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diff --git a/old/old-2025-05-29/708-h.zip b/old/old-2025-05-29/708-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4d9f73f..0000000 --- a/old/old-2025-05-29/708-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/old-2025-05-29/708-h/708-h.htm b/old/old-2025-05-29/708-h/708-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index eb3ff18..0000000 --- a/old/old-2025-05-29/708-h/708-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9169 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> -<HTML> -<HEAD> - -<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> - -<TITLE> -The Project Gutenberg E-text of The Princess and the Goblin, -by George MacDonald -</TITLE> - -<STYLE TYPE="text/css"> -BODY { color: Black; - background: White; - margin-right: 10%; - margin-left: 10%; - font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; - text-align: justify } - -P {text-indent: 4% } - -P.noindent {text-indent: 0% } - -P.poem {text-indent: 0%; - margin-left: 10%; - font-size: small } - -P.finis { text-align: center ; - text-indent: 0% ; - margin-left: 0% ; - margin-right: 0% } - -</STYLE> - -</HEAD> - -<BODY> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Princess and the Goblin - -Author: George MacDonald - -Posting Date: September 27, 2008 [EBook #708] -Release Date: November, 1996 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN *** - - - - -Produced by Jo Churcher. HTML version by Al Haines. - - - - - -</pre> - - - - -<table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto" cellpadding="4" border="3"> -<tr> -<td> -THERE IS AN ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THIS TITLE WHICH MAY VIEWED AT EBOOK <big><b><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34339"> -[# 34339 ]</a></b></big> -</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<BR><BR> - -<H1 ALIGN="center"> -THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN -</H1> - -<BR> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -by -</H3> - -<H2 ALIGN="center"> -GEORGE MACDONALD -</H2> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<H2 ALIGN="center"> -CONTENTS -</H2> - -<TABLE ALIGN="center" WIDTH="80%"> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">1. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap01">Why the Princess Has a Story About Her</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">2. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap02">The Princess Loses Herself</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">3. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap03">The Princess and—We Shall See Who</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">4. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap04">What the Nurse Thought of It</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">5. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap05">The Princess Lets Well Alone</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">6. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap06">The Little Miner</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">7. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap07">The Mines</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">8. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap08">The Goblins</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">9. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap09">The Hall of the Goblin Palace</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">10. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap10">The Princess's King-Papa</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">11. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap11">The Old Lady's Bedroom</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">12. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap12">A Short Chapter About Curdie</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">13. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap13">The Cobs' Creatures</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">14. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap14">That Night Week</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">15. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap15">Woven and then Spun</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">16. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap16">The Ring</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">17. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap17">Springtime</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">18. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap18">Curdie's Clue</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">19. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap19">Goblin Counsels</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">20. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap20">Irene's Clue</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">21. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap21">The Escape</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">22. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap22">The Old Lady and Curdie</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">23. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap23">Curdie and His Mother</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">24. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap24">Irene Behaves Like a Princess</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">25. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap25">Curdie Comes to Grief</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">26. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap26">The Goblin-Miners</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">27. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap27">The Goblins in the King's House</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">28. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap28">Curdie's Guide</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">29. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap29">Masonwork</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">30. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap30">The King and the Kiss</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">31. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap31">The Subterranean Waters</A></TD> -</TR> - -<TR> -<TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top">32. </TD> -<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top"> -<A HREF="#chap32">The Last Chapter</A></TD> -</TR> - -</TABLE> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap01"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 1 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Why the Princess Has a Story About Her -</H3> - -<P> -There was once a little princess whose father was king over a great -country full of mountains and valleys. His palace was built upon one -of the mountains, and was very grand and beautiful. The princess, -whose name was Irene, was born there, but she was sent soon after her -birth, because her mother was not very strong, to be brought up by -country people in a large house, half castle, half farmhouse, on the -side of another mountain, about half-way between its base and its peak. -</P> - -<P> -The princess was a sweet little creature, and at the time my story -begins was about eight years old, I think, but she got older very fast. -Her face was fair and pretty, with eyes like two bits of night sky, -each with a star dissolved in the blue. Those eyes you would have -thought must have known they came from there, so often were they turned -up in that direction. The ceiling of her nursery was blue, with stars -in it, as like the sky as they could make it. But I doubt if ever she -saw the real sky with the stars in it, for a reason which I had better -mention at once. -</P> - -<P> -These mountains were full of hollow places underneath; huge caverns, -and winding ways, some with water running through them, and some -shining with all colours of the rainbow when a light was taken in. -There would not have been much known about them, had there not been -mines there, great deep pits, with long galleries and passages running -off from them, which had been dug to get at the ore of which the -mountains were full. In the course of digging, the miners came upon -many of these natural caverns. A few of them had far-off openings out -on the side of a mountain, or into a ravine. -</P> - -<P> -Now in these subterranean caverns lived a strange race of beings, -called by some gnomes, by some kobolds, by some goblins. There was a -legend current in the country that at one time they lived above ground, -and were very like other people. But for some reason or other, -concerning which there were different legendary theories, the king had -laid what they thought too severe taxes upon them, or had required -observances of them they did not like, or had begun to treat them with -more severity, in some way or other, and impose stricter laws; and the -consequence was that they had all disappeared from the face of the -country. According to the legend, however, instead of going to some -other country, they had all taken refuge in the subterranean caverns, -whence they never came out but at night, and then seldom showed -themselves in any numbers, and never to many people at once. It was -only in the least frequented and most difficult parts of the mountains -that they were said to gather even at night in the open air. Those who -had caught sight of any of them said that they had greatly altered in -the course of generations; and no wonder, seeing they lived away from -the sun, in cold and wet and dark places. They were now, not -ordinarily ugly, but either absolutely hideous, or ludicrously -grotesque both in face and form. There was no invention, they said, of -the most lawless imagination expressed by pen or pencil, that could -surpass the extravagance of their appearance. But I suspect those who -said so had mistaken some of their animal companions for the goblins -themselves—of which more by and by. The goblins themselves were not -so far removed from the human as such a description would imply. And -as they grew misshapen in body they had grown in knowledge and -cleverness, and now were able to do things no mortal could see the -possibility of. But as they grew in cunning, they grew in mischief, -and their great delight was in every way they could think of to annoy -the people who lived in the open-air storey above them. They had -enough of affection left for each other to preserve them from being -absolutely cruel for cruelty's sake to those that came in their way; -but still they so heartily cherished the ancestral grudge against those -who occupied their former possessions and especially against the -descendants of the king who had caused their expulsion, that they -sought every opportunity of tormenting them in ways that were as odd as -their inventors; and although dwarfed and misshapen, they had strength -equal to their cunning. In the process of time they had got a king and -a government of their own, whose chief business, beyond their own -simple affairs, was to devise trouble for their neighbours. It will -now be pretty evident why the little princess had never seen the sky at -night. They were much too afraid of the goblins to let her out of the -house then, even in company with ever so many attendants; and they had -good reason, as we shall see by and by. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap02"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 2 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Princess Loses Herself -</H3> - -<P> -I have said the Princess Irene was about eight years old when my story -begins. And this is how it begins. -</P> - -<P> -One very wet day, when the mountain was covered with mist which was -constantly gathering itself together into raindrops, and pouring down -on the roofs of the great old house, whence it fell in a fringe of -water from the eaves all round about it, the princess could not of -course go out. She got very tired, so tired that even her toys could -no longer amuse her. You would wonder at that if I had time to -describe to you one half of the toys she had. But then, you wouldn't -have the toys themselves, and that makes all the difference: you can't -get tired of a thing before you have it. It was a picture, though, -worth seeing—the princess sitting in the nursery with the sky ceiling -over her head, at a great table covered with her toys. If the artist -would like to draw this, I should advise him not to meddle with the -toys. I am afraid of attempting to describe them, and I think he had -better not try to draw them. He had better not. He can do a thousand -things I can't, but I don't think he could draw those toys. No man -could better make the princess herself than he could, though—leaning -with her back bowed into the back of the chair, her head hanging down, -and her hands in her lap, very miserable as she would say herself, not -even knowing what she would like, except it were to go out and get -thoroughly wet, and catch a particularly nice cold, and have to go to -bed and take gruel. The next moment after you see her sitting there, -her nurse goes out of the room. -</P> - -<P> -Even that is a change, and the princess wakes up a little, and looks -about her. Then she tumbles off her chair and runs out of the door, -not the same door the nurse went out of, but one which opened at the -foot of a curious old stair of worm-eaten oak, which looked as if never -anyone had set foot upon it. She had once before been up six steps, -and that was sufficient reason, in such a day, for trying to find out -what was at the top of it. -</P> - -<P> -Up and up she ran—such a long way it seemed to her!—until she came to -the top of the third flight. There she found the landing was the end -of a long passage. Into this she ran. It was full of doors on each -side. There were so many that she did not care to open any, but ran on -to the end, where she turned into another passage, also full of doors. -When she had turned twice more, and still saw doors and only doors -about her, she began to get frightened. It was so silent! And all -those doors must hide rooms with nobody in them! That was dreadful. -Also the rain made a great trampling noise on the roof. She turned and -started at full speed, her little footsteps echoing through the sounds -of the rain—back for the stairs and her safe nursery. So she thought, -but she had lost herself long ago. It doesn't follow that she was -lost, because she had lost herself, though. -</P> - -<P> -She ran for some distance, turned several times, and then began to be -afraid. Very soon she was sure that she had lost the way back. Rooms -everywhere, and no stair! Her little heart beat as fast as her little -feet ran, and a lump of tears was growing in her throat. But she was -too eager and perhaps too frightened to cry for some time. At last her -hope failed her. Nothing but passages and doors everywhere! She threw -herself on the floor, and burst into a wailing cry broken by sobs. -</P> - -<P> -She did not cry long, however, for she was as brave as could be -expected of a princess of her age. After a good cry, she got up, and -brushed the dust from her frock. Oh, what old dust it was! Then she -wiped her eyes with her hands, for princesses don't always have their -handkerchiefs in their pockets, any more than some other little girls I -know of. Next, like a true princess, she resolved on going wisely to -work to find her way back: she would walk through the passages, and -look in every direction for the stair. This she did, but without -success. She went over the same ground again an again without knowing -it, for the passages and doors were all alike. At last, in a corner, -through a half-open door, she did see a stair. But alas! it went the -wrong way: instead of going down, it went up. Frightened as she was, -however, she could not help wishing to see where yet further the stair -could lead. It was very narrow, and so steep that she went on like a -four-legged creature on her hands and feet. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap03"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 3 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Princess and—We Shall See Who -</H3> - -<P> -When she came to the top, she found herself in a little square place, -with three doors, two opposite each other, and one opposite the top of -the stair. She stood for a moment, without an idea in her little head -what to do next. But as she stood, she began to hear a curious humming -sound. Could it be the rain? No. It was much more gentle, and even -monotonous than the sound of the rain, which now she scarcely heard. -The low sweet humming sound went on, sometimes stopping for a little -while and then beginning again. It was more like the hum of a very -happy bee that had found a rich well of honey in some globular flower, -than anything else I can think of at this moment. Where could it come -from? She laid her ear first to one of the doors to hearken if it was -there—then to another. When she laid her ear against the third door, -there could be no doubt where it came from: it must be from something -in that room. What could it be? She was rather afraid, but her -curiosity was stronger than her fear, and she opened the door very -gently and peeped in. What do you think she saw? A very old lady who -sat spinning. -</P> - -<P> -Perhaps you will wonder how the princess could tell that the old lady -was an old lady, when I inform you that not only was she beautiful, but -her skin was smooth and white. I will tell you more. Her hair was -combed back from her forehead and face, and hung loose far down and all -over her back. That is not much like an old lady—is it? Ah! but it -was white almost as snow. And although her face was so smooth, her -eyes looked so wise that you could not have helped seeing she must be -old. The princess, though she could not have told you why, did think -her very old indeed—quite fifty, she said to herself. But she was -rather older than that, as you shall hear. -</P> - -<P> -While the princess stared bewildered, with her head just inside the -door, the old lady lifted hers, and said, in a sweet, but old and -rather shaky voice, which mingled very pleasantly with the continued -hum of her wheel: -</P> - -<P> -'Come in, my dear; come in. I am glad to see you.' -</P> - -<P> -That the princess was a real princess you might see now quite plainly; -for she didn't hang on to the handle of the door, and stare without -moving, as I have known some do who ought to have been princesses but -were only rather vulgar little girls. She did as she was told, stepped -inside the door at once, and shut it gently behind her. -</P> - -<P> -'Come to me, my dear,' said the old lady. -</P> - -<P> -And again the princess did as she was told. She approached the old -lady—rather slowly, I confess—but did not stop until she stood by her -side, and looked up in her face with her blue eyes and the two melted -stars in them. -</P> - -<P> -'Why, what have you been doing with your eyes, child?' asked the old -lady. -</P> - -<P> -'Crying,' answered the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'Why, child?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because I couldn't find my way down again.' -</P> - -<P> -'But you could find your way up.' -</P> - -<P> -'Not at first—not for a long time.' -</P> - -<P> -'But your face is streaked like the back of a zebra. Hadn't you a -handkerchief to wipe your eyes with?' -</P> - -<P> -'No.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then why didn't you come to me to wipe them for you?' -</P> - -<P> -'Please, I didn't know you were here. I will next time.' -</P> - -<P> -'There's a good child!' said the old lady. -</P> - -<P> -Then she stopped her wheel, and rose, and, going out of the room, -returned with a little silver basin and a soft white towel, with which -she washed and wiped the bright little face. And the princess thought -her hands were so smooth and nice! -</P> - -<P> -When she carried away the basin and towel, the little princess wondered -to see how straight and tall she was, for, although she was so old, she -didn't stoop a bit. She was dressed in black velvet with thick white -heavy-looking lace about it; and on the black dress her hair shone like -silver. There was hardly any more furniture in the room than there -might have been in that of the poorest old woman who made her bread by -her spinning. There was no carpet on the floor—no table -anywhere—nothing but the spinning-wheel and the chair beside it. When -she came back, she sat down and without a word began her spinning once -more, while Irene, who had never seen a spinning-wheel, stood by her -side and looked on. When the old lady had got her thread fairly going -again, she said to the princess, but without looking at her: -</P> - -<P> -'Do you know my name, child?' -</P> - -<P> -'No, I don't know it,' answered the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'My name is Irene.' -</P> - -<P> -'That's my name!' cried the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'I know that. I let you have mine. I haven't got your name. You've -got mine.' -</P> - -<P> -'How can that be?' asked the princess, bewildered. 'I've always had my -name.' -</P> - -<P> -'Your papa, the king, asked me if I had any objection to your having -it; and, of course, I hadn't. I let you have it with pleasure.' -</P> - -<P> -'It was very kind of you to give me your name—and such a pretty one,' -said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, not so very kind!' said the old lady. 'A name is one of those -things one can give away and keep all the same. I have a good many -such things. Wouldn't you like to know who I am, child?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, that I should—very much.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm your great-great-grandmother,' said the lady. -</P> - -<P> -'What's that?' asked the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'I'm your father's mother's father's mother.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, dear! I can't understand that,' said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'I dare say not. I didn't expect you would. But that's no reason why -I shouldn't say it.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, no!' answered the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'I will explain it all to you when you are older,' the lady went on. -'But you will be able to understand this much now: I came here to take -care of you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Is it long since you came? Was it yesterday? Or was it today, -because it was so wet that I couldn't get out?' -</P> - -<P> -'I've been here ever since you came yourself.' -</P> - -<P> -'What a long time!' said the princess. 'I don't remember it at all.' -</P> - -<P> -'No. I suppose not.' -</P> - -<P> -'But I never saw you before.' -</P> - -<P> -'No. But you shall see me again.' -</P> - -<P> -'Do you live in this room always?' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't sleep in it. I sleep on the opposite side of the landing. I -sit here most of the day.' -</P> - -<P> -'I shouldn't like it. My nursery is much prettier. You must be a -queen too, if you are my great big grand-mother.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, I am a queen.' -</P> - -<P> -'Where is your crown, then?' 'In my bedroom.' -</P> - -<P> -'I should like to see it.' -</P> - -<P> -'You shall some day—not today.' -</P> - -<P> -'I wonder why nursie never told me.' -</P> - -<P> -'Nursie doesn't know. She never saw me.' -</P> - -<P> -'But somebody knows that you are in the house?' -</P> - -<P> -'No; nobody.' -</P> - -<P> -'How do you get your dinner, then?' -</P> - -<P> -'I keep poultry—of a sort.' -</P> - -<P> -'Where do you keep them?' -</P> - -<P> -'I will show you.' -</P> - -<P> -'And who makes the chicken broth for you?' -</P> - -<P> -'I never kill any of MY chickens.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then I can't understand.' -</P> - -<P> -'What did you have for breakfast this morning?' asked the lady. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh! I had bread and milk, and an egg—I dare say you eat their eggs.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, that's it. I eat their eggs.' -</P> - -<P> -'Is that what makes your hair so white?' -</P> - -<P> -'No, my dear. It's old age. I am very old.' -</P> - -<P> -'I thought so. Are you fifty?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes—more than that.' -</P> - -<P> -'Are you a hundred?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes—more than that. I am too old for you to guess. Come and see my -chickens.' -</P> - -<P> -Again she stopped her spinning. She rose, took the princess by the -hand, led her out of the room, and opened the door opposite the stair. -The princess expected to see a lot of hens and chickens, but instead of -that, she saw the blue sky first, and then the roofs of the house, with -a multitude of the loveliest pigeons, mostly white, but of all colours, -walking about, making bows to each other, and talking a language she -could not understand. She clapped her hands with delight, and up rose -such a flapping of wings that she in her turn was startled. -</P> - -<P> -'You've frightened my poultry,' said the old lady, smiling. -</P> - -<P> -'And they've frightened me,' said the princess, smiling too. 'But what -very nice poultry! Are the eggs nice?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, very nice.' 'What a small egg-spoon you must have! Wouldn't it -be better to keep hens, and get bigger eggs?' -</P> - -<P> -'How should I feed them, though?' -</P> - -<P> -'I see,' said the princess. 'The pigeons feed themselves. They've got -wings.' -</P> - -<P> -'Just so. If they couldn't fly, I couldn't eat their eggs.' -</P> - -<P> -'But how do you get at the eggs? Where are their nests?' -</P> - -<P> -The lady took hold of a little loop of string in the wall at the side -of the door and, lifting a shutter, showed a great many pigeon-holes -with nests, some with young ones and some with eggs in them. The birds -came in at the other side, and she took out the eggs on this side. She -closed it again quickly, lest the young ones should be frightened. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, what a nice way!' cried the princess. 'Will you give me an egg to -eat? I'm rather hungry.' -</P> - -<P> -'I will some day, but now you must go back, or nursie will be miserable -about you. I dare say she's looking for you everywhere.' -</P> - -<P> -'Except here,' answered the princess. 'Oh, how surprised she will be -when I tell her about my great big grand-grand-mother!' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, that she will!' said the old lady with a curious smile. 'Mind you -tell her all about it exactly.' -</P> - -<P> -'That I will. Please will you take me back to her?' -</P> - -<P> -'I can't go all the way, but I will take you to the top of the stair, -and then you must run down quite fast into your own room.' -</P> - -<P> -The little princess put her hand in the old lady's, who, looking this -way and that, brought her to the top of the first stair, and thence to -the bottom of the second, and did not leave her till she saw her -half-way down the third. When she heard the cry of her nurse's -pleasure at finding her, she turned and walked up the stairs again, -very fast indeed for such a very great grandmother, and sat down to her -spinning with another strange smile on her sweet old face. -</P> - -<P> -About this spinning of hers I will tell you more another time. -</P> - -<P> -Guess what she was spinning. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap04"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 4 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -What the Nurse Thought of It -</H3> - -<P> -'Why, where can you have been, princess?' asked the nurse, taking her -in her arms. 'It's very unkind of you to hide away so long. I began to -be afraid—' Here she checked herself. -</P> - -<P> -'What were you afraid of, nursie?' asked the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'Never mind,' she answered. 'Perhaps I will tell you another day. Now -tell me where you have been.' -</P> - -<P> -'I've been up a long way to see my very great, huge, old grandmother,' -said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'What do you mean by that?' asked the nurse, who thought she was making -fun. -</P> - -<P> -'I mean that I've been a long way up and up to see My GREAT -grandmother. Ah, nursie, you don't know what a beautiful mother of -grandmothers I've got upstairs. She is such an old lady, with such -lovely white hair—as white as my silver cup. Now, when I think of it, -I think her hair must be silver.' -</P> - -<P> -'What nonsense you are talking, princess!' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'I'm not talking nonsense,' returned Irene, rather offended. 'I will -tell you all about her. She's much taller than you, and much prettier.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, I dare say!' remarked the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'And she lives upon pigeons' eggs.' -</P> - -<P> -'Most likely,' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'And she sits in an empty room, spin-spinning all day long.' -</P> - -<P> -'Not a doubt of it,' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'And she keeps her crown in her bedroom.' -</P> - -<P> -'Of course—quite the proper place to keep her crown in. She wears it -in bed, I'll be bound.' -</P> - -<P> -'She didn't say that. And I don't think she does. That wouldn't be -comfortable—would it? I don't think my papa wears his crown for a -night-cap. Does he, nursie?' -</P> - -<P> -'I never asked him. I dare say he does.' -</P> - -<P> -'And she's been there ever since I came here—ever so many years.' -</P> - -<P> -'Anybody could have told you that,' said the nurse, who did not believe -a word Irene was saying. -</P> - -<P> -'Why didn't you tell me, then?' -</P> - -<P> -'There was no necessity. You could make it all up for yourself.' -</P> - -<P> -'You don't believe me, then!' exclaimed the princess, astonished and -angry, as she well might be. -</P> - -<P> -'Did you expect me to believe you, princess?' asked the nurse coldly. -'I know princesses are in the habit of telling make-believes, but you -are the first I ever heard of who expected to have them believed,' she -added, seeing that the child was strangely in earnest. -</P> - -<P> -The princess burst into tears. -</P> - -<P> -'Well, I must say,' remarked the nurse, now thoroughly vexed with her -for crying, 'it is not at all becoming in a princess to tell stories -and expect to be believed just because she is a princess.' -</P> - -<P> -'But it's quite true, I tell you.' -</P> - -<P> -'You've dreamt it, then, child.' -</P> - -<P> -'No, I didn't dream it. I went upstairs, and I lost myself, and if I -hadn't found the beautiful lady, I should never have found myself.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, I dare say!' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, you just come up with me, and see if I'm not telling the truth.' -</P> - -<P> -'Indeed I have other work to do. It's your dinnertime, and I won't -have any more such nonsense.' -</P> - -<P> -The princess wiped her eyes, and her face grew so hot that they were -soon quite dry. She sat down to her dinner, but ate next to nothing. -Not to be believed does not at all agree with princesses: for a real -princess cannot tell a lie. So all the afternoon she did not speak a -word. Only when the nurse spoke to her, she answered her, for a real -princess is never rude—even when she does well to be offended. -</P> - -<P> -Of course the nurse was not comfortable in her mind—not that she -suspected the least truth in Irene's story, but that she loved her -dearly, and was vexed with herself for having been cross to her. She -thought her crossness was the cause of the princess's unhappiness, and -had no idea that she was really and deeply hurt at not being believed. -But, as it became more and more plain during the evening in her every -motion and look, that, although she tried to amuse herself with her -toys, her heart was too vexed and troubled to enjoy them, her nurse's -discomfort grew and grew. When bedtime came, she undressed and laid -her down, but the child, instead of holding up her little mouth to be -kissed, turned away from her and lay still. Then nursie's heart gave -way altogether, and she began to cry. At the sound of her first sob -the princess turned again, and held her face to kiss her as usual. But -the nurse had her handkerchief to her eyes, and did not see the -movement. -</P> - -<P> -'Nursie,' said the princess, 'why won't you believe me?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because I can't believe you,' said the nurse, getting angry again. -</P> - -<P> -'Ah! then, you can't help it,' said Irene, 'and I will not be vexed -with you any more. I will give you a kiss and go to sleep.' -</P> - -<P> -'You little angel!' cried the nurse, and caught her out of bed, and -walked about the room with her in her arms, kissing and hugging her. -</P> - -<P> -'You will let me take you to see my dear old great big grandmother, -won't you?' said the princess, as she laid her down again. -</P> - -<P> -'And you won't say I'm ugly, any more—will you, princess?' 'Nursie, I -never said you were ugly. What can you mean?' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, if you didn't say it, you meant it.' -</P> - -<P> -'Indeed, I never did.' -</P> - -<P> -'You said I wasn't so pretty as that—' -</P> - -<P> -'As my beautiful grandmother—yes, I did say that; and I say it again, -for it's quite true.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then I do think you are unkind!' said the nurse, and put her -handkerchief to her eyes again. -</P> - -<P> -'Nursie, dear, everybody can't be as beautiful as every other body, you -know. You are very nice-looking, but if you had been as beautiful as -my grandmother—' -</P> - -<P> -'Bother your grandmother!' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'Nurse, that's very rude. You are not fit to be spoken to till you can -behave better.' -</P> - -<P> -The princess turned away once more, and again the nurse was ashamed of -herself. -</P> - -<P> -'I'm sure I beg your pardon, princess,' she said, though still in an -offended tone. But the princess let the tone pass, and heeded only the -words. -</P> - -<P> -'You won't say it again, I am sure,' she answered, once more turning -towards her nurse. 'I was only going to say that if you had been twice -as nice-looking as you are, some king or other would have married you, -and then what would have become of me?' -</P> - -<P> -'You are an angel!' repeated the nurse, again embracing her. 'Now,' -insisted Irene, 'you will come and see my grandmother—won't you?' -</P> - -<P> -'I will go with you anywhere you like, my cherub,' she answered; and in -two minutes the weary little princess was fast asleep. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap05"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 5 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Princess Lets Well Alone -</H3> - -<P> -When she woke the next morning, the first thing she heard was the rain -still falling. Indeed, this day was so like the last that it would -have been difficult to tell where was the use of It. The first thing -she thought of, however, was not the rain, but the lady in the tower; -and the first question that occupied her thoughts was whether she -should not ask the nurse to fulfil her promise this very morning, and -go with her to find her grandmother as soon as she had had her -breakfast. But she came to the conclusion that perhaps the lady would -not be pleased if she took anyone to see her without first asking -leave; especially as it was pretty evident, seeing she lived on -pigeons' eggs, and cooked them herself, that she did not want the -household to know she was there. So the princess resolved to take the -first opportunity of running up alone and asking whether she might -bring her nurse. She believed the fact that she could not otherwise -convince her she was telling the truth would have much weight with her -grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -The princess and her nurse were the best of friends all dressing-time, -and the princess in consequence ate an enormous little breakfast. -</P> - -<P> -'I wonder, Lootie'—that was her pet name for her nurse—'what pigeons' -eggs taste like?' she said, as she was eating her egg—not quite a -common one, for they always picked out the pinky ones for her. -</P> - -<P> -'We'll get you a pigeon's egg, and you shall judge for yourself,' said -the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, no, no!' returned Irene, suddenly reflecting they might disturb -the old lady in getting it, and that even if they did not, she would -have one less in consequence. -</P> - -<P> -'What a strange creature you are,' said the nurse—'first to want a -thing and then to refuse it!' -</P> - -<P> -But she did not say it crossly, and the princess never minded any -remarks that were not unfriendly. -</P> - -<P> -'Well, you see, Lootie, there are reasons,' she returned, and said no -more, for she did not want to bring up the subject of their former -strife, lest her nurse should offer to go before she had had her -grandmother's permission to bring her. Of course she could refuse to -take her, but then she would believe her less than ever. -</P> - -<P> -Now the nurse, as she said herself afterwards, could not be every -moment in the room; and as never before yesterday had the princess -given her the smallest reason for anxiety, it had not yet come into her -head to watch her more closely. So she soon gave her a chance, and, -the very first that offered, Irene was off and up the stairs again. -</P> - -<P> -This day's adventure, however, did not turn out like yesterday's, -although it began like it; and indeed to-day is very seldom like -yesterday, if people would note the differences—even when it rains. -The princess ran through passage after passage, and could not find the -stair of the tower. My own suspicion is that she had not gone up high -enough, and was searching on the second instead of the third floor. -When she turned to go back, she failed equally in her search after the -stair. She was lost once more. -</P> - -<P> -Something made it even worse to bear this time, and it was no wonder -that she cried again. Suddenly it occurred to her that it was after -having cried before that she had found her grandmother's stair. She -got up at once, wiped her eyes, and started upon a fresh quest. -</P> - -<P> -This time, although she did not find what she hoped, she found what was -next best: she did not come on a stair that went up, but she came upon -one that went down. It was evidently not the stair she had come up, -yet it was a good deal better than none; so down she went, and was -singing merrily before she reached the bottom. There, to her surprise, -she found herself in the kitchen. Although she was not allowed to go -there alone, her nurse had often taken her, and she was a great -favourite with the servants. So there was a general rush at her the -moment she appeared, for every one wanted to have her; and the report -of where she was soon reached the nurse's ears. She came at once to -fetch her; but she never suspected how she had got there, and the -princess kept her own counsel. -</P> - -<P> -Her failure to find the old lady not only disappointed her, but made -her very thoughtful. Sometimes she came almost to the nurse's opinion -that she had dreamed all about her; but that fancy never lasted very -long. She wondered much whether she should ever see her again, and -thought it very sad not to have been able to find her when she -particularly wanted her. She resolved to say nothing more to her nurse -on the subject, seeing it was so little in her power to prove her words. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap06"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 6 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Little Miner -</H3> - -<P> -The next day the great cloud still hung over the mountain, and the rain -poured like water from a full sponge. The princess was very fond of -being out of doors, and she nearly cried when she saw that the weather -was no better. But the mist was not of such a dark dingy grey; there -was light in it; and as the hours went on it grew brighter and -brighter, until it was almost too brilliant to look at; and late in the -afternoon the sun broke out so gloriously that Irene clapped her hands, -crying: -</P> - -<P> -'See, see, Lootie! The sun has had his face washed. Look how bright -he is! Do get my hat, and let us go out for a walk. Oh, dear! oh, -dear! how happy I am!' -</P> - -<P> -Lootie was very glad to please the princess. She got her hat and -cloak, and they set out together for a walk up the mountain; for the -road was so hard and steep that the water could not rest upon it, and -it was always dry enough for walking a few minutes after the rain -ceased. The clouds were rolling away in broken pieces, like great, -overwoolly sheep, whose wool the sun had bleached till it was almost -too white for the eyes to bear. Between them the sky shone with a -deeper and purer blue, because of the rain. The trees on the roadside -were hung all over with drops, which sparkled in the sun like jewels. -The only things that were no brighter for the rain were the brooks that -ran down the mountain; they had changed from the clearness of crystal -to a muddy brown; but what they lost in colour they gained in sound—or -at least in noise, for a brook when it is swollen is not so musical as -before. But Irene was in raptures with the great brown streams -tumbling down everywhere; and Lootie shared in her delight, for she too -had been confined to the house for three days. -</P> - -<P> -At length she observed that the sun was getting low, and said it was -time to be going back. She made the remark again and again, but, every -time, the princess begged her to go on just a little farther and a -little farther; reminding her that it was much easier to go downhill, -and saying that when they did turn they would be at home in a moment. -So on and on they did go, now to look at a group of ferns over whose -tops a stream was pouring in a watery arch, now to pick a shining stone -from a rock by the wayside, now to watch the flight of some bird. -Suddenly the shadow of a great mountain peak came up from behind, and -shot in front of them. When the nurse saw it, she started and shook, -and catching hold of the princess's hand turned and began to run down -the hill. -</P> - -<P> -'What's all the haste, nursie?' asked Irene, running alongside of her. -</P> - -<P> -'We must not be out a moment longer.' -</P> - -<P> -'But we can't help being out a good many moments longer.' -</P> - -<P> -It was too true. The nurse almost cried. They were much too far from -home. It was against express orders to be out with the princess one -moment after the sun was down; and they were nearly a mile up the -mountain! If His Majesty, Irene's papa, were to hear of it, Lootie -would certainly be dismissed; and to leave the princess would break her -heart. It was no wonder she ran. But Irene was not in the least -frightened, not knowing anything to be frightened at. She kept on -chattering as well as she could, but it was not easy. -</P> - -<P> -'Lootie! Lootie! why do you run so fast? It shakes my teeth when I -talk.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then don't talk,' said Lootie. -</P> - -<P> -'But the princess went on talking. She was always saying: 'Look, look, -Lootie!' but Lootie paid no more heed to anything she said, only ran on. -</P> - -<P> -'Look, look, Lootie! Don't you see that funny man peeping over the -rock?' -</P> - -<P> -Lootie only ran the faster. They had to pass the rock, and when they -came nearer, the princess saw it was only a lump of the rock itself -that she had taken for a man. -</P> - -<P> -'Look, look, Lootie! There's such a curious creature at the foot of -that old tree. Look at it, Lootie! It's making faces at us, I do -think.' -</P> - -<P> -Lootie gave a stifled cry, and ran faster still—so fast that Irene's -little legs could not keep up with her, and she fell with a crash. It -was a hard downhill road, and she had been running very fast—so it was -no wonder she began to cry. This put the nurse nearly beside herself; -but all she could do was to run on, the moment she got the princess on -her feet again. -</P> - -<P> -'Who's that laughing at me?' said the princess, trying to keep in her -sobs, and running too fast for her grazed knees. -</P> - -<P> -'Nobody, child,' said the nurse, almost angrily. -</P> - -<P> -But that instant there came a burst of coarse tittering from somewhere -near, and a hoarse indistinct voice that seemed to say: 'Lies! lies! -lies!' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh!' cried the nurse with a sigh that was almost a scream, and ran on -faster than ever. -</P> - -<P> -'Nursie! Lootie! I can't run any more. Do let us walk a bit.' -</P> - -<P> -'What am I to do?' said the nurse. 'Here, I will carry you.' -</P> - -<P> -She caught her up; but found her much too heavy to run with, and had to -set her down again. Then she looked wildly about her, gave a great -cry, and said: -</P> - -<P> -'We've taken the wrong turning somewhere, and I don't know where we -are. We are lost, lost!' -</P> - -<P> -The terror she was in had quite bewildered her. It was true enough -they had lost the way. They had been running down into a little valley -in which there was no house to be seen. -</P> - -<P> -Now Irene did not know what good reason there was for her nurse's -terror, for the servants had all strict orders never to mention the -goblins to her, but it was very discomposing to see her nurse in such a -fright. Before, however, she had time to grow thoroughly alarmed like -her, she heard the sound of whistling, and that revived her. Presently -she saw a boy coming up the road from the valley to meet them. He was -the whistler; but before they met his whistling changed to singing. -And this is something like what he sang: -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Ring! dod! bang!<BR> - Go the hammers' clang!<BR> - Hit and turn and bore!<BR> - Whizz and puff and roar!<BR> - Thus we rive the rocks,<BR> - Force the goblin locks.—<BR> - See the shining ore!<BR> - One, two, three—<BR> - Bright as gold can be!<BR> - Four, five, six—<BR> - Shovels, mattocks, picks!<BR> - Seven, eight, nine—<BR> - Light your lamp at mine.<BR> - Ten, eleven, twelve—<BR> - Loosely hold the helve.<BR> - We're the merry miner-boys,<BR> - Make the goblins hold their noise.'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -'I wish YOU would hold your noise,' said the nurse rudely, for the very -word GOBLIN at such a time and in such a place made her tremble. It -would bring the goblins upon them to a certainty, she thought, to defy -them in that way. But whether the boy heard her or not, he did not -stop his singing. -</P> - -<BR> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen—<BR> - This is worth the siftin';<BR> - Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen—<BR> - There's the match, and lay't in.<BR> - Nineteen, twenty—<BR> - Goblins in a plenty.'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -'Do be quiet,' cried the nurse, in a whispered shriek. But the boy, -who was now close at hand, still went on. -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Hush! scush! scurry!<BR> - There you go in a hurry!<BR> - Gobble! gobble! goblin!<BR> - There you go a wobblin';<BR> - Hobble, hobble, hobblin'—<BR> - Cobble! cobble! cobblin'!<BR> - Hob-bob-goblin!—<BR> - Huuuuuh!'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -'There!' said the boy, as he stood still opposite them. 'There! -that'll do for them. They can't bear singing, and they can't stand -that song. They can't sing themselves, for they have no more voice -than a crow; and they don't like other people to sing.' -</P> - -<P> -The boy was dressed in a miner's dress, with a curious cap on his head. -He was a very nice-looking boy, with eyes as dark as the mines in which -he worked and as sparkling as the crystals in their rocks. He was -about twelve years old. His face was almost too pale for beauty, which -came of his being so little in the open air and the sunlight—for even -vegetables grown in the dark are white; but he looked happy, merry -indeed—perhaps at the thought of having routed the goblins; and his -bearing as he stood before them had nothing clownish or rude about it. -</P> - -<P> -'I saw them,' he went on, 'as I came up; and I'm very glad I did. I -knew they were after somebody, but I couldn't see who it was. They -won't touch you so long as I'm with you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why, who are you?' asked the nurse, offended at the freedom with which -he spoke to them. -</P> - -<P> -'I'm Peter's son.' -</P> - -<P> -'Who's Peter?' -</P> - -<P> -'Peter the miner.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't know him.' 'I'm his son, though.' -</P> - -<P> -'And why should the goblins mind you, pray?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because I don't mind them. I'm used to them.' -</P> - -<P> -'What difference does that make?' -</P> - -<P> -'If you're not afraid of them, they're afraid of you. I'm not afraid -of them. That's all. But it's all that's wanted—up here, that is. -It's a different thing down there. They won't always mind that song -even, down there. And if anyone sings it, they stand grinning at him -awfully; and if he gets frightened, and misses a word, or says a wrong -one, they—oh! don't they give it him!' -</P> - -<P> -'What do they do to him?' asked Irene, with a trembling voice. -</P> - -<P> -'Don't go frightening the princess,' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'The princess!' repeated the little miner, taking off his curious cap. -'I beg your pardon; but you oughtn't to be out so late. Everybody knows -that's against the law.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, indeed it is!' said the nurse, beginning to cry again. 'And I -shall have to suffer for it.' -</P> - -<P> -'What does that matter?' said the boy. 'It must be your fault. It is -the princess who will suffer for it. I hope they didn't hear you call -her the princess. If they did, they're sure to know her again: they're -awfully sharp.' -</P> - -<P> -'Lootie! Lootie!' cried the princess. 'Take me home.' -</P> - -<P> -'Don't go on like that,' said the nurse to the boy, almost fiercely. -'How could I help it? I lost my way.' -</P> - -<P> -'You shouldn't have been out so late. You wouldn't have lost your way -if you hadn't been frightened,' said the boy. 'Come along. I'll soon -set you right again. Shall I carry your little Highness?' -</P> - -<P> -'Impertinence!' murmured the nurse, but she did not say it aloud, for -she thought if she made him angry he might take his revenge by telling -someone belonging to the house, and then it would be sure to come to -the king's ears. 'No, thank you,' said Irene. 'I can walk very well, -though I can't run so fast as nursie. If you will give me one hand, -Lootie will give me another, and then I shall get on famously.' -</P> - -<P> -They soon had her between them, holding a hand of each. -</P> - -<P> -'Now let's run,' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'No, no!' said the little miner. 'That's the worst thing you can do. -If you hadn't run before, you would not have lost your way. And if you -run now, they will be after you in a moment.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't want to run,' said Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'You don't think of me,' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, I do, Lootie. The boy says they won't touch us if we don't run.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, but if they know at the house that I've kept you out so late I -shall be turned away, and that would break my heart.' -</P> - -<P> -'Turned away, Lootie! Who would turn you away?' -</P> - -<P> -'Your papa, child.' -</P> - -<P> -'But I'll tell him it was all my fault. And you know it was, Lootie.' -</P> - -<P> -'He won't mind that. I'm sure he won't.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then I'll cry, and go down on my knees to him, and beg him not to take -away my own dear Lootie.' -</P> - -<P> -The nurse was comforted at hearing this, and said no more. They went -on, walking pretty fast, but taking care not to run a step. -</P> - -<P> -'I want to talk to you,' said Irene to the little miner; 'but it's so -awkward! I don't know your name.' -</P> - -<P> -'My name's Curdie, little princess.' -</P> - -<P> -'What a funny name! Curdie! What more?' -</P> - -<P> -'Curdie Peterson. What's your name, please?' -</P> - -<P> -'Irene.' -</P> - -<P> -'What more?' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't know what more. What more is my name, Lootie?' -</P> - -<P> -'Princesses haven't got more than one name. They don't want it.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, then, Curdie, you must call me just Irene and no more.' -</P> - -<P> -'No, indeed,' said the nurse indignantly. 'He shall do no such thing.' -</P> - -<P> -'What shall he call me, then, Lootie?' -</P> - -<P> -'Your Royal Highness.' 'My Royal Highness! What's that? No, no, -Lootie. I won't be called names. I don't like them. You told me once -yourself it's only rude children that call names; and I'm sure Curdie -wouldn't be rude. Curdie, my name's Irene.' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, Irene,' said Curdie, with a glance at the nurse which showed he -enjoyed teasing her; 'it is very kind of you to let me call you -anything. I like your name very much.' -</P> - -<P> -He expected the nurse to interfere again; but he soon saw that she was -too frightened to speak. She was staring at something a few yards -before them in the middle of the path, where it narrowed between rocks -so that only one could pass at a time. -</P> - -<P> -'It is very much kinder of you to go out of your way to take us home,' -said Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'I'm not going out of my way yet,' said Curdie. 'It's on the other -side of those rocks the path turns off to my father's.' -</P> - -<P> -'You wouldn't think of leaving us till we're safe home, I'm sure,' -gasped the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'Of course not,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'You dear, good, kind Curdie! I'll give you a kiss when we get home,' -said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -The nurse gave her a great pull by the hand she held. But at that -instant the something in the middle of the way, which had looked like a -great lump of earth brought down by the rain, began to move. One after -another it shot out four long things, like two arms and two legs, but -it was now too dark to tell what they were. The nurse began to tremble -from head to foot. Irene clasped Curdie's hand yet faster, and Curdie -began to sing again: -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'One, two—<BR> - Hit and hew!<BR> - Three, four—<BR> - Blast and bore!<BR> - Five, six—<BR> - There's a fix!<BR> - Seven, eight—<BR> - Hold it straight!<BR> - Nine, ten—<BR> - Hit again!<BR> - Hurry! scurry!<BR> - Bother! smother!<BR> - There's a toad<BR> - In the road!<BR> - Smash it!<BR> - Squash it!<BR> - Fry it!<BR> - Dry it!<BR> - You're another!<BR> - Up and off!<BR> - There's enough!—<BR> - Huuuuuh!'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -As he uttered the last words, Curdie let go his hold of his companion, -and rushed at the thing in the road as if he would trample it under his -feet. It gave a great spring, and ran straight up one of the rocks -like a huge spider. Curdie turned back laughing, and took Irene's hand -again. She grasped his very tight, but said nothing till they had -passed the rocks. A few yards more and she found herself on a part of -the road she knew, and was able to speak again. -</P> - -<P> -'Do you know, Curdie, I don't quite like your song: it sounds to me -rather rude,' she said. -</P> - -<P> -'Well, perhaps it is,' answered Curdie. 'I never thought of that; it's -a way we have. We do it because they don't like it.' -</P> - -<P> -'Who don't like it?' -</P> - -<P> -'The cobs, as we call them.' -</P> - -<P> -'Don't!' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'Why not?' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'I beg you won't. Please don't.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh! if you ask me that way, of course, I won't; though I don't a bit -know why. Look! there are the lights of your great house down below. -You'll be at home in five minutes now.' -</P> - -<P> -Nothing more happened. They reached home in safety. Nobody had missed -them, or even known they had gone out; and they arrived at the door -belonging to their part of the house without anyone seeing them. The -nurse was rushing in with a hurried and not over-gracious good night to -Curdie; but the princess pulled her hand from hers, and was just -throwing her arms round Curdie's neck, when she caught her again and -dragged her away. -</P> - -<P> -'Lootie! Lootie! I promised a kiss,' cried Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'A princess mustn't give kisses. It's not at all proper,' said Lootie. -</P> - -<P> -'But I promised,' said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'There's no occasion; he's only a miner-boy.' -</P> - -<P> -'He's a good boy, and a brave boy, and he has been very kind to us. -Lootie! Lootie! I promised.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then you shouldn't have promised.' -</P> - -<P> -'Lootie, I promised him a kiss.' -</P> - -<P> -'Your Royal Highness,' said Lootie, suddenly grown very respectful, -'must come in directly.' -</P> - -<P> -'Nurse, a princess must not break her word,' said Irene, drawing -herself up and standing stock-still. -</P> - -<P> -Lootie did not know which the king might count the worst—to let the -princess be out after sunset, or to let her kiss a miner-boy. She did -not know that, being a gentleman, as many kings have been, he would -have counted neither of them the worse. However much he might have -disliked his daughter to kiss the miner-boy, he would not have had her -break her word for all the goblins in creation. But, as I say, the -nurse was not lady enough to understand this, and so she was in a great -difficulty, for, if she insisted, someone might hear the princess cry -and run to see, and then all would come out. But here Curdie came -again to the rescue. -</P> - -<P> -'Never mind, Princess Irene,' he said. 'You mustn't kiss me tonight. -But you shan't break your word. I will come another time. You may be -sure I will.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, thank you, Curdie!' said the princess, and stopped crying. -</P> - -<P> -'Good night, Irene; good night, Lootie,' said Curdie, and turned and -was out of sight in a moment. -</P> - -<P> -'I should like to see him!' muttered the nurse, as she carried the -princess to the nursery. -</P> - -<P> -'You will see him,' said Irene. 'You may be sure Curdie will keep his -word. He's sure to come again.' -</P> - -<P> -'I should like to see him!' repeated the nurse, and said no more. She -did not want to open a new cause of strife with the princess by saying -more plainly what she meant. Glad enough that she had succeeded both -in getting home unseen, and in keeping the princess from kissing the -miner's boy, she resolved to watch her far better in future. Her -carelessness had already doubled the danger she was in. Formerly the -goblins were her only fear; now she had to protect her charge from -Curdie as well. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap07"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 7 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Mines -</H3> - -<P> -Curdie went home whistling. He resolved to say nothing about the -princess for fear of getting the nurse into trouble, for while he -enjoyed teasing her because of her absurdity, he was careful not to do -her any harm. He saw no more of the goblins, and was soon fast asleep -in his bed. -</P> - -<P> -He woke in the middle of the night, and thought he heard curious noises -outside. He sat up and listened; then got up, and, opening the door -very quietly, went out. When he peeped round the corner, he saw, under -his own window, a group of stumpy creatures, whom he at once recognized -by their shape. Hardly, however, had he begun his 'One, two, three!' -when they broke asunder, scurried away, and were out of sight. He -returned laughing, got into bed again, and was fast asleep in a moment. -</P> - -<P> -Reflecting a little over the matter in the morning, he came to the -conclusion that, as nothing of the kind had ever happened before, they -must be annoyed with him for interfering to protect the princess. By -the time he was dressed, however, he was thinking of something quite -different, for he did not value the enmity of the goblins in the least. -As soon as they had had breakfast, he set off with his father for the -mine. -</P> - -<P> -They entered the hill by a natural opening under a huge rock, where a -little stream rushed out. They followed its course for a few yards, -when the passage took a turn, and sloped steeply into the heart of the -hill. With many angles and windings and branchings-off, and sometimes -with steps where it came upon a natural gulf, it led them deep into the -hill before they arrived at the place where they were at present -digging out the precious ore. This was of various kinds, for the -mountain was very rich in the better sorts of metals. With flint and -steel, and tinder-box, they lighted their lamps, then fixed them on -their heads, and were soon hard at work with their pickaxes and shovels -and hammers. Father and son were at work near each other, but not in -the same gang—the passages out of which the ore was dug, they called -gangs—for when the lode, or vein of ore, was small, one miner would -have to dig away alone in a passage no bigger than gave him just room -to work—sometimes in uncomfortable cramped positions. If they stopped -for a moment they could hear everywhere around them, some nearer, some -farther off, the sounds of their companions burrowing away in all -directions in the inside of the great mountain—some boring holes in -the rock in order to blow it up with gunpowder, others shovelling the -broken ore into baskets to be carried to the mouth of the mine, others -hitting away with their pickaxes. Sometimes, if the miner was in a very -lonely part, he would hear only a tap-tapping, no louder than that of a -woodpecker, for the sound would come from a great distance off through -the solid mountain rock. -</P> - -<P> -The work was hard at best, for it is very warm underground; but it was -not particularly unpleasant, and some of the miners, when they wanted -to earn a little more money for a particular purpose, would stop behind -the rest and work all night. But you could not tell night from day -down there, except from feeling tired and sleepy; for no light of the -sun ever came into those gloomy regions. Some who had thus remained -behind during the night, although certain there were none of their -companions at work, would declare the next morning that they heard, -every time they halted for a moment to take breath, a tap-tapping all -about them, as if the mountain were then more full of miners than ever -it was during the day; and some in consequence would never stay -overnight, for all knew those were the sounds of the goblins. They -worked only at night, for the miners' night was the goblins' day. -Indeed, the greater number of the miners were afraid of the goblins; -for there were strange stories well known amongst them of the treatment -some had received whom the goblins had surprised at their work during -the night. The more courageous of them, however, amongst them Peter -Peterson and Curdie, who in this took after his father, had stayed in -the mine all night again and again, and although they had several times -encountered a few stray goblins, had never yet failed in driving them -away. As I have indicated already, the chief defence against them was -verse, for they hated verse of every kind, and some kinds they could -not endure at all. I suspect they could not make any themselves, and -that was why they disliked it so much. At all events, those who were -most afraid of them were those who could neither make verses themselves -nor remember the verses that other people made for them; while those -who were never afraid were those who could make verses for themselves; -for although there were certain old rhymes which were very effectual, -yet it was well known that a new rhyme, if of the right sort, was even -more distasteful to them, and therefore more effectual in putting them -to flight. -</P> - -<P> -Perhaps my readers may be wondering what the goblins could be about, -working all night long, seeing they never carried up the ore and sold -it; but when I have informed them concerning what Curdie learned the -very next night, they will be able to understand. -</P> - -<P> -For Curdie had determined, if his father would permit him, to remain -there alone this night—and that for two reasons: first, he wanted to -get extra wages that he might buy a very warm red petticoat for his -mother, who had begun to complain of the cold of the mountain air -sooner than usual this autumn; and second, he had just a faint hope of -finding out what the goblins were about under his window the night -before. -</P> - -<P> -When he told his father, he made no objection, for he had great -confidence in his boy's courage and resources. -</P> - -<P> -'I'm sorry I can't stay with you,' said Peter; 'but I want to go and -pay the parson a visit this evening, and besides I've had a bit of a -headache all day.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm sorry for that, father,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, it's not much. You'll be sure to take care of yourself, won't -you?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, father; I will. I'll keep a sharp look-out, I promise you.' -Curdie was the only one who remained in the mine. About six o'clock -the rest went away, everyone bidding him good night, and telling him to -take care of himself; for he was a great favourite with them all. -</P> - -<P> -'Don't forget your rhymes,' said one. -</P> - -<P> -'No, no,'answered Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'It's no matter if he does,' said another, 'for he'll only have to make -a new one.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes: but he mightn't be able to make it fast enough,' said another; -'and while it was cooking in his head, they might take a mean advantage -and set upon him.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'll do my best,' said Curdie. 'I'm not afraid.' 'We all know that,' -they returned, and left him. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap08"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 8 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Goblins -</H3> - -<P> -For some time Curdie worked away briskly, throwing all the ore he had -disengaged on one side behind him, to be ready for carrying out in the -morning. He heard a good deal of goblin-tapping, but it all sounded -far away in the hill, and he paid it little heed. Towards midnight he -began to feel rather hungry; so he dropped his pickaxe, got out a lump -of bread which in the morning he had laid in a damp hole in the rock, -sat down on a heap of ore, and ate his supper. Then he leaned back for -five minutes' rest before beginning his work again, and laid his head -against the rock. He had not kept the position for one minute before -he heard something which made him sharpen his ears. It sounded like a -voice inside the rock. After a while he heard it again. It was a -goblin voice—there could be no doubt about that—and this time he -could make out the words. -</P> - -<P> -'Hadn't we better be moving?'it said. -</P> - -<P> -A rougher and deeper voice replied: -</P> - -<P> -'There's no hurry. That wretched little mole won't be through tonight, -if he work ever so hard. He's not by any means at the thinnest place.' -</P> - -<P> -'But you still think the lode does come through into our house?' said -the first voice. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, but a good bit farther on than he has got to yet. If he had -struck a stroke more to the side just here,' said the goblin, tapping -the very stone, as it seemed to Curdie, against which his head lay, 'he -would have been through; but he's a couple of yards past it now, and if -he follow the lode it will be a week before it leads him in. You see -it back there—a long way. Still, perhaps, in case of accident it -would be as well to be getting out of this. Helfer, you'll take the -great chest. That's your business, you know.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, dad,' said a third voice. 'But you must help me to get it on my -back. It's awfully heavy, you know.' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, it isn't just a bag of smoke, I admit. But you're as strong as -a mountain, Helfer.' -</P> - -<P> -'You say so, dad. I think myself I'm all right. But I could carry ten -times as much if it wasn't for my feet.' -</P> - -<P> -'That is your weak point, I confess, my boy.' 'Ain't it yours too, -father?' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, to be honest, it's a goblin weakness. Why they come so soft, I -declare I haven't an idea.' -</P> - -<P> -'Specially when your head's so hard, you know, father.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes my boy. The goblin's glory is his head. To think how the fellows -up above there have to put on helmets and things when they go fighting! -Ha! ha!' -</P> - -<P> -'But why don't we wear shoes like them, father? I should like -it—especially when I've got a chest like that on my head.' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, you see, it's not the fashion. The king never wears shoes.' -</P> - -<P> -'The queen does.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes; but that's for distinction. The first queen, you see—I mean the -king's first wife—wore shoes, of course, because she came from -upstairs; and so, when she died, the next queen would not be inferior -to her as she called it, and would wear shoes too. It was all pride. -She is the hardest in forbidding them to the rest of the women.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm sure I wouldn't wear them—no, not for—that I wouldn't!' said the -first voice, which was evidently that of the mother of the family. 'I -can't think why either of them should.' -</P> - -<P> -'Didn't I tell you the first was from upstairs?' said the other. 'That -was the only silly thing I ever knew His Majesty guilty of. Why should -he marry an outlandish woman like that-one of our natural enemies too?' -</P> - -<P> -'I suppose he fell in love with her.' 'Pooh! pooh! He's just as happy -now with one of his own people.' -</P> - -<P> -'Did she die very soon? They didn't tease her to death, did they?' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, dear, no! The king worshipped her very footmarks.' -</P> - -<P> -'What made her die, then? Didn't the air agree with her?' -</P> - -<P> -'She died when the young prince was born.' -</P> - -<P> -'How silly of her! We never do that. It must have been because she -wore shoes.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't know that.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why do they wear shoes up there?' -</P> - -<P> -'Ah, now that's a sensible question, and I will answer it. But in -order to do so, I must first tell you a secret. I once saw the queen's -feet.' -</P> - -<P> -'Without her shoes?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes—without her shoes.' -</P> - -<P> -'No! Did you? How was it?' -</P> - -<P> -'Never you mind how it was. She didn't know I saw them. And what do -you think!—they had toes!' -</P> - -<P> -'Toes! What's that?' -</P> - -<P> -'You may well ask! I should never have known if I had not seen the -queen's feet. Just imagine! the ends of her feet were split up into -five or six thin pieces!' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, horrid! How could the king have fallen in love with her?' -</P> - -<P> -'You forget that she wore shoes. That is just why she wore them. That -is why all the men, and women too, upstairs wear shoes. They can't -bear the sight of their own feet without them.' -</P> - -<P> -'Ah! now I understand. If ever you wish for shoes again, Helfer, I'll -hit your feet—I will.' -</P> - -<P> -'No, no, mother; pray don't.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then don't you.' -</P> - -<P> -'But with such a big box on my head—' -</P> - -<P> -A horrid scream followed, which Curdie interpreted as in reply to a -blow from his mother upon the feet of her eldest goblin. -</P> - -<P> -'Well, I never knew so much before!' remarked a fourth voice. -</P> - -<P> -'Your knowledge is not universal quite yet,' said the father. 'You -were only fifty last month. Mind you see to the bed and bedding. As -soon as we've finished our supper, we'll be up and going. Ha! ha! ha!' -</P> - -<P> -'What are you laughing at, husband?' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm laughing to think what a mess the miners will find themselves -in—somewhere before this day ten years.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why, what do you mean?' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, nothing.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, yes, you do mean something. You always do mean something.' -</P> - -<P> -'It's more than you do, then, wife.' 'That may be; but it's not more -than I find out, you know.' -</P> - -<P> -'Ha! ha! You're a sharp one. What a mother you've got, Helfer!' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, father.' