This house of the Professor‘s.which even he knew so little about.was so old and famous that people from all over England used to come and ask permission to see over it. It was the sort of house that is mentioned in guide books and even in histories； and well it might be， for all manner of stories were told about it， some of them even stranger than the one I am telling you now. And when parties of sightseers arrived and asked to see the house， the Professor always gave them permission， and Mrs Macready， the housekeeper， showed them round， telling them about the pictures and the armour， and the rare books in the library. Mrs Macready was not fond of children， and did not like to be interrupted when she was telling visitors all the things she knew. She had said to Susan and Peter almost on the first morning （along with a good many other instructions）， “And please remember you’re to keep out of the way whenever I‘m taking a party over the house.”
“Just as if any of us would want to waste half the morning trailing round with a crowd of strange grown.ups！” said Edmund， and the other three thought the same. That was how the adventures began for the third time.