She went fearlessly in among them， dancing herself as she leapt this way and that to avoid being run into by these huge partners. But she was only half interested in them. She wanted to get beyond them to something else； it was from beyond them that the dear voice had called.
She soon got through them （half wondering whether she had been using her arms to push branches aside， or to take hands in a Great Chain with big dancers who stooped toreach her） for they were really a ring of trees round a central open place. She stepped out from among their shifting confusion of lovely lights and shadows.
A circle of grass， smooth as a lawn， met her eyes， with dark trees dancing all round it. And then.oh joy！ For he was there： the huge Lion， shining white in the moonlight， with his huge black shadow underneath him.
But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion， but Lucy never thought of that. She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not. She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far round his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane.