me in. He looked pale and worried.

'I am so awfully sorry,' he began. 'I thought I should enjoy having you
here, but my nerves are all anyhow. The very sound of your voices. I
can't write a line. My brain reels. I wonder whether you'd be good
enough to do a little thing for me? Would you mind escaping?'

'But won't you get into trouble?'

'Nothing could be worse than this,' said the gaoler, with feeling. 'I
had no idea that children's voices were so penetrating. Go, go. I
implore you to escape. Only don't tell the judge. I am sure he would
never forgive me.'

After that, what prisoner would not immediately have escaped?

The two children only waited till the sound of the gaoler's keys had
died away on the stairs, to open their door, run down the many steps and
slip out of the prison gate. They walked a little way in silence. There
were plenty of people about, but no one seemed to notice them.

'Which way shall we go?' Lucy asked. 'I wish we'd asked him where the
Charitables live.'

'I think,' Philip began; but Lucy was not destined to know what he
thought.

There was a sudden shout, a clattering of horses' hoofs, and all the
faces in the square turned their way.

'They've seen us,' cried Philip. 'Run, run, run!'

He himself ran, and he ran toward the gate-house that stood at the top
of the ladder stairs by which they had come up, and behind him came the
shouting and clatter of hot pursuit. The captain stood in the gateway
alone, and just as Philip reached the gate the captain turned into the
guard-room and pretended not to see anything. Philip had never run so
far or so fast. His breath came in deep sobs; but he reached the ladder
and began quickly to go down. It was easier than going up.

[Illustration: And behind him the clatter of hot pursuit.]

He was nearly at the bottom when the whole ladder bridge leapt wildly
into the air, and he fell from it and rolled in the thick grass of that
illimitable prairie.

All about him the air was filled with great sounds, like the noise of
the earthquakes that destroy beautiful big palaces, and factories which
are big but not beautiful. It was deafening, it was endless, it was
unbearable.

Yet he had to bear that, and more. And now he felt a curious swelling
sensation in his hands, then in his head--then all over. It was
extremely painful. He rolled over in his agony, and saw the foot of an
enormous giant quite close to him. The foot had a large, flat, ugly
shoe,