Chapter 4: What Happened at the Front Door
"Now, slave, how long a to wait for my chariot?" yelled the Witch. Uncle Andrew lost all confidence, but Aunt Letty stood and moved to the center of the room, not the least bit intimidated.
"And who is this young person, Andrew, may I ask?" demanded Aunt Letty with an icy tone.
"Distinguished foreigner – v-very important p-person," the man stammered out, his face having gone rather pale with fright.
"Rubbish!" Aunt Letty responded before turning to the Witch. "Get out of my house this moment, you shameless hussy, or I'll send for the police." Given the Witch's appearance and her foreign clothes that left her arms bare, Aunt Letty thought that the Witch must have worked in a circus and did not approve.
"What woman is this?" Jadis asked, taking note of Aunt Letty. "Down on your knees, minion, before I blast you."
"No strong language in this house if you please, young woman," scolded Aunt Letty in response.
Jadis drew herself up even more, and, with fire flashing in her eyes, she flung her arm out in the same gesture and said the same terrible words that had reduced the palace gates to dust on Charn. But nothing happened, except Aunt Letty presumed the woman before her was drunk as she thought the spell was meant to be English.
"I thought as much. The woman is drunk. Drunk! She can't even speak clearly."
For barely a second, Jadis was surprised that her magic did not work, but she did not lose her nerve. She lunged forward, catching Aunt Letty round the neck and knees, raised her high above her head and threw the smaller woman across the room, as if Aunt Letty was nothing but a doll.
The housemaid, who was having an exciting morning, came into the room as Aunt Letty was soaring through the air, saying "If you please, sir, the 'ansom's come."
"Lead on, Slave," commanded the Witch, while the man began to stutter about "regrettable violence – must really protest." A single glance from Jadis left him speechless. She got him out of the room and out of the house; Digory and Dione came down the stairs just as the door shut behind them.
During the commotion in the sitting room, Digory had lead Dione out of the attic to his mother's room. He'd poked his head in, to make sure she was awake. When the woman saw her son called him in.
Digory told her they had a visitor who wanted to meet her, and of course, the woman was worried about her appearance. She'd not gotten out of bed yet and was worried about being in her nightgown. Digory insisted that their guest wouldn't mind. So, his mother agreed to meet her.
Digory rushed back to the door, only for the commotion downstairs to catch his attention and his mother's.
"Digory, perhaps you should see what is going on downstairs before introducing me to our guest. Just go make sure everything is alright." Digory's mother called, worried about what might have happened to cause such a commotion. Uncle Andrew must be up to something again, the woman figured.
Digory and Dione figured it must be Jadis up to something and both rushed down the stairs, only to see the door closing behind Uncle Andrew and Jadis.
"Oh dear," Dione murmured. "She's loose and there's no telling what trouble she'll get up to now."
"Jimmy!" Digory exclaimed at the same time. "She's loose in London with Uncle Andrew. I wonder what on earth is going to happen now."
"Oh, Master Digory," the housemaid called, "I think Miss Ketterly's hurt herself somehow." So, the maid, Digory, and Dione rushed into the sitting room. Dione could not believe that her sister would hurt one of their hosts. Their mother had taught them better manners than that.
If Aunt Letty had fallen on the bare floor or the carpet, her bones would have broken, but she landed on the mattress she'd been mending. Aunt Letty was a tough woman, and after she'd been roused with smelling salts and had a moment to sit, she was fine, excepting a few slight bruises. Then she took charge.
"Sarah," she said to the maid, "go around to the police station at once and tell them there is a dangerous lunatic at large. I will take Mrs. Kirke's lunch up myself."
When Aunt Letty saw Dione, she pulled Digory away from the foreign-looking woman, afraid that she would toss someone across the room as well.
"Aunt Letty," Digory groaned in annoyance as he wiggled in her grip. "This is my friend, Dione."
"I'm terribly sorry for my sister's actions," Dione bowed her head. "If there is any way I can make up for what she did, please let me know."
Aunt Letty eyed her warily, and though she did not approve of her clothes, she allowed the young woman to stay. This one did not appear rude or drunk at least.
Once Mrs. Kirke had been served lunch and introduced to Dione, Aunt Letty, Digory, and Dione had lunch, followed by a quick search for a shawl to cover Dione's exposed shoulders.
