Edmund crept up to the arch and looked inside into thecourtyard， and there he saw a sight that nearly made hisheart stop beating. Just inside the gate， with the moonlight shining on it， stood an enormous lion crouched as if it was ready to spring. And Edmund stood in the shadow of the arch， afraid to go on and afraid to go back， with his knees knocking together. He stood there so long that his teeth would have been chattering with cold even if they had not been chattering with fear. How long this really lasted I don‘t know， but it seemed to Edmund to last for hours.
