The Magic City quotes

Philip Haldane and his sister lived in a little red-roofed house in a little red-roofed town.

They had a little garden and a little balcony, and a little stable with a little pony in it—and a little cart for the pony to draw;

And then they stood looking at each other, breathing quickly, both of them.

“I’d rather be a white mouse than a cruel bully,” said Lucy at last.

“I’m not a bully,” said Philip.

“I was about to tell you,” said Mr. Noah, “and I will not answer questions. Of course it is magic.

Everything in the world is magic, until you understand it.

“And as to the city. I will just tell you a little of our history. Many thousand years ago all the cities of our country were built by a great and powerful giant, who brought the materials from far and wide.

“But why should I bother?” he said; “this is a sort of dream.”

“Even if it were a dream,” said the voice, “there are adventures in it. So you may as well be adventurous.”

“Oh, all right,” said Philip, and on he went.

“Because,” he said, “I’m more likely to meet Lucy. Girls always keep to paths. They never explore.”

Which just shows how little he knew about girls.

He looked back after a while, to see what the hall of pillars looked like from outside, but it was already dim in the mists of distance.

And no sound but the clump, clump of his boots on the path. And it seemed to him that everything grew quieter and quieter till he could almost hear himself think.

Loneliness, real loneliness is a dreadful thing. I hope you will never feel it.

Philip looked to right and left, and before him, and on all the wide plain nothing moved. There were the grass and flowers, but no wind stirred them.

“Ah!” said the carpenter kindly. “I felt like that at first. Lie down and try to sleep it off a bit.

Eddication does go to your head something crool.

I’ve often noticed it.”

“You think I ought to be the Deliverer?”

“Ought stands for nothing,” said Mr. Perrin. “I think you’re a going to be the Deliverer; that’s what I think. Come on!”

As they rose to go, Philip had a brief fleeting vision of a very smart lady in a motor veil, disappearing round the corner of a pillar.

“You can try,” said Mr. Noah.

“There are a special set of tasks to be performed if the claimant to the Deliverership be a woman.”

“What are they?” said the veiled lady.

“Is it something we shall be afraid of too?” Lucy asked. And Philip at once said, “Oh, then she really did mean to come, did she? But she wasn’t to if she was afraid. Girls weren’t expected to be brave.”

“They are, here,” said Mr. Noah, “the girls are expected to be brave and the boys kind.”

“Oh,” said Philip doubtfully. And Lucy said:

“How meals do keep happening,” said Lucy, yawning; “it seems only a few minutes since supper. And yet here we are, hungry again!”

“Ah!” said the parrot, “that’s what people always feel when they have to get their meals themselves!”

When the camel and the dogs had been served with breakfast, the children and the parrot sat down to eat. And there were many questions to ask. The parrot answered some, and some it didn’t answer.

“It’s a long story,” said the parrot, “so I’ll tell it shortly. That’s a very good rule.

Tell short stories longly and long stories shortly.

Many years ago, in repairing one of the buildings, the masons removed the supports of one of the books which are part of the architecture. The book fell. It fell open, and out came the Hippogriff.

“But can’t we go now,” said Lucy, crying.

“No oracle is worth consulting till it’s had its night’s rest,” said Mr. Noah.

“It is a three days’ journey. If we started now—see it is already dusk—we should arrive in the middle of the night. We will start early in the morning.”

“Oh, anybody can steer then,” said Billy; “you if you like.” So it was Lucy who steered the ark into harbour, under Mr. Noah’s directions.

Arks are very easy to steer if you only know the way.

Of course arks are not like other vessels; they require neither sails nor steam engines, nor oars to make them move. The very arkishness of the ark makes it move just as the steersman wishes.

(

Which just shows how differently the same thing may strike two people.

)

“There are lots of houses,” said Philip, “and room for all the animals, and the island is thirty miles round, so there’s lots of room for the animals and everything.” He felt happier than he had ever done in his life.

Giving presents is always enjoyable, and this was such a big and beautiful present, and he loved it so.

“I always did say Master Pip was a gentleman, and I always shall,” Mr. Perrin remarked.

“

Waiting is one of those things that you can do as well asleep as awake, or even better,

” said the parrot. “Forty winks will do us all the good in the world.” He put his head under his wing where he sat on the binnacle.

By the end of the cucumber season you will be another sixteen—or with luck seventeen—inches on your way. Thirty-two inches in all, almost a yard.

And thus you progress towards your goal, slowly but surely, like in politics.

”

The light was growing every moment, and there was now a sound of movement in the city. Women came down to the public fountains to draw water, and boys swept the paths and doorsteps.

That sort of work goes on even when barbarians are surrounding a town.

And the ordinary sounds of a town’s awakening came to Lucy and Philip as they waited; crowing cocks and barking dogs and cats mewing faintly for the morning milk. But it was not for those sounds that Lucy and Philip were waiting.