Forward they went again and one of the girls walked on each side of the Lion. But how slowly he walked！ And hisgreat， royal head drooped so that his nose nearly touched the grass. Presently he stumbled and gave a low moan.
“Aslan！ Dear Aslan！” said Lucy， “what is wrong？ Can‘t you tell us？”
“Are you ill， dear Aslan？” asked Susan.
“No，” said Aslan. “I am sad and lonely. Lay your hands on my mane so that I can feel you are there and let us walk like that.”
And so the girls did what they would never have dared to do without his permission， but what they had longed to do ever since they first saw him.buried their cold hands in the beautiful sea of fur and stroked it and， so doing， walked with him. And presently they saw that they were going with him up the slope of the hill on which the Stone Table stood. They went up at the side where the trees came furthest up， and when they got to the last tree （it was one that had some bushes about it） Aslan stopped and said，“Oh， children， children. Here you must stop. And whatever happens， do not let yourselves be seen. Farewell.”
