“Oh, but you won‘t, Mr Tumnus,” said Lucy. “You won’t, will you? Indeed, indeed you really mustn‘t.”
“And if I don’t,” said he, beginning to cry again “she‘s sure to find out. And she’ll have my tail cut off, and my horns sawn off, and my beard plucked out, and she‘ll wave her wand over my beautiful cloven hoofs and turn them into horrid solid hoofs like a wretched horse’s. And if she is extra and specially angry she‘ll turn me into stone and I shall be only a statue of a Faun in her horrible house until the four thrones at Cair Paravel are filled.and goodness knows when that will happen, or whether it will ever happen at all.”
“I’m very sorry, Mr Tumnus,” said Lucy. “But please let me go home.”
“Of course I will,” said the Faun. “Of course I‘ve got to. I see that now. I hadn’t known what Humans were like beforeI met you. Of course I can‘t give you up to the Witch, not now that I know you. But we must be off at once. I’ll see you back to the lamp.post. I suppose you can find your own way from there back to Spare Oom and War Drobe?”
“I‘m sure I can,” said Lucy.
“We must go as quietly as we can,” said Mr Tumnus. “The whole wood is full of her spies. Even some of the trees are on her side.”