Chapter 4 Chapter 4 The Clock and the Hammer

Now, the magic definitely worked.They cut it down.First there was darkness, then there was an indistinct fuzzy and swirling image, and it became brighter and brighter before their eyes, and suddenly they felt that they were standing on something solid.After a while, they can see things around them, and they can look around, "What a strange place!" said Digory. "I don't like it." Polly shuddered. The first thing they notice is the light, which doesn't resemble daylight, or electric lamps, kerosene lamps, candles, or any other kind of light they've ever seen.It was a dismal, almost red light, not pleasant at all.The light froze, without flickering.They were standing on a level ground with buildings rising in all directions.There is no roof on it, and it is obviously a courtyard.The sky is very dark——

An almost black blue.When you see a sky like this, you must wonder if there is no light here. "It's a strange weather here," said Digory. "I wonder if we've caught a storm or an eclipse."" "I don't like it," said Polly. For some reason, both of them were speaking in low voices.Although there was no reason to hold hands after the dive, they still did not let go. The courtyard was surrounded by very high walls, with many large windows without glass, and it was very dark inside.A little below, there were huge arches, gaping black like railway tunnels.It was quite cold.

All the buildings are made of what looks like red stone, but this may be the result of that strange light.In the courtyard, many stone slabs used to pave the ground are cracked.The slabs were unevenly spaced between the slabs, their edges worn away, and one of the arches was half-filled with rubble.The two children kept turning and looking around the yard, for they were afraid that someone or something might be watching them through the window when they turned their backs. "Do you think anyone lives here," said Digory at last, but quietly. "No," said Polly. "It's a ruin. I haven't heard a sound since we came."

"Then let's stand and listen for a while," suggested Digory. They stood and listened, but all they heard was the beating of their own hearts.It was at least as peaceful here as the woods between the worlds.However, it is another kind of tranquility.The woods were peaceful, verdant, warm, and full of life, you could almost hear the trees growing.Here is a kind of cold and empty dead silence, you can't imagine that there will be life growing here. 'We go home. said Polly. "But we haven't seen anything," said Digory, "and now that we're here, we're going to walk around."

"I'm sure it's not fun here." "What's the point of finding a magic ring to take you to 'another world' if you don't dare to look at it when you're here?" "Who dares," said Polly.shook off Digory's hand. "I just thought. You weren't too keen on exploring the place." "Wherever you go, I will go." We can leave when we want. said Digory, "take off the green ring and put it in the right pocket."Just remember that the left is yellow and the right is green.You can put your hand closer to the pocket, but don't put it in, otherwise, the yellow ring will disappear as soon as you touch it. "

Once arranged, they walked quietly towards a large archway leading to the interior of the building.When they stood on the threshold and looked in, they found that it was not as dark as they had thought, and they could see a dark and empty hall.There was a row of arched columns at the far end of the hall, the gaps revealing more of that weary light.They walked carefully through the hall, fearing that there would be a hole or something in the floor that would trip them up.As they passed, through the archway between the pillars, they found themselves in yet another, larger courtyard. "It doesn't seem very safe," said Polly, pointing to a projecting wall that seemed likely to fall over the courtyard at any moment.In one place a column was missing, and only a remnant of its former crown remained, hanging unsupported in the air.The place had apparently been deserted for hundreds if not thousands of years.

"If it has survived to this day, I think it will last longer," said Digory, "but we must keep quiet."You know, sound sometimes makes things come down -- like an avalanche in the Alps. " They went on, out of the yard, and through another door.Climb up a long flight of steps and pass through one large room after another until you're dizzy with the sheer size of the place.From time to time they thought that they might have to go outside and see what kind of fields lay outside the huge palace, but each time they just walked into another courtyard.The place must have been a magnificent sight when it was inhabited.There used to be a fountain in one of the courtyards.A huge stone beast stood tall with its wings spread and its mouth grinning; in its mouth, remnants of the pipes that were used to spray water could still be seen.Underneath it was a halite that caught water, but it was as dry as a bone.Elsewhere, there are dead vines of a climbing plant that once wrapped around columns and contributed to the collapse of some.But the plant died a long time ago.There are no ants, spiders, or other small creatures that are common in ruins.Dry earth sprouted between the broken stone slabs, and there was no grass or moss.

The surrounding scenery is exactly the same, and it looks very eerie.Digory was thinking that they might as well put on the yellow rings and go back to the warm, living green woods in the middle, when they came to two huge doors, made of something like gold. It was made of cracked metal, and one of the doors was ajar.They looked in naturally, both of them took a deep breath, stepped back, and finally found something worth looking at. At first, they thought the room was full of people— Hundreds of people, all sitting motionless.Polly and Digory also stood motionless for a long time, as you may guess.But they soon realized that what they saw might not be real.There was no movement, no breathing heard.Probably the wax figure, the best wax figure they've ever seen.

This time Polly took the lead, and there was something in the room that attracted her more than Digory.All those statues are all richly clothed.If you are interested in clothing, you can't help but approach it.After so many empty, dusty rooms, the sheen of the clothes in this one, if not terribly pleasing, added color to the room anyway.Also, with more windows, it's much brighter. It's hard for me to picture their outfits.Those statues are all dressed in robes and crowns.Robes of crimson, silver gray, deep purple and emerald green were embroidered with designs, flowers and monsters.Precious stones of great size and brilliance shone in dazzling splendor from their crowns and necklaces, and every ornamented part of their bodies shone with jewels.

