When Lucy woke up next morning it was like waking up on the day of an examination or a day when you are going to the dentist. It was a lovely morning with bees buzzing in and out of her open window and the lawn outside looking very like somewhere in England. She got up and dressed and tried to talk and eat ordinarily at breakfast. Then， after being instructed by the Chief Voice about what she was to do upstairs， she bid goodbye to the others， said nothing， walked to the bottom of the stairs， and began going up them without once looking back.
It was quite light， that was one good thing. There was， indeed， a window straight ahead of her at the top of the first flight. As long as she was on that flight she could hear the tick.tock.tick.tock of a grandfather clock in the hall below. Then she came to the landing and had to turn to her left up the next flight； after that she couldn‘t hear the clock any more.