Chapter 6 Chapter Six: Uncle Andrew's Trouble Begins

"Let go! Let go!" screamed Polly. "I didn't touch you," said Digory. Once their heads were out of the pool, they were again in the sunny peace of the wood between worlds.Having just left that stale, barren place, the woods seemed more verdant, warm and serene than before.I think, if they could, they would forget who they were and where they came from, and lie down and listen to the growth of the trees, and enjoy themselves dimly.However.This time, they had to try to stay awake: because once out on the grass, they saw that it wasn't just them, the Queen, or the Witch (whatever you call her), was coming, still clinging Hold Polly's hair.No wonder Polly yelled "Let go!"

Incidentally, this also proved another function of the ring, which Uncle Andrew did not tell Digory, nor did he know it himself.To get from one world to another by those rings, you don't have to wear them or touch them yourself, just touch someone who can touch them.It's a lot like a magnet.Everyone knows that if you pick up a pin with a magnet, any other pins that come into contact with it will also be picked up. Now, Queen Jadis in the woods has completely changed.Her face was much paler than before, and her beauty was almost gone.She bent over as if it was difficult to breathe, and the air seemed to suffocate her.The two children were not afraid of her at all.

"Let go! Let go of my hair," said Polly. "What do you want?" "Listen! Let go of her hair, let go now!" said Digory.The two turned around and started fighting with her.They were stronger than she and soon forced her to let go.Panting for breath, she staggered back, with a look of fear in her eyes. "Quick, Digory!" said Polly, "change the rings and jump into the puddle home!" "Help! Help! My God!" cried the Witch feebly, staggering after her. "Take me with you. Don't leave me in this dreadful place, for I shall die."

"It's the ruler's reason," said Polly bitterly, "as you kill so many people in your world. Come on, Digory." They had put on their green rings, but Digory said : "How annoying! What are we going to do?" He couldn't help feeling a little pity for the queen. "Don't be a fool," said Polly, "she's probably faking it. Come on." Then both children jumped into the returning pool. "It's a good thing we marked it," thought Polly.But as they jumped down Digory felt two great cold fingers grasping his ears.They sank, and our world began to emerge, dimly and faintly.The fingers gripping his ears were also getting stronger.The Witch's strength was doubtless returning, and Digory punched and kicked, but to no avail.After a while, they arrived at Uncle Andrew's study.Uncle Undersea stared dumbfounded at the wonderful animal that Digory had brought back from another world.He had reason to stare like this.Digory and Polly were also dumbfounded.

There is no doubt that the Witch is no longer weak; now she stands in our world, compared with the ordinary things around her, it is really breathless.In Charn she had been a great astonishment: in London she had been a terror.First of all, they still haven't figured out how huge she is. "Simply not human." Digory watched her think so; he might be right, for it was said that the royal family of Charn had giant blood.But her height is inferior to her beauty, cruelty and wildness.She seemed to have ten times more energy than most people on the streets of London.Uncle Andrew looked at her, bowing and rubbing his hands; to tell the truth, he was terribly frightened.Beside the witch, he is like a small animal like shrimp.And, as Polly said afterwards, there was a certain resemblance between his and the witch's expression; it was an expression that all evil wizards have, which Jadis said she could not find on Digory's face. "mark".There was one advantage in seeing these two standing together: you would no longer be afraid of Uncle Ender, any more than you would be afraid of earthworms after seeing a rattlesnake, or of a cow after seeing a mad bull.

"Bah!" thought Digory, "he's a magician too! Not enough. She's the real one." Uncle Andrei kept rubbing his hands together and bowing.He wanted to say a few words of kindness, but his mouth was too dry to speak.His so-called "experiments" with the ring turned out to be more successful than he had hoped for: for though he had worked with magic for years, he had always left the danger to others.Nothing like today has ever happened.Then Jadis spoke, not loudly, but it made the whole room tremble. "Who is the magician who summoned me to this world?"

