ven the humblest M.A., was crowned with
a wreath of fresh pink and green seaweed. Songs were sung, and the
laureate of the Sea-Dwellers, a young M.A. with pale blue eyes and no
chin, recited an ode beginning--

Now that we have our Noble Ark
No more we tremble in the dark
When the great seas and the winds cry out,
For we are safe without a doubt.

At undue risings of the tide
Within our Ark we'll safely hide,
And bless the names of those who thus
Have built a painted Ark for us.

There were three hundred and seventeen more lines, very much like these,
and every one said it was wonderful, and the laureate was a genius, and
how did he do it, and what brains, eh? and things like that.

And Philip and Lucy had crowns too. The Lord High Islander made a vote
of thanks to Philip, who modestly replied that it was nothing, really,
and anybody could have done it. And a spirit of gladness spread about
among the company so that every one was smiling and shaking hands with
everybody else, and even the M.A.'s were making little polite old jokes,
and slapping each other on the back and calling each other 'old chap,'
which was not at all their habit in ordinary life. The whole castle was
decorated with garlands of pink and green seaweed like the wreaths that
people were wearing, and the whole scene was the gayest and happiest you
can imagine.

And then the dreadful thing happened.

Philip and Lucy were standing in their seaweed tunics, for of course
they had, since the first day, worn the costume of the country, on the
platform in the courtyard. Mr. Noah had just said, 'Well, then, we will
enjoy this enjoyable day to the very end and return to the city
to-morrow,' when a shadow fell on the group. It was the Hippogriff, and
on its back was--some one. Before any one could see who that some one
was, the Hippogriff had flown low enough for that some one to catch
Philip by his seaweed tunic and to swing him off his feet and on to the
Hippogriff's back. Lucy screamed, Mr. Perrin said, 'Here, I say, none of
that,' and Mr. Noah said, 'Dear me!' And they all reached out their
hands to pull Philip back. But they were all too late.

'I won't go. Put me down,' Philip shouted. They all heard that. And also
they heard the answer of the person on the Hippogriff--the person who
had snatched Philip on to its back.

'Oh, won't you, my Lord? We'll soon see about th