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, I suppose I must tell you. They're all at the palace consulting -about it tonight; and as soon as we've got away from this thin place -I'm going there to hear what night they fix upon. I should like to see -that young ruffian there on the other side, struggling in the agonies -of—' -</P> - -<P> -He dropped his voice so low that Curdie could hear only a growl. The -growl went on in the low bass for a good while, as inarticulate as if -the goblin's tongue had been a sausage; and it was not until his wife -spoke again that it rose to its former pitch. -</P> - -<P> -'But what shall we do when you are at the palace?' she asked. -</P> - -<P> -'I will see you safe in the new house I've been digging for you for the -last two months. Podge, you mind the table and chairs. I commit them -to your care. The table has seven legs—each chair three. I shall -require them all at your hands.' -</P> - -<P> -After this arose a confused conversation about the various household -goods and their transport; and Curdie heard nothing more that was of -any importance. -</P> - -<P> -He now knew at least one of the reasons for the constant sound of the -goblin hammers and pickaxes at night. They were making new houses for -themselves, to which they might retreat when the miners should threaten -to break into their dwellings. But he had learned two things of far -greater importance. The first was, that some grievous calamity was -preparing, and almost ready to fall upon the heads of the miners; the -second was—the one weak point of a goblin's body; he had not known -that their feet were so tender as he had now reason to suspect. He had -heard it said that they had no toes: he had never had opportunity of -inspecting them closely enough, in the dusk in which they always -appeared, to satisfy himself whether it was a correct report. Indeed, -he had not been able even to satisfy himself as to whether they had no -fingers, although that also was commonly said to be the fact. One of -the miners, indeed, who had had more schooling than the rest, was wont -to argue that such must have been the primordial condition of humanity, -and that education and handicraft had developed both toes and -fingers—with which proposition Curdie had once heard his father -sarcastically agree, alleging in support of it the probability that -babies' gloves were a traditional remnant of the old state of things; -while the stockings of all ages, no regard being paid in them to the -toes, pointed in the same direction. But what was of importance was -the fact concerning the softness of the goblin feet, which he foresaw -might be useful to all miners. What he had to do in the meantime, -however, was to discover, if possible, the special evil design the -goblins had now in their heads. -</P> - -<P> -Although he knew all the gangs and all the natural galleries with which -they communicated in the mined part of the mountain, he had not the -least idea where the palace of the king of the gnomes was; otherwise he -would have set out at once on the enterprise of discovering what the -said design was. He judged, and rightly, that it must lie in a farther -part of the mountain, between which and the mine there was as yet no -communication. There must be one nearly completed, however; for it -could be but a thin partition which now separated them. If only he -could get through in time to follow the goblins as they retreated! A -few blows would doubtless be sufficient—just where his ear now lay; -but if he attempted to strike there with his pickaxe, he would only -hasten the departure of the family, put them on their guard, and -perhaps lose their involuntary guidance. He therefore began to feel -the wall With his hands, and soon found that some of the stones were -loose enough to be drawn out with little noise. -</P> - -<P> -Laying hold of a large one with both his hands, he drew it gently out, -and let it down softly. -</P> - -<P> -'What was that noise?' said the goblin father. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie blew out his light, lest it should shine through. -</P> - -<P> -'It must be that one miner that stayed behind the rest,' said the -mother. -</P> - -<P> -'No; he's been gone a good while. I haven't heard a blow for an hour. -Besides, it wasn't like that.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then I suppose it must have been a stone carried down the brook -inside.' -</P> - -<P> -'Perhaps. It will have more room by and by.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie kept quite still. After a little while, hearing nothing but the -sounds of their preparations for departure, mingled with an occasional -word of direction, and anxious to know whether the removal of the stone -had made an opening into the goblins' house, he put in his hand to -feel. It went in a good way, and then came in contact with something -soft. He had but a moment to feel it over, it was so quickly -withdrawn: it was one of the toeless goblin feet. The owner of it gave -a cry of fright. -</P> - -<P> -'What's the matter, Helfer?' asked his mother. -</P> - -<P> -'A beast came out of the wall and licked my foot.' -</P> - -<P> -'Nonsense! There are no wild beasts in our country,' said his father. -</P> - -<P> -'But it was, father. I felt it.' -</P> - -<P> -'Nonsense, I say. Will you malign your native realms and reduce them -to a level with the country upstairs? That is swarming with wild -beasts of every description.' -</P> - -<P> -'But I did feel it, father.' -</P> - -<P> -'I tell you to hold your tongue. You are no patriot.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie suppressed his laughter, and lay still as a mouse—but no -stiller, for every moment he kept nibbling away with his fingers at the -edges of the hole. He was slowly making it bigger, for here the rock -had been very much shattered with the blasting. -</P> - -<P> -There seemed to be a good many in the family, to judge from the mass of -confused talk which now and then came through the hole; but when all -were speaking together, and just as if they had bottle-brushes—each at -least one—in their throats, it was not easy to make out much that was -said. At length he heard once more what the father goblin was saying. -</P> - -<P> -'Now, then,' he said, 'get your bundles on your backs. Here, Helfer, -I'll help you up with your chest.' -</P> - -<P> -'I wish it was my chest, father.' -</P> - -<P> -'Your turn will come in good time enough! Make haste. I must go to -the meeting at the palace tonight. When that's over, we can come back -and clear out the last of the things before our enemies return in the -morning. Now light your torches, and come along. What a distinction it -is, to provide our own light, instead of being dependent on a thing -hung up in the air—a most disagreeable contrivance—intended no doubt -to blind us when we venture out under its baleful influence! Quite -glaring and vulgar, I call it, though no doubt useful to poor creatures -who haven't the wit to make light for themselves.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie could hardly keep himself from calling through to know whether -they made the fire to light their torches by. But a moment's -reflection showed him that they would have said they did, inasmuch as -they struck two stones together, and the fire came. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap09"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 9 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Hall of the Goblin Palace -</H3> - -<P> -A sound of many soft feet followed, but soon ceased. Then Curdie flew -at the hole like a tiger, and tore and pulled. The sides gave way, and -it was soon large enough for him to crawl through. He would not betray -himself by rekindling his lamp, but the torches of the retreating -company, which he found departing in a straight line up a long avenue -from the door of their cave, threw back light enough to afford him a -glance round the deserted home of the goblins. To his surprise, he -could discover nothing to distinguish it from an ordinary natural cave -in the rock, upon many of which he had come with the rest of the miners -in the progress of their excavations. The goblins had talked of coming -back for the rest of their household gear: he saw nothing that would -have made him suspect a family had taken shelter there for a single -night. The floor was rough and stony; the walls full of projecting -corners; the roof in one place twenty feet high, in another endangering -his forehead; while on one side a stream, no thicker than a needle, it -is true, but still sufficient to spread a wide dampness over the wall, -flowed down the face of the rock. But the troop in front of him was -toiling under heavy burdens. He could distinguish Helfer now and then, -in the flickering light and shade, with his heavy chest on his bending -shoulders; while the second brother was almost buried in what looked -like a great feather bed. 'Where do they get the feathers?' thought -Curdie; but in a moment the troop disappeared at a turn of the way, and -it was now both safe and necessary for Curdie to follow them, lest they -should be round the next turning before he saw them again, for so he -might lose them altogether. He darted after them like a greyhound. -When he reached the corner and looked cautiously round, he saw them -again at some distance down another long passage. None of the -galleries he saw that night bore signs of the work of man—or of goblin -either. Stalactites, far older than the mines, hung from their roofs; -and their floors were rough with boulders and large round stones, -showing that there water must have once run. He waited again at this -corner till they had disappeared round the next, and so followed them a -long way through one passage after another. The passages grew more and -more lofty, and were more and more covered in the roof with shining -stalactites. -</P> - -<P> -It was a strange enough procession which he followed. But the -strangest part of it was the household animals which crowded amongst -the feet of the goblins. It was true they had no wild animals down -there—at least they did not know of any; but they had a wonderful -number of tame ones. I must, however, reserve any contributions -towards the natural history of these for a later position in my story. -</P> - -<P> -At length, turning a corner too abruptly, he had almost rushed into the -middle of the goblin family; for there they had already set down all -their burdens on the floor of a cave considerably larger than that -which they had left. They were as yet too breathless to speak, else he -would have had warning of their arrest. He started back, however, -before anyone saw him, and retreating a good way, stood watching till -the father should come out to go to the palace. -</P> - -<P> -Before very long, both he and his son Helfer appeared and kept on in -the same direction as before, while Curdie followed them again with -renewed precaution. For a long time he heard no sound except something -like the rush of a river inside the rock; but at length what seemed the -far-off noise of a great shouting reached his ears, which, however, -presently ceased. After advancing a good way farther, he thought he -heard a single voice. It sounded clearer and clearer as he went on, -until at last he could almost distinguish the words. In a moment or -two, keeping after the goblins round another corner, he once more -started back—this time in amazement. -</P> - -<P> -He was at the entrance of a magnificent cavern, of an oval shape, once -probably a huge natural reservoir of water, now the great palace hall -of the goblins. It rose to a tremendous height, but the roof was -composed of such shining materials, and the multitude of torches -carried by the goblins who crowded the floor lighted up the place so -brilliantly, that Curdie could see to the top quite well. But he had -no idea how immense the place was until his eyes had got accustomed to -it, which was not for a good many minutes. The rough projections on the -walls, and the shadows thrown upwards from them by the torches, made -the sides of the chamber look as if they were crowded with statues upon -brackets and pedestals, reaching in irregular tiers from floor to roof. -The walls themselves were, in many parts, of gloriously shining -substances, some of them gorgeously coloured besides, which powerfully -contrasted with the shadows. Curdie could not help wondering whether -his rhymes would be of any use against such a multitude of goblins as -filled the floor of the hall, and indeed felt considerably tempted to -begin his shout of 'One, two, three!', but as there was no reason for -routing them and much for endeavouring to discover their designs, he -kept himself perfectly quiet, and peering round the edge of the -doorway, listened with both his sharp ears. -</P> - -<P> -At the other end of the hall, high above the heads of the multitude, -was a terrace-like ledge of considerable height, caused by the receding -of the upper part of the cavern-wall. Upon this sat the king and his -court: the king on a throne hollowed out of a huge block of green -copper ore, and his court upon lower seats around it. The king had -been making them a speech, and the applause which followed it was what -Curdie had heard. One of the court was now addressing the multitude. -What he heard him say was to the following effect: 'Hence it appears -that two plans have been for some time together working in the strong -head of His Majesty for the deliverance of his people. Regardless of -the fact that we were the first possessors of the regions they now -inhabit; regardless equally of the fact that we abandoned that region -from the loftiest motives; regardless also of the self-evident fact -that we excel them so far in mental ability as they excel us in -stature, they look upon us as a degraded race and make a mockery of all -our finer feelings. But, the time has almost arrived when—thanks to -His Majesty's inventive genius—it will be in our power to take a -thorough revenge upon them once for all, in respect of their unfriendly -behaviour.' -</P> - -<P> -'May it please Your Majesty—' cried a voice close by the door, which -Curdie recognized as that of the goblin he had followed. -</P> - -<P> -'Who is he that interrupts the Chancellor?' cried another from near the -throne. -</P> - -<P> -'Glump,' answered several voices. -</P> - -<P> -'He is our trusty subject,' said the king himself, in a slow and -stately voice: 'let him come forward and speak.' -</P> - -<P> -A lane was parted through the crowd, and Glump, having ascended the -platform and bowed to the king, spoke as follows: -</P> - -<P> -'Sire, I would have held my peace, had I not known that I only knew how -near was the moment, to which the Chancellor had just referred. -</P> - -<P> -In all probability, before another day is past, the enemy will have -broken through into my house—the partition between being even now not -more than a foot in thickness.' -</P> - -<P> -'Not quite so much,' thought Curdie to himself. -</P> - -<P> -'This very evening I have had to remove my household effects; therefore -the sooner we are ready to carry out the plan, for the execution of -which His Majesty has been making such magnificent preparations, the -better. I may just add, that within the last few days I have perceived -a small outbreak in my dining-room, which, combined with observations -upon the course of the river escaping where the evil men enter, has -convinced me that close to the spot must be a deep gulf in its channel. -This discovery will, I trust, add considerably to the otherwise immense -forces at His Majesty's disposal.' -</P> - -<P> -He ceased, and the king graciously acknowledged his speech with a bend -of his head; whereupon Glump, after a bow to His Majesty, slid down -amongst the rest of the undistinguished multitude. Then the Chancellor -rose and resumed. -</P> - -<P> -'The information which the worthy Glump has given us,' he said, 'might -have been of considerable import at the present moment, but for that -other design already referred to, which naturally takes precedence. -His Majesty, unwilling to proceed to extremities, and well aware that -such measures sooner or later result in violent reactions, has -excogitated a more fundamental and comprehensive measure, of which I -need say no more. Should His Majesty be successful—as who dares to -doubt?—then a peace, all to the advantage of the goblin kingdom, will -be established for a generation at least, rendered absolutely secure by -the pledge which His Royal Highness the prince will have and hold for -the good behaviour of her relatives. Should His Majesty fail—which -who shall dare even to imagine in his most secret thoughts?—then will -be the time for carrying out with rigour the design to which Glump -referred, and for which our preparations are even now all but -completed. The failure of the former will render the latter -imperative.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie, perceiving that the assembly was drawing to a close and that -there was little chance of either plan being more fully discovered, now -thought it prudent to make his escape before the goblins began to -disperse, and slipped quietly away. -</P> - -<P> -There was not much danger of meeting any goblins, for all the men at -least were left behind him in the palace; but there was considerable -danger of his taking a wrong turning, for he had now no light, and had -therefore to depend upon his memory and his hands. After he had left -behind him the glow that issued from the door of Glump's new abode, he -was utterly without guide, so far as his eyes were concerned. -</P> - -<P> -He was most anxious to get back through the hole before the goblins -should return to fetch the remains of their furniture. It was not that -he was in the least afraid of them, but, as it was of the utmost -importance that he should thoroughly discover what the plans they were -cherishing were, he must not occasion the slightest suspicion that they -were watched by a miner. -</P> - -<P> -He hurried on, feeling his way along the walls of rock. Had he not -been very courageous, he must have been very anxious, for he could not -but know that if he lost his way it would be the most difficult thing -in the world to find it again. Morning would bring no light into these -regions; and towards him least of all, who was known as a special -rhymester and persecutor, could goblins be expected to exercise -courtesy. Well might he wish that he had brought his lamp and -tinder-box with him, of which he had not thought when he crept so -eagerly after the goblins! He wished it all the more when, after a -while, he found his way blocked up, and could get no farther. It was -of no use to turn back, for he had not the least idea where he had -begun to go wrong. Mechanically, however, he kept feeling about the -walls that hemmed him in. His hand came upon a place where a tiny -stream of water was running down the face of the rock. 'What a stupid -I am!' he said to himself. 'I am actually at the end of my journey! -And there are the goblins coming back to fetch their things!' he added, -as the red glimmer of their torches appeared at the end of the long -avenue that led up to the cave. In a moment he had thrown himself on -the floor, and wriggled backwards through the hole. The floor on the -other side was several feet lower, which made it easier to get back. -It was all he could do to lift the largest stone he had taken out of -the hole, but he did manage to shove it in again. He sat down on the -ore-heap and thought. -</P> - -<P> -He was pretty sure that the latter plan of the goblins was to inundate -the mine by breaking outlets for the water accumulated in the natural -reservoirs of the mountain, as well as running through portions of it. -While the part hollowed by the miners remained shut off from that -inhabited by the goblins, they had had no opportunity of injuring them -thus; but now that a passage was broken through, and the goblins' part -proved the higher in the mountain, it was clear to Curdie that the mine -could be destroyed in an hour. Water was always the chief danger to -which the miners were exposed. They met with a little choke-damp -sometimes, but never with the explosive firedamp so common in -coal-mines. Hence they were careful as soon as they saw any appearance -of water. As the result of his reflections while the goblins were busy -in their old home, it seemed to Curdie that it would be best to build -up the whole of this gang, filling it with stone, and clay or lie, so -that there should be no smallest channel for the water to get into. -There was not, however, any immediate danger, for the execution of the -goblins' plan was contingent upon the failure of that unknown design -which was to take precedence of it; and he was most anxious to keep the -door of communication open, that he might if possible discover what the -former plan was. At the same time they could not resume their -intermitted labours for the inundation without his finding it out; when -by putting all hands to the work, the one existing outlet might in a -single night be rendered impenetrable to any weight of water; for by -filling the gang entirely up, their embankment would be buttressed by -the sides of the mountain itself. -</P> - -<P> -As soon as he found that the goblins had again retired, he lighted his -lamp, and proceeded to fill the hole he had made with such stones as he -could withdraw when he pleased. He then thought it better, as he might -have occasion to be up a good many nights after this, to go home and -have some sleep. -</P> - -<P> -How pleasant the night air felt upon the outside of the mountain after -what he had gone through in the inside of it! He hurried up the hill -without meeting a single goblin on the way, and called and tapped at -the window until he woke his father, who soon rose and let him in. He -told him the whole story; and, just as he had expected, his father -thought it best to work that lode no farther, but at the same time to -pretend occasionally to be at work there still in order that the -goblins might have no suspicions. Both father and son then went to bed -and slept soundly until the morning. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap10"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 10 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Princess's King-Papa -</H3> - -<P> -The weather continued fine for weeks, and the little princess went out -every day. So long a period of fine weather had indeed never been -known upon that mountain. The only uncomfortable thing was that her -nurse was so nervous and particular about being in before the sun was -down that often she would take to her heels when nothing worse than a -fleecy cloud crossing the sun threw a shadow on the hillside; and many -an evening they were home a full hour before the sunlight had left the -weather-cock on the stables. If it had not been for such odd behaviour -Irene would by this time have almost forgotten the goblins. She never -forgot Curdie, but him she remembered for his own sake, and indeed -would have remembered him if only because a princess never forgets her -debts until they are paid. -</P> - -<P> -One splendid sunshiny day, about an hour after noon, Irene, who was -playing on a lawn in the garden, heard the distant blast of a bugle. -She jumped up with a cry of joy, for she knew by that particular blast -that her father was on his way to see her. This part of the garden lay -on the slope of the hill and allowed a full view of the country below. -So she shaded her eyes with her hand and looked far away to catch the -first glimpse of shining armour. In a few moments a little troop came -glittering round the shoulder of a hill. Spears and helmets were -sparkling and gleaming, banners were flying, horses prancing, and again -came the bugle-blast which was to her like the voice of her father -calling across the distance: 'Irene, I'm coming.' -</P> - -<P> -On and on they came until she could clearly distinguish the king. He -rode a white horse and was taller than any of the men with him. He wore -a narrow circle of gold set with jewels around his helmet, and as he -came still nearer Irene could discern the flashing of the stones in the -sun. It was a long time since he had been to see her, and her little -heart beat faster and faster as the shining troop approached, for she -loved her king-papa very dearly and was nowhere so happy as in his -arms. When they reached a certain point, after which she could see -them no more from the garden, she ran to the gate, and there stood till -up they came, clanging and stamping, with one more bright bugle-blast -which said: 'Irene, I am come.' -</P> - -<P> -By this time the people of the house were all gathered at the gate, but -Irene stood alone in front of them. When the horsemen pulled up she -ran to the side of the white horse and held up her arms. The king -stopped and took her hands. In an instant she was on the saddle and -clasped in his great strong arms. -</P> - -<P> -I wish I could describe the king so that you could see him in your -mind. He had gentle, blue eyes, but a nose that made him look like an -eagle. A long dark beard, streaked with silvery lines, flowed from his -mouth almost to his waist, and as Irene sat on the saddle and hid her -glad face upon his bosom it mingled with the golden hair which her -mother had given her, and the two together were like a cloud with -streaks of the sun woven through it. After he had held her to his -heart for a minute he spoke to his white horse, and the great beautiful -creature, which had been prancing so proudly a little while before, -walked as gently as a lady—for he knew he had a little lady on his -back—through the gate and up to the door of the house. Then the king -set her on the ground and, dismounting, took her hand and walked with -her into the great hall, which was hardly ever entered except when he -came to see his little princess. There he sat down, with two of his -counsellors who had accompanied him, to have some refreshment, and -Irene sat on his right hand and drank her milk out of a wooden bowl -curiously carved. -</P> - -<P> -After the king had eaten and drunk he turned to the princess and said, -stroking her hair: -</P> - -<P> -'Now, my child, what shall we do next?' -</P> - -<P> -This was the question he almost always put to her first after their -meal together; and Irene had been waiting for it with some impatience, -for now, she thought, she should be able to settle a question which -constantly perplexed her. -</P> - -<P> -'I should like you to take me to see my great old grandmother.' -</P> - -<P> -The king looked grave And said: -</P> - -<P> -'What does my little daughter mean?' -</P> - -<P> -'I mean the Queen Irene that lives up in the tower—the very old lady, -you know, with the long hair of silver.' -</P> - -<P> -The king only gazed at his little princess with a look which she could -not understand. -</P> - -<P> -'She's got her crown in her bedroom,' she went on; 'but I've not been -in there yet. You know she's there, don't you?' -</P> - -<P> -'No,' said the king, very quietly. -</P> - -<P> -'Then it must all be a dream,' said Irene. 'I half thought it was; but -I couldn't be sure. Now I am sure of it. Besides, I couldn't find her -the next time I went up.' -</P> - -<P> -At that moment a snow-white pigeon flew in at an open window and -settled upon Irene's head. She broke into a merry laugh, cowered a -little, and put up her hands to her head, saying: -</P> - -<P> -'Dear dovey, don't peck me. You'll pull out my hair with your long -claws if you don't mind.' -</P> - -<P> -The king stretched out his hand to take the pigeon, but it spread its -wings and flew again through the open window, when its Whiteness made -one flash in the sun and vanished. The king laid his hand on his -princess's head, held it back a little, gazed in her face, smiled half -a smile, and sighed half a sigh. -</P> - -<P> -'Come, my child; we'll have a walk in the garden together,' he said. -</P> - -<P> -'You won't come up and see my huge, great, beautiful grandmother, then, -king-papa?' said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'Not this time,' said the king very gently. 'She has not invited me, -you know, and great old ladies like her do not choose to be visited -without leave asked and given.' -</P> - -<P> -The garden was a very lovely place. Being upon a Mountainside there -were parts in it where the rocks came through in great masses, and all -immediately about them remained quite wild. Tufts of heather grew upon -them, and other hardy mountain plants and flowers, while near them -would be lovely roses and lilies and all pleasant garden flowers. This -mingling of the wild mountain with the civilized garden was very -quaint, and it was impossible for any number of gardeners to make such -a garden look formal and stiff. -</P> - -<P> -Against one of these rocks was a garden seat, shadowed from the -afternoon sun by the overhanging of the rock itself. There was a -little winding path up to the top of the rock, and on top another seat; -but they sat on the seat at its foot because the sun was hot; and there -they talked together of many things. At length the king said: -</P> - -<P> -'You were out late one evening, Irene.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, papa. It was my fault; and Lootie was very sorry.' -</P> - -<P> -'I must talk to Lootie about it,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -'Don't speak loud to her, please, papa,' said Irene. 'She's been so -afraid of being late ever since! Indeed she has not been naughty. It -was only a mistake for once.' -</P> - -<P> -'Once might be too often,' murmured the king to himself, as he stroked -his child's head. -</P> - -<P> -I can't tell you how he had come to know. I am sure Curdie had not -told him. Someone about the palace must have seen them, after all. -</P> - -<P> -He sat for a good while thinking. There was no sound to be heard -except that of a little stream which ran merrily out of an opening in -the rock by where they sat, and sped away down the hill through the -garden. Then he rose and, leaving Irene where she was, went into the -house and sent for Lootie, with whom he had a talk that made her cry. -</P> - -<P> -When in the evening he rode away upon his great white horse, he left -six of his attendants behind him, with orders that three of them should -watch outside the house every night, walking round and round it from -sunset to sunrise. It was clear he was not quite comfortable about the -princess. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap11"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 11 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Old Lady's Bedroom -</H3> - -<P> -Nothing more happened worth telling for some time. The autumn came and -went by. There were no more flowers in the garden. The wind blew -strong, and howled among the rocks. The rain fell, and drenched the -few yellow and red leaves that could not get off the bare branches. -Again and again there would be a glorious morning followed by a pouring -afternoon, and sometimes, for a week together, there would be rain, -nothing but rain, all day, and then the most lovely cloudless night, -with the sky all out in full-blown stars—not one missing. But the -princess could not see much of them, for she went to bed early. The -winter drew on, and she found things growing dreary. When it was too -stormy to go out, and she had got tired of her toys, Lootie would take -her about the house, sometimes to the housekeeper's room, where the -housekeeper, who was a good, kind old woman, made much of -her—sometimes to the servants' hall or the kitchen, where she was not -princess merely, but absolute queen, and ran a great risk of being -spoiled. Sometimes she would run off herself to the room where the -men-at-arms whom the king had left sat, and they showed her their arms -and accoutrements and did what they could to amuse her. Still at times -she found it very dreary, and often and often wished that her huge -great grandmother had not been a dream. -</P> - -<P> -One morning the nurse left her with the housekeeper for a while. To -amuse her she turned out the contents of an old cabinet upon the table. -The little princess found her treasures, queer ancient ornaments, and -many things the use of which she could not imagine, far more -interesting than her own toys, and sat playing with them for two hours -or more. But, at length, in handling a curious old-fashioned brooch, -she ran the pin of it into her thumb, and gave a little scream with the -sharpness of the pain, but would have thought little more of it had not -the pain increased and her thumb begun to swell. This alarmed the -housekeeper greatly. The nurse was fetched; the doctor was sent for; -her hand was poulticed, and long before her usual time she was put to -bed. The pain still continued, and although she fell asleep and -dreamed a good many dreams, there was the pain always in every dream. -At last it woke her UP. -</P> - -<P> -The moon was shining brightly into the room. The poultice had fallen -off her hand and it was burning hot. She fancied if she could hold it -into the moonlight that would cool it. So she got out of bed, without -waking the nurse who lay at the other end of the room, and went to the -window. When she looked out she saw one of the men-at-arms walking in -the garden with the moonlight glancing on his armour. She was just -going to tap on the window and call him, for she wanted to tell him all -about it, when she bethought herself that that might wake Lootie, and -she would put her into her bed again. So she resolved to go to the -window of another room, and call him from there. It was so much nicer -to have somebody to talk to than to lie awake in bed with the burning -pain in her hand. She opened the door very gently and went through the -nursery, which did not look into the garden, to go to the other window. -But when she came to the foot of the old staircase there was the moon -shining down from some window high up, and making the worm-eaten oak -look very strange and delicate and lovely. In a moment she was putting -her little feet one after the other in the silvery path up the stair, -looking behind as she went, to see the shadow they made in the middle -of the silver. Some little girls would have been afraid to find -themselves thus alone in the middle of the night, but Irene was a -princess. -</P> - -<P> -As she went slowly up the stair, not quite sure that she was not -dreaming, suddenly a great longing woke up in her heart to try once -more whether she could not find the old lady with the silvery hair. 'If -she is a dream,' she said to herself, 'then I am the likelier to find -her, if I am dreaming.' -</P> - -<P> -So up and up she went, stair after stair, until she Came to the many -rooms—all just as she had seen them before. Through passage after -passage she softly sped, comforting herself that if she should lose her -way it would not matter much, because when she woke she would find -herself in her own bed with Lootie not far off. But, as if she had -known every step of the way, she walked straight to the door at the -foot of the narrow stair that led to the tower. -</P> - -<P> -'What if I should realreality-really find my beautiful old grandmother -up there!' she said to herself as she crept up the steep steps. -</P> - -<P> -When she reached the top she stood a moment listening in the dark, for -there was no moon there. Yes! it was! it was the hum of the -spinning-wheel! What a diligent grandmother to work both day and -night! She tapped gently at the door. -</P> - -<P> -'Come in, Irene,'said the sweet voice. -</P> - -<P> -The princess opened the door and entered. There was the moonlight -streaming in at the window, and in the middle of the moonlight sat the -old lady in her black dress with the white lace, and her silvery hair -mingling with the moonlight, so that you could not have told which was -which. 'Come in, Irene,' she said again. 'Can you tell me what I am -spinning?' -</P> - -<P> -'She speaks,' thought Irene, 'just as if she had seen me five minutes -ago, or yesterday at the farthest. —No,' she answered; 'I don't know -what you are spinning. Please, I thought you were a dream. Why -couldn't I find you before, great-great-grandmother?' -</P> - -<P> -'That you are hardly old enough to understand. But you would have -found me sooner if you hadn't come to think I was a dream. I will give -you one reason though why you couldn't find me. I didn't want you to -find me.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why, please?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because I did not want Lootie to know I was here.' -</P> - -<P> -'But you told me to tell Lootie.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes. But I knew Lootie would not believe you. If she were to see me -sitting spinning here, she wouldn't believe me, either.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because she couldn't. She would rub her eyes, and go away and say she -felt queer, and forget half of it and more, and then say it had been -all a dream.' -</P> - -<P> -'Just like me,' said Irene, feeling very much ashamed of herself. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, a good deal like you, but not just like you; for you've come -again; and Lootie wouldn't have come again. She would have said, No, -no—she had had enough of such nonsense.' -</P> - -<P> -'Is it naughty of Lootie, then?' -</P> - -<P> -'It would be naughty of you. I've never done anything for Lootie.' -</P> - -<P> -'And you did wash my face and hands for me,' said Irene, beginning to -cry. -</P> - -<P> -The old lady smiled a sweet smile and said: -</P> - -<P> -'I'm not vexed with you, my child—nor with Lootie either. But I don't -want you to say anything more to Lootie about me. If she should ask -you, you must just be silent. But I do not think she will ask you.' -</P> - -<P> -All the time they talked the old lady kept on spinning. -</P> - -<P> -'You haven't told me yet what I am spinning,' she said. -</P> - -<P> -'Because I don't know. It's very pretty stuff.' -</P> - -<P> -It was indeed very pretty stuff. There was a good bunch of it on the -distaff attached to the spinning-wheel, and in the moonlight it shone -like—what shall I say it was like? It was not white enough for -silver—yes, it was like silver, but shone grey rather than white, and -glittered only a little. And the thread the old lady drew out from it -was so fine that Irene could hardly see it. 'I am spinning this for -you, my child.' -</P> - -<P> -'For me! What am I to do with it, please?' -</P> - -<P> -'I will tell you by and by. But first I will tell you what it is. It -is spider-web—of a particular kind. My pigeons bring it me from over -the great sea. There is only one forest where the spiders live who -make this particular kind—the finest and strongest of any. I have -nearly finished my present job. What is on the rock now will be -enough. I have a week's work there yet, though,' she added, looking at -the bunch. -</P> - -<P> -'Do you work all day and all night, too, -great-great-great-great-grandmother?' said the princess, thinking to be -very polite with so many greats. -</P> - -<P> -'I am not quite so great as all that,' she answered, smiling almost -merrily. 'If you call me grandmother, that will do. No, I don't work -every night—only moonlit nights, and then no longer than the moon -shines upon my wheel. I shan't work much longer tonight.' -</P> - -<P> -'And what will you do next, grandmother?' 'Go to bed. Would you like -to see my bedroom?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, that I should.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then I think I won't work any longer tonight. I shall be in good -time.' -</P> - -<P> -The old lady rose, and left her wheel standing just as it was. You see -there was no good in putting it away, for where there was not any -furniture there was no danger of being untidy. -</P> - -<P> -Then she took Irene by the hand, but it was her bad hand and Irene gave -a little cry of pain. 'My child!' said her grandmother, 'what is the -matter?' -</P> - -<P> -Irene held her hand into the moonlight, that the old lady might see it, -and told her all about it, at which she looked grave. But she only -said: 'Give me your other hand'; and, having led her out upon the -little dark landing, opened the door on the opposite side of it. What -was Irene's surprise to see the loveliest room she had ever seen in her -life! It was large and lofty, and dome-shaped. From the centre hung a -lamp as round as a ball, shining as if with the brightest moonlight, -which made everything visible in the room, though not so clearly that -the princess could tell what many of the things were. A large oval bed -stood in the middle, with a coverlid of rose colour, and velvet -curtains all round it of a lovely pale blue. The walls were also -blue—spangled all over with what looked like stars of silver. -</P> - -<P> -The old lady left her and, going to a strange-looking cabinet, opened -it and took out a curious silver casket. Then she sat down on a low -chair and, calling Irene, made her kneel before her while she looked at -her hand. Having examined it, she opened the casket, and took from it -a little ointment. The sweetest odour filled the room—like that of -roses and lilies—as she rubbed the ointment gently all over the hot -swollen hand. Her touch was so pleasant and cool that it seemed to -drive away the pain and heat wherever it came. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, grandmother! it is so nice!' said Irene. 'Thank you; thank you.' -</P> - -<P> -Then the old lady went to a chest of drawers, and took out a large -handkerchief of gossamer-like cambric, which she tied round her hand. -</P> - -<P> -'I don't think I can let you go away tonight,' she said. 'Would you -like to sleep with me?' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, yes, yes, dear grandmother,' said Irene, and would have clapped -her hands, forgetting that she could not. -</P> - -<P> -'You won't be afraid, then, to go to bed with such an old woman?' -</P> - -<P> -'No. You are so beautiful, grandmother.' -</P> - -<P> -'But I am very old.' -</P> - -<P> -'And I suppose I am very young. You won't mind sleeping with such a -very young woman, grandmother?' -</P> - -<P> -'You sweet little pertness!' said the old lady, and drew her towards -her, and kissed her on the forehead and the cheek and the mouth. Then -she got a large silver basin, and having poured some water into it made -Irene sit on the chair, and washed her feet. This done, she was ready -for bed. And oh, what a delicious bed it was into which her -grandmother laid her! She hardly could have told she was lying upon -anything: she felt nothing but the softness. -</P> - -<P> -The old lady having undressed herself lay down beside her. -</P> - -<P> -'Why don't you put out your moon?' asked the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'That never goes out, night or day,' she answered. 'In the darkest -night, if any of my pigeons are out on a message, they always see my -moon and know where to fly to.' -</P> - -<P> -'But if somebody besides the pigeons were to see it—somebody about the -house, I mean—they would come to look what it was and find you.' -</P> - -<P> -'The better for them, then,' said the old lady. 'But it does not -happen above five times in a hundred years that anyone does see it. -</P> - -<P> -The greater part of those who do take it for a meteor, wink their eyes, -and forget it again. Besides, nobody could find the room except I -pleased. Besides, again—I will tell you a secret—if that light were -to go out you would fancy yourself lying in a bare garret, on a heap of -old straw, and would not see one of the pleasant things round about you -all the time.' -</P> - -<P> -'I hope it will never go out,' said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'I hope not. But it is time we both went to sleep. Shall I take you -in my arms?' -</P> - -<P> -The little princess nestled close up to the old lady, who took her in -both her arms and held her close to her bosom. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, dear! this is so nice!' said the princess. 'I didn't know -anything in the world could be so comfortable. I should like to lie -here for ever.' -</P> - -<P> -'You may if you will,' said the old lady. 'But I must put you to one -trial-not a very hard one, I hope. This night week you must come back -to me. If you don't, I do not know when you may find me again, and you -will soon want me very much.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh! please, don't let me forget.' -</P> - -<P> -'You shall not forget. The only question is whether you will believe I -am anywhere—whether you will believe I am anything but a dream. You -may be sure I will do all I can to help you to come. But it will rest -with yourself, after all. On the night of next Friday, you must come -to me. Mind now.' -</P> - -<P> -'I will try,' said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'Then good night,' said the old lady, and kissed the forehead which lay -in her bosom. -</P> - -<P> -In a moment more the little princess was dreaming in the midst of the -loveliest dreams—of summer seas and moonlight and mossy springs and -great murmuring trees, and beds of wild flowers with such odours as she -had never smelled before. But, after all, no dream could be more -lovely than what she had left behind when she fell asleep. -</P> - -<P> -In the morning she found herself in her own bed. There was no -handkerchief or anything else on her hand, only a sweet odour lingered -about it. The swelling had all gone down; the prick of the brooch had -vanished—in fact, her hand was perfectly well. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap12"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 12 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -A Short Chapter About Curdie -</H3> - -<P> -Curdie spent many nights in the mine. His father and he had taken Mrs. -Peterson into the secret, for they knew mother could hold her tongue, -which was more than could be said of all the miners' wives. -</P> - -<P> -But Curdie did not tell her that every night he spent in the mine, part -of it went in earning a new red petticoat for her. -</P> - -<P> -Mrs. Peterson was such a nice good mother! All mothers are nice and -good more or less, but Mrs. Peterson was nice and good all more and no -less. She made and kept a little heaven in that poor cottage on the -high hillside for her husband and son to go home to out of the low and -rather dreary earth in which they worked. I doubt if the princess was -very much happier even in the arms of her huge great-grandmother than -Peter and Curdie were in the arms of Mrs. Peterson. True, her hands -were hard and chapped and large, but it was with work for them; and -therefore, in the sight of the angels, her hands were so much the more -beautiful. And if Curdie worked hard to get her a petticoat, she -worked hard every day to get him comforts which he would have missed -much more than she would a new petticoat even in winter. Not that she -and Curdie ever thought of how much they worked for each other: that -would have spoiled everything. -</P> - -<P> -When left alone in the mine Curdie always worked on for an hour or two -at first, following the lode which, according to Glump, would lead at -last into the deserted habitation. After that, he would set out on a -reconnoitring expedition. In order to manage this, or rather the -return from it, better than the first time, he had bought a huge ball -of fine string, having learned the trick from Hop-o'-my-Thumb, whose -history his mother had often told him. Not that Hop-o'-my-Thumb had -ever used a ball of string—I should be sorry to be supposed so far out -in my classics—but the principle was the same as that of the pebbles. -The end of this string he fastened to his pickaxe, which figured no bad -anchor, and then, with the ball in his hand, unrolling it as he went, -set out in the dark through the natural gangs of the goblins' -territory. The first night or two he came upon nothing worth -remembering; saw only a little of the home-life of the cobs in the -various caves they called houses; failed in coming upon anything to -cast light upon the foregoing design which kept the inundation for the -present in the background. But at length, I think on the third or -fourth night, he found, partly guided by the noise of their implements, -a company of evidently the best sappers and miners amongst them, hard -at work. What were they about? It could not well be the inundation, -seeing that had in the meantime been postponed to something else. Then -what was it? He lurked and watched, every now and then in the greatest -risk of being detected, but without success. He had again and again to -retreat in haste, a proceeding rendered the more difficult that he had -to gather up his string as he returned upon its course. It was not -that he was afraid of the goblins, but that he was afraid of their -finding out that they were watched, which might have prevented the -discovery at which he aimed. Sometimes his haste had to be such that, -when he reached home towards morning, his string, for lack of time to -wind it up as he 'dodged the cobs', would be in what seemed most -hopeless entanglement; but after a good sleep, though a short one, he -always found his mother had got it right again. There it was, wound in -a most respectable ball, ready for use the moment he should want it! -</P> - -<P> -'I can't think how you do it, mother,' he would say. -</P> - -<P> -'I follow the thread,' she would answer—'just as you do in the mine.' -She never had more to say about it; but the less clever she was with -her words, the more clever she was with her hands; and the less his -mother said, the more Curdie believed she had to say. But still he had -made no discovery as to what the goblin miners were about. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap13"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 13 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Cobs' Creatures -</H3> - -<P> -About this time the gentlemen whom the king had left behind him to -watch over the princess had each occasion to doubt the testimony of his -own eyes, for more than strange were the objects to which they would -bear witness. They were of one sort—creatures—but so grotesque and -misshapen as to be more like a child's drawings upon his slate than -anything natural. They saw them only at night, while on guard about -the house. The testimony of the man who first reported having seen one -of them was that, as he was walking slowly round the house, while yet -in the shadow, he caught sight of a creature standing on its hind legs -in the moonlight, with its forefeet upon a window-ledge, staring in at -the window. Its body might have been that of a dog or wolf, he -thought, but he declared on his honour that its head was twice the size -it ought to have been for the size of its body, and as round as a ball, -while the face, which it turned upon him as it fled, was more like one -carved by a boy upon the turnip inside which he is going to put a -candle than anything else he could think of. It rushed into the -garden. He sent an arrow after it, and thought he must have struck it; -for it gave an unearthly howl, and he could not find his arrow any more -than the beast, although he searched all about the place where it -vanished. They laughed at him until he was driven to hold his tongue, -and said he must have taken too long a pull at the ale-jug. -</P> - -<P> -But before two nights were over he had one to side with him, for he, -too, had seen something strange, only quite different from that -reported by the other. The description the second man gave of the -creature he had seen was yet more grotesque and unlikely. They were -both laughed at by the rest; but night after night another came over to -their side, until at last there was only one left to laugh at all his -companions. Two nights more passed, and he saw nothing; but on the -third he came rushing from the garden to the other two before the -house, in such an agitation that they declared—for it was their turn -now—that the band of his helmet was cracking under his chin with the -rising of his hair inside it. Running with him into that part of the -garden which I have already described, they saw a score of creatures, -to not one of which they could give a name, and not one of which was -like another, hideous and ludicrous at once, gambolling on the lawn in -the moonlight. The supernatural or rather subnatural ugliness of their -faces, the length of legs and necks in some, the apparent absence of -both or either in others, made the spectators, although in one consent -as to what they saw, yet doubtful, as I have said, of the evidence of -their own eyes—and ears as well; for the noises they made, although -not loud, were as uncouth and varied as their forms, and could be -described neither as grunts nor squeaks nor roars nor howls nor barks -nor yells nor screams nor croaks nor hisses nor mews nor shrieks, but -only as something like all of them mingled in one horrible dissonance. -Keeping in the shade, the watchers had a few moments to recover -themselves before the hideous assembly suspected their presence; but -all at once, as if by common consent, they scampered off in the -direction of a great rock, and vanished before the men had come to -themselves sufficiently to think of following them. -</P> - -<P> -My readers will suspect what these were; but I will now give them full -information concerning them. They were, of course, household animals -belonging to the goblins, whose ancestors had taken their ancestors -many centuries before from the upper regions of light into the lower -regions of darkness. The original stocks of these horrible creatures -were very much the same as the animals now seen about farms and homes -in the country, with the exception of a few of them, which had been -wild creatures, such as foxes, and indeed wolves and small bears, which -the goblins, from their proclivity towards the animal creation, had -caught when cubs and tamed. But in the course of time all had -undergone even greater changes than had passed upon their owners. They -had altered—that is, their descendants had altered—into such -creatures as I have not attempted to describe except in the vaguest -manner—the various parts of their bodies assuming, in an apparently -arbitrary and self-willed manner, the most abnormal developments. -Indeed, so little did any distinct type predominate in some of the -bewildering results, that you could only have guessed at any known -animal as the original, and even then, what likeness remained would be -more one of general expression than of definable conformation. But -what increased the gruesomeness tenfold was that, from constant -domestic, or indeed rather family association with the goblins, their -countenances had grown in grotesque resemblance to the human. -</P> - -<P> -No one understands animals who does not see that every one of them, -even amongst the fishes, it may be with a dimness and vagueness -infinitely remote, yet shadows the human: in the case of these the -human resemblance had greatly increased: while their owners had sunk -towards them, they had risen towards their owners. But the conditions -of subterranean life being equally unnatural for both, while the -goblins were worse, the creatures had not improved by the -approximation, and its result would have appeared far more ludicrous -than consoling to the warmest lover of animal nature. I shall now -explain how it was that just then these animals began to show -themselves about the king's country house. -</P> - -<P> -The goblins, as Curdie had discovered, were mining on—at work both day -and night, in divisions, urging the scheme after which he lay in wait. -In the course of their tunnelling they had broken into the channel of a -small stream, but the break being in the top of it, no water had -escaped to interfere with their work. Some of the creatures, hovering -as they often did about their masters, had found the hole, and had, -with the curiosity which had grown to a passion from the restraints of -their unnatural circumstances, proceeded to explore the channel. The -stream was the same which ran out by the seat on which Irene and her -king-papa had sat as I have told, and the goblin creatures found it -jolly fun to get out for a romp on a smooth lawn such as they had never -seen in all their poor miserable lives. But although they had partaken -enough of the nature of their owners to delight in annoying and -alarming any of the people whom they met on the mountain, they were, of -course, incapable of designs of their own, or of intentionally -furthering those of their masters. -</P> - -<P> -For several nights after the men-at-arms were at length of one mind as -to the fact of the visits of some horrible creatures, whether bodily or -spectral they could not yet say, they watched with special attention -that part of the garden where they had last seen them. Perhaps indeed -they gave in consequence too little attention to the house. But the -creatures were too cunning to be easily caught; nor were the watchers -quick-eyed enough to descry the head, or the keen eyes in it, which, -from the opening whence the stream issued, would watch them in turn, -ready, the moment they should leave the lawn, to report the place clear. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap14"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 14 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -That Night Week -</H3> - -<P> -During the whole of the week Irene had been thinking every other moment -of her promise to the old lady, although even now she could not feel -quite sure that she had not been dreaming. Could it really be that an -old lady lived up in the top of the house, with pigeons and a -spinning-wheel, and a lamp that never went out? She was, however, none -the less determined, on the coming Friday, to ascend the three stairs, -walk through the passages with the many doors, and try to find the -tower in which she had either seen or dreamed her grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -Her nurse could not help wondering what had come to the child—she -would sit so thoughtfully silent, and even in the midst of a game with -her would so suddenly fall into a dreamy mood. But Irene took care to -betray nothing, whatever efforts Lootie might make to get at her -thoughts. And Lootie had to say to herself: 'What an odd child she -is!' and give it up. -</P> - -<P> -At length the longed-for Friday arrived, and lest Lootie should be -moved to watch her, Irene endeavoured to keep herself as quiet as -possible. In the afternoon she asked for her doll's house, and went on -arranging and rearranging the various rooms and their inhabitants for a -whole hour. Then she gave a sigh and threw herself back in her chair. -One of the dolls would not sit, and another would not stand, and they -were all very tiresome. Indeed, there was one would not even lie down, -which was too bad. But it was now getting dark, and the darker it got -the more excited Irene became, and the more she felt it necessary to be -composed. -</P> - -<P> -'I see you want your tea, princess,' said the nurse: 'I will go and get -it. The room feels close: I will open the window a little. The evening -is mild: it won't hurt you.' -</P> - -<P> -'There's no fear of that, Lootie,' said Irene, wishing she had put off -going for the tea till it was darker, when she might have made her -attempt with every advantage. -</P> - -<P> -I fancy Lootie was longer in returning than she had intended; for when -Irene, who had been lost in thought, looked up, she saw it was nearly -dark, and at the same moment caught sight of a pair of eyes, bright -with a green light, glowering at her through the open window. The next -instant something leaped into the room. It was like a cat, with legs -as long as a horse's, Irene said, but its body no bigger and its legs -no thicker than those of a cat. She was too frightened to cry out, but -not too frightened to jump from her chair and run from the room. -</P> - -<P> -It is plain enough to every one of my readers what she ought to have -done—and indeed, Irene thought of it herself; but when she came to the -foot of the old stair, just outside the nursery door, she imagined the -creature running up those long ascents after her, and pursuing her -through the dark passages—which, after all, might lead to no tower! -That thought was too much. Her heart failed her, and, turning from the -stair, she rushed along to the hall, whence, finding the front door -open, she darted into the court pursued—at least she thought so—by -the creature. No one happening to see her, on she ran, unable to think -for fear, and ready to run anywhere to elude the awful creature with -the stilt-legs. Not daring to look behind her, she rushed straight out -of the gate and up the mountain. It was foolish indeed—thus to run -farther and farther from all who could help her, as if she had been -seeking a fit spot for the goblin creature to eat her in his leisure; -but that is the way fear serves us: it always sides with the thing we -are afraid of. -</P> - -<P> -The princess was soon out of breath with running uphill; but she ran -on, for she fancied the horrible creature just behind her, forgetting -that, had it been after her such long legs as those must have overtaken -her long ago. At last she could run no longer, and fell, unable even -to scream, by the roadside, where she lay for some time half dead with -terror. But finding nothing lay hold of her, and her breath beginning -to come back, she ventured at length to get half up and peer anxiously -about her. It was now so dark she could see nothing. Not a single -star was out. She could not even tell in what direction the house lay, -and between her and home she fancied the dreadful creature lying ready -to pounce upon her. She saw now that she ought to have run up the -stairs at once. It was well she did not scream; for, although very few -of the goblins had come out for weeks, a stray idler or two might have -heard her. She sat down upon a stone, and nobody but one who had done -something wrong could have been more miserable. She had quite -forgotten her promise to visit her grandmother. A raindrop fell on her -face. She looked up, and for a moment her terror was lost in -astonishment. At first she thought the rising moon had left her place, -and drawn nigh to see what could be the matter with the little girl, -sitting alone, without hat or cloak, on the dark bare mountain; but she -soon saw she was mistaken, for there was no light on the ground at her -feet, and no shadow anywhere. But a great silver globe was hanging in -the air; and as she gazed at the lovely thing, her courage revived. If -she were but indoors again, she would fear nothing, not even the -terrible creature with the long legs! But how was she to find her way -back? What could that light be? Could it be—? No, it couldn't. But -what if it should be—yes—it must be—her great-great-grandmother's -lamp, which guided her pigeons home through the darkest night! She -jumped up: she had but to keep that light in view and she must find the -house. Her heart grew strong. Speedily, yet softly, she walked down -the hill, hoping to pass the watching creature unseen. Dark as it was, -there was little danger now of choosing the wrong road. And—which was -most strange—the light that filled her eyes from the lamp, instead of -blinding them for a moment to the object upon which they next fell, -enabled her for a moment to see it, despite the darkness. By looking -at the lamp and then dropping her eyes, she could see the road for a -yard or two in front of her, and this saved her from several falls, for -the road was very rough. But all at once, to her dismay, it vanished, -and the terror of the beast, which had left her the moment she began to -return, again laid hold of her heart. The same instant, however, she -caught the light of the windows, and knew exactly where she was. It -was too dark to run, but she made what haste she could, and reached the -gate in safety. She found the house door still open, ran through the -hall, and, without even looking into the nursery, bounded straight up -the stair, and the next, and the next; then turning to the right, ran -through the long avenue of silent rooms, and found her way at once to -the door at the foot of the tower stair. -</P> - -<P> -When first the nurse missed her, she fancied she was playing her a -trick, and for some time took no trouble about her; but at last, -getting frightened, she had begun to search; and when the princess -entered, the whole household was hither and thither over the house, -hunting for her. A few seconds after she reached the stair of the -tower they had even begun to search the neglected rooms, in which they -would never have thought of looking had they not already searched every -other place they could think of in vain. But by this time she was -knocking at the old lady's door. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap15"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 15 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Woven and Then Spun -</H3> - -<P> -'Come in, Irene,' said the silvery voice of her grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -The princess opened the door and peeped in. But the room was quite -dark and there was no sound of the spinning-wheel. She grew frightened -once more, thinking that, although the room was there, the old lady -might be a dream after all. Every little girl knows how dreadful it is -to find a room empty where she thought somebody was; but Irene had to -fancy for a moment that the person she came to find was nowhere at all. -She remembered, however, that at night she spun only in the moonlight, -and concluded that must be why there was no sweet, bee-like humming: -the old lady might be somewhere in the darkness. Before she had time -to think another thought, she heard her voice again, saying as before: -'Come in, Irene.' From the sound, she understood at once that she was -not in the room beside her. Perhaps she was in her bedroom. She -turned across the passage, feeling her way to the other door. When her -hand fell on the lock, again the old lady spoke: -</P> - -<P> -'Shut the other door behind you, Irene. I always close the door of my -workroom when I go to my chamber.' -</P> - -<P> -Irene wondered to hear her voice so plainly through the door: having -shut the other, she opened it and went in. Oh, what a lovely haven to -reach from the darkness and fear through which she had come! The soft -light made her feel as if she were going into the heart of the milkiest -pearl; while the blue walls and their silver stars for a moment -perplexed her with the fancy that they were in reality the sky which -she had left outside a minute ago covered with rainclouds. -</P> - -<P> -'I've lighted a fire for you, Irene: you're cold and wet,' said her -grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -Then Irene looked again, and saw that what she had taken for a huge -bouquet of red roses on a low stand against the wall was in fact a fire -which burned in the shapes of the loveliest and reddest roses, glowing -gorgeously between the heads and wings of two cherubs of shining -silver. And when she came nearer, she found that the smell of roses -with which the room was filled came from the fire-roses on the hearth. -Her grandmother was dressed in the loveliest pale blue velvet, over -which her hair, no longer white, but of a rich golden colour, streamed -like a cataract, here falling in dull gathered heaps, there rushing -away in smooth shining falls. And ever as she looked, the hair seemed -pouring down from her head and vanishing in a golden mist ere it -reached the floor. It flowed from under the edge of a circle of -shining silver, set with alternated pearls and opals. On her dress was -no ornament whatever, neither was there a ring on her hand, or a -necklace or carcanet about her neck. But her slippers glimmered with -the light of the Milky Way, for they were covered with seed-pearls and -opals in one mass. Her face was that of a woman of three-and-twenty. -</P> - -<P> -The princess was so bewildered with astonishment and admiration that -she could hardly thank her, and drew nigh with timidity, feeling dirty -and uncomfortable. The lady was seated on a low chair by the side of -the fire, with hands outstretched to take her, but the princess hung -back with a troubled smile. -</P> - -<P> -'Why, what's the matter?' asked her grandmother. 'You haven't been -doing anything wrong—I know that by your face, though it is rather -miserable. What's the matter, my dear?' -</P> - -<P> -And she still held out her arms. -</P> - -<P> -'Dear grandmother,' said Irene, 'I'm not so sure that I haven't done -something wrong. I ought to have run up to you at once when the -long-legged cat came in at the window, instead of running out on the -mountain and making myself such a fright.' -</P> - -<P> -'You were taken by surprise, my child, and you are not so likely to do -it again. It is when people do wrong things wilfully that they are the -more likely to do them again. Come.' -</P> - -<P> -And still she held out her arms. -</P> - -<P> -'But, grandmother, you're so beautiful and grand with your crown on; -and I am so dirty with mud and rain! I should quite spoil your -beautiful blue dress.' -</P> - -<P> -With a merry little laugh the lady sprung from her chair, more lightly -far than Irene herself could, caught the child to her bosom, and, -kissing the tear-stained face over and over, sat down with her in her -lap. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, grandmother! You'll make yourself such a mess!' cried Irene, -clinging to her. -</P> - -<P> -'You darling! do you think I care more for my dress than for my little -girl? Besides—look here.' -</P> - -<P> -As she spoke she set her down, and Irene saw to her dismay that the -lovely dress was covered with the mud of her fall on the mountain road. -But the lady stooped to the fire, and taking from it, by the stalk in -her fingers, one of the burning roses, passed it once and again and a -third time over the front of her dress; and when Irene looked, not a -single stain was to be discovered. -</P> - -<P> -'There!' said her grandmother, 'you won't mind coming to me now?' -</P> - -<P> -But Irene again hung back, eying the flaming rose which the lady held -in her hand. -</P> - -<P> -'You're not afraid of the rose—are you?' she said, about to throw it -on the hearth again. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh! don't, please!' cried Irene. 'Won't you hold it to my frock and -my hands and my face? And I'm afraid my feet and my knees want it too.' -</P> - -<P> -'No, answered her grandmother, smiling a little sadly, as she threw the -rose from her; 'it is too hot for you yet. It would set your frock in -a flame. Besides, I don't want to make you clean tonight. -</P> - -<P> -I want your nurse and the rest of the people to see you as you are, for -you will have to tell them how you ran away for fear of the long-legged -cat. I should like to wash you, but they would not believe you then. -Do you see that bath behind you?' -</P> - -<P> -The princess looked, and saw a large oval tub of silver, shining -brilliantly in the light of the wonderful lamp. -</P> - -<P> -'Go and look into it,' said the lady. -</P> - -<P> -Irene went, and came back very silent with her eyes shining. -</P> - -<P> -'What did you see?' asked her grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -'The sky, and the moon and the stars,' she answered. 'It looked as if -there was no bottom to it.' -</P> - -<P> -The lady smiled a pleased satisfied smile, and was silent also for a -few moments. Then she said: -</P> - -<P> -'Any time you want a bath, come to me. I know YOU have a bath every -morning, but sometimes you want one at night, too.' -</P> - -<P> -'Thank you, grandmother; I will—I will indeed,' answered Irene, and -was again silent for some moments thinking. Then she said: 'How was -it, grandmother, that I saw your beautiful lamp—not the light of it -only—but the great round silvery lamp itself, hanging alone in the -great open air, high up? It was your lamp I saw—wasn't it?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, my child—it was my lamp.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then how was it? I don't see a window all round.' -</P> - -<P> -'When I please I can make the lamp shine through the walls—shine so -strong that it melts them away from before the sight, and shows itself -as you saw it. But, as I told you, it is not everybody can see it.' -</P> - -<P> -'How is it that I can, then? I'm sure I don't know.' -</P> - -<P> -'It is a gift born with you. And one day I hope everybody will have -it.' -</P> - -<P> -'But how do you make it shine through the walls?' -</P> - -<P> -'Ah! that you would not understand if I were to try ever so much to -make you—not yet—not yet. But,' added the lady, rising, 'you must -sit in my chair while I get you the present I have been preparing for -you. I told you my spinning was for you. It is finished now, and I am -going to fetch it. I have been keeping it warm under one of my -brooding pigeons.' -</P> - -<P> -Irene sat down in the low chair, and her grandmother left her, shutting -the door behind her. The child sat gazing, now at the rose fire, now -at the starry walls, now at the silver light; and a great quietness -grew in her heart. If all the long-legged cats in the world had come -rushing at her then she would not have been afraid of them for a -moment. How this was she could not tell—she only knew there was no -fear in her, and everything was so right and safe that it could not get -in. -</P> - -<P> -She had been gazing at the lovely lamp for some minutes fixedly: -turning her eyes, she found the wall had vanished, for she was looking -out on the dark cloudy night. But though she heard the wind blowing, -none of it blew upon her. In a moment more the clouds themselves -parted, or rather vanished like the wall, and she looked straight into -the starry herds, flashing gloriously in the dark blue. It was but for -a moment. The clouds gathered again and shut out the stars; the wall -gathered again and shut out the clouds; and there stood the lady beside -her with the loveliest smile on her face, and a shimmering ball in her -hand, about the size of a pigeon's egg. -</P> - -<P> -'There, Irene; there is my work for you!' she said, holding out the -ball to the princess. -</P> - -<P> -She took it in her hand, and looked at it all over. It sparkled a -little, and shone here and there, but not much. It was of a sort of -grey-whiteness, something like spun glass. -</P> - -<P> -'Is this all your spinning, grandmother?' she asked. -</P> - -<P> -'All since you came to the house. There is more there than you think.' -</P> - -<P> -'How pretty it is! What am I to do with it, please?' -</P> - -<P> -'That I will now explain to you,' answered the lady, turning from her -and going to her cabinet. She came back with a small ring in her hand. -Then she took the ball from Irene's, and did something with the -ring—Irene could not tell what. -</P> - -<P> -'Give me your hand,' she said. Irene held up her right hand. