EDMUND AND THE WARDROBE Lucy ran out of the empty room into the passage and found the other three.
"Its all right," she repeated, "Ive eback.」
"What oh are you talking about, Lucy?" asked Susan.
"Why? said Lu amazement, "havent you all been w where I was?」
"So youve been hiding, have you?" said Peter. "Poor old Lu, hiding and nobody noticed!
Youll have to hide lohan that if you eople to start looking for you.」
"But Ive been away for hours and hours," said Lucy.
The others all stared at one another.
"Batty!" said Edmund, tapping his head. "Quite batty.」
"What do you mean, Lu?" asked Peter.
"What I said," answered Lucy. "It was just after breakfast when I went into the wardrobe, and Ive been away for hours and hours, and had tea, and all sorts of things have happened.」
"Dont be silly, Lucy," said Susan. "Weve only just e out of that room a moment ago, and you were there then.」
"Shes not being silly at all," said Peter, "shes just making up a story for fun, arent you, Lu? And why shouldnt she?」
"No, Peter, Im not," she said. "Its - its a magic wardrobe. Theres a wood i, and its snowing, and theres a Faun and a Witd its called Narnia; e and see.」
The others did not know what to think, but Lucy was so excited that they all went back with her into the room. She rushed ahead of them, flung open the door of the wardrobe and cried, "Now! go in and see for yourselves.」
"Why, you goose," said Susan, putting her head inside and pulling the fur coats apart, "its just an ordinary wardrobe; look! theres the back of it.」
Then everyone looked in and pulled the coats apart; and they all saw - Lucy herself saerfectly ordinary wardrobe. There was no wood and no snow, only the back of the wardrobe, with hooks on it. Peter went in and rapped his knuckles on it to make sure that it was solid.
"A jolly good hoax, Lu," he said as he came out again; "you have really taken us in, I must admit. We half believed you.」
"But it wasnt a hoax at all," said Lucy, "really and truly. It was all different a moment ago. Holy it was. I promise.」
"e, Lu," said Peter, "thats going a bit far. Youve had your joke. Hadnt you better drop it now?」
Lucy grew very red in the fad tried to say something, though she hardly knew what she was trying to say, and burst into tears.
For the few days she was very miserable. She could have made it up with the others quite easily at any moment if she could have brought herself to say that the whole thing was only a story made up for fun. But Lucy was a very truthful girl and she khat she was really in the right; and she could n herself to say this. The others who thought she was telling a lie, and a silly lie too, made her very unhappy. The two elder ones did this without meaning to do it, but Edmund could be spiteful, and on this occasion he iteful. He sneered and jeered at Lud kept on asking her if shed found any other new tries in other cupboards all over the house. What made it worse was that these days ought to have been delightful. The weather was fine and they were out of doors from m to night, bathing, fishing, climbing trees, and lying in the heather. But Lucy could not properly enjoy any of it. And so things went on until the wet day.
That day, when it came to the afternoon and there was still no sign of a break in the weather, they decided to play hide-and-seek. Susan