'Now,' said the Psammead cheerily, 'you are not particularly
nice, nor particularly clever, and you're not at all
good-looking. Still, you've saved my life--oh, when I think of
that man and his pail of water!--so I'll tell you all I know. At
least, of course I can't do that, because I know far too much.
But I'll tell you all I know about this red thing.'

'Do! Do! Do! Do!' said everyone.

'Well, then,' said the Psammead. 'This thing is half of an
Amulet that can do all sorts of things; it can make the corn
grow, and the waters flow, and the trees bear fruit, and the
little new beautiful babies come. (Not that babies ARE
beautiful, of course,' it broke off to say, 'but their mothers
think they are--and as long as you think a thing's true it IS
true as far as you're concerned.)'

Robert yawned.

The Psammead went on.

'The complete Amulet can keep off all the things that make people
unhappy--jealousy, bad temper, pride, disagreeableness,
greediness, selfishness, laziness. Evil spirits, people called
them when the Amulet was made. Don't you think it would be nice
to have it?'

'Very,' said the children, quite without enthusiasM.

'And it can give you strength and courage.'