“It’s quite possible,” the learned gentleman replied. “Such charms have been found in very early Egyptian tombs, yet their origin has not been accurately determined as Egyptian. They may have been brought from Asia. Or, supposing the charm to have been fashioned in Egypt, it might very well have been carried to Babylon by some friendly embassy, or brought back by the Babylonish army from some Egyptian campaign as part of the spoils of war. The inscription may be much later than the charm. Oh yes! it is a pleasant fancy, that that splendid specimen of yours was once used amid Babylonish surroundings.”
The others looked at each other, but it was Jane who spoke.
“Were the Babylon people savages, were they always fighting and throwing things about?” For she had read the thoughts of the others by the unerring light of her own fears.
“The Babylonians were certainly more gentle than the Assyrians,” said the learned gentleman. “And they were not savages by any means. A very high level of culture,” he looked doubtfully at his audience and went on, “I mean that they made beautiful statues and jewellery, and built splendid palaces. And they were very learned—they had glorious libraries and high towers for the purpose of astrological and astronomical observation.”
“Er?” said Robert.
“I mean for—star-gazing and fortune-telling,” said the learned gentleman, “and there were temples and beautiful hanging gardens—”
“I’ll go to Babylon if you like,” said Jane abruptly, and the others hastened to say “Done!” before she should have time to change her mind.
“Ah,” said the learned gentleman, smiling rather sadly, “one can go so far in dreams, when one is young.” He sighed again, and then adding with a laboured briskness, “I hope you’ll have a—a—jolly game,” he went into his room and shut the door.
“He said ‘jolly’ as if it was a foreign language,” said Cyril. “Come on, let’s get the Psammead and go now. I think Babylon seems a most frightfully jolly place to go to.”
So they woke the Psammead and put it in its bass-bag with the waterproof sheet, in case of inclement weather in Babylon. It was very cross, but it said it would as soon go to Babylon as anywhere else. “The sand is good thereabouts,” it added.