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, that is the hand I want,' said the lady, and put the ring on the -forefinger of it. -</P> - -<P> -'What a beautiful ring!' said Irene. 'What is the stone called?' -</P> - -<P> -'It is a fire-opal.' 'Please, am I to keep it?' -</P> - -<P> -'Always.' 'Oh, thank you, grandmother! It's prettier than anything I -ever saw, except those—of all colours-in your—Please, is that your -crown?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, it is my crown. The stone in your ring is of the same sort—only -not so good. It has only red, but mine have all colours, you see.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, grandmother. I will take such care of it! But—' she added, -hesitating. -</P> - -<P> -'But what?' asked her grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -'What am I to say when Lootie asks me where I got it?' -</P> - -<P> -'You will ask her where you got it,' answered the lady smiling. -</P> - -<P> -'I don't see how I can do that.' -</P> - -<P> -'You will, though.' -</P> - -<P> -'Of course I will, if you say so. But, you know, I can't pretend not -to know.' -</P> - -<P> -'Of course not. But don't trouble yourself about it. You will see -when the time comes.' -</P> - -<P> -So saying, the lady turned, and threw the little ball into the rose -fire. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, grandmother!' exclaimed Irene; 'I thought you had spun it for me.' -</P> - -<P> -'So I did, my child. And you've got it.' -</P> - -<P> -'No; it's burnt in the fire!' -</P> - -<P> -The lady put her hand in the fire, brought out the ball, glimmering as -before, and held it towards her. Irene stretched out her hand to take -it, but the lady turned and, going to her cabinet, opened a drawer, and -laid the ball in it. -</P> - -<P> -'Have I done anything to vex you, grandmother?' said Irene pitifully. -</P> - -<P> -'No, my darling. But you must understand that no one ever gives -anything to another properly and really without keeping it. That ball -is yours.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh! I'm not to take it with me! You are going to keep it for me!' -</P> - -<P> -'You are to take it with you. I've fastened the end of it to the ring -on your finger.' -</P> - -<P> -Irene looked at the ring. -</P> - -<P> -'I can't see it there, grandmother,' she said. -</P> - -<P> -'Feel—a little way from the ring—towards the cabinet,' said the lady. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh! I do feel it!' exclaimed the princess. 'But I can't see it,' she -added, looking close to her outstretched hand. -</P> - -<P> -'No. The thread is too fine for you to see it. You can only feel it. -Now you can fancy how much spinning that took, although it does seem -such a little ball.' -</P> - -<P> -'But what use can I make of it, if it lies in your cabinet?' -</P> - -<P> -'That is what I will explain to you. It would be of no use to you—it -wouldn't be yours at all if it did not lie in my cabinet. Now listen. -If ever you find yourself in any danger—such, for example, as you were -in this same evening—you must take off your ring and put it under the -pillow of your bed. Then you must lay your finger, the same that wore -the ring, upon the thread, and follow the thread wherever it leads you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, how delightful! It will lead me to you, grandmother, I know!' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes. But, remember, it may seem to you a very roundabout way indeed, -and you must not doubt the thread. Of one thing you may be sure, that -while you hold it, I hold it too.' -</P> - -<P> -'It is very wonderful!' said Irene thoughtfully. Then suddenly -becoming aware, she jumped up, crying: -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, grandmother! here have I been sitting all this time in your chair, -and you standing! I beg your pardon.' -</P> - -<P> -The lady laid her hand on her shoulder, and said: -</P> - -<P> -'Sit down again, Irene. Nothing pleases me better than to see anyone -sit in my chair. I am only too glad to stand so long as anyone will -sit in it.' -</P> - -<P> -'How kind of you!' said the princess, and sat down again. -</P> - -<P> -'It makes me happy,' said the lady. -</P> - -<P> -'But,' said Irene, still puzzled, 'won't the thread get in somebody's -way and be broken, if the one end is fast to my ring, and the other -laid in your cabinet?' -</P> - -<P> -'You will find all that arrange itself. I am afraid it is time for you -to go.' -</P> - -<P> -'Mightn't I stay and sleep with you tonight, grandmother?' 'No, not -tonight. If I had meant you to stay tonight, I should have given you a -bath; but you know everybody in the house is miserable about you, and -it would be cruel to keep them so all night. You must go downstairs.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm so glad, grandmother, you didn't say "Go home," for this is my -home. Mayn't I call this my home?' -</P> - -<P> -'You may, my child. And I trust you will always think it your home. -Now come. I must take you back without anyone seeing you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Please, I want to ask you one question more,' said Irene. 'Is it -because you have your crown on that you look so young?' -</P> - -<P> -'No, child,' answered her grandmother; 'it is because I felt so young -this evening that I put my crown on. And I thought you would like to -see your old grandmother in her best.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why do you call yourself old? You're not old, grandmother.' -</P> - -<P> -'I am very old indeed. It is so silly of people—I don't mean you, for -you are such a tiny, and couldn't know better—but it is so silly of -people to fancy that old age means crookedness and witheredness and -feebleness and sticks and spectacles and rheumatism and forgetfulness! -It is so silly! Old age has nothing whatever to do with all that. The -right old age means strength and beauty and mirth and courage and clear -eyes and strong painless limbs. I am older than you are able to think, -and—' -</P> - -<P> -'And look at you, grandmother!' cried Irene, jumping up and flinging -her arms about her neck. 'I won't be so silly again, I promise you. -At least—I'm rather afraid to promise—but if I am, I promise to be -sorry for it—I do. I wish I were as old as you, grandmother. I don't -think you are ever afraid of anything.' -</P> - -<P> -'Not for long, at least, my child. Perhaps by the time I am two -thousand years of age, I shall, indeed, never be afraid of anything. -But I confess I have sometimes been afraid about my children—sometimes -about you, Irene.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, I'm so sorry, grandmother! Tonight, I suppose, you mean.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes—a little tonight; but a good deal when you had all but made up -your mind that I was a dream, and no real great-great-grandmother. You -must not suppose I am blaming you for that. I dare say you could not -help it.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't know, grandmother,' said the princess, beginning to cry. 'I -can't always do myself as I should like. And I don't always try. I'm -very sorry anyhow.' -</P> - -<P> -The lady stooped, lifted her in her arms, and sat down with her in her -chair, holding her close to her bosom. In a few minutes the princess -had sobbed herself to sleep. How long she slept I do not know. When -she came to herself she was sitting in her own high chair at the -nursery table, with her doll's house before her. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap16"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 16 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Ring -</H3> - -<P> -The same moment her nurse came into the room, sobbing. When she saw -her sitting there she started back with a loud cry of amazement and -joy. Then running to her, she caught her in her arms and covered her -with kisses. -</P> - -<P> -'My precious darling princess! where have you been? What has happened -to you? We've all been crying our eyes out, and searching the house -from top to bottom for you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Not quite from the top,' thought Irene to herself; and she might have -added, 'not quite to the bottom', perhaps, if she had known all. But -the one she would not, and the other she could not say. 'Oh, Lootie! -I've had such a dreadful adventure!' she replied, and told her all -about the cat with the long legs, and how she ran out upon the -mountain, and came back again. But she said nothing of her grandmother -or her lamp. -</P> - -<P> -'And there we've been searching for you all over the house for more -than an hour and a half!' exclaimed the nurse. 'But that's no matter, -now we've got you! Only, princess, I must say,' she added, her mood -changing, 'what you ought to have done was to call for your own Lootie -to come and help you, instead of running out of the house, and up the -mountain, in that wild, I must say, foolish fashion.' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, Lootie,' said Irene quietly, 'perhaps if you had a big cat, all -legs, running at you, you might not exactly know what was the wisest -thing to do at the moment.' -</P> - -<P> -'I wouldn't run up the mountain, anyhow,' returned Lootie. -</P> - -<P> -'Not if you had time to think about it. But when those creatures came -at you that night on the mountain, you were so frightened yourself that -you lost your way home.' -</P> - -<P> -This put a stop to Lootie's reproaches. She had been on the point of -saying that the long-legged cat must have been a twilight fancy of the -princess's, but the memory of the horrors of that night, and of the -talking-to which the king had given her in consequence, prevented her -from saying what after all she did not half believe—having a strong -suspicion that the cat was a goblin; for she knew nothing of the -difference between the goblins and their creatures: she counted them -all just goblins. -</P> - -<P> -Without another word she went and got some fresh tea and bread and -butter for the princess. Before she returned, the whole household, -headed by the housekeeper, burst into the nursery to exult over their -darling. The gentlemen-at-arms followed, and were ready enough to -believe all she told them about the long-legged cat. Indeed, though -wise enough to say nothing about it, they remembered, with no little -horror, just such a creature amongst those they had surprised at their -gambols upon the princess's lawn. -</P> - -<P> -In their own hearts they blamed themselves for not having kept better -watch. And their captain gave orders that from this night the front -door and all the windows on the ground floor should be locked -immediately the sun set, and opened after upon no pretence whatever. -The men-at-arms redoubled their vigilance, and for some time there was -no further cause of alarm. -</P> - -<P> -When the princess woke the next morning, her nurse was bending over -her. 'How your ring does glow this morning, princess!—just like a -fiery rose!' she said. -</P> - -<P> -'Does it, Lootie?' returned Irene. 'Who gave me the ring, Lootie? I -know I've had it a long time, but where did I get it? I don't -remember.' -</P> - -<P> -'I think it must have been your mother gave it you, princess; but -really, for as long as you have worn it, I don't remember that ever I -heard,' answered her nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'I will ask my king-papa the next time he comes,' said Irene. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap17"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 17 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Springtime -</H3> - -<P> -The spring so dear to all creatures, young and old, came at last, and -before the first few days of it had gone, the king rode through its -budding valleys to see his little daughter. He had been in a distant -part of his dominions all the winter, for he was not in the habit of -stopping in one great city, or of visiting only his favourite country -houses, but he moved from place to place, that all his people might -know him. Wherever he journeyed, he kept a constant look-out for the -ablest and best men to put into office; and wherever he found himself -mistaken, and those he had appointed incapable or unjust, he removed -them at once. Hence you see it was his care of the people that kept -him from seeing his princess so often as he would have liked. You may -wonder why he did not take her about with him; but there were several -reasons against his doing so, and I suspect her great-great-grandmother -had had a principal hand in preventing it. Once more Irene heard the -bugle-blast, and once more she was at the gate to meet her father as he -rode up on his great white horse. -</P> - -<P> -After they had been alone for a little while, she thought of what she -had resolved to ask him. -</P> - -<P> -'Please, king-papa,' she said, 'Will you tell me where I got this -pretty ring? I can't remember.' -</P> - -<P> -The king looked at it. A strange beautiful smile spread like sunshine -over his face, and an answering smile, but at the same time a -questioning one, spread like moonlight over Irene's. 'It was your -queen-mamma's once,' he said. -</P> - -<P> -'And why isn't it hers now?' asked Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'She does not want it now,' said the king, looking grave. -</P> - -<P> -'Why doesn't she want it now?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because she's gone where all those rings are made.' -</P> - -<P> -'And when shall I see her?' asked the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'Not for some time yet,' answered the king, and the tears came into his -eyes. -</P> - -<P> -Irene did not remember her mother and did not know why her father -looked so, and why the tears came in his eyes; but she put her arms -round his neck and kissed him, and asked no more questions. -</P> - -<P> -The king was much disturbed on hearing the report of the -gentlemen-at-arms concerning the creatures they had seen; and I presume -would have taken Irene with him that very day, but for what the -presence of the ring on her finger assured him of. About an hour -before he left, Irene saw him go up the old stair; and he did not come -down again till they were just ready to start; and she thought with -herself that he had been up to see the old lady. When he went away he -left other six gentlemen behind him, that there might be six of them -always on guard. -</P> - -<P> -And now, in the lovely spring weather, Irene was out on the mountain -the greater part of the day. In the warmer hollows there were lovely -primroses, and not so many that she ever got tired of them. As often -as she saw a new one opening an eye of light in the blind earth, she -would clap her hands with gladness, and unlike some children I know, -instead of pulling it, would touch it as tenderly as if it had been a -new baby, and, having made its acquaintance, would leave it as happy as -she found it. She treated the plants on which they grew like birds' -nests; every fresh flower was like a new little bird to her. She would -pay visits to all the flower-nests she knew, remembering each by -itself. She would go down on her hands and knees beside one and say: -'Good morning! Are you all smelling very sweet this morning? -Good-bye!' and then she would go to another nest, and say the same. It -was a favourite amusement with her. There were many flowers up and -down, and she loved them all, but the primroses were her favourites. -</P> - -<P> -'They're not too shy, and they're not a bit forward,' she would say to -Lootie. -</P> - -<P> -There were goats too about, over the mountain, and when the little kids -came she was as pleased with them as with the flowers. The goats -belonged to the miners mostly-a few of them to Curdie's mother; but -there were a good many wild ones that seemed to belong to nobody. -These the goblins counted theirs, and it was upon them partly that they -lived. They set snares and dug pits for them; and did not scruple to -take what tame ones happened to be caught; but they did not try to -steal them in any other manner, because they were afraid of the dogs -the hill-people kept to watch them, for the knowing dogs always tried -to bite their feet. But the goblins had a kind of sheep of their -own—very queer creatures, which they drove out to feed at night, and -the other goblin creatures were wise enough to keep good watch over -them, for they knew they should have their bones by and by. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap18"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 18 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Curdie's Clue -</H3> - -<P> -Curdie was as watchful as ever, but was almost getting tired of his ill -success. Every other night or so he followed the goblins about, as -they went on digging and boring, and getting as near them as he could, -watched them from behind stones and rocks; but as yet he seemed no -nearer finding out what they had in view. As at first, he always kept -hold of the end of his string, while his pickaxe, left just outside the -hole by which he entered the goblins' country from the mine, continued -to serve as an anchor and hold fast the other end. The goblins, -hearing no more noise in that quarter, had ceased to apprehend an -immediate invasion, and kept no watch. -</P> - -<P> -One night, after dodging about and listening till he was nearly falling -asleep with weariness, he began to roll up his ball, for he had -resolved to go home to bed. It was not long, however, before he began -to feel bewildered. One after another he passed goblin houses, caves, -that is, occupied by goblin families, and at length was sure they were -many more than he had passed as he came. He had to use great caution -to pass unseen—they lay so close together. Could his string have led -him wrong? He still followed winding it, and still it led him into -more thickly populated quarters, until he became quite uneasy, and -indeed apprehensive; for although he was not afraid of the cobs, he was -afraid of not finding his way out. But what could he do? It was of no -use to sit down and wait for the morning—the morning made no -difference here. It was dark, and always dark; and if his string -failed him he was helpless. He might even arrive within a yard of the -mine and never know it. Seeing he could do nothing better he would at -least find where the end of his string was, and, if possible, how it -had come to play him such a trick. He knew by the size of the ball -that he was getting pretty near the last of it, when he began to feel a -tugging and pulling at it. What could it mean? Turning a sharp -corner, he thought he heard strange sounds. These grew, as he went on, -to a scuffling and growling and squeaking; and the noise increased, -until, turning a second sharp corner, he found himself in the midst of -it, and the same moment tumbled over a wallowing mass, which he knew -must be a knot of the cobs' creatures. Before he could recover his -feet, he had caught some great scratches on his face and several severe -bites on his legs and arms. But as he scrambled to get up, his hand -fell upon his pickaxe, and before the horrid beasts could do him any -serious harm, he was laying about with it right and left in the dark. -The hideous cries which followed gave him the satisfaction of knowing -that he had punished some of them pretty smartly for their rudeness, -and by their scampering and their retreating howls, he perceived that -he had routed them. He stood for a little, weighing his battle-axe in -his hand as if it had been the most precious lump of metal—but indeed -no lump of gold itself could have been so precious at the time as that -common tool—then untied the end of the string from it, put the ball in -his pocket, and still stood thinking. It was clear that the cobs' -creatures had found his axe, had between them carried it off, and had -so led him he knew not where. But for all his thinking he could not -tell what he ought to do, until suddenly he became aware of a glimmer -of light in the distance. Without a moment's hesitation he set out for -it, as fast as the unknown and rugged way would permit. Yet again -turning a corner, led by the dim light, he spied something quite new in -his experience of the underground regions—a small irregular shape of -something shining. Going up to it, he found it was a piece of mica, or -Muscovy glass, called sheep-silver in Scotland, and the light flickered -as if from a fire behind it. After trying in vain for some time to -discover an entrance to the place where it was burning, he came at -length to a small chamber in which an opening, high in the wall, -revealed a glow beyond. To this opening he managed to scramble up, and -then he saw a strange sight. -</P> - -<P> -Below sat a little group of goblins around a fire, the smoke of which -vanished in the darkness far aloft. The sides of the cave were full of -shining minerals like those of the palace hall; and the company was -evidently of a superior order, for every one wore stones about head, or -arms, or waist, shining dull gorgeous colours in the light of the fire. -Nor had Curdie looked long before he recognized the king himself, and -found that he had made his way into the inner apartment of the royal -family. He had never had such a good chance of hearing something. He -crept through the hole as softly as he could, scrambled a good way down -the wall towards them without attracting attention, and then sat down -and listened. The king, evidently the queen, and probably the crown -prince and the Prime Minister were talking together. He was sure of -the queen by her shoes, for as she warmed her feet at the fire, he saw -them quite plainly. -</P> - -<P> -'That will be fun!' said the one he took for the crown prince. It was -the first whole sentence he heard. -</P> - -<P> -'I don't see why you should think it such a grand affair!' said his -stepmother, tossing her head backward. -</P> - -<P> -'You must remember, my spouse,' interposed His Majesty, as if making -excuse for his son, 'he has got the same blood in him. His mother—' -</P> - -<P> -'Don't talk to me of his mother! You positively encourage his -unnatural fancies. Whatever belongs to that mother ought to be cut out -of him.' -</P> - -<P> -'You forget yourself, my dear!' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -'I don't,' said the queen, 'nor you either. If you expect me to -approve of such coarse tastes, you will find yourself mistaken. I -don't wear shoes for nothing.' -</P> - -<P> -'You must acknowledge, however,' the king said, with a little groan, -'that this at least is no whim of Harelip's, but a matter of State -policy. You are well aware that his gratification comes purely from -the pleasure of sacrificing himself to the public good. -</P> - -<P> -Does it not, Harelip?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, father; of course it does. Only it will be nice to make her cry. -I'll have the skin taken off between her toes, and tie them up till -they grow together. Then her feet will be like other people's, and -there will be no occasion for her to wear shoes.' -</P> - -<P> -'Do you mean to insinuate I've got toes, you unnatural wretch?' cried -the queen; and she moved angrily towards Harelip. The councillor, -however, who was betwixt them, leaned forward so as to prevent her -touching him, but only as if to address the prince. -</P> - -<P> -'Your Royal Highness,' he said, 'possibly requires to be reminded that -you have got three toes yourself—one on one foot, two on the other.' -</P> - -<P> -'Ha! ha! ha!' shouted the queen triumphantly. -</P> - -<P> -The councillor, encouraged by this mark of favour, went on. -</P> - -<P> -'It seems to me, Your Royal Highness, it would greatly endear you to -your future people, proving to them that you are not the less one of -themselves that you had the misfortune to be born of a sun-mother, if -you were to command upon yourself the comparatively slight operation -which, in a more extended form, you so wisely meditate with regard to -your future princess.' -</P> - -<P> -'Ha! ha! ha!' laughed the queen louder than before, and the king and -the minister joined in the laugh. Harelip growled, and for a few -moments the others continued to express their enjoyment of his -discomfiture. -</P> - -<P> -The queen was the only one Curdie could see with any distinctness. She -sat sideways to him, and the light of the fire shone full upon her -face. He could not consider her handsome. Her nose was certainly -broader at the end than its extreme length, and her eyes, instead of -being horizontal, were set up like two perpendicular eggs, one on the -broad, the other on the small end. Her mouth was no bigger than a -small buttonhole until she laughed, when it stretched from ear to -ear—only, to be sure, her ears were very nearly in the middle of her -cheeks. -</P> - -<P> -Anxious to hear everything they might say, Curdie ventured to slide -down a smooth part of the rock just under him, to a projection below, -upon which he thought to rest. But whether he was not careful enough, -or the projection gave way, down he came with a rush on the floor of -the cavern, bringing with him a great rumbling shower of stones. -</P> - -<P> -The goblins jumped from their seats in more anger than consternation, -for they had never yet seen anything to be afraid of in the palace. -But when they saw Curdie with his pick in his hand their rage was -mingled with fear, for they took him for the first of an invasion of -miners. The king notwithstanding drew himself up to his full height of -four feet, spread himself to his full breadth of three and a half, for -he was the handsomest and squarest of all the goblins, and strutting up -to Curdie, planted himself with outspread feet before him, and said -with dignity: -</P> - -<P> -'Pray what right have you in my palace?' -</P> - -<P> -'The right of necessity, Your Majesty,' answered Curdie. 'I lost my -way and did not know where I was wandering to.' -</P> - -<P> -'How did you get in?' -</P> - -<P> -'By a hole in the mountain.' -</P> - -<P> -'But you are a miner! Look at your pickaxe!' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie did look at it, answering: -</P> - -<P> -'I came upon it lying on the ground a little way from here. I tumbled -over some wild beasts who were playing with it. Look, Your Majesty.' -And Curdie showed him how he was scratched and bitten. -</P> - -<P> -The king was pleased to find him behave more politely than he had -expected from what his people had told him concerning the miners, for -he attributed it to the power of his own presence; but he did not -therefore feel friendly to the intruder. -</P> - -<P> -'You will oblige me by walking out of my dominions at once,' he said, -well knowing what a mockery lay in the words. -</P> - -<P> -'With pleasure, if Your Majesty will give me a guide,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'I will give you a thousand,' said the king with a scoffing air of -magnificent liberality. -</P> - -<P> -'One will be quite sufficient,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -But the king uttered a strange shout, half halloo, half roar, and in -rushed goblins till the cave was swarming. He said something to the -first of them which Curdie could not hear, and it was passed from one -to another till in a moment the farthest in the crowd had evidently -heard and understood it. They began to gather about him in a way he -did not relish, and he retreated towards the wall. They pressed upon -him. -</P> - -<P> -'Stand back,' said Curdie, grasping his pickaxe tighter by his knee. -</P> - -<P> -They only grinned and pressed closer. Curdie bethought himself and -began to rhyme. -</P> - -<BR> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Ten, twenty, thirty—<BR> - You're all so very dirty!<BR> - Twenty, thirty, forty—<BR> - You're all so thick and snorty!<BR> - 'Thirty, forty, fifty—<BR> - You're all so puff-and-snifty!<BR> - Forty, fifty, sixty—<BR> - Beast and man so mixty!<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Fifty, sixty, seventy—<BR> - Mixty, maxty, leaventy!<BR> - Sixty, seventy, eighty—<BR> - All your cheeks so slaty!<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Seventy, eighty, ninety,<BR> - All your hands so flinty!<BR> - Eighty, ninety, hundred,<BR> - Altogether dundred!'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -The goblins fell back a little when he began, and made horrible -grimaces all through the rhyme, as if eating something so disagreeable -that it set their teeth on edge and gave them the creeps; but whether -it was that the rhyming words were most of them no words at all, for, a -new rhyme being considered the more efficacious, Curdie had made it on -the spur of the moment, or whether it was that the presence of the king -and queen gave them courage, I cannot tell; but the moment the rhyme -was over they crowded on him again, and out shot a hundred long arms, -with a multitude of thick nailless fingers at the ends of them, to lay -hold upon him. Then Curdie heaved up his axe. But being as gentle as -courageous and not wishing to kill any of them, he turned the end which -was square and blunt like a hammer, and with that came down a great -blow on the head of the goblin nearest him. Hard as the heads of all -goblins are, he thought he must feel that. And so he did, no doubt; -but he only gave a horrible cry, and sprung at Curdie's throat. -Curdie, however, drew back in time, and just at that critical moment -remembered the vulnerable part of the goblin body. He made a sudden -rush at the king and stamped with all his might on His Majesty's feet. -The king gave a most unkingly howl and almost fell into the fire. -Curdie then rushed into the crowd, stamping right and left. The -goblins drew back, howling on every side as he approached, but they -were so crowded that few of those he attacked could escape his tread; -and the shrieking and roaring that filled the cave would have appalled -Curdie but for the good hope it gave him. They were tumbling over each -other in heaps in their eagerness to rush from the cave, when a new -assailant suddenly faced him—the queen, with flaming eyes and expanded -nostrils, her hair standing half up from her head, rushed at him. She -trusted in her shoes: they were of granite—hollowed like French -sabots. Curdie would have endured much rather than hurt a woman, even -if she was a goblin; but here was an affair of life and death: -forgetting her shoes, he made a great stamp on one of her feet. But -she instantly returned it with very different effect, causing him -frightful pain, and almost disabling him. His only chance with her -would have been to attack the granite shoes with his pickaxe, but -before he could think of that she had caught him up in her arms and was -rushing with him across the cave. She dashed him into a hole in the -wall, with a force that almost stunned him. But although he could not -move, he was not too far gone to hear her great cry, and the rush of -multitudes of soft feet, followed by the sounds of something heaved up -against the rock; after which came a multitudinous patter of stones -falling near him. The last had not ceased when he grew very faint, for -his head had been badly cut, and at last insensible. -</P> - -<P> -When he came to himself there was perfect silence about him, and utter -darkness, but for the merest glimmer in one tiny spot. He crawled to -it, and found that they had heaved a slab against the mouth of the -hole, past the edge of which a poor little gleam found its way from the -fire. He could not move it a hairbreadth, for they had piled a great -heap of stones against it. He crawled back to where he had been lying, -in the faint hope of finding his pickaxe, But after a vain search he -was at last compelled to acknowledge himself in an evil plight. He sat -down and tried to think, but soon fell fast asleep. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap19"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 19 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Goblin Counsels -</H3> - -<P> -He must have slept a long time, for when he awoke he felt wonderfully -restored—indeed almost well—and very hungry. There were voices in -the outer cave. -</P> - -<P> -Once more, then, it was night; for the goblins slept during the day and -went about their affairs during the night. -</P> - -<P> -In the universal and constant darkness of their dwelling they had no -reason to prefer the one arrangement to the other; but from aversion to -the sun-people they chose to be busy when there was least chance of -their being met either by the miners below, when they were burrowing, -or by the people of the mountain above, when they were feeding their -sheep or catching their goats. And indeed it was only when the sun was -away that the outside of the mountain was sufficiently like their own -dismal regions to be endurable to their mole eyes, so thoroughly had -they become unaccustomed to any light beyond that of their own fires -and torches. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie listened, and soon found that they were talking of himself. -</P> - -<P> -'How long will it take?' asked Harelip. -</P> - -<P> -'Not many days, I should think,' answered the king. 'They are poor -feeble creatures, those sun-people, and want to be always eating. We -can go a week at a time without food, and be all the better for it; but -I've been told they eat two or three times every day! Can you believe -it? They must be quite hollow inside—not at all like us, nine-tenths -of whose bulk is solid flesh and bone. Yes—I judge a week of -starvation will do for him.' -</P> - -<P> -'If I may be allowed a word,' interposed the queen,—'and I think I -ought to have some voice in the matter—' -</P> - -<P> -'The wretch is entirely at your disposal, my spouse,' interrupted the -king. 'He is your property. You caught him yourself. We should never -have done it.' -</P> - -<P> -The queen laughed. She seemed in far better humour than the night -before. -</P> - -<P> -'I was about to say,' she resumed, 'that it does seem a pity to waste -so much fresh meat.' -</P> - -<P> -'What are you thinking of, my love?' said the king. 'The very notion -of starving him implies that we are not going to give him any meat, -either salt or fresh.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm not such a stupid as that comes to,' returned Her Majesty. 'What I -mean is that by the time he is starved there will hardly be a picking -upon his bones.' -</P> - -<P> -The king gave a great laugh. -</P> - -<P> -'Well, my spouse, you may have him when you like,' he said. 'I don't -fancy him for my part. I am pretty sure he is tough eating.' -</P> - -<P> -'That would be to honour instead of punish his insolence,' returned the -queen. 'But why should our poor creatures be deprived of so much -nourishment? Our little dogs and cats and pigs and small bears would -enjoy him very much.' -</P> - -<P> -'You are the best of housekeepers, my lovely queen!' said her husband. -'Let it be so by all means. Let us have our people in, and get him out -and kill him at once. He deserves it. The mischief he might have -brought upon us, now that he had penetrated so far as our most retired -citadel, is incalculable. Or rather let us tie him hand and foot, and -have the pleasure of seeing him torn to pieces by full torchlight in -the great hall.' -</P> - -<P> -'Better and better!' cried the queen and the prince together, both of -them clapping their hands. And the prince made an ugly noise with his -hare-lip, just as if he had intended to be one at the feast. -</P> - -<P> -'But,' added the queen, bethinking herself, 'he is so troublesome. For -poor creatures as they are, there is something about those sun-people -that is very troublesome. I cannot imagine how it is that with such -superior strength and skill and understanding as ours, we permit them -to exist at all. Why do we not destroy them entirely, and use their -cattle and grazing lands at our pleasure? Of course we don't want to -live in their horrid country! It is far too glaring for our quieter -and more refined tastes. But we might use it as a sort of outhouse, -you know. Even our creatures' eyes might get used to it, and if they -did grow blind that would be of no consequence, provided they grew fat -as well. But we might even keep their great cows and other creatures, -and then we should have a few more luxuries, such as cream and cheese, -which at present we only taste occasionally, when our brave men have -succeeded in carrying some off from their farms.' -</P> - -<P> -'It is worth thinking of,' said the king; 'and I don't know why you -should be the first to suggest it, except that you have a positive -genius for conquest. But still, as you say, there is something very -troublesome about them; and it would be better, as I understand you to -suggest, that we should starve him for a day or two first, so that he -may be a little less frisky when we take him out.' -</P> - -<BR> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Once there was a goblin<BR> - Living in a hole;<BR> - Busy he was cobblin'<BR> - A shoe without a sole.<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'By came a birdie:<BR> - "Goblin, what do you do?"<BR> - "Cobble at a sturdie<BR> - Upper leather shoe."<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - '"What's the good o' that, Sir?"<BR> - Said the little bird.<BR> - "Why it's very Pat, Sir—<BR> - Plain without a word.<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - '"Where 'tis all a hole, Sir,<BR> - Never can be holes:<BR> - Why should their shoes have soles, Sir,<BR> - When they've got no souls?"'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -'What's that horrible noise?' cried the queen, shuddering from -pot-metal head to granite shoes. -</P> - -<P> -'I declare,' said the king with solemn indignation, 'it's the -sun-creature in the hole!' -</P> - -<P> -'Stop that disgusting noise!' cried the crown prince valiantly, getting -up and standing in front of the heap of stones, with his face towards -Curdie's prison. 'Do now, or I'll break your head.' -</P> - -<P> -'Break away,' shouted Curdie, and began singing again: -</P> - -<BR> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Once there was a goblin,<BR> - Living in a hole—'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -'I really cannot bear it,' said the queen. 'If I could only get at his -horrid toes with my slippers again!' -</P> - -<P> -'I think we had better go to bed,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -'It's not time to go to bed,' said the queen. -</P> - -<P> -'I would if I was you,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'Impertinent wretch!' said the queen, with the utmost scorn in her -voice. -</P> - -<P> -'An impossible if,' said His Majesty with dignity. -</P> - -<P> -'Quite,' returned Curdie, and began singing again: -</P> - -<BR> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Go to bed, <BR> - Goblin, do. <BR> - Help the queen <BR> - Take off her shoe.<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'If you do, <BR> - It will disclose<BR> - A horrid set <BR> - Of sprouting toes.'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -'What a lie!' roared the queen in a rage. -</P> - -<P> -'By the way, that reminds me,' said the king, 'that for as long as we -have been married, I have never seen your feet, queen. I think you -might take off your shoes when you go to bed! They positively hurt me -sometimes.' -</P> - -<P> -'I will do as I like,' retorted the queen sulkily. -</P> - -<P> -'You ought to do as your own hubby wishes you,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -'I will not,' said the queen. -</P> - -<P> -'Then I insist upon it,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -Apparently His Majesty approached the queen for the purpose of -following the advice given by Curdie, for the latter heard a scuffle, -and then a great roar from the king. -</P> - -<P> -'Will you be quiet, then?' said the queen wickedly. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, yes, queen. I only meant to coax you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Hands off!' cried the queen triumphantly. 'I'm going to bed. You may -come when you like. But as long as I am queen I will sleep in my -shoes. It is my royal privilege. Harelip, go to bed.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm going,' said Harelip sleepily. -</P> - -<P> -'So am I,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -'Come along, then,' said the queen; 'and mind you are good, or I'll—' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, no, no, no!' screamed the king in the most supplicating of tones. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie heard only a muttered reply in the distance; and then the cave -was quite still. -</P> - -<P> -They had left the fire burning, and the light came through brighter -than before. Curdie thought it was time to try again if anything could -be done. But he found he could not get even a finger through the chink -between the slab and the rock. He gave a great rush with his shoulder -against the slab, but it yielded no more than if it had been part of -the rock. All he could do was to sit down and think again. -</P> - -<P> -By and by he came to the resolution to pretend to be dying, in the hope -they might take him out before his strength was too much exhausted to -let him have a chance. Then, for the creatures, if he could but find -his axe again, he would have no fear of them; and if it were not for -the queen's horrid shoes, he would have no fear at all. -</P> - -<P> -Meantime, until they should come again at night, there was nothing for -him to do but forge new rhymes, now his only weapons. He had no -intention of using them at present, of course; but it was well to have -a stock, for he might live to want them, and the manufacture of them -would help to while away the time. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap20"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 20 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Irene's Clue -</H3> - -<P> -That same morning early, the princess woke in a terrible fright. There -was a hideous noise in her room—creatures snarling and hissing and -rocketing about as if they were fighting. The moment she came to -herself, she remembered something she had never thought of again—what -her grandmother told her to do when she was frightened. She -immediately took off her ring and put it under her pillow. As she did -so she fancied she felt a finger and thumb take it gently from under -her palm. 'It must be my grandmother!' she said to herself, and the -thought gave her such courage that she stopped to put on her dainty -little slippers before running from the room. While doing this she -caught sight of a long cloak of sky-blue, thrown over the back of a -chair by the bedside. She had never seen it before but it was -evidently waiting for her. She put it on, and then, feeling with the -forefinger of her right hand, soon found her grandmother's thread, -which she proceeded at once to follow, expecting it would lead her -straight up the old stair. When she reached the door she found it went -down and ran along the floor, so that she had almost to crawl in order -to keep a hold of it. Then, to her surprise, and somewhat to her -dismay, she found that instead of leading her towards the stair it -turned in quite the opposite direction. It led her through certain -narrow passages towards the kitchen, turning aside ere she reached it, -and guiding her to a door which communicated with a small back yard. -Some of the maids were already up, and this door was standing open. -Across the yard the thread still ran along the ground, until it brought -her to a door in the wall which opened upon the Mountainside. When she -had passed through, the thread rose to about half her height, and she -could hold it with ease as she walked. It led her straight up the -mountain. -</P> - -<P> -The cause of her alarm was less frightful than she supposed. The -cook's great black cat, pursued by the housekeeper's terrier, had -bounced against her bedroom door, which had not been properly fastened, -and the two had burst into the room together and commenced a battle -royal. How the nurse came to sleep through it was a mystery, but I -suspect the old lady had something to do with it. -</P> - -<P> -It was a clear warm morning. The wind blew deliciously over the -Mountainside. Here and there she saw a late primrose but she did not -stop to call upon them. The sky was mottled with small clouds. -</P> - -<P> -The sun was not yet up, but some of their fluffy edges had caught his -light, and hung out orange and gold-coloured fringes upon the air. The -dew lay in round drops upon the leaves, and hung like tiny diamond -ear-rings from the blades of grass about her path. -</P> - -<P> -'How lovely that bit of gossamer is!' thought the princess, looking at -a long undulating line that shone at some distance from her up the -hill. It was not the time for gossamers though; and Irene soon -discovered that it was her own thread she saw shining on before her in -the light of the morning. It was leading her she knew not whither; but -she had never in her life been out before sunrise, and everything was -so fresh and cool and lively and full of something coming, that she -felt too happy to be afraid of anything. -</P> - -<P> -After leading her up a good distance, the thread turned to the left, -and down the path upon which she and Lootie had met Curdie. But she -never thought of that, for now in the morning light, with its far -outlook over the country, no path could have been more open and airy -and cheerful. She could see the road almost to the horizon, along -which she had so often watched her king-papa and his troop come -shining, with the bugle-blast cleaving the air before them; and it was -like a companion to her. Down and down the path went, then up, and -then down and then up again, getting rugged and more rugged as it went; -and still along the path went the silvery thread, and still along the -thread went Irene's little rosy-tipped forefinger. By and by she came -to a little stream that jabbered and prattled down the hill, and up the -side of the stream went both path and thread. And still the path grew -rougher and steeper, and the mountain grew wilder, till Irene began to -think she was going a very long way from home; and when she turned to -look back she saw that the level country had vanished and the rough -bare mountain had closed in about her. But still on went the thread, -and on went the princess. Everything around her was getting brighter -and brighter as the sun came nearer; till at length his first rays all -at once alighted on the top of a rock before her, like some golden -creature fresh from the sky. Then she saw that the little stream ran -out of a hole in that rock, that the path did not go past the rock, and -that the thread was leading her straight up to it. A shudder ran -through her from head to foot when she found that the thread was -actually taking her into the hole out of which the stream ran. It ran -out babbling joyously, but she had to go in. -</P> - -<P> -She did not hesitate. Right into the hole she went, which was high -enough to let her walk without stooping. For a little way there was a -brown glimmer, but at the first turn it all but ceased, and before she -had gone many paces she was in total darkness. Then she began to be -frightened indeed. Every moment she kept feeling the thread backwards -and forwards, and as she went farther and farther into the darkness of -the great hollow mountain, she kept thinking more and more about her -grandmother, and all that she had said to her, and how kind she had -been, and how beautiful she was, and all about her lovely room, and the -fire of roses, and the great lamp that sent its light through stone -walls. And she became more and more sure that the thread could not -have gone there of itself, and that her grandmother must have sent it. -But it tried her dreadfully when the path went down very steep, and -especially When she came to places where she had to go down rough -stairs, and even sometimes a ladder. Through one narrow passage after -another, over lumps of rock and sand and clay, the thread guided her, -until she came to a small hole through which she had to creep. Finding -no change on the other side, 'Shall I ever get back?' she thought, over -and over again, wondering at herself that she was not ten times more -frightened, and often feeling as if she were only walking in the story -of a dream. Sometimes she heard the noise of water, a dull gurgling -inside the rock. By and by she heard the sounds of blows, which came -nearer and nearer; but again they grew duller, and almost died away. -In a hundred directions she turned, obedient to the guiding thread. -</P> - -<P> -At last she spied a dull red shine, and came up to the mica window, and -thence away and round about, and right, into a cavern, where glowed the -red embers of a fire. Here the thread began to rise. It rose as high -as her head and higher still. What should she do if she lost her hold? -She was pulling it down: She might break it! She could see it far up, -glowing as red as her fire-opal in the light of the embers. -</P> - -<P> -But presently she came to a huge heap of stones, piled in a slope -against the wall of the cavern. On these she climbed, and soon -recovered the level of the thread only however to find, the next -moment, that it vanished through the heap of stones, and left her -standing on it, with her face to the solid rock. For one terrible -moment she felt as if her grandmother had forsaken her. The thread -which the spiders had spun far over the seas, which her grandmother had -sat in the moonlight and spun again for her, which she had tempered in -the rose-fire and tied to her opal ring, had left her—had gone where -she could no longer follow it—had brought her into a horrible cavern, -and there left her! She was forsaken indeed! -</P> - -<P> -'When shall I wake?' she said to herself in an agony, but the same -moment knew that it was no dream. She threw herself upon the heap, and -began to cry. It was well she did not know what creatures, one of them -with stone shoes on her feet, were lying in the next cave. But neither -did she know who was on the other side of the slab. -</P> - -<P> -At length the thought struck her that at least she could follow the -thread backwards, and thus get out of the mountain, and home. She rose -at once, and found the thread. But the instant she tried to feel it -backwards, it vanished from her touch. Forwards, it led her hand up to -the heap of stones—backwards it seemed nowhere. Neither could she see -it as before in the light of the fire. She burst into a wailing cry, -and again threw herself down on the stones. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap21"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 21 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Escape -</H3> - -<P> -As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread -mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones -in which it disappeared. By and by she began, still mechanically, to -poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could. -All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the -stones and see where the thread went next. Almost laughing at herself -for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet. Her -fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could -not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to -throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two -or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one. After -clearing them away a little, she found that the thread turned and went -straight downwards. Hence, as the heap sloped a good deal, growing of -course wider towards its base, she had to throw away a multitude of -stones to follow the thread. But this was not all, for she soon found -that the thread, after going straight down for a little way, turned -first sideways in one direction, then sideways in another, and then -shot, at various angles, hither and thither inside the heap, so that -she began to be afraid that to clear the thread she must remove the -whole huge gathering. She was dismayed at the very idea, but, losing -no time, set to work with a will; and with aching back, and bleeding -fingers and hands, she worked on, sustained by the pleasure of seeing -the heap slowly diminish and begin to show itself on the opposite side -of the fire. Another thing which helped to keep up her courage was -that, as often as she uncovered a turn of the thread, instead of lying -loose upon the stone, it tightened up; this made her sure that her -grandmother was at the end of it somewhere. -</P> - -<P> -She had got about half-way down when she started, and nearly fell with -fright. Close to her ears as it seemed, a voice broke out singing: -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Jabber, bother, smash!<BR> - You'll have it all in a crash.<BR> - Jabber, smash, bother!<BR> - You'll have the worst of the pother.<BR> - Smash, bother, jabber!—'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -Here Curdie stopped, either because he could not find a rhyme to -'jabber', or because he remembered what he had forgotten when he woke -up at the sound of Irene's labours, that his plan was to make the -goblins think he was getting weak. But he had uttered enough to let -Irene know who he was. -</P> - -<P> -'It's Curdie!' she cried joyfully. -</P> - -<P> -'Hush! hush!' came Curdie's voice again from somewhere. 'Speak softly.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why, you were singing loud!' said Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes. But they know I am here, and they don't know you are. Who are -you?' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm Irene,' answered the princess. 'I know who you are quite well. -You're Curdie.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why, how ever did you come here, Irene?' -</P> - -<P> -'My great-great-grandmother sent me; and I think I've found out why. -You can't get out, I suppose?' -</P> - -<P> -'No, I can't. What are you doing?' -</P> - -<P> -'Clearing away a huge heap of stones.' -</P> - -<P> -'There's a princess!' exclaimed Curdie, in a tone of delight, but still -speaking in little more than a whisper. 'I can't think how you got -here, though.' -</P> - -<P> -'My grandmother sent me after her thread.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't know what you mean,' said Curdie; 'but so you're there, it -doesn't much matter.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, yes, it does!' returned Irene. 'I should never have been here but -for her.' -</P> - -<P> -'You can tell me all about it when we get out, then. There's no time -to lose now,'said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -And Irene went to work, as fresh as when she began. -</P> - -<P> -'There's such a lot of stones!' she said. 'It will take me a long time -to get them all away.' -</P> - -<P> -'How far on have you got?' asked Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'I've got about the half away, but the other half is ever so much -bigger.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't think you will have to move the lower half. Do you see a slab -laid up against the wall?' -</P> - -<P> -Irene looked, and felt about with her hands, and soon perceived the -outlines of the slab. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes,' she answered, 'I do.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then, I think,' rejoined Curdie, 'when you have cleared the slab about -half-way down, or a bit more, I shall be able to push it over.' -</P> - -<P> -'I must follow my thread,' returned Irene, 'whatever I do.' -</P> - -<P> -'What do you mean?' exclaimed Curdie. 'You will see when you get out,' -answered the princess, and went on harder than ever. -</P> - -<P> -But she was soon satisfied that what Curdie wanted done and what the -thread wanted done were one and the same thing. For she not only saw -that by following the turns of the thread she had been clearing the -face of the slab, but that, a little more than half-way down, the -thread went through the chink between the slab and the wall into the -place where Curdie was confined, so that she could not follow it any -farther until the slab was out of her way. As soon as she found this, -she said in a right joyous whisper: -</P> - -<P> -'Now, Curdie, I think if you were to give a great push, the slab would -tumble over.' -</P> - -<P> -'Stand quite clear of it, then,' said Curdie, 'and let me know when you -are ready.' -</P> - -<P> -Irene got off the heap, and stood on one side of it. 'Now, Curdie!' -she cried. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie gave a great rush with his shoulder against it. Out tumbled the -slab on the heap, and out crept Curdie over the top of it. -</P> - -<P> -'You've saved my life, Irene!' he whispered. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, Curdie! I'm so glad! Let's get out of this horrid place as fast -as we can.' -</P> - -<P> -'That's easier said than done,' returned he. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, no, it's quite easy,' said Irene. 'We have only to follow my -thread. I am sure that it's going to take us out now.' -</P> - -<P> -She had already begun to follow it over the fallen slab into the hole, -while Curdie was searching the floor of the cavern for his pickaxe. -</P> - -<P> -'Here it is!' he cried. 'No, it is not,' he added, in a disappointed -tone. 'What can it be, then? I declare it's a torch. That is jolly! -It's better almost than my pickaxe. Much better if it weren't for -those stone shoes!' he went on, as he lighted the torch by blowing the -last embers of the expiring fire. -</P> - -<P> -When he looked up, with the lighted torch casting a glare into the -great darkness of the huge cavern, he caught sight of Irene -disappearing in the hole out of which he had himself just come. -</P> - -<P> -'Where are you going there?' he cried. 'That's not the way out. That's -where I couldn't get out.' -</P> - -<P> -'I know that,' whispered Irene. 'But this is the way my thread goes, -and I must follow it.' -</P> - -<P> -'What nonsense the child talks!' said Curdie to himself. 'I must -follow her, though, and see that she comes to no harm. She will soon -find she can't get out that way, and then she will come with me.' -</P> - -<P> -So he crept over the slab once more into the hole with his torch in his -hand. But when he looked about in it, he could see her nowhere. And -now he discovered that although the hole was narrow, it was much longer -than he had supposed; for in one direction the roof came down very low, -and the hole went off in a narrow passage, of which he could not see -the end. The princess must have crept in there. He got on his knees -and one hand, holding the torch with the other, and crept after her. -The hole twisted about, in some parts so low that he could hardly get -through, in others so high that he could not see the roof, but -everywhere it was narrow—far too narrow for a goblin to get through, -and so I presume they never thought that Curdie might. He was -beginning to feel very uncomfortable lest something should have -befallen the princess, when he heard her voice almost close to his ear, -whispering: -</P> - -<P> -'Aren't you coming, Curdie?' -</P> - -<P> -And when he turned the next corner there she stood waiting for him. -</P> - -<P> -'I knew you couldn't go wrong in that narrow hole, but now you must -keep by me, for here is a great wide place,' she said. -</P> - -<P> -'I can't understand it,' said Curdie, half to himself, half to Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'Never mind,' she returned. 'Wait till we get out.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie, utterly astonished that she had already got so far, and by a -path he had known nothing of, thought it better to let her do as she -pleased. 'At all events,' he said again to himself, 'I know nothing -about the way, miner as I am; and she seems to think she does know -something about it, though how she should passes my comprehension. So -she's just as likely to find her way as I am, and as she insists on -taking the lead, I must follow. We can't be much worse off than we -are, anyhow.' Reasoning thus, he followed her a few steps, and came -out in another great cavern, across which Irene walked in a straight -line, as confidently as if she knew every step of the way. Curdie went -on after her, flashing his torch about, and trying to see something of -what lay around them. Suddenly he started back a pace as the light fell -upon something close by which Irene was passing. It was a platform of -rock raised a few feet from the floor and covered with sheepskins, upon -which lay two horrible figures asleep, at once recognized by Curdie as -the king and queen of the goblins. He lowered his torch instantly lest -the light should awake them. As he did so it flashed upon his pickaxe, -lying by the side of the queen, whose hand lay close by the handle of -it. -</P> - -<P> -'Stop one moment,' he whispered. 'Hold my torch, and don't let the -light on their faces.' -</P> - -<P> -Irene shuddered when she saw the frightful creatures, whom she had -passed without observing them, but she did as he requested, and turning -her back, held the torch low in front of her. Curdie drew his pickaxe -carefully away, and as he did so spied one of her feet, projecting from -under the skins. The great clumsy granite shoe, exposed thus to his -hand, was a temptation not to be resisted. He laid hold of it, and, -with cautious efforts, drew it off. The moment he succeeded, he saw to -his astonishment that what he had sung in ignorance, to annoy the -queen, was actually true: she had six horrible toes. Overjoyed at his -success, and seeing by the huge bump in the sheepskins where the other -foot was, he proceeded to lift them gently, for, if he could only -succeed in carrying away the other shoe as well, he would be no more -afraid of the goblins than of so many flies. But as he pulled at the -second shoe the queen gave a growl and sat up in bed. The same instant -the king awoke also and sat up beside her. -</P> - -<P> -'Run, Irene!' cried Curdie, for though he was not now in the least -afraid for himself, he was for the princess. -</P> - -<P> -Irene looked once round, saw the fearful creatures awake, and like the -wise princess she was, dashed the torch on the ground and extinguished -it, crying out: -</P> - -<P> -'Here, Curdie, take my hand.' -</P> - -<P> -He darted to her side, forgetting neither the queen's shoe nor his -pickaxe, and caught hold of her hand, as she sped fearlessly where her -thread guided her. They heard the queen give a great bellow; but they -had a good start, for it would be some time before they could get -torches lighted to pursue them. Just as they thought they saw a gleam -behind them, the thread brought them to a very narrow opening, through -which Irene crept easily, and Curdie with difficulty. -</P> - -<P> -'Now,'said Curdie; 'I think we shall be safe.' -</P> - -<P> -'Of course we shall,' returned Irene. 'Why do you think so?'asked -Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'Because my grandmother is taking care of us.' -</P> - -<P> -'That's all nonsense,' said Curdie. 'I don't know what you mean.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then if you don't know what I mean, what right have you to call it -nonsense?' asked the princess, a little offended. -</P> - -<P> -'I beg your pardon, Irene,' said Curdie; 'I did not mean to vex you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Of course not,' returned the princess. 'But why do you think we shall -be safe?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because the king and queen are far too stout to get through that hole.' -</P> - -<P> -'There might be ways round,' said the princess. -</P> - -<P> -'To be sure there might: we are not out of it yet,' acknowledged Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'But what do you mean by the king and queen?' asked the princess. 'I -should never call such creatures as those a king and a queen.' -</P> - -<P> -'Their own people do, though,' answered Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -The princess asked more questions, and Curdie, as they walked leisurely -along, gave her a full account, not only of the character and habits of -the goblins, so far as he knew them, but of his own adventures with -them, beginning from the very night after that in which he had met her -and Lootie upon the mountain. When he had finished, he begged Irene to -tell him how it was that she had come to his rescue. So Irene too had -to tell a long story, which she did in rather a roundabout manner, -interrupted by many questions concerning things she had not explained. -But her tale, as he did not believe more than half of it, left -everything as unaccountable to him as before, and he was nearly as much -perplexed as to what he must think of the princess. He could not -believe that she was deliberately telling stories, and the only -conclusion he could come to was that Lootie had been playing the child -tricks, inventing no end of lies to frighten her for her own purposes. -</P> - -<P> -'But how ever did Lootie come to let you go into the mountains -alone?'he asked. -</P> - -<P> -'Lootie knows nothing about it. I left her fast asleep—at least I -think so. I hope my grandmother won't let her get into trouble, for it -wasn't her fault at all, as my grandmother very well knows.' -</P> - -<P> -'But how did you find your way to me?' persisted Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'I told you already,' answered Irene; 'by keeping my finger upon my -grandmother's thread, as I am doing now.' -</P> - -<P> -'You don't mean you've got the thread there?' -</P> - -<P> -'Of course I do. I have told you so ten times already. I have -hardly—except when I was removing the stones—taken my finger off it. -There!' she added, guiding Curdie's hand to the thread, 'you feel it -yourself—don't you?' -</P> - -<P> -'I feel nothing at all,' replied Curdie. 'Then what can be the matter -with your finger? I feel it perfectly. To be sure it is very thin, -and in the sunlight looks just like the thread of a spider, though -there are many of them twisted together to make it—but for all that I -can't think why you shouldn't feel it as well as I do.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie was too polite to say he did not believe there was any thread -there at all. What he did say was: -</P> - -<P> -'Well, I can make nothing of it.' -</P> - -<P> -'I can, though, and you must be glad of that, for it will do for both -of us.' -</P> - -<P> -'We're not out yet,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'We soon shall be,' returned Irene confidently. And now the thread -went downwards, and led Irene's hand to a hole in the floor of the -cavern, whence came a sound of running water which they had been -hearing for some time. -</P> - -<P> -'It goes into the ground now, Curdie,' she said, stopping. -</P> - -<P> -He had been listening to another sound, which his practised ear had -caught long ago, and which also had been growing louder. It was the -noise the goblin-miners made at their work, and they seemed to be at no -great distance now. Irene heard it the moment she stopped. -</P> - -<P> -'What is that noise?' she asked. 'Do you know, Curdie?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes. It is the goblins digging and burrowing,' he answered. -</P> - -<P> -'And you don't know what they do it for?' -</P> - -<P> -'No; I haven't the least idea. Would you like to see them?' he asked, -wishing to have another try after their secret. -</P> - -<P> -'If my thread took me there, I shouldn't much mind; but I don't want to -see them, and I can't leave my thread. It leads me down into the hole, -and we had better go at once.' -</P> - -<P> -'Very well. Shall I go in first?' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'No; better not. You can't feel the thread,' she answered, stepping -down through a narrow break in the floor of the cavern. 'Oh!' she -cried, 'I am in the water. It is running strong—but it is not deep, -and there is just room to walk. Make haste, Curdie.' -</P> - -<P> -He tried, but the hole was too small for him to get in. -</P> - -<P> -'Go on a little bit he said, shouldering his pickaxe. In a few moments -he had cleared a larger opening and followed her. They went on, down -and down with the running water, Curdie getting more and more afraid it -was leading them to some terrible gulf in the heart of the mountain. -In one or two places he had to break away the rock to make room before -even Irene could get through—at least without hurting herself. But at -length they spied a glimmer of light, and in a minute more they were -almost blinded by the full sunlight, into which they emerged. It was -some little time before the princess could see well enough to discover -that they stood in her own garden, close by the seat on which she and -her king-papa had sat that afternoon. They had come out by the channel -of the little stream. She danced and clapped her hands with delight. -</P> - -<P> -'Now, Curdie!' she cried, 'won't you believe what I told you about my -grandmother and her thread?' -</P> - -<P> -For she had felt all the time that Curdie was not believing what she -told him. -</P> - -<P> -'There!—don't you see it shining on before us?' she added. -</P> - -<P> -'I don't see anything,' persisted Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'Then you must believe without seeing,' said the princess; 'for you -can't deny it has brought us out of the mountain.' -</P> - -<P> -'I can't deny we are out of the mountain, and I should be very -ungrateful indeed to deny that you had brought me out of it.' -</P> - -<P> -'I couldn't have done it but for the thread,' persisted Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'That's the part I don't understand.' -</P> - -<P> -'Well, come along, and Lootie will get you something to eat. I am sure -you must want it very much.' -</P> - -<P> -'Indeed I do. But my father and mother will be so anxious about me, I -must make haste—first up the mountain to tell my mother, and then down -into the mine again to let my father know.' -</P> - -<P> -'Very well, Curdie; but you can't get out without coming this way, and -I will take you through the house, for that is nearest.' -</P> - -<P> -They met no one by the way, for, indeed, as before, the people were -here and there and everywhere searching for the princess. When they -got in Irene found that the thread, as she had half expected, went up -the old staircase, and a new thought struck her. She turned to Curdie -and said: -</P> - -<P> -'My grandmother wants me. Do come up with me and see her. Then you -will know that I have been telling you the truth. Do come—to please -me, Curdie. I can't bear you should think what I say is not true.' -</P> - -<P> -'I never doubted you believed what you said,' returned Curdie. 'I only -thought you had some fancy in your head that was not correct.' 'But do -come, dear Curdie.' -</P> - -<P> -The little miner could not withstand this appeal, and though he felt -shy in what seemed to him a huge grand house, he yielded, and followed -her up the stair. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap22"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 22 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Old Lady and Curdie -</H3> - -<P> -Up the stair then they went, and the next and the next, and through the -long rows of empty rooms, and up the little tower stair, Irene growing -happier and happier as she ascended. There was no answer when she -knocked at length at the door of the workroom, nor could she hear any -sound of the spinning-wheel, and once more her heart sank within her, -but only for one moment, as she turned and knocked at the other door. -</P> - -<P> -'Come in,' answered the sweet voice of her grandmother, and Irene -opened the door and entered, followed by Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'You darling!' cried the lady, who was seated by a fire of red roses -mingled with white. 'I've been waiting for you, and indeed getting a -little anxious about you, and beginning to think whether I had not -better go and fetch you myself.' -</P> - -<P> -As she spoke she took the little princess in her arms and placed her -upon her lap. She was dressed in white now, and looking if possible -more lovely than ever. -</P> - -<P> -'I've brought Curdie, grandmother. He wouldn't believe what I told him -and so I've brought him.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes—I see him. He is a good boy, Curdie, and a brave boy. Aren't you -glad you've got him out?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, grandmother. But it wasn't very good of him not to believe me -when I was telling him the truth.' -</P> - -<P> -'People must believe what they can, and those who believe more must not -be hard upon those who believe less. I doubt if you would have -believed it all yourself if you hadn't seen some of it.' -</P> - -<P> -'Ah! yes, grandmother, I dare say. I'm sure you are right. But he'll -believe now.