CHAPTER TWELVE THROUGH THE STABLE DOOR（第4/4页）

“High King，”he said.“You are welcome to me.”

And the High King raised him and kissed him on both cheeks as a High King should. Then he led him to the eldest of the Queens-but even she was not old，and there were no grey hairs on her head and no wrinkles on her cheek-and said，“Sir，this is that Lady Polly who came into Narnia on the First Day，when Aslan made the trees grow and the Beasts talk.”He brought him next to a man whose golden beard flowed over his breast and whose face was full of wisdom.“And this，”he said，“is the Lord Digory who was with her on that day. And this is my brother，King Edmund：and this my sister，the Queen Lucy.”

“Sir，”said Tirian，when he had greeted all these.“If I have read the chronicle aright，there should be another. Has not your Majesty two sisters ？ Where is Queen Susan ？”

“My sister Susan，”answered Peter shortly and gravely，“is no longer a friend of Narnia.”

“Yes，”said Eustace，“and whenever you’ve tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia，she says，‘What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.’”

“Oh Susan!”said Jill.“She’s interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up.”

“Grown-up，indeed，”said the Lady Polly.“I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now，and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.”

“Well，don’t let’s talk about that now，”said Peter.“Look! Here are lovely fruit-trees. Let us taste them.”

And then，for the first time，Tirian looked about him and realized how very queer this adventure was．