FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  
er till she, the woman, and the basket were lost in the many-coloured crowd. Then Anthea turned once more to the palace's magnificent doorway and said-- 'Let's ask the porter to take care of our Babylonian overcoats.' So they took off the garments that the woman had lent them and stood amid the jostling petitioners of the Queen in their own English frocks and coats and hats and boots. 'We want to see the Queen,' said Cyril; 'we come from the far Empire where the sun never sets!' A murmur of surprise and a thrill of excitement ran through the crowd. The door-porter spoke to a black man, he spoke to someone else. There was a whispering, waiting pause. Then a big man, with a cleanly-shaven face, beckoned them from the top of a flight of red marble steps. They went up; the boots of Robert clattering more than usual because he was so nervous. A door swung open, a curtain was drawn back. A double line of bowing forms in gorgeous raiment formed a lane that led to the steps of the throne, and as the children advanced hurriedly there came from the throne a voice very sweet and kind. 'Three children from the land where the sun never sets! Let them draw hither without fear.' In another minute they were kneeling at the throne's foot, saying, 'O Queen, live for ever!' exactly as the woman had taught them. And a splendid dream-lady, all gold and silver and jewels and snowy drift of veils, was raising Anthea, and saying-- 'Don't be frightened, I really am SO glad you came! The land where the sun never sets! I am delighted to see you! I was getting quite too dreadfully bored for anything!' And behind Anthea the kneeling Cyril whispered in the ears of the respectful Robert-- 'Bobs, don't say anything to Panther. It's no use upsetting her, but we didn't ask for Jane's address, and the Psammead's with her.' 'Well,' whispered Robert, 'the charm can bring them to us at any moment. IT said so.' 'Oh, yes,' whispered Cyril, in miserable derision, 'WE'RE all right, of course. So we are! Oh, yes! If we'd only GOT the charm.' Then Robert saw, and he murmured, 'Crikey!' at the foot of the throne of Babylon; while Cyril hoarsely whispered the plain English fact-- 'Jane's got the charm round her neck, you silly cuckoo.' 'Crikey!' Robert repeated in heart-broken undertones. CHAPTER 7. 'THE DEEPEST DUNGEON BELOW THE CASTLE MOAT' The Queen threw three of the red and gold embroidered cushions off the throne on t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

throne

 

Robert

 

whispered

 
Anthea
 
Crikey
 

children

 
kneeling
 

porter

 

English

 

Panther


respectful
 

upsetting

 

Psammead

 

address

 

frightened

 
palace
 

raising

 

dreadfully

 

turned

 
delighted

coloured

 
broken
 

undertones

 

CHAPTER

 

repeated

 

cuckoo

 

DEEPEST

 
embroidered
 

cushions

 

DUNGEON


CASTLE

 

derision

 

basket

 

miserable

 

Babylon

 

hoarsely

 

murmured

 

moment

 

silver

 

frocks


garments

 

marble

 

beckoned

 

flight

 

clattering

 

curtain

 
nervous
 

shaven

 

cleanly

 

petitioners