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't know that,' replied her grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -'Won't you, Curdie?' said Irene, looking round at him as she asked the -question. He was standing in the middle of the floor, staring, and -looking strangely bewildered. This she thought came of his -astonishment at the beauty of the lady. -</P> - -<P> -'Make a bow to my grandmother, Curdie,' she said. -</P> - -<P> -'I don't see any grandmother,' answered Curdie rather gruffly. -</P> - -<P> -'Don't see my grandmother, when I'm sitting in her lap?' exclaimed the -princess. -</P> - -<P> -'No, I don't,' reiterated Curdie, in an offended tone. -</P> - -<P> -'Don't you see the lovely fire of roses—white ones amongst them this -time?' asked Irene, almost as bewildered as he. -</P> - -<P> -'No, I don't,' answered Curdie, almost sulkily. -</P> - -<P> -'Nor the blue bed? Nor the rose-coloured counterpane?—Nor the -beautiful light, like the moon, hanging from the roof?' -</P> - -<P> -'You're making game of me, Your Royal Highness; and after what we have -come through together this day, I don't think it is kind of you,' said -Curdie, feeling very much hurt. -</P> - -<P> -'Then what do you see?' asked Irene, who perceived at once that for her -not to believe him was at least as bad as for him not to believe her. -</P> - -<P> -'I see a big, bare, garret-room—like the one in mother's cottage, only -big enough to take the cottage itself in, and leave a good margin all -round,' answered Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'And what more do you see?' -</P> - -<P> -'I see a tub, and a heap of musty straw, and a withered apple, and a -ray of sunlight coming through a hole in the middle of the roof and -shining on your head, and making all the place look a curious dusky -brown. I think you had better drop it, princess, and go down to the -nursery, like a good girl.' -</P> - -<P> -'But don't you hear my grandmother talking to me?' asked Irene, almost -crying. -</P> - -<P> -'No. I hear the cooing of a lot of pigeons. If you won't come down, I -will go without you. I think that will be better anyhow, for I'm sure -nobody who met us would believe a word we said to them. They would -think we made it all up. I don't expect anybody but my own father and -mother to believe me. They know I wouldn't tell a story.' -</P> - -<P> -'And yet you won't believe me, Curdie?' expostulated the princess, now -fairly crying with vexation and sorrow at the gulf between her and -Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'No. I can't, and I can't help it,' said Curdie, turning to leave the -room. -</P> - -<P> -'What SHALL I do, grandmother?' sobbed the princess, turning her face -round upon the lady's bosom, and shaking with suppressed sobs. -</P> - -<P> -'You must give him time,' said her grandmother; 'and you must be -content not to be believed for a while. It is very hard to bear; but I -have had to bear it, and shall have to bear it many a time yet. I will -take care of what Curdie thinks of you in the end. You must let him go -now.' -</P> - -<P> -'You're not coming, are you?' asked Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'No, Curdie; my grandmother says I must let you go. Turn to the right -when you get to the bottom of all the stairs, and that will take you to -the hall where the great door is.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh! I don't doubt I can find my way—without you, princess, or your -old grannie's thread either,' said Curdie quite rudely. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, Curdie! Curdie!' -</P> - -<P> -'I wish I had gone home at once. I'm very much obliged to you, Irene, -for getting me out of that hole, but I wish you hadn't made a fool of -me afterwards.' -</P> - -<P> -He said this as he opened the door, which he left open, and, without -another word, went down the stair. Irene listened with dismay to his -departing footsteps. Then turning again to the lady: -</P> - -<P> -'What does it all mean, grandmother?' she sobbed, and burst into fresh -tears. -</P> - -<P> -'It means, my love, that I did not mean to show myself. Curdie is not -yet able to believe some things. Seeing is not believing—it is only -seeing. You remember I told you that if Lootie were to see me, she -would rub her eyes, forget the half she saw, and call the other half -nonsense.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes; but I should have thought Curdie—' -</P> - -<P> -'You are right. Curdie is much farther on than Lootie, and you will -see what will come of it. But in the meantime you must be content, I -say, to be misunderstood for a while. We are all very anxious to be -understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much -more necessary.' -</P> - -<P> -'What is that, grandmother?' -</P> - -<P> -'To understand other people.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, grandmother. I must be fair—for if I'm not fair to other -people, I'm not worth being understood myself. I see. So as Curdie -can't help it, I will not be vexed with him, but just wait.' -</P> - -<P> -'There's my own dear child,' said her grandmother, and pressed her -close to her bosom. -</P> - -<P> -'Why weren't you in your workroom when we came up, grandmother?' asked -Irene, after a few moments' silence. -</P> - -<P> -'If I had been there, Curdie would have seen me well enough. But why -should I be there rather than in this beautiful room?' -</P> - -<P> -'I thought you would be spinning.' -</P> - -<P> -'I've nobody to spin for just at present. I never spin without knowing -for whom I am spinning.' -</P> - -<P> -'That reminds me—there is one thing that puzzles me,' said the -princess: 'how are you to get the thread out of the mountain again? -Surely you won't have to make another for me? That would be such a -trouble!' -</P> - -<P> -The lady set her down and rose and went to the fire. Putting in her -hand, she drew it out again and held up the shining ball between her -finger and thumb. -</P> - -<P> -'I've got it now, you see,' she said, coming back to the princess, 'all -ready for you when you want it.' -</P> - -<P> -Going to her cabinet, she laid it in the same drawer as before. -</P> - -<P> -'And here is your ring,' she added, taking it from the little finger of -her left hand and putting it on the forefinger of Irene's right hand. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, thank you, grandmother! I feel so safe now!' -</P> - -<P> -'You are very tired, my child,' the lady went on. 'Your hands are hurt -with the stones, and I have counted nine bruises on you. Just look -what you are like.' -</P> - -<P> -And she held up to her a little mirror which she had brought from the -cabinet. The princess burst into a merry laugh at the sight. She was -so draggled with the stream and dirty with creeping through narrow -places, that if she had seen the reflection without knowing it was a -reflection, she would have taken herself for some gipsy child whose -face was washed and hair combed about once in a month. The lady laughed -too, and lifting her again upon her knee, took off her cloak and -night-gown. Then she carried her to the side of the room. Irene -wondered what she was going to do with her, but asked no -questions—only starting a little when she found that she was going to -lay her in the large silver bath; for as she looked into it, again she -saw no bottom, but the stars shining miles away, as it seemed, in a -great blue gulf. Her hands closed involuntarily on the beautiful arms -that held her, and that was all. -</P> - -<P> -The lady pressed her once more to her bosom, saying: -</P> - -<P> -'Do not be afraid, my child.' -</P> - -<P> -'No, grandmother,' answered the princess, with a little gasp; and the -next instant she sank in the clear cool water. -</P> - -<P> -When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but a strange lovely blue -over and beneath and all about her. The lady, and the beautiful room, -had vanished from her sight, and she seemed utterly alone. But instead -of being afraid, she felt more than happy—perfectly blissful. And -from somewhere came the voice of the lady, singing a strange sweet -song, of which she could distinguish every word; but of the sense she -had only a feeling—no understanding. Nor could she remember a single -line after it was gone. It vanished, like the poetry in a dream, as -fast as it came. In after years, however, she would sometimes fancy -that snatches of melody suddenly rising in her brain must be little -phrases and fragments of the air of that song; and the very fancy would -make her happier, and abler to do her duty. -</P> - -<P> -How long she lay in the water she did not know. It seemed a long -time—not from weariness but from pleasure. But at last she felt the -beautiful hands lay hold of her, and through the gurgling water she was -lifted out into the lovely room. The lady carried her to the fire, and -sat down with her in her lap, and dried her tenderly with the softest -towel. It was so different from Lootie's drying. When the lady had -done, she stooped to the fire, and drew from it her night-gown, as -white as snow. -</P> - -<P> -'How delicious!' exclaimed the princess. 'It smells of all the roses -in the world, I think.' -</P> - -<P> -When she stood up on the floor she felt as if she had been made over -again. Every bruise and all weariness were gone, and her hands were -soft and whole as ever. -</P> - -<P> -'Now I am going to put you to bed for a good sleep,' said her -grandmother. -</P> - -<P> -'But what will Lootie be thinking? And what am I to say to her when -she asks me where I have been?' -</P> - -<P> -'Don't trouble yourself about it. You will find it all come right,' -said her grandmother, and laid her into the blue bed, under the rosy -counterpane. -</P> - -<P> -'There is just one thing more,' said Irene. 'I am a little anxious -about Curdie. As I brought him into the house, I ought to have seen -him safe on his way home.' -</P> - -<P> -'I took care of all that,' answered the lady. 'I told you to let him -go, and therefore I was bound to look after him. Nobody saw him, and -he is now eating a good dinner in his mother's cottage far up in the -mountain.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then I will go to sleep,' said Irene, and in a few minutes she was -fast asleep. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap23"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 23 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Curdie and His Mother -</H3> - -<P> -Curdie went up the mountain neither whistling nor singing, for he was -vexed with Irene for taking him in, as he called it; and he was vexed -with himself for having spoken to her so angrily. His mother gave a -cry of joy when she saw him, and at once set about getting him -something to eat, asking him questions all the time, which he did not -answer so cheerfully as usual. When his meal was ready, she left him -to eat it, and hurried to the mine to let his father know he was safe. -When she came back, she found him fast asleep upon her bed; nor did he -wake until his father came home in the evening. -</P> - -<P> -'Now, Curdie,' his mother said, as they sat at supper, 'tell us the -whole story from beginning to end, just as it all happened.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie obeyed, and told everything to the point where they came out -upon the lawn in the garden of the king's house. -</P> - -<P> -'And what happened after that?' asked his mother. 'You haven't told us -all. You ought to be very happy at having got away from those demons, -and instead of that I never saw you so gloomy. There must be something -more. Besides, you do not speak of that lovely child as I should like -to hear you. She saved your life at the risk of her own, and yet -somehow you don't seem to think much of it.' -</P> - -<P> -'She talked such nonsense' answered Curdie, 'and told me a pack of -things that weren't a bit true; and I can't get over it.' -</P> - -<P> -'What were they?' asked his father. 'Your mother may be able to throw -some light upon them.' -</P> - -<P> -Then Curdie made a clean breast of it, and told them everything. -</P> - -<P> -They all sat silent for some time, pondering the strange tale. At last -Curdie's mother spoke. -</P> - -<P> -'You confess, my boy,' she said, 'there is something about the whole -affair you do not understand?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, of course, mother,' he answered. 'I cannot understand how a -child knowing nothing about the mountain, or even that I was shut up in -it, should come all that way alone, straight to where I was; and then, -after getting me out of the hole, lead me out of the mountain too, -where I should not have known a step of the way if it had been as light -as in the open air.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then you have no right to say what she told you was not true. She did -take you out, and she must have had something to guide her: why not a -thread as well as a rope, or anything else? There is something you -cannot explain, and her explanation may be the right one.' -</P> - -<P> -'It's no explanation at all, mother; and I can't believe it.' -</P> - -<P> -'That may be only because you do not understand it. If you did, you -would probably find it was an explanation, and believe it thoroughly. -I don't blame you for not being able to believe it, but I do blame you -for fancying such a child would try to deceive you. Why should she? -Depend upon it, she told you all she knew. Until you had found a better -way of accounting for it all, you might at least have been more sparing -of your judgement.' -</P> - -<P> -'That is what something inside me has been saying all the time,' said -Curdie, hanging down his head. 'But what do you make of the -grandmother? That is what I can't get over. To take me up to an old -garret, and try to persuade me against the sight of my own eyes that it -was a beautiful room, with blue walls and silver stars, and no end of -things in it, when there was nothing there but an old tub and a -withered apple and a heap of straw and a sunbeam! It was too bad! She -might have had some old woman there at least to pass for her precious -grandmother!' -</P> - -<P> -'Didn't she speak as if she saw those other things herself, Curdie?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes. That's what bothers me. You would have thought she really meant -and believed that she saw every one of the things she talked about. -And not one of them there! It was too bad, I say.' -</P> - -<P> -'Perhaps some people can see things other people can't see, Curdie,' -said his mother very gravely. 'I think I will tell you something I saw -myself once—only Perhaps You won't believe me either!' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, mother, mother!' cried Curdie, bursting into tears; 'I don't -deserve that, surely!' -</P> - -<P> -'But what I am going to tell you is very strange,' persisted his -mother; 'and if having heard it you were to say I must have been -dreaming, I don't know that I should have any right to be vexed with -you, though I know at least that I was not asleep.' -</P> - -<P> -'Do tell me, mother. Perhaps it will help me to think better of the -princess.' -</P> - -<P> -'That's why I am tempted to tell you,' replied his mother. 'But first, -I may as well mention that, according to old whispers, there is -something more than common about the king's family; and the queen was -of the same blood, for they were cousins of some degree. There were -strange stories told concerning them—all good stories—but strange, -very strange. What they were I cannot tell, for I only remember the -faces of my grandmother and my mother as they talked together about -them. There was wonder and awe—not fear—in their eyes, and they -whispered, and never spoke aloud. But what I saw myself was this: Your -father was going to work in the mine one night, and I had been down -with his supper. It was soon after we were married, and not very long -before you were born. He came with me to the mouth of the mine, and -left me to go home alone, for I knew the way almost as well as the -floor of our own cottage. It was pretty dark, and in some parts of the -road where the rocks overhung nearly quite dark. But I got along -perfectly well, never thinking of being afraid, until I reached a spot -you know well enough, Curdie, where the path has to make a sharp turn -out of the way of a great rock on the left-hand side. When I got -there, I was suddenly surrounded by about half a dozen of the cobs, the -first I had ever seen, although I had heard tell of them often enough. -One of them blocked up the path, and they all began tormenting and -teasing me in a way it makes me shudder to think of even now.' -</P> - -<P> -'If I had only been with you!' cried father and son in a breath. -</P> - -<P> -The mother gave a funny little smile, and went on. -</P> - -<P> -'They had some of their horrible creatures with them too, and I must -confess I was dreadfully frightened. They had torn my clothes very -much, and I was afraid they were going to tear myself to pieces, when -suddenly a great white soft light shone upon me. I looked up. A broad -ray, like a shining road, came down from a large globe of silvery -light, not very high up, indeed not quite so high as the horizon—so it -could not have been a new star or another moon or anything of that -sort. The cobs dropped persecuting me, and looked dazed, and I thought -they were going to run away, but presently they began again. The same -moment, however, down the path from the globe of light came a bird, -shining like silver in the sun. It gave a few rapid flaps first, and -then, with its wings straight out, shot, sliding down the slope of the -light. It looked to me just like a white pigeon. But whatever it was, -when the cobs caught sight of it coming straight down upon them, they -took to their heels and scampered away across the mountain, leaving me -safe, only much frightened. As soon as it had sent them off, the bird -went gliding again up the light, and the moment it reached the globe -the light disappeared, just as if a shutter had been closed over a -window, and I saw it no More. But I had no more trouble with the cobs -that night or ever after.' -</P> - -<P> -'How strange!' exclaimed Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, it was strange; but I can't help believing it, whether you do or -not,' said his mother. -</P> - -<P> -'It's exactly as your mother told it to me the very next morning,' said -his father. -</P> - -<P> -'You don't think I'm doubting my own mother?' cried Curdie. 'There are -other people in the world quite as well worth believing as your own -mother,' said his mother. 'I don't know that she's so much the fitter -to be believed that she happens to be your mother, Mr. Curdie. There -are mothers far more likely to tell lies than the little girl I saw -talking to the primroses a few weeks ago. If she were to lie I should -begin to doubt my own word.' -</P> - -<P> -'But princesses have told lies as well as other people,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, but not princesses like that child. She's a good girl, I am -certain, and that's more than being a princess. Depend upon it you -will have to be sorry for behaving so to her, Curdie. You ought at -least to have held your tongue.' -</P> - -<P> -'I am sorry now,' answered Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'You ought to go and tell her so, then.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't see how I could manage that. They wouldn't let a miner boy -like me have a word with her alone; and I couldn't tell her before that -nurse of hers. She'd be asking ever so many questions, and I don't -know how many the little princess would like me to answer. She told me -that Lootie didn't know anything about her coming to get me out of the -mountain. I am certain she would have prevented her somehow if she had -known it. But I may have a chance before long, and meantime I must try -to do something for her. I think, father, I have got on the track at -last.' -</P> - -<P> -'Have you, indeed, my boy?' said Peter. 'I am sure you deserve some -success; you have worked very hard for it. What have you found out?' -</P> - -<P> -'It's difficult, you know, father, inside the mountain, especially in -the dark, and not knowing what turns you have taken, to tell the lie of -things outside.' -</P> - -<P> -'Impossible, my boy, without a chart, or at least a compass,' returned -his father. -</P> - -<P> -'Well, I think I have nearly discovered in what direction the cobs are -mining. If I am right, I know something else that I can put to it, and -then one and one will make three.' -</P> - -<P> -'They very often do, Curdie, as we miners ought to be very well aware. -Now tell us, my boy, what the two things are, and see whether we can -guess at the same third as you.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't see what that has to do with the princess,' interposed his -mother. -</P> - -<P> -'I will soon let you see that, mother. Perhaps you may think me -foolish, but until I am sure there, is nothing in my present fancy, I -am more determined than ever to go on with my observations. Just as we -came to the channel by which we got out, I heard the miners at work -somewhere near—I think down below us. Now since I began to watch -them, they have mined a good half-mile, in a straight line; and so far -as I am aware, they are working in no other part of the mountain. But -I never could tell in what direction they were going. When we came out -in the king's garden, however, I thought at once whether it was -possible they were working towards the king's house; and what I want to -do tonight is to make sure whether they are or not. I will take a -light with me—' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, Curdie,' cried his mother, 'then they will see you.' -</P> - -<P> -'I'm no more afraid of them now than I was before,' rejoined Curdie, -'now that I've got this precious shoe. They can't make another such in -a hurry, and one bare foot will do for my purpose. Woman as she may be, -I won't spare her next time. But I shall be careful with my light, for -I don't want them to see me. I won't stick it in my hat.' -</P> - -<P> -'Go on, then, and tell us what you mean to do.' -</P> - -<P> -'I mean to take a bit of paper with me and a pencil, and go in at the -mouth of the stream by which we came out. I shall mark on the paper as -near as I can the angle of every turning I take until I find the cobs -at work, and so get a good idea in what direction they are going. If -it should prove to be nearly parallel with the stream, I shall know it -is towards the king's house they are working.' -</P> - -<P> -'And what if you should? How much wiser will you be then?' -</P> - -<P> -'Wait a minute, mother dear. I told you that when I came upon the -royal family in the cave, they were talking of their prince—Harelip, -they called him—marrying a sun-woman—that means one of us—one with -toes to her feet. Now in the speech one of them made that night at -their great gathering, of which I heard only a part, he said that peace -would be secured for a generation at least by the pledge the prince -would hold for the good behaviour of her relatives: that's what he -said, and he must have meant the sun-woman the prince was to marry. I -am quite sure the king is much too proud to wish his son to marry any -but a princess, and much too knowing to fancy that his having a peasant -woman for a wife would be of any great advantage to them.' -</P> - -<P> -'I see what you are driving at now,' said his mother. -</P> - -<P> -'But,' said his father, 'our king would dig the mountain to the plain -before he would have his princess the wife of a cob, if he were ten -times a prince.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes; but they think so much of themselves!' said his mother. 'Small -creatures always do. The bantam is the proudest cock in my little -yard.' -</P> - -<P> -'And I fancy,' said Curdie, 'if they once got her, they would tell the -king they would kill her except he consented to the marriage.' -</P> - -<P> -'They might say so,' said his father, 'but they wouldn't kill her; they -would keep her alive for the sake of the hold it gave them over our -king. Whatever he did to them, they would threaten to do the same to -the princess.' -</P> - -<P> -'And they are bad enough to torment her just for their own amusement—I -know that,' said his mother. -</P> - -<P> -'Anyhow, I will keep a watch on them, and see what they are up to,' -said Curdie. 'It's too horrible to think of. I daren't let myself do -it. But they shan't have her—at least if I can help it. So, mother -dear—my clue is all right—will you get me a bit of paper and a pencil -and a lump of pease pudding, and I will set out at once. I saw a place -where I can climb over the wall of the garden quite easily.' -</P> - -<P> -'You must mind and keep out of the way of the men on the watch,' said -his mother. -</P> - -<P> -'That I will. I don't want them to know anything about it. They would -spoil it all. The cobs would only try some other plan—they are such -obstinate creatures! I shall take good care, mother. They won't kill -and eat me either, if they should come upon me. So you needn't mind -them.' -</P> - -<P> -His mother got him what he had asked for, and Curdie set out. Close -beside the door by which the princess left the garden for the mountain -stood a great rock, and by climbing it Curdie got over the wall. He -tied his clue to a stone just inside the channel of the stream, and -took his pickaxe with him. He had not gone far before he encountered a -horrid creature coming towards the mouth. The spot was too narrow for -two of almost any size or shape, and besides Curdie had no wish to let -the creature pass. Not being able to use his pickaxe, however, he had -a severe struggle with him, and it was only after receiving many bites, -some of them bad, that he succeeded in killing him with his -pocket-knife. Having dragged him out, he made haste to get in again -before another should stop up the way. -</P> - -<P> -I need not follow him farther in this night's adventures. He returned -to his breakfast, satisfied that the goblins were mining in the -direction of the palace—on so low a level that their intention must, -he thought, be to burrow under the walls of the king's house, and rise -up inside it—in order, he fully believed, to lay hands on the little -princess, and carry her off for a wife to their horrid Harelip. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap24"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 24 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Irene Behaves Like a Princess -</H3> - -<P> -When the princess awoke from the sweetest of sleeps, she found her -nurse bending over her, the housekeeper looking over the nurse's -shoulder, and the laundry-maid looking over the housekeeper's. The room -was full of women-servants; and the gentlemen-at-arms, with a long -column of servants behind them, were peeping, or trying to peep in at -the door of the nursery. -</P> - -<P> -'Are those horrid creatures gone?' asked the princess, remembering -first what had terrified her in the morning. -</P> - -<P> -'You naughty, naughty little princess!' cried Lootie. -</P> - -<P> -Her face was very pale, with red streaks in it, and she looked as if -she were going to shake her; but Irene said nothing—only waited to -hear what should come next. -</P> - -<P> -'How could you get under the clothes like that, and make us all fancy -you were lost! And keep it up all day too! You are the most obstinate -child! It's anything but fun to us, I can tell you!' -</P> - -<P> -It was the only way the nurse could account for her disappearance. -</P> - -<P> -'I didn't do that, Lootie,' said Irene, very quietly. -</P> - -<P> -'Don't tell stories!' cried her nurse quite rudely. -</P> - -<P> -'I shall tell you nothing at all,' said Irene. -</P> - -<P> -'That's just as bad,' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'Just as bad to say nothing at all as to tell stories?' exclaimed the -princess. 'I will ask my papa about that. He won't say so. And I -don't think he will like you to say so.' -</P> - -<P> -'Tell me directly what you mean by it!' screamed the nurse, half wild -with anger at the princess and fright at the possible consequences to -herself. -</P> - -<P> -'When I tell you the truth, Lootie,' said the princess, who somehow did -not feel at all angry, 'you say to me "Don't tell stories": it seems I -must tell stories before you will believe me.' -</P> - -<P> -'You are very rude, princess,' said the nurse. -</P> - -<P> -'You are so rude, Lootie, that I will not speak to you again till you -are sorry. Why should I, when I know you will not believe me?' -returned the princess. For she did know perfectly well that if she -were to tell Lootie what she had been about, the more she went on to -tell her, the less would she believe her. -</P> - -<P> -'You are the most provoking child!' cried her nurse. 'You deserve to -be well punished for your wicked behaviour.' -</P> - -<P> -'Please, Mrs Housekeeper,' said the princess, 'will you take me to your -room, and keep me till my king-papa comes? I will ask him to come as -soon as he can.' -</P> - -<P> -Every one stared at these words. Up to this moment they had all -regarded her as little more than a baby. -</P> - -<P> -But the housekeeper was afraid of the nurse, and sought to patch -matters up, saying: -</P> - -<P> -'I am sure, princess, nursie did not mean to be rude to you.' -</P> - -<P> -'I do not think my papa would wish me to have a nurse who spoke to me -as Lootie does. If she thinks I tell lies, she had better either say -so to my papa, or go away. Sir Walter, will you take charge of me?' -</P> - -<P> -'With the greatest of pleasure, princess,' answered the captain of the -gentlemen-at-arms, walking with his great stride into the room. -</P> - -<P> -The crowd of servants made eager way for him, and he bowed low before -the little princess's bed. 'I shall send my servant at once, on the -fastest horse in the stable, to tell your king-papa that Your Royal -Highness desires his presence. When you have chosen one of these -under-servants to wait upon you, I shall order the room to be cleared.' -</P> - -<P> -'Thank you very much, Sir Walter,' said the princess, and her eye -glanced towards a rosy-cheeked girl who had lately come to the house as -a scullery-maid. -</P> - -<P> -But when Lootie saw the eyes of her dear princess going in search of -another instead of her, she fell upon her knees by the bedside, and -burst into a great cry of distress. -</P> - -<P> -'I think, Sir Walter,' said the princess, 'I will keep Lootie. But I -put myself under your care; and you need not trouble my king-papa until -I speak to you again. Will you all please to go away? I am quite safe -and well, and I did not hide myself for the sake either of amusing -myself, or of troubling my people. Lootie, will you please to dress -me.' -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap25"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 25 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Curdie Comes to Grief -</H3> - -<P> -Everything was for some time quiet above ground. The king was still -away in a distant part of his dominions. The men-at-arms kept watching -about the house. They had been considerably astonished by finding at -the foot of the rock in the garden the hideous body of the goblin -creature killed by Curdie; but they came to the conclusion that it had -been slain in the mines, and had crept out there to die; and except an -occasional glimpse of a live one they saw nothing to cause alarm. -Curdie kept watching in the mountain, and the goblins kept burrowing -deeper into the earth. As long as they went deeper there was, Curdie -judged, no immediate danger. -</P> - -<P> -To Irene the summer was as full of pleasure as ever, and for a long -time, although she often thought of her grandmother during the day, and -often dreamed about her at night, she did not see her. The kids and -the flowers were as much her delight as ever, and she made as much -friendship with the miners' children she met on the mountain as Lootie -would permit; but Lootie had very foolish notions concerning the -dignity of a princess, not understanding that the truest princess is -just the one who loves all her brothers and sisters best, and who is -most able to do them good by being humble towards them. At the same -time she was considerably altered for the better in her behaviour to -the princess. She could not help seeing that she was no longer a mere -child, but wiser than her age would account for. She kept foolishly -whispering to the servants, however—sometimes that the princess was -not right in her mind, sometimes that she was too good to live, and -other nonsense of the same sort. -</P> - -<P> -All this time Curdie had to be sorry, without a chance of confessing, -that he had behaved so unkindly to the princess. This perhaps made him -the more diligent in his endeavours to serve her. His mother and he -often talked on the subject, and she comforted him, and told him she -was sure he would some day have the opportunity he so much desired. -</P> - -<P> -Here I should like to remark, for the sake of princes and princesses in -general, that it is a low and contemptible thing to refuse to confess a -fault, or even an error. If a true princess has done wrong, she is -always uneasy until she has had an opportunity of throwing the -wrongness away from her by saying: 'I did it; and I wish I had not; and -I am sorry for having done it.' So you see there is some ground for -supposing that Curdie was not a miner only, but a prince as well. Many -such instances have been known in the world's history. -</P> - -<P> -At length, however, he began to see signs of a change in the -proceedings of the goblin excavators: they were going no deeper, but -had commenced running on a level; and he watched them, therefore, more -closely than ever. All at once, one night, coming to a slope of very -hard rock, they began to ascend along the inclined plane of its -surface. Having reached its top, they went again on a level for a -night or two, after which they began to ascend once more, and kept on -at a pretty steep angle. At length Curdie judged it time to transfer -his observation to another quarter, and the next night he did not go to -the mine at all; but, leaving his pickaxe and clue at home, and taking -only his usual lumps of bread and pease pudding, went down the mountain -to the king's house. He climbed over the wall, and remained in the -garden the whole night, creeping on hands and knees from one spot to -the other, and lying at full length with his ear to the ground, -listening. But he heard nothing except the tread of the men-at-arms as -they marched about, whose observation, as the night was cloudy and -there was no moon, he had little difficulty in avoiding. For several -following nights he continued to haunt the garden and listen, but with -no success. -</P> - -<P> -At length, early one evening, whether it was that he had got careless -of his own safety, or that the growing moon had become strong enough to -expose him, his watching came to a sudden end. He was creeping from -behind the rock where the stream ran out, for he had been listening all -round it in the hope it might convey to his ear some indication of the -whereabouts of the goblin miners, when just as he came into the -moonlight on the lawn, a whizz in his ear and a blow upon his leg -startled him. He instantly squatted in the hope of eluding further -notice. But when he heard the sound of running feet, he jumped up to -take the chance of escape by flight. He fell, however, with a keen -shoot of pain, for the bolt of a crossbow had wounded his leg, and the -blood was now streaming from it. He was instantly laid Hold of by two -or three of the men-at-arms. It was useless to struggle, and he -submitted in silence. -</P> - -<P> -'It's a boy!' cried several of them together, in a tone of amazement. -'I thought it was one of those demons. What are you about here?' -</P> - -<P> -'Going to have a little rough usage, apparently,' said Curdie, -laughing, as the men shook him. -</P> - -<P> -'Impertinence will do you no good. You have no business here in the -king's grounds, and if you don't give a true account of yourself, you -shall fare as a thief.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why, what else could he be?' said one. -</P> - -<P> -'He might have been after a lost kid, you know,' suggested another. -</P> - -<P> -'I see no good in trying to excuse him. He has no business here, -anyhow.' -</P> - -<P> -'Let me go away, then, if you please,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'But we don't please—not except you give a good account of yourself.' -</P> - -<P> -'I don't feel quite sure whether I can trust you,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'We are the king's own men-at-arms,' said the captain courteously, for -he was taken with Curdie's appearance and courage. -</P> - -<P> -'Well, I will tell you all about it—if you will promise to listen to -me and not do anything rash.' -</P> - -<P> -'I call that cool!' said one of the party, laughing. 'He will tell us -what mischief he was about, if we promise to do as pleases him.' -</P> - -<P> -'I was about no mischief,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -But ere he could say more he turned faint, and fell senseless on the -grass. Then first they discovered that the bolt they had shot, taking -him for one of the goblin creatures, had wounded him. -</P> - -<P> -They carried him into the house and laid him down in the hall. The -report spread that they had caught a robber, and the servants crowded -in to see the villain. Amongst the rest came the nurse. The moment she -saw him she exclaimed with indignation: -</P> - -<P> -'I declare it's the same young rascal of a miner that was rude to me -and the princess on the mountain. He actually wanted to kiss the -princess. I took good care of that—the wretch! And he was prowling -about, was he? Just like his impudence!' The princess being fast -asleep, she could misrepresent at her pleasure. -</P> - -<P> -When he heard this, the captain, although he had considerable doubt of -its truth, resolved to keep Curdie a prisoner until they could search -into the affair. So, after they had brought him round a little, and -attended to his wound, which was rather a bad one, they laid him, still -exhausted from the loss of blood, upon a mattress in a disused -room—one of those already so often mentioned—and locked the door, and -left him. He passed a troubled night, and in the morning they found -him talking wildly. In the evening he came to himself, but felt very -weak, and his leg was exceedingly painful. Wondering where he was, and -seeing one of the men-at-arms in the room, he began to question him and -soon recalled the events of the preceding night. As he was himself -unable to watch any more, he told the soldier all he knew about the -goblins, and begged him to tell his companions, and stir them up to -watch with tenfold vigilance; but whether it was that he did not talk -quite coherently, or that the whole thing appeared incredible, -certainly the man concluded that Curdie was only raving still, and -tried to coax him into holding his tongue. This, of course, annoyed -Curdie dreadfully, who now felt in his turn what it was not to be -believed, and the consequence was that his fever returned, and by the -time when, at his persistent entreaties, the captain was called, there -could be no doubt that he was raving. They did for him what they -could, and promised everything he wanted, but with no intention of -fulfilment. At last he went to sleep, and when at length his sleep -grew profound and peaceful, they left him, locked the door again, and -withdrew, intending to revisit him early in the morning. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap26"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 26 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Goblin-Miners -</H3> - -<P> -That same night several of the servants were having a chat together -before going to bed. -</P> - -<P> -'What can that noise be?' said one of the housemaids, who had been -listening for a moment or two. -</P> - -<P> -'I've heard it the last two nights,' said the cook. 'If there were any -about the place, I should have taken it for rats, but my Tom keeps them -far enough.' -</P> - -<P> -'I've heard, though,' said the scullery-maid, 'that rats move about in -great companies sometimes. There may be an army of them invading us. -I've heard the noises yesterday and today too.' -</P> - -<P> -'It'll be grand fun, then, for my Tom and Mrs Housekeeper's Bob,' said -the cook. 'They'll be friends for once in their lives, and fight on -the same side. I'll engage Tom and Bob together will put to flight any -number of rats.' -</P> - -<P> -'It seems to me,' said the nurse, 'that the noises are much too loud -for that. I have heard them all day, and my princess has asked me -several times what they could be. Sometimes they sound like distant -thunder, and sometimes like the noises you hear in the mountain from -those horrid miners underneath.' -</P> - -<P> -'I shouldn't wonder,' said the cook, 'if it was the miners after all. -They may have come on some hole in the mountain through which the -noises reach to us. They are always boring and blasting and breaking, -you know.' -</P> - -<P> -As he spoke, there came a great rolling rumble beneath them, and the -house quivered. They all started up in affright, and rushing to the -hall found the gentlemen-at-arms in consternation also. They had sent -to wake their captain, who said from their description that it must -have been an earthquake, an occurrence which, although very rare in -that country, had taken place almost within the century; and then went -to bed again, strange to say, and fell fast asleep without once -thinking of Curdie, or associating the noises they had heard with what -he had told them. He had not believed Curdie. If he had, he would at -once have thought of what he had said, and would have taken -precautions. As they heard nothing more, they concluded that Sir -Walter was right, and that the danger was over for perhaps another -hundred years. The fact, as discovered afterwards, was that the -goblins had, in working up a second sloping face of stone, arrived at a -huge block which lay under the cellars of the house, within the line of -the foundations. -</P> - -<P> -It was so round that when they succeeded, after hard work, in -dislodging it without blasting, it rolled thundering down the slope -with a bounding, jarring roll, which shook the foundations of the -house. The goblins were themselves dismayed at the noise, for they -knew, by careful spying and measuring, that they must now be very near, -if not under the king's house, and they feared giving an alarm. They, -therefore, remained quiet for a while, and when they began to work -again, they no doubt thought themselves very fortunate in coming upon a -vein of sand which filled a winding fissure in the rock on which the -house was built. By scooping this away they came out in the king's -wine cellar. -</P> - -<P> -No sooner did they find where they were, than they scurried back again, -like rats into their holes, and running at full speed to the goblin -palace, announced their success to the king and queen with shouts of -triumph. -</P> - -<P> -In a moment the goblin royal family and the whole goblin people were on -their way in hot haste to the king's house, each eager to have a share -in the glory of carrying off that same night the Princess Irene. -</P> - -<P> -The queen went stumping along in one shoe of stone and one of skin. -</P> - -<P> -This could not have been pleasant, and my readers may wonder that, with -such skilful workmen about her, she had not yet replaced the shoe -carried off by Curdie. As the king, however, had more than one ground -of objection to her stone shoes, he no doubt took advantage of the -discovery of her toes, and threatened to expose her deformity if she -had another made. I presume he insisted on her being content with skin -shoes, and allowed her to wear the remaining granite one on the present -occasion only because she was going out to war. -</P> - -<P> -They soon arrived in the king's wine cellar, and regardless of its huge -vessels, of which they did not know the use, proceeded at once, but as -quietly as they could, to force the door that led upwards. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap27"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 27 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Goblins in the King's House -</H3> - -<P> -When Curdie fell asleep he began at once to dream. He thought he was -ascending the Mountainside from the mouth of the mine, whistling and -singing 'Ring, dod, bang!' when he came upon a woman and child who had -lost their way; and from that point he went on dreaming everything that -had happened to him since he thus met the princess and Lootie; how he -had watched the goblins, how he had been taken by them, how he had been -rescued by the princess; everything, indeed, until he was wounded, -captured, and imprisoned by the men-at-arms. And now he thought he was -lying wide awake where they had laid him, when suddenly he heard a -great thundering sound. -</P> - -<P> -'The cobs are coming!' he said. 'They didn't believe a word I told -them! The cobs'll be carrying off the princess from under their stupid -noses! But they shan't! that they shan't!' -</P> - -<P> -He jumped up, as he thought, and began to dress, but, to his dismay, -found that he was still lying in bed. -</P> - -<P> -'Now then, I will!' he said. 'Here goes! I am up now!' -</P> - -<P> -But yet again he found himself snug in bed. Twenty times he tried, and -twenty times he failed; for in fact he was not awake, only dreaming -that he was. At length in an agony of despair, fancying he heard the -goblins all over the house, he gave a great cry. Then there came, as -he thought, a hand upon the lock of his door. It opened, and, looking -up, he saw a lady with white hair, carrying a silver box in her hand, -enter the room. She came to his bed, he thought, stroked his head and -face with cool, soft hands, took the dressing from his leg, rubbed it -with something that smelt like roses, and then waved her hands over him -three times. At the last wave of her hands everything vanished, he -felt himself sinking into the profoundest slumber, and remembered -nothing more until he awoke in earnest. -</P> - -<P> -The setting moon was throwing a feeble light through the casement, and -the house was full of uproar. There was soft heavy multitudinous -stamping, a clashing and clanging of weapons, the voices of men and the -cries of women, mixed with a hideous bellowing, which sounded -victorious. The cobs were in the house! He sprang from his bed, -hurried on some of his clothes, not forgetting his shoes, which were -armed with nails; then spying an old hunting-knife, or short sword, -hanging on the wall, he caught it, and rushed down the stairs, guided -by the sounds of strife, which grew louder and louder. -</P> - -<P> -When he reached the ground floor he found the whole place swarming. -</P> - -<P> -All the goblins of the mountain seemed gathered there. He rushed -amongst them, shouting: -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'One, two,<BR> - Hit and hew!<BR> - Three, four,<BR> - Blast and bore!'<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="noindent"> -and with every rhyme he came down a great stamp upon a foot, cutting at -the same time their faces—executing, indeed, a sword dance of the -wildest description. Away scattered the goblins in every -direction—into closets, up stairs, into chimneys, up on rafters, and -down to the cellars. Curdie went on stamping and slashing and singing, -but saw nothing of the people of the house until he came to the great -hall, in which, the moment he entered it, arose a great goblin shout. -The last of the men-at-arms, the captain himself, was on the floor, -buried beneath a wallowing crowd of goblins. For, while each knight -was busy defending himself as well as he could, by stabs in the thick -bodies of the goblins, for he had soon found their heads all but -invulnerable, the queen had attacked his legs and feet with her -horrible granite shoe, and he was soon down; but the captain had got -his back to the wall and stood out longer. The goblins would have torn -them all to pieces, but the king had given orders to carry them away -alive, and over each of them, in twelve groups, was standing a knot of -goblins, while as many as could find room were sitting upon their -prostrate bodies. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie burst in dancing and gyrating and stamping and singing like a -small incarnate whirlwind. -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'Where 'tis all a hole, sir,<BR> - Never can be holes:<BR> - Why should their shoes have soles, sir,<BR> - When they've got no souls?<BR> -</P> - -<P CLASS="poem"> - 'But she upon her foot, sir,<BR> - Has a granite shoe:<BR> - The strongest leather boot, sir,<BR> - Six would soon be through.'<BR> -</P> - -<BR> - -<P> -The queen gave a howl of rage and dismay; and before she recovered her -presence of mind, Curdie, having begun with the group nearest him, had -eleven of the knights on their legs again. -</P> - -<P> -'Stamp on their feet!' he cried as each man rose, and in a few minutes -the hall was nearly empty, the goblins running from it as fast as they -could, howling and shrieking and limping, and cowering every now and -then as they ran to cuddle their wounded feet in their hard hands, or -to protect them from the frightful stamp-stamp of the armed men. -</P> - -<P> -And now Curdie approached the group which, in trusting in the queen and -her shoe, kept their guard over the prostrate captain. The king sat on -the captain's head, but the queen stood in front, like an infuriated -cat, with her perpendicular eyes gleaming green, and her hair standing -half up from her horrid head. Her heart was quaking, however, and she -kept moving about her skin-shod foot with nervous apprehension. When -Curdie was within a few paces, she rushed at him, made one tremendous -stamp at his opposing foot, which happily he withdrew in time, and -caught him round the waist, to dash him on the marble floor. But just -as she caught him, he came down with all the weight of his iron-shod -shoe upon her skin-shod foot, and with a hideous howl she dropped him, -squatted on the floor, and took her foot in both her hands. Meanwhile -the rest rushed on the king and the bodyguard, sent them flying, and -lifted the prostrate captain, who was all but pressed to death. It was -some moments before he recovered breath and consciousness. -</P> - -<P> -'Where's the princess?' cried Curdie, again and again. -</P> - -<P> -No one knew, and off they all rushed in search of her. -</P> - -<P> -Through every room in the house they went, but nowhere was she to be -found. Neither was one of the servants to be seen. But Curdie, who -had kept to the lower part of the house, which was now quiet enough, -began to hear a confused sound as of a distant hubbub, and set out to -find where it came from. The noise grew as his sharp ears guided him -to a stair and so to the wine cellar. It was full of goblins, whom the -butler was supplying with wine as fast as he could draw it. -</P> - -<P> -While the queen and her party had encountered the men-at-arms, Harelip -with another company had gone off to search the house. They captured -every one they met, and when they could find no more, they hurried away -to carry them safe to the caverns below. But when the butler, who was -amongst them, found that their path lay through the wine cellar, he -bethought himself of persuading them to taste the wine, and, as he had -hoped, they no sooner tasted than they wanted more. The routed -goblins, on their way below, joined them, and when Curdie entered they -were all, with outstretched hands, in which were vessels of every -description from sauce pan to silver cup, pressing around the butler, -who sat at the tap of a huge cask, filling and filling. Curdie cast -one glance around the place before commencing his attack, and saw in -the farthest corner a terrified group of the domestics unwatched, but -cowering without courage to attempt their escape. Amongst them was the -terror-stricken face of Lootie; but nowhere could he see the princess. -Seized with the horrible conviction that Harelip had already carried -her off, he rushed amongst them, unable for wrath to sing any more, but -stamping and cutting with greater fury than ever. -</P> - -<P> -'Stamp on their feet; stamp on their feet!' he shouted, and in a moment -the goblins were disappearing through the hole in the floor like rats -and mice. -</P> - -<P> -They could not vanish so fast, however, but that many more goblin feet -had to go limping back over the underground ways of the mountain that -morning. -</P> - -<P> -Presently, however, they were reinforced from above by the king and his -party, with the redoubtable queen at their head. Finding Curdie again -busy amongst her unfortunate subjects, she rushed at him once more with -the rage of despair, and this time gave him a bad bruise on the foot. -Then a regular stamping fight got up between them, Curdie, with the -point of his hunting-knife, keeping her from clasping her mighty arms -about him, as he watched his opportunity of getting once more a good -stamp at her skin-shod foot. But the queen was more wary as well as -more agile than hitherto. -</P> - -<P> -The rest meantime, finding their adversary thus matched for the moment, -paused in their headlong hurry, and turned to the shivering group of -women in the corner. As if determined to emulate his father and have a -sun-woman of some sort to share his future throne, Harelip rushed at -them, caught up Lootie, and sped with her to the hole. She gave a -great shriek, and Curdie heard her, and saw the plight she was in. -Gathering all his strength, he gave the queen a sudden cut across the -face with his weapon, came down, as she started back, with all his -weight on the proper foot, and sprung to Lootie's rescue. The prince -had two defenceless feet, and on both of them Curdie stamped just as he -reached the hole. He dropped his burden and rolled shrieking into the -earth. Curdie made one stab at him as he disappeared, caught hold of -the senseless Lootie, and having dragged her back to the corner, there -mounted guard over her, preparing once more to encounter the queen. -</P> - -<P> -Her face streaming with blood, and her eyes flashing green lightning -through it, she came on with her mouth open and her teeth grinning like -a tiger's, followed by the king and her bodyguard of the thickest -goblins. But the same moment in rushed the captain and his men, and -ran at them stamping furiously. They dared not encounter such an -onset. Away they scurried, the queen foremost. Of course, the right -thing would have been to take the king and queen prisoners, and hold -them hostages for the princess, but they were so anxious to find her -that no one thought of detaining them until it was too late. -</P> - -<P> -Having thus rescued the servants, they set about searching the house -once more. None of them could give the least information concerning -the princess. Lootie was almost silly with terror, and, although -scarcely able to walk would not leave Curdie's side for a single -moment. Again he allowed the others to search the rest of the -house—where, except a dismayed goblin lurking here and there, they -found no one—while he requested Lootie to take him to the princess's -room. She was as submissive and obedient as if he had been the king. -</P> - -<P> -He found the bedclothes tossed about, and most of them on the floor, -while the princess's garments were scattered all over the room, which -was in the greatest confusion. It was only too evident that the -goblins had been there, and Curdie had no longer any doubt that she had -been carried off at the very first of the inroad. With a pang of -despair he saw how wrong they had been in not securing the king and -queen and prince; but he determined to find and rescue the princess as -she had found and rescued him, or meet the worst fate to which the -goblins could doom him. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap28"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 28 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Curdie's Guide -</H3> - -<P> -Just as the consolation of this resolve dawned upon his mind and he was -turning away for the cellar to follow the goblins into their hole, -something touched his hand. It was the slightest touch, and when he -looked he could see nothing. Feeling and peering about in the grey of -the dawn, his fingers came upon a tight thread. He looked again, and -narrowly, but still could see nothing. It flashed upon him that this -must be the princess's thread. Without saying a word, for he knew no -one would believe him any more than he had believed the princess, he -followed the thread with his finger, contrived to give Lootie the slip, -and was soon out of the house and on the mountainside—surprised that, -if the thread were indeed the grandmother's messenger, it should have -led the princess, as he supposed it must, into the mountain, where she -would be certain to meet the goblins rushing back enraged from their -defeat. But he hurried on in the hope of overtaking her first. When -he arrived, however, at the place where the path turned off for the -mine, he found that the thread did not turn with it, but went straight -up the mountain. Could it be that the thread was leading him home to -his mother's cottage? Could the princess be there? He bounded up the -mountain like one of its own goats, and before the sun was up the -thread had brought him indeed to his mother's door. There it vanished -from his fingers, and he could not find it, search as he might. -</P> - -<P> -The door was on the latch, and he entered. There sat his mother by the -fire, and in her arms lay the princess, fast asleep. -</P> - -<P> -'Hush, Curdie!' said his mother. 'Do not wake her. I'm so glad you're -come! I thought the cobs must have got you again!' -</P> - -<P> -With a heart full of delight, Curdie sat down at a corner of the -hearth, on a stool opposite his mother's chair, and gazed at the -princess, who slept as peacefully as if she had been in her own bed. -All at once she opened her eyes and fixed them on him. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, Curdie! you're come!' she said quietly. 'I thought you would!' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie rose and stood before her with downcast eyes. -</P> - -<P> -'Irene,' he said, 'I am very sorry I did not believe you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, never mind, Curdie!' answered the princess. 'You couldn't, you -know. You do believe me now, don't you?' -</P> - -<P> -'I can't help it now. I ought to have helped it before.' -</P> - -<P> -'Why can't you help it now?' -</P> - -<P> -'Because, just as I was going into the mountain to look for you, I got -hold of your thread, and it brought me here.' -</P> - -<P> -'Then you've come from my house, have you?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, I have.' -</P> - -<P> -'I didn't know you were there.' -</P> - -<P> -'I've been there two or three days, I believe.' -</P> - -<P> -'And I never knew it! Then perhaps you can tell me why my grandmother -has brought me here? I can't think. Something woke me—I didn't know -what, but I was frightened, and I felt for the thread, and there it -was! I was more frightened still when it brought me out on the -mountain, for I thought it was going to take me into it again, and I -like the outside of it best. I supposed you were in trouble again, and -I had to get you out. But it brought me here instead; and, oh, Curdie! -your mother has been so kind to me—just like my own grandmother!' -</P> - -<P> -Here Curdie's mother gave the princess a hug, and the princess turned -and gave her a sweet smile, and held up her mouth to kiss her. -</P> - -<P> -'Then you didn't see the cobs?'asked Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'No; I haven't been into the mountain, I told you, Curdie.' -</P> - -<P> -'But the cobs have been into your house—all over it—and into your -bedroom, making such a row!' -</P> - -<P> -'What did they want there? It was very rude of them.' -</P> - -<P> -'They wanted you—to carry you off into the mountain with them, for a -wife to their prince Harelip.' -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, how dreadful' cried the princess, shuddering. -</P> - -<P> -'But you needn't be afraid, you know. Your grandmother takes care of -you.' -</P> - -<P> -'Ah! you do believe in my grandmother, then? I'm so glad! She made me -think you would some day.' -</P> - -<P> -All at once Curdie remembered his dream, and was silent, thinking. -</P> - -<P> -'But how did you come to be in my house, and me not know it?' asked the -princess. -</P> - -<P> -Then Curdie had to explain everything—how he had watched for her sake, -how he had been wounded and shut up by the soldiers, how he heard the -noises and could not rise, and how the beautiful old lady had come to -him, and all that followed. -</P> - -<P> -'Poor Curdie! to lie there hurt and ill, and me never to know it!' -exclaimed the princess, stroking his rough hand. 'I would have come -and nursed you, if they had told me.' -</P> - -<P> -'I didn't see you were lame,' said his mother. -</P> - -<P> -'Am I, mother? Oh—yes—I suppose I ought to be! I declare I've never -thought of it since I got up to go down amongst the cobs!' -</P> - -<P> -'Let me see the wound,' said his mother. -</P> - -<P> -He pulled down his stocking—when behold, except a great scar, his leg -was perfectly sound! -</P> - -<P> -Curdie and his mother gazed in each other's eyes, full of wonder, but -Irene called out: -</P> - -<P> -'I thought so, Curdie! I was sure it wasn't a dream. I was sure my -grandmother had been to see you. Don't you smell the roses? It was my -grandmother healed your leg, and sent you to help me.' -</P> - -<P> -'No, Princess Irene,' said Curdie; 'I wasn't good enough to be allowed -to help you: I didn't believe you. Your grandmother took care of you -without me.' -</P> - -<P> -'She sent you to help my people, anyhow. I wish my king-papa would -come. I do want so to tell him how good you have been!' -</P> - -<P> -'But,' said the mother, 'we are forgetting how frightened your people -must be. You must take the princess home at once, Curdie—or at least -go and tell them where she is.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, mother. Only I'm dreadfully hungry. Do let me have some -breakfast first. They ought to have listened to me, and then they -wouldn't have been taken by surprise as they were.' -</P> - -<P> -'That is true, Curdie; but it is not for you to blame them much. You -remember?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, mother, I do. Only I must really have something to eat.' -</P> - -<P> -'You shall, my boy—as fast as I can get it,' said his mother, rising -and setting the princess on her chair. -</P> - -<P> -But before his breakfast was ready, Curdie jumped up so suddenly as to -startle both his companions. -</P> - -<P> -'Mother, mother!' he cried, 'I was forgetting. You must take the -princess home yourself. I must go and wake my father.' -</P> - -<P> -Without a word of explanation, he rushed to the place where his father -was sleeping. Having thoroughly roused him with what he told him he -darted out of the cottage. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap29"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 29 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -Masonwork -</H3> - -<P> -He had all at once remembered the resolution of the goblins to carry -out their second plan upon the failure of the first. No doubt they -were already busy, and the mine was therefore in the greatest danger of -being flooded and rendered useless—not to speak of the lives of the -miners. -</P> - -<P> -When he reached the mouth of the mine, after rousing all the miners -within reach, he found his father and a good many more just entering. -They all hurried to the gang by which he had found a way into the -goblin country. There the foresight of Peter had already collected a -great many blocks of stone, with cement, ready for building up the weak -place—well enough known to the goblins. Although there was not room -for more than two to be actually building at once, they managed, by -setting all the rest to work in preparing the cement and passing the -stones, to finish in the course of the day a huge buttress filling the -whole gang, and supported everywhere by the live rock. Before the hour -when they usually dropped work, they were satisfied the mine was secure. -</P> - -<P> -They had heard goblin hammers and pickaxes busy all the time, and at -length fancied they heard sounds of water they had never heard before. -But that was otherwise accounted for when they left the mine, for they -stepped out into a tremendous storm which was raging all over the -mountain. The thunder was bellowing, and the lightning lancing out of -a huge black cloud which lay above it and hung down its edges of thick -mist over its sides. The lightning was breaking out of the mountain, -too, and flashing up into the cloud. From the state of the brooks, now -swollen into raging torrents, it was evident that the storm had been -storming all day. -</P> - -<P> -The wind was blowing as if it would blow him off the mountain, but, -anxious about his mother and the princess, Curdie darted up through the -thick of the tempest. Even if they had not set out before the storm -came on, he did not judge them safe, for in such a storm even their -poor little house was in danger. Indeed he soon found that but for a -huge rock against which it was built, and which protected it both from -the blasts and the waters, it must have been swept if it was not blown -away; for the two torrents into which this rock parted the rush of -water behind it united again in front of the cottage—two roaring and -dangerous streams, which his mother and the princess could not possibly -have passed. It was with great difficulty that he forced his way -through one of them, and up to the door. -</P> - -<P> -The moment his hand fell on the latch, through all the uproar of winds -and Waters came the joyous cry of the princess: -</P> - -<P> -'There's Curdie! Curdie! Curdie!' -</P> - -<P> -She was sitting wrapped in blankets on the bed, his mother trying for -the hundredth time to light the fire which had been drowned by the rain -that came down the chimney. The clay floor was one mass of mud, and -the whole place looked wretched. But the faces of the mother and the -princess shone as if their troubles only made them the merrier. Curdie -burst out laughing at the sight of them. -</P> - -<P> -'I never had such fun!' said the princess, her eyes twinkling and her -pretty teeth shining. 'How nice it must be to live in a cottage on the -mountain!' -</P> - -<P> -'It all depends on what kind your inside house is,' said the mother. -</P> - -<P> -'I know what you mean,' said Irene. 'That's the kind of thing my -grandmother says.' -</P> - -<P> -By the time Peter returned the storm was nearly over, but the streams -were so fierce and so swollen that it was not only out of the question -for the princess to go down the mountain, but most dangerous for Peter -even or Curdie to make the attempt in the gathering darkness. -</P> - -<P> -'They will be dreadfully frightened about you,' said Peter to the -princess, 'but we cannot help it. We must wait till the morning.' -</P> - -<P> -With Curdie's help, the fire was lighted at last, and the mother set -about making their supper; and after supper they all told the princess -stories till she grew sleepy. Then Curdie's mother laid her in -Curdie's bed, which was in a tiny little garret-room. As soon as she -was in bed, through a little window low down in the roof she caught -sight of her grandmother's lamp shining far away beneath, and she gazed -at the beautiful silvery globe until she fell asleep. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap30"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 30 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The King and the Kiss -</H3> - -<P> -The next morning the sun rose so bright that Irene said the rain had -washed his face and let the light out clean. The torrents were still -roaring down the side of the mountain, but they were so much smaller as -not to be dangerous in the daylight. After an early breakfast, Peter -went to his work and Curdie and his mother set out to take the princess -home. They had difficulty in getting her dry across the streams, and -Curdie had again and again to carry her, but at last they got safe on -the broader part of the road, and walked gently down towards the king's -house. And what should they see as they turned the last corner but the -last of the king's troop riding through the gate! -</P> - -<P> -'Oh, Curdie!' cried Irene, clapping her hands right joyfully,'my -king-papa is come.' -</P> - -<P> -The moment Curdie heard that, he caught her up in his arms, and set off -at full speed, crying: -</P> - -<P> -'Come on, mother dear! The king may break his heart before he knows -that she is safe.' -</P> - -<P> -Irene clung round his neck and he ran with her like a deer. When he -entered the gate into the court, there sat the king on his horse, with -all the people of the house about him, weeping and hanging their heads. -The king was not weeping, but his face was white as a dead man's, and -he looked as if the life had gone out of him. The men-at-arms he had -brought with him sat with horror-stricken faces, but eyes flashing with -rage, waiting only for the word of the king to do something—they did -not know what, and nobody knew what. -</P> - -<P> -The day before, the men-at-arms belonging to the house, as soon as they -were satisfied the princess had been carried away, rushed after the -goblins into the hole, but found that they had already so skilfully -blockaded the narrowest part, not many feet below the cellar, that -without miners and their tools they could do nothing. Not one of them -knew where the mouth of the mine lay, and some of those who had set out -to find it had been overtaken by the storm and had not even yet -returned. Poor Sir Walter was especially filled with shame, and almost -hoped the king would order his head to be cut off, for to think of that -sweet little face down amongst the goblins was unendurable. -</P> - -<P> -When Curdie ran in at the gate with the princess in his arms, they were -all so absorbed in their own misery and awed by the king's presence and -grief, that no one observed his arrival. He went straight up to the -king, where he sat on his horse. -</P> - -<P> -'Papa! papa!' the princess cried, stretching out her arms to him; 'here -I am!' -</P> - -<P> -The king started. The colour rushed to his face. He gave an -inarticulate cry. Curdie held up the princess, and the king bent down -and took her from his arms. As he clasped her to his bosom, the big -tears went dropping down his cheeks and his beard. And such a shout -arose from all the bystanders that the startled horses pranced and -capered, and the armour rang and clattered, and the rocks of the -mountain echoed back the noises. The princess greeted them all as she -nestled in her father's bosom, and the king did not set her down until -she had told them all the story. But she had more to tell about Curdie -than about herself, and what she did tell about herself none of them -could understand—except the king and Curdie, who stood by the king's -knee stroking the neck of the great white horse. And still as she told -what Curdie had done, Sir Walter and others added to what she told, -even Lootie joining in the praises of his courage and energy. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie held his peace, looking quietly up in the king's face. And his -mother stood on the outskirts of the crowd listening with delight, for -her son's deeds were pleasant in her ears, until the princess caught -sight of her. -</P> - -<P> -'And there is his mother, king-papa!' she said. 'See—there. She is -such a nice mother, and has been so kind to me!' -</P> - -<P> -They all parted asunder as the king made a sign to her to come forward. -She obeyed, and he gave her his hand, but could not speak. -</P> - -<P> -'And now, king-papa,' the princess went on, 'I must tell you another -thing. One night long ago Curdie drove the goblins away and brought -Lootie and me safe from the mountain. And I promised him a kiss when -we got home, but Lootie wouldn't let me give it him. I don't want you -to scold Lootie, but I want you to tell her that a princess must do as -she promises.' -</P> - -<P> -'Indeed she must, my child—except it be wrong,' said the king. 'There, -give Curdie a kiss.' -</P> - -<P> -And as he spoke he held her towards him. -</P> - -<P> -The princess reached down, threw her arms round Curdie's neck, and -kissed him on the mouth, saying: 'There, Curdie! There's the kiss I -promised you!' -</P> - -<P> -Then they all went into the house, and the cook rushed to the kitchen -and the servants to their work. Lootie dressed Irene in her shiningest -clothes, and the king put off his armour, and put on purple and gold; -and a messenger was sent for Peter and all the miners, and there was a -great and a grand feast, which continued long after the princess was -put to bed. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap31"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 31 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Subterranean Waters -</H3> - -<P> -The king's harper, who always formed a part of his escort, was chanting -a ballad which he made as he went on playing on his instrument—about -the princess and the goblins, and the prowess of Curdie, when all at -once he ceased, with his eyes on one of the doors of the hall. -Thereupon the eyes of the king and his guests turned thitherward also. -The next moment, through the open doorway came the princess Irene. She -went straight up to her father, with her right hand stretched out a -little sideways, and her forefinger, as her father and Curdie -understood, feeling its way along the invisible thread. The king took -her on his knee, and she said in his ear: -</P> - -<P> -'King-papa, do you hear that noise?' -</P> - -<P> -'I hear nothing,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -'Listen,' she said, holding up her forefinger. -</P> - -<P> -The king listened, and a great stillness fell upon the company. Each -man, seeing that the king listened, listened also, and the harper sat -with his harp between his arms, and his finger silent upon the strings. -</P> - -<P> -'I do hear a noise,' said the king at length—'a noise as of distant -thunder. It is coming nearer and nearer. What can it be?' -</P> - -<P> -They all heard it now, and each seemed ready to start to his feet as he -listened. Yet all sat perfectly still. The noise came rapidly nearer. -</P> - -<P> -'What can it be?' said the king again. -</P> - -<P> -'I think it must be another storm coming over the mountain,' said Sir -Walter. -</P> - -<P> -Then Curdie, who at the first word of the king had slipped from his -seat, and laid his ear to the ground, rose up quickly, and approaching -the king said, speaking very fast: -</P> - -<P> -'Please, Your Majesty, I think I know what it is. I have no time to -explain, for that might make it too late for some of us. Will Your -Majesty give orders that everybody leave the house as quickly as -possible and get up the mountain?' -</P> - -<P> -The king, who was the wisest man in the kingdom, knew well there was a -time when things must be done and questions left till afterwards. He -had faith in Curdie, and rose instantly, with Irene in his arms. -'Every man and woman follow me,' he said, and strode out into the -darkness. -</P> - -<P> -Before he had reached the gate, the noise had grown to a great -thundering roar, and the ground trembled beneath their feet, and before -the last of them had crossed the court, out after them from the great -hall door came a huge rush of turbid water, and almost swept them away. -But they got safe out of the gate and up the mountain, while the -torrent went roaring down the road into the valley beneath. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie had left the king and the princess to look after his mother, -whom he and his father, one on each side, caught up when the stream -overtook them and carried safe and dry. -</P> - -<P> -When the king had got out of the way of the water, a little up the -mountain, he stood with the princess in his arms, looking back with -amazement on the issuing torrent, which glimmered fierce and foamy -through the night. There Curdie rejoined them. -</P> - -<P> -'Now, Curdie,' said the king, 'what does it mean? Is this what you -expected?' -</P> - -<P> -'It is, Your Majesty,' said Curdie; and proceeded to tell him about the -second scheme of the goblins, who, fancying the miners of more -importance to the upper world than they were, had resolved, if they -should fail in carrying off the king's daughter, to flood the mine and -drown the miners. Then he explained what the miners had done to -prevent it. The goblins had, in pursuance of their design, let loose -all the underground reservoirs and streams, expecting the water to run -down into the mine, which was lower than their part of the mountain, -for they had, as they supposed, not knowing of the solid wall close -behind, broken a passage through into it. But the readiest outlet the -water could find had turned out to be the tunnel they had made to the -king's house, the possibility of which catastrophe had not occurred to -the young miner until he had laid his ear to the floor of the hall. -</P> - -<P> -What was then to be done? The house appeared in danger of falling, and -every moment the torrent was increasing. -</P> - -<P> -'We must set out at once,' said the king. 'But how to get at the -horses!' -</P> - -<P> -'Shall I see if we can manage that?' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'Do,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie gathered the men-at-arms, and took them over the garden wall, -and so to the stables. They found their horses in terror; the water -was rising fast around them, and it was quite time they were got out. -But there was no way to get them out, except by riding them through the -stream, which was now pouring from the lower windows as well as the -door. As one horse was quite enough for any man to manage through such -a torrent, Curdie got on the king's white charger and, leading the way, -brought them all in safety to the rising ground. -</P> - -<P> -'Look, look, Curdie!' cried Irene, the moment that, having dismounted, -he led the horse up to the king. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie did look, and saw, high in the air, somewhere about the top of -the king's house, a great globe of light shining like the purest silver. -</P> - -<P> -'Oh!' he cried in some consternation, 'that is your grandmother's lamp! -We must get her out. I will go an find her. The house may fall, you -know.' -</P> - -<P> -'My grandmother is in no danger,' said Irene, smiling. -</P> - -<P> -'Here, Curdie, take the princess while I get on my horse,' said the -king. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie took the princess again, and both turned their eyes to the globe -of light. The same moment there shot from it a white bird, which, -descending with outstretched wings, made one circle round the king an -Curdie and the princess, and then glided up again. The light and the -pigeon vanished together. -</P> - -<P> -'Now, Curdie!' said the princess, as he lifted her to her father's -arms, 'you see my grandmother knows all about it, and isn't frightened. -I believe she could walk through that water and it wouldn't wet her a -bit.' -</P> - -<P> -'But, my child,' said the king, 'you will be cold if you haven't -Something more on. Run, Curdie, my boy, and fetch anything you can lay -your hands on, to keep the princess warm. We have a long ride before -us.' -</P> - -<P> -Curdie was gone in a moment, and soon returned with a great rich fur, -and the news that dead goblins were tossing about in the current -through the house. They had been caught in their own snare; instead of -the mine they had flooded their own country, whence they were now swept -up drowned. Irene shuddered, but the king held her close to his bosom. -Then he turned to Sir Walter, and said: -</P> - -<P> -'Bring Curdie's father and mother here.' -</P> - -<P> -'I wish,' said the king, when they stood before him, 'to take your son -with me. He shall enter my bodyguard at once, and wait further -promotion.' -</P> - -<P> -Peter and his wife, overcome, only murmured almost inaudible thanks. -But Curdie spoke aloud. -</P> - -<P> -'Please, Your Majesty,' he said, 'I cannot leave my father and mother.' -</P> - -<P> -'That's right, Curdie!' cried the princess. 'I wouldn't if I was you.' -</P> - -<P> -The king looked at the princess and then at Curdie with a glow of -satisfaction on his countenance. -</P> - -<P> -'I too think you are right, Curdie,' he said, 'and I will not ask you -again. But I shall have a chance of doing something for you some time.' -</P> - -<P> -'Your Majesty has already allowed me to serve you,' said Curdie. -</P> - -<P> -'But, Curdie,' said his mother, 'why shouldn't you go with the king? -We can get on very well without you.' -</P> - -<P> -'But I can't get on very well without you,' said Curdie. 'The king is -very kind, but I could not be half the use to him that I am to you. -Please, Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind giving my mother a red -petticoat! I should have got her one long ago, but for the goblins.' -</P> - -<P> -'As soon as we get home,' said the king, 'Irene and I will search out -the warmest one to be found, and send it by one of the gentlemen.' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, that we will, Curdie!' said the princess. 'And next summer we'll -come back and see you wear it, Curdie's mother,' she added. 'Shan't we, -king-papa?' -</P> - -<P> -'Yes, my love; I hope so,' said the king. -</P> - -<P> -Then turning to the miners, he said: -</P> - -<P> -'Will you do the best you can for my servants tonight? I hope they -will be able to return to the house tomorrow.' -</P> - -<P> -The miners with one voice promised their hospitality. Then the king -commanded his servants to mind whatever Curdie should say to them, and -after shaking hands with him and his father and mother, the king and -the princess and all their company rode away down the side of the new -stream, which had already devoured half the road, into the starry night. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR> - -<A NAME="chap32"></A> -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -CHAPTER 32 -</H3> - -<H3 ALIGN="center"> -The Last Chapter -</H3> - -<P> -All the rest went up the mountain, and separated in groups to the homes -of the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie with them. -And the whole way a light, of which all but Lootie understood the -origin, shone upon their path. But when they looked round they could -see nothing of the silvery globe. -</P> - -<P> -For days and days the water continued to rush from the doors and -windows of the king's house, and a few goblin bodies were swept out -into the road. -</P> - -<P> -Curdie saw that something must be done. He spoke to his father and the -rest of the miners, and they at once proceeded to make another outlet -for the waters. By setting all hands to the work, tunnelling here and -building there, they soon succeeded; and having also made a little -tunnel to drain the water away from under the king's house, they were -soon able to get into the wine cellar, where they found a multitude of -dead goblins—among the rest the queen, with the skin-shoe gone, and -the stone one fast to her ankle—for the water had swept away the -barricade, which prevented the men-at-arms from following the goblins, -and had greatly widened the passage. They built it securely up, and -then went back to their labours in the mine. -</P> - -<P> -A good many of the goblins with their creatures escaped from the -inundation out upon the mountain. But most of them soon left that part -of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in -character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies. Their -skulls became softer as well as their hearts, and their feet grew -harder, and by degrees they became friendly with the inhabitants of the -mountain and even with the miners. But the latter were merciless to -any of the cobs' creatures that came in their way, until at length they -all but disappeared. -</P> - -<P> -The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for -another volume. -</P> - -<BR><BR><BR><BR> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN *** - -***** This file should be named 708-h.htm or 708-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/7/0/708/ - -Produced by Jo Churcher. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Princess and the Goblin - -Author: George MacDonald - -Posting Date: September 27, 2008 [EBook #708] -Release Date: November, 1996 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN *** - - - - -Produced by Jo Churcher. HTML version by Al Haines. - - - - - - - - - -THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN - - -by - -GEORGE MACDONALD - - - - -CONTENTS - - - 1. Why the Princess Has a Story About Her - 2. The Princess Loses Herself - 3. The Princess and--We Shall See Who - 4. What the Nurse Thought of It - 5. The Princess Lets Well Alone - 6. The Little Miner - 7. The Mines - 8. The Goblins - 9. The Hall of the Goblin Palace - 10. The Princess's King-Papa - 11. The Old Lady's Bedroom - 12. A Short Chapter About Curdie - 13. The Cobs' Creatures - 14. That Night Week - 15. Woven and then Spun - 16. The Ring - 17. Springtime - 18. Curdie's Clue - 19. Goblin Counsels - 20. Irene's Clue - 21. The Escape - 22. The Old Lady and Curdie - 23. Curdie and His Mother - 24. Irene Behaves Like a Princess - 25. Curdie Comes to Grief - 26. The Goblin-Miners - 27. The Goblins in the King's House - 28. Curdie's Guide - 29. Masonwork - 30. The King and the Kiss - 31. The Subterranean Waters - 32. The Last Chapter - - - - -CHAPTER 1 - -Why the Princess Has a Story About Her - -There was once a little princess whose father was king over a great -country full of mountains and valleys. His palace was built upon one -of the mountains, and was very grand and beautiful. The princess, -whose name was Irene, was born there, but she was sent soon after her -birth, because her mother was not very strong, to be brought up by -country people in a large house, half castle, half farmhouse, on the -side of another mountain, about half-way between its base and its peak. - -The princess was a sweet little creature, and at the time my story -begins was about eight years old, I think, but she got older very fast. -Her face was fair and pretty, with eyes like two bits of night sky, -each with a star dissolved in the blue. Those eyes you would have -thought must have known they came from there, so often were they turned -up in that direction. The ceiling of her nursery was blue, with stars -in it, as like the sky as they could make it. But I doubt if ever she -saw the real sky with the stars in it, for a reason which I had better -mention at once. - -These mountains were full of hollow places underneath; huge caverns, -and winding ways, some with water running through them, and some -shining with all colours of the rainbow when a light was taken in. -There would not have been much known about them, had there not been -mines there, great deep pits, with long galleries and passages running -off from them, which had been dug to get at the ore of which the -mountains were full. In the course of digging, the miners came upon -many of these natural caverns. A few of them had far-off openings out -on the side of a mountain, or into a ravine. - -Now in these subterranean caverns lived a strange race of beings, -called by some gnomes, by some kobolds, by some goblins. There was a -legend current in the country that at one time they lived above ground, -and were very like other people. But for some reason or other, -concerning which there were different legendary theories, the king had -laid what they thought too severe taxes upon them, or had required -observances of them they did not like, or had begun to treat them with -more severity, in some way or other, and impose stricter laws; and the -consequence was that they had all disappeared from the face of the -country. According to the legend, however, instead of going to some -other country, they had all taken refuge in the subterranean caverns, -whence they never came out but at night, and then seldom showed -themselves in any numbers, and never to many people at once. It was -only in the least frequented and most difficult parts of the mountains -that they were said to gather even at night in the open air. Those who -had caught sight of any of them said that they had greatly altered in -the course of generations; and no wonder, seeing they lived away from -the sun, in cold and wet and dark places. They were now, not -ordinarily ugly, but either absolutely hideous, or ludicrously -grotesque both in face and form. There was no invention, they said, of -the most lawless imagination expressed by pen or pencil, that could -surpass the extravagance of their appearance. But I suspect those who -said so had mistaken some of their animal companions for the goblins -themselves--of which more by and by. The goblins themselves were not -so far removed from the human as such a description would imply. And -as they grew misshapen in body they had grown in knowledge and -cleverness, and now were able to do things no mortal could see the -possibility of. But as they grew in cunning, they grew in mischief, -and their great delight was in every way they could think of to annoy -the people who lived in the open-air storey above them. They had -enough of affection left for each other to preserve them from being -absolutely cruel for cruelty's sake to those that came in their way; -but still they so heartily cherished the ancestral grudge against those -who occupied their former possessions and especially against the -descendants of the king who had caused their expulsion, that they -sought every opportunity of tormenting them in ways that were as odd as -their inventors; and although dwarfed and misshapen, they had strength -equal to their cunning. In the process of time they had got a king and -a government of their own, whose chief business, beyond their own -simple affairs, was to devise trouble for their neighbours. It will -now be pretty evident why the little princess had never seen the sky at -night. They were much too afraid of the goblins to let her out of the -house then, even in company with ever so many attendants; and they had -good reason, as we shall see by and by. - - - -CHAPTER 2 - -The Princess Loses Herself - -I have said the Princess Irene was about eight years old when my story -begins. And this is how it begins. - -One very wet day, when the mountain was covered with mist which was -constantly gathering itself together into raindrops, and pouring down -on the roofs of the great old house, whence it fell in a fringe of -water from the eaves all round about it, the princess could not of -course go out. She got very tired, so tired that even her toys could -no longer amuse her. You would wonder at that if I had time to -describe to you one half of the toys she had. But then, you wouldn't -have the toys themselves, and that makes all the difference: you can't -get tired of a thing before you have it. It was a picture, though, -worth seeing--the princess sitting in the nursery with the sky ceiling -over her head, at a great table covered with her toys. If the artist -would like to draw this, I should advise him not to meddle with the -toys. I am afraid of attempting to describe them, and I think he had -better not try to draw them. He had better not. He can do a thousand -things I can't, but I don't think he could draw those toys. No man -could better make the princess herself than he could, though--leaning -with her back bowed into the back of the chair, her head hanging down, -and her hands in her lap, very miserable as she would say herself, not -even knowing what she would like, except it were to go out and get -thoroughly wet, and catch a particularly nice cold, and have to go to -bed and take gruel. The next moment after you see her sitting there, -her nurse goes out of the room. - -Even that is a change, and the princess wakes up a little, and looks -about her. Then she tumbles off her chair and runs out of the door, -not the same door the nurse went out of, but one which opened at the -foot of a curious old stair of worm-eaten oak, which looked as if never -anyone had set foot upon it. She had once before been up six steps, -and that was sufficient reason, in such a day, for trying to find out -what was at the top of it. - -Up and up she ran--such a long way it seemed to her!--until she came to -the top of the third flight. There she found the landing was the end -of a long passage. Into this she ran. It was full of doors on each -side. There were so many that she did not care to open any, but ran on -to the end, where she turned into another passage, also full of doors. -When she had turned twice more, and still saw doors and only doors -about her, she began to get frightened. It was so silent! And all -those doors must hide rooms with nobody in them! That was dreadful. -Also the rain made a great trampling noise on the roof. She turned and -started at full speed, her little footsteps echoing through the sounds -of the rain--back for the stairs and her safe nursery. So she thought, -but she had lost herself long ago. It doesn't follow that she was -lost, because she had lost herself, though. - -She ran for some distance, turned several times, and then began to be -afraid. Very soon she was sure that she had lost the way back. Rooms -everywhere, and no stair! Her little heart beat as fast as her little -feet ran, and a lump of tears was growing in her throat. But she was -too eager and perhaps too frightened to cry for some time. At last her -hope failed her. Nothing but passages and doors everywhere! She threw -herself on the floor, and burst into a wailing cry broken by sobs. - -She did not cry long, however, for she was as brave as could be -expected of a princess of her age. After a good cry, she got up, and -brushed the dust from her frock. Oh, what old dust it was! Then she -wiped her eyes with her hands, for princesses don't always have their -handkerchiefs in their pockets, any more than some other little girls I -know of. Next, like a true princess, she resolved on going wisely to -work to find her way back: she would walk through the passages, and -look in every direction for the stair. This she did, but without -success. She went over the same ground again an again without knowing -it, for the passages and doors were all alike. At last, in a corner, -through a half-open door, she did see a stair. But alas! it went the -wrong way: instead of going down, it went up. Frightened as she was, -however, she could not help wishing to see where yet further the stair -could lead. It was very narrow, and so steep that she went on like a -four-legged creature on her hands and feet. - - - -CHAPTER 3 - -The Princess and--We Shall See Who - -When she came to the top, she found herself in a little square place, -with three doors, two opposite each other, and one opposite the top of -the stair. She stood for a moment, without an idea in her little head -what to do next. But as she stood, she began to hear a curious humming -sound. Could it be the rain? No. It was much more gentle, and even -monotonous than the sound of the rain, which now she scarcely heard. -The low sweet humming sound went on, sometimes stopping for a little -while and then beginning again. It was more like the hum of a very -happy bee that had found a rich well of honey in some globular flower, -than anything else I can think of at this moment. Where could it come -from? She laid her ear first to one of the doors to hearken if it was -there--then to another. When she laid her ear against the third door, -there could be no doubt where it came from: it must be from something -in that room. What could it be? She was rather afraid, but her -curiosity was stronger than her fear, and she opened the door very -gently and peeped in. What do you think she saw? A very old lady who -sat spinning. - -Perhaps you will wonder how the princess could tell that the old lady -was an old lady, when I inform you that not only was she beautiful, but -her skin was smooth and white. I will tell you more. Her hair was -combed back from her forehead and face, and hung loose far down and all -over her back. That is not much like an old lady--is it? Ah! but it -was white almost as snow. And although her face was so smooth, her -eyes looked so wise that you could not have helped seeing she must be -old. The princess, though she could not have told you why, did think -her very old indeed--quite fifty, she said to herself. But she was -rather older than that, as you shall hear. - -While the princess stared bewildered, with her head just inside the -door, the old lady lifted hers, and said, in a sweet, but old and -rather shaky voice, which mingled very pleasantly with the continued -hum of her wheel: - -'Come in, my dear; come in. I am glad to see you.' - -That the princess was a real princess you might see now quite plainly; -for she didn't hang on to the handle of the door, and stare without -moving, as I have known some do who ought to have been princesses but -were only rather vulgar little girls. She did as she was told, stepped -inside the door at once, and shut it gently behind her. - -'Come to me, my dear,' said the old lady. - -And again the princess did as she was told. She approached the old -lady--rather slowly, I confess--but did not stop until she stood by her -side, and looked up in her face with her blue eyes and the two melted -stars in them. - -'Why, what have you been doing with your eyes, child?' asked the old -lady. - -'Crying,' answered the princess. - -'Why, child?' - -'Because I couldn't find my way down again.' - -'But you could find your way up.' - -'Not at first--not for a long time.' - -'But your face is streaked like the back of a zebra. Hadn't you a -handkerchief to wipe your eyes with?' - -'No.' - -'Then why didn't you come to me to wipe them for you?' - -'Please, I didn't know you were here. I will next time.' - -'There's a good child!' said the old lady. - -Then she stopped her wheel, and rose, and, going out of the room, -returned with a little silver basin and a soft white towel, with which -she washed and wiped the bright little face. And the princess thought -her hands were so smooth and nice! - -When she carried away the basin and towel, the little princess wondered -to see how straight and tall she was, for, although she was so old, she -didn't stoop a bit. She was dressed in black velvet with thick white -heavy-looking lace about it; and on the black dress her hair shone like -silver. There was hardly any more furniture in the room than there -might have been in that of the poorest old woman who made her bread by -her spinning. There was no carpet on the floor--no table -anywhere--nothing but the spinning-wheel and the chair beside it. When -she came back, she sat down and without a word began her spinning once -more, while Irene, who had never seen a spinning-wheel, stood by her -side and looked on. When the old lady had got her thread fairly going -again, she said to the princess, but without looking at her: - -'Do you know my name, child?' - -'No, I don't know it,' answered the princess. - -'My name is Irene.' - -'That's my name!' cried the princess. - -'I know that. I let you have mine. I haven't got your name. You've -got mine.' - -'How can that be?' asked the princess, bewildered. 'I've always had my -name.' - -'Your papa, the king, asked me if I had any objection to your having -it; and, of course, I hadn't. I let you have it with pleasure.' - -'It was very kind of you to give me your name--and such a pretty one,' -said the princess. - -'Oh, not so very kind!' said the old lady. 'A name is one of those -things one can give away and keep all the same. I have a good many -such things. Wouldn't you like to know who I am, child?' - -'Yes, that I should--very much.' - -'I'm your great-great-grandmother,' said the lady. - -'What's that?' asked the princess. - -'I'm your father's mother's father's mother.' - -'Oh, dear! I can't understand that,' said the princess. - -'I dare say not. I didn't expect you would. But that's no reason why -I shouldn't say it.' - -'Oh, no!' answered the princess. - -'I will explain it all to you when you are older,' the lady went on. -'But you will be able to understand this much now: I came here to take -care of you.' - -'Is it long since you came? Was it yesterday? Or was it today, -because it was so wet that I couldn't get out?' - -'I've been here ever since you came yourself.' - -'What a long time!' said the princess. 'I don't remember it at all.' - -'No. I suppose not.' - -'But I never saw you before.' - -'No. But you shall see me again.' - -'Do you live in this room always?' - -'I don't sleep in it. I sleep on the opposite side of the landing. I -sit here most of the day.' - -'I shouldn't like it. My nursery is much prettier. You must be a -queen too, if you are my great big grand-mother.' - -'Yes, I am a queen.' - -'Where is your crown, then?' 'In my bedroom.' - -'I should like to see it.' - -'You shall some day--not today.' - -'I wonder why nursie never told me.' - -'Nursie doesn't know. She never saw me.' - -'But somebody knows that you are in the house?' - -'No; nobody.' - -'How do you get your dinner, then?' - -'I keep poultry--of a sort.' - -'Where do you keep them?' - -'I will show you.' - -'And who makes the chicken broth for you?' - -'I never kill any of MY chickens.' - -'Then I can't understand.' - -'What did you have for breakfast this morning?' asked the lady. - -'Oh! I had bread and milk, and an egg--I dare say you eat their eggs.' - -'Yes, that's it. I eat their eggs.' - -'Is that what makes your hair so white?' - -'No, my dear. It's old age. I am very old.' - -'I thought so. Are you fifty?' - -'Yes--more than that.' - -'Are you a hundred?' - -'Yes--more than that. I am too old for you to guess. Come and see my -chickens.' - -Again she stopped her spinning. She rose, took the princess by the -hand, led her out of the room, and opened the door opposite the stair. -The princess expected to see a lot of hens and chickens, but instead of -that, she saw the blue sky first, and then the roofs of the house, with -a multitude of the loveliest pigeons, mostly white, but of all colours, -walking about, making bows to each other, and talking a language she -could not understand. She clapped her hands with delight, and up rose -such a flapping of wings that she in her turn was startled. - -'You've frightened my poultry,' said the old lady, smiling. - -'And they've frightened me,' said the princess, smiling too. 'But what -very nice poultry! Are the eggs nice?' - -'Yes, very nice.' 'What a small egg-spoon you must have! Wouldn't it -be better to keep hens, and get bigger eggs?' - -'How should I feed them, though?' - -'I see,' said the princess. 'The pigeons feed themselves. They've got -wings.' - -'Just so. If they couldn't fly, I couldn't eat their eggs.' - -'But how do you get at the eggs? Where are their nests?' - -The lady took hold of a little loop of string in the wall at the side -of the door and, lifting a shutter, showed a great many pigeon-holes -with nests, some with young ones and some with eggs in them. The birds -came in at the other side, and she took out the eggs on this side. She -closed it again quickly, lest the young ones should be frightened. - -'Oh, what a nice way!' cried the princess. 'Will you give me an egg to -eat? I'm rather hungry.' - -'I will some day, but now you must go back, or nursie will be miserable -about you. I dare say she's looking for you everywhere.' - -'Except here,' answered the princess. 'Oh, how surprised she will be -when I tell her about my great big grand-grand-mother!' - -'Yes, that she will!' said the old lady with a curious smile. 'Mind you -tell her all about it exactly.' - -'That I will. Please will you take me back to her?' - -'I can't go all the way, but I will take you to the top of the stair, -and then you must run down quite fast into your own room.' - -The little princess put her hand in the old lady's, who, looking this -way and that, brought her to the top of the first stair, and thence to -the bottom of the second, and did not leave her till she saw her -half-way down the third. When she heard the cry of her nurse's -pleasure at finding her, she turned and walked up the stairs again, -very fast indeed for such a very great grandmother, and sat down to her -spinning with another strange smile on her sweet old face. - -About this spinning of hers I will tell you more another time. - -Guess what she was spinning. - - - -CHAPTER 4 - -What the Nurse Thought of It - -'Why, where can you have been, princess?' asked the nurse, taking her -in her arms. 'It's very unkind of you to hide away so long. I began to -be afraid--' Here she checked herself. - -'What were you afraid of, nursie?' asked the princess. - -'Never mind,' she answered. 'Perhaps I will tell you another day. Now -tell me where you have been.' - -'I've been up a long way to see my very great, huge, old grandmother,' -said the princess. - -'What do you mean by that?' asked the nurse, who thought she was making -fun. - -'I mean that I've been a long way up and up to see My GREAT -grandmother. Ah, nursie, you don't know what a beautiful mother of -grandmothers I've got upstairs. She is such an old lady, with such -lovely white hair--as white as my silver cup. Now, when I think of it, -I think her hair must be silver.' - -'What nonsense you are talking, princess!' said the nurse. - -'I'm not talking nonsense,' returned Irene, rather offended. 'I will -tell you all about her. She's much taller than you, and much prettier.' - -'Oh, I dare say!' remarked the nurse. - -'And she lives upon pigeons' eggs.' - -'Most likely,' said the nurse. - -'And she sits in an empty room, spin-spinning all day long.' - -'Not a doubt of it,' said the nurse. - -'And she keeps her crown in her bedroom.' - -'Of course--quite the proper place to keep her crown in. She wears it -in bed, I'll be bound.' - -'She didn't say that. And I don't think she does. That wouldn't be -comfortable--would it? I don't think my papa wears his crown for a -night-cap. Does he, nursie?' - -'I never asked him. I dare say he does.' - -'And she's been there ever since I came here--ever so many years.' - -'Anybody could have told you that,' said the nurse, who did not believe -a word Irene was saying. - -'Why didn't you tell me, then?' - -'There was no necessity. You could make it all up for yourself.' - -'You don't believe me, then!' exclaimed the princess, astonished and -angry, as she well might be. - -'Did you expect me to believe you, princess?' asked the nurse coldly. -'I know princesses are in the habit of telling make-believes, but you -are the first I ever heard of who expected to have them believed,' she -added, seeing that the child was strangely in earnest. - -The princess burst into tears. - -'Well, I must say,' remarked the nurse, now thoroughly vexed with her -for crying, 'it is not at all becoming in a princess to tell stories -and expect to be believed just because she is a princess.' - -'But it's quite true, I tell you.' - -'You've dreamt it, then, child.' - -'No, I didn't dream it. I went upstairs, and I lost myself, and if I -hadn't found the beautiful lady, I should never have found myself.' - -'Oh, I dare say!' - -'Well, you just come up with me, and see if I'm not telling the truth.' - -'Indeed I have other work to do. It's your dinnertime, and I won't -have any more such nonsense.' - -The princess wiped her eyes, and her face grew so hot that they were -soon quite dry. She sat down to her dinner, but ate next to nothing. -Not to be believed does not at all agree with princesses: for a real -princess cannot tell a lie. So all the afternoon she did not speak a -word. Only when the nurse spoke to her, she answered her, for a real -princess is never rude--even when she does well to be offended. - -Of course the nurse was not comfortable in her mind--not that she -suspected the least truth in Irene's story, but that she loved her -dearly, and was vexed with herself for having been cross to her. She -thought her crossness was the cause of the princess's unhappiness, and -had no idea that she was really and deeply hurt at not being believed. -But, as it became more and more plain during the evening in her every -motion and look, that, although she tried to amuse herself with her -toys, her heart was too vexed and troubled to enjoy them, her nurse's -discomfort grew and grew. When bedtime came, she undressed and laid -her down, but the child, instead of holding up her little mouth to be -kissed, turned away from her and lay still. Then nursie's heart gave -way altogether, and she began to cry. At the sound of her first sob -the princess turned again, and held her face to kiss her as usual. But -the nurse had her handkerchief to her eyes, and did not see the -movement. - -'Nursie,' said the princess, 'why won't you believe me?' - -'Because I can't believe you,' said the nurse, getting angry again. - -'Ah! then, you can't help it,' said Irene, 'and I will not be vexed -with you any more. I will give you a kiss and go to sleep.' - -'You little angel!' cried the nurse, and caught her out of bed, and -walked about the room with her in her arms, kissing and hugging her. - -'You will let me take you to see my dear old great big grandmother, -won't you?' said the princess, as she laid her down again. - -'And you won't say I'm ugly, any more--will you, princess?' 'Nursie, I -never said you were ugly. What can you mean?' - -'Well, if you didn't say it, you meant it.' - -'Indeed, I never did.' - -'You said I wasn't so pretty as that--' - -'As my beautiful grandmother--yes, I did say that; and I say it again, -for it's quite true.' - -'Then I do think you are unkind!' said the nurse, and put her -handkerchief to her eyes again. - -'Nursie, dear, everybody can't be as beautiful as every other body, you -know. You are very nice-looking, but if you had been as beautiful as -my grandmother--' - -'Bother your grandmother!' said the nurse. - -'Nurse, that's very rude. You are not fit to be spoken to till you can -behave better.' - -The princess turned away once more, and again the nurse was ashamed of -herself. - -'I'm sure I beg your pardon, princess,' she said, though still in an -offended tone. But the princess let the tone pass, and heeded only the -words. - -'You won't say it again, I am sure,' she answered, once more turning -towards her nurse. 'I was only going to say that if you had been twice -as nice-looking as you are, some king or other would have married you, -and then what would have become of me?' - -'You are an angel!' repeated the nurse, again embracing her. 'Now,' -insisted Irene, 'you will come and see my grandmother--won't you?' - -'I will go with you anywhere you like, my cherub,' she answered; and in -two minutes the weary little princess was fast asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 5 - -The Princess Lets Well Alone - -When she woke the next morning, the first thing she heard was the rain -still falling. Indeed, this day was so like the last that it would -have been difficult to tell where was the use of It. The first thing -she thought of, however, was not the rain, but the lady in the tower; -and the first question that occupied her thoughts was whether she -should not ask the nurse to fulfil her promise this very morning, and -go with her to find her grandmother as soon as she had had her -breakfast. But she came to the conclusion that perhaps the lady would -not be pleased if she took anyone to see her without first asking -leave; especially as it was pretty evident, seeing she lived on -pigeons' eggs, and cooked them herself, that she did not want the -household to know she was there. So the princess resolved to take the -first opportunity of running up alone and asking whether she might -bring her nurse. She believed the fact that she could not otherwise -convince her she was telling the truth would have much weight with her -grandmother. - -The princess and her nurse were the best of friends all dressing-time, -and the princess in consequence ate an enormous little breakfast. - -'I wonder, Lootie'--that was her pet name for her nurse--'what pigeons' -eggs taste like?' she said, as she was eating her egg--not quite a -common one, for they always picked out the pinky ones for her. - -'We'll get you a pigeon's egg, and you shall judge for yourself,' said -the nurse. - -'Oh, no, no!' returned Irene, suddenly reflecting they might disturb -the old lady in getting it, and that even if they did not, she would -have one less in consequence. - -'What a strange creature you are,' said the nurse--'first to want a -thing and then to refuse it!' - -But she did not say it crossly, and the princess never minded any -remarks that were not unfriendly. - -'Well, you see, Lootie, there are reasons,' she returned, and said no -more, for she did not want to bring up the subject of their former -strife, lest her nurse should offer to go before she had had her -grandmother's permission to bring her. Of course she could refuse to -take her, but then she would believe her less than ever. - -Now the nurse, as she said herself afterwards, could not be every -moment in the room; and as never before yesterday had the princess -given her the smallest reason for anxiety, it had not yet come into her -head to watch her more closely. So she soon gave her a chance, and, -the very first that offered, Irene was off and up the stairs again. - -This day's adventure, however, did not turn out like yesterday's, -although it began like it; and indeed to-day is very seldom like -yesterday, if people would note the differences--even when it rains. -The princess ran through passage after passage, and could not find the -stair of the tower. My own suspicion is that she had not gone up high -enough, and was searching on the second instead of the third floor. -When she turned to go back, she failed equally in her search after the -stair. She was lost once more. - -Something made it even worse to bear this time, and it was no wonder -that she cried again. Suddenly it occurred to her that it was after -having cried before that she had found her grandmother's stair. She -got up at once, wiped her eyes, and started upon a fresh quest. - -This time, although she did not find what she hoped, she found what was -next best: she did not come on a stair that went up, but she came upon -one that went down. It was evidently not the stair she had come up, -yet it was a good deal better than none; so down she went, and was -singing merrily before she reached the bottom. There, to her surprise, -she found herself in the kitchen. Although she was not allowed to go -there alone, her nurse had often taken her, and she was a great -favourite with the servants. So there was a general rush at her the -moment she appeared, for every one wanted to have her; and the report -of where she was soon reached the nurse's ears. She came at once to -fetch her; but she never suspected how she had got there, and the -princess kept her own counsel. - -Her failure to find the old lady not only disappointed her, but made -her very thoughtful. Sometimes she came almost to the nurse's opinion -that she had dreamed all about her; but that fancy never lasted very -long. She wondered much whether she should ever see her again, and -thought it very sad not to have been able to find her when she -particularly wanted her. She resolved to say nothing more to her nurse -on the subject, seeing it was so little in her power to prove her words. - - - -CHAPTER 6 - -The Little Miner - -The next day the great cloud still hung over the mountain, and the rain -poured like water from a full sponge. The princess was very fond of -being out of doors, and she nearly cried when she saw that the weather -was no better. But the mist was not of such a dark dingy grey; there -was light in it; and as the hours went on it grew brighter and -brighter, until it was almost too brilliant to look at; and late in the -afternoon the sun broke out so gloriously that Irene clapped her hands, -crying: - -'See, see, Lootie! The sun has had his face washed. Look how bright -he is! Do get my hat, and let us go out for a walk. Oh, dear! oh, -dear! how happy I am!' - -Lootie was very glad to please the princess. She got her hat and -cloak, and they set out together for a walk up the mountain; for the -road was so hard and steep that the water could not rest upon it, and -it was always dry enough for walking a few minutes after the rain -ceased. The clouds were rolling away in broken pieces, like great, -overwoolly sheep, whose wool the sun had bleached till it was almost -too white for the eyes to bear. Between them the sky shone with a -deeper and purer blue, because of the rain. The trees on the roadside -were hung all over with drops, which sparkled in the sun like jewels. -The only things that were no brighter for the rain were the brooks that -ran down the mountain; they had changed from the clearness of crystal -to a muddy brown; but what they lost in colour they gained in sound--or -at least in noise, for a brook when it is swollen is not so musical as -before. But Irene was in raptures with the great brown streams -tumbling down everywhere; and Lootie shared in her delight, for she too -had been confined to the house for three days. - -At length she observed that the sun was getting low, and said it was -time to be going back. She made the remark again and again, but, every -time, the princess begged her to go on just a little farther and a -little farther; reminding her that it was much easier to go downhill, -and saying that when they did turn they would be at home in a moment. -So on and on they did go, now to look at a group of ferns over whose -tops a stream was pouring in a watery arch, now to pick a shining stone -from a rock by the wayside, now to watch the flight of some bird. -Suddenly the shadow of a great mountain peak came up from behind, and -shot in front of them. When the nurse saw it, she started and shook, -and catching hold of the princess's hand turned and began to run down -the hill. - -'What's all the haste, nursie?' asked Irene, running alongside of her. - -'We must not be out a moment longer.' - -'But we can't help being out a good many moments longer.' - -It was too true. The nurse almost cried. They were much too far from -home. It was against express orders to be out with the princess one -moment after the sun was down; and they were nearly a mile up the -mountain! If His Majesty, Irene's papa, were to hear of it, Lootie -would certainly be dismissed; and to leave the princess would break her -heart. It was no wonder she ran. But Irene was not in the least -frightened, not knowing anything to be frightened at. She kept on -chattering as well as she could, but it was not easy. - -'Lootie! Lootie! why do you run so fast? It shakes my teeth when I -talk.' - -'Then don't talk,' said Lootie. - -'But the princess went on talking. She was always saying: 'Look, look, -Lootie!' but Lootie paid no more heed to anything she said, only ran on. - -'Look, look, Lootie! Don't you see that funny man peeping over the -rock?' - -Lootie only ran the faster. They had to pass the rock, and when they -came nearer, the princess saw it was only a lump of the rock itself -that she had taken for a man. - -'Look, look, Lootie! There's such a curious creature at the foot of -that old tree. Look at it, Lootie! It's making faces at us, I do -think.' - -Lootie gave a stifled cry, and ran faster still--so fast that Irene's -little legs could not keep up with her, and she fell with a crash. It -was a hard downhill road, and she had been running very fast--so it was -no wonder she began to cry. This put the nurse nearly beside herself; -but all she could do was to run on, the moment she got the princess on -her feet again. - -'Who's that laughing at me?' said the princess, trying to keep in her -sobs, and running too fast for her grazed knees. - -'Nobody, child,' said the nurse, almost angrily. - -But that instant there came a burst of coarse tittering from somewhere -near, and a hoarse indistinct voice that seemed to say: 'Lies! lies! -lies!' - -'Oh!' cried the nurse with a sigh that was almost a scream, and ran on -faster than ever. - -'Nursie! Lootie! I can't run any more. Do let us walk a bit.' - -'What am I to do?' said the nurse. 'Here, I will carry you.' - -She caught her up; but found her much too heavy to run with, and had to -set her down again. Then she looked wildly about her, gave a great -cry, and said: - -'We've taken the wrong turning somewhere, and I don't know where we -are. We are lost, lost!' - -The terror she was in had quite bewildered her. It was true enough -they had lost the way. They had been running down into a little valley -in which there was no house to be seen. - -Now Irene did not know what good reason there was for her nurse's -terror, for the servants had all strict orders never to mention the -goblins to her, but it was very discomposing to see her nurse in such a -fright. Before, however, she had time to grow thoroughly alarmed like -her, she heard the sound of whistling, and that revived her. Presently -she saw a boy coming up the road from the valley to meet them. He was -the whistler; but before they met his whistling changed to singing. -And this is something like what he sang: - - 'Ring! dod! bang! - Go the hammers' clang! - Hit and turn and bore! - Whizz and puff and roar! - Thus we rive the rocks, - Force the goblin locks.-- - See the shining ore! - One, two, three-- - Bright as gold can be! - Four, five, six-- - Shovels, mattocks, picks! - Seven, eight, nine-- - Light your lamp at mine. - Ten, eleven, twelve-- - Loosely hold the helve. - We're the merry miner-boys, - Make the goblins hold their noise.' - - -'I wish YOU would hold your noise,' said the nurse rudely, for the very -word GOBLIN at such a time and in such a place made her tremble. It -would bring the goblins upon them to a certainty, she thought, to defy -them in that way. But whether the boy heard her or not, he did not -stop his singing. - - - 'Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen-- - This is worth the siftin'; - Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen-- - There's the match, and lay't in. - Nineteen, twenty-- - Goblins in a plenty.' - - -'Do be quiet,' cried the nurse, in a whispered shriek. But the boy, -who was now close at hand, still went on. - - 'Hush! scush! scurry! - There you go in a hurry! - Gobble! gobble! goblin! - There you go a wobblin'; - Hobble, hobble, hobblin'-- - Cobble! cobble! cobblin'! - Hob-bob-goblin!-- - Huuuuuh!' - - -'There!' said the boy, as he stood still opposite them. 'There! -that'll do for them. They can't bear singing, and they can't stand -that song. They can't sing themselves, for they have no more voice -than a crow; and they don't like other people to sing.' - -The boy was dressed in a miner's dress, with a curious cap on his head. -He was a very nice-looking boy, with eyes as dark as the mines in which -he worked and as sparkling as the crystals in their rocks. He was -about twelve years old. His face was almost too pale for beauty, which -came of his being so little in the open air and the sunlight--for even -vegetables grown in the dark are white; but he looked happy, merry -indeed--perhaps at the thought of having routed the goblins; and his -bearing as he stood before them had nothing clownish or rude about it. - -'I saw them,' he went on, 'as I came up; and I'm very glad I did. I -knew they were after somebody, but I couldn't see who it was. They -won't touch you so long as I'm with you.' - -'Why, who are you?' asked the nurse, offended at the freedom with which -he spoke to them. - -'I'm Peter's son.' - -'Who's Peter?' - -'Peter the miner.' - -'I don't know him.' 'I'm his son, though.' - -'And why should the goblins mind you, pray?' - -'Because I don't mind them. I'm used to them.' - -'What difference does that make?' - -'If you're not afraid of them, they're afraid of you. I'm not afraid -of them. That's all. But it's all that's wanted--up here, that is. -It's a different thing down there. They won't always mind that song -even, down there. And if anyone sings it, they stand grinning at him -awfully; and if he gets frightened, and misses a word, or says a wrong -one, they--oh! don't they give it him!' - -'What do they do to him?' asked Irene, with a trembling voice. - -'Don't go frightening the princess,' said the nurse. - -'The princess!' repeated the little miner, taking off his curious cap. -'I beg your pardon; but you oughtn't to be out so late. Everybody knows -that's against the law.' - -'Yes, indeed it is!' said the nurse, beginning to cry again. 'And I -shall have to suffer for it.' - -'What does that matter?' said the boy. 'It must be your fault. It is -the princess who will suffer for it. I hope they didn't hear you call -her the princess. If they did, they're sure to know her again: they're -awfully sharp.' - -'Lootie! Lootie!' cried the princess. 'Take me home.' - -'Don't go on like that,' said the nurse to the boy, almost fiercely. -'How could I help it? I lost my way.' - -'You shouldn't have been out so late. You wouldn't have lost your way -if you hadn't been frightened,' said the boy. 'Come along. I'll soon -set you right again. Shall I carry your little Highness?' - -'Impertinence!' murmured the nurse, but she did not say it aloud, for -she thought if she made him angry he might take his revenge by telling -someone belonging to the house, and then it would be sure to come to -the king's ears. 'No, thank you,' said Irene. 'I can walk very well, -though I can't run so fast as nursie. If you will give me one hand, -Lootie will give me another, and then I shall get on famously.' - -They soon had her between them, holding a hand of each. - -'Now let's run,' said the nurse. - -'No, no!' said the little miner. 'That's the worst thing you can do. -If you hadn't run before, you would not have lost your way. And if you -run now, they will be after you in a moment.' - -'I don't want to run,' said Irene. - -'You don't think of me,' said the nurse. - -'Yes, I do, Lootie. The boy says they won't touch us if we don't run.' - -'Yes, but if they know at the house that I've kept you out so late I -shall be turned away, and that would break my heart.' - -'Turned away, Lootie! Who would turn you away?' - -'Your papa, child.' - -'But I'll tell him it was all my fault. And you know it was, Lootie.' - -'He won't mind that. I'm sure he won't.' - -'Then I'll cry, and go down on my knees to him, and beg him not to take -away my own dear Lootie.' - -The nurse was comforted at hearing this, and said no more. They went -on, walking pretty fast, but taking care not to run a step. - -'I want to talk to you,' said Irene to the little miner; 'but it's so -awkward! I don't know your name.' - -'My name's Curdie, little princess.' - -'What a funny name! Curdie! What more?' - -'Curdie Peterson. What's your name, please?' - -'Irene.' - -'What more?' - -'I don't know what more. What more is my name, Lootie?' - -'Princesses haven't got more than one name. They don't want it.' - -'Oh, then, Curdie, you must call me just Irene and no more.' - -'No, indeed,' said the nurse indignantly. 'He shall do no such thing.' - -'What shall he call me, then, Lootie?' - -'Your Royal Highness.' 'My Royal Highness! What's that? No, no, -Lootie. I won't be called names. I don't like them. You told me once -yourself it's only rude children that call names; and I'm sure Curdie -wouldn't be rude. Curdie, my name's Irene.' - -'Well, Irene,' said Curdie, with a glance at the nurse which showed he -enjoyed teasing her; 'it is very kind of you to let me call you -anything. I like your name very much.' - -He expected the nurse to interfere again; but he soon saw that she was -too frightened to speak. She was staring at something a few yards -before them in the middle of the path, where it narrowed between rocks -so that only one could pass at a time. - -'It is very much kinder of you to go out of your way to take us home,' -said Irene. - -'I'm not going out of my way yet,' said Curdie. 'It's on the other -side of those rocks the path turns off to my father's.' - -'You wouldn't think of leaving us till we're safe home, I'm sure,' -gasped the nurse. - -'Of course not,' said Curdie. - -'You dear, good, kind Curdie! I'll give you a kiss when we get home,' -said the princess. - -The nurse gave her a great pull by the hand she held. But at that -instant the something in the middle of the way, which had looked like a -great lump of earth brought down by the rain, began to move. One after -another it shot out four long things, like two arms and two legs, but -it was now too dark to tell what they were. The nurse began to tremble -from head to foot. Irene clasped Curdie's hand yet faster, and Curdie -began to sing again: - - 'One, two-- - Hit and hew! - Three, four-- - Blast and bore! - Five, six-- - There's a fix! - Seven, eight-- - Hold it straight! - Nine, ten-- - Hit again! - Hurry! scurry! - Bother! smother! - There's a toad - In the road! - Smash it! - Squash it! - Fry it! - Dry it! - You're another! - Up and off! - There's enough!-- - Huuuuuh!' - - -As he uttered the last words, Curdie let go his hold of his companion, -and rushed at the thing in the road as if he would trample it under his -feet. It gave a great spring, and ran straight up one of the rocks -like a huge spider. Curdie turned back laughing, and took Irene's hand -again. She grasped his very tight, but said nothing till they had -passed the rocks. A few yards more and she found herself on a part of -the road she knew, and was able to speak again. - -'Do you know, Curdie, I don't quite like your song: it sounds to me -rather rude,' she said. - -'Well, perhaps it is,' answered Curdie. 'I never thought of that; it's -a way we have. We do it because they don't like it.' - -'Who don't like it?' - -'The cobs, as we call them.' - -'Don't!' said the nurse. - -'Why not?' said Curdie. - -'I beg you won't. Please don't.' - -'Oh! if you ask me that way, of course, I won't; though I don't a bit -know why. Look! there are the lights of your great house down below. -You'll be at home in five minutes now.' - -Nothing more happened. They reached home in safety. Nobody had missed -them, or even known they had gone out; and they arrived at the door -belonging to their part of the house without anyone seeing them. The -nurse was rushing in with a hurried and not over-gracious good night to -Curdie; but the princess pulled her hand from hers, and was just -throwing her arms round Curdie's neck, when she caught her again and -dragged her away. - -'Lootie! Lootie! I promised a kiss,' cried Irene. - -'A princess mustn't give kisses. It's not at all proper,' said Lootie. - -'But I promised,' said the princess. - -'There's no occasion; he's only a miner-boy.' - -'He's a good boy, and a brave boy, and he has been very kind to us. -Lootie! Lootie! I promised.' - -'Then you shouldn't have promised.' - -'Lootie, I promised him a kiss.' - -'Your Royal Highness,' said Lootie, suddenly grown very respectful, -'must come in directly.' - -'Nurse, a princess must not break her word,' said Irene, drawing -herself up and standing stock-still. - -Lootie did not know which the king might count the worst--to let the -princess be out after sunset, or to let her kiss a miner-boy. She did -not know that, being a gentleman, as many kings have been, he would -have counted neither of them the worse. However much he might have -disliked his daughter to kiss the miner-boy, he would not have had her -break her word for all the goblins in creation. But, as I say, the -nurse was not lady enough to understand this, and so she was in a great -difficulty, for, if she insisted, someone might hear the princess cry -and run to see, and then all would come out. But here Curdie came -again to the rescue. - -'Never mind, Princess Irene,' he said. 'You mustn't kiss me tonight. -But you shan't break your word. I will come another time. You may be -sure I will.' - -'Oh, thank you, Curdie!' said the princess, and stopped crying. - -'Good night, Irene; good night, Lootie,' said Curdie, and turned and -was out of sight in a moment. - -'I should like to see him!' muttered the nurse, as she carried the -princess to the nursery. - -'You will see him,' said Irene. 'You may be sure Curdie will keep his -word. He's sure to come again.' - -'I should like to see him!' repeated the nurse, and said no more. She -did not want to open a new cause of strife with the princess by saying -more plainly what she meant. Glad enough that she had succeeded both -in getting home unseen, and in keeping the princess from kissing the -miner's boy, she resolved to watch her far better in future. Her -carelessness had already doubled the danger she was in. Formerly the -goblins were her only fear; now she had to protect her charge from -Curdie as well. - - - -CHAPTER 7 - -The Mines - -Curdie went home whistling. He resolved to say nothing about the -princess for fear of getting the nurse into trouble, for while he -enjoyed teasing her because of her absurdity, he was careful not to do -her any harm. He saw no more of the goblins, and was soon fast asleep -in his bed. - -He woke in the middle of the night, and thought he heard curious noises -outside. He sat up and listened; then got up, and, opening the door -very quietly, went out. When he peeped round the corner, he saw, under -his own window, a group of stumpy creatures, whom he at once recognized -by their shape. Hardly, however, had he begun his 'One, two, three!' -when they broke asunder, scurried away, and were out of sight. He -returned laughing, got into bed again, and was fast asleep in a moment. - -Reflecting a little over the matter in the morning, he came to the -conclusion that, as nothing of the kind had ever happened before, they -must be annoyed with him for interfering to protect the princess. By -the time he was dressed, however, he was thinking of something quite -different, for he did not value the enmity of the goblins in the least. -As soon as they had had breakfast, he set off with his father for the -mine. - -They entered the hill by a natural opening under a huge rock, where a -little stream rushed out. They followed its course for a few yards, -when the passage took a turn, and sloped steeply into the heart of the -hill. With many angles and windings and branchings-off, and sometimes -with steps where it came upon a natural gulf, it led them deep into the -hill before they arrived at the place where they were at present -digging out the precious ore. This was of various kinds, for the -mountain was very rich in the better sorts of metals. With flint and -steel, and tinder-box, they lighted their lamps, then fixed them on -their heads, and were soon hard at work with their pickaxes and shovels -and hammers. Father and son were at work near each other, but not in -the same gang--the passages out of which the ore was dug, they called -gangs--for when the lode, or vein of ore, was small, one miner would -have to dig away alone in a passage no bigger than gave him just room -to work--sometimes in uncomfortable cramped positions. If they stopped -for a moment they could hear everywhere around them, some nearer, some -farther off, the sounds of their companions burrowing away in all -directions in the inside of the great mountain--some boring holes in -the rock in order to blow it up with gunpowder, others shovelling the -broken ore into baskets to be carried to the mouth of the mine, others -hitting away with their pickaxes. Sometimes, if the miner was in a very -lonely part, he would hear only a tap-tapping, no louder than that of a -woodpecker, for the sound would come from a great distance off through -the solid mountain rock. - -The work was hard at best, for it is very warm underground; but it was -not particularly unpleasant, and some of the miners, when they wanted -to earn a little more money for a particular purpose, would stop behind -the rest and work all night. But you could not tell night from day -down there, except from feeling tired and sleepy; for no light of the -sun ever came into those gloomy regions. Some who had thus remained -behind during the night, although certain there were none of their -companions at work, would declare the next morning that they heard, -every time they halted for a moment to take breath, a tap-tapping all -about them, as if the mountain were then more full of miners than ever -it was during the day; and some in consequence would never stay -overnight, for all knew those were the sounds of the goblins. They -worked only at night, for the miners' night was the goblins' day. -Indeed, the greater number of the miners were afraid of the goblins; -for there were strange stories well known amongst them of the treatment -some had received whom the goblins had surprised at their work during -the night. The more courageous of them, however, amongst them Peter -Peterson and Curdie, who in this took after his father, had stayed in -the mine all night again and again, and although they had several times -encountered a few stray goblins, had never yet failed in driving them -away. As I have indicated already, the chief defence against them was -verse, for they hated verse of every kind, and some kinds they could -not endure at all. I suspect they could not make any themselves, and -that was why they disliked it so much. At all events, those who were -most afraid of them were those who could neither make verses themselves -nor remember the verses that other people made for them; while those -who were never afraid were those who could make verses for themselves; -for although there were certain old rhymes which were very effectual, -yet it was well known that a new rhyme, if of the right sort, was even -more distasteful to them, and therefore more effectual in putting them -to flight. - -Perhaps my readers may be wondering what the goblins could be about, -working all night long, seeing they never carried up the ore and sold -it; but when I have informed them concerning what Curdie learned the -very next night, they will be able to understand. - -For Curdie had determined, if his father would permit him, to remain -there alone this night--and that for two reasons: first, he wanted to -get extra wages that he might buy a very warm red petticoat for his -mother, who had begun to complain of the cold of the mountain air -sooner than usual this autumn; and second, he had just a faint hope of -finding out what the goblins were about under his window the night -before. - -When he told his father, he made no objection, for he had great -confidence in his boy's courage and resources. - -'I'm sorry I can't stay with you,' said Peter; 'but I want to go and -pay the parson a visit this evening, and besides I've had a bit of a -headache all day.' - -'I'm sorry for that, father,' said Curdie. - -'Oh, it's not much. You'll be sure to take care of yourself, won't -you?' - -'Yes, father; I will. I'll keep a sharp look-out, I promise you.' -Curdie was the only one who remained in the mine. About six o'clock -the rest went away, everyone bidding him good night, and telling him to -take care of himself; for he was a great favourite with them all. - -'Don't forget your rhymes,' said one. - -'No, no,'answered Curdie. - -'It's no matter if he does,' said another, 'for he'll only have to make -a new one.' - -'Yes: but he mightn't be able to make it fast enough,' said another; -'and while it was cooking in his head, they might take a mean advantage -and set upon him.' - -'I'll do my best,' said Curdie. 'I'm not afraid.' 'We all know that,' -they returned, and left him. - - - -CHAPTER 8 - -The Goblins - -For some time Curdie worked away briskly, throwing all the ore he had -disengaged on one side behind him, to be ready for carrying out in the -morning. He heard a good deal of goblin-tapping, but it all sounded -far away in the hill, and he paid it little heed. Towards midnight he -began to feel rather hungry; so he dropped his pickaxe, got out a lump -of bread which in the morning he had laid in a damp hole in the rock, -sat down on a heap of ore, and ate his supper. Then he leaned back for -five minutes' rest before beginning his work again, and laid his head -against the rock. He had not kept the position for one minute before -he heard something which made him sharpen his ears. It sounded like a -voice inside the rock. After a while he heard it again. It was a -goblin voice--there could be no doubt about that--and this time he -could make out the words. - -'Hadn't we better be moving?'it said. - -A rougher and deeper voice replied: - -'There's no hurry. That wretched little mole won't be through tonight, -if he work ever so hard. He's not by any means at the thinnest place.' - -'But you still think the lode does come through into our house?' said -the first voice. - -'Yes, but a good bit farther on than he has got to yet. If he had -struck a stroke more to the side just here,' said the goblin, tapping -the very stone, as it seemed to Curdie, against which his head lay, 'he -would have been through; but he's a couple of yards past it now, and if -he follow the lode it will be a week before it leads him in. You see -it back there--a long way. Still, perhaps, in case of accident it -would be as well to be getting out of this. Helfer, you'll take the -great chest. That's your business, you know.' - -'Yes, dad,' said a third voice. 'But you must help me to get it on my -back. It's awfully heavy, you know.' - -'Well, it isn't just a bag of smoke, I admit. But you're as strong as -a mountain, Helfer.' - -'You say so, dad. I think myself I'm all right. But I could carry ten -times as much if it wasn't for my feet.' - -'That is your weak point, I confess, my boy.' 'Ain't it yours too, -father?' - -'Well, to be honest, it's a goblin weakness. Why they come so soft, I -declare I haven't an idea.' - -'Specially when your head's so hard, you know, father.' - -'Yes my boy. The goblin's glory is his head. To think how the fellows -up above there have to put on helmets and things when they go fighting! -Ha! ha!' - -'But why don't we wear shoes like them, father? I should like -it--especially when I've got a chest like that on my head.' - -'Well, you see, it's not the fashion. The king never wears shoes.' - -'The queen does.' - -'Yes; but that's for distinction. The first queen, you see--I mean the -king's first wife--wore shoes, of course, because she came from -upstairs; and so, when she died, the next queen would not be inferior -to her as she called it, and would wear shoes too. It was all pride. -She is the hardest in forbidding them to the rest of the women.' - -'I'm sure I wouldn't wear them--no, not for--that I wouldn't!' said the -first voice, which was evidently that of the mother of the family. 'I -can't think why either of them should.' - -'Didn't I tell you the first was from upstairs?' said the other. 'That -was the only silly thing I ever knew His Majesty guilty of. Why should -he marry an outlandish woman like that-one of our natural enemies too?' - -'I suppose he fell in love with her.' 'Pooh! pooh! He's just as happy -now with one of his own people.' - -'Did she die very soon? They didn't tease her to death, did they?' - -'Oh, dear, no! The king worshipped her very footmarks.' - -'What made her die, then? Didn't the air agree with her?' - -'She died when the young prince was born.' - -'How silly of her! We never do that. It must have been because she -wore shoes.' - -'I don't know that.' - -'Why do they wear shoes up there?' - -'Ah, now that's a sensible question, and I will answer it. But in -order to do so, I must first tell you a secret. I once saw the queen's -feet.' - -'Without her shoes?' - -'Yes--without her shoes.' - -'No! Did you? How was it?' - -'Never you mind how it was. She didn't know I saw them. And what do -you think!--they had toes!' - -'Toes! What's that?' - -'You may well ask! I should never have known if I had not seen the -queen's feet. Just imagine! the ends of her feet were split up into -five or six thin pieces!' - -'Oh, horrid! How could the king have fallen in love with her?' - -'You forget that she wore shoes. That is just why she wore them. That -is why all the men, and women too, upstairs wear shoes. They can't -bear the sight of their own feet without them.' - -'Ah! now I understand. If ever you wish for shoes again, Helfer, I'll -hit your feet--I will.' - -'No, no, mother; pray don't.' - -'Then don't you.' - -'But with such a big box on my head--' - -A horrid scream followed, which Curdie interpreted as in reply to a -blow from his mother upon the feet of her eldest goblin. - -'Well, I never knew so much before!' remarked a fourth voice. - -'Your knowledge is not universal quite yet,' said the father. 'You -were only fifty last month. Mind you see to the bed and bedding. As -soon as we've finished our supper, we'll be up and going. Ha! ha! ha!' - -'What are you laughing at, husband?' - -'I'm laughing to think what a mess the miners will find themselves -in--somewhere before this day ten years.' - -'Why, what do you mean?' - -'Oh, nothing.' - -'Oh, yes, you do mean something. You always do mean something.' - -'It's more than you do, then, wife.' 