The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

the old gentleman might wake up any minute - I was all of a muck sweat, so I won't
deceive you - well, to cut a long story short, whether we did right or whether we did
wrong, in the end we see a spell for making people invisible. And we thought we'd rather
be invisible than go on being as ugly as all that. And why? Because we'd like it better. So
my little girl, who's just about your little girl's age, and a sweet child she was before she
was uglified, though now - but least said soonest mended - I say, my little girl she says
the spell, for it's got to be a little girl or else the magician himself, if you see my meaning,
for otherwise it won't work. And why not? Because nothing happens. So my Clipsie says
the spell, for I ought to have told you she reads beautifully, and there we all were as
invisible as you could wish to see. And I do assure you it was a relief not to see one
another's faces. At first, anyway. But the long and the short of it is we're mortal tired of
being invisible. And there's another thing. We never reckoned on this magician (the one I
was telling you about before) going invisible too. But we haven't ever seen him since. So
we don't know if he's dead, or gone .away, or whether he's just sitting upstairs being
invisible, and perhaps coming down and being invisible there. And, believe me, it's no
manner of use listening because he always did go about with his bare feet on, making no
more noise than a great big cat. And I'll tell all you gentlemen straight, it's getting more
than what our nerves can stand."
Such was the Chief Voice's story, but very much shortened, because I have left out what
the Other Voices said. Actually he never got out more than six or seven words without
being interrupted by their agreements and encouragements, which drove the Narnians
nearly out of their minds with impatience. When it was over there was a very long
silence.
"But," said Lucy at last, "what's all this got to do with us? I don't understand."
"Why, bless me, if I haven't gone and left out the whole point," said the Chief Voice.
"That you have, that you have," roared the Other Voices with great enthusiasm. "No one
couldn't have left it out cleaner and better. Keep it up, Chief, keep it up."
"Well, I needn't go over the whole story again," began the Chief Voice.
"No. Certainly not," said Caspian and Edmund.
"Well, then, to put it in a nutshell," said the Chief Voice, "we've been waiting for ever so
long for a nice little girl from foreign parts, like it might be you, Missie - that would go
upstairs and go to the magic book and find the spell that takes off the invisibleness, and
say it. And we all swore that the first strangers as landed on this island (having a nice
little girl with them, I mean, for if they hadn't it'd be another matter) we wouldn't let them
go away alive unless they'd done the needful for us. And that's why, gentlemen, if your
little girl doesn't come up to scratch, it will be our painful duty to cut all your throats.
Merely in the way of business, as you might say, and no offence, I hope."