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BEHIND THE GYM

IT was a dull autuym

She was crying because they had been bullying her This is not going to be a school story, so I shall say as little as possible about Jill's school, which is not a pleasant subject It was "Co-educational," a school for both boys and girls, what used to be called a "mixed" school; some said it was not nearly so mixed as the minds of the people who ran it These people had the idea that boys and girls should be allowed to do what they liked And unfortunately what ten or fifteen of the biggest boys and girls liked best was bullying the others All sorts of things, horrid things, went on which at an ordinary school would have been found out and stopped in half a term; but at this school they weren't Or even if they were, the people who did them were not expelled or punished The Head said they were interesting psychological cases and sent for theht sort of things to say to the Head, the main result was that you became rather a favourite than otherwise

That hy Jill Pole was crying on that dull autumn day on the daym and the shrubbery And she hadn't nearly finished her cry when a boy ca, with his hands in his pockets He nearly ran into her

"Can't you look where you're going?" said Jill Pole

"All right," said the boy, "you needn't start -" and then he noticed her face "I say, Pole," he said, "what's up?"

Jill onlyto say soain

"It's The his hands farther into his pockets

Jill nodded There was no need for her to say anything, even if she could have said it They both knew

"Now, look here," said the boy, "there's no good us all -"

Hea lecture Jill suddenly flew into a te to happen if you have been interrupted in a cry)

"Oh, go away and mind your own business," she said "Nobody asked you to co in, did they? And you're a nice person to start telling us e all ought to do, aren't you? I suppose youup to The attendance on Them like you do"

"Oh, Lor!" said the boy, sitting down on the grassy bank at the edge of the shrubbery and very quickly getting up again because the grass was soaking wet His name unfortunately was Eustace Scrubb, but he wasn't a bad sort

"Pole!" he said "Is that fair? Have I been doing anything of the sort this term? Didn't I stand up to Carter about the rabbit? And didn't I keep the secret about Spivvins - under torture too? And didn't I -"

"I d-don't know and I don't care," sobbed Jill

Scrubb saw that she wasn't quite herself yet and very sensibly offered her a peppers in a clearer light

"I'm sorry, Scrubb," she said presently "I wasn't fair You have done all that - this term"

"Then wash out last term if you can," said Eustace "I was a different chap then I was - gosh! what a little tick I was"

"Well, honestly, you were," said Jill

"You think there has been a change, then?" said Eustace

"It's not onlyso They've noticed it Eleanor Blakiston heard Adela Pennyfather talking about it in our changing rooot hold of that Scrubb kid He's quite uneable this term We shall have to attend to him next'"

Eustace gave a shudder Everyone at Experi "attended to" by Them

Both children were quiet for a moment The drops dripped off the laurel leaves

"Why were you so different last term?" said Jill presently

"A lot of queer things happened to me in the hols," said Eustace mysteriously

"What sort of things?" asked Jill

Eustace didn't say anything for quite a long time Then he said:

"Look here, Pole, you and I hate this place about as , don't we?"

"I know I do," said Jill

"Then I really think I can trust you"

"Daood of you," said Jill

"Yes, but this is a really terrific secret Pole, I say, are you good at believing things? I h at?"

"I've never had the chance," said Jill, "but I think I would be"

"Could you believe ht out of the world - outside this world - last hols?"

"I wouldn't knohat you meant"

"Well, don't let's bother about that then Supposing I told you I'd been in a place where anions - and well, all the sorts of things you have in fairy-tales" Scrubb felt terribly aard as he said this and got red in the face

"How did you get there?" said Jill She also felt curiously shy

"The only way you can - by Magic," said Eustace almost in a whisper "I ith two cousins of mine We were just - whisked away They'd been there before"

Now that they were talking in whispers Jill somehow felt it easier to believe Then suddenly a horrible suspicion came over her and she said (so fiercely that for the ress):

"If I find you've been pulling ain; never, never, never"

"I'"

(When I was at school one would have said, "I swear by the Bible" But Bibles were not encouraged at Experiment House)

"All right," said Jill, "I'll believe you"

"And tell nobody?"

"What do you take me for?"

They were very excited as they said this But when they had said it and Jill looked round and saw the dull autuht of all the hopelessness of Experiment House (it was a thirteen-week term and there were still eleven weeks to come) she said:

"But after all, what's the good? We're not there: we're here And we jolly well can't get there Or can we?"

"That's what I've been wondering," said Eustace "When we came back from That Place, Someone said that the two Pevensie kids (that's ain It was their third time, you see I suppose they've had their share But he never said I couldn't Surely he would have said so, unless he , can we - could we -?"

"Do youto make it happen?"

Eustace nodded