SUSAN of NARNIA

Chapter 7: Professor Kirke's Chronicle

Over the next several days Susan was involved with writing letters to friends and family informing them of the funeral and the accident. During that time Susan barely had time to think about any of the things that she had found.

At the funeral Aunt Alberta was far more distraught over the death of Eustace Scrubb than Susan was over her own family, but perhaps that was because she had sent him away from home to the Co-educational school after he had become so "very commonplace and tiresome" and hadn't seen him much in years.

Mr. Lewis, and a few of the young men from the lawyer's shop, had come to pay respect and was surprised to see Susan in such a well composed state. She was employing her best attitude, holding most of her emotion back. She had seen war and the death in time past though it had not been her family before.

Susan saw that Mrs Macready, who was by now quite old and cranky, had come and was speaking a great deal with Mr. Humphreys, Professor Kirke's lawyer.

The Reverend Owens was very kind and couldn't keep the radiant smile off his face as he gave a beautiful sermon from a passage in Hebrews.

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."

Susan knew that her mother and Peter and Professor Kirke had all been good friends with the Reverend and Susan didn't know whether or not he knew about Narnia or not, but thought it a rather strange coincidence that he should choose that passage of Scripture.

After the funeral was over Mr. Lewis came over to Susan, and said, "Miss Pevensie, I have some good news for you. If you wouldn't mind, I will pick you up in my car in the morning and we will go for a drive in the country."

The next day as they drove along Mr. Lewis couldn't keep a smile off his face as he looked over his shoulder at Susan watching the countryside go buy. The car finally turned up a driveway and then drove the long stretch to the estate. Susan's eyes got wide as the young driver opened the door, and Mr. Lewis helped her out in front of the steps which led up to the big house. There was no need for words. Susan's inquisitive look was answered by a beaming nod from the bald man. It was Professor Kirke's house.

Upon entering the house, Mr. Lewis met Mr. Humphreys who shook his hand warmly and then smiling at Susan the bigger man put on his hat, took up his briefcase and left. Mr. Lewis then led Susan to Professor Kirke's study and offering her a chair, walked around behind the big desk and scratched his head looking at the bookshelf.

"Awe, here it is", he said taking a thin leather bound book from the big bookshelf and setting it down in front of him, he took his seat at the desk opposite her. And then adjusting his black rimmed spectacles he opened the leather book and began to read,

"As of December 1941 ... In the event of my death, I leave my estate to Peter Pevensie, but in the event that Peter Pevensie is not alive at my passing I pass my estate to Edmund Pevensie, but in the event that Edmund Pevensie is not alive at my passing, I give it to the Pevensie girls."

And with that Mr. Lewis arose and said, "There was a bit of a problem over this for a while as Mrs Macready wanted the estate to be made into a permanent museum, and your name was not specified, but she finally went along with the whole thing well enough."

"Oh, and I almost forgot", said Mr. Lewis, putting a thick book and a key in front of Susan, "this was specifically to be given to the inheritor upon the receiving of the inheritance. It is strange, but there is an updated entry, as of 1949, that states that if the four Pevensie children were dead, Eustace & Jill Pole would have received the estate, but if they also had died then this Chronicle and the items in the spare upper room, (to which the key belongs), were to be burned. Sounds like a bit of mystery for you to solve."

Susan was speechless, the idea of Professor Kirke's estate being passed to her was beyond what she could have imagined.

Mr. Lewis nodded happily, "I am so pleased to be the one to share this with you Miss Pevensie. You will be well taken care of here."