“Hello!” said Edmund, steadying him. “What‘s up? Are ou ill?”
Eustace was silent for so long that Edmund thought e was fainting; but at last he said, “It’s been ghastly. You on‘t know . . . but it’s all right now. Could we go and talk omewhere? I don‘t want to meet the others just yet.”
“Yes, rather, anywhere you like,” said Edmund. “We can go and sit on the rocks over there. I say, I am glad to see you.er.looking yourself again. You must have had a pretty beastly time.”
They went to the rocks and sat down looking out across the bay while the sky got paler and paler and the stars disappeared except for one very bright one low down and near the horizon.
“I won’t tell you how I became a.a dragon till I can tell the others and get it all over,” said Eustace. “By the way, I didn‘t even know it was a dragon till I heard you all using the word when I turned up here the other morning. I want to tell you how I stopped being one.”
“Fire ahead,” said Edmund.
“Well, last night I was more miserable than ever. And that beastly arm.ring was hurting like anything.”
“Is that all right now?”