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A clear voice like a chime of remote bells, a voice with no blood in it, spoke out of the air and sent a tingling through his frame

"They have already set foot on the sand and are beginning to ascend," it said

"The small one from Thulcandra is already here," said a second voice

"Look on him, beloved, and love hi dust, and a careless touch would unled as, if we thought theht would perish But he is in the body of Maleldil and his sins are forgiven His very naue is Elwin, the friend of the eldila"

"How great is your knowledge!" said the second voice

"I have been down into the air of Thulcandra," said the first, "which the small ones call Tellus A thickened air as full of the Darkened as Deep Heaven is of the Light Ones I have heard the prisoners there talking in their divided tongues and Elwin has taught me how it is with them"

From these words Ransoreat archon of Mars He did not, of course, recognise the voice, for there is no difference between one eldil&039;s voice and another&039;s It is by art, not nature, that they affect hus or lips

"If it is good, Oyarsa," said Ransom, "tell me who is this other"

"It is Oyarsa," said Oyarsa, "and here that is not my name In my own sphere I am Oyarsa Here I am only Malacandra"

"I am Perelandra," said the other voice

"I do not understand," said Ransom "The Woman told me there were no eldila in this world"

"They have not seen my face till today," said the second voice, "except as they see it in the water and the roof heaven, the islands, the caves, and the trees I was not set to rule the I ruled all else I rounded this ball when it first arose from Arbol I spun the air about it and wove the roof I built the Fixed Island and this, the holyand the beasts that fly and all that swims on my breast and all that creeps and tunnels within me down to the centre has been mine And today all this is taken from me Blessed be He"

"The small one will not understand you," said the Lord of Malacandra "He will think that this is a grievous thing in your eyes"

"He does not say this, Malacandra"

"No That is another strange thing about the children of Adam"

There was a moment&039;s silence and then Malacandra addressed Ransom "You will think of this best if you think of it in the likeness of certain things from your oorld"

"I think I understand," said Ransom, "for one of Maleldil&039;s sayers has told us It is like when the children of a great house coe Then those who administered all their riches, and whom perhaps they have never seen, coive up their keys"

"You understand well," said Perelandra "Or like when the singing beast leaves the du beast?" said Ransoladly hear more of this"

"The beasts of that kind have noforth is suckled by the she-beast of another kind She is great and beautiful and du her whelps and is subject to her But when it is grown it becooes fro"

"Why has Maleldil ?" said Ransom

"That is to ask why Maleldil has h to say that from the habits of these two beastsand my Queen and their children But the hour is upon us, and this is enough"

"What hour?" asked Ranso day," said one or other or both the voices But there was soan beating fast

"Thedo you mean?" he asked "Is all well? Has the Queen found the King?"

"The world is born today," said Malacandra "Today for the first ties of Maleldil that breathe and breed like the beasts, step up that step at which your parents fell, and sit in the throne of what they were meant to be It was never seen before Because it did not happen in your world a greater thing happened, but not this Because the greater thing happened in Thulcandra, this and not the greater thing happens here"

"Elwin is falling to the ground," said the other voice

"Be co of yours You are not great, though you could have prevented a thing so great that Deep Heaven sees it with amazement Be comforted, small one, in your slad Have no fear, lest your shoulders be bearing this world Look! it is beneath your head and carries you"

"Will they come here?" asked Ransom some time later

"They are already well up the mountain&039;s side," said Perelandra "And our hour is upon us Let us prepare our shapes We are hard for them to see while we remain in ourselves"