Page "The Magician's Nephew" Paragraph 17

Digory picks one of the apples for his mission, but has to resist temptation to eat one for himself after he smells the apples.

As he prepares to leave he is shocked to see the witch Jadis.

She has eaten one of the magic apples, thereby becoming immortal, but her face is now " deadly white ;" Digory begins to understand what the last line in the sign means.

She tempts Digory to either eat an apple himself and join her in immortality, or steal one back to Earth to heal his dying mother.

Digory resists temptation, knowing that his mother would never condone theft.

However the clincher comes when the Witch suggests he leave Polly behind, not knowing Polly can get away by her own ring.

At this, Digory sees through the Witch's ploy.

Foiled, the Witch departs for the North.

Digory returns to Narnia with an apple, which is planted in Narnian soil.

A new tree springs up, which Aslan says will repel the Witch for centuries to come.

Aslan informs Digory that a stolen apple would have healed his mother, but at a terrible price: anyone who steals the apples gets their heart's desire, but it comes in a form that makes it unlikeable.

In the case of the Witch, she now has her heart's desire for immortality, but it only means eternal misery because of her evil heart.

Moreover, the magic apples are now a horror to her, which is why the tree repels her.

With Aslan's permission, Digory then takes an apple from the new tree to heal his mother.

Aslan promises the apple will now bring joy.

Aslan returns Digory, Polly, and Uncle Andrew to England ; Frank and his wife, Helen ( transported from England by Aslan ) stay to rule Narnia as its first King and Queen.