'That may be; but it's not more -than I find out, you know.' - -'Ha! ha! You're a sharp one. What a mother you've got, Helfer!' - -'Yes, father.' - -'Well, I suppose I must tell you. They're all at the palace consulting -about it tonight; and as soon as we've got away from this thin place -I'm going there to hear what night they fix upon. I should like to see -that young ruffian there on the other side, struggling in the agonies -of--' - -He dropped his voice so low that Curdie could hear only a growl. The -growl went on in the low bass for a good while, as inarticulate as if -the goblin's tongue had been a sausage; and it was not until his wife -spoke again that it rose to its former pitch. - -'But what shall we do when you are at the palace?' she asked. - -'I will see you safe in the new house I've been digging for you for the -last two months. Podge, you mind the table and chairs. I commit them -to your care. The table has seven legs--each chair three. I shall -require them all at your hands.' - -After this arose a confused conversation about the various household -goods and their transport; and Curdie heard nothing more that was of -any importance. - -He now knew at least one of the reasons for the constant sound of the -goblin hammers and pickaxes at night. They were making new houses for -themselves, to which they might retreat when the miners should threaten -to break into their dwellings. But he had learned two things of far -greater importance. The first was, that some grievous calamity was -preparing, and almost ready to fall upon the heads of the miners; the -second was--the one weak point of a goblin's body; he had not known -that their feet were so tender as he had now reason to suspect. He had -heard it said that they had no toes: he had never had opportunity of -inspecting them closely enough, in the dusk in which they always -appeared, to satisfy himself whether it was a correct report. Indeed, -he had not been able even to satisfy himself as to whether they had no -fingers, although that also was commonly said to be the fact. One of -the miners, indeed, who had had more schooling than the rest, was wont -to argue that such must have been the primordial condition of humanity, -and that education and handicraft had developed both toes and -fingers--with which proposition Curdie had once heard his father -sarcastically agree, alleging in support of it the probability that -babies' gloves were a traditional remnant of the old state of things; -while the stockings of all ages, no regard being paid in them to the -toes, pointed in the same direction. But what was of importance was -the fact concerning the softness of the goblin feet, which he foresaw -might be useful to all miners. What he had to do in the meantime, -however, was to discover, if possible, the special evil design the -goblins had now in their heads. - -Although he knew all the gangs and all the natural galleries with which -they communicated in the mined part of the mountain, he had not the -least idea where the palace of the king of the gnomes was; otherwise he -would have set out at once on the enterprise of discovering what the -said design was. He judged, and rightly, that it must lie in a farther -part of the mountain, between which and the mine there was as yet no -communication. There must be one nearly completed, however; for it -could be but a thin partition which now separated them. If only he -could get through in time to follow the goblins as they retreated! A -few blows would doubtless be sufficient--just where his ear now lay; -but if he attempted to strike there with his pickaxe, he would only -hasten the departure of the family, put them on their guard, and -perhaps lose their involuntary guidance. He therefore began to feel -the wall With his hands, and soon found that some of the stones were -loose enough to be drawn out with little noise. - -Laying hold of a large one with both his hands, he drew it gently out, -and let it down softly. - -'What was that noise?' said the goblin father. - -Curdie blew out his light, lest it should shine through. - -'It must be that one miner that stayed behind the rest,' said the -mother. - -'No; he's been gone a good while. I haven't heard a blow for an hour. -Besides, it wasn't like that.' - -'Then I suppose it must have been a stone carried down the brook -inside.' - -'Perhaps. It will have more room by and by.' - -Curdie kept quite still. After a little while, hearing nothing but the -sounds of their preparations for departure, mingled with an occasional -word of direction, and anxious to know whether the removal of the stone -had made an opening into the goblins' house, he put in his hand to -feel. It went in a good way, and then came in contact with something -soft. He had but a moment to feel it over, it was so quickly -withdrawn: it was one of the toeless goblin feet. The owner of it gave -a cry of fright. - -'What's the matter, Helfer?' asked his mother. - -'A beast came out of the wall and licked my foot.' - -'Nonsense! There are no wild beasts in our country,' said his father. - -'But it was, father. I felt it.' - -'Nonsense, I say. Will you malign your native realms and reduce them -to a level with the country upstairs? That is swarming with wild -beasts of every description.' - -'But I did feel it, father.' - -'I tell you to hold your tongue. You are no patriot.' - -Curdie suppressed his laughter, and lay still as a mouse--but no -stiller, for every moment he kept nibbling away with his fingers at the -edges of the hole. He was slowly making it bigger, for here the rock -had been very much shattered with the blasting. - -There seemed to be a good many in the family, to judge from the mass of -confused talk which now and then came through the hole; but when all -were speaking together, and just as if they had bottle-brushes--each at -least one--in their throats, it was not easy to make out much that was -said. At length he heard once more what the father goblin was saying. - -'Now, then,' he said, 'get your bundles on your backs. Here, Helfer, -I'll help you up with your chest.' - -'I wish it was my chest, father.' - -'Your turn will come in good time enough! Make haste. I must go to -the meeting at the palace tonight. When that's over, we can come back -and clear out the last of the things before our enemies return in the -morning. Now light your torches, and come along. What a distinction it -is, to provide our own light, instead of being dependent on a thing -hung up in the air--a most disagreeable contrivance--intended no doubt -to blind us when we venture out under its baleful influence! Quite -glaring and vulgar, I call it, though no doubt useful to poor creatures -who haven't the wit to make light for themselves.' - -Curdie could hardly keep himself from calling through to know whether -they made the fire to light their torches by. But a moment's -reflection showed him that they would have said they did, inasmuch as -they struck two stones together, and the fire came. - - - -CHAPTER 9 - -The Hall of the Goblin Palace - -A sound of many soft feet followed, but soon ceased. Then Curdie flew -at the hole like a tiger, and tore and pulled. The sides gave way, and -it was soon large enough for him to crawl through. He would not betray -himself by rekindling his lamp, but the torches of the retreating -company, which he found departing in a straight line up a long avenue -from the door of their cave, threw back light enough to afford him a -glance round the deserted home of the goblins. To his surprise, he -could discover nothing to distinguish it from an ordinary natural cave -in the rock, upon many of which he had come with the rest of the miners -in the progress of their excavations. The goblins had talked of coming -back for the rest of their household gear: he saw nothing that would -have made him suspect a family had taken shelter there for a single -night. The floor was rough and stony; the walls full of projecting -corners; the roof in one place twenty feet high, in another endangering -his forehead; while on one side a stream, no thicker than a needle, it -is true, but still sufficient to spread a wide dampness over the wall, -flowed down the face of the rock. But the troop in front of him was -toiling under heavy burdens. He could distinguish Helfer now and then, -in the flickering light and shade, with his heavy chest on his bending -shoulders; while the second brother was almost buried in what looked -like a great feather bed. 'Where do they get the feathers?' thought -Curdie; but in a moment the troop disappeared at a turn of the way, and -it was now both safe and necessary for Curdie to follow them, lest they -should be round the next turning before he saw them again, for so he -might lose them altogether. He darted after them like a greyhound. -When he reached the corner and looked cautiously round, he saw them -again at some distance down another long passage. None of the -galleries he saw that night bore signs of the work of man--or of goblin -either. Stalactites, far older than the mines, hung from their roofs; -and their floors were rough with boulders and large round stones, -showing that there water must have once run. He waited again at this -corner till they had disappeared round the next, and so followed them a -long way through one passage after another. The passages grew more and -more lofty, and were more and more covered in the roof with shining -stalactites. - -It was a strange enough procession which he followed. But the -strangest part of it was the household animals which crowded amongst -the feet of the goblins. It was true they had no wild animals down -there--at least they did not know of any; but they had a wonderful -number of tame ones. I must, however, reserve any contributions -towards the natural history of these for a later position in my story. - -At length, turning a corner too abruptly, he had almost rushed into the -middle of the goblin family; for there they had already set down all -their burdens on the floor of a cave considerably larger than that -which they had left. They were as yet too breathless to speak, else he -would have had warning of their arrest. He started back, however, -before anyone saw him, and retreating a good way, stood watching till -the father should come out to go to the palace. - -Before very long, both he and his son Helfer appeared and kept on in -the same direction as before, while Curdie followed them again with -renewed precaution. For a long time he heard no sound except something -like the rush of a river inside the rock; but at length what seemed the -far-off noise of a great shouting reached his ears, which, however, -presently ceased. After advancing a good way farther, he thought he -heard a single voice. It sounded clearer and clearer as he went on, -until at last he could almost distinguish the words. In a moment or -two, keeping after the goblins round another corner, he once more -started back--this time in amazement. - -He was at the entrance of a magnificent cavern, of an oval shape, once -probably a huge natural reservoir of water, now the great palace hall -of the goblins. It rose to a tremendous height, but the roof was -composed of such shining materials, and the multitude of torches -carried by the goblins who crowded the floor lighted up the place so -brilliantly, that Curdie could see to the top quite well. But he had -no idea how immense the place was until his eyes had got accustomed to -it, which was not for a good many minutes. The rough projections on the -walls, and the shadows thrown upwards from them by the torches, made -the sides of the chamber look as if they were crowded with statues upon -brackets and pedestals, reaching in irregular tiers from floor to roof. -The walls themselves were, in many parts, of gloriously shining -substances, some of them gorgeously coloured besides, which powerfully -contrasted with the shadows. Curdie could not help wondering whether -his rhymes would be of any use against such a multitude of goblins as -filled the floor of the hall, and indeed felt considerably tempted to -begin his shout of 'One, two, three!', but as there was no reason for -routing them and much for endeavouring to discover their designs, he -kept himself perfectly quiet, and peering round the edge of the -doorway, listened with both his sharp ears. - -At the other end of the hall, high above the heads of the multitude, -was a terrace-like ledge of considerable height, caused by the receding -of the upper part of the cavern-wall. Upon this sat the king and his -court: the king on a throne hollowed out of a huge block of green -copper ore, and his court upon lower seats around it. The king had -been making them a speech, and the applause which followed it was what -Curdie had heard. One of the court was now addressing the multitude. -What he heard him say was to the following effect: 'Hence it appears -that two plans have been for some time together working in the strong -head of His Majesty for the deliverance of his people. Regardless of -the fact that we were the first possessors of the regions they now -inhabit; regardless equally of the fact that we abandoned that region -from the loftiest motives; regardless also of the self-evident fact -that we excel them so far in mental ability as they excel us in -stature, they look upon us as a degraded race and make a mockery of all -our finer feelings. But, the time has almost arrived when--thanks to -His Majesty's inventive genius--it will be in our power to take a -thorough revenge upon them once for all, in respect of their unfriendly -behaviour.' - -'May it please Your Majesty--' cried a voice close by the door, which -Curdie recognized as that of the goblin he had followed. - -'Who is he that interrupts the Chancellor?' cried another from near the -throne. - -'Glump,' answered several voices. - -'He is our trusty subject,' said the king himself, in a slow and -stately voice: 'let him come forward and speak.' - -A lane was parted through the crowd, and Glump, having ascended the -platform and bowed to the king, spoke as follows: - -'Sire, I would have held my peace, had I not known that I only knew how -near was the moment, to which the Chancellor had just referred. - -In all probability, before another day is past, the enemy will have -broken through into my house--the partition between being even now not -more than a foot in thickness.' - -'Not quite so much,' thought Curdie to himself. - -'This very evening I have had to remove my household effects; therefore -the sooner we are ready to carry out the plan, for the execution of -which His Majesty has been making such magnificent preparations, the -better. I may just add, that within the last few days I have perceived -a small outbreak in my dining-room, which, combined with observations -upon the course of the river escaping where the evil men enter, has -convinced me that close to the spot must be a deep gulf in its channel. -This discovery will, I trust, add considerably to the otherwise immense -forces at His Majesty's disposal.' - -He ceased, and the king graciously acknowledged his speech with a bend -of his head; whereupon Glump, after a bow to His Majesty, slid down -amongst the rest of the undistinguished multitude. Then the Chancellor -rose and resumed. - -'The information which the worthy Glump has given us,' he said, 'might -have been of considerable import at the present moment, but for that -other design already referred to, which naturally takes precedence. -His Majesty, unwilling to proceed to extremities, and well aware that -such measures sooner or later result in violent reactions, has -excogitated a more fundamental and comprehensive measure, of which I -need say no more. Should His Majesty be successful--as who dares to -doubt?--then a peace, all to the advantage of the goblin kingdom, will -be established for a generation at least, rendered absolutely secure by -the pledge which His Royal Highness the prince will have and hold for -the good behaviour of her relatives. Should His Majesty fail--which -who shall dare even to imagine in his most secret thoughts?--then will -be the time for carrying out with rigour the design to which Glump -referred, and for which our preparations are even now all but -completed. The failure of the former will render the latter -imperative.' - -Curdie, perceiving that the assembly was drawing to a close and that -there was little chance of either plan being more fully discovered, now -thought it prudent to make his escape before the goblins began to -disperse, and slipped quietly away. - -There was not much danger of meeting any goblins, for all the men at -least were left behind him in the palace; but there was considerable -danger of his taking a wrong turning, for he had now no light, and had -therefore to depend upon his memory and his hands. After he had left -behind him the glow that issued from the door of Glump's new abode, he -was utterly without guide, so far as his eyes were concerned. - -He was most anxious to get back through the hole before the goblins -should return to fetch the remains of their furniture. It was not that -he was in the least afraid of them, but, as it was of the utmost -importance that he should thoroughly discover what the plans they were -cherishing were, he must not occasion the slightest suspicion that they -were watched by a miner. - -He hurried on, feeling his way along the walls of rock. Had he not -been very courageous, he must have been very anxious, for he could not -but know that if he lost his way it would be the most difficult thing -in the world to find it again. Morning would bring no light into these -regions; and towards him least of all, who was known as a special -rhymester and persecutor, could goblins be expected to exercise -courtesy. Well might he wish that he had brought his lamp and -tinder-box with him, of which he had not thought when he crept so -eagerly after the goblins! He wished it all the more when, after a -while, he found his way blocked up, and could get no farther. It was -of no use to turn back, for he had not the least idea where he had -begun to go wrong. Mechanically, however, he kept feeling about the -walls that hemmed him in. His hand came upon a place where a tiny -stream of water was running down the face of the rock. 'What a stupid -I am!' he said to himself. 'I am actually at the end of my journey! -And there are the goblins coming back to fetch their things!' he added, -as the red glimmer of their torches appeared at the end of the long -avenue that led up to the cave. In a moment he had thrown himself on -the floor, and wriggled backwards through the hole. The floor on the -other side was several feet lower, which made it easier to get back. -It was all he could do to lift the largest stone he had taken out of -the hole, but he did manage to shove it in again. He sat down on the -ore-heap and thought. - -He was pretty sure that the latter plan of the goblins was to inundate -the mine by breaking outlets for the water accumulated in the natural -reservoirs of the mountain, as well as running through portions of it. -While the part hollowed by the miners remained shut off from that -inhabited by the goblins, they had had no opportunity of injuring them -thus; but now that a passage was broken through, and the goblins' part -proved the higher in the mountain, it was clear to Curdie that the mine -could be destroyed in an hour. Water was always the chief danger to -which the miners were exposed. They met with a little choke-damp -sometimes, but never with the explosive firedamp so common in -coal-mines. Hence they were careful as soon as they saw any appearance -of water. As the result of his reflections while the goblins were busy -in their old home, it seemed to Curdie that it would be best to build -up the whole of this gang, filling it with stone, and clay or lie, so -that there should be no smallest channel for the water to get into. -There was not, however, any immediate danger, for the execution of the -goblins' plan was contingent upon the failure of that unknown design -which was to take precedence of it; and he was most anxious to keep the -door of communication open, that he might if possible discover what the -former plan was. At the same time they could not resume their -intermitted labours for the inundation without his finding it out; when -by putting all hands to the work, the one existing outlet might in a -single night be rendered impenetrable to any weight of water; for by -filling the gang entirely up, their embankment would be buttressed by -the sides of the mountain itself. - -As soon as he found that the goblins had again retired, he lighted his -lamp, and proceeded to fill the hole he had made with such stones as he -could withdraw when he pleased. He then thought it better, as he might -have occasion to be up a good many nights after this, to go home and -have some sleep. - -How pleasant the night air felt upon the outside of the mountain after -what he had gone through in the inside of it! He hurried up the hill -without meeting a single goblin on the way, and called and tapped at -the window until he woke his father, who soon rose and let him in. He -told him the whole story; and, just as he had expected, his father -thought it best to work that lode no farther, but at the same time to -pretend occasionally to be at work there still in order that the -goblins might have no suspicions. Both father and son then went to bed -and slept soundly until the morning. - - - -CHAPTER 10 - -The Princess's King-Papa - -The weather continued fine for weeks, and the little princess went out -every day. So long a period of fine weather had indeed never been -known upon that mountain. The only uncomfortable thing was that her -nurse was so nervous and particular about being in before the sun was -down that often she would take to her heels when nothing worse than a -fleecy cloud crossing the sun threw a shadow on the hillside; and many -an evening they were home a full hour before the sunlight had left the -weather-cock on the stables. If it had not been for such odd behaviour -Irene would by this time have almost forgotten the goblins. She never -forgot Curdie, but him she remembered for his own sake, and indeed -would have remembered him if only because a princess never forgets her -debts until they are paid. - -One splendid sunshiny day, about an hour after noon, Irene, who was -playing on a lawn in the garden, heard the distant blast of a bugle. -She jumped up with a cry of joy, for she knew by that particular blast -that her father was on his way to see her. This part of the garden lay -on the slope of the hill and allowed a full view of the country below. -So she shaded her eyes with her hand and looked far away to catch the -first glimpse of shining armour. In a few moments a little troop came -glittering round the shoulder of a hill. Spears and helmets were -sparkling and gleaming, banners were flying, horses prancing, and again -came the bugle-blast which was to her like the voice of her father -calling across the distance: 'Irene, I'm coming.' - -On and on they came until she could clearly distinguish the king. He -rode a white horse and was taller than any of the men with him. He wore -a narrow circle of gold set with jewels around his helmet, and as he -came still nearer Irene could discern the flashing of the stones in the -sun. It was a long time since he had been to see her, and her little -heart beat faster and faster as the shining troop approached, for she -loved her king-papa very dearly and was nowhere so happy as in his -arms. When they reached a certain point, after which she could see -them no more from the garden, she ran to the gate, and there stood till -up they came, clanging and stamping, with one more bright bugle-blast -which said: 'Irene, I am come.' - -By this time the people of the house were all gathered at the gate, but -Irene stood alone in front of them. When the horsemen pulled up she -ran to the side of the white horse and held up her arms. The king -stopped and took her hands. In an instant she was on the saddle and -clasped in his great strong arms. - -I wish I could describe the king so that you could see him in your -mind. He had gentle, blue eyes, but a nose that made him look like an -eagle. A long dark beard, streaked with silvery lines, flowed from his -mouth almost to his waist, and as Irene sat on the saddle and hid her -glad face upon his bosom it mingled with the golden hair which her -mother had given her, and the two together were like a cloud with -streaks of the sun woven through it. After he had held her to his -heart for a minute he spoke to his white horse, and the great beautiful -creature, which had been prancing so proudly a little while before, -walked as gently as a lady--for he knew he had a little lady on his -back--through the gate and up to the door of the house. Then the king -set her on the ground and, dismounting, took her hand and walked with -her into the great hall, which was hardly ever entered except when he -came to see his little princess. There he sat down, with two of his -counsellors who had accompanied him, to have some refreshment, and -Irene sat on his right hand and drank her milk out of a wooden bowl -curiously carved. - -After the king had eaten and drunk he turned to the princess and said, -stroking her hair: - -'Now, my child, what shall we do next?' - -This was the question he almost always put to her first after their -meal together; and Irene had been waiting for it with some impatience, -for now, she thought, she should be able to settle a question which -constantly perplexed her. - -'I should like you to take me to see my great old grandmother.' - -The king looked grave And said: - -'What does my little daughter mean?' - -'I mean the Queen Irene that lives up in the tower--the very old lady, -you know, with the long hair of silver.' - -The king only gazed at his little princess with a look which she could -not understand. - -'She's got her crown in her bedroom,' she went on; 'but I've not been -in there yet. You know she's there, don't you?' - -'No,' said the king, very quietly. - -'Then it must all be a dream,' said Irene. 'I half thought it was; but -I couldn't be sure. Now I am sure of it. Besides, I couldn't find her -the next time I went up.' - -At that moment a snow-white pigeon flew in at an open window and -settled upon Irene's head. She broke into a merry laugh, cowered a -little, and put up her hands to her head, saying: - -'Dear dovey, don't peck me. You'll pull out my hair with your long -claws if you don't mind.' - -The king stretched out his hand to take the pigeon, but it spread its -wings and flew again through the open window, when its Whiteness made -one flash in the sun and vanished. The king laid his hand on his -princess's head, held it back a little, gazed in her face, smiled half -a smile, and sighed half a sigh. - -'Come, my child; we'll have a walk in the garden together,' he said. - -'You won't come up and see my huge, great, beautiful grandmother, then, -king-papa?' said the princess. - -'Not this time,' said the king very gently. 'She has not invited me, -you know, and great old ladies like her do not choose to be visited -without leave asked and given.' - -The garden was a very lovely place. Being upon a Mountainside there -were parts in it where the rocks came through in great masses, and all -immediately about them remained quite wild. Tufts of heather grew upon -them, and other hardy mountain plants and flowers, while near them -would be lovely roses and lilies and all pleasant garden flowers. This -mingling of the wild mountain with the civilized garden was very -quaint, and it was impossible for any number of gardeners to make such -a garden look formal and stiff. - -Against one of these rocks was a garden seat, shadowed from the -afternoon sun by the overhanging of the rock itself. There was a -little winding path up to the top of the rock, and on top another seat; -but they sat on the seat at its foot because the sun was hot; and there -they talked together of many things. At length the king said: - -'You were out late one evening, Irene.' - -'Yes, papa. It was my fault; and Lootie was very sorry.' - -'I must talk to Lootie about it,' said the king. - -'Don't speak loud to her, please, papa,' said Irene. 'She's been so -afraid of being late ever since! Indeed she has not been naughty. It -was only a mistake for once.' - -'Once might be too often,' murmured the king to himself, as he stroked -his child's head. - -I can't tell you how he had come to know. I am sure Curdie had not -told him. Someone about the palace must have seen them, after all. - -He sat for a good while thinking. There was no sound to be heard -except that of a little stream which ran merrily out of an opening in -the rock by where they sat, and sped away down the hill through the -garden. Then he rose and, leaving Irene where she was, went into the -house and sent for Lootie, with whom he had a talk that made her cry. - -When in the evening he rode away upon his great white horse, he left -six of his attendants behind him, with orders that three of them should -watch outside the house every night, walking round and round it from -sunset to sunrise. It was clear he was not quite comfortable about the -princess. - - - -CHAPTER 11 - -The Old Lady's Bedroom - -Nothing more happened worth telling for some time. The autumn came and -went by. There were no more flowers in the garden. The wind blew -strong, and howled among the rocks. The rain fell, and drenched the -few yellow and red leaves that could not get off the bare branches. -Again and again there would be a glorious morning followed by a pouring -afternoon, and sometimes, for a week together, there would be rain, -nothing but rain, all day, and then the most lovely cloudless night, -with the sky all out in full-blown stars--not one missing. But the -princess could not see much of them, for she went to bed early. The -winter drew on, and she found things growing dreary. When it was too -stormy to go out, and she had got tired of her toys, Lootie would take -her about the house, sometimes to the housekeeper's room, where the -housekeeper, who was a good, kind old woman, made much of -her--sometimes to the servants' hall or the kitchen, where she was not -princess merely, but absolute queen, and ran a great risk of being -spoiled. Sometimes she would run off herself to the room where the -men-at-arms whom the king had left sat, and they showed her their arms -and accoutrements and did what they could to amuse her. Still at times -she found it very dreary, and often and often wished that her huge -great grandmother had not been a dream. - -One morning the nurse left her with the housekeeper for a while. To -amuse her she turned out the contents of an old cabinet upon the table. -The little princess found her treasures, queer ancient ornaments, and -many things the use of which she could not imagine, far more -interesting than her own toys, and sat playing with them for two hours -or more. But, at length, in handling a curious old-fashioned brooch, -she ran the pin of it into her thumb, and gave a little scream with the -sharpness of the pain, but would have thought little more of it had not -the pain increased and her thumb begun to swell. This alarmed the -housekeeper greatly. The nurse was fetched; the doctor was sent for; -her hand was poulticed, and long before her usual time she was put to -bed. The pain still continued, and although she fell asleep and -dreamed a good many dreams, there was the pain always in every dream. -At last it woke her UP. - -The moon was shining brightly into the room. The poultice had fallen -off her hand and it was burning hot. She fancied if she could hold it -into the moonlight that would cool it. So she got out of bed, without -waking the nurse who lay at the other end of the room, and went to the -window. When she looked out she saw one of the men-at-arms walking in -the garden with the moonlight glancing on his armour. She was just -going to tap on the window and call him, for she wanted to tell him all -about it, when she bethought herself that that might wake Lootie, and -she would put her into her bed again. So she resolved to go to the -window of another room, and call him from there. It was so much nicer -to have somebody to talk to than to lie awake in bed with the burning -pain in her hand. She opened the door very gently and went through the -nursery, which did not look into the garden, to go to the other window. -But when she came to the foot of the old staircase there was the moon -shining down from some window high up, and making the worm-eaten oak -look very strange and delicate and lovely. In a moment she was putting -her little feet one after the other in the silvery path up the stair, -looking behind as she went, to see the shadow they made in the middle -of the silver. Some little girls would have been afraid to find -themselves thus alone in the middle of the night, but Irene was a -princess. - -As she went slowly up the stair, not quite sure that she was not -dreaming, suddenly a great longing woke up in her heart to try once -more whether she could not find the old lady with the silvery hair. 'If -she is a dream,' she said to herself, 'then I am the likelier to find -her, if I am dreaming.' - -So up and up she went, stair after stair, until she Came to the many -rooms--all just as she had seen them before. Through passage after -passage she softly sped, comforting herself that if she should lose her -way it would not matter much, because when she woke she would find -herself in her own bed with Lootie not far off. But, as if she had -known every step of the way, she walked straight to the door at the -foot of the narrow stair that led to the tower. - -'What if I should realreality-really find my beautiful old grandmother -up there!' she said to herself as she crept up the steep steps. - -When she reached the top she stood a moment listening in the dark, for -there was no moon there. Yes! it was! it was the hum of the -spinning-wheel! What a diligent grandmother to work both day and -night! She tapped gently at the door. - -'Come in, Irene,'said the sweet voice. - -The princess opened the door and entered. There was the moonlight -streaming in at the window, and in the middle of the moonlight sat the -old lady in her black dress with the white lace, and her silvery hair -mingling with the moonlight, so that you could not have told which was -which. 'Come in, Irene,' she said again. 'Can you tell me what I am -spinning?' - -'She speaks,' thought Irene, 'just as if she had seen me five minutes -ago, or yesterday at the farthest. --No,' she answered; 'I don't know -what you are spinning. Please, I thought you were a dream. Why -couldn't I find you before, great-great-grandmother?' - -'That you are hardly old enough to understand. But you would have -found me sooner if you hadn't come to think I was a dream. I will give -you one reason though why you couldn't find me. I didn't want you to -find me.' - -'Why, please?' - -'Because I did not want Lootie to know I was here.' - -'But you told me to tell Lootie.' - -'Yes. But I knew Lootie would not believe you. If she were to see me -sitting spinning here, she wouldn't believe me, either.' - -'Why?' - -'Because she couldn't. She would rub her eyes, and go away and say she -felt queer, and forget half of it and more, and then say it had been -all a dream.' - -'Just like me,' said Irene, feeling very much ashamed of herself. - -'Yes, a good deal like you, but not just like you; for you've come -again; and Lootie wouldn't have come again. She would have said, No, -no--she had had enough of such nonsense.' - -'Is it naughty of Lootie, then?' - -'It would be naughty of you. I've never done anything for Lootie.' - -'And you did wash my face and hands for me,' said Irene, beginning to -cry. - -The old lady smiled a sweet smile and said: - -'I'm not vexed with you, my child--nor with Lootie either. But I don't -want you to say anything more to Lootie about me. If she should ask -you, you must just be silent. But I do not think she will ask you.' - -All the time they talked the old lady kept on spinning. - -'You haven't told me yet what I am spinning,' she said. - -'Because I don't know. It's very pretty stuff.' - -It was indeed very pretty stuff. There was a good bunch of it on the -distaff attached to the spinning-wheel, and in the moonlight it shone -like--what shall I say it was like? It was not white enough for -silver--yes, it was like silver, but shone grey rather than white, and -glittered only a little. And the thread the old lady drew out from it -was so fine that Irene could hardly see it. 'I am spinning this for -you, my child.' - -'For me! What am I to do with it, please?' - -'I will tell you by and by. But first I will tell you what it is. It -is spider-web--of a particular kind. My pigeons bring it me from over -the great sea. There is only one forest where the spiders live who -make this particular kind--the finest and strongest of any. I have -nearly finished my present job. What is on the rock now will be -enough. I have a week's work there yet, though,' she added, looking at -the bunch. - -'Do you work all day and all night, too, -great-great-great-great-grandmother?' said the princess, thinking to be -very polite with so many greats. - -'I am not quite so great as all that,' she answered, smiling almost -merrily. 'If you call me grandmother, that will do. No, I don't work -every night--only moonlit nights, and then no longer than the moon -shines upon my wheel. I shan't work much longer tonight.' - -'And what will you do next, grandmother?' 'Go to bed. Would you like -to see my bedroom?' - -'Yes, that I should.' - -'Then I think I won't work any longer tonight. I shall be in good -time.' - -The old lady rose, and left her wheel standing just as it was. You see -there was no good in putting it away, for where there was not any -furniture there was no danger of being untidy. - -Then she took Irene by the hand, but it was her bad hand and Irene gave -a little cry of pain. 'My child!' said her grandmother, 'what is the -matter?' - -Irene held her hand into the moonlight, that the old lady might see it, -and told her all about it, at which she looked grave. But she only -said: 'Give me your other hand'; and, having led her out upon the -little dark landing, opened the door on the opposite side of it. What -was Irene's surprise to see the loveliest room she had ever seen in her -life! It was large and lofty, and dome-shaped. From the centre hung a -lamp as round as a ball, shining as if with the brightest moonlight, -which made everything visible in the room, though not so clearly that -the princess could tell what many of the things were. A large oval bed -stood in the middle, with a coverlid of rose colour, and velvet -curtains all round it of a lovely pale blue. The walls were also -blue--spangled all over with what looked like stars of silver. - -The old lady left her and, going to a strange-looking cabinet, opened -it and took out a curious silver casket. Then she sat down on a low -chair and, calling Irene, made her kneel before her while she looked at -her hand. Having examined it, she opened the casket, and took from it -a little ointment. The sweetest odour filled the room--like that of -roses and lilies--as she rubbed the ointment gently all over the hot -swollen hand. Her touch was so pleasant and cool that it seemed to -drive away the pain and heat wherever it came. - -'Oh, grandmother! it is so nice!' said Irene. 'Thank you; thank you.' - -Then the old lady went to a chest of drawers, and took out a large -handkerchief of gossamer-like cambric, which she tied round her hand. - -'I don't think I can let you go away tonight,' she said. 'Would you -like to sleep with me?' - -'Oh, yes, yes, dear grandmother,' said Irene, and would have clapped -her hands, forgetting that she could not. - -'You won't be afraid, then, to go to bed with such an old woman?' - -'No. You are so beautiful, grandmother.' - -'But I am very old.' - -'And I suppose I am very young. You won't mind sleeping with such a -very young woman, grandmother?' - -'You sweet little pertness!' said the old lady, and drew her towards -her, and kissed her on the forehead and the cheek and the mouth. Then -she got a large silver basin, and having poured some water into it made -Irene sit on the chair, and washed her feet. This done, she was ready -for bed. And oh, what a delicious bed it was into which her -grandmother laid her! She hardly could have told she was lying upon -anything: she felt nothing but the softness. - -The old lady having undressed herself lay down beside her. - -'Why don't you put out your moon?' asked the princess. - -'That never goes out, night or day,' she answered. 'In the darkest -night, if any of my pigeons are out on a message, they always see my -moon and know where to fly to.' - -'But if somebody besides the pigeons were to see it--somebody about the -house, I mean--they would come to look what it was and find you.' - -'The better for them, then,' said the old lady. 'But it does not -happen above five times in a hundred years that anyone does see it. - -The greater part of those who do take it for a meteor, wink their eyes, -and forget it again. Besides, nobody could find the room except I -pleased. Besides, again--I will tell you a secret--if that light were -to go out you would fancy yourself lying in a bare garret, on a heap of -old straw, and would not see one of the pleasant things round about you -all the time.' - -'I hope it will never go out,' said the princess. - -'I hope not. But it is time we both went to sleep. Shall I take you -in my arms?' - -The little princess nestled close up to the old lady, who took her in -both her arms and held her close to her bosom. - -'Oh, dear! this is so nice!' said the princess. 'I didn't know -anything in the world could be so comfortable. I should like to lie -here for ever.' - -'You may if you will,' said the old lady. 'But I must put you to one -trial-not a very hard one, I hope. This night week you must come back -to me. If you don't, I do not know when you may find me again, and you -will soon want me very much.' - -'Oh! please, don't let me forget.' - -'You shall not forget. The only question is whether you will believe I -am anywhere--whether you will believe I am anything but a dream. You -may be sure I will do all I can to help you to come. But it will rest -with yourself, after all. On the night of next Friday, you must come -to me. Mind now.' - -'I will try,' said the princess. - -'Then good night,' said the old lady, and kissed the forehead which lay -in her bosom. - -In a moment more the little princess was dreaming in the midst of the -loveliest dreams--of summer seas and moonlight and mossy springs and -great murmuring trees, and beds of wild flowers with such odours as she -had never smelled before. But, after all, no dream could be more -lovely than what she had left behind when she fell asleep. - -In the morning she found herself in her own bed. There was no -handkerchief or anything else on her hand, only a sweet odour lingered -about it. The swelling had all gone down; the prick of the brooch had -vanished--in fact, her hand was perfectly well. - - - -CHAPTER 12 - -A Short Chapter About Curdie - -Curdie spent many nights in the mine. His father and he had taken Mrs. -Peterson into the secret, for they knew mother could hold her tongue, -which was more than could be said of all the miners' wives. - -But Curdie did not tell her that every night he spent in the mine, part -of it went in earning a new red petticoat for her. - -Mrs. Peterson was such a nice good mother! All mothers are nice and -good more or less, but Mrs. Peterson was nice and good all more and no -less. She made and kept a little heaven in that poor cottage on the -high hillside for her husband and son to go home to out of the low and -rather dreary earth in which they worked. I doubt if the princess was -very much happier even in the arms of her huge great-grandmother than -Peter and Curdie were in the arms of Mrs. Peterson. True, her hands -were hard and chapped and large, but it was with work for them; and -therefore, in the sight of the angels, her hands were so much the more -beautiful. And if Curdie worked hard to get her a petticoat, she -worked hard every day to get him comforts which he would have missed -much more than she would a new petticoat even in winter. Not that she -and Curdie ever thought of how much they worked for each other: that -would have spoiled everything. - -When left alone in the mine Curdie always worked on for an hour or two -at first, following the lode which, according to Glump, would lead at -last into the deserted habitation. After that, he would set out on a -reconnoitring expedition. In order to manage this, or rather the -return from it, better than the first time, he had bought a huge ball -of fine string, having learned the trick from Hop-o'-my-Thumb, whose -history his mother had often told him. Not that Hop-o'-my-Thumb had -ever used a ball of string--I should be sorry to be supposed so far out -in my classics--but the principle was the same as that of the pebbles. -The end of this string he fastened to his pickaxe, which figured no bad -anchor, and then, with the ball in his hand, unrolling it as he went, -set out in the dark through the natural gangs of the goblins' -territory. The first night or two he came upon nothing worth -remembering; saw only a little of the home-life of the cobs in the -various caves they called houses; failed in coming upon anything to -cast light upon the foregoing design which kept the inundation for the -present in the background. But at length, I think on the third or -fourth night, he found, partly guided by the noise of their implements, -a company of evidently the best sappers and miners amongst them, hard -at work. What were they about? It could not well be the inundation, -seeing that had in the meantime been postponed to something else. Then -what was it? He lurked and watched, every now and then in the greatest -risk of being detected, but without success. He had again and again to -retreat in haste, a proceeding rendered the more difficult that he had -to gather up his string as he returned upon its course. It was not -that he was afraid of the goblins, but that he was afraid of their -finding out that they were watched, which might have prevented the -discovery at which he aimed. Sometimes his haste had to be such that, -when he reached home towards morning, his string, for lack of time to -wind it up as he 'dodged the cobs', would be in what seemed most -hopeless entanglement; but after a good sleep, though a short one, he -always found his mother had got it right again. There it was, wound in -a most respectable ball, ready for use the moment he should want it! - -'I can't think how you do it, mother,' he would say. - -'I follow the thread,' she would answer--'just as you do in the mine.' -She never had more to say about it; but the less clever she was with -her words, the more clever she was with her hands; and the less his -mother said, the more Curdie believed she had to say. But still he had -made no discovery as to what the goblin miners were about. - - - -CHAPTER 13 - -The Cobs' Creatures - -About this time the gentlemen whom the king had left behind him to -watch over the princess had each occasion to doubt the testimony of his -own eyes, for more than strange were the objects to which they would -bear witness. They were of one sort--creatures--but so grotesque and -misshapen as to be more like a child's drawings upon his slate than -anything natural. They saw them only at night, while on guard about -the house. The testimony of the man who first reported having seen one -of them was that, as he was walking slowly round the house, while yet -in the shadow, he caught sight of a creature standing on its hind legs -in the moonlight, with its forefeet upon a window-ledge, staring in at -the window. Its body might have been that of a dog or wolf, he -thought, but he declared on his honour that its head was twice the size -it ought to have been for the size of its body, and as round as a ball, -while the face, which it turned upon him as it fled, was more like one -carved by a boy upon the turnip inside which he is going to put a -candle than anything else he could think of. It rushed into the -garden. He sent an arrow after it, and thought he must have struck it; -for it gave an unearthly howl, and he could not find his arrow any more -than the beast, although he searched all about the place where it -vanished. They laughed at him until he was driven to hold his tongue, -and said he must have taken too long a pull at the ale-jug. - -But before two nights were over he had one to side with him, for he, -too, had seen something strange, only quite different from that -reported by the other. The description the second man gave of the -creature he had seen was yet more grotesque and unlikely. They were -both laughed at by the rest; but night after night another came over to -their side, until at last there was only one left to laugh at all his -companions. Two nights more passed, and he saw nothing; but on the -third he came rushing from the garden to the other two before the -house, in such an agitation that they declared--for it was their turn -now--that the band of his helmet was cracking under his chin with the -rising of his hair inside it. Running with him into that part of the -garden which I have already described, they saw a score of creatures, -to not one of which they could give a name, and not one of which was -like another, hideous and ludicrous at once, gambolling on the lawn in -the moonlight. The supernatural or rather subnatural ugliness of their -faces, the length of legs and necks in some, the apparent absence of -both or either in others, made the spectators, although in one consent -as to what they saw, yet doubtful, as I have said, of the evidence of -their own eyes--and ears as well; for the noises they made, although -not loud, were as uncouth and varied as their forms, and could be -described neither as grunts nor squeaks nor roars nor howls nor barks -nor yells nor screams nor croaks nor hisses nor mews nor shrieks, but -only as something like all of them mingled in one horrible dissonance. -Keeping in the shade, the watchers had a few moments to recover -themselves before the hideous assembly suspected their presence; but -all at once, as if by common consent, they scampered off in the -direction of a great rock, and vanished before the men had come to -themselves sufficiently to think of following them. - -My readers will suspect what these were; but I will now give them full -information concerning them. They were, of course, household animals -belonging to the goblins, whose ancestors had taken their ancestors -many centuries before from the upper regions of light into the lower -regions of darkness. The original stocks of these horrible creatures -were very much the same as the animals now seen about farms and homes -in the country, with the exception of a few of them, which had been -wild creatures, such as foxes, and indeed wolves and small bears, which -the goblins, from their proclivity towards the animal creation, had -caught when cubs and tamed. But in the course of time all had -undergone even greater changes than had passed upon their owners. They -had altered--that is, their descendants had altered--into such -creatures as I have not attempted to describe except in the vaguest -manner--the various parts of their bodies assuming, in an apparently -arbitrary and self-willed manner, the most abnormal developments. -Indeed, so little did any distinct type predominate in some of the -bewildering results, that you could only have guessed at any known -animal as the original, and even then, what likeness remained would be -more one of general expression than of definable conformation. But -what increased the gruesomeness tenfold was that, from constant -domestic, or indeed rather family association with the goblins, their -countenances had grown in grotesque resemblance to the human. - -No one understands animals who does not see that every one of them, -even amongst the fishes, it may be with a dimness and vagueness -infinitely remote, yet shadows the human: in the case of these the -human resemblance had greatly increased: while their owners had sunk -towards them, they had risen towards their owners. But the conditions -of subterranean life being equally unnatural for both, while the -goblins were worse, the creatures had not improved by the -approximation, and its result would have appeared far more ludicrous -than consoling to the warmest lover of animal nature. I shall now -explain how it was that just then these animals began to show -themselves about the king's country house. - -The goblins, as Curdie had discovered, were mining on--at work both day -and night, in divisions, urging the scheme after which he lay in wait. -In the course of their tunnelling they had broken into the channel of a -small stream, but the break being in the top of it, no water had -escaped to interfere with their work. Some of the creatures, hovering -as they often did about their masters, had found the hole, and had, -with the curiosity which had grown to a passion from the restraints of -their unnatural circumstances, proceeded to explore the channel. The -stream was the same which ran out by the seat on which Irene and her -king-papa had sat as I have told, and the goblin creatures found it -jolly fun to get out for a romp on a smooth lawn such as they had never -seen in all their poor miserable lives. But although they had partaken -enough of the nature of their owners to delight in annoying and -alarming any of the people whom they met on the mountain, they were, of -course, incapable of designs of their own, or of intentionally -furthering those of their masters. - -For several nights after the men-at-arms were at length of one mind as -to the fact of the visits of some horrible creatures, whether bodily or -spectral they could not yet say, they watched with special attention -that part of the garden where they had last seen them. Perhaps indeed -they gave in consequence too little attention to the house. But the -creatures were too cunning to be easily caught; nor were the watchers -quick-eyed enough to descry the head, or the keen eyes in it, which, -from the opening whence the stream issued, would watch them in turn, -ready, the moment they should leave the lawn, to report the place clear. - - - -CHAPTER 14 - -That Night Week - -During the whole of the week Irene had been thinking every other moment -of her promise to the old lady, although even now she could not feel -quite sure that she had not been dreaming. Could it really be that an -old lady lived up in the top of the house, with pigeons and a -spinning-wheel, and a lamp that never went out? She was, however, none -the less determined, on the coming Friday, to ascend the three stairs, -walk through the passages with the many doors, and try to find the -tower in which she had either seen or dreamed her grandmother. - -Her nurse could not help wondering what had come to the child--she -would sit so thoughtfully silent, and even in the midst of a game with -her would so suddenly fall into a dreamy mood. But Irene took care to -betray nothing, whatever efforts Lootie might make to get at her -thoughts. And Lootie had to say to herself: 'What an odd child she -is!' and give it up. - -At length the longed-for Friday arrived, and lest Lootie should be -moved to watch her, Irene endeavoured to keep herself as quiet as -possible. In the afternoon she asked for her doll's house, and went on -arranging and rearranging the various rooms and their inhabitants for a -whole hour. Then she gave a sigh and threw herself back in her chair. -One of the dolls would not sit, and another would not stand, and they -were all very tiresome. Indeed, there was one would not even lie down, -which was too bad. But it was now getting dark, and the darker it got -the more excited Irene became, and the more she felt it necessary to be -composed. - -'I see you want your tea, princess,' said the nurse: 'I will go and get -it. The room feels close: I will open the window a little. The evening -is mild: it won't hurt you.' - -'There's no fear of that, Lootie,' said Irene, wishing she had put off -going for the tea till it was darker, when she might have made her -attempt with every advantage. - -I fancy Lootie was longer in returning than she had intended; for when -Irene, who had been lost in thought, looked up, she saw it was nearly -dark, and at the same moment caught sight of a pair of eyes, bright -with a green light, glowering at her through the open window. The next -instant something leaped into the room. It was like a cat, with legs -as long as a horse's, Irene said, but its body no bigger and its legs -no thicker than those of a cat. She was too frightened to cry out, but -not too frightened to jump from her chair and run from the room. - -It is plain enough to every one of my readers what she ought to have -done--and indeed, Irene thought of it herself; but when she came to the -foot of the old stair, just outside the nursery door, she imagined the -creature running up those long ascents after her, and pursuing her -through the dark passages--which, after all, might lead to no tower! -That thought was too much. Her heart failed her, and, turning from the -stair, she rushed along to the hall, whence, finding the front door -open, she darted into the court pursued--at least she thought so--by -the creature. No one happening to see her, on she ran, unable to think -for fear, and ready to run anywhere to elude the awful creature with -the stilt-legs. Not daring to look behind her, she rushed straight out -of the gate and up the mountain. It was foolish indeed--thus to run -farther and farther from all who could help her, as if she had been -seeking a fit spot for the goblin creature to eat her in his leisure; -but that is the way fear serves us: it always sides with the thing we -are afraid of. - -The princess was soon out of breath with running uphill; but she ran -on, for she fancied the horrible creature just behind her, forgetting -that, had it been after her such long legs as those must have overtaken -her long ago. At last she could run no longer, and fell, unable even -to scream, by the roadside, where she lay for some time half dead with -terror. But finding nothing lay hold of her, and her breath beginning -to come back, she ventured at length to get half up and peer anxiously -about her. It was now so dark she could see nothing. Not a single -star was out. She could not even tell in what direction the house lay, -and between her and home she fancied the dreadful creature lying ready -to pounce upon her. She saw now that she ought to have run up the -stairs at once. It was well she did not scream; for, although very few -of the goblins had come out for weeks, a stray idler or two might have -heard her. She sat down upon a stone, and nobody but one who had done -something wrong could have been more miserable. She had quite -forgotten her promise to visit her grandmother. A raindrop fell on her -face. She looked up, and for a moment her terror was lost in -astonishment. At first she thought the rising moon had left her place, -and drawn nigh to see what could be the matter with the little girl, -sitting alone, without hat or cloak, on the dark bare mountain; but she -soon saw she was mistaken, for there was no light on the ground at her -feet, and no shadow anywhere. But a great silver globe was hanging in -the air; and as she gazed at the lovely thing, her courage revived. If -she were but indoors again, she would fear nothing, not even the -terrible creature with the long legs! But how was she to find her way -back? What could that light be? Could it be--? No, it couldn't. But -what if it should be--yes--it must be--her great-great-grandmother's -lamp, which guided her pigeons home through the darkest night! She -jumped up: she had but to keep that light in view and she must find the -house. Her heart grew strong. Speedily, yet softly, she walked down -the hill, hoping to pass the watching creature unseen. Dark as it was, -there was little danger now of choosing the wrong road. And--which was -most strange--the light that filled her eyes from the lamp, instead of -blinding them for a moment to the object upon which they next fell, -enabled her for a moment to see it, despite the darkness. By looking -at the lamp and then dropping her eyes, she could see the road for a -yard or two in front of her, and this saved her from several falls, for -the road was very rough. But all at once, to her dismay, it vanished, -and the terror of the beast, which had left her the moment she began to -return, again laid hold of her heart. The same instant, however, she -caught the light of the windows, and knew exactly where she was. It -was too dark to run, but she made what haste she could, and reached the -gate in safety. She found the house door still open, ran through the -hall, and, without even looking into the nursery, bounded straight up -the stair, and the next, and the next; then turning to the right, ran -through the long avenue of silent rooms, and found her way at once to -the door at the foot of the tower stair. - -When first the nurse missed her, she fancied she was playing her a -trick, and for some time took no trouble about her; but at last, -getting frightened, she had begun to search; and when the princess -entered, the whole household was hither and thither over the house, -hunting for her. A few seconds after she reached the stair of the -tower they had even begun to search the neglected rooms, in which they -would never have thought of looking had they not already searched every -other place they could think of in vain. But by this time she was -knocking at the old lady's door. - - - -CHAPTER 15 - -Woven and Then Spun - -'Come in, Irene,' said the silvery voice of her grandmother. - -The princess opened the door and peeped in. But the room was quite -dark and there was no sound of the spinning-wheel. She grew frightened -once more, thinking that, although the room was there, the old lady -might be a dream after all. Every little girl knows how dreadful it is -to find a room empty where she thought somebody was; but Irene had to -fancy for a moment that the person she came to find was nowhere at all. -She remembered, however, that at night she spun only in the moonlight, -and concluded that must be why there was no sweet, bee-like humming: -the old lady might be somewhere in the darkness. Before she had time -to think another thought, she heard her voice again, saying as before: -'Come in, Irene.' From the sound, she understood at once that she was -not in the room beside her. Perhaps she was in her bedroom. She -turned across the passage, feeling her way to the other door. When her -hand fell on the lock, again the old lady spoke: - -'Shut the other door behind you, Irene. I always close the door of my -workroom when I go to my chamber.' - -Irene wondered to hear her voice so plainly through the door: having -shut the other, she opened it and went in. Oh, what a lovely haven to -reach from the darkness and fear through which she had come! The soft -light made her feel as if she were going into the heart of the milkiest -pearl; while the blue walls and their silver stars for a moment -perplexed her with the fancy that they were in reality the sky which -she had left outside a minute ago covered with rainclouds. - -'I've lighted a fire for you, Irene: you're cold and wet,' said her -grandmother. - -Then Irene looked again, and saw that what she had taken for a huge -bouquet of red roses on a low stand against the wall was in fact a fire -which burned in the shapes of the loveliest and reddest roses, glowing -gorgeously between the heads and wings of two cherubs of shining -silver. And when she came nearer, she found that the smell of roses -with which the room was filled came from the fire-roses on the hearth. -Her grandmother was dressed in the loveliest pale blue velvet, over -which her hair, no longer white, but of a rich golden colour, streamed -like a cataract, here falling in dull gathered heaps, there rushing -away in smooth shining falls. And ever as she looked, the hair seemed -pouring down from her head and vanishing in a golden mist ere it -reached the floor. It flowed from under the edge of a circle of -shining silver, set with alternated pearls and opals. On her dress was -no ornament whatever, neither was there a ring on her hand, or a -necklace or carcanet about her neck. But her slippers glimmered with -the light of the Milky Way, for they were covered with seed-pearls and -opals in one mass. Her face was that of a woman of three-and-twenty. - -The princess was so bewildered with astonishment and admiration that -she could hardly thank her, and drew nigh with timidity, feeling dirty -and uncomfortable. The lady was seated on a low chair by the side of -the fire, with hands outstretched to take her, but the princess hung -back with a troubled smile. - -'Why, what's the matter?' asked her grandmother. 'You haven't been -doing anything wrong--I know that by your face, though it is rather -miserable. What's the matter, my dear?' - -And she still held out her arms. - -'Dear grandmother,' said Irene, 'I'm not so sure that I haven't done -something wrong. I ought to have run up to you at once when the -long-legged cat came in at the window, instead of running out on the -mountain and making myself such a fright.' - -'You were taken by surprise, my child, and you are not so likely to do -it again. It is when people do wrong things wilfully that they are the -more likely to do them again. Come.' - -And still she held out her arms. - -'But, grandmother, you're so beautiful and grand with your crown on; -and I am so dirty with mud and rain! I should quite spoil your -beautiful blue dress.' - -With a merry little laugh the lady sprung from her chair, more lightly -far than Irene herself could, caught the child to her bosom, and, -kissing the tear-stained face over and over, sat down with her in her -lap. - -'Oh, grandmother! You'll make yourself such a mess!' cried Irene, -clinging to her. - -'You darling! do you think I care more for my dress than for my little -girl? Besides--look here.' - -As she spoke she set her down, and Irene saw to her dismay that the -lovely dress was covered with the mud of her fall on the mountain road. -But the lady stooped to the fire, and taking from it, by the stalk in -her fingers, one of the burning roses, passed it once and again and a -third time over the front of her dress; and when Irene looked, not a -single stain was to be discovered. - -'There!' said her grandmother, 'you won't mind coming to me now?' - -But Irene again hung back, eying the flaming rose which the lady held -in her hand. - -'You're not afraid of the rose--are you?' she said, about to throw it -on the hearth again. - -'Oh! don't, please!' cried Irene. 'Won't you hold it to my frock and -my hands and my face? And I'm afraid my feet and my knees want it too.' - -'No, answered her grandmother, smiling a little sadly, as she threw the -rose from her; 'it is too hot for you yet. It would set your frock in -a flame. Besides, I don't want to make you clean tonight. - -I want your nurse and the rest of the people to see you as you are, for -you will have to tell them how you ran away for fear of the long-legged -cat. I should like to wash you, but they would not believe you then. -Do you see that bath behind you?' - -The princess looked, and saw a large oval tub of silver, shining -brilliantly in the light of the wonderful lamp. - -'Go and look into it,' said the lady. - -Irene went, and came back very silent with her eyes shining. - -'What did you see?' asked her grandmother. - -'The sky, and the moon and the stars,' she answered. 'It looked as if -there was no bottom to it.' - -The lady smiled a pleased satisfied smile, and was silent also for a -few moments. Then she said: - -'Any time you want a bath, come to me. I know YOU have a bath every -morning, but sometimes you want one at night, too.' - -'Thank you, grandmother; I will--I will indeed,' answered Irene, and -was again silent for some moments thinking. Then she said: 'How was -it, grandmother, that I saw your beautiful lamp--not the light of it -only--but the great round silvery lamp itself, hanging alone in the -great open air, high up? It was your lamp I saw--wasn't it?' - -'Yes, my child--it was my lamp.' - -'Then how was it? I don't see a window all round.' - -'When I please I can make the lamp shine through the walls--shine so -strong that it melts them away from before the sight, and shows itself -as you saw it. But, as I told you, it is not everybody can see it.' - -'How is it that I can, then? I'm sure I don't know.' - -'It is a gift born with you. And one day I hope everybody will have -it.' - -'But how do you make it shine through the walls?' - -'Ah! that you would not understand if I were to try ever so much to -make you--not yet--not yet. But,' added the lady, rising, 'you must -sit in my chair while I get you the present I have been preparing for -you. I told you my spinning was for you. It is finished now, and I am -going to fetch it. I have been keeping it warm under one of my -brooding pigeons.' - -Irene sat down in the low chair, and her grandmother left her, shutting -the door behind her. The child sat gazing, now at the rose fire, now -at the starry walls, now at the silver light; and a great quietness -grew in her heart. If all the long-legged cats in the world had come -rushing at her then she would not have been afraid of them for a -moment. How this was she could not tell--she only knew there was no -fear in her, and everything was so right and safe that it could not get -in. - -She had been gazing at the lovely lamp for some minutes fixedly: -turning her eyes, she found the wall had vanished, for she was looking -out on the dark cloudy night. But though she heard the wind blowing, -none of it blew upon her. In a moment more the clouds themselves -parted, or rather vanished like the wall, and she looked straight into -the starry herds, flashing gloriously in the dark blue. It was but for -a moment. The clouds gathered again and shut out the stars; the wall -gathered again and shut out the clouds; and there stood the lady beside -her with the loveliest smile on her face, and a shimmering ball in her -hand, about the size of a pigeon's egg. - -'There, Irene; there is my work for you!' she said, holding out the -ball to the princess. - -She took it in her hand, and looked at it all over. It sparkled a -little, and shone here and there, but not much. It was of a sort of -grey-whiteness, something like spun glass. - -'Is this all your spinning, grandmother?' she asked. - -'All since you came to the house. There is more there than you think.' - -'How pretty it is! What am I to do with it, please?' - -'That I will now explain to you,' answered the lady, turning from her -and going to her cabinet. She came back with a small ring in her hand. -Then she took the ball from Irene's, and did something with the -ring--Irene could not tell what. - -'Give me your hand,' she said. Irene held up her right hand. - -'Yes, that is the hand I want,' said the lady, and put the ring on the -forefinger of it. - -'What a beautiful ring!' said Irene. 'What is the stone called?' - -'It is a fire-opal.' 'Please, am I to keep it?' - -'Always.' 'Oh, thank you, grandmother! It's prettier than anything I -ever saw, except those--of all colours-in your--Please, is that your -crown?' - -'Yes, it is my crown. The stone in your ring is of the same sort--only -not so good. It has only red, but mine have all colours, you see.' - -'Yes, grandmother. I will take such care of it! But--' she added, -hesitating. - -'But what?' asked her grandmother. - -'What am I to say when Lootie asks me where I got it?' - -'You will ask her where you got it,' answered the lady smiling. - -'I don't see how I can do that.' - -'You will, though.' - -'Of course I will, if you say so. But, you know, I can't pretend not -to know.' - -'Of course not. But don't trouble yourself about it. You will see -when the time comes.' - -So saying, the lady turned, and threw the little ball into the rose -fire. - -'Oh, grandmother!' exclaimed Irene; 'I thought you had spun it for me.' - -'So I did, my child. And you've got it.' - -'No; it's burnt in the fire!' - -The lady put her hand in the fire, brought out the ball, glimmering as -before, and held it towards her. Irene stretched out her hand to take -it, but the lady turned and, going to her cabinet, opened a drawer, and -laid the ball in it. - -'Have I done anything to vex you, grandmother?' said Irene pitifully. - -'No, my darling. But you must understand that no one ever gives -anything to another properly and really without keeping it. That ball -is yours.' - -'Oh! I'm not to take it with me! You are going to keep it for me!' - -'You are to take it with you. I've fastened the end of it to the ring -on your finger.' - -Irene looked at the ring. - -'I can't see it there, grandmother,' she said. - -'Feel--a little way from the ring--towards the cabinet,' said the lady. - -'Oh! I do feel it!' exclaimed the princess. 'But I can't see it,' she -added, looking close to her outstretched hand. - -'No. The thread is too fine for you to see it. You can only feel it. -Now you can fancy how much spinning that took, although it does seem -such a little ball.' - -'But what use can I make of it, if it lies in your cabinet?' - -'That is what I will explain to you. It would be of no use to you--it -wouldn't be yours at all if it did not lie in my cabinet. Now listen. -If ever you find yourself in any danger--such, for example, as you were -in this same evening--you must take off your ring and put it under the -pillow of your bed. Then you must lay your finger, the same that wore -the ring, upon the thread, and follow the thread wherever it leads you.' - -'Oh, how delightful! It will lead me to you, grandmother, I know!' - -'Yes. But, remember, it may seem to you a very roundabout way indeed, -and you must not doubt the thread. Of one thing you may be sure, that -while you hold it, I hold it too.' - -'It is very wonderful!' said Irene thoughtfully. Then suddenly -becoming aware, she jumped up, crying: - -'Oh, grandmother! here have I been sitting all this time in your chair, -and you standing! I beg your pardon.' - -The lady laid her hand on her shoulder, and said: - -'Sit down again, Irene. Nothing pleases me better than to see anyone -sit in my chair. I am only too glad to stand so long as anyone will -sit in it.' - -'How kind of you!' said the princess, and sat down again. - -'It makes me happy,' said the lady. - -'But,' said Irene, still puzzled, 'won't the thread get in somebody's -way and be broken, if the one end is fast to my ring, and the other -laid in your cabinet?' - -'You will find all that arrange itself. I am afraid it is time for you -to go.' - -'Mightn't I stay and sleep with you tonight, grandmother?' 'No, not -tonight. If I had meant you to stay tonight, I should have given you a -bath; but you know everybody in the house is miserable about you, and -it would be cruel to keep them so all night. You must go downstairs.' - -'I'm so glad, grandmother, you didn't say "Go home," for this is my -home. Mayn't I call this my home?' - -'You may, my child. And I trust you will always think it your home. -Now come. I must take you back without anyone seeing you.' - -'Please, I want to ask you one question more,' said Irene. 'Is it -because you have your crown on that you look so young?' - -'No, child,' answered her grandmother; 'it is because I felt so young -this evening that I put my crown on. And I thought you would like to -see your old grandmother in her best.' - -'Why do you call yourself old? You're not old, grandmother.' - -'I am very old indeed. It is so silly of people--I don't mean you, for -you are such a tiny, and couldn't know better--but it is so silly of -people to fancy that old age means crookedness and witheredness and -feebleness and sticks and spectacles and rheumatism and forgetfulness! -It is so silly! Old age has nothing whatever to do with all that. The -right old age means strength and beauty and mirth and courage and clear -eyes and strong painless limbs. I am older than you are able to think, -and--' - -'And look at you, grandmother!' cried Irene, jumping up and flinging -her arms about her neck. 'I won't be so silly again, I promise you. -At least--I'm rather afraid to promise--but if I am, I promise to be -sorry for it--I do. I wish I were as old as you, grandmother. I don't -think you are ever afraid of anything.' - -'Not for long, at least, my child. Perhaps by the time I am two -thousand years of age, I shall, indeed, never be afraid of anything. -But I confess I have sometimes been afraid about my children--sometimes -about you, Irene.' - -'Oh, I'm so sorry, grandmother! Tonight, I suppose, you mean.' - -'Yes--a little tonight; but a good deal when you had all but made up -your mind that I was a dream, and no real great-great-grandmother. You -must not suppose I am blaming you for that. I dare say you could not -help it.' - -'I don't know, grandmother,' said the princess, beginning to cry. 