Aravis and Lasaraleen had supper in the pillared room.
About two hours later they were ready to start. Aravis was dressed to look like a superior slave-girl in a great house and wore a veil over her face. They had agreed that if any questions were asked Lasaraleenwould pretend that Aravis was a slave she was taking as a present to one of the princesses.
The two girls went out on foot. A very few minutes brought them to the palace gates. Here there were of course soldiers on guard but the officer knew Lasaraleen quite well and called his men to attention and saluted. They passed at once into the Hall of Black Marble. A fair number of courtiers， slaves and others were still moving about here but this only made the two girls less conspicuous. They passed on into the Hall of Pillars and then into the Hall of Statues and down the colonnade， passing the great beaten-copper doors of the throne room.
It was all magnificent beyond description； what they could see of it inthe dim light of the lamps.
Presently they came out into the garden-court which sloped downhill in a number of terraces. On the far side of that they came to the Old Palace. It had already grown almost quite dark and they now found themselves in a maze of corridors lit only by occasional torches fixed in brackets to the walls. Lasaraleen halted at a place where you had to go either left or right.
“Go on， do go on，” whispered Aravis， whose heart was beating terribly and who still felt that her father might run into them at any corner.
“I’m just wondering...” said Lasaraleen. “I‘m not absolutely sure which way we go from here. I think it’s the left. Yes， I‘m almost sure it’s the left. What fun this is！”
They took the left hand way and found themselves in a passage that was hardly lit at all and which soon began going down steps.
“It‘s all right，” said Lasaraleen. “I’m sure we‘re right now. I remember these steps.” But at that moment a moving light appeared ahead. A second later there appeared from round a distant corner， the dark shapes of two men walking backwards and carrying tall candles. And of course it is only before royalties that people walk backwards. Aravis felt Lasaraleen grip her arm-that sort of sudden grip which is almost a pinch and which means that the person who is gripping youis very frightened indeed. Aravis thought it odd that Lasaraleen shouldbe so afraid of the Tisroc if he were really such a friend of hers， but there was no time to go on thinking. Lasaraleen was hurrying her back to the top of the steps， on tiptoes， and groping wildly along the wall.
“Here’s a door，” she whispered. “Quick.”
They went in， drew the door very softly behind them， and found themselves in pitch darkness. Aravis could hear by Lasaraleen‘s breathing that she was terrified.
“Tash preserve us！” whispered Lasaraleen. “What shall we do if he comes in here. Can we hide？”
There was a soft carpet under their feet. They groped forward into the room and blundered onto a sofa.
“Let’s lie down behind it，” whimpered Lasaraleen. “Oh， I do wish we hadn‘t come.”
There was just room between the sofa and the curtained wall and the two girls got down. Lasaraleen managed to get the better position and was completely covered. The upper part of Aravis’s face stuck out beyond the sofa， so that if anyone came into that room with a light and happened to look in exactly the right place they would see her. But of course， because she was wearing a veil， what they saw would not at once look like a forehead and a pair of eyes. Aravis shoved desperately to try to make Lasaraleen give her a little more room. But Lasaraleen， now quite selfish in her panic， fought back and pinched her feet. They gave it up and lay still， panting a little. Their own breath semed dreadfully noisy， but there was no other noise.
“Is it safe？” said Aravis at last in the tiniest possible whisper. “I-I-think so，” began Lasaraleen. “But my poor nerves-” andthen came the most terrible noise they could have heard at thatmoment： the noise of the door opening. And then came light. And because Aravis couldn‘t get her head any further in behind the sofa， she saw everything.
First came the two slaves （deaf and dumb， as Aravis rightly guessed， and therefore used at the most secret councils） walking backwards and carrying the candles. They took up their stand one at each end of the sofa. This was a good thing， for of course it was now harderfor anyone to see Aravis once a slave was in front of her and she was looking between his heels. Then came an old man， very fat， wearing a curious pointed cap by which she immediately knew that he was the Tisroc. The least of the jewels with which he was covered was worth more than all the clothes and weapons of the Narnian lords put together： but he was so fat and such a mass of frills and pleats and bobbles and buttons and tassels and talismans that Aravis couldn’t help thinking the Narnian fashions （at any rate for men） looked nicer. After him came a tall young man with a feathered and jewelled turban on his head and an ivory-sheathed scimitar at his side. He seemedvery excited and his eyes and teeth flashed fiercely in the candlelight.
Last of all came a little hump-backed， wizened old man in whom she recognized with a shudder the new Grand Vizier and her own betrothed husband， Ahoshta Tarkaan himself.
As soon as all three had entered the room and the door was shut， the Tisroc seated himself on the divan with a sigh of contentment， the young man took his place， standing before him， and the Grand Vizier got down on his knees and elbows and laid his face flat on the carpet.
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实际情况是这样：阿拉维斯看到夏斯塔被纳尼亚人匆匆挟持而去，只剩下她与两匹马单独相对，幸好马儿（相当明智地）没有开口说话，她自己也没有张皇失措。她抓住布里的缰绳，牵着两匹马，一动也不动地站在那里。尽管她的心像打鼓一样咚咚直跳，外表上却显得若无其事。纳尼亚贵宾刚一离开，她就打算继续前行。但还没有迈出一步，另一个开路的人（阿拉维斯心想，“这些人真够讨厌的！”）又在喊叫：“让路，让开，让开！给塔坎夫人拉萨拉林让路！”紧跟在开路人身后的是四名武装奴仆，后面有四个奴仆抬着一乘轿子，轿子四面飘拂着丝绸帘子，到处都有银铃在叮当作响，花与香水的芬芳弥漫在整个街道之上。轿子后面跟着衣着华美的女奴，再往后是几名马夫、听差以及侍从之类的人物。这时，阿拉维斯犯了第一个错误。