They came and stood together at the edge looking down into the smooth water. It was full of the reflection (倒影) of the green, leafy branches; they made it look very deep.
"We haven't any bathing things," said Polly.
"We shan't need them, silly," said Digory. "We're going in with our clothes on. Don't you remember it didn't wet us on the way up?"
"Can you swim?"
"A bit. Can you?"
"Well - not much."
"I don't think we shall need to swim," said Digory "We want to go down, don't we?"{1}
Neither of them much liked the idea of jumping into that pool, but neither said so to the other.They took hands and said "One - Two - Three - Go" and jumped.
There was a great splash (飞溅的水) and of course they closed their eyes. But when they opened them again they found they were still standing, hand in hand, in the green wood, and hardly up to their ankles (脚踝) in water.
The pool was apparently (显然地) only a couple of inches deep. They splashed back on to the dry ground.
"What on earth's gone wrong?" said Polly in a frightened voice; but not quite so frightened as you might expect, because it is hard to feel really frightened in that wood. The place is too peaceful (宁静的).
"Oh! I know," said Digory, "Of course it won't work. We're still wearing our yellow rings. They're for the outward journey, you know.
The green ones take you home. We must change rings. Have you got pockets? Good. Put your yellow ring in your left. I've got two greens. Here's one for you."
They put on their green rings and came back to the pool. But before they tried another jump Digory gave a long "O-ooh!"
"What's the matter?" said Polly.
"I've just had a really wonderful idea," said Digory. "What are all the other pools?"
"How do you mean?"
"Why, if we can get back to our own world by jumping into this pool, mightn't we get somewhere else by jumping into one of the others? Supposing there was a world at the bottom of every pool."
"But I thought we were already in your Uncle Andrew's Other World or Other Place or whatever he called it. Didn't you say -"
"Oh bother Uncle Andrew," interrupted Digory. "I don't believe he knows anything about it. He never had the pluck (勇气) to come here himself. He only talked of one Other World. But suppose there were dozens?"
"You mean, this wood might be only one of them?"
"No, I don't believe this wood is a world at all. I think it's just a sort of in-between (中间的) place."
Polly looked puzzled. "Don't you see?" said Digory. "No, do listen. Think of our tunnel (水管) under the slates (石板) at home. It isn't a room in any of the houses.
In a way, it isn't really part of any of the houses. But once you're in the tunnel you can go along it and come into any of the houses in the row.
Mightn't this wood be the same? - a place that isn't in any of the worlds, but once you've found that place you can get into them all."
"Well, even if you can -" began Polly, but Digory went on as if he hadn't heard her.{2}
"And of course that explains everything," he said. "That's why it is so quiet and sleepy here. Nothing ever happens here. Like at home. It's in the houses that people talk, and do things, and have meals.
Nothing goes on in the in-between places, behind the walls and above the ceilings (天花板) and under the floor, or in our own tunnel. But when you come out of our tunnel you may find yourself in any house.
I think we can get out of this place into jolly well Anywhere! We don't need to jump back into the same pool we came up by. Or not just yet."
"The Wood between the Worlds," said Polly dreamily. "It sounds rather (非常) nice."
"Come on," said Digory. "Which pool shall we try?"
"Look here," said Polly, "I'm not going to try any new pool till we've made sure that we can get back by the old one. We're not even sure if it'll work yet."{3}
"Yes," said Digory. "And get caught by Uncle Andrew and have our rings taken away before we've had any fun. No thanks."
"Couldn't we just go part of the way down into our own pool," said Polly. "Just to see if it works. Then if it does, we'll change rings and come up again before we're really back in Mr Ketterley's study."
"Can we go part of the way down?"
"Well, it took time coming up. I suppose it'll take a little time going back."
Digory made rather a fuss (大惊小怪) about agreeing to this, but he had to in the end because Polly absolutely (完全地) refused to do any exploring in new worlds until she had made sure about getting back to the old one.
She was quite as brave as he about some dangers (wasps(黄蜂), for instance) but she was not so interested in finding out things nobody had ever heard of before; for Digory was the sort of person who wants to know everything, and when he grew up he became the famous Professor Kirke who comes into other books.
After a good deal of arguing they agreed to put on their green rings. ("Green for safety," said Digory, "so you can't help remembering which is which" and hold hands and jump.
But as soon as they seemed to be getting back to Uncle Andrew's study, or even to their own world, Polly was to shout "Change" and they would slip off their greens and put on their yellows.
Digory wanted to be the one who shouted "Change" but Polly wouldn't agree.
They put on the green rings, took hands, and once more shouted "One -Two - Three - Go".
This time it worked. It is very hard to tell you what it felt like, for everything happened so quickly. At first there were bright lights moving about in a black sky; Digory always thinks these were stars and even swears that he saw Jupiter (木星) quite close -close enough to see its moon.
But almost at once there were rows and rows of roofs and chimney pots (烟囱顶帽) about them, and they could see St Paul's and knew they were looking at London.
But you could see through the walls of all the houses. Then they could see Uncle Andrew, very vague (模糊的) and shadowy (朦胧的), but getting clearer and more solid (立体的)-looking all the time, just as if he were coming into focus.
But before he became quite real Polly shouted "Change", and they did change, and our world faded away like a dream, and the green light above grew stronger and stronger, till their heads came out of the pool and they scrambled (攀登) ashore (在岸上).
And there was the wood all about them, as green and bright and still as ever. The whole thing had taken less than a minute.
