtineachmind。Thesecondwaslesspleasing，becauseeveryoneatoncerememberedthatsincehisAmulethadbeenswallowedupbytheirs——whichhungoncemoreroundtheneckofJane——hecouldhavenopossiblemeansofreturningtohisEgyptianpast。 ThereforehemustbestillinEngland，andprobablysomewherequitenearthem，plottingmischief。 Theatticwassearched，topreventmistakes，butquitevainly。 ’Thebestthingwecando，’saidCyril，’istogothroughthehalfAmuletstraightaway，getthewholeAmulet，andcomeback。’ ’Idon’tknow，’Antheahesitated。’Wouldthatbequitefair？ Perhapsheisn’treallyabasedeceiver。Perhapssomething’shappenedtohim。’ ’Happened？’saidCyril，’notit！Besides，whatCOULDhappen？’ ’Idon’tknow，’saidAnthea。’Perhapsburglarscameinthenight，andaccidentallykilledhim，andtookawaythe——allthatwasmortalofhim，youknow——toavoiddiscovery。’ ’Orperhaps，’saidCyril，’theyhidthe——allthatwasmortal，inoneofthosebigtrunksinthebox—room。SHALLWEGOBACKAND LOOK？’headdedgrimly。 ’No，no！’Janeshuddered。’Let’sgoandtellthePsammeadandseewhatitsays。’ ’No，’saidAnthea，’let’saskthelearnedgentleman。IfanythinghashappenedtoRekh—maraagentleman’sadvicewouldbemoreusefulthanaPsammead’s。Andthelearnedgentleman’llonlythinkit’sadream，likehealwaysdoes。’ Theytappedatthedoor，andonthe’Comein’entered。Thelearnedgentlemanwassittinginfrontofhisuntastedbreakfast。 Oppositehim，intheeasychair，satRekh—mara！ ’Hush！’saidthelearnedgentlemanveryearnestly，’please，hush！ orthedreamwillgo。Iamlearning……Oh，whathaveInotlearnedinthelasthour！’ ’Inthegreydawn，’saidthePriest，’Ileftmyhiding—place，andfindingmyselfamongthesetreasuresfrommyowncountry，I remained。Ifeelmoreathomeheresomehow。’ ’OfcourseIknowit’sadream，’saidthelearnedgentlemanfeverishly，’but，oh，yegods！whatadream！Byjove！……’ ’Callnotuponthegods，’saidthePriest，’lestyeraisegreateronesthanyecancontrol。Already，’heexplainedtothechildren，’heandIareasbrothers，andhiswelfareisdeartomeasmyown。’ ’Hehastoldme，’thelearnedgentlemanbegan，butRobertinterrupted。Thiswasnomomentformanners。 ’Haveyoutoldhim，’heaskedthePriest，’allabouttheAmulet？’ ’No，’saidRekh—mara。 ’Thentellhimnow。Heisverylearned。Perhapshecantelluswhattodo。’ Rekh—marahesitated，thentold——and，oddlyenough，noneofthechildrenevercouldrememberafterwardswhatitwasthathedidtell。Perhapsheusedsomemagictopreventtheirremembering。 Whenhehaddonethelearnedgentlemanwassilent，leaninghiselbowonthetableandhisheadonhishand。 ’DearJimmy，’saidAntheagently，’don’tworryaboutit。Wearesuretofindittoday，somehow。’ ’Yes，’saidRekh—mara，’andperhaps，withit，Death。’ ’It’stobringusourhearts’desire，’saidRobert。 ’Whoknows，’saidthePriest，’whatthingsundreamed—ofandinfinitelydesirableliebeyondthedarkgates？’ ’Oh，DON’T，’saidJane，almostwhimpering。 Thelearnedgentlemanraisedhisheadsuddenly。 ’Whynot，’hesuggested，’gobackintothePast？AtamomentwhentheAmuletisunwatched。Wishtobewithit，andthatitshallbeunderyourhand。’ Itwasthesimplestthingintheworld！Andyetnoneofthemhadeverthoughtofit。 ’Come，’criedRekh—mara，leapingup。’ComeNOW！’ ’May——mayIcome？’