IN THE HOUSE OF THE TISROy-father-and-oh-the-delight-of-my-eyes," began the young man, muttering the words very quickly and sulkily and not at all as if the Tisroc were the delight of his eyes.
"May you live for ever, but you have utterly destroyed me. If you had givehe swiftest of the galleys at sunrise when I first saw that the ship of the accursed barbarians was gone from her place I would perhaps have overtaken them. But you persuaded me to send first and see if they had not merely moved round the point into better anche.
And now the whole day has been wasted. And they are gone - gone - out of my reach!
The false jade, the-" and here he added a great many descriptions of Queen Susan which would not look at all ni print. For of course this young man rince Rabadash and of course the false jade was Susan of Narnia.
"pose yourself, O my son," said the Tisroc. "For the departure of guests makes a wound that is easily healed in the heart of a judicious host.」
"But I want her," cried the Prince. "I must have her. I shall die if I do not get her- false, proud, black-hearted daughter of a dog that she is! I ot sleep and my food has no savour and my eyes are darkened because of her beauty. I must have the barbarian queen.」
"How well it was said by a gifted poet," observed the Vizier, raising his face (in a somewhat dusty dition) from the carpet, "that deep draughts from the fountain of reason are desirable in order to extinguish the fire of youthful love.」
This seemed to exasperate the Prince. "Dog," he shouted, direg a series of well-aimed kicks at the hindquarters of the Vizier, "do not dare to quote the poets to me. I have had maxims and verses flung at me all day and I ehem no more." I am afraid Aravis did not feel at all sorry for the Vizier.
The Tisroc arently sunk in thought, but when, after a long pause, he noticed what was happening, he said tranquilly: "My son, by all mea from kig the venerable and enlightened Vizier: for as a costly jewel retains its value even if hidden in a dung-hill, so old age and discretioo be respected even in the vile persons of our subjects. Desist therefore, and tell us what you desire and propose.」
"I desire and propose, O my father," said Rabadash, "that you immediately call out your invincible armies and ihe thrice-accursed land of Narnia and waste it with fire and sword and add it to your illimitable empire, killing their High King and all of his blood except the queen Susan. For I must have her as my wife, though she shall learn a sharp lesson first.」
"Uand, O my son," said the Tisroc, "that no words you speak will move me to open war against Narnia.」
"If you were not my father, O ever-living Tisroc, " said the Prince, grinding his teeth, "I should say that was the word of a coward.」
"And if you were not my son, O most inflammable Rabadash," replied his father, "your life would be short and your death slow when you had said it." (The cool, placid voi which he spoke these words made Araviss blood run cold.)
"But why, O my father," said the Prihis time in a much more respectful voice, "why should we think twice about punishing Narnia any more than about hanging an idle slave or sending a worn-out horse to be made into dogsmeat? It is not the fourth size of one of your least provinces. A thousand spears could quer it in five weeks. It is an unseemly blot on the skirts of your empire.」