THE ISLAND Ohere were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witd the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable advehey had opehe door of a magic wardrobe and found themselves in a quite different world from ours, and in that different world they had bee Kings and Queens in a try called Narnia. While they were in Narnia they seemed tn for years and years; but when they came back through the door and found themselves in England again, it all seemed to have taken no time at all. At any rate, no oiced that they had ever been away, and they old anyone except one very wise grown-up.
That had all happened a year ago, and now all four of them were sitting on a seat at a railway station with trunks and playboxes piled up round them. They were, in fact, on their way back to school. They had travelled together as far as this station, which was a jun; and here, in a few minutes, orain would arrive and take the girls away to one school, and in about half an hour arain would arrive and the boys would go off to another school. The first part of the journey, when they were all together, always seemed to be part of the holidays; but now when they would be saying good-bye and going different ways so soon, everyohat the holidays were really over and everyoheir term-time feelings beginning again, and they were all rather gloomy and no one could think of anything to say. Lucy was going to b school for the first time.
It was ay, sleepy, try station and there was hardly anyone on the platform except themselves. Suddenly Lucy gave a sharp little cry, like someone who has been stung by a .
"Whats up, Lu?" said Edmund - and then suddenly broke off and made a noise like "Ow!」
"What oh-",begaer, and theoo suddenly ged what he had been going to say. Instead, he said, "Susa go! What are you doing? Where are you draggio?」
"Im not toug you," said Susan. "Someone is pulling me. Oh - oh -oh - stop it!」
Everyoiced that all the others faces had gone very white.
"I felt just the same," said Edmund in a breathless voice. "As if I were being dragged along. A most frightful pulling-ugh! its beginning again.」
"Me too," said Lucy. "Oh, I t bear it.」
"Look sharp!" shouted Edmund. "All catch hands aogether. This is magic - I tell by the feeling. Quick!」
"Yes," said Susan. "Hold hands. Oh, I do wish it would stop-oh!」
moment the luggage, the seat, the platform, and the station had pletely vahe four children, holding hands and panting, found themselves standing in a woody place - such a woody place that branches were stig into them and there was hardly room to move. They all rubbed their eyes and took a deep breath.
"Oh, Peter!" exclaimed Lucy. "Do you think ossibly have got back to Narnia?」
"It might be anywhere," said Peter. "I t see a yard in all these trees. Lets try to get into the open - if there is any open.」
With some difficulty, and with some stings from les and pricks from thorns, they struggled out of the thicket. Then they had another surprise. Everything became much brighter, and after a few steps they found themselves at the edge of the wood, looking down on a sandy beach. A few yards away a very calm sea was falling on the sand with such tiny ripples that it made hardly any sound. There was no land in sight and no clouds in the sky. The sun was about where it ought to b