The Story of the Amulet · Chapter
III: The Past explained
The children learn from the Amulet's voice that the missing half was destroyed in the past.
What happens
The children learn from the Amulet's voice that the missing half was destroyed in the past. The Psammead explains that they must travel into the Past to find it, as it still exists there. They visit the learned gentleman to seek his help in reading the charm's name, but he is initially distracted by his studies. The chapter sets up the mechanism for time travel through the Amulet.
Themes in this chapter
Power of Knowledge and History
The Amulet's voice reveals the history of its loss, and the children seek the learned gentleman's expertise to understand the charm.
Wish Fulfillment and Consequences
The children's desire to find the missing half leads to the dangerous possibility of being trapped in the Past forever.
Magic and the Ordinary
The magical voice of the Amulet contrasts with the mundane setting of the learned gentleman's cold mutton chop and dusty study.
Characters to notice
- Anthea
Politely thanks the Amulet's voice and later persuades the others to let her wear the charm for safekeeping.
- Cyril
Takes the lead in speaking to the learned gentleman and asks the Amulet's voice about the missing half.
- Robert
Suggests traveling to the Past to find the other half of the Amulet and expresses concern about being trapped there.
- Jane
Present during the conversation with the Amulet's voice and the visit to the learned gentleman.
- The Psammead
Explains that time and space are forms of thought and guides the children to ask the Amulet about the Past.
- The Learned Gentleman
Receives the children in his study, treats them with courtesy, and is asked to help read the charm's name.
Key passages
“Then one coming with stones to rebuild the shrine, dropped a hewn stone on the Amulet as it lay, and one half was sundered from the other.”
A worker accidentally broke the Amulet in two when a stone fell on it.
The Amulet's voice describes how the two halves were separated.
“If you would find it, you must seek it where it still is, perfect as ever.”
To find the missing half, you need to look for it in the Past, where it remains intact.
The Amulet's voice instructs the children to travel back in time.