'I -can't always do myself as I should like. And I don't always try. I'm -very sorry anyhow.' - -The lady stooped, lifted her in her arms, and sat down with her in her -chair, holding her close to her bosom. In a few minutes the princess -had sobbed herself to sleep. How long she slept I do not know. When -she came to herself she was sitting in her own high chair at the -nursery table, with her doll's house before her. - - - -CHAPTER 16 - -The Ring - -The same moment her nurse came into the room, sobbing. When she saw -her sitting there she started back with a loud cry of amazement and -joy. Then running to her, she caught her in her arms and covered her -with kisses. - -'My precious darling princess! where have you been? What has happened -to you? We've all been crying our eyes out, and searching the house -from top to bottom for you.' - -'Not quite from the top,' thought Irene to herself; and she might have -added, 'not quite to the bottom', perhaps, if she had known all. But -the one she would not, and the other she could not say. 'Oh, Lootie! -I've had such a dreadful adventure!' she replied, and told her all -about the cat with the long legs, and how she ran out upon the -mountain, and came back again. But she said nothing of her grandmother -or her lamp. - -'And there we've been searching for you all over the house for more -than an hour and a half!' exclaimed the nurse. 'But that's no matter, -now we've got you! Only, princess, I must say,' she added, her mood -changing, 'what you ought to have done was to call for your own Lootie -to come and help you, instead of running out of the house, and up the -mountain, in that wild, I must say, foolish fashion.' - -'Well, Lootie,' said Irene quietly, 'perhaps if you had a big cat, all -legs, running at you, you might not exactly know what was the wisest -thing to do at the moment.' - -'I wouldn't run up the mountain, anyhow,' returned Lootie. - -'Not if you had time to think about it. But when those creatures came -at you that night on the mountain, you were so frightened yourself that -you lost your way home.' - -This put a stop to Lootie's reproaches. She had been on the point of -saying that the long-legged cat must have been a twilight fancy of the -princess's, but the memory of the horrors of that night, and of the -talking-to which the king had given her in consequence, prevented her -from saying what after all she did not half believe--having a strong -suspicion that the cat was a goblin; for she knew nothing of the -difference between the goblins and their creatures: she counted them -all just goblins. - -Without another word she went and got some fresh tea and bread and -butter for the princess. Before she returned, the whole household, -headed by the housekeeper, burst into the nursery to exult over their -darling. The gentlemen-at-arms followed, and were ready enough to -believe all she told them about the long-legged cat. Indeed, though -wise enough to say nothing about it, they remembered, with no little -horror, just such a creature amongst those they had surprised at their -gambols upon the princess's lawn. - -In their own hearts they blamed themselves for not having kept better -watch. And their captain gave orders that from this night the front -door and all the windows on the ground floor should be locked -immediately the sun set, and opened after upon no pretence whatever. -The men-at-arms redoubled their vigilance, and for some time there was -no further cause of alarm. - -When the princess woke the next morning, her nurse was bending over -her. 'How your ring does glow this morning, princess!--just like a -fiery rose!' she said. - -'Does it, Lootie?' returned Irene. 'Who gave me the ring, Lootie? I -know I've had it a long time, but where did I get it? I don't -remember.' - -'I think it must have been your mother gave it you, princess; but -really, for as long as you have worn it, I don't remember that ever I -heard,' answered her nurse. - -'I will ask my king-papa the next time he comes,' said Irene. - - - -CHAPTER 17 - -Springtime - -The spring so dear to all creatures, young and old, came at last, and -before the first few days of it had gone, the king rode through its -budding valleys to see his little daughter. He had been in a distant -part of his dominions all the winter, for he was not in the habit of -stopping in one great city, or of visiting only his favourite country -houses, but he moved from place to place, that all his people might -know him. Wherever he journeyed, he kept a constant look-out for the -ablest and best men to put into office; and wherever he found himself -mistaken, and those he had appointed incapable or unjust, he removed -them at once. Hence you see it was his care of the people that kept -him from seeing his princess so often as he would have liked. You may -wonder why he did not take her about with him; but there were several -reasons against his doing so, and I suspect her great-great-grandmother -had had a principal hand in preventing it. Once more Irene heard the -bugle-blast, and once more she was at the gate to meet her father as he -rode up on his great white horse. - -After they had been alone for a little while, she thought of what she -had resolved to ask him. - -'Please, king-papa,' she said, 'Will you tell me where I got this -pretty ring? I can't remember.' - -The king looked at it. A strange beautiful smile spread like sunshine -over his face, and an answering smile, but at the same time a -questioning one, spread like moonlight over Irene's. 'It was your -queen-mamma's once,' he said. - -'And why isn't it hers now?' asked Irene. - -'She does not want it now,' said the king, looking grave. - -'Why doesn't she want it now?' - -'Because she's gone where all those rings are made.' - -'And when shall I see her?' asked the princess. - -'Not for some time yet,' answered the king, and the tears came into his -eyes. - -Irene did not remember her mother and did not know why her father -looked so, and why the tears came in his eyes; but she put her arms -round his neck and kissed him, and asked no more questions. - -The king was much disturbed on hearing the report of the -gentlemen-at-arms concerning the creatures they had seen; and I presume -would have taken Irene with him that very day, but for what the -presence of the ring on her finger assured him of. About an hour -before he left, Irene saw him go up the old stair; and he did not come -down again till they were just ready to start; and she thought with -herself that he had been up to see the old lady. When he went away he -left other six gentlemen behind him, that there might be six of them -always on guard. - -And now, in the lovely spring weather, Irene was out on the mountain -the greater part of the day. In the warmer hollows there were lovely -primroses, and not so many that she ever got tired of them. As often -as she saw a new one opening an eye of light in the blind earth, she -would clap her hands with gladness, and unlike some children I know, -instead of pulling it, would touch it as tenderly as if it had been a -new baby, and, having made its acquaintance, would leave it as happy as -she found it. She treated the plants on which they grew like birds' -nests; every fresh flower was like a new little bird to her. She would -pay visits to all the flower-nests she knew, remembering each by -itself. She would go down on her hands and knees beside one and say: -'Good morning! Are you all smelling very sweet this morning? -Good-bye!' and then she would go to another nest, and say the same. It -was a favourite amusement with her. There were many flowers up and -down, and she loved them all, but the primroses were her favourites. - -'They're not too shy, and they're not a bit forward,' she would say to -Lootie. - -There were goats too about, over the mountain, and when the little kids -came she was as pleased with them as with the flowers. The goats -belonged to the miners mostly-a few of them to Curdie's mother; but -there were a good many wild ones that seemed to belong to nobody. -These the goblins counted theirs, and it was upon them partly that they -lived. They set snares and dug pits for them; and did not scruple to -take what tame ones happened to be caught; but they did not try to -steal them in any other manner, because they were afraid of the dogs -the hill-people kept to watch them, for the knowing dogs always tried -to bite their feet. But the goblins had a kind of sheep of their -own--very queer creatures, which they drove out to feed at night, and -the other goblin creatures were wise enough to keep good watch over -them, for they knew they should have their bones by and by. - - - -CHAPTER 18 - -Curdie's Clue - -Curdie was as watchful as ever, but was almost getting tired of his ill -success. Every other night or so he followed the goblins about, as -they went on digging and boring, and getting as near them as he could, -watched them from behind stones and rocks; but as yet he seemed no -nearer finding out what they had in view. As at first, he always kept -hold of the end of his string, while his pickaxe, left just outside the -hole by which he entered the goblins' country from the mine, continued -to serve as an anchor and hold fast the other end. The goblins, -hearing no more noise in that quarter, had ceased to apprehend an -immediate invasion, and kept no watch. - -One night, after dodging about and listening till he was nearly falling -asleep with weariness, he began to roll up his ball, for he had -resolved to go home to bed. It was not long, however, before he began -to feel bewildered. One after another he passed goblin houses, caves, -that is, occupied by goblin families, and at length was sure they were -many more than he had passed as he came. He had to use great caution -to pass unseen--they lay so close together. Could his string have led -him wrong? He still followed winding it, and still it led him into -more thickly populated quarters, until he became quite uneasy, and -indeed apprehensive; for although he was not afraid of the cobs, he was -afraid of not finding his way out. But what could he do? It was of no -use to sit down and wait for the morning--the morning made no -difference here. It was dark, and always dark; and if his string -failed him he was helpless. He might even arrive within a yard of the -mine and never know it. Seeing he could do nothing better he would at -least find where the end of his string was, and, if possible, how it -had come to play him such a trick. He knew by the size of the ball -that he was getting pretty near the last of it, when he began to feel a -tugging and pulling at it. What could it mean? Turning a sharp -corner, he thought he heard strange sounds. These grew, as he went on, -to a scuffling and growling and squeaking; and the noise increased, -until, turning a second sharp corner, he found himself in the midst of -it, and the same moment tumbled over a wallowing mass, which he knew -must be a knot of the cobs' creatures. Before he could recover his -feet, he had caught some great scratches on his face and several severe -bites on his legs and arms. But as he scrambled to get up, his hand -fell upon his pickaxe, and before the horrid beasts could do him any -serious harm, he was laying about with it right and left in the dark. -The hideous cries which followed gave him the satisfaction of knowing -that he had punished some of them pretty smartly for their rudeness, -and by their scampering and their retreating howls, he perceived that -he had routed them. He stood for a little, weighing his battle-axe in -his hand as if it had been the most precious lump of metal--but indeed -no lump of gold itself could have been so precious at the time as that -common tool--then untied the end of the string from it, put the ball in -his pocket, and still stood thinking. It was clear that the cobs' -creatures had found his axe, had between them carried it off, and had -so led him he knew not where. But for all his thinking he could not -tell what he ought to do, until suddenly he became aware of a glimmer -of light in the distance. Without a moment's hesitation he set out for -it, as fast as the unknown and rugged way would permit. Yet again -turning a corner, led by the dim light, he spied something quite new in -his experience of the underground regions--a small irregular shape of -something shining. Going up to it, he found it was a piece of mica, or -Muscovy glass, called sheep-silver in Scotland, and the light flickered -as if from a fire behind it. After trying in vain for some time to -discover an entrance to the place where it was burning, he came at -length to a small chamber in which an opening, high in the wall, -revealed a glow beyond. To this opening he managed to scramble up, and -then he saw a strange sight. - -Below sat a little group of goblins around a fire, the smoke of which -vanished in the darkness far aloft. The sides of the cave were full of -shining minerals like those of the palace hall; and the company was -evidently of a superior order, for every one wore stones about head, or -arms, or waist, shining dull gorgeous colours in the light of the fire. -Nor had Curdie looked long before he recognized the king himself, and -found that he had made his way into the inner apartment of the royal -family. He had never had such a good chance of hearing something. He -crept through the hole as softly as he could, scrambled a good way down -the wall towards them without attracting attention, and then sat down -and listened. The king, evidently the queen, and probably the crown -prince and the Prime Minister were talking together. He was sure of -the queen by her shoes, for as she warmed her feet at the fire, he saw -them quite plainly. - -'That will be fun!' said the one he took for the crown prince. It was -the first whole sentence he heard. - -'I don't see why you should think it such a grand affair!' said his -stepmother, tossing her head backward. - -'You must remember, my spouse,' interposed His Majesty, as if making -excuse for his son, 'he has got the same blood in him. His mother--' - -'Don't talk to me of his mother! You positively encourage his -unnatural fancies. Whatever belongs to that mother ought to be cut out -of him.' - -'You forget yourself, my dear!' said the king. - -'I don't,' said the queen, 'nor you either. If you expect me to -approve of such coarse tastes, you will find yourself mistaken. I -don't wear shoes for nothing.' - -'You must acknowledge, however,' the king said, with a little groan, -'that this at least is no whim of Harelip's, but a matter of State -policy. You are well aware that his gratification comes purely from -the pleasure of sacrificing himself to the public good. - -Does it not, Harelip?' - -'Yes, father; of course it does. Only it will be nice to make her cry. -I'll have the skin taken off between her toes, and tie them up till -they grow together. Then her feet will be like other people's, and -there will be no occasion for her to wear shoes.' - -'Do you mean to insinuate I've got toes, you unnatural wretch?' cried -the queen; and she moved angrily towards Harelip. The councillor, -however, who was betwixt them, leaned forward so as to prevent her -touching him, but only as if to address the prince. - -'Your Royal Highness,' he said, 'possibly requires to be reminded that -you have got three toes yourself--one on one foot, two on the other.' - -'Ha! ha! ha!' shouted the queen triumphantly. - -The councillor, encouraged by this mark of favour, went on. - -'It seems to me, Your Royal Highness, it would greatly endear you to -your future people, proving to them that you are not the less one of -themselves that you had the misfortune to be born of a sun-mother, if -you were to command upon yourself the comparatively slight operation -which, in a more extended form, you so wisely meditate with regard to -your future princess.' - -'Ha! ha! ha!' laughed the queen louder than before, and the king and -the minister joined in the laugh. Harelip growled, and for a few -moments the others continued to express their enjoyment of his -discomfiture. - -The queen was the only one Curdie could see with any distinctness. She -sat sideways to him, and the light of the fire shone full upon her -face. He could not consider her handsome. Her nose was certainly -broader at the end than its extreme length, and her eyes, instead of -being horizontal, were set up like two perpendicular eggs, one on the -broad, the other on the small end. Her mouth was no bigger than a -small buttonhole until she laughed, when it stretched from ear to -ear--only, to be sure, her ears were very nearly in the middle of her -cheeks. - -Anxious to hear everything they might say, Curdie ventured to slide -down a smooth part of the rock just under him, to a projection below, -upon which he thought to rest. But whether he was not careful enough, -or the projection gave way, down he came with a rush on the floor of -the cavern, bringing with him a great rumbling shower of stones. - -The goblins jumped from their seats in more anger than consternation, -for they had never yet seen anything to be afraid of in the palace. -But when they saw Curdie with his pick in his hand their rage was -mingled with fear, for they took him for the first of an invasion of -miners. The king notwithstanding drew himself up to his full height of -four feet, spread himself to his full breadth of three and a half, for -he was the handsomest and squarest of all the goblins, and strutting up -to Curdie, planted himself with outspread feet before him, and said -with dignity: - -'Pray what right have you in my palace?' - -'The right of necessity, Your Majesty,' answered Curdie. 'I lost my -way and did not know where I was wandering to.' - -'How did you get in?' - -'By a hole in the mountain.' - -'But you are a miner! Look at your pickaxe!' - -Curdie did look at it, answering: - -'I came upon it lying on the ground a little way from here. I tumbled -over some wild beasts who were playing with it. Look, Your Majesty.' -And Curdie showed him how he was scratched and bitten. - -The king was pleased to find him behave more politely than he had -expected from what his people had told him concerning the miners, for -he attributed it to the power of his own presence; but he did not -therefore feel friendly to the intruder. - -'You will oblige me by walking out of my dominions at once,' he said, -well knowing what a mockery lay in the words. - -'With pleasure, if Your Majesty will give me a guide,' said Curdie. - -'I will give you a thousand,' said the king with a scoffing air of -magnificent liberality. - -'One will be quite sufficient,' said Curdie. - -But the king uttered a strange shout, half halloo, half roar, and in -rushed goblins till the cave was swarming. He said something to the -first of them which Curdie could not hear, and it was passed from one -to another till in a moment the farthest in the crowd had evidently -heard and understood it. They began to gather about him in a way he -did not relish, and he retreated towards the wall. They pressed upon -him. - -'Stand back,' said Curdie, grasping his pickaxe tighter by his knee. - -They only grinned and pressed closer. Curdie bethought himself and -began to rhyme. - - - 'Ten, twenty, thirty-- - You're all so very dirty! - Twenty, thirty, forty-- - You're all so thick and snorty! - 'Thirty, forty, fifty-- - You're all so puff-and-snifty! - Forty, fifty, sixty-- - Beast and man so mixty! - - 'Fifty, sixty, seventy-- - Mixty, maxty, leaventy! - Sixty, seventy, eighty-- - All your cheeks so slaty! - - 'Seventy, eighty, ninety, - All your hands so flinty! - Eighty, ninety, hundred, - Altogether dundred!' - - -The goblins fell back a little when he began, and made horrible -grimaces all through the rhyme, as if eating something so disagreeable -that it set their teeth on edge and gave them the creeps; but whether -it was that the rhyming words were most of them no words at all, for, a -new rhyme being considered the more efficacious, Curdie had made it on -the spur of the moment, or whether it was that the presence of the king -and queen gave them courage, I cannot tell; but the moment the rhyme -was over they crowded on him again, and out shot a hundred long arms, -with a multitude of thick nailless fingers at the ends of them, to lay -hold upon him. Then Curdie heaved up his axe. But being as gentle as -courageous and not wishing to kill any of them, he turned the end which -was square and blunt like a hammer, and with that came down a great -blow on the head of the goblin nearest him. Hard as the heads of all -goblins are, he thought he must feel that. And so he did, no doubt; -but he only gave a horrible cry, and sprung at Curdie's throat. -Curdie, however, drew back in time, and just at that critical moment -remembered the vulnerable part of the goblin body. He made a sudden -rush at the king and stamped with all his might on His Majesty's feet. -The king gave a most unkingly howl and almost fell into the fire. -Curdie then rushed into the crowd, stamping right and left. The -goblins drew back, howling on every side as he approached, but they -were so crowded that few of those he attacked could escape his tread; -and the shrieking and roaring that filled the cave would have appalled -Curdie but for the good hope it gave him. They were tumbling over each -other in heaps in their eagerness to rush from the cave, when a new -assailant suddenly faced him--the queen, with flaming eyes and expanded -nostrils, her hair standing half up from her head, rushed at him. She -trusted in her shoes: they were of granite--hollowed like French -sabots. Curdie would have endured much rather than hurt a woman, even -if she was a goblin; but here was an affair of life and death: -forgetting her shoes, he made a great stamp on one of her feet. But -she instantly returned it with very different effect, causing him -frightful pain, and almost disabling him. His only chance with her -would have been to attack the granite shoes with his pickaxe, but -before he could think of that she had caught him up in her arms and was -rushing with him across the cave. She dashed him into a hole in the -wall, with a force that almost stunned him. But although he could not -move, he was not too far gone to hear her great cry, and the rush of -multitudes of soft feet, followed by the sounds of something heaved up -against the rock; after which came a multitudinous patter of stones -falling near him. The last had not ceased when he grew very faint, for -his head had been badly cut, and at last insensible. - -When he came to himself there was perfect silence about him, and utter -darkness, but for the merest glimmer in one tiny spot. He crawled to -it, and found that they had heaved a slab against the mouth of the -hole, past the edge of which a poor little gleam found its way from the -fire. He could not move it a hairbreadth, for they had piled a great -heap of stones against it. He crawled back to where he had been lying, -in the faint hope of finding his pickaxe, But after a vain search he -was at last compelled to acknowledge himself in an evil plight. He sat -down and tried to think, but soon fell fast asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 19 - -Goblin Counsels - -He must have slept a long time, for when he awoke he felt wonderfully -restored--indeed almost well--and very hungry. There were voices in -the outer cave. - -Once more, then, it was night; for the goblins slept during the day and -went about their affairs during the night. - -In the universal and constant darkness of their dwelling they had no -reason to prefer the one arrangement to the other; but from aversion to -the sun-people they chose to be busy when there was least chance of -their being met either by the miners below, when they were burrowing, -or by the people of the mountain above, when they were feeding their -sheep or catching their goats. And indeed it was only when the sun was -away that the outside of the mountain was sufficiently like their own -dismal regions to be endurable to their mole eyes, so thoroughly had -they become unaccustomed to any light beyond that of their own fires -and torches. - -Curdie listened, and soon found that they were talking of himself. - -'How long will it take?' asked Harelip. - -'Not many days, I should think,' answered the king. 'They are poor -feeble creatures, those sun-people, and want to be always eating. We -can go a week at a time without food, and be all the better for it; but -I've been told they eat two or three times every day! Can you believe -it? They must be quite hollow inside--not at all like us, nine-tenths -of whose bulk is solid flesh and bone. Yes--I judge a week of -starvation will do for him.' - -'If I may be allowed a word,' interposed the queen,--'and I think I -ought to have some voice in the matter--' - -'The wretch is entirely at your disposal, my spouse,' interrupted the -king. 'He is your property. You caught him yourself. We should never -have done it.' - -The queen laughed. She seemed in far better humour than the night -before. - -'I was about to say,' she resumed, 'that it does seem a pity to waste -so much fresh meat.' - -'What are you thinking of, my love?' said the king. 'The very notion -of starving him implies that we are not going to give him any meat, -either salt or fresh.' - -'I'm not such a stupid as that comes to,' returned Her Majesty. 'What I -mean is that by the time he is starved there will hardly be a picking -upon his bones.' - -The king gave a great laugh. - -'Well, my spouse, you may have him when you like,' he said. 'I don't -fancy him for my part. I am pretty sure he is tough eating.' - -'That would be to honour instead of punish his insolence,' returned the -queen. 'But why should our poor creatures be deprived of so much -nourishment? Our little dogs and cats and pigs and small bears would -enjoy him very much.' - -'You are the best of housekeepers, my lovely queen!' said her husband. -'Let it be so by all means. Let us have our people in, and get him out -and kill him at once. He deserves it. The mischief he might have -brought upon us, now that he had penetrated so far as our most retired -citadel, is incalculable. Or rather let us tie him hand and foot, and -have the pleasure of seeing him torn to pieces by full torchlight in -the great hall.' - -'Better and better!' cried the queen and the prince together, both of -them clapping their hands. And the prince made an ugly noise with his -hare-lip, just as if he had intended to be one at the feast. - -'But,' added the queen, bethinking herself, 'he is so troublesome. For -poor creatures as they are, there is something about those sun-people -that is very troublesome. I cannot imagine how it is that with such -superior strength and skill and understanding as ours, we permit them -to exist at all. Why do we not destroy them entirely, and use their -cattle and grazing lands at our pleasure? Of course we don't want to -live in their horrid country! It is far too glaring for our quieter -and more refined tastes. But we might use it as a sort of outhouse, -you know. Even our creatures' eyes might get used to it, and if they -did grow blind that would be of no consequence, provided they grew fat -as well. But we might even keep their great cows and other creatures, -and then we should have a few more luxuries, such as cream and cheese, -which at present we only taste occasionally, when our brave men have -succeeded in carrying some off from their farms.' - -'It is worth thinking of,' said the king; 'and I don't know why you -should be the first to suggest it, except that you have a positive -genius for conquest. But still, as you say, there is something very -troublesome about them; and it would be better, as I understand you to -suggest, that we should starve him for a day or two first, so that he -may be a little less frisky when we take him out.' - - - 'Once there was a goblin - Living in a hole; - Busy he was cobblin' - A shoe without a sole. - - 'By came a birdie: - "Goblin, what do you do?" - "Cobble at a sturdie - Upper leather shoe." - - '"What's the good o' that, Sir?" - Said the little bird. - "Why it's very Pat, Sir-- - Plain without a word. - - '"Where 'tis all a hole, Sir, - Never can be holes: - Why should their shoes have soles, Sir, - When they've got no souls?"' - - -'What's that horrible noise?' cried the queen, shuddering from -pot-metal head to granite shoes. - -'I declare,' said the king with solemn indignation, 'it's the -sun-creature in the hole!' - -'Stop that disgusting noise!' cried the crown prince valiantly, getting -up and standing in front of the heap of stones, with his face towards -Curdie's prison. 'Do now, or I'll break your head.' - -'Break away,' shouted Curdie, and began singing again: - - - 'Once there was a goblin, - Living in a hole--' - - -'I really cannot bear it,' said the queen. 'If I could only get at his -horrid toes with my slippers again!' - -'I think we had better go to bed,' said the king. - -'It's not time to go to bed,' said the queen. - -'I would if I was you,' said Curdie. - -'Impertinent wretch!' said the queen, with the utmost scorn in her -voice. - -'An impossible if,' said His Majesty with dignity. - -'Quite,' returned Curdie, and began singing again: - - - 'Go to bed, - Goblin, do. - Help the queen - Take off her shoe. - - 'If you do, - It will disclose - A horrid set - Of sprouting toes.' - - -'What a lie!' roared the queen in a rage. - -'By the way, that reminds me,' said the king, 'that for as long as we -have been married, I have never seen your feet, queen. I think you -might take off your shoes when you go to bed! They positively hurt me -sometimes.' - -'I will do as I like,' retorted the queen sulkily. - -'You ought to do as your own hubby wishes you,' said the king. - -'I will not,' said the queen. - -'Then I insist upon it,' said the king. - -Apparently His Majesty approached the queen for the purpose of -following the advice given by Curdie, for the latter heard a scuffle, -and then a great roar from the king. - -'Will you be quiet, then?' said the queen wickedly. - -'Yes, yes, queen. I only meant to coax you.' - -'Hands off!' cried the queen triumphantly. 'I'm going to bed. You may -come when you like. But as long as I am queen I will sleep in my -shoes. It is my royal privilege. Harelip, go to bed.' - -'I'm going,' said Harelip sleepily. - -'So am I,' said the king. - -'Come along, then,' said the queen; 'and mind you are good, or I'll--' - -'Oh, no, no, no!' screamed the king in the most supplicating of tones. - -Curdie heard only a muttered reply in the distance; and then the cave -was quite still. - -They had left the fire burning, and the light came through brighter -than before. Curdie thought it was time to try again if anything could -be done. But he found he could not get even a finger through the chink -between the slab and the rock. He gave a great rush with his shoulder -against the slab, but it yielded no more than if it had been part of -the rock. All he could do was to sit down and think again. - -By and by he came to the resolution to pretend to be dying, in the hope -they might take him out before his strength was too much exhausted to -let him have a chance. Then, for the creatures, if he could but find -his axe again, he would have no fear of them; and if it were not for -the queen's horrid shoes, he would have no fear at all. - -Meantime, until they should come again at night, there was nothing for -him to do but forge new rhymes, now his only weapons. He had no -intention of using them at present, of course; but it was well to have -a stock, for he might live to want them, and the manufacture of them -would help to while away the time. - - - -CHAPTER 20 - -Irene's Clue - -That same morning early, the princess woke in a terrible fright. There -was a hideous noise in her room--creatures snarling and hissing and -rocketing about as if they were fighting. The moment she came to -herself, she remembered something she had never thought of again--what -her grandmother told her to do when she was frightened. She -immediately took off her ring and put it under her pillow. As she did -so she fancied she felt a finger and thumb take it gently from under -her palm. 'It must be my grandmother!' she said to herself, and the -thought gave her such courage that she stopped to put on her dainty -little slippers before running from the room. While doing this she -caught sight of a long cloak of sky-blue, thrown over the back of a -chair by the bedside. She had never seen it before but it was -evidently waiting for her. She put it on, and then, feeling with the -forefinger of her right hand, soon found her grandmother's thread, -which she proceeded at once to follow, expecting it would lead her -straight up the old stair. When she reached the door she found it went -down and ran along the floor, so that she had almost to crawl in order -to keep a hold of it. Then, to her surprise, and somewhat to her -dismay, she found that instead of leading her towards the stair it -turned in quite the opposite direction. It led her through certain -narrow passages towards the kitchen, turning aside ere she reached it, -and guiding her to a door which communicated with a small back yard. -Some of the maids were already up, and this door was standing open. -Across the yard the thread still ran along the ground, until it brought -her to a door in the wall which opened upon the Mountainside. When she -had passed through, the thread rose to about half her height, and she -could hold it with ease as she walked. It led her straight up the -mountain. - -The cause of her alarm was less frightful than she supposed. The -cook's great black cat, pursued by the housekeeper's terrier, had -bounced against her bedroom door, which had not been properly fastened, -and the two had burst into the room together and commenced a battle -royal. How the nurse came to sleep through it was a mystery, but I -suspect the old lady had something to do with it. - -It was a clear warm morning. The wind blew deliciously over the -Mountainside. Here and there she saw a late primrose but she did not -stop to call upon them. The sky was mottled with small clouds. - -The sun was not yet up, but some of their fluffy edges had caught his -light, and hung out orange and gold-coloured fringes upon the air. The -dew lay in round drops upon the leaves, and hung like tiny diamond -ear-rings from the blades of grass about her path. - -'How lovely that bit of gossamer is!' thought the princess, looking at -a long undulating line that shone at some distance from her up the -hill. It was not the time for gossamers though; and Irene soon -discovered that it was her own thread she saw shining on before her in -the light of the morning. It was leading her she knew not whither; but -she had never in her life been out before sunrise, and everything was -so fresh and cool and lively and full of something coming, that she -felt too happy to be afraid of anything. - -After leading her up a good distance, the thread turned to the left, -and down the path upon which she and Lootie had met Curdie. But she -never thought of that, for now in the morning light, with its far -outlook over the country, no path could have been more open and airy -and cheerful. She could see the road almost to the horizon, along -which she had so often watched her king-papa and his troop come -shining, with the bugle-blast cleaving the air before them; and it was -like a companion to her. Down and down the path went, then up, and -then down and then up again, getting rugged and more rugged as it went; -and still along the path went the silvery thread, and still along the -thread went Irene's little rosy-tipped forefinger. By and by she came -to a little stream that jabbered and prattled down the hill, and up the -side of the stream went both path and thread. And still the path grew -rougher and steeper, and the mountain grew wilder, till Irene began to -think she was going a very long way from home; and when she turned to -look back she saw that the level country had vanished and the rough -bare mountain had closed in about her. But still on went the thread, -and on went the princess. Everything around her was getting brighter -and brighter as the sun came nearer; till at length his first rays all -at once alighted on the top of a rock before her, like some golden -creature fresh from the sky. Then she saw that the little stream ran -out of a hole in that rock, that the path did not go past the rock, and -that the thread was leading her straight up to it. A shudder ran -through her from head to foot when she found that the thread was -actually taking her into the hole out of which the stream ran. It ran -out babbling joyously, but she had to go in. - -She did not hesitate. Right into the hole she went, which was high -enough to let her walk without stooping. For a little way there was a -brown glimmer, but at the first turn it all but ceased, and before she -had gone many paces she was in total darkness. Then she began to be -frightened indeed. Every moment she kept feeling the thread backwards -and forwards, and as she went farther and farther into the darkness of -the great hollow mountain, she kept thinking more and more about her -grandmother, and all that she had said to her, and how kind she had -been, and how beautiful she was, and all about her lovely room, and the -fire of roses, and the great lamp that sent its light through stone -walls. And she became more and more sure that the thread could not -have gone there of itself, and that her grandmother must have sent it. -But it tried her dreadfully when the path went down very steep, and -especially When she came to places where she had to go down rough -stairs, and even sometimes a ladder. Through one narrow passage after -another, over lumps of rock and sand and clay, the thread guided her, -until she came to a small hole through which she had to creep. Finding -no change on the other side, 'Shall I ever get back?' she thought, over -and over again, wondering at herself that she was not ten times more -frightened, and often feeling as if she were only walking in the story -of a dream. Sometimes she heard the noise of water, a dull gurgling -inside the rock. By and by she heard the sounds of blows, which came -nearer and nearer; but again they grew duller, and almost died away. -In a hundred directions she turned, obedient to the guiding thread. - -At last she spied a dull red shine, and came up to the mica window, and -thence away and round about, and right, into a cavern, where glowed the -red embers of a fire. Here the thread began to rise. It rose as high -as her head and higher still. What should she do if she lost her hold? -She was pulling it down: She might break it! She could see it far up, -glowing as red as her fire-opal in the light of the embers. - -But presently she came to a huge heap of stones, piled in a slope -against the wall of the cavern. On these she climbed, and soon -recovered the level of the thread only however to find, the next -moment, that it vanished through the heap of stones, and left her -standing on it, with her face to the solid rock. For one terrible -moment she felt as if her grandmother had forsaken her. The thread -which the spiders had spun far over the seas, which her grandmother had -sat in the moonlight and spun again for her, which she had tempered in -the rose-fire and tied to her opal ring, had left her--had gone where -she could no longer follow it--had brought her into a horrible cavern, -and there left her! She was forsaken indeed! - -'When shall I wake?' she said to herself in an agony, but the same -moment knew that it was no dream. She threw herself upon the heap, and -began to cry. It was well she did not know what creatures, one of them -with stone shoes on her feet, were lying in the next cave. But neither -did she know who was on the other side of the slab. - -At length the thought struck her that at least she could follow the -thread backwards, and thus get out of the mountain, and home. She rose -at once, and found the thread. But the instant she tried to feel it -backwards, it vanished from her touch. Forwards, it led her hand up to -the heap of stones--backwards it seemed nowhere. Neither could she see -it as before in the light of the fire. She burst into a wailing cry, -and again threw herself down on the stones. - - - -CHAPTER 21 - -The Escape - -As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread -mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the stones -in which it disappeared. By and by she began, still mechanically, to -poke her finger in after it between the stones as far as she could. -All at once it came into her head that she might remove some of the -stones and see where the thread went next. Almost laughing at herself -for never having thought of this before, she jumped to her feet. Her -fear vanished; once more she was certain her grandmother's thread could -not have brought her there just to leave her there; and she began to -throw away the stones from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two -or three at a handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one. After -clearing them away a little, she found that the thread turned and went -straight downwards. Hence, as the heap sloped a good deal, growing of -course wider towards its base, she had to throw away a multitude of -stones to follow the thread. But this was not all, for she soon found -that the thread, after going straight down for a little way, turned -first sideways in one direction, then sideways in another, and then -shot, at various angles, hither and thither inside the heap, so that -she began to be afraid that to clear the thread she must remove the -whole huge gathering. She was dismayed at the very idea, but, losing -no time, set to work with a will; and with aching back, and bleeding -fingers and hands, she worked on, sustained by the pleasure of seeing -the heap slowly diminish and begin to show itself on the opposite side -of the fire. Another thing which helped to keep up her courage was -that, as often as she uncovered a turn of the thread, instead of lying -loose upon the stone, it tightened up; this made her sure that her -grandmother was at the end of it somewhere. - -She had got about half-way down when she started, and nearly fell with -fright. Close to her ears as it seemed, a voice broke out singing: - - 'Jabber, bother, smash! - You'll have it all in a crash. - Jabber, smash, bother! - You'll have the worst of the pother. - Smash, bother, jabber!--' - - -Here Curdie stopped, either because he could not find a rhyme to -'jabber', or because he remembered what he had forgotten when he woke -up at the sound of Irene's labours, that his plan was to make the -goblins think he was getting weak. But he had uttered enough to let -Irene know who he was. - -'It's Curdie!' she cried joyfully. - -'Hush! hush!' came Curdie's voice again from somewhere. 'Speak softly.' - -'Why, you were singing loud!' said Irene. - -'Yes. But they know I am here, and they don't know you are. Who are -you?' - -'I'm Irene,' answered the princess. 'I know who you are quite well. -You're Curdie.' - -'Why, how ever did you come here, Irene?' - -'My great-great-grandmother sent me; and I think I've found out why. -You can't get out, I suppose?' - -'No, I can't. What are you doing?' - -'Clearing away a huge heap of stones.' - -'There's a princess!' exclaimed Curdie, in a tone of delight, but still -speaking in little more than a whisper. 'I can't think how you got -here, though.' - -'My grandmother sent me after her thread.' - -'I don't know what you mean,' said Curdie; 'but so you're there, it -doesn't much matter.' - -'Oh, yes, it does!' returned Irene. 'I should never have been here but -for her.' - -'You can tell me all about it when we get out, then. There's no time -to lose now,'said Curdie. - -And Irene went to work, as fresh as when she began. - -'There's such a lot of stones!' she said. 'It will take me a long time -to get them all away.' - -'How far on have you got?' asked Curdie. - -'I've got about the half away, but the other half is ever so much -bigger.' - -'I don't think you will have to move the lower half. Do you see a slab -laid up against the wall?' - -Irene looked, and felt about with her hands, and soon perceived the -outlines of the slab. - -'Yes,' she answered, 'I do.' - -'Then, I think,' rejoined Curdie, 'when you have cleared the slab about -half-way down, or a bit more, I shall be able to push it over.' - -'I must follow my thread,' returned Irene, 'whatever I do.' - -'What do you mean?' exclaimed Curdie. 'You will see when you get out,' -answered the princess, and went on harder than ever. - -But she was soon satisfied that what Curdie wanted done and what the -thread wanted done were one and the same thing. For she not only saw -that by following the turns of the thread she had been clearing the -face of the slab, but that, a little more than half-way down, the -thread went through the chink between the slab and the wall into the -place where Curdie was confined, so that she could not follow it any -farther until the slab was out of her way. As soon as she found this, -she said in a right joyous whisper: - -'Now, Curdie, I think if you were to give a great push, the slab would -tumble over.' - -'Stand quite clear of it, then,' said Curdie, 'and let me know when you -are ready.' - -Irene got off the heap, and stood on one side of it. 'Now, Curdie!' -she cried. - -Curdie gave a great rush with his shoulder against it. Out tumbled the -slab on the heap, and out crept Curdie over the top of it. - -'You've saved my life, Irene!' he whispered. - -'Oh, Curdie! I'm so glad! Let's get out of this horrid place as fast -as we can.' - -'That's easier said than done,' returned he. - -'Oh, no, it's quite easy,' said Irene. 'We have only to follow my -thread. I am sure that it's going to take us out now.' - -She had already begun to follow it over the fallen slab into the hole, -while Curdie was searching the floor of the cavern for his pickaxe. - -'Here it is!' he cried. 'No, it is not,' he added, in a disappointed -tone. 'What can it be, then? I declare it's a torch. That is jolly! -It's better almost than my pickaxe. Much better if it weren't for -those stone shoes!' he went on, as he lighted the torch by blowing the -last embers of the expiring fire. - -When he looked up, with the lighted torch casting a glare into the -great darkness of the huge cavern, he caught sight of Irene -disappearing in the hole out of which he had himself just come. - -'Where are you going there?' he cried. 'That's not the way out. That's -where I couldn't get out.' - -'I know that,' whispered Irene. 'But this is the way my thread goes, -and I must follow it.' - -'What nonsense the child talks!' said Curdie to himself. 'I must -follow her, though, and see that she comes to no harm. She will soon -find she can't get out that way, and then she will come with me.' - -So he crept over the slab once more into the hole with his torch in his -hand. But when he looked about in it, he could see her nowhere. And -now he discovered that although the hole was narrow, it was much longer -than he had supposed; for in one direction the roof came down very low, -and the hole went off in a narrow passage, of which he could not see -the end. The princess must have crept in there. He got on his knees -and one hand, holding the torch with the other, and crept after her. -The hole twisted about, in some parts so low that he could hardly get -through, in others so high that he could not see the roof, but -everywhere it was narrow--far too narrow for a goblin to get through, -and so I presume they never thought that Curdie might. He was -beginning to feel very uncomfortable lest something should have -befallen the princess, when he heard her voice almost close to his ear, -whispering: - -'Aren't you coming, Curdie?' - -And when he turned the next corner there she stood waiting for him. - -'I knew you couldn't go wrong in that narrow hole, but now you must -keep by me, for here is a great wide place,' she said. - -'I can't understand it,' said Curdie, half to himself, half to Irene. - -'Never mind,' she returned. 'Wait till we get out.' - -Curdie, utterly astonished that she had already got so far, and by a -path he had known nothing of, thought it better to let her do as she -pleased. 'At all events,' he said again to himself, 'I know nothing -about the way, miner as I am; and she seems to think she does know -something about it, though how she should passes my comprehension. So -she's just as likely to find her way as I am, and as she insists on -taking the lead, I must follow. We can't be much worse off than we -are, anyhow.' Reasoning thus, he followed her a few steps, and came -out in another great cavern, across which Irene walked in a straight -line, as confidently as if she knew every step of the way. Curdie went -on after her, flashing his torch about, and trying to see something of -what lay around them. Suddenly he started back a pace as the light fell -upon something close by which Irene was passing. It was a platform of -rock raised a few feet from the floor and covered with sheepskins, upon -which lay two horrible figures asleep, at once recognized by Curdie as -the king and queen of the goblins. He lowered his torch instantly lest -the light should awake them. As he did so it flashed upon his pickaxe, -lying by the side of the queen, whose hand lay close by the handle of -it. - -'Stop one moment,' he whispered. 'Hold my torch, and don't let the -light on their faces.' - -Irene shuddered when she saw the frightful creatures, whom she had -passed without observing them, but she did as he requested, and turning -her back, held the torch low in front of her. Curdie drew his pickaxe -carefully away, and as he did so spied one of her feet, projecting from -under the skins. The great clumsy granite shoe, exposed thus to his -hand, was a temptation not to be resisted. He laid hold of it, and, -with cautious efforts, drew it off. The moment he succeeded, he saw to -his astonishment that what he had sung in ignorance, to annoy the -queen, was actually true: she had six horrible toes. Overjoyed at his -success, and seeing by the huge bump in the sheepskins where the other -foot was, he proceeded to lift them gently, for, if he could only -succeed in carrying away the other shoe as well, he would be no more -afraid of the goblins than of so many flies. But as he pulled at the -second shoe the queen gave a growl and sat up in bed. The same instant -the king awoke also and sat up beside her. - -'Run, Irene!' cried Curdie, for though he was not now in the least -afraid for himself, he was for the princess. - -Irene looked once round, saw the fearful creatures awake, and like the -wise princess she was, dashed the torch on the ground and extinguished -it, crying out: - -'Here, Curdie, take my hand.' - -He darted to her side, forgetting neither the queen's shoe nor his -pickaxe, and caught hold of her hand, as she sped fearlessly where her -thread guided her. They heard the queen give a great bellow; but they -had a good start, for it would be some time before they could get -torches lighted to pursue them. Just as they thought they saw a gleam -behind them, the thread brought them to a very narrow opening, through -which Irene crept easily, and Curdie with difficulty. - -'Now,'said Curdie; 'I think we shall be safe.' - -'Of course we shall,' returned Irene. 'Why do you think so?'asked -Curdie. - -'Because my grandmother is taking care of us.' - -'That's all nonsense,' said Curdie. 'I don't know what you mean.' - -'Then if you don't know what I mean, what right have you to call it -nonsense?' asked the princess, a little offended. - -'I beg your pardon, Irene,' said Curdie; 'I did not mean to vex you.' - -'Of course not,' returned the princess. 'But why do you think we shall -be safe?' - -'Because the king and queen are far too stout to get through that hole.' - -'There might be ways round,' said the princess. - -'To be sure there might: we are not out of it yet,' acknowledged Curdie. - -'But what do you mean by the king and queen?' asked the princess. 'I -should never call such creatures as those a king and a queen.' - -'Their own people do, though,' answered Curdie. - -The princess asked more questions, and Curdie, as they walked leisurely -along, gave her a full account, not only of the character and habits of -the goblins, so far as he knew them, but of his own adventures with -them, beginning from the very night after that in which he had met her -and Lootie upon the mountain. When he had finished, he begged Irene to -tell him how it was that she had come to his rescue. So Irene too had -to tell a long story, which she did in rather a roundabout manner, -interrupted by many questions concerning things she had not explained. -But her tale, as he did not believe more than half of it, left -everything as unaccountable to him as before, and he was nearly as much -perplexed as to what he must think of the princess. He could not -believe that she was deliberately telling stories, and the only -conclusion he could come to was that Lootie had been playing the child -tricks, inventing no end of lies to frighten her for her own purposes. - -'But how ever did Lootie come to let you go into the mountains -alone?'he asked. - -'Lootie knows nothing about it. I left her fast asleep--at least I -think so. I hope my grandmother won't let her get into trouble, for it -wasn't her fault at all, as my grandmother very well knows.' - -'But how did you find your way to me?' persisted Curdie. - -'I told you already,' answered Irene; 'by keeping my finger upon my -grandmother's thread, as I am doing now.' - -'You don't mean you've got the thread there?' - -'Of course I do. I have told you so ten times already. I have -hardly--except when I was removing the stones--taken my finger off it. -There!' she added, guiding Curdie's hand to the thread, 'you feel it -yourself--don't you?' - -'I feel nothing at all,' replied Curdie. 'Then what can be the matter -with your finger? I feel it perfectly. To be sure it is very thin, -and in the sunlight looks just like the thread of a spider, though -there are many of them twisted together to make it--but for all that I -can't think why you shouldn't feel it as well as I do.' - -Curdie was too polite to say he did not believe there was any thread -there at all. What he did say was: - -'Well, I can make nothing of it.' - -'I can, though, and you must be glad of that, for it will do for both -of us.' - -'We're not out yet,' said Curdie. - -'We soon shall be,' returned Irene confidently. And now the thread -went downwards, and led Irene's hand to a hole in the floor of the -cavern, whence came a sound of running water which they had been -hearing for some time. - -'It goes into the ground now, Curdie,' she said, stopping. - -He had been listening to another sound, which his practised ear had -caught long ago, and which also had been growing louder. It was the -noise the goblin-miners made at their work, and they seemed to be at no -great distance now. Irene heard it the moment she stopped. - -'What is that noise?' she asked. 'Do you know, Curdie?' - -'Yes. It is the goblins digging and burrowing,' he answered. - -'And you don't know what they do it for?' - -'No; I haven't the least idea. Would you like to see them?' he asked, -wishing to have another try after their secret. - -'If my thread took me there, I shouldn't much mind; but I don't want to -see them, and I can't leave my thread. It leads me down into the hole, -and we had better go at once.' - -'Very well. Shall I go in first?' said Curdie. - -'No; better not. You can't feel the thread,' she answered, stepping -down through a narrow break in the floor of the cavern. 'Oh!' she -cried, 'I am in the water. It is running strong--but it is not deep, -and there is just room to walk. Make haste, Curdie.' - -He tried, but the hole was too small for him to get in. - -'Go on a little bit he said, shouldering his pickaxe. In a few moments -he had cleared a larger opening and followed her. They went on, down -and down with the running water, Curdie getting more and more afraid it -was leading them to some terrible gulf in the heart of the mountain. -In one or two places he had to break away the rock to make room before -even Irene could get through--at least without hurting herself. But at -length they spied a glimmer of light, and in a minute more they were -almost blinded by the full sunlight, into which they emerged. It was -some little time before the princess could see well enough to discover -that they stood in her own garden, close by the seat on which she and -her king-papa had sat that afternoon. They had come out by the channel -of the little stream. She danced and clapped her hands with delight. - -'Now, Curdie!' she cried, 'won't you believe what I told you about my -grandmother and her thread?' - -For she had felt all the time that Curdie was not believing what she -told him. - -'There!--don't you see it shining on before us?' she added. - -'I don't see anything,' persisted Curdie. - -'Then you must believe without seeing,' said the princess; 'for you -can't deny it has brought us out of the mountain.' - -'I can't deny we are out of the mountain, and I should be very -ungrateful indeed to deny that you had brought me out of it.' - -'I couldn't have done it but for the thread,' persisted Irene. - -'That's the part I don't understand.' - -'Well, come along, and Lootie will get you something to eat. I am sure -you must want it very much.' - -'Indeed I do. But my father and mother will be so anxious about me, I -must make haste--first up the mountain to tell my mother, and then down -into the mine again to let my father know.' - -'Very well, Curdie; but you can't get out without coming this way, and -I will take you through the house, for that is nearest.' - -They met no one by the way, for, indeed, as before, the people were -here and there and everywhere searching for the princess. When they -got in Irene found that the thread, as she had half expected, went up -the old staircase, and a new thought struck her. She turned to Curdie -and said: - -'My grandmother wants me. Do come up with me and see her. Then you -will know that I have been telling you the truth. Do come--to please -me, Curdie. I can't bear you should think what I say is not true.' - -'I never doubted you believed what you said,' returned Curdie. 'I only -thought you had some fancy in your head that was not correct.' 'But do -come, dear Curdie.' - -The little miner could not withstand this appeal, and though he felt -shy in what seemed to him a huge grand house, he yielded, and followed -her up the stair. - - - -CHAPTER 22 - -The Old Lady and Curdie - -Up the stair then they went, and the next and the next, and through the -long rows of empty rooms, and up the little tower stair, Irene growing -happier and happier as she ascended. There was no answer when she -knocked at length at the door of the workroom, nor could she hear any -sound of the spinning-wheel, and once more her heart sank within her, -but only for one moment, as she turned and knocked at the other door. - -'Come in,' answered the sweet voice of her grandmother, and Irene -opened the door and entered, followed by Curdie. - -'You darling!' cried the lady, who was seated by a fire of red roses -mingled with white. 'I've been waiting for you, and indeed getting a -little anxious about you, and beginning to think whether I had not -better go and fetch you myself.' - -As she spoke she took the little princess in her arms and placed her -upon her lap. She was dressed in white now, and looking if possible -more lovely than ever. - -'I've brought Curdie, grandmother. He wouldn't believe what I told him -and so I've brought him.' - -'Yes--I see him. He is a good boy, Curdie, and a brave boy. Aren't you -glad you've got him out?' - -'Yes, grandmother. But it wasn't very good of him not to believe me -when I was telling him the truth.' - -'People must believe what they can, and those who believe more must not -be hard upon those who believe less. I doubt if you would have -believed it all yourself if you hadn't seen some of it.' - -'Ah! yes, grandmother, I dare say. I'm sure you are right. But he'll -believe now.' - -'I don't know that,' replied her grandmother. - -'Won't you, Curdie?' said Irene, looking round at him as she asked the -question. He was standing in the middle of the floor, staring, and -looking strangely bewildered. This she thought came of his -astonishment at the beauty of the lady. - -'Make a bow to my grandmother, Curdie,' she said. - -'I don't see any grandmother,' answered Curdie rather gruffly. - -'Don't see my grandmother, when I'm sitting in her lap?' exclaimed the -princess. - -'No, I don't,' reiterated Curdie, in an offended tone. - -'Don't you see the lovely fire of roses--white ones amongst them this -time?' asked Irene, almost as bewildered as he. - -'No, I don't,' answered Curdie, almost sulkily. - -'Nor the blue bed? Nor the rose-coloured counterpane?--Nor the -beautiful light, like the moon, hanging from the roof?' - -'You're making game of me, Your Royal Highness; and after what we have -come through together this day, I don't think it is kind of you,' said -Curdie, feeling very much hurt. - -'Then what do you see?' asked Irene, who perceived at once that for her -not to believe him was at least as bad as for him not to believe her. - -'I see a big, bare, garret-room--like the one in mother's cottage, only -big enough to take the cottage itself in, and leave a good margin all -round,' answered Curdie. - -'And what more do you see?' - -'I see a tub, and a heap of musty straw, and a withered apple, and a -ray of sunlight coming through a hole in the middle of the roof and -shining on your head, and making all the place look a curious dusky -brown. I think you had better drop it, princess, and go down to the -nursery, like a good girl.' - -'But don't you hear my grandmother talking to me?' asked Irene, almost -crying. - -'No. I hear the cooing of a lot of pigeons. If you won't come down, I -will go without you. I think that will be better anyhow, for I'm sure -nobody who met us would believe a word we said to them. They would -think we made it all up. I don't expect anybody but my own father and -mother to believe me. They know I wouldn't tell a story.' - -'And yet you won't believe me, Curdie?' expostulated the princess, now -fairly crying with vexation and sorrow at the gulf between her and -Curdie. - -'No. I can't, and I can't help it,' said Curdie, turning to leave the -room. - -'What SHALL I do, grandmother?' sobbed the princess, turning her face -round upon the lady's bosom, and shaking with suppressed sobs. - -'You must give him time,' said her grandmother; 'and you must be -content not to be believed for a while. It is very hard to bear; but I -have had to bear it, and shall have to bear it many a time yet. I will -take care of what Curdie thinks of you in the end. You must let him go -now.' - -'You're not coming, are you?' asked Curdie. - -'No, Curdie; my grandmother says I must let you go. Turn to the right -when you get to the bottom of all the stairs, and that will take you to -the hall where the great door is.' - -'Oh! I don't doubt I can find my way--without you, princess, or your -old grannie's thread either,' said Curdie quite rudely. - -'Oh, Curdie! Curdie!' - -'I wish I had gone home at once. I'm very much obliged to you, Irene, -for getting me out of that hole, but I wish you hadn't made a fool of -me afterwards.' - -He said this as he opened the door, which he left open, and, without -another word, went down the stair. Irene listened with dismay to his -departing footsteps. Then turning again to the lady: - -'What does it all mean, grandmother?' she sobbed, and burst into fresh -tears. - -'It means, my love, that I did not mean to show myself. Curdie is not -yet able to believe some things. Seeing is not believing--it is only -seeing. You remember I told you that if Lootie were to see me, she -would rub her eyes, forget the half she saw, and call the other half -nonsense.' - -'Yes; but I should have thought Curdie--' - -'You are right. Curdie is much farther on than Lootie, and you will -see what will come of it. But in the meantime you must be content, I -say, to be misunderstood for a while. We are all very anxious to be -understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much -more necessary.' - -'What is that, grandmother?' - -'To understand other people.' - -'Yes, grandmother. I must be fair--for if I'm not fair to other -people, I'm not worth being understood myself. I see. So as Curdie -can't help it, I will not be vexed with him, but just wait.' - -'There's my own dear child,' said her grandmother, and pressed her -close to her bosom. - -'Why weren't you in your workroom when we came up, grandmother?' asked -Irene, after a few moments' silence. - -'If I had been there, Curdie would have seen me well enough. But why -should I be there rather than in this beautiful room?' - -'I thought you would be spinning.' - -'I've nobody to spin for just at present. I never spin without knowing -for whom I am spinning.' - -'That reminds me--there is one thing that puzzles me,' said the -princess: 'how are you to get the thread out of the mountain again? -Surely you won't have to make another for me? That would be such a -trouble!' - -The lady set her down and rose and went to the fire. Putting in her -hand, she drew it out again and held up the shining ball between her -finger and thumb. - -'I've got it now, you see,' she said, coming back to the princess, 'all -ready for you when you want it.' - -Going to her cabinet, she laid it in the same drawer as before. - -'And here is your ring,' she added, taking it from the little finger of -her left hand and putting it on the forefinger of Irene's right hand. - -'Oh, thank you, grandmother! I feel so safe now!' - -'You are very tired, my child,' the lady went on. 'Your hands are hurt -with the stones, and I have counted nine bruises on you. Just look -what you are like.' - -And she held up to her a little mirror which she had brought from the -cabinet. The princess burst into a merry laugh at the sight. She was -so draggled with the stream and dirty with creeping through narrow -places, that if she had seen the reflection without knowing it was a -reflection, she would have taken herself for some gipsy child whose -face was washed and hair combed about once in a month. The lady laughed -too, and lifting her again upon her knee, took off her cloak and -night-gown. Then she carried her to the side of the room. Irene -wondered what she was going to do with her, but asked no -questions--only starting a little when she found that she was going to -lay her in the large silver bath; for as she looked into it, again she -saw no bottom, but the stars shining miles away, as it seemed, in a -great blue gulf. Her hands closed involuntarily on the beautiful arms -that held her, and that was all. - -The lady pressed her once more to her bosom, saying: - -'Do not be afraid, my child.' - -'No, grandmother,' answered the princess, with a little gasp; and the -next instant she sank in the clear cool water. - -When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but a strange lovely blue -over and beneath and all about her. The lady, and the beautiful room, -had vanished from her sight, and she seemed utterly alone. But instead -of being afraid, she felt more than happy--perfectly blissful. And -from somewhere came the voice of the lady, singing a strange sweet -song, of which she could distinguish every word; but of the sense she -had only a feeling--no understanding. Nor could she remember a single -line after it was gone. It vanished, like the poetry in a dream, as -fast as it came. In after years, however, she would sometimes fancy -that snatches of melody suddenly rising in her brain must be little -phrases and fragments of the air of that song; and the very fancy would -make her happier, and abler to do her duty. - -How long she lay in the water she did not know. It seemed a long -time--not from weariness but from pleasure. But at last she felt the -beautiful hands lay hold of her, and through the gurgling water she was -lifted out into the lovely room. The lady carried her to the fire, and -sat down with her in her lap, and dried her tenderly with the softest -towel. It was so different from Lootie's drying. When the lady had -done, she stooped to the fire, and drew from it her night-gown, as -white as snow. - -'How delicious!' exclaimed the princess. 'It smells of all the roses -in the world, I think.' - -When she stood up on the floor she felt as if she had been made over -again. Every bruise and all weariness were gone, and her hands were -soft and whole as ever. - -'Now I am going to put you to bed for a good sleep,' said her -grandmother. - -'But what will Lootie be thinking? And what am I to say to her when -she asks me where I have been?' - -'Don't trouble yourself about it. You will find it all come right,' -said her grandmother, and laid her into the blue bed, under the rosy -counterpane. - -'There is just one thing more,' said Irene. 'I am a little anxious -about Curdie. As I brought him into the house, I ought to have seen -him safe on his way home.' - -'I took care of all that,' answered the lady. 'I told you to let him -go, and therefore I was bound to look after him. Nobody saw him, and -he is now eating a good dinner in his mother's cottage far up in the -mountain.' - -'Then I will go to sleep,' said Irene, and in a few minutes she was -fast asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 23 - -Curdie and His Mother - -Curdie went up the mountain neither whistling nor singing, for he was -vexed with Irene for taking him in, as he called it; and he was vexed -with himself for having spoken to her so angrily. His mother gave a -cry of joy when she saw him, and at once set about getting him -something to eat, asking him questions all the time, which he did not -answer so cheerfully as usual. When his meal was ready, she left him -to eat it, and hurried to the mine to let his father know he was safe. -When she came back, she found him fast asleep upon her bed; nor did he -wake until his father came home in the evening. - -'Now, Curdie,' his mother said, as they sat at supper, 'tell us the -whole story from beginning to end, just as it all happened.' - -Curdie obeyed, and told everything to the point where they came out -upon the lawn in the garden of the king's house. - -'And what happened after that?' asked his mother. 'You haven't told us -all. You ought to be very happy at having got away from those demons, -and instead of that I never saw you so gloomy. There must be something -more. Besides, you do not speak of that lovely child as I should like -to hear you. She saved your life at the risk of her own, and yet -somehow you don't seem to think much of it.' - -'She talked such nonsense' answered Curdie, 'and told me a pack of -things that weren't a bit true; and I can't get over it.' - -'What were they?' asked his father. 'Your mother may be able to throw -some light upon them.' - -Then Curdie made a clean breast of it, and told them everything. - -They all sat silent for some time, pondering the strange tale. At last -Curdie's mother spoke. - -'You confess, my boy,' she said, 'there is something about the whole -affair you do not understand?' - -'Yes, of course, mother,' he answered. 'I cannot understand how a -child knowing nothing about the mountain, or even that I was shut up in -it, should come all that way alone, straight to where I was; and then, -after getting me out of the hole, lead me out of the mountain too, -where I should not have known a step of the way if it had been as light -as in the open air.' - -'Then you have no right to say what she told you was not true. She did -take you out, and she must have had something to guide her: why not a -thread as well as a rope, or anything else? There is something you -cannot explain, and her explanation may be the right one.' - -'It's no explanation at all, mother; and I can't believe it.' - -'That may be only because you do not understand it. If you did, you -would probably find it was an explanation, and believe it thoroughly. -I don't blame you for not being able to believe it, but I do blame you -for fancying such a child would try to deceive you. Why should she? -Depend upon it, she told you all she knew. Until you had found a better -way of accounting for it all, you might at least have been more sparing -of your judgement.' - -'That is what something inside me has been saying all the time,' said -Curdie, hanging down his head. 'But what do you make of the -grandmother? That is what I can't get over. To take me up to an old -garret, and try to persuade me against the sight of my own eyes that it -was a beautiful room, with blue walls and silver stars, and no end of -things in it, when there was nothing there but an old tub and a -withered apple and a heap of straw and a sunbeam! It was too bad! She -might have had some old woman there at least to pass for her precious -grandmother!' - -'Didn't she speak as if she saw those other things herself, Curdie?' - -'Yes. That's what bothers me. You would have thought she really meant -and believed that she saw every one of the things she talked about. -And not one of them there! It was too bad, I say.' - -'Perhaps some people can see things other people can't see, Curdie,' -said his mother very gravely. 'I think I will tell you something I saw -myself once--only Perhaps You won't believe me either!' - -'Oh, mother, mother!' cried Curdie, bursting into tears; 'I don't -deserve that, surely!' - -'But what I am going to tell you is very strange,' persisted his -mother; 'and if having heard it you were to say I must have been -dreaming, I don't know that I should have any right to be vexed with -you, though I know at least that I was not asleep.' - -'Do tell me, mother. Perhaps it will help me to think better of the -princess.' - -'That's why I am tempted to tell you,' replied his mother. 