THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE WORLD Slowly the door opened again and out there came a figure as tall and straight as the girls but not so slender. It carried no light but light seemed to e from it. As it came nearer, Lucy saw that it was like an old man. His silver beard came down to his bare feet in front and his saver hair hung down to his heels behind and his robe appeared to be made from the fleece of silver sheep. He looked so mild and grave that once more all the travellers rose to their feet and stood in silence.
But the old man came on without speaking to the travellers and stood oher side of the table opposite to his daughter. Then both of them held up their arms before them and turo face the east. In that position the began to sing. I wish I could write down the song, but one who resent could remember it. Lucy said afterwards that it was high, almost shrill, but very beautiful, cold kind of song, an early m kind of song. And they sang, the grey clouds lifted from the eastern sky a the white patches grew bigger and
bigger till it was white, and the sea began to shine like silver. And long afterwards (but those two sang all the time) the east began to turn red and at last, unclouded, the sun came up out the sea and its long level ray shot down the length of the table on the gold and silver sand oone Knife.
Once or twice before, the Narnians had wondered whether the sun at its rising did not look bigger in these seas than it had looked at home. This time they we certain. There was no mistaking it. And the brightness its ray on the dew and oable was far beyond an. m brighthey had ever seen. And as Edmu said afterwards, "Though lots of things happened on that trip which sound more exg, that moment was really the most exg." For now they khat they had truly e to the beginning of the End of the World.
Then something seemed to be flying at them out of the very tre of the rising sun: but of course one couldnt look steadily in that dire to make sure. But presently the air became full of voices - voices which took up same song that the Lady and her Father were singing, but in far wilder tones and in a language whio one knew And soon after that the owners of these voices could be seen. They were birds, large and white, and they came hundreds and thousands and alighted ohing; the grass, and the pavement, oable, on your shoulders, your hands, and your head, till it looked as heavy snow had fallen. For, like snow, they not only make everything white but blurred and blunted all shapes. But Lucy, looking out from between the wings of the birds that covered her, saw one bird fly to the Old Man with something in its beak that looked like a little fruit, unless it was a little live coal, which it might have been, for it was toht to look at.
And the bird laid it in the Old Mans mouth.
Then the birds stopped their singing and appeared to be very busy about the table. When they rose from it agaihing oable that could be eaten or drunk had disappeared. These birds rose from their meal ihousands and hundreds and carried away all the things that could not be eaten or drunk, such as bones, rinds, and shells, and took their flight back to the rising sun. But now, because they were not singing, the whir of their wings seemed to set the whole air a-tremble. And there was the table pecked ay, and the three old Lords of Narnia still fast asleep.
Now at last the Old Man turo th