“Well, then,” said the Psammead. “This thing is half of an Amulet that can do all sorts of things; it can make the corn grow, and the waters flow, and the trees bear fruit, and the little new beautiful babies come. (Not that babies _are_ beautiful, of course,” it broke off to say, “but their mothers think they are—and as long as you think a thing’s true it _is_ true as far as you’re concerned.)”
“The complete Amulet can keep off all the things that make people unhappy—jealousy, bad temper, pride, disagreeableness, greediness, selfishness, laziness. Evil spirits, people called them when the Amulet was made. Don’t you think it would be nice to have it?”
“Very,” said the children, quite without enthusiasm.
“And it can give you strength and courage.”
“I suppose it’s nice to have that,” said Jane, but not with much interest.
“And it can give you your heart’s desire.”
“Of course I am,” retorted the Psammead tartly, “so there’s no need for you to.”
“Heart’s desire is good enough for me,” said Cyril.
“Yes, but,” Anthea ventured, “all that’s what the _whole_ charm can do. There’s something that the half we’ve got can win off its own bat—isn’t there?” She appealed to the Psammead. It nodded.
“Yes,” it said; “the half has the power to take you anywhere you like to look for the other half.”
This seemed a brilliant prospect till Robert asked—
The Psammead shook its head and answered, “I don’t think it’s likely.”
“Then,” said Robert, “we might as well look for a needle in a bottle of hay. Yes—it _is_ bottle, and not bundle, Father said so.”
“Not at all,” said the Psammead briskly-, “you think you know everything, but you are quite mistaken. The first thing is to get the thing to talk.”
“Can it?” Jane questioned. Jane’s question did not mean that she thought it couldn’t, for in spite of the parlour furniture the feeling of magic was growing deeper and thicker, and seemed to fill the room like a dream of a scented fog.
“Of course it can. I suppose you can read.”
“Oh yes!” Everyone was rather hurt at the question.
“Well, then—all you’ve got to do is to read the name that’s written on the part of the charm that you’ve got. And as soon as you say the name out loud the thing will have power to do—well, several things.”