CHAPTER SEVEN ARAVIS IN TASHBAAN（第2/3页）

"He can keep his pearls and palaces as far as I'm concerned," said Aravis.

"You always were a queer girl,Aravis," said Lasaraleen. "What more do you want ?"

In the end, however, Aravis managed to make her friend believe that she was in earnest and even to discuss plans. There would be no difficulty now about getting the two horses out of the North gate and then on to the Tombs. No one would stop or question a groom in fine clothes leading a war horse and a lady' s saddle horse down to the river, and Lasaraleen had plenty of grooms to send. It wasn' t so easy to decide what to do about Aravis herself. She suggested that she could be carried out in the litter with the curtains drawn. But Lasaraleen told her that litters were only used in the city and the sight of one going out through the gate would be certain to lead to questions.

When they had talked for a long time-and it was all the longer because Aravis found it hard to keep her friend to the point-at last Lasaraleen clapped her hands and said,"Oh, I have an idea. There is one way of getting out of the city without using the gates. The Tisroc' s garden (may he live for ever !) runs right down to the water and there is a little water-door. Only for the palace people of course-but then you know, dear. "(here she tittered a little) "We almost are palace people. I say, it is lucky for you that you came to me. The dear Tisroc (may he live for ever !) is so kind. We' re asked to the palace almost every day and it is like a second home. I love all the dear princes and princesses and I positively adore Prince Rabadash. I might run in and see any of the palace ladies at any hour of the day or night. Why shouldn' t I slip in with you, after dark, and let you out by the water-door ? There are always a few punts and things tied up outside it. And even if we were caught—"

"All would be lost,"said Aravis.

"Oh darling, don' t get so excited,"said Lasaraleen.. I was going to say, even if we were caught everyone would only say it was one of my mad jokes. I'm getting quite well known for them. Only the other day-do listen, dear, this is frightfully funny—"

"I meant, all would be lost for me,"said Aravis a little sharply.

"Oh-ah-yes-I do see what you mean, darling. Well, can you think of any better plan ?"

Aravis couldn' t, and answered,.No. We' ll have to risk it. When can we start ?"

"Oh, not tonight,"said Lasaraleen..Of course not tonight. There' s a great feast on tonight (I must start getting my hair done for it in a few minutes) and the whole place will be a blaze of lights. And such a crowd too !It would have to be tomorrow night."

This was bad news for Aravis,but she had to make the best of it. The afternoon passed very slowly and it was a relief when Lasaraleen went out to the banquet, for Aravis was very tired of her giggling and her talk about dresses and parties, weddings and engagements and scandals. She went to bed early and that part she did enjoy: it was so nice to have pillows and sheets again.

But the next day passed very slowly.Lasaraleen wanted to go back on the whole arrangement and kept on telling Aravis that Narnia was a country of perpetual snow and ice inhabited by demons and sorcerers,and she was mad to think of going there. .And with a peasant boy,too !"said Lasaraleen..Darling, think of it ! It' s not Nice."Aravis had thought of it a good deal, but she was so tired of Lasaraleen' s silliness by now that,for the first time,she began to think that travelling with Shasta was really rather more fun than fashionable life in Tashbaan.So she only replied,.You forget that I' ll be nobody, just like him, when we get to Narnia.And anyway, I promised."

"And to think," said Lasaraleen,almost crying, .that if only you had sense you could be the wife of a Grand Vizier !" Aravis went away to have a private word with the horses.

"You must go with a groom a little before sunset down to the Tombs,"she said..No more of those packs. You' ll be saddled and bridled again. But there' ll have to be food in Hwin' s saddle-bags and a full water-skin behind yours, Bree. The man has orders to let you both have a good long drink at the far side of the bridge."

"And then, Narnia and the North !"whispered Bree..But what if Shasta is not at the Tombs."

"Wait for him of course," said Aravis. "I hope you've been quite comfortable."

"Never better stabled in my life," said Bree. "But if the husband of that tittering Tarkheena friend of yours is paying his head groom to get the best oats, then I think the head groom is cheating him."

Aravis and Lasaraleen had supper in the pillared room.

About two hours later they were ready to start. Aravis was dressed to look like a superior slave-girl in a great house and wore a veil over her face. They had agreed that if any questions were asked Lasaraleen would pretend that Aravis was a slave she was taking as a present to one of the princesses.

The two girls went out on foot. A very few minutes brought them to the palace gates. Here there were of course soldiers on guard but the officer knew Lasaraleen quite well and called his men to attention and saluted. They passed at once into the Hall of Black Marble. A fair number of courtiers, slaves and others were still moving about here but this only made the two girls less conspicuous. They passed on into the Hall of Pillars and then into the Hall of Statues and down the colonnade, passing the great beatencopper doors of the throne room. It was all magnificent beyond description;what they could see of it in the dim light of the lamps.

Presently they came out into the garden-court which sloped downhill in a number of terraces.On the far side of that they came to the Old Palace. It had already grown almost quite dark and they now found themselves in a maze of corridors lit only by occasional torches fixed in brackets to the walls. Lasaraleen halted at a place where you had to go either left or right.

"Go on, do go on," whispered Aravis, whose heart was beating terribly and who still felt that her father might run into them at any corner.

"I'm just wondering---"said Lasaraleen."I'm not absolutely sure which way we go from here. I think it' s the left. Yes, I' m almost sure it' s the left.What fun this is !"

They took the left hand way and found themselves in a passage that was hardly lighted at all and which soon began going down steps.

"It's all right," said Lasaraleen. "I'm sure we're right now. I remember these steps."But at that moment a moving light appeared ahead. A second later there appeared from round a distant corner, the dark shapes of two men walking backwards and carrying tall candles. And of course it is only before royalties that people walk backwards. Aravis felt Lasaraleen grip her arm-that sort of sudden grip which is almost a pinch and which means that the person who is gripping you is very frightened indeed. Aravis thought it odd that Lasaraleen should be so afraid of the Tisroc if he were really such a friend of hers, but there was no time to go on thinking. Lasaraleen was hurrying her back to the top of the steps,on tiptoes,and groping wildly along the wall.