"Why haven't these clothes rotted for so long?" asked Polly. "Magic," whispered Digory. "Can't you feel it? I'll bet the whole house is bewitched. I felt it when I came in." "Worth a few hundred pounds for any of those dresses?" said Polly.But Digory was more interested in the attractive faces.Those people sat on stone chairs around the room, and there was a space in the middle of the floor where they could walk over and look at the faces one by one. "I think these people are very good-looking," said Digory. Polly nodded.All the faces they meet are lovely.Both men and women appeared intelligent and kind, and, moreover, seemed to be descended from a beautiful, handsome race.But when the children took a few steps toward the middle of the room, they saw different faces.These faces are so serious that you feel that if you meet a real person with such faces, you will have to watch your behavior.After walking a few more steps, the face in front of them looked very tough, proud, exhausted, but very cold, the kind they didn't like.The farther you go, the colder your face becomes.go on.The faces were still grim, but the traces of triumph were gone, and they looked even despondent: as if someone with one of those faces had done terrible things, had terrible experiences.The last statue is also the most interesting - a taller woman more richly dressed (every statue in the room is taller than anyone in our world) with a suffocating look of cruelty and pride on her face.Years later, when Digory was old, he said it was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.But it is fair to add that Polly always thought that there was nothing particularly beautiful about her in that woman.

The woman I am talking about is the last one, and behind her, there are countless empty chairs, as if the room was originally intended to accommodate more statues. "I wish we knew the story," said Digory. "Let's look back at that table-like thing in the middle." In the middle of the room was not a real table, but a square pillar four feet high, from which rose a little golden arch, and over the door hung a little golden clock, and beside the clock stood a A golden hammer to ring a bell. "I think . . . I think . . . I think . . . " said Digory. "There seems to be something written here." Polly bent down and looked at the side of the pillar. 'My God, it's here,' said Digory, 'but we can't read it. " "Sex? I don't think so," said Polly. The two looked at it seriously, and you might guess that it was a strange alphabet carved on the stone.But at this moment, an incredible miracle happened: when they looked at it, the shape of the letter did not change, but they found that they could understand it.If Digory had remembered a few minutes before that he had said that there was magic in this room, he would have thought it was at work, but nothing but curiosity filled his mind.He became more and more anxious to know what was written on the pillar.Soon, everyone in the house understood.Here's what it says, at least to the effect of it, although the original poem reads better: choose.adventurous stranger, Ring the bell and wait for danger to come, Or, wondering what the consequences of this would be, Until you go crazy thinking about it. "Of course not," said Polly, "we don't want any danger." "Don't you see it's no use?" said Digory. "We can't get rid of it now. We're going to keep wondering what will happen when the clock strikes. I don't want to be driven crazy by the idea." Going home. I don’t want to!”, "Don't be so silly," said Polly, "as if anyone would want to go on like crazy. What does it matter if something happens or not?" "I think anyone who comes here must go on thinking until he's half-foolish. It's magic, you see, and I feel it's working on me." "I can't feel it," said Polly indignantly. "I don't believe you feel it. It's just a show." "That's all you know," said Digory, "because you're a girl. Girls don't want to know anything, and go on and on about that so-and-so is engaged to so-and-so, and so on." "You look exactly like your uncle when you say that," said Polly. "Why can't you get down to business?" said Digory. "That's what we're talking about." "What a man!" said Polly, in a grown-up tone; and then, adding hastily in her own tone, "Don't say I'm like a woman, and you'd be a loathsome goose." "I never dreamed of calling a child like you a woman," said Digory haughtily. "Oh, I'm a child, aren't I?" Polly was really angry now. "Well, you don't need to bother you with a child anymore. I'm leaving. I've seen enough of this place, and I've seen enough of it." about you--- You nasty, stubborn, self-righteous pig! " Digory, seeing Polly's hand reaching for the yellow ring in his pocket, cried "Stop!" Said, he felt a cough afterwards (as many people do).Before Polly's hands could reach her pockets, he grabbed her wrists, leaned over, and pressed his back against her chest, then blocked her other arm with the elbow of his other hand.He leaned over, picked up the hammer, and tapped the clock briskly.Then, he let her go, and they both fell to the ground, gasping for air, staring hard at each other.Polly began to cry, not out of fear, or because he had twisted her wrist badly, but out of great anger.But soon, they put the quarrel behind them and had other things to think about. As soon as the clock strikes noon, it makes a note, not too loud, but sweet, as you can imagine.Far from abating, the note continued, and grew louder, and in less than a minute it was twice as loud as it had been at the beginning.The voice grows rapidly to the point that if the children want to talk (but they don't think about it at the time—they just stand there gaping), To the extent that they cannot hear each other.In an instant, the sound was so loud that even if they shouted, they could not be heard.The continuous sweet voice kept increasing, although there was a hint of terror in the sweetness.Gradually, the air in the entire room moved with that sound, until the two of them felt the stone floor trembling under their feet.Finally another vague, catastrophic sound joined in, at first like the roar of a distant train, then like the sound of fallen trees.They heard what seemed to be something heavy falling down.Suddenly, a shaking almost threw them out.With the rumbling sound, about a quarter of the roof at one end of the room collapsed, large chunks of masonry fell around them, and the walls began to shake.After the bell stopped, the dust dissipated and everything was quiet again.It is not known whether it was the magic that brought the roof down, or if the ringing of the bell just happened to make the walls unbearable and crumble. "Well now! I think you are satisfied now," gasped Polly. "Then it's all over," said Digory. Both thought so; however, they made the biggest mistake of their lives.