thelearnedgentlemantimidlyasked。’It’sonlyadream，youknow。’ ’Come，andwelcome，ohbrother，’Rekh—marawasbeginning，butCyrilandRobertwithonevoicecried，’NO。’ ’Youweren’twithusinAtlantis，’Robertadded，’oryou’dknowbetterthantolethimcome。’ ’DearJimmy，’saidAnthea，’pleasedon’tasktocome。We’llgoandbebackagainbeforeyouhavetimetoknowthatwe’regone。’ ’Andhe，too？’ ’Wemustkeeptogether，’saidRekh—mara，’sincethereisbutoneperfectAmulettowhichIandthesechildrenhaveequalclaims。’ JanehelduptheAmulet——Rekh—marawentfirst——andtheyallpassedthroughthegreatarchintowhichtheAmuletgrewattheNameofPower。 Thelearnedgentlemansawthroughthearchadarknesslightedbysmokygleams。Herubbedhiseyes。Andheonlyrubbedthemfortenseconds。 ThechildrenandthePriestwereinasmall，darkchamber。A squaredoorwayofmassivestoneletingleamsofshiftinglight，andthesoundofmanyvoiceschantingaslow，strangehymn。Theystoodlistening。Nowandthenthechantquickenedandthelightgrewbrighter，asthoughfuelhadbeenthrownonafire。 ’Wherearewe？’whisperedAnthea。 ’Andwhen？’whisperedRobert。 ’Thisissomeshrinenearthebeginningsofbelief，’saidtheEgyptianshivering。’TaketheAmuletandcomeaway。Itiscoldhereinthemorningoftheworld。’ AndthenJanefeltthatherhandwasonaslabortableofstone，and，underherhand，somethingthatfeltlikethecharmthathadsolonghungroundherneck，onlyitwasthicker。Twiceasthick。 ’It’sHERE！’shesaid，’I’vegotit！’Andshehardlyknewthesoundofherownvoice。 ’Comeaway，’repeatedRekh—mara。 ’IwishwecouldseemoreofthisTemple，’saidRobertresistingly。 ’Comeaway，’thePriesturged，’thereisdeathallabout，andstrongmagic。Listen。’ Thechantingvoicesseemedtohavegrownlouderandfiercer，andlightstronger。 ’Theyarecoming！’criedRekh—mara。’Quick，quick，theAmulet！’ Janehelditup。 ’Whatalongtimeyou’vebeenrubbingyoureyes！’saidAnthea； ’don’tyouseewe’vegotback？’Thelearnedgentlemanmerelystaredather。 ’MissAnthea——MissJane！’ItwasNurse’svoice，verymuchhigherandsqueakyandmoreexaltedthanusual。 ’Oh，bother！’saideveryone。Cyriladding，’Youjustgoonwiththedreamforasec，MrJimmy，we’llbebackdirectly。Nurse’llcomeupifwedon’t。SHEwouldn’tthinkRekh—marawasadream。’ Thentheywentdown。Nursewasinthehall，anorangeenvelopeinonehand，andapinkpaperintheother。 ’YourPaandMa’scomehome。\"ReachLondon11。15。Prepareroomsasdirectedinletter\"，andsignedintheirtwonames。’ ’Oh，hooray！hooray！hooray！’shoutedtheboysandJane。ButAntheacouldnotshout，shewasnearercrying。 ’Oh，’shesaidalmostinawhisper，’thenitWAStrue。AndweHAVEgotourhearts’desire。’ ’ButIdon’tunderstandabouttheletter，’Nursewassaying。’I haven’tHADnoletter。’ ’OH！’saidJaneinaqueervoice，’Iwonderwhetheritwasoneofthose……theycamethatnight——youknow，whenwewereplaying\"devilinthedark\"——andIputtheminthehat—standdrawer，behindtheclothes—brushesand’——shepulledoutthedrawerasshespoke——’andheretheyare！’ TherewasaletterforNurseandoneforthechildren。TheletterstoldhowFatherhaddonebeingawar—correspondentandwascominghome；andhowMotherandTheLambweregoingtomeethiminItalyandallcomehometogether；andhowTheLambandMotherwerequitewell；andhowatelegramwouldbesenttotellthedayandthehouroftheirhome—coming。 ’Mercyme！’saidoldNurse。’Ideclareifit’snottoobadofYou，MissJane。Ishallhaveaniceto—dogettingthingsstraightforyourPaandMa。’ ’Oh，nevermind，Nurse，’saidJane，huggingher；’isn’titjusttoolovelyforanything！’ ’We’llcomeandhelpyou，’saidCyril。’There’sjustsomethingupstairswe’vegottosettleup，andthenwe’llallcomeandhelpyou。’ ’Getalongwithyou，’saidoldNurse，butshelaughedjollily。 ’NicehelpYOU’Dbe。Iknowyou。Andit’steno’clocknow。’ Therewas，infact，somethingupstairsthattheyhadtosettle。 Quiteaconsiderablesomething，too。Andittookmuchlongerthantheyexpected。 Ahastyrushintotheboys’roomsecuredthePsammead，verysandyandverycross。 ’Itdoesn’tmatterhowcrossandsandyitisthough，’saidAnthea，’itoughttobethereatthefinalcouncil。’ ’It’llgivethelearnedgentlemanfits，Iexpect，’saidRobert，’whenheseesit。’ Butitdidn’t。 ’Thedreamisgrowingmoreandmorewonderful，’heexclaimed，whenthePsammeadhadbeenexplainedtohimbyRekh—mara。’I havedreamedthisbeastbefore。’ ’Now，’saidRobert，’JanehasgotthehalfAmuletandI’vegotthewhole。Showup，Jane。’ JaneuntiedthestringandlaidherhalfAmuletonthetable，litteredwithdustypapers，andtheclaycylindersmarkedalloverwithlittlemarkslikethelittleprintsofbirds’littlefeet。RobertlaiddownthewholeAmulet，andAntheagentlyrestrainedtheeagerhandofthelearnedgentlemanasitreachedoutyearninglytowardsthe’perfectspecimen’。 Andthen，justasbeforeontheMarcellaquilt，sonowonthedustylitterofpapersandcuriosities，thehalfAmuletquiveredandshook，andthen，assteelisdrawntoamagnet，itwasdrawnacrossthedustymanuscripts，nearerandnearertotheperfectAmulet，warmfromthepocketofRobert。Andthen，asonedropofwatermingleswithanotherwhenthepanesofthewindowarewrinkledwithrain，asonebeadofmercuryisdrawnintoanotherbead，thehalfAmulet，thatwasthechildren’sandwasalsoRekh—mara’s，——slippedintothewholeAmulet，and，behold！therewasonlyone——theperfectandultimateCharm。 ’AndTHAT’Sallright，’saidthePsammead，breakingabreathlesssilence。 ’Yes，’saidAnthea，’andwe’vegotourhearts’desire。FatherandMotherandTheLambarecominghometoday。’ ’Butwhataboutme？’saidRekh—mara。 ’WhatISyourheart’sdesire？’Antheaasked。 ’Greatanddeeplearning，’saidthePriest，withoutamoment’shesitation。’Alearninggreateranddeeperthanthatofanymanofmylandandmytime。Butlearningtoogreatisuseless。IfI gobacktomyownlandandmyownage，whowillbelievemytalesofwhatIhaveseeninthefuture？Letmestayhere，bethegreatknowerofallthathasbeen，inthatourtime，solivingtome，sooldtoyou，aboutwhichyourlearnedmenspeculateunceasingly，andoften，HEtellsme，vainly。’ ’IfIwereyou，’saidthePsammead，’IshouldasktheAmuletaboutthat。It’sadangerousthing，tryingtoliveinatimethat’snotyourown。Youcan’tbreatheanairthat’sthousandsofcenturiesaheadofyourlungswithoutfeelingtheeffectsofit，soonerorlater。PreparethemysticcircleandconsulttheAmulet。’ ’Oh，WHATadream！’criedthelearnedgentleman。’Dearchildren，ifyouloveme——andIthinkyoudo，indreamsandoutofthem——preparethemysticcircleandconsulttheAmulet！’ Theydid。Asoncebefore，whenthesunhadshoneinAugustsplendour，theycrouchedinacircleonthefloor。NowtheairoutsidewasthickandyellowwiththefogthatbysomestrangedecreealwaysattendstheCattleShowweek。Andinthestreetcosterswereshouting。’UrHekauSetcheh，’JanesaidtheNameofPower。Andinstantlythelightwentout，andallthesoundswentouttoo，sothattherewasasilenceandadarkness，bothdeeperthananydarknessorsilencethatyouhaveeverevendreamedofimagining。Itwaslikebeingdeaforblind，onlydarkerandquietereventhanthat。 Thenoutofthatvastdarknessandsilencecamealightandavoice。Thelightwastoofainttoseeanythingby，andthevoicewastoosmallforyoutohearwhatitsaid。Butthelightandthevoicegrew。Andthelightwasthelightthatnomanmaylookonandlive，andthevoicewasthesweetestandmostterriblevoiceintheworld。Thechildrencastdowntheireyes。Andsodideveryone。 ’Ispeak，’saidthevoice。’Whatisitthatyouwouldhear？’ Therewasapause。Everyonewasafraidtospeak。 ’WhatarewetodoaboutRekh—mara？’saidRobertsuddenlyandabruptly。’ShallhegobackthroughtheAmulettohisowntime，or——’ ’NoonecanpassthroughtheAmuletnow，’saidthebeautiful，terriblevoice，’toanylandoranytime。Onlywhenitwasimperfectcouldsuchthingsbe。Butmenmaypassthroughtheperfectcharmtotheperfectunion，whichisnotoftimeorspace。’ ’Wouldyoubesoverykind，’saidAntheatremulously，’astospeaksothatwecanunderstandyou？ThePsammeadsaidsomethingaboutRekh—maranotbeingabletolivehere，andifhecan’tgetback——’Shestopped，herheartwasbeatingdesperatelyinherthroat，asitseemed。 ’Nobodycancontinuetoliveinalandandinatimenotappointed，’saidthevoiceofglorioussweetness。’Butasoulmaylive，ifinthatothertimeandlandtherebefoundasoulsoakintoitastoofferitrefuge，inthebodyofthatlandandtime，thatthustheytwomaybeonesoulinonebody。’ Thechildrenexchangeddiscouragedglances。ButtheeyesofRekh—maraandthelearnedgentlemanmet，andwerekindtoeachother，andpromisedeachothermanythings，secretandsacredandverybeautiful。 Antheasawthelook。’Oh，but，’shesaid，withoutatallmeaningtosayit，’dearJimmy’ssoulisn’tatalllikeRekh—mara’s。I’mcertainitisn’t。Idon’twanttoberude，butitISN’T，youknow。DearJimmy’ssoulisasgoodasgold，and——’ ’NothingthatisnotgoodcanpassbeneaththedoublearchofmyperfectAmulet，’saidthevoice。’Ifbotharewilling，saythewordofPower，andletthetwosoulsbecomeoneforeverandevermore。’ ’ShallI？’askedJane。 ’Yes。’ ’Yes。’ ThevoiceswerethoseoftheEgyptianPriestandthelearnedgentleman，andthevoiceswereeager，alive，thrilledwithhopeandthedesireofgreatthings。 SoJanetooktheAmuletfromRobertandhelditupbetweenthetwomen，andsaid，forthelasttime，thewordofPower。 ’UrHekauSetcheh。’ TheperfectAmuletgrewintoadoublearch；thetwoarchesleanedtoeachothermakingagreatA。 ’AstandsforAmen，’whisperedJane；’whathewasapriestof。’ ’Hush！’breathedAnthea。 ThegreatdoublearchglowedinandthroughthegreenlightthathadbeentheresincetheNameofPowerhadfirstbeenspoken——itglowedwithalightmorebrightyetmoresoftthantheotherlight——agloryandsplendourandsweetnessunspeakable。’Come！’ criedRekh—mara，holdingouthishands。 ’Come！’