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If so, then the universe means nothing; it's blowing great forms and shapes as a swamp blows bubbles; a little while ago it was megatheriums and plesiosauriums if that's the name for them and now it is country-houses and motor-cars and coronation festivals. And in the end it is all nonsense, Stephen. It is utter nonsense. "If it isn't nonsense, tell me what it is.
'No, said Jane, beginning to put on her stockings. 'We shan't be dull but it'll be only like having a pet dog now it can't give us wishes. 'Oh, don't be so discontented, said Anthea. 'If it can't do anything else it can tell us about Megatheriums and things.
Shall we take advantage of our knowledge to lift the curtain, and tell in detail how Milly introduced a few more megatheriums into her painting, and violated nearly all the rules of perspective, to say nothing of colour and chiaro-oscuro? Shall we reveal the multitude of absurd remarks made by the pupil, in his wild attempts at criticism of an art, about which he knew next to nothing?
'Humph, it said, sniffing a little contemptuously, yet at the same time affectionately, 'it's not so dusty. The Psammead seemed to pick up very easily the kind of things that people said nowadays. For a creature that had in its time associated with Megatheriums and Pterodactyls, its quickness was really wonderful.
And don't say 'most g't tho'ts are dressed in shrouds': many, many are the Phoebus Apollo celestial arrows you still have to shoot into the foul Pythons, and poisonous abominable Megatheriums and Plesiosaurians that go staggering ab't, large as cathedrals, in our sunk Epoch ag'n...."
But when people had dinner-parties it was nearly always Megatheriums; and Ichthyosaurus, because his fins were a great delicacy and his tail made soup." "There must have been heaps and heaps of cold meat left over," said Anthea, who meant to be a good housekeeper some day. "Oh no," said the Psammead, "that would never have done. Why, of course at sunset what was left over turned into stone.
'Oh, cried Anthea suddenly, 'perhaps we shall turn into stone at sunset, like the Megatheriums did, so that there mayn't be any of us left over for the next day. She began to cry, so did Jane. Even the boys turned pale. No one had the heart to say anything. It was a horrible afternoon. There was no house near where the children could beg a crust of bread or even a glass of water.
You find the stone bones of the Megatherium and things all over the place even now, they tell me. 'Who tell you? asked Cyril; but the Sand-fairy frowned and began to dig very fast with its furry hands. 'Oh, don't go! they all cried; 'tell us more about it when it was Megatheriums for breakfast! Was the world like this then? It stopped digging.
The prehistoric creatures were scrambling through the water, and getting as far away as possible on to the islands in the middle of the lake. "All you Palæotheriums, Eterædariums, Archæopteryx, Megatheriums, Pleisiosauruses, Ichthyosauruses, and other prehistoric wretches, in the name of the Panjandrum, I command you be turned into stone."
"Oh," cried Anthea suddenly, "perhaps we shall turn into stone at sunset, like the Megatheriums did, so that there mayn't be any of us left over for the next day." She began to cry, so did Jane. Even the boys turned pale. No one had the heart to say anything. It was a horrible afternoon. There was no house near where the children could beg a crust of bread or even a glass of water.
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