Хроники Нарнии
A day with the Beavers
NooneexceptEdmundfeltanydifficultyabouttrustingthebeavernow,andeveryone,includingEdmund,wasverygladtoheartheword"dinner".
Theythereforeallhurriedalongbehindtheirnewfriendwholedthematasurprisinglyquickpace,andalwaysinthethickestpartsoftheforest,foroveranhour.Everyonewasfeelingverytiredandveryhungrywhensuddenlythetreesbegantogetthinnerinfrontofthemandthegroundtofallsteeplydownhill.Aminutelatertheycameoutundertheopensky(thesunwasstillshining)andfoundthemselveslookingdownonafinesight.
Theywerestandingontheedgeofasteep,narrowvalleyatthebottomofwhichran-atleastitwouldhavebeenrunningifithadn’tbeenfrozen-afairlylargeriver.Justbelowthemadamhadbeenbuiltacrossthisriver,andwhentheysawiteveryonesuddenlyrememberedthatofcoursebeaversarealwaysmakingdamsandfeltquitesurethatMrBeaverhadmadethisone.Theyalsonoticedthathenowhadasortofmodestexpressiononhis,face-thesortoflookpeoplehavewhenyouarevisitingagardenthey’vemadeorreadingastorythey’vewritten.SoitwasonlycommonpolitenesswhenSusansaid,"Whatalovelydam!"AndMrBeaverdidn’tsay"Hush"thistimebut"Merelyatrifle!Merelyatrifle!Anditisn’treallyfinished!"
Abovethedamtherewaswhatoughttohavebeenadeeppoolbutwasnow,ofcourse,alevelfloorofdarkgreenice.Andbelowthedam,muchlowerdown,wasmoreice,butinsteadofbeingsmooththiswasallfrozenintothefoamyandwavyshapesinwhichthewaterhadbeenrushingalongattheverymomentwhenthefrostcame.Andwherethewaterhadbeentricklingoverandspurtingthroughthedamtherewasnowaglitteringwalloficicles,asifthesideofthedamhadbeencoveredalloverwithflowersandwreathsandfestoonsofthepurestsugar.
