He poured out a second glass and drank it too； then he began to change his clothes. You have never seen such clothes， but I can remember them. He put on a very high， shiny， stiff collar of the sort that made you hold your chin up all the time. He put on a white waistcoat with a pattern on it and arranged his gold watch chain across the front. He put on his best frock.coat， the one he kept for weddings and funerals. He got out his best tall hat and polished it up. There was a vase of flowers （put there by Aunt Letty） on his dressing table； he took one and put it in his button.hole. He took a clean handkerchief （a lovely one such as you couldn‘t buy today） out of the little left.hand drawer and put a few drops of scent on it. He took his eye.glass， with the thick black ribbon， and screwed it into his eye； then he looked at himself in the mirror.
Children have one kind of silliness， as you know， and grown.ups have another kind. At this moment Uncle Andrew was beginning to be silly in a very grown.up way. Now that the Witch was no longer in the same room with him he was quickly forgetting how she had frightened him and thinking more and more of her wonderful beauty. He kept on saying to himself， “A dem fine woman， sir， a dem fine woman. A superb creature.” He had also somehow managed to forget that it was the children who had got hold of this “superb creature”： he felt as if he himself by his Magic had called her out of unknown worlds.
“Andrew， my boy，” he said to himself as he looked in the glass， “you’re a devilish well.preserved fellow for your age. A distinguished.looking man， sir.”
You see， the foolish old man was actually beginning to imagine the Witch would fall in love with him. The two drinks probably had something to do with it， and so had his best clothes. But he was， in any case， as vain as a peacock； that was why he had become a Magician.
He unlocked the door， went downstairs， sent the housemaid out to fetch a hansom （everyone had lots of servants in those days） and looked into the drawing.room. There， as he expected， he found Aunt Letty. She was busily mending a mattress. It lay on the floor near the window and she was kneeling on it.
“Ah， Letitia my dear，” said Uncle Andrew， “I.ah.have to go out. Just lend me five pounds or so， there‘s a good gel.” （“Gel” was the way he pronounced girl.）
“No， Andrew dear，” said Aunty Letty in her firm， quiet voice， without looking up from her work. “I’ve told you times without number that I will not lend you money.”
“Now pray don‘t be troublesome， my dear gel，” said Uncle Andrew. “It’s most important. You will put me in a deucedly awkward position if you don‘t.”
“Andrew，” said Aunt Letty， looking him straight in the face， “I wonder you are not ashamed to ask me for money.”
There was a long， dull story of a grown.up kind behind these words. All you need to know about it is that Uncle Andrew， what with “managing dear Letty’s business matters for her”， and never doing any work， and running up large bills for brandy and cigars （which Aunt Letty had paid again and again） had made her a good deal poorer than she had been thirty years ago.
“My dear gel，” said Uncle Andrew， “you don‘t understand. I shall have some quite unexpected expenses today. I have to do a little entertaining. Come now， don’t be tiresome.”
“And who， pray， are you going to entertain， Andrew？” asked Aunt Letty.
“A.a most distinguished visitor has just arrived.”
“Distinguished fiddlestick！” said Aunt Letty. “There hasn‘t been a ring at the hell for the last hour.”
At that moment the door was suddenly flung open. Aunt Letty looked round and saw with amazement that an enormous woman， splendidly dressed， with bare arms and flashing eyes， stood in the doorway. It was the Witch.
中文阅读
“放开我！放开我！”波利尖叫道。“我没有碰你！”迪戈里说。
接着他们的脑袋从池塘里钻了出来，又一次回到了世界之间的树林，回到了阳光明媚的宁静之中。与他们刚离开的那个僵死破败的地方相比，这里显得越发富饶、温暖、而又平静。我想，如果有机会的话，他们还会再一次忘记自己是谁，来自何方。他们会愉快地躺下来，半睡半醒地听着树木生长的声音。可是这一次，有什么东西迫使他们尽可能地保持清醒。他们刚一来到草地上，就发现那里并不是只有他们两个人。那个女王，或者说那个女巫（随便你怎么称呼她），紧紧抓住波利的头发，跟着他们一起上来了。这就是为什么波利大叫“放开我”的原因。
顺便说一句，这也证明了戒指的另一种功能，安德鲁舅舅自己也不知情，所以他没有告诉迪戈里。原来使用那些戒指中在世界之间穿行时，你并不需要戴上戒指或者亲自去触碰它，你只要触碰到拿着戒指的人就可以了。在这方面，其功效就像是磁铁。大家都知道，如果你用磁铁吸附一个别针，其他别针一旦碰触到第一个别针，也会被吸附上去。
在那片树林里，杰迪斯女王看起来判若两人。她面色惨白，以至于其美貌几乎荡然无存。她弓着身子，好像是喘不过气来，似乎那个地方的空气令她窒息。两个孩子再也不怕她了。
“放开我！放开我的头发。”波利说，“你到底想干什么？”“喂！放开她的头发。快点儿。”迪戈里说。他们转过身来，跟她厮打在一起。他们比她强壮，没过几秒钟，就迫使她松开了手。她喘息着，向后倒退，眼睛里流露出恐惧的神情。“快点，迪戈里！”波利说，“换掉戒指，跳进回家的池塘。”“救命！救命！发发慈悲！”女巫用微弱的声音叫着，步履蹒跚地跟在他们后面，“带我跟你们一起走。你们不能故意把我留在这个恐怖的地方。这会要了我的命。”
“这是为了国家的利益。”波利怀着敌意说道，“就像你杀死了那个世界里所有的人一样。快一点，迪戈里。”他们戴上了绿戒指，迪戈里说：
“哦，讨厌！我们还要做什么？”他不禁对女王产生了几分同情。
“噢，不要做蠢驴。”波利说，“十有八九她是在装模作样。快过来。”于是，两个孩子跳进了回家的池塘。“幸好我们做了那个记号。”波利心想。但就在他们往下跳的时候，迪戈里感到有一对冷冰冰的拇指与食指揪住了他的耳朵。随着他们的降落，我们这个世界的混杂影像开始显现，那两根手指抓得更紧了。显然女巫正在恢复她的力量。迪戈里一边挣扎，一边乱踢乱踹，却根本不起作用。倏忽之间，他们发现自己回到了安德鲁舅舅的书房。安德鲁叔叔瞪大了眼睛，瞧着迪戈里从其他世界带回来的神奇生物。