Trust: The Magician's Nephew

Chapter 7

"Son," Aslan said to the Cabby. "I have known you long. Do you know me?"

"Well, no, sir," the Cabby said. "Leastways, not in an ordinary manner of speaking. Yet I feel somehow, if I may make so free, as 'ow we've met before."

"It is well," the Lion said. "You know better than you think you know, and you shall live to know me better yet. How does this land please you?"

"It's a fair treat, sir," the Cabby said.

"Would you like to live here always?"

"Well you see sir, I'm a married man," the Cabby said. "If my wife was here neither of us would ever want to go back to London, I reckon. We're both country folks really."

Aslan threw up his shaggy head, opened his mouth, and uttered a long, single note, not very loud, but full of power.

Polly's heart jumped in her body when she heard it. She felt sure that it was a call, and that anyone who heard that call would want to obey it and would be able to obey it, however many worlds and ages lay between.

And so, though she was filled with wonder, she was not really astonished or shocked when all of a sudden a young woman, with a kind, honest face stepped out of nowhere and stood beside her.

Both girls knew at once that it was the Cabby's wife, fetched out of Polly's world not by any tiresome magic rings, but quickly, simply and sweetly as a bird flies to its nest.

The young woman had apparently been in the middle of a washing day, for she wore an apron, her sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, and there were soapsuds on her hands. If she had had time to put on her good clothes she would have looked dreadful, as it was, she looked rather nice.

Of course she thought she was dreaming. That was why she didn't rush across to her husband and ask him what on earth had happened to them both. But when she looked at the Lion she didn't feel quite so sure it was a dream, yet for some reason she did not appear to be very frightened.

Then she dropped a little half curtsey, as some country girls still knew how to do in those days. After that, she went and put her hand in the Cabby's and stood there looking round her a little shyly.

"My children," Aslan said, fixing his eyes on both of them, "You are to be the first King and Queen of Narnia."

The Cabby opened his mouth in astonishment, and his wife turned very red.

"You shall rule and name all these creatures, and do justice among them, and protect them from their enemies when enemies arise. And enemies will arise, for there is an evil Witch in this world."

The Cabby swallowed hard two or three times and cleared his throat. "Begging your pardon, sir," he said, "And thanking you very much I'm sure, which my Missus does the same, but I ain't no sort of a chap for a job like that. I never 'ad much eddycation, you see."

"Well," Aslan said, "Can you use a spade and a plough and raise food out of the earth?"

"Yes, sir, I could do a bit of that sort of work: being brought up to it, like."

"Can you rule these creatures kindly and fairly, remembering that they are not slaves like the dumb beasts of the world you were born in, but Talking Beasts and free subjects?"

"I see that, sir," the Cabby replied. "I'd try to do the square thing by them all."

"And would you bring up your children and grandchildren to do the same?"

"It'd be up to me to try, sir. I'd do my best: wouldn't we, Nellie?"

"And you wouldn't have favourites either among your own children or among the other creatures or let any hold another under or use it hardly?"