CHAPTER TEN TRAVELS WITHOUT THE SUN（第4/4页）

Though under Earth and throneless now I be，Yet，while I lived，all Earth was under me.

From which it is plain that some great king of the ancient giants，who lies buried there，caused this boast to be cut in the stone over his sepulchre；though the breaking up of some stones， and the carrying away of others for new buildings，and the filling up of the cuts with rubble，has left only two words that can still be read. Is it not the merriest jest in the world that you should have thought they were written to you ？”

This was like cold water down the back to Scrubb and Jill；for it seemed to them very likely that the words had nothing to do with their quest at all，and that they had been taken in by a mere accident.

“Don’t you mind him,”said Puddleglum. “There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan；and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut，and he knew already all things that would come of them；including this.”

“This guide of yours must be a long liver，friend,”said the Knight with another of his laughs.

Jill began to find them a little irritating.

“And it seems to me，Sir,”answered Puddleglum，“that this Lady of yours must be a long liver too，if she remembers the verse as it was when they first cut it.”

“Very shrewd，Frog-face,”said the Knight，clapping Puddleglum on the shoulder and laughing again. “And you have hit the truth. She is of divine race，and knows neither age nor death. I am the more thankful to her for all her infinite bounty to such a poor mortal wretch as I. For you must know，Sirs，I am a man under most strange afflictions，and none but the Queen’s grace would have had patience with me. Patience，said I ？ But it goes far beyond that. She has promised me a great kingdom in Overland， and，when I am king，her own most gracious hand in marriage. But the tale is too long for you to hear fasting and standing. Hi there，some of you ！ Bring wine and Updwellers’ food for my guests. Please you，be seated，gentlemen. Little maiden，sit in this chair. You shall hear it all.”