The strangest thing was that, almost before he had looked about him, Digory had half forgotten how
he had come there. At any rate, he was certainly not thinking about Polly, or Uncle Andrew, or even
his Mother. He was not in the least frightened, or excited, or curios. If anyone had asked him
"Where did you come from?" he would probably have said, "I've always been here."
That was what it felt like-as if one had always been in that place and never been bored although
nothing had ever happened.
As he said long afterwards, "It's not the sort of place where things happen. The trees go on
growing, that's all."
After Digory had looked at the wood for a long time he noticed that there was a girl lying on her
back at the foot of a tree a few yards away. Her eyes were nearly shut but not quite, as if she
were just between sleeping and waking. So he looked at her for a long time and said nothing.
And at last she opened her eyes and looked at him for a long time and she also said nothing.
Then she spoke, in a dreamy(迷人的), contented sort of voice.
"I think I've seen you before," she said.
"I rather think so too," said Digory. "Have you been here long?"
"Oh, always," said the girl. "At least - I don't know - a very long time."
"So have I," said Digory.
"No you haven't, said she. "I've just seen you come up out of that pool."
"Yes, I suppose I did," said Digory with a puzzled air(神态). "I'd forgotten."
Then for quite a long time neither said any more.
"Look here," said the girl presently, "I wonder did we ever really meet before? I had a sort
of idea - a sort of picture in my head - of a boy and a girl, like us - living somewhere quite
different - and doing all sort of things. Perhaps it was only a dream."
"I've had that same dream, I think," said Digory. "About a boy and a girl, living next door- and
something about crawling(爬) among rafters(椽子). I remember the girl had a dirty face."
"Aren't you getting it mixed? In my dream it was the boy who had the dirty face."
"I can't remember the boy's face," said Digory, and then added," Hullo! What's that?"
"Why! It's a guinea-pig(豚鼠)," said the girl.
And it was - a fat guinea-pig, nosing about(搜寻) in the grass. But round the middle of the
guinea-pig there ran a tape, and , tied on to it by the tape, was a bright yellow ring.
"Look! Look," cried Digory. "The ring! And look! You've got one on your finger. And so have I."
The girl now sat up, really interested at last.
They start very hard at one another, trying to remember. And then, at exactly the same moment,
she shouted out "Mr.ketterley" and he shouted out "Uncle Andrew," and they knew who they were
and began to remember the whole story. After a few minutes of hard talking they had got
it straight. Digory explained how beastly(令人厌恶的) Uncle Andrew had been.
"What do we do now?" said Polly. "Take the guinea-pig and go home?"
"There's no hurry," said Digory with a huge yawn.
"I think there is ," said Polly. "This place is too quiet. It's so - so dreamy. You're almost
asleep. If we once give in to it we shall just lie down and drowse(打瞌睡) forever and ever(永远)."
"It's very nice here," said Digory.
"Yes, it is," said Polly, "But we've got to get back." She stood up and began to go cautiously
toward the guinea-pig.
But then she changed her mind.
"We might as well leave the guinea-pig," she said. "It's perfectly happy here, and your uncle will
only do something horrid(令人讨厌的) to it if we take it home."
”I bet he would," answered Digory. "Look at the way he's treated us. By the way,
how do we get home?"
"Go back into the pool, I expect."
They came and stood together at the edge looking down into the smooth water.
It was full of the reflection of the green, leafy branches; they made it look very deep.
"We haven't any bathing things," said Polly.
"We shan't need them, silly," said Digory. "We're going in with our clothes on. Don't you remember
it didn't wet us on the way up?"
"Can you swim?"
"A bit. Can you?"
"Well -not much."
"I don't think we shall need to swim," said Digory. "We want to go down, don't we?"
Neither of them much liked the idea of jumping into that pool, but neither said so to the other.
They took hands and said "One-Two-Three-Go" and jumped.
There was a great splash(水花飞溅) and of course they closed their eyes.
But when they opened them again they found they were still standing, hand in hand, in the green
wood, and hardly up to their ankles(关节) in water.
The pool was apparently(显然) only a couple of inches deep.
They splashed(蹚水) back onto the dry ground.
"What's on earth gone wrong?" said Polly in a frightened voice; but not quite so frightened
as you might expect; because it is hard to feel really frightened in that wood. The place is too
peaceful.
"Oh! I know," said Digory, "Of course it won't work. We're still wearing our yellow rings.
They're for the outward journey, you know. The green ones take you home. We must change rings.
Have you got pockets? Good. Put your yellow ring in your left. I've got two greens. Here's one
for you."
They put on their green rings and came back to the pool. But before they tried another jump
Digory gave a long "O-o-oh!"
"What's the matter?" said Polly.
"I've just had a really wonderful idea," said Digory. "What are all the other pools?"
"How do you mean?"
"Why, if we can get back to our own world by jumping into this pool, mightn't we get somewhere else
by jumping into one of the others? Supposing there was a world at the bottom of every pool."
"But I thought we were already in your Uncle Andrew's Other World or Other Place or whatever he
called it. Didn't you say-"
"Oh bother Uncle Andrew," interrupted Digory. "I don't believe he knows anything about it. He never
had the pluck(勇气) to come here himself. He only talked of one Other World. But suppose there were
dozens(许多)?"
"You mean, this wood might be only one of them?"
"No, I don't believe this wood is a world at all. I think it's just a sort of in-between place."
Polly looked puzzled. "Don't you see?" said Digory. "No, do listen. Think of our tunnel under the
slates(石板) at home. It isn't a room in any of the houses. In a way, it isn't really part of any
of the houses. But once you're in the tunnel you can go along it and come out into any of the
houses in the row. Mightn't this wood be the same? -a place that isn't in any of the worlds, but
once you've found that place you can get into them all."
"Well, even if you can - " began Polly, but Digory went on as if he hadn't heard her.
"And of course that explains everything," he said. "That's why it is so quiet and sleepy here.
Nothing ever happens here. Like at home. It's in the houses that people talk, and do things, and
have meals. Nothing goes on in the in-between places, behind the walls and above the ceilings
and under the floor, or in our won tunnel. But when you come out of our tunnel you may find
yourself in any house. I think we can get out of this place into jolly well(无疑，当然) anywhere!
We don't need to jump back into the same pool we came up by. Or not just yes."