“Oh no，” said a voice. “Trumpkin‘s no traitor. But more than thirty champions （knights， centaurs， good giants， and all sorts） have at one time or another set out to look for the lost Prince， and none of them have ever come back. And at last the King said he was not going to have all the bravest Narnians destroyed in the search for his son. And now nobody is allowed to go.”
“But surely he’d let us go，” said Scrubb. “When he knew who I was and who had sent me.”
（“Sent both of us，” put in Jill.）
“Yes，” said Glimfeather， “I think， very likely， he would. But the King‘s away. And Trumpkin will stick to the rules. He’s as true as steel， but he‘s deaf as a post and very peppery. You could never make him see that this might be the time for making an exception to the rule.”
“You might think he’d take some notice of us， because we‘re owls and everyone knows how wise owls are，” said someone else. “But he’s so old now he‘d only say， ’You‘re a mere chick. I remember you when you were an egg. Don’t come trying to teach me， Sir. Crabs and crumpets！’”