While Aunt Letty and Dione were searching for a shawl, Digory did some thinking. He needed to figure out a way to get the Witch back to her own world, or at the very least, out of his. He knew that this meant Dione would leave too, but it had to be done, Jadis could not stay here.
What the boy did not know was that Jadis and Dione had lost their powers upon entering his world. So, he was trying to find a way to keep Jadis from rampaging through London or rampaging through the house. He was also quite sure that she'd blasted several police officers to dust by now.
But the boy figured he only needed to touch Jadis then touch his ring and then everything would be fine. They'd end up in the Wood Between the Worlds, and he could escape back to London. Hopefully, Jadis being faint wasn't just from being pulled out of her own world, because Dione hadn't been faint before. Digory also figured that if Dione really wanted to stay with her sister, he could give her a ring and not go back to the Wood himself.
Now Digory only had to find the Witch, but he doubted Aunt Letty would let him go out without saying where he was going, and he only had twopence. Perhaps if he asked to show Dione around London Aunt Letty would give him some money, but for now, the brown-haired boy could only hope that Uncle Andrew was still with Jadis.
His idea to take Dione out was quickly scrapped because what if Jadis came back and he wasn't there. No, he had to wait for the Witch and Uncle Andrew to come back and get to her before she got into the house again. So, he sat down at watched the front step through the window in the dining room.
In the hours that Digory sat waiting, jumping at every cab and carriage that he heard, many little things happened.
A woman came by with grapes for his mother. And he could overhear what his Aunt Letty said.
"What lovely grapes!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure if anything could do her some good these would. But poor, dear little Mabel, I'm afraid it would need fruit from the land of youth to help her now. Nothing in this world will do much." Then the women's voices got too low for him to hear anymore.
If he had overheard the part about the land of youth a few days ago, he'd have thought it was one of those things grown-ups say without really meaning anything particular, and it wouldn't have interested him. It almost didn't interest him now, but the realization that he now knew (even if Aunt Letty didn't) that there were other worlds out there and that he'd been in one of them. There really could be a Land of Youth somewhere There could be almost anything out there. There really could be a fruit in some other world that could cure his mother!
Digory was suddenly very hopeful, but it was that kind of hope you fight against because you've been disappointed before. But he couldn't stop it, because it just might be true. He'd seen so many odd things already. And he still had the magic rings. There must be worlds connected to every pool in the Wood Between Worlds, and he could hunt through them all. Then his mother would be well again, and everything would be alright.
Getting so caught up in his thoughts, Digory forgot all about watching for the Witch. He was reaching for the pocket with the yellow ring when he heard a horse galloping down the street.
"Hullo! What's that?" Digory thought. "Fire-engine?! I wonder what house is on fire. Great Scott, it's coming here. Why it's Her!"
The noise from the street caught Dione's attention as she came down the stairs. She'd been chatting with Digory's mother, but the woman had grown tired and Dione left her to rest. She'd come downstairs to look for Digory when she heard the commotion outside. She rushed into the dining-room, in hopes of looking out a window, only to be as stunned as Digory at what was outside.
The first thing that appeared was the handsome cab. There wasn't anyone in the driver's seat but standing, not sitting on the roof, swaying with excellent balance as the cab came at full speed around the corner with a wheel in the air, was Jadis the Queen of Queens and the Terror of Charn. She had her teeth bared, her eyes shone like fire, and her long hair was streaming behind her like a comet's tail.
She was whipping the horse without mercy as she drove. The poor creature's nostrils were wide and red, and its sides were spotted with foam. The horse galloped madly up to the front door, missing the lamp-post by an inch before rearing up onto its hind-legs. The handsome was not so lucky and crashed into the lamp-post, shattering it into several pieces. The Witch, with a well-timed jump, had sprung clear just in time, landing on the horse's back.
Jadis settled herself astride the horse before leaning forward and whispered in the horse's ear. Whatever she said was clearly not meant to sooth the horse, but madden it, for the horse was on its hind-legs again in a moment. Its neigh was more like a scream; it was all hoofs and teeth and eyes and tossing mane. Only a skilled rider could have stayed on its back.