"Ah-ah-ma'am," gasped Uncle Andrew, "I feel a great honour--a great pleasure--a most unexpected pleasure--if only I had a chance to make some preparations--I --I--" "Where's the magician? You idiot!" Jadis asked. "It's just—it's me, ma'am. I hope you'll forgive—er—these naughty kids for being rude to you. I assure you, it wasn't on purpose—" "You!" The queen's voice became more terrifying.As she spoke, she stepped into the room, grabbed Uncle Andrew's gray hair, and twisted his head back so that his face was facing her.Then she studied his face as carefully as she had studied Digory's at Charn.He was nervous, blinking and licking his lips.Finally, she let go, and he fell backwards, staggering against the wall.

"I see," she said contemptuously, "you're a magician of a certain kind. Stand up, dog, and don't cower there like you're talking to your kind. How can you be magical? I swear you don't Royal blood." "It's—well—probably not strictly speaking," stammered Uncle Andrew, "not quite a royal family. But, ma'am, the Ketterleys are very old, an old Dorsetshire family. family." "Silence!" said the witch, "I know who you are. You are a self-proclaimed little magician who cannot live without rules and books. There is no real magic in your blood and heart. A thousand magicians like you became extinct in our world years ago. But now, I will allow you to be my servant."

"It's a great honor to serve you—a great pleasure—and a pleasure. I'm telling the truth." "Shut up, you're talking too much. Listen to your first mission. I see we're in a big city. Try to get me a wagon or flying carpet or a trained dragon right now, or Anything useful to your royal nobility here. Then, take me where I can get clothing, jewelry, and slaves to match my status. Tomorrow, I will start conquering the world." "I—I—I'm going to get a cab right now." Uncle Ender told him, panting heavily.As soon as he reached the door, the witch said, "Stop, don't try to play tricks. My eyes can see through walls and see people's hearts. You can't escape my eyes wherever you go. As long as you don't obey me again At the first sign, I will curse you, that anything you sit on will be like red-hot iron, and anytime you lie in bed, there will be invisible blocks of ice under your feet. Now go."

The old guy walked out like a dog with its tail between its legs. The children were afraid that Jandi would ask them about the woods.However, she did not say so at the time, nor did she mention it later.I think (and Digory did) that she has no memory of that quiet place, that even if you took her there often, or left her there long, she would know nothing.Now she is alone with the children, but she pays no attention to them.In Charn, she doesn't pay attention to Polly at all (until the end), Because she only wanted to use Digory.Now that she had Uncle Andrew, she paid no attention to Digory.I think most witches are like that.Extremely practical, they are only interested in people and things that can be used.So, the house was quiet for a while.But, from the way Jadis slapped her feet on the floor, she was growing impatient.