criedthelearnedgentleman，andhealsoheldouthishands。 Eachmovedforwardundertheglowing，gloriousarchoftheperfectAmulet。 ThenRekh—maraquaveredandshook，andassteelisdrawntoamagnethewasdrawn，underthearchofmagic，nearerandnearertothelearnedgentleman。And，asonedropofwatermingleswithanother，whenthewindow—glassisrain—wrinkled，asonequick—silverbeadisdrawntoanotherquick—silverbead，Rekh—mara，DivineFatheroftheTempleofAmen—Ra，wasdrawninto，slippedinto，disappearedinto，andwasonewithJimmy，thegood，thebeloved，thelearnedgentleman。 AndsuddenlyitwasgooddaylightandtheDecembersunshone。 Thefoghaspassedawaylikeadream。 TheAmuletwasthere——littleandcompleteinjane’shand，andthereweretheotherchildrenandthePsammead，andthelearnedgentleman。ButRekh—mara——orthebodyofRekh—mara——wasnotthereanymore。Asforhissoul…… ’Oh，thehorridthing！’criedRobert，andputhisfootonacentipedeaslongasyourfinger，thatcrawledandwriggledandsquirmedatthelearnedgentleman’sfeet。 ’THAT，’saidthePsammead，’WAStheevilinthesoulofRekh—mara。’ Therewasadeepsilence。 ’ThenRekh—mara’sHIMnow？’saidJaneatlast。 ’AllthatwasgoodinRekh—mara，’saidthePsammead。 ’HEoughttohavehisheart’sdesire，too，’saidAnthea，inasortofstubborngentleness。 ’HISheart’sdesire，’saidthePsammead，’istheperfectAmuletyouholdinyourhand。Yes——andhasbeeneversincehefirstsawthebrokenhalfofit。’ ’We’vegotours，’saidAntheasoftly。 ’Yes，’saidthePsammead——itsvoicewascrosserthantheyhadeverheardit——’yourparentsarecominghome。Andwhat’stobecomeofME？Ishallbefoundout，andmadeashowof，anddegradedineverypossibleway。IKNOWthey’llmakemegointoParliament——hatefulplace——allmudandnosand。ThatbeautifulBaalbectempleinthedesert！Plentyofgoodsandthere，andnopolitics！IwishIwerethere，safeinthePast——thatIdo。’ ’Iwishyouwere，’saidthelearnedgentlemanabsently，yetpoliteasever。 ThePsammeadswelleditselfup，turneditslongsnail’seyesinonelastlingeringlookatAnthea——alovinglook，shealwayssaid，andthought——and——vanished。 ’Well，’saidAnthea，afterasilence，’Isupposeit’shappy。TheonlythingiteverdidreallycareforwasSAND。’ ’Mydearchildren，’saidthelearnedgentleman，’Imusthavefallenasleep。I’vehadthemostextraordinarydream。’ ’Ihopeitwasaniceone，’saidCyrilwithcourtesy。 ’Yes……Ifeelanewmanafterit。Absolutelyanewman。’ Therewasaringatthefront—doorbell。Theopeningofadoor。 Voices。 ’It’sTHEM！’criedRobert，andathrillranthroughfourhearts。 ’Here！’criedAnthea，snatchingtheAmuletfromJaneandpressingitintothehandofthelearnedgentleman。’Here——it’syours——yourveryown——apresentfromus，becauseyou’reRekh—maraaswellas……Imean，becauseyou’resuchadear。’ Shehuggedhimbrieflybutfervently，andthefoursweptdownthestairstothehall，whereacabmanwasbringinginboxes，andwhere，heavilydisguisedintravellingcloaksandwraps，wastheirhearts’desire——three—fold——Mother，Father，andTheLamb。 ’Blessme！’saidthelearnedgentleman，leftalone，’blessme！ Whatatreasure！Thedearchildren！Itmustbetheiraffectionthathasgivenmetheseluminousapercus。Iseemtoseesomanythingsnow——thingsIneversawbefore！Thedearchildren！Thedear，dearchildren！’