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finally； all four sat down with their backs to the wall and their faces to the fire。 they tried roasting some of the apples on the ends of sticks。 but roast apples are not much good without sugar； and they are too hot to eat with your fingers till they are too cold to be worth eating。 so they had to content themselves with raw apples； which； as edmund said； made one realize that school suppers werent so bad after all … 〃i shouldnt mind a good thick slice of bread and margarine this minute；〃 he added。 but the spirit of adventure was rising in them all； and no one really wanted to be back at school。
shortly after the last apple had been eaten； susan went out to the well to get another drink。 when she came back she was carrying something in her hand。
〃look；〃 she said in a rather choking kind of voice。 〃i found it by the well。〃 she handed it to peter and sat down。 the others thought she looked and sounded as if she might be going to cry。 edmund and lucy eagerly bent forward to see what was in peters hand … a little； bright thing that gleamed in the firelight。
〃well； im … im jiggered；〃 said peter； and his voice also sounded queer。 then he handed it to the others。
all now saw what it was … a little chess…knight； ordinary in size but extraordinarily heavy because it was made of pure gold； and the eyes in the horses head were two tiny little rubies or rather one was； for the other had been knocked out。
〃why！〃 said lucy； 〃its exactly like one of the golden chessmen we used to play with when we were kings and queens at cair paravel。鈥�
〃cheer up； su；〃 said peter to his other sister。
〃i cant help it；〃 said susan。 〃it brought back … oh； such lovely times。 and i remembered playing chess with fauns and good giants； and the mer…people singing in the sea； and my beautiful horse … and … and …鈥�
〃now；〃 said peter in a quite different voice； 〃its about time we four started using our brains。鈥�
〃what about？〃 asked edmund。
〃have none of you guessed where we are？〃 said peter。
〃go on； go on；〃 said lucy。 〃ive felt for hours that there was some wonderful mystery hanging over this place。鈥�
〃fire ahead； peter；〃 said edmund。 〃were all listening。鈥�
〃we are in the ruins of cair paravel itself；〃 said peter。
〃but； i say；〃 replied edmund。 〃i mean； how do you make that out？ this place has been ruined for ages。 look at all those big trees growing right up to the gates。 look at the very stones。 anyone can see that nobody has lived here for hundreds of years。鈥�
〃i know；〃 said peter。 〃that is the difficulty。 but lets leave that out for the moment。 i want to take the points one by one。 first point： this hall is exactly the same shape and size as the hall at cair paravel。 just picture a roof on this； and a coloured pavement instead of grass； and tapestries on the walls； and you get our royal banqueting hall。鈥�
no one said anything。
〃second point；〃 continued peter。 〃the castle well is exactly where our well was； a little to the south of the great hall； and it is exactly the same size and shape。鈥�
again there was no reply。
〃third point： susan has just found one of our old chessmen … or something as like one of them as two peas。鈥�
still nobody answered。
〃fourth point。 dont you remember … it was the very day before the ambassadors came from the king of calormen dont you remember planting the orchard outside the north gate of cair paravel？ the greatest of all the wood…people； pomona herself； came to put good spells on it。 it was those very decent little chaps the moles who did the actual digging。 can you have forgotten that funny old lilygloves； the chief mole； leaning on his spade and saying； ‘believe me； your majesty； youll be glad of these fruit trees one day。 and by jove he was right。鈥�
〃i do！ i do！〃 said lucy； and clapped her hands。
〃but look here； peter；〃 said edmund。 〃this must be all rot。 to begin with； we didnt plant the orchard slap up against the gate。 we wouldnt have been such fools。鈥�
〃no； of course not；〃 said peter。 〃but it has grown up to the gate since。鈥�
〃and for another thing；〃 said edmund； 〃cair paravel wasnt on an island。鈥�
〃yes； ive been wondering about that。 but it was a what…do…you…call…it； a peninsula。 jolly nearly an island。 couldnt it have been made an island since our time？ somebody has dug a channel。鈥�
〃but half a moment！〃 said edmund。 〃you keep on saying since our time。 but its only a year ago since we came back from narnia。 and you want to make out that in one year castles have fallen down； and great forests have grown up； and little trees we saw planted ourselves have turned into a big old orchard； and goodness knows what else。 its all impossible。鈥�
〃theres one thing；〃 said lucy。 〃if this is cair paravel there ought to be a door at this end of the dais。 in fact we ought to be sitting with our backs against it at this moment。 you know … the door that led down to the treasure chamber。鈥�
〃i suppose there isnt a door；〃 said peter； getting up。
the wall behind them was a mass of ivy。
〃we can soon find out；〃 said edmund； taking up one of the sticks that they had laid ready for putting on the fire。 he began beating the ivied wall。 tap…tap went the stick against the stone； and again； tap…tap； and then； all at once； boomboom； with a quite different sound； a hollow； wooden sound。
〃great scott！〃 said edmund。
〃we must clear this ivy away；〃 said peter。
〃oh； do lets leave it alone；〃 said susan。 〃we can try it in the morning。 if weve got to spend the night here i dont want an open door at my back and a great big black hole that anything might e out of； besides the draught and the damp。 and itll soon be dark。鈥�
〃susan！ how can you？〃 said lucy with a reproachful glance。 but both the boys were too much excited to take any notice of susans advice。 they worked at the ivy with their hands and with peters pocket…knife till the knife broke。 after that they used edmunds。
soon the whole place where they had been sitting was covered with ivy； and at last they had the door cleared。
〃locked； of course；〃 said peter。
〃but the woods all rotten；〃 said edmund。 〃we can pull it to bits in no time； and it will make extra firewood。 e on。鈥�
it took them longer than they expected and； before they had done； the great hall had grown dusky and the first star or two had e out overhead。 susan was not the only one who felt a slight shudder as the boys stood above the pile of splintered wood； rubbing the dirt off their hands and staring into the cold； dark opening they had made。
〃now for a torch；〃 said peter。
〃oh； what is the good？〃 said susan。 〃and as edmund said …鈥�
〃im not saying it now；〃 edmund interrupted。 〃i still dont understand； but we can settle that later。 i suppose youre ing down； peter？鈥�
〃we must；〃 said peter。 〃cheer up； susan。 its no good behaving like kids now that we are back in narnia。
youre a queen here。 and anyway no one could go to sleep with a mystery like this on their minds。鈥�
they tried to use long sticks as torches but this was not a success。 if you held them with the lighted end up they went out； and if you held them the other way they scorched your hand and the smoke got in your eyes。 in the end they had to use edmunds electric torch； luckily it had been a birthday present less than a week ago and the battery was almost new。 he went first； with the light。 then came lucy； then susan； and peter brought up the rear。
〃ive e to the top of the steps；〃 said edmund。
〃count them；〃 said peter。
〃one … two … three；〃 said edmund； as he went cautiously down； and so up to sixteen。
〃and this is the bottom；〃 he shouted back。
〃then it really must be cair paravel；〃 said lucy。 〃there were sixteen。〃 nothing more was said till all four were standing in a knot together at the foot of the stairway。 then edmund flashed his torch slowly round。
〃o … o … o … oh！！〃 said all the children at once。
for now all knew that it was indeed the ancient treasure chamber of cair paravel where they had once reigned as kings and queens of narnia。 there was a kind of path up the middle （as it might be in a greenhouse）； and along each side at intervals stood rich suits o