Presently she said, as if to herself, "What's the old fool doing, I should have brought a whip." Without looking at the children, she rushed out after Uncle Andrew. " "Hush—" Polly breathed a long sigh, "I must go home. It's too late, and I'll be punished." "Then, come back as soon as possible," said Digory. "It's a terrible thing to have her here. We must make plans." "It's your uncle's business," said Polly. "The troubles are caused by his magic." "You'll be back anyway, won't you, damn it, you can't leave me alone with this mess." "I'm coming home by the tunnel," said Polly dryly. "That's the quickest way. If you're trying to trick me back, don't you better say 'I'm sorry'?" "Excuse me?" cried Digory. "Isn't that like a girl? What have I done?" "Nothing, of course," said Polly sarcastically, "just nearly breaking my wrist like a cowardly thug in that hall of statues. Just hammering the clock like a fool." .just turn around in the woods before you're in the pool, so she'll have a chance to catch you. That's all." "Ah," said Digory, startled, "well, I say I'm sorry, and I am very sorry for what happened in Hall A of the Statue. Now that I have said I am sorry, you should come with me, otherwise it will be shameful, and if you do not come back, you will push me into a terrible abyss." "I don't think you need to worry about Mr. Ketterley sitting in a hot chair and having ice in his bed, are you? "Not of that sort," said Digory. "I'm worried about mother. If the monster came into her room, it would frighten her to death." "Oh, I see," said Polly in a strange voice. "Well, the operation is code-named 'Peace Lady.' I'll be back—if I can. But I must go now." Out the little door and into the dark place between the rafters of the tunnel, so exciting and adventurous a few hours ago, now seems ordinary and banal. We need to go back to Uncle Andrew.His poor old heart was beating wildly as he stumbled down the attic.He kept wiping his forehead with his handkerchief.When he entered the downstairs bedroom, he locked himself behind him.The first thing he did was to take out a bottle and a wine glass from the wardrobe, where he always hid these things so that Aunt Letty should not find them.He poured himself a full glass of pungent grown-up wine, drank it in one gulp, and then let out a long sigh of relief. "Why," he said to himself, "it frightens me. What a nuisance! At my age!" After pouring another glass and drinking it down, he began to change his clothes.You've never seen a dress like this, but I remember it.He put on a high, stiff, shiny collar, the kind that keeps your chin up for long periods of time, and a patterned vest, with a gold watch chain on the front.Then he put on his best wedding and funeral clothes, and took out his best top hat and patted it clean.There was a vase of flowers on his dressing table (Aunt Letty put it), he took one off and put it in the buttonhole, and took out a handkerchief from the small drawer on the left (very beautiful, hard to buy now), Sprinkle a few drops of perfume on it.He put on the glasses with thick black ribbons, and then looked at the mirror. You know, kids have one kind of silliness, grown-ups have another kind of silliness.At this moment, Uncle Andrew began to act like a grown-up.When the witch was not in his room, he soon forgot the fright he had just received, and began to dream about her beauty.He kept saying to himself, "A fine dame, sir, a fine dame, a super stunner."He unconsciously forgot that the "super stunner" was found by the children, and he thought he summoned it from the unknown world with magic. "Andrew, boy," he said to himself, looking in the glass, "you've been in good shape, you've never aged, sir, and you've got a very good look." You see, the foolish old fellow began to imagine that the witch would fall in love with him, and that was probably the effect of those two glasses of wine and the fine clothes.But, at any rate, he was as vain as the peacock, which is why he became a magician.He locked the door, went downstairs, sent one of the maids for a hansom (everyone had many servants in those days), looked into the drawing room, and found Lei in the cabin, as he wished. Aunt Tee, she's mending a rug.Cushions were spread by the windows and she knelt on them. "Well, Letia, my dear," said Uncle Endermi, "I—I'm going out. Lend me five pounds or something, and there's a very nice old lady." (He always used "girl" Said to be "Gu Niang".) "No, dear Andrew," said Aunt Letty in a firm, calm tone without looking up, "I've said it countless times, I won't lend you any money." "Please don't make trouble, dear Gu Niang," said Uncle Andrew, "this is the most important thing. If you don't borrow it, I will be very embarrassed." "Andrew," said Aunt Bitter, looking straight at him, "I find it strange that you're not ashamed to borrow money from me." These words hide a long, boring past that belongs to adults.All you need to know is that Uncle Andrew, under the guise of "looking after the property for dear Letty," does nothing but drinks brandy, smokes cigars, and owes a heap of debts (Aunt Letty has paid for him time and time again) pay), and in this way Letty is much poorer than she was thirty years ago. "Dear Gu Niang," said Uncle Andrew, "you don't know, I will have some unexpected expenses today. I have to entertain guests, please lend me, don't make me anxious." "Who are you entertaining, Andrew," asked Aunt Letty. "Oh—here comes a distinguished guest." "Dear guest? What a piece of crap!" Aunt Cao Di said, "You still haven't convinced me." At this moment, the door was suddenly knocked open. When Aunt Letty turned her head, she was surprised to see a giantess in gorgeous clothes, with bare arms, standing at the door with piercing eyes.This is exactly the witch.