Before either Digory or Dione could catch their breath, several more things happened. First, a second handsome dashed around the corner, out of which jumped a fat man in a frock-coat and a policeman. Second, another handsome with two more policemen in it came around the corner as well. After that, about twenty people, mostly delivery boys, on bicycles followed, ringing their bells and calling out cheers and catcalls. Lastly, a crowd of people came on foot, all very hot from running, but clearly entertained. Windows opened up in all the houses on the street and a housemaid or a butler appeared in every door, they too wanted to see the fun.
An old gentleman had begun to struggle out of the ruins of the destroyed first handsome cab. Several people tried to help the poor man out of the cab, but one person pulled them one way, and another would pull him another. Dione thought he would probably have gotten out faster on his own. Digory figured that the old gentleman was Uncle Andrew, but he couldn't see the man's face, his tall hat was bashed down over his face.
Digory and Dione rushed out to join the crowd.
"That's the woman, that's the woman," yelled the fat man, pointing at Jadis. "Do your duty, Constable. Hundreds and thousands of pounds' worth she's taken out of my shop. Look at the rope of pearls around her neck. That's mine. And she's given me a black eye too, what's more."
"That she 'as, guv'nor," said someone in the crowd. "And as lovely a black eye as I'd wish to see. Beautiful bit of work that must 'ave been. Gor! ain't she strong then."
"You ought to put a nice raw beefsteak on it, Mister, that's what it wants," suggested a butcher's boy.
"Now then," said the policeman in charge, "what's all this 'ere?"
"I tell you she -" the fat man started, but was cut off by someone calling out:
"Don't let the old cove in the cab get away. 'E put 'er up to it."
The old gentleman, who was indeed Uncle Andrew, had just succeeded in standing and was rubbing his newly acquired bruises as the policeman approached him.
"Now then," the policeman said, "what's all this?"
"Womfle – Pomfy – Shomf," was what came through the fabric of Uncle Andrew's hat, which still covered his face.
"None of that now," the policeman said, unamused. "You'll find this is no laughing matter. Take that 'at off, see?"
Removing said hat was easier said than done. After Uncle Andrew struggled with it for a moment, two police officers grabbed the brim and forced it off his head.
"Thank you, thank you," Uncle Andrew's voice was faint. "Thank you. Dear me, I'm terribly shaken. If someone could give me a small glass of brandy -"
"Now you attend to me, if you please," said the policeman, removing a large notebook and a small pencil from his pocket. "Are you in charge of that there young woman?"
"Look out!" several people called, and the policeman jumped back just in time. The horse kicked out and if it had hit the policeman it probably would have killed the man. Then the Witch wheeled the horse around to face the crowd and its hind-legs were up on the footpath.
While this was happening, Digory and Dione were trying to get closer to the Witch. Digory wanted to touch the Witch and touch her so that he could get her out of here. Dione wanted to try and soothe the horse, she hated the way her sister was treating the poor animal This wasn't easy because of all the people on either side. They also had to pass between the horse's hoof and the railings of the 'area' that surrounded the house; for the Ketterly's house had a basement.
If you know anything about horses, especially if you have seen them in that state, then you know what a tricky thing it was to do. Digory knew lots about horses, but he steeled his nerves and got ready to make a run for it.
A red-faced man wearing a bowler hat shouldered his way to the front of the crowd.
"Hi! P'leeceman," he said, "that's my 'orse what she's sitting on, same as my cab she's made matchwood of."
"One at a time, please, one at a time," demanded to policeman, slightly overwhelmed by everything.
"But there ain't no time," the Cabby insisted. "I know that 'orse better'n you do. 'Tain't an ordinary 'orse. 'Is father was a hofficer's charger in the cavalry, 'e was. And f the young woman goes on hexcitin' 'im, there'll be murder done. 'Ere, let me get at him."
The policeman was only too happy to move further from the horse. The Cabby took a step nearer, looked up at Jadis, and said in a kind voice:
"Now, Missie, let me get at 'is 'ead, and just get you off. You're a Lidy, and you don't want all these roughs going for you, do you? You want to go 'ome and 'ave a nice cup of tea and a lay down quiet like; then you'll feel ever so much better." At the same time, the Cabby stretched out a hand toward the horse's head saying, "Steady, Strawberry, old boy. Steady now."
The Witch spoke for the first time.
"Dog!" her voice was cold and clear, ringing loud above everything else. "Dog, unhand our royal charger. We are Empress Jadis."