The thing in the middle of the room was not exactly a table.
It was a square(正方形的) pillar(柱子) about four feet(英尺) high and on it there rose a little golden arch
from which there hung a little golden bell; and beside this there lay a little golden(金黄色)
hammer(锤子) to hit the bell with.
"I wonder ... I wonder ... I wonder ..." said Digory.
"There seems to be something written here," said Polly, stooping(弯腰) down and looking at the side
of the pillar(柱子).
"By gum(哎哟), so there is," said Digory. "But of course we shan't be able to read it."
"Shan't we? I'm not so sure," said Polly.
They both looked at it hard and, as you might have expected, the letters cut in the stone were
strange. But now a great wonder happened: for, as they looked, though the shape of the strange
letters new altered(改变), they found that they could understand them.
If only Digory had remembered what he himself had said a few minutes ago, that this was an
enchanted(被施了魔法的) room, he might have guessed that the enchanted was be beginning to work.
But he was too wild with curiosity to think about that. He was longing more and more to know what
was written on the pillar(柱子). And very soon they both knew.
What it said was something like this - at least this is the sense of it though the poetry(诗歌), when
you read it there, was better:
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger; Strike(击打,敲打) the bell and bide(等待) the danger, Or wonder,
till it drives you mad, What would have followed if you had.
"No fear!" said Polly. " We don't want any danger."
"Oh but don't you see it's no good!" said Digory. "We can't get out of it now. We shall always be
wondering what else would have happened if we had struck the bell. I'm not going home to be driven
mad by always thinking of that. No fear!"
"Don't be so silly(愚蠢的)," said Polly. "As if anyone would! What does it matter what would have
happened?"
"I expect anyone who's come as far as this is bound to go on wondering till it sends him
dotty(疯狂的). That's the Magic of it, you see. I can feel it beginning to work on me already."
"Well I don't," said Polly crossly(生气地). "And I don't believe you do either. You're just putting
it on."
"That's all you know," said Digory. "It's because you're a girl. Girls never want to know anything
but gossip(闲言碎语) and rot(腐朽的) about people getting engaged(订婚的)."
"You looked exactly like your Uncle when you said that," said Polly.
"Why can't you keep to the point?" said Digory. "What we're talking about is - "
"How exactly like a man!" said Polly in a very grown-up voice; but she added hastily(匆忙地), in her
real voice, "And don't say I'm just like a woman, or you'll be a beastly(令人厌恶的) copy-cat(模仿者)."
"I should never dream of calling a kid like you a woman," said Digory loftily(傲慢的).
"Oh, I'm a kid, am I?" said Polly who was now in a real rage(愤怒). "Well you needn't be bothered by
having a kid with you any longer then. I'm off. I've had enough of this place. And I've had enough
of you too - you beastly(令人厌恶的), stuck-up(自大的), obstinate(顽固的) pig!"
"None of that(别这样)!" said Digory in a voice even nastier(更讨厌的) than he meant it to be; for he saw
Polly's hand moving to her pocket to get hold of her yellow ring.
I can't excuse what he did next except by saying that he was very sorry for it afterward (and so
were a good many other people).
Before Polly's hand reached her pocket, he grabbed(抓) her wrist, leaning(依靠) across her with his
back against her chest(胸膛).
Then, keeping her other arm out of the way with his other elbow(手肘), he leaned forward, picked up
the hammer, and struck the golden bell a light, smart tap. Then he let her go and they fell apart
staring at each other and breathing hard. Polly was just beginning to cry, not with fear, and not
even because he had hurt her wrist quite badly, but with furious(极大的) anger.
Within two seconds, however, they had something to think about that drove(驱赶) their own
quarrels(争吵) quite out of their minds.
As soon as the bell was struck it gave out a note(音调), a sweet note such as you might have
expected, and not very loud. But instead of dying away again, it went on; and as it went on it grew
lounder.
Before a minute had passed it was twice as loud as it had been to begin with. It was soon so loud
that if the children had tired to speak (but they weren't thinking of speaking now - they were just
standing with their mouths open) they would not have heard one another.
Very soon it was so loud that they could not have heard one another even by shouting.
And still it grew: all on one note, a continuous sweet sound, though the sweetness had something
horrible about it, till all the air in that great room was throbbing(震响) with it and they could feel
the stone floor trembling(发抖的) under their feet.
Then at last it began to be mixed with another sound, a vague(模糊), disastrous(灾难性的) noise
which sounded first like the roar(呼啸) of a distant train, and then like the crash of a falling tree.
They heard something like great weights falling. Finally, with a sudden rush and thunder(打雷), and a
shake that nearly flung(抛出) them off their feet, about a quarter of the roof at one end of the room
fell in, great blocks of masonry(砖石) fell all round them, and the walls rocked.
The noise of the bell stopped. The clouds of dust cleared away. Everything became quiet again.
It was never found out whether the fall of the roof was due to Magic or whether that unbearably
loud sound from the bell just happened to strike the note which was more than those crumbling(摇摇欲坠的)
walls could stand.
"There! I hope you're satisfied(感到满意的) now," panted Polly.
"Well, it's all over, anyway." said Digory.
And both thought it was; but they had never been more mistaken in their lives.
The children were facing one another across the pillar where the bell hung, still trembling, though
it no longer gave out any note.
Suddenly they heard a soft noise from the end of the room which was still undamaged(未受损的).
They turned quick as lightning to see what it was.
One of the robed(身披长袍的) figures, the furthest-off one of all, the woman who Digory thought so
beautiful, was rising from its chair. When she stood up they realized that she was even taller than
they had thought. And you could see at once, not only from her crown and robes, but from the flash
of her eyes and the curve(曲线) of her lips, that she was a great queen.
She looked round the room and saw the damage(损坏) and saw the children, but you could not guess
from her face what she thought of either or whether she was surprised.
She came forward with long, swift(矫健) strides(阔步).
"Who has awaked me? Who has broken the spell(诅咒)?" she asked.
"I think it must have been me," said Digory.
"You!" said the Queen, laying her hand on his shoulder - a white, beautiful hand, but Digory could
feel that it was strong as steel(钢铁) pincers(钳子).
"You? But you are only a child, a common child. Anyone can see at a glance that you have no drop
of royal(王室的) or noble(高贵的) blood in your veins(血管). How did such as you dare to enter this house?"
"We've come from another world; by Magic," said Polly, who thought it was high time the Queen took
some notice of her as well as Digory.
"Is this true?" said the Queen, still looking at Digory and not giving Polly even a glance.
"Yes, it is," said he.
The Queen put her other hand under his chin(下巴) and forced it up so that she could see his
face better.
Digory tired to stare(盯) back but he soon had to let his eyes drop.
There was something about hers that overpowered(压制) him.
After she had studied him for well over a minute, she let go of his chin and said:
"You are no magician. The Mark of it is not on you. You must be only the servant(仆人) of a magician.
It is on another's Magic that you have traveled here."
"It was my Uncle Andrew," said Digory.