'But first, -I may as well mention that, according to old whispers, there is -something more than common about the king's family; and the queen was -of the same blood, for they were cousins of some degree. There were -strange stories told concerning them--all good stories--but strange, -very strange. What they were I cannot tell, for I only remember the -faces of my grandmother and my mother as they talked together about -them. There was wonder and awe--not fear--in their eyes, and they -whispered, and never spoke aloud. But what I saw myself was this: Your -father was going to work in the mine one night, and I had been down -with his supper. It was soon after we were married, and not very long -before you were born. He came with me to the mouth of the mine, and -left me to go home alone, for I knew the way almost as well as the -floor of our own cottage. It was pretty dark, and in some parts of the -road where the rocks overhung nearly quite dark. But I got along -perfectly well, never thinking of being afraid, until I reached a spot -you know well enough, Curdie, where the path has to make a sharp turn -out of the way of a great rock on the left-hand side. When I got -there, I was suddenly surrounded by about half a dozen of the cobs, the -first I had ever seen, although I had heard tell of them often enough. -One of them blocked up the path, and they all began tormenting and -teasing me in a way it makes me shudder to think of even now.' - -'If I had only been with you!' cried father and son in a breath. - -The mother gave a funny little smile, and went on. - -'They had some of their horrible creatures with them too, and I must -confess I was dreadfully frightened. They had torn my clothes very -much, and I was afraid they were going to tear myself to pieces, when -suddenly a great white soft light shone upon me. I looked up. A broad -ray, like a shining road, came down from a large globe of silvery -light, not very high up, indeed not quite so high as the horizon--so it -could not have been a new star or another moon or anything of that -sort. The cobs dropped persecuting me, and looked dazed, and I thought -they were going to run away, but presently they began again. The same -moment, however, down the path from the globe of light came a bird, -shining like silver in the sun. It gave a few rapid flaps first, and -then, with its wings straight out, shot, sliding down the slope of the -light. It looked to me just like a white pigeon. But whatever it was, -when the cobs caught sight of it coming straight down upon them, they -took to their heels and scampered away across the mountain, leaving me -safe, only much frightened. As soon as it had sent them off, the bird -went gliding again up the light, and the moment it reached the globe -the light disappeared, just as if a shutter had been closed over a -window, and I saw it no More. But I had no more trouble with the cobs -that night or ever after.' - -'How strange!' exclaimed Curdie. - -'Yes, it was strange; but I can't help believing it, whether you do or -not,' said his mother. - -'It's exactly as your mother told it to me the very next morning,' said -his father. - -'You don't think I'm doubting my own mother?' cried Curdie. 'There are -other people in the world quite as well worth believing as your own -mother,' said his mother. 'I don't know that she's so much the fitter -to be believed that she happens to be your mother, Mr. Curdie. There -are mothers far more likely to tell lies than the little girl I saw -talking to the primroses a few weeks ago. If she were to lie I should -begin to doubt my own word.' - -'But princesses have told lies as well as other people,' said Curdie. - -'Yes, but not princesses like that child. She's a good girl, I am -certain, and that's more than being a princess. Depend upon it you -will have to be sorry for behaving so to her, Curdie. You ought at -least to have held your tongue.' - -'I am sorry now,' answered Curdie. - -'You ought to go and tell her so, then.' - -'I don't see how I could manage that. They wouldn't let a miner boy -like me have a word with her alone; and I couldn't tell her before that -nurse of hers. She'd be asking ever so many questions, and I don't -know how many the little princess would like me to answer. She told me -that Lootie didn't know anything about her coming to get me out of the -mountain. I am certain she would have prevented her somehow if she had -known it. But I may have a chance before long, and meantime I must try -to do something for her. I think, father, I have got on the track at -last.' - -'Have you, indeed, my boy?' said Peter. 'I am sure you deserve some -success; you have worked very hard for it. What have you found out?' - -'It's difficult, you know, father, inside the mountain, especially in -the dark, and not knowing what turns you have taken, to tell the lie of -things outside.' - -'Impossible, my boy, without a chart, or at least a compass,' returned -his father. - -'Well, I think I have nearly discovered in what direction the cobs are -mining. If I am right, I know something else that I can put to it, and -then one and one will make three.' - -'They very often do, Curdie, as we miners ought to be very well aware. -Now tell us, my boy, what the two things are, and see whether we can -guess at the same third as you.' - -'I don't see what that has to do with the princess,' interposed his -mother. - -'I will soon let you see that, mother. Perhaps you may think me -foolish, but until I am sure there, is nothing in my present fancy, I -am more determined than ever to go on with my observations. Just as we -came to the channel by which we got out, I heard the miners at work -somewhere near--I think down below us. Now since I began to watch -them, they have mined a good half-mile, in a straight line; and so far -as I am aware, they are working in no other part of the mountain. But -I never could tell in what direction they were going. When we came out -in the king's garden, however, I thought at once whether it was -possible they were working towards the king's house; and what I want to -do tonight is to make sure whether they are or not. I will take a -light with me--' - -'Oh, Curdie,' cried his mother, 'then they will see you.' - -'I'm no more afraid of them now than I was before,' rejoined Curdie, -'now that I've got this precious shoe. They can't make another such in -a hurry, and one bare foot will do for my purpose. Woman as she may be, -I won't spare her next time. But I shall be careful with my light, for -I don't want them to see me. I won't stick it in my hat.' - -'Go on, then, and tell us what you mean to do.' - -'I mean to take a bit of paper with me and a pencil, and go in at the -mouth of the stream by which we came out. I shall mark on the paper as -near as I can the angle of every turning I take until I find the cobs -at work, and so get a good idea in what direction they are going. If -it should prove to be nearly parallel with the stream, I shall know it -is towards the king's house they are working.' - -'And what if you should? How much wiser will you be then?' - -'Wait a minute, mother dear. I told you that when I came upon the -royal family in the cave, they were talking of their prince--Harelip, -they called him--marrying a sun-woman--that means one of us--one with -toes to her feet. Now in the speech one of them made that night at -their great gathering, of which I heard only a part, he said that peace -would be secured for a generation at least by the pledge the prince -would hold for the good behaviour of her relatives: that's what he -said, and he must have meant the sun-woman the prince was to marry. I -am quite sure the king is much too proud to wish his son to marry any -but a princess, and much too knowing to fancy that his having a peasant -woman for a wife would be of any great advantage to them.' - -'I see what you are driving at now,' said his mother. - -'But,' said his father, 'our king would dig the mountain to the plain -before he would have his princess the wife of a cob, if he were ten -times a prince.' - -'Yes; but they think so much of themselves!' said his mother. 'Small -creatures always do. The bantam is the proudest cock in my little -yard.' - -'And I fancy,' said Curdie, 'if they once got her, they would tell the -king they would kill her except he consented to the marriage.' - -'They might say so,' said his father, 'but they wouldn't kill her; they -would keep her alive for the sake of the hold it gave them over our -king. Whatever he did to them, they would threaten to do the same to -the princess.' - -'And they are bad enough to torment her just for their own amusement--I -know that,' said his mother. - -'Anyhow, I will keep a watch on them, and see what they are up to,' -said Curdie. 'It's too horrible to think of. I daren't let myself do -it. But they shan't have her--at least if I can help it. So, mother -dear--my clue is all right--will you get me a bit of paper and a pencil -and a lump of pease pudding, and I will set out at once. I saw a place -where I can climb over the wall of the garden quite easily.' - -'You must mind and keep out of the way of the men on the watch,' said -his mother. - -'That I will. I don't want them to know anything about it. They would -spoil it all. The cobs would only try some other plan--they are such -obstinate creatures! I shall take good care, mother. They won't kill -and eat me either, if they should come upon me. So you needn't mind -them.' - -His mother got him what he had asked for, and Curdie set out. Close -beside the door by which the princess left the garden for the mountain -stood a great rock, and by climbing it Curdie got over the wall. He -tied his clue to a stone just inside the channel of the stream, and -took his pickaxe with him. He had not gone far before he encountered a -horrid creature coming towards the mouth. The spot was too narrow for -two of almost any size or shape, and besides Curdie had no wish to let -the creature pass. Not being able to use his pickaxe, however, he had -a severe struggle with him, and it was only after receiving many bites, -some of them bad, that he succeeded in killing him with his -pocket-knife. Having dragged him out, he made haste to get in again -before another should stop up the way. - -I need not follow him farther in this night's adventures. He returned -to his breakfast, satisfied that the goblins were mining in the -direction of the palace--on so low a level that their intention must, -he thought, be to burrow under the walls of the king's house, and rise -up inside it--in order, he fully believed, to lay hands on the little -princess, and carry her off for a wife to their horrid Harelip. - - - -CHAPTER 24 - -Irene Behaves Like a Princess - -When the princess awoke from the sweetest of sleeps, she found her -nurse bending over her, the housekeeper looking over the nurse's -shoulder, and the laundry-maid looking over the housekeeper's. The room -was full of women-servants; and the gentlemen-at-arms, with a long -column of servants behind them, were peeping, or trying to peep in at -the door of the nursery. - -'Are those horrid creatures gone?' asked the princess, remembering -first what had terrified her in the morning. - -'You naughty, naughty little princess!' cried Lootie. - -Her face was very pale, with red streaks in it, and she looked as if -she were going to shake her; but Irene said nothing--only waited to -hear what should come next. - -'How could you get under the clothes like that, and make us all fancy -you were lost! And keep it up all day too! You are the most obstinate -child! It's anything but fun to us, I can tell you!' - -It was the only way the nurse could account for her disappearance. - -'I didn't do that, Lootie,' said Irene, very quietly. - -'Don't tell stories!' cried her nurse quite rudely. - -'I shall tell you nothing at all,' said Irene. - -'That's just as bad,' said the nurse. - -'Just as bad to say nothing at all as to tell stories?' exclaimed the -princess. 'I will ask my papa about that. He won't say so. And I -don't think he will like you to say so.' - -'Tell me directly what you mean by it!' screamed the nurse, half wild -with anger at the princess and fright at the possible consequences to -herself. - -'When I tell you the truth, Lootie,' said the princess, who somehow did -not feel at all angry, 'you say to me "Don't tell stories": it seems I -must tell stories before you will believe me.' - -'You are very rude, princess,' said the nurse. - -'You are so rude, Lootie, that I will not speak to you again till you -are sorry. Why should I, when I know you will not believe me?' -returned the princess. For she did know perfectly well that if she -were to tell Lootie what she had been about, the more she went on to -tell her, the less would she believe her. - -'You are the most provoking child!' cried her nurse. 'You deserve to -be well punished for your wicked behaviour.' - -'Please, Mrs Housekeeper,' said the princess, 'will you take me to your -room, and keep me till my king-papa comes? I will ask him to come as -soon as he can.' - -Every one stared at these words. Up to this moment they had all -regarded her as little more than a baby. - -But the housekeeper was afraid of the nurse, and sought to patch -matters up, saying: - -'I am sure, princess, nursie did not mean to be rude to you.' - -'I do not think my papa would wish me to have a nurse who spoke to me -as Lootie does. If she thinks I tell lies, she had better either say -so to my papa, or go away. Sir Walter, will you take charge of me?' - -'With the greatest of pleasure, princess,' answered the captain of the -gentlemen-at-arms, walking with his great stride into the room. - -The crowd of servants made eager way for him, and he bowed low before -the little princess's bed. 'I shall send my servant at once, on the -fastest horse in the stable, to tell your king-papa that Your Royal -Highness desires his presence. When you have chosen one of these -under-servants to wait upon you, I shall order the room to be cleared.' - -'Thank you very much, Sir Walter,' said the princess, and her eye -glanced towards a rosy-cheeked girl who had lately come to the house as -a scullery-maid. - -But when Lootie saw the eyes of her dear princess going in search of -another instead of her, she fell upon her knees by the bedside, and -burst into a great cry of distress. - -'I think, Sir Walter,' said the princess, 'I will keep Lootie. But I -put myself under your care; and you need not trouble my king-papa until -I speak to you again. Will you all please to go away? I am quite safe -and well, and I did not hide myself for the sake either of amusing -myself, or of troubling my people. Lootie, will you please to dress -me.' - - - -CHAPTER 25 - -Curdie Comes to Grief - -Everything was for some time quiet above ground. The king was still -away in a distant part of his dominions. The men-at-arms kept watching -about the house. They had been considerably astonished by finding at -the foot of the rock in the garden the hideous body of the goblin -creature killed by Curdie; but they came to the conclusion that it had -been slain in the mines, and had crept out there to die; and except an -occasional glimpse of a live one they saw nothing to cause alarm. -Curdie kept watching in the mountain, and the goblins kept burrowing -deeper into the earth. As long as they went deeper there was, Curdie -judged, no immediate danger. - -To Irene the summer was as full of pleasure as ever, and for a long -time, although she often thought of her grandmother during the day, and -often dreamed about her at night, she did not see her. The kids and -the flowers were as much her delight as ever, and she made as much -friendship with the miners' children she met on the mountain as Lootie -would permit; but Lootie had very foolish notions concerning the -dignity of a princess, not understanding that the truest princess is -just the one who loves all her brothers and sisters best, and who is -most able to do them good by being humble towards them. At the same -time she was considerably altered for the better in her behaviour to -the princess. She could not help seeing that she was no longer a mere -child, but wiser than her age would account for. She kept foolishly -whispering to the servants, however--sometimes that the princess was -not right in her mind, sometimes that she was too good to live, and -other nonsense of the same sort. - -All this time Curdie had to be sorry, without a chance of confessing, -that he had behaved so unkindly to the princess. This perhaps made him -the more diligent in his endeavours to serve her. His mother and he -often talked on the subject, and she comforted him, and told him she -was sure he would some day have the opportunity he so much desired. - -Here I should like to remark, for the sake of princes and princesses in -general, that it is a low and contemptible thing to refuse to confess a -fault, or even an error. If a true princess has done wrong, she is -always uneasy until she has had an opportunity of throwing the -wrongness away from her by saying: 'I did it; and I wish I had not; and -I am sorry for having done it.' So you see there is some ground for -supposing that Curdie was not a miner only, but a prince as well. Many -such instances have been known in the world's history. - -At length, however, he began to see signs of a change in the -proceedings of the goblin excavators: they were going no deeper, but -had commenced running on a level; and he watched them, therefore, more -closely than ever. All at once, one night, coming to a slope of very -hard rock, they began to ascend along the inclined plane of its -surface. Having reached its top, they went again on a level for a -night or two, after which they began to ascend once more, and kept on -at a pretty steep angle. At length Curdie judged it time to transfer -his observation to another quarter, and the next night he did not go to -the mine at all; but, leaving his pickaxe and clue at home, and taking -only his usual lumps of bread and pease pudding, went down the mountain -to the king's house. He climbed over the wall, and remained in the -garden the whole night, creeping on hands and knees from one spot to -the other, and lying at full length with his ear to the ground, -listening. But he heard nothing except the tread of the men-at-arms as -they marched about, whose observation, as the night was cloudy and -there was no moon, he had little difficulty in avoiding. For several -following nights he continued to haunt the garden and listen, but with -no success. - -At length, early one evening, whether it was that he had got careless -of his own safety, or that the growing moon had become strong enough to -expose him, his watching came to a sudden end. He was creeping from -behind the rock where the stream ran out, for he had been listening all -round it in the hope it might convey to his ear some indication of the -whereabouts of the goblin miners, when just as he came into the -moonlight on the lawn, a whizz in his ear and a blow upon his leg -startled him. He instantly squatted in the hope of eluding further -notice. But when he heard the sound of running feet, he jumped up to -take the chance of escape by flight. He fell, however, with a keen -shoot of pain, for the bolt of a crossbow had wounded his leg, and the -blood was now streaming from it. He was instantly laid Hold of by two -or three of the men-at-arms. It was useless to struggle, and he -submitted in silence. - -'It's a boy!' cried several of them together, in a tone of amazement. -'I thought it was one of those demons. What are you about here?' - -'Going to have a little rough usage, apparently,' said Curdie, -laughing, as the men shook him. - -'Impertinence will do you no good. You have no business here in the -king's grounds, and if you don't give a true account of yourself, you -shall fare as a thief.' - -'Why, what else could he be?' said one. - -'He might have been after a lost kid, you know,' suggested another. - -'I see no good in trying to excuse him. He has no business here, -anyhow.' - -'Let me go away, then, if you please,' said Curdie. - -'But we don't please--not except you give a good account of yourself.' - -'I don't feel quite sure whether I can trust you,' said Curdie. - -'We are the king's own men-at-arms,' said the captain courteously, for -he was taken with Curdie's appearance and courage. - -'Well, I will tell you all about it--if you will promise to listen to -me and not do anything rash.' - -'I call that cool!' said one of the party, laughing. 'He will tell us -what mischief he was about, if we promise to do as pleases him.' - -'I was about no mischief,' said Curdie. - -But ere he could say more he turned faint, and fell senseless on the -grass. Then first they discovered that the bolt they had shot, taking -him for one of the goblin creatures, had wounded him. - -They carried him into the house and laid him down in the hall. The -report spread that they had caught a robber, and the servants crowded -in to see the villain. Amongst the rest came the nurse. The moment she -saw him she exclaimed with indignation: - -'I declare it's the same young rascal of a miner that was rude to me -and the princess on the mountain. He actually wanted to kiss the -princess. I took good care of that--the wretch! And he was prowling -about, was he? Just like his impudence!' The princess being fast -asleep, she could misrepresent at her pleasure. - -When he heard this, the captain, although he had considerable doubt of -its truth, resolved to keep Curdie a prisoner until they could search -into the affair. So, after they had brought him round a little, and -attended to his wound, which was rather a bad one, they laid him, still -exhausted from the loss of blood, upon a mattress in a disused -room--one of those already so often mentioned--and locked the door, and -left him. He passed a troubled night, and in the morning they found -him talking wildly. In the evening he came to himself, but felt very -weak, and his leg was exceedingly painful. Wondering where he was, and -seeing one of the men-at-arms in the room, he began to question him and -soon recalled the events of the preceding night. As he was himself -unable to watch any more, he told the soldier all he knew about the -goblins, and begged him to tell his companions, and stir them up to -watch with tenfold vigilance; but whether it was that he did not talk -quite coherently, or that the whole thing appeared incredible, -certainly the man concluded that Curdie was only raving still, and -tried to coax him into holding his tongue. This, of course, annoyed -Curdie dreadfully, who now felt in his turn what it was not to be -believed, and the consequence was that his fever returned, and by the -time when, at his persistent entreaties, the captain was called, there -could be no doubt that he was raving. They did for him what they -could, and promised everything he wanted, but with no intention of -fulfilment. At last he went to sleep, and when at length his sleep -grew profound and peaceful, they left him, locked the door again, and -withdrew, intending to revisit him early in the morning. - - - -CHAPTER 26 - -The Goblin-Miners - -That same night several of the servants were having a chat together -before going to bed. - -'What can that noise be?' said one of the housemaids, who had been -listening for a moment or two. - -'I've heard it the last two nights,' said the cook. 'If there were any -about the place, I should have taken it for rats, but my Tom keeps them -far enough.' - -'I've heard, though,' said the scullery-maid, 'that rats move about in -great companies sometimes. There may be an army of them invading us. -I've heard the noises yesterday and today too.' - -'It'll be grand fun, then, for my Tom and Mrs Housekeeper's Bob,' said -the cook. 'They'll be friends for once in their lives, and fight on -the same side. I'll engage Tom and Bob together will put to flight any -number of rats.' - -'It seems to me,' said the nurse, 'that the noises are much too loud -for that. I have heard them all day, and my princess has asked me -several times what they could be. Sometimes they sound like distant -thunder, and sometimes like the noises you hear in the mountain from -those horrid miners underneath.' - -'I shouldn't wonder,' said the cook, 'if it was the miners after all. -They may have come on some hole in the mountain through which the -noises reach to us. They are always boring and blasting and breaking, -you know.' - -As he spoke, there came a great rolling rumble beneath them, and the -house quivered. They all started up in affright, and rushing to the -hall found the gentlemen-at-arms in consternation also. They had sent -to wake their captain, who said from their description that it must -have been an earthquake, an occurrence which, although very rare in -that country, had taken place almost within the century; and then went -to bed again, strange to say, and fell fast asleep without once -thinking of Curdie, or associating the noises they had heard with what -he had told them. He had not believed Curdie. If he had, he would at -once have thought of what he had said, and would have taken -precautions. As they heard nothing more, they concluded that Sir -Walter was right, and that the danger was over for perhaps another -hundred years. The fact, as discovered afterwards, was that the -goblins had, in working up a second sloping face of stone, arrived at a -huge block which lay under the cellars of the house, within the line of -the foundations. - -It was so round that when they succeeded, after hard work, in -dislodging it without blasting, it rolled thundering down the slope -with a bounding, jarring roll, which shook the foundations of the -house. The goblins were themselves dismayed at the noise, for they -knew, by careful spying and measuring, that they must now be very near, -if not under the king's house, and they feared giving an alarm. They, -therefore, remained quiet for a while, and when they began to work -again, they no doubt thought themselves very fortunate in coming upon a -vein of sand which filled a winding fissure in the rock on which the -house was built. By scooping this away they came out in the king's -wine cellar. - -No sooner did they find where they were, than they scurried back again, -like rats into their holes, and running at full speed to the goblin -palace, announced their success to the king and queen with shouts of -triumph. - -In a moment the goblin royal family and the whole goblin people were on -their way in hot haste to the king's house, each eager to have a share -in the glory of carrying off that same night the Princess Irene. - -The queen went stumping along in one shoe of stone and one of skin. - -This could not have been pleasant, and my readers may wonder that, with -such skilful workmen about her, she had not yet replaced the shoe -carried off by Curdie. As the king, however, had more than one ground -of objection to her stone shoes, he no doubt took advantage of the -discovery of her toes, and threatened to expose her deformity if she -had another made. I presume he insisted on her being content with skin -shoes, and allowed her to wear the remaining granite one on the present -occasion only because she was going out to war. - -They soon arrived in the king's wine cellar, and regardless of its huge -vessels, of which they did not know the use, proceeded at once, but as -quietly as they could, to force the door that led upwards. - - - -CHAPTER 27 - -The Goblins in the King's House - -When Curdie fell asleep he began at once to dream. He thought he was -ascending the Mountainside from the mouth of the mine, whistling and -singing 'Ring, dod, bang!' when he came upon a woman and child who had -lost their way; and from that point he went on dreaming everything that -had happened to him since he thus met the princess and Lootie; how he -had watched the goblins, how he had been taken by them, how he had been -rescued by the princess; everything, indeed, until he was wounded, -captured, and imprisoned by the men-at-arms. And now he thought he was -lying wide awake where they had laid him, when suddenly he heard a -great thundering sound. - -'The cobs are coming!' he said. 'They didn't believe a word I told -them! The cobs'll be carrying off the princess from under their stupid -noses! But they shan't! that they shan't!' - -He jumped up, as he thought, and began to dress, but, to his dismay, -found that he was still lying in bed. - -'Now then, I will!' he said. 'Here goes! I am up now!' - -But yet again he found himself snug in bed. Twenty times he tried, and -twenty times he failed; for in fact he was not awake, only dreaming -that he was. At length in an agony of despair, fancying he heard the -goblins all over the house, he gave a great cry. Then there came, as -he thought, a hand upon the lock of his door. It opened, and, looking -up, he saw a lady with white hair, carrying a silver box in her hand, -enter the room. She came to his bed, he thought, stroked his head and -face with cool, soft hands, took the dressing from his leg, rubbed it -with something that smelt like roses, and then waved her hands over him -three times. At the last wave of her hands everything vanished, he -felt himself sinking into the profoundest slumber, and remembered -nothing more until he awoke in earnest. - -The setting moon was throwing a feeble light through the casement, and -the house was full of uproar. There was soft heavy multitudinous -stamping, a clashing and clanging of weapons, the voices of men and the -cries of women, mixed with a hideous bellowing, which sounded -victorious. The cobs were in the house! He sprang from his bed, -hurried on some of his clothes, not forgetting his shoes, which were -armed with nails; then spying an old hunting-knife, or short sword, -hanging on the wall, he caught it, and rushed down the stairs, guided -by the sounds of strife, which grew louder and louder. - -When he reached the ground floor he found the whole place swarming. - -All the goblins of the mountain seemed gathered there. He rushed -amongst them, shouting: - - 'One, two, - Hit and hew! - Three, four, - Blast and bore!' - -and with every rhyme he came down a great stamp upon a foot, cutting at -the same time their faces--executing, indeed, a sword dance of the -wildest description. Away scattered the goblins in every -direction--into closets, up stairs, into chimneys, up on rafters, and -down to the cellars. Curdie went on stamping and slashing and singing, -but saw nothing of the people of the house until he came to the great -hall, in which, the moment he entered it, arose a great goblin shout. -The last of the men-at-arms, the captain himself, was on the floor, -buried beneath a wallowing crowd of goblins. For, while each knight -was busy defending himself as well as he could, by stabs in the thick -bodies of the goblins, for he had soon found their heads all but -invulnerable, the queen had attacked his legs and feet with her -horrible granite shoe, and he was soon down; but the captain had got -his back to the wall and stood out longer. The goblins would have torn -them all to pieces, but the king had given orders to carry them away -alive, and over each of them, in twelve groups, was standing a knot of -goblins, while as many as could find room were sitting upon their -prostrate bodies. - -Curdie burst in dancing and gyrating and stamping and singing like a -small incarnate whirlwind. - - 'Where 'tis all a hole, sir, - Never can be holes: - Why should their shoes have soles, sir, - When they've got no souls? - - 'But she upon her foot, sir, - Has a granite shoe: - The strongest leather boot, sir, - Six would soon be through.' - - -The queen gave a howl of rage and dismay; and before she recovered her -presence of mind, Curdie, having begun with the group nearest him, had -eleven of the knights on their legs again. - -'Stamp on their feet!' he cried as each man rose, and in a few minutes -the hall was nearly empty, the goblins running from it as fast as they -could, howling and shrieking and limping, and cowering every now and -then as they ran to cuddle their wounded feet in their hard hands, or -to protect them from the frightful stamp-stamp of the armed men. - -And now Curdie approached the group which, in trusting in the queen and -her shoe, kept their guard over the prostrate captain. The king sat on -the captain's head, but the queen stood in front, like an infuriated -cat, with her perpendicular eyes gleaming green, and her hair standing -half up from her horrid head. Her heart was quaking, however, and she -kept moving about her skin-shod foot with nervous apprehension. When -Curdie was within a few paces, she rushed at him, made one tremendous -stamp at his opposing foot, which happily he withdrew in time, and -caught him round the waist, to dash him on the marble floor. But just -as she caught him, he came down with all the weight of his iron-shod -shoe upon her skin-shod foot, and with a hideous howl she dropped him, -squatted on the floor, and took her foot in both her hands. Meanwhile -the rest rushed on the king and the bodyguard, sent them flying, and -lifted the prostrate captain, who was all but pressed to death. It was -some moments before he recovered breath and consciousness. - -'Where's the princess?' cried Curdie, again and again. - -No one knew, and off they all rushed in search of her. - -Through every room in the house they went, but nowhere was she to be -found. Neither was one of the servants to be seen. But Curdie, who -had kept to the lower part of the house, which was now quiet enough, -began to hear a confused sound as of a distant hubbub, and set out to -find where it came from. The noise grew as his sharp ears guided him -to a stair and so to the wine cellar. It was full of goblins, whom the -butler was supplying with wine as fast as he could draw it. - -While the queen and her party had encountered the men-at-arms, Harelip -with another company had gone off to search the house. They captured -every one they met, and when they could find no more, they hurried away -to carry them safe to the caverns below. But when the butler, who was -amongst them, found that their path lay through the wine cellar, he -bethought himself of persuading them to taste the wine, and, as he had -hoped, they no sooner tasted than they wanted more. The routed -goblins, on their way below, joined them, and when Curdie entered they -were all, with outstretched hands, in which were vessels of every -description from sauce pan to silver cup, pressing around the butler, -who sat at the tap of a huge cask, filling and filling. Curdie cast -one glance around the place before commencing his attack, and saw in -the farthest corner a terrified group of the domestics unwatched, but -cowering without courage to attempt their escape. Amongst them was the -terror-stricken face of Lootie; but nowhere could he see the princess. -Seized with the horrible conviction that Harelip had already carried -her off, he rushed amongst them, unable for wrath to sing any more, but -stamping and cutting with greater fury than ever. - -'Stamp on their feet; stamp on their feet!' he shouted, and in a moment -the goblins were disappearing through the hole in the floor like rats -and mice. - -They could not vanish so fast, however, but that many more goblin feet -had to go limping back over the underground ways of the mountain that -morning. - -Presently, however, they were reinforced from above by the king and his -party, with the redoubtable queen at their head. Finding Curdie again -busy amongst her unfortunate subjects, she rushed at him once more with -the rage of despair, and this time gave him a bad bruise on the foot. -Then a regular stamping fight got up between them, Curdie, with the -point of his hunting-knife, keeping her from clasping her mighty arms -about him, as he watched his opportunity of getting once more a good -stamp at her skin-shod foot. But the queen was more wary as well as -more agile than hitherto. - -The rest meantime, finding their adversary thus matched for the moment, -paused in their headlong hurry, and turned to the shivering group of -women in the corner. As if determined to emulate his father and have a -sun-woman of some sort to share his future throne, Harelip rushed at -them, caught up Lootie, and sped with her to the hole. She gave a -great shriek, and Curdie heard her, and saw the plight she was in. -Gathering all his strength, he gave the queen a sudden cut across the -face with his weapon, came down, as she started back, with all his -weight on the proper foot, and sprung to Lootie's rescue. The prince -had two defenceless feet, and on both of them Curdie stamped just as he -reached the hole. He dropped his burden and rolled shrieking into the -earth. Curdie made one stab at him as he disappeared, caught hold of -the senseless Lootie, and having dragged her back to the corner, there -mounted guard over her, preparing once more to encounter the queen. - -Her face streaming with blood, and her eyes flashing green lightning -through it, she came on with her mouth open and her teeth grinning like -a tiger's, followed by the king and her bodyguard of the thickest -goblins. But the same moment in rushed the captain and his men, and -ran at them stamping furiously. They dared not encounter such an -onset. Away they scurried, the queen foremost. Of course, the right -thing would have been to take the king and queen prisoners, and hold -them hostages for the princess, but they were so anxious to find her -that no one thought of detaining them until it was too late. - -Having thus rescued the servants, they set about searching the house -once more. None of them could give the least information concerning -the princess. Lootie was almost silly with terror, and, although -scarcely able to walk would not leave Curdie's side for a single -moment. Again he allowed the others to search the rest of the -house--where, except a dismayed goblin lurking here and there, they -found no one--while he requested Lootie to take him to the princess's -room. She was as submissive and obedient as if he had been the king. - -He found the bedclothes tossed about, and most of them on the floor, -while the princess's garments were scattered all over the room, which -was in the greatest confusion. It was only too evident that the -goblins had been there, and Curdie had no longer any doubt that she had -been carried off at the very first of the inroad. With a pang of -despair he saw how wrong they had been in not securing the king and -queen and prince; but he determined to find and rescue the princess as -she had found and rescued him, or meet the worst fate to which the -goblins could doom him. - - - -CHAPTER 28 - -Curdie's Guide - -Just as the consolation of this resolve dawned upon his mind and he was -turning away for the cellar to follow the goblins into their hole, -something touched his hand. It was the slightest touch, and when he -looked he could see nothing. Feeling and peering about in the grey of -the dawn, his fingers came upon a tight thread. He looked again, and -narrowly, but still could see nothing. It flashed upon him that this -must be the princess's thread. Without saying a word, for he knew no -one would believe him any more than he had believed the princess, he -followed the thread with his finger, contrived to give Lootie the slip, -and was soon out of the house and on the mountainside--surprised that, -if the thread were indeed the grandmother's messenger, it should have -led the princess, as he supposed it must, into the mountain, where she -would be certain to meet the goblins rushing back enraged from their -defeat. But he hurried on in the hope of overtaking her first. When -he arrived, however, at the place where the path turned off for the -mine, he found that the thread did not turn with it, but went straight -up the mountain. Could it be that the thread was leading him home to -his mother's cottage? Could the princess be there? He bounded up the -mountain like one of its own goats, and before the sun was up the -thread had brought him indeed to his mother's door. There it vanished -from his fingers, and he could not find it, search as he might. - -The door was on the latch, and he entered. There sat his mother by the -fire, and in her arms lay the princess, fast asleep. - -'Hush, Curdie!' said his mother. 'Do not wake her. I'm so glad you're -come! I thought the cobs must have got you again!' - -With a heart full of delight, Curdie sat down at a corner of the -hearth, on a stool opposite his mother's chair, and gazed at the -princess, who slept as peacefully as if she had been in her own bed. -All at once she opened her eyes and fixed them on him. - -'Oh, Curdie! you're come!' she said quietly. 'I thought you would!' - -Curdie rose and stood before her with downcast eyes. - -'Irene,' he said, 'I am very sorry I did not believe you.' - -'Oh, never mind, Curdie!' answered the princess. 'You couldn't, you -know. You do believe me now, don't you?' - -'I can't help it now. I ought to have helped it before.' - -'Why can't you help it now?' - -'Because, just as I was going into the mountain to look for you, I got -hold of your thread, and it brought me here.' - -'Then you've come from my house, have you?' - -'Yes, I have.' - -'I didn't know you were there.' - -'I've been there two or three days, I believe.' - -'And I never knew it! Then perhaps you can tell me why my grandmother -has brought me here? I can't think. Something woke me--I didn't know -what, but I was frightened, and I felt for the thread, and there it -was! I was more frightened still when it brought me out on the -mountain, for I thought it was going to take me into it again, and I -like the outside of it best. I supposed you were in trouble again, and -I had to get you out. But it brought me here instead; and, oh, Curdie! -your mother has been so kind to me--just like my own grandmother!' - -Here Curdie's mother gave the princess a hug, and the princess turned -and gave her a sweet smile, and held up her mouth to kiss her. - -'Then you didn't see the cobs?'asked Curdie. - -'No; I haven't been into the mountain, I told you, Curdie.' - -'But the cobs have been into your house--all over it--and into your -bedroom, making such a row!' - -'What did they want there? It was very rude of them.' - -'They wanted you--to carry you off into the mountain with them, for a -wife to their prince Harelip.' - -'Oh, how dreadful' cried the princess, shuddering. - -'But you needn't be afraid, you know. Your grandmother takes care of -you.' - -'Ah! you do believe in my grandmother, then? I'm so glad! She made me -think you would some day.' - -All at once Curdie remembered his dream, and was silent, thinking. - -'But how did you come to be in my house, and me not know it?' asked the -princess. - -Then Curdie had to explain everything--how he had watched for her sake, -how he had been wounded and shut up by the soldiers, how he heard the -noises and could not rise, and how the beautiful old lady had come to -him, and all that followed. - -'Poor Curdie! to lie there hurt and ill, and me never to know it!' -exclaimed the princess, stroking his rough hand. 'I would have come -and nursed you, if they had told me.' - -'I didn't see you were lame,' said his mother. - -'Am I, mother? Oh--yes--I suppose I ought to be! I declare I've never -thought of it since I got up to go down amongst the cobs!' - -'Let me see the wound,' said his mother. - -He pulled down his stocking--when behold, except a great scar, his leg -was perfectly sound! - -Curdie and his mother gazed in each other's eyes, full of wonder, but -Irene called out: - -'I thought so, Curdie! I was sure it wasn't a dream. I was sure my -grandmother had been to see you. Don't you smell the roses? It was my -grandmother healed your leg, and sent you to help me.' - -'No, Princess Irene,' said Curdie; 'I wasn't good enough to be allowed -to help you: I didn't believe you. Your grandmother took care of you -without me.' - -'She sent you to help my people, anyhow. I wish my king-papa would -come. I do want so to tell him how good you have been!' - -'But,' said the mother, 'we are forgetting how frightened your people -must be. You must take the princess home at once, Curdie--or at least -go and tell them where she is.' - -'Yes, mother. Only I'm dreadfully hungry. Do let me have some -breakfast first. They ought to have listened to me, and then they -wouldn't have been taken by surprise as they were.' - -'That is true, Curdie; but it is not for you to blame them much. You -remember?' - -'Yes, mother, I do. Only I must really have something to eat.' - -'You shall, my boy--as fast as I can get it,' said his mother, rising -and setting the princess on her chair. - -But before his breakfast was ready, Curdie jumped up so suddenly as to -startle both his companions. - -'Mother, mother!' he cried, 'I was forgetting. You must take the -princess home yourself. I must go and wake my father.' - -Without a word of explanation, he rushed to the place where his father -was sleeping. Having thoroughly roused him with what he told him he -darted out of the cottage. - - - -CHAPTER 29 - -Masonwork - -He had all at once remembered the resolution of the goblins to carry -out their second plan upon the failure of the first. No doubt they -were already busy, and the mine was therefore in the greatest danger of -being flooded and rendered useless--not to speak of the lives of the -miners. - -When he reached the mouth of the mine, after rousing all the miners -within reach, he found his father and a good many more just entering. -They all hurried to the gang by which he had found a way into the -goblin country. There the foresight of Peter had already collected a -great many blocks of stone, with cement, ready for building up the weak -place--well enough known to the goblins. Although there was not room -for more than two to be actually building at once, they managed, by -setting all the rest to work in preparing the cement and passing the -stones, to finish in the course of the day a huge buttress filling the -whole gang, and supported everywhere by the live rock. Before the hour -when they usually dropped work, they were satisfied the mine was secure. - -They had heard goblin hammers and pickaxes busy all the time, and at -length fancied they heard sounds of water they had never heard before. -But that was otherwise accounted for when they left the mine, for they -stepped out into a tremendous storm which was raging all over the -mountain. The thunder was bellowing, and the lightning lancing out of -a huge black cloud which lay above it and hung down its edges of thick -mist over its sides. The lightning was breaking out of the mountain, -too, and flashing up into the cloud. From the state of the brooks, now -swollen into raging torrents, it was evident that the storm had been -storming all day. - -The wind was blowing as if it would blow him off the mountain, but, -anxious about his mother and the princess, Curdie darted up through the -thick of the tempest. Even if they had not set out before the storm -came on, he did not judge them safe, for in such a storm even their -poor little house was in danger. Indeed he soon found that but for a -huge rock against which it was built, and which protected it both from -the blasts and the waters, it must have been swept if it was not blown -away; for the two torrents into which this rock parted the rush of -water behind it united again in front of the cottage--two roaring and -dangerous streams, which his mother and the princess could not possibly -have passed. It was with great difficulty that he forced his way -through one of them, and up to the door. - -The moment his hand fell on the latch, through all the uproar of winds -and Waters came the joyous cry of the princess: - -'There's Curdie! Curdie! Curdie!' - -She was sitting wrapped in blankets on the bed, his mother trying for -the hundredth time to light the fire which had been drowned by the rain -that came down the chimney. The clay floor was one mass of mud, and -the whole place looked wretched. But the faces of the mother and the -princess shone as if their troubles only made them the merrier. Curdie -burst out laughing at the sight of them. - -'I never had such fun!' said the princess, her eyes twinkling and her -pretty teeth shining. 'How nice it must be to live in a cottage on the -mountain!' - -'It all depends on what kind your inside house is,' said the mother. - -'I know what you mean,' said Irene. 'That's the kind of thing my -grandmother says.' - -By the time Peter returned the storm was nearly over, but the streams -were so fierce and so swollen that it was not only out of the question -for the princess to go down the mountain, but most dangerous for Peter -even or Curdie to make the attempt in the gathering darkness. - -'They will be dreadfully frightened about you,' said Peter to the -princess, 'but we cannot help it. We must wait till the morning.' - -With Curdie's help, the fire was lighted at last, and the mother set -about making their supper; and after supper they all told the princess -stories till she grew sleepy. Then Curdie's mother laid her in -Curdie's bed, which was in a tiny little garret-room. As soon as she -was in bed, through a little window low down in the roof she caught -sight of her grandmother's lamp shining far away beneath, and she gazed -at the beautiful silvery globe until she fell asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 30 - -The King and the Kiss - -The next morning the sun rose so bright that Irene said the rain had -washed his face and let the light out clean. The torrents were still -roaring down the side of the mountain, but they were so much smaller as -not to be dangerous in the daylight. After an early breakfast, Peter -went to his work and Curdie and his mother set out to take the princess -home. They had difficulty in getting her dry across the streams, and -Curdie had again and again to carry her, but at last they got safe on -the broader part of the road, and walked gently down towards the king's -house. And what should they see as they turned the last corner but the -last of the king's troop riding through the gate! - -'Oh, Curdie!' cried Irene, clapping her hands right joyfully,'my -king-papa is come.' - -The moment Curdie heard that, he caught her up in his arms, and set off -at full speed, crying: - -'Come on, mother dear! The king may break his heart before he knows -that she is safe.' - -Irene clung round his neck and he ran with her like a deer. When he -entered the gate into the court, there sat the king on his horse, with -all the people of the house about him, weeping and hanging their heads. -The king was not weeping, but his face was white as a dead man's, and -he looked as if the life had gone out of him. The men-at-arms he had -brought with him sat with horror-stricken faces, but eyes flashing with -rage, waiting only for the word of the king to do something--they did -not know what, and nobody knew what. - -The day before, the men-at-arms belonging to the house, as soon as they -were satisfied the princess had been carried away, rushed after the -goblins into the hole, but found that they had already so skilfully -blockaded the narrowest part, not many feet below the cellar, that -without miners and their tools they could do nothing. Not one of them -knew where the mouth of the mine lay, and some of those who had set out -to find it had been overtaken by the storm and had not even yet -returned. Poor Sir Walter was especially filled with shame, and almost -hoped the king would order his head to be cut off, for to think of that -sweet little face down amongst the goblins was unendurable. - -When Curdie ran in at the gate with the princess in his arms, they were -all so absorbed in their own misery and awed by the king's presence and -grief, that no one observed his arrival. He went straight up to the -king, where he sat on his horse. - -'Papa! papa!' the princess cried, stretching out her arms to him; 'here -I am!' - -The king started. The colour rushed to his face. He gave an -inarticulate cry. Curdie held up the princess, and the king bent down -and took her from his arms. As he clasped her to his bosom, the big -tears went dropping down his cheeks and his beard. And such a shout -arose from all the bystanders that the startled horses pranced and -capered, and the armour rang and clattered, and the rocks of the -mountain echoed back the noises. The princess greeted them all as she -nestled in her father's bosom, and the king did not set her down until -she had told them all the story. But she had more to tell about Curdie -than about herself, and what she did tell about herself none of them -could understand--except the king and Curdie, who stood by the king's -knee stroking the neck of the great white horse. And still as she told -what Curdie had done, Sir Walter and others added to what she told, -even Lootie joining in the praises of his courage and energy. - -Curdie held his peace, looking quietly up in the king's face. And his -mother stood on the outskirts of the crowd listening with delight, for -her son's deeds were pleasant in her ears, until the princess caught -sight of her. - -'And there is his mother, king-papa!' she said. 'See--there. She is -such a nice mother, and has been so kind to me!' - -They all parted asunder as the king made a sign to her to come forward. -She obeyed, and he gave her his hand, but could not speak. - -'And now, king-papa,' the princess went on, 'I must tell you another -thing. One night long ago Curdie drove the goblins away and brought -Lootie and me safe from the mountain. And I promised him a kiss when -we got home, but Lootie wouldn't let me give it him. I don't want you -to scold Lootie, but I want you to tell her that a princess must do as -she promises.' - -'Indeed she must, my child--except it be wrong,' said the king. 'There, -give Curdie a kiss.' - -And as he spoke he held her towards him. - -The princess reached down, threw her arms round Curdie's neck, and -kissed him on the mouth, saying: 'There, Curdie! There's the kiss I -promised you!' - -Then they all went into the house, and the cook rushed to the kitchen -and the servants to their work. Lootie dressed Irene in her shiningest -clothes, and the king put off his armour, and put on purple and gold; -and a messenger was sent for Peter and all the miners, and there was a -great and a grand feast, which continued long after the princess was -put to bed. - - - -CHAPTER 31 - -The Subterranean Waters - -The king's harper, who always formed a part of his escort, was chanting -a ballad which he made as he went on playing on his instrument--about -the princess and the goblins, and the prowess of Curdie, when all at -once he ceased, with his eyes on one of the doors of the hall. -Thereupon the eyes of the king and his guests turned thitherward also. -The next moment, through the open doorway came the princess Irene. She -went straight up to her father, with her right hand stretched out a -little sideways, and her forefinger, as her father and Curdie -understood, feeling its way along the invisible thread. The king took -her on his knee, and she said in his ear: - -'King-papa, do you hear that noise?' - -'I hear nothing,' said the king. - -'Listen,' she said, holding up her forefinger. - -The king listened, and a great stillness fell upon the company. Each -man, seeing that the king listened, listened also, and the harper sat -with his harp between his arms, and his finger silent upon the strings. - -'I do hear a noise,' said the king at length--'a noise as of distant -thunder. It is coming nearer and nearer. What can it be?' - -They all heard it now, and each seemed ready to start to his feet as he -listened. Yet all sat perfectly still. The noise came rapidly nearer. - -'What can it be?' said the king again. - -'I think it must be another storm coming over the mountain,' said Sir -Walter. - -Then Curdie, who at the first word of the king had slipped from his -seat, and laid his ear to the ground, rose up quickly, and approaching -the king said, speaking very fast: - -'Please, Your Majesty, I think I know what it is. I have no time to -explain, for that might make it too late for some of us. Will Your -Majesty give orders that everybody leave the house as quickly as -possible and get up the mountain?' - -The king, who was the wisest man in the kingdom, knew well there was a -time when things must be done and questions left till afterwards. He -had faith in Curdie, and rose instantly, with Irene in his arms. -'Every man and woman follow me,' he said, and strode out into the -darkness. - -Before he had reached the gate, the noise had grown to a great -thundering roar, and the ground trembled beneath their feet, and before -the last of them had crossed the court, out after them from the great -hall door came a huge rush of turbid water, and almost swept them away. -But they got safe out of the gate and up the mountain, while the -torrent went roaring down the road into the valley beneath. - -Curdie had left the king and the princess to look after his mother, -whom he and his father, one on each side, caught up when the stream -overtook them and carried safe and dry. - -When the king had got out of the way of the water, a little up the -mountain, he stood with the princess in his arms, looking back with -amazement on the issuing torrent, which glimmered fierce and foamy -through the night. There Curdie rejoined them. - -'Now, Curdie,' said the king, 'what does it mean? Is this what you -expected?' - -'It is, Your Majesty,' said Curdie; and proceeded to tell him about the -second scheme of the goblins, who, fancying the miners of more -importance to the upper world than they were, had resolved, if they -should fail in carrying off the king's daughter, to flood the mine and -drown the miners. Then he explained what the miners had done to -prevent it. The goblins had, in pursuance of their design, let loose -all the underground reservoirs and streams, expecting the water to run -down into the mine, which was lower than their part of the mountain, -for they had, as they supposed, not knowing of the solid wall close -behind, broken a passage through into it. But the readiest outlet the -water could find had turned out to be the tunnel they had made to the -king's house, the possibility of which catastrophe had not occurred to -the young miner until he had laid his ear to the floor of the hall. - -What was then to be done? The house appeared in danger of falling, and -every moment the torrent was increasing. - -'We must set out at once,' said the king. 'But how to get at the -horses!' - -'Shall I see if we can manage that?' said Curdie. - -'Do,' said the king. - -Curdie gathered the men-at-arms, and took them over the garden wall, -and so to the stables. They found their horses in terror; the water -was rising fast around them, and it was quite time they were got out. -But there was no way to get them out, except by riding them through the -stream, which was now pouring from the lower windows as well as the -door. As one horse was quite enough for any man to manage through such -a torrent, Curdie got on the king's white charger and, leading the way, -brought them all in safety to the rising ground. - -'Look, look, Curdie!' cried Irene, the moment that, having dismounted, -he led the horse up to the king. - -Curdie did look, and saw, high in the air, somewhere about the top of -the king's house, a great globe of light shining like the purest silver. - -'Oh!' he cried in some consternation, 'that is your grandmother's lamp! -We must get her out. I will go an find her. The house may fall, you -know.' - -'My grandmother is in no danger,' said Irene, smiling. - -'Here, Curdie, take the princess while I get on my horse,' said the -king. - -Curdie took the princess again, and both turned their eyes to the globe -of light. The same moment there shot from it a white bird, which, -descending with outstretched wings, made one circle round the king an -Curdie and the princess, and then glided up again. The light and the -pigeon vanished together. - -'Now, Curdie!' said the princess, as he lifted her to her father's -arms, 'you see my grandmother knows all about it, and isn't frightened. -I believe she could walk through that water and it wouldn't wet her a -bit.' - -'But, my child,' said the king, 'you will be cold if you haven't -Something more on. Run, Curdie, my boy, and fetch anything you can lay -your hands on, to keep the princess warm. We have a long ride before -us.' - -Curdie was gone in a moment, and soon returned with a great rich fur, -and the news that dead goblins were tossing about in the current -through the house. They had been caught in their own snare; instead of -the mine they had flooded their own country, whence they were now swept -up drowned. Irene shuddered, but the king held her close to his bosom. -Then he turned to Sir Walter, and said: - -'Bring Curdie's father and mother here.' - -'I wish,' said the king, when they stood before him, 'to take your son -with me. He shall enter my bodyguard at once, and wait further -promotion.' - -Peter and his wife, overcome, only murmured almost inaudible thanks. -But Curdie spoke aloud. - -'Please, Your Majesty,' he said, 'I cannot leave my father and mother.' - -'That's right, Curdie!' cried the princess. 'I wouldn't if I was you.' - -The king looked at the princess and then at Curdie with a glow of -satisfaction on his countenance. - -'I too think you are right, Curdie,' he said, 'and I will not ask you -again. But I shall have a chance of doing something for you some time.' - -'Your Majesty has already allowed me to serve you,' said Curdie. - -'But, Curdie,' said his mother, 'why shouldn't you go with the king? -We can get on very well without you.' - -'But I can't get on very well without you,' said Curdie. 'The king is -very kind, but I could not be half the use to him that I am to you. -Please, Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind giving my mother a red -petticoat! I should have got her one long ago, but for the goblins.' - -'As soon as we get home,' said the king, 'Irene and I will search out -the warmest one to be found, and send it by one of the gentlemen.' - -'Yes, that we will, Curdie!' said the princess. 'And next summer we'll -come back and see you wear it, Curdie's mother,' she added. 'Shan't we, -king-papa?' - -'Yes, my love; I hope so,' said the king. - -Then turning to the miners, he said: - -'Will you do the best you can for my servants tonight? I hope they -will be able to return to the house tomorrow.' - -The miners with one voice promised their hospitality. Then the king -commanded his servants to mind whatever Curdie should say to them, and -after shaking hands with him and his father and mother, the king and -the princess and all their company rode away down the side of the new -stream, which had already devoured half the road, into the starry night. - - - -CHAPTER 32 - -The Last Chapter - -All the rest went up the mountain, and separated in groups to the homes -of the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie with them. -And the whole way a light, of which all but Lootie understood the -origin, shone upon their path. But when they looked round they could -see nothing of the silvery globe. - -For days and days the water continued to rush from the doors and -windows of the king's house, and a few goblin bodies were swept out -into the road. - -Curdie saw that something must be done. He spoke to his father and the -rest of the miners, and they at once proceeded to make another outlet -for the waters. By setting all hands to the work, tunnelling here and -building there, they soon succeeded; and having also made a little -tunnel to drain the water away from under the king's house, they were -soon able to get into the wine cellar, where they found a multitude of -dead goblins--among the rest the queen, with the skin-shoe gone, and -the stone one fast to her ankle--for the water had swept away the -barricade, which prevented the men-at-arms from following the goblins, -and had greatly widened the passage. They built it securely up, and -then went back to their labours in the mine. - -A good many of the goblins with their creatures escaped from the -inundation out upon the mountain. But most of them soon left that part -of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in -character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies. Their -skulls became softer as well as their hearts, and their feet grew -harder, and by degrees they became friendly with the inhabitants of the -mountain and even with the miners. But the latter were merciless to -any of the cobs' creatures that came in their way, until at length they -all but disappeared. - -The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for -another volume. - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN *** - -***** This file should be named 708.txt or 708.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/7/0/708/ - -Produced by Jo Churcher. 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If you - don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are - payable to "Project Gutenberg Association / Benedictine - University" within the 60 days following each - date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) - your annual (or equivalent periodic) tax return. - -WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? -The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, -scanning machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty -free copyright licenses, and every other sort of contribution -you can think of. Money should be paid to "Project Gutenberg -Association / Benedictine University". - -*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* - - - - - -THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN - - -GEORGE MACDONALD - - - - -CONTENTS - - -1. Why the Princess Has a Story About Her -2. The Princess Loses Herself -3. The Princess and - We Shall See Who -4. What the Nurse Thought of It -5. The Princess Lets Well Alone -6. The Little Miner -7. The Mines 44 -8. The Goblins -9. The Hall of the Goblin Palace -10. The Princess's King-Papa -11. The Old Lady's Bedroom -12. A Short Chapter About Curdie -13. The Cobs' Creatures -14. That Night Week -15. Woven and then Spun -16. The Ring -17. Springtime -18. Curdie's Clue -19. Goblin Counsels -20. Irene's Clue -21. The Escape -22. The Old Lady and Curdie -23. Curdie and His Mother -24. Irene Behaves Like a Princess -25. Curdie Comes to Grief -26. The Goblin-Miners -27. The Goblins in the King's House -28. Curdie's Guide -29. Masonwork -30. The King and the Kiss -31. The Subterranean Waters -32. The Last Chapter - - - - -CHAPTER 1 -Why the Princess Has a Story About Her - - -There was once a little princess whose father was king over a great -country full of mountains and valleys. His palace was built upon -one of the mountains, and was very grand and beautiful. The -princess, whose name was Irene, was born there, but she was sent -soon after her birth, because her mother was not very strong, to be -brought up by country people in a large house, half castle, half -farmhouse, on the side of another mountain, about half-way between -its base and its peak. - -The princess was a sweet little creature, and at the time my story -begins was about eight years old, I think, but she got older very -fast. Her face was fair and pretty, with eyes like two bits of -night sky, each with a star dissolved in the blue. Those eyes you -would have thought must have known they came from there, so often -were they turned up in that direction. The ceiling of her nursery -was blue, with stars in it, as like the sky as they could make it. -But I doubt if ever she saw the real sky with the stars in it, for -a reason which I had better mention at once. - -These mountains were full of hollow places underneath; huge -caverns, and winding ways, some with water running through them, -and some shining with all colours of the rainbow when a light was -taken in. There would not have been much known about them, had -there not been mines there, great deep pits, with long galleries -and passages running off from them, which had been dug to get at -the ore of which the mountains were full. In the course of -digging, the miners came upon many of these natural caverns. A few -of them had far-off openings out on the side of a mountain, or into -a ravine. - -Now in these subterranean caverns lived a strange race of beings, -called by some gnomes, by some kobolds, by some goblins. There was -a legend current in the country that at one time they lived above -ground, and were very like other people. But for some reason or -other, concerning which there were different legendary theories, -the king had laid what they thought too severe taxes upon them, or -had required observances of them they did not like, or had begun to -treat them with more severity, in some way or other, and impose -stricter laws; and the consequence was that they had all -disappeared from the face of the country. According to the legend, -however, instead of going to some other country, they had all taken -refuge in the subterranean caverns, whence they never came out but -at night, and then seldom showed themselves in any numbers, and -never to many people at once. It was only in the least frequented -and most difficult parts of the mountains that they were said to -gather even at night in the open air. Those who had caught sight -of any of them said that they had greatly altered in the course of -generations; and no wonder, seeing they lived away from the sun, in -cold and wet and dark places. They were now, not ordinarily ugly, -but either absolutely hideous, or ludicrously grotesque both in -face and form. There was no invention, they said, of the most -lawless imagination expressed by pen or pencil, that could surpass -the extravagance of their appearance. But I suspect those who said -so had mistaken some of their animal companions for the goblins -themselves - of which more by and by. The goblins themselves were -not so far removed from the human as such a description would -imply. And as they grew misshapen in body they had grown in -knowledge and cleverness, and now were able to do things no mortal -could see the possibility of. But as they grew in cunning, they -grew in mischief, and their great delight was in every way they -could think of to annoy the people who lived in the open-air storey -above them. They had enough of affection left for each other to -preserve them from being absolutely cruel for cruelty's sake to -those that came in their way; but still they so heartily cherished -the ancestral grudge against those who occupied their former -possessions and especially against the descendants of the king who -had caused their expulsion, that they sought every opportunity of -tormenting them in ways that were as odd as their inventors; and -although dwarfed and misshapen, they had strength equal to their -cunning. In the process of time they had got a king and a -government of their own, whose chief business, beyond their own -simple affairs, was to devise trouble for their neighbours. It -will now be pretty evident why the little princess had never seen -the sky at night. They were much too afraid of the goblins to let -her out of the house then, even in company with ever so many -attendants; and they had good reason, as we shall see by and by. - - - -CHAPTER 2 -The Princess Loses Herself - - -I have said the Princess Irene was about eight years old when my -story begins. And this is how it begins. - -One very wet day, when the mountain was covered with mist which was -constantly gathering itself together into raindrops, and pouring -down on the roofs of the great old house, whence it fell in a -fringe of water from the eaves all round about it, the princess -could not of course go out. She got very tired, so tired that even -her toys could no longer amuse her. You would wonder at that if I -had time to describe to you one half of the toys she had. But -then, you wouldn't have the toys themselves, and that makes all the -difference: you can't get tired of a thing before you have it. It -was a picture, though, worth seeing - the princess sitting in the -nursery with the sky ceiling over her head, at a great table -covered with her toys. If the artist would like to draw this, I -should advise him not to meddle with the toys. I am afraid of -attempting to describe them, and I think he had better not try to -draw them. He had better not. He can do a thousand things I -can't, but I don't think he could draw those toys. No man could -better make the princess herself than he could, though - leaning -with her back bowed into the back of the chair, her head hanging -down, and her hands in her lap, very miserable as she would say -herself, not even knowing what she would like, except it were to go -out and get thoroughly wet, and catch a particularly nice cold, and -have to go to bed and take gruel. The next moment after you see -her sitting there, her nurse goes out of the room. - -Even that is a change, and the princess wakes up a little, and -looks about her. Then she tumbles off her chair and runs out of -the door, not the same door the nurse went out of, but one which -opened at the foot of a curious old stair of worm-eaten oak, which -looked as if never anyone had set foot upon it. She had once -before been up six steps, and that was sufficient reason, in such -a day, for trying to find out what was at the top of it. - -Up and up she ran - such a long way it seemed to her! - until she -came to the top of the third flight. There she found the landing -was the end of a long passage. Into this she ran. It was full of -doors on each side. There were so many that she did not care to -open any, but ran on to the end, where she turned into another -passage, also full of doors. When she had turned twice more, and -still saw doors and only doors about her, she began to get -frightened. It was so silent! And all those doors must hide rooms -with nobody in them! That was dreadful. Also the rain made a -great trampling noise on the roof. She turned and started at full -speed, her little footsteps echoing through the sounds of the rain -- back for the stairs and her safe nursery. So she thought, but -she had lost herself long ago. It doesn't follow that she was -lost, because she had lost herself, though. - -She ran for some distance, turned several times, and then began to -be afraid. Very soon she was sure that she had lost the way back. -Rooms everywhere, and no stair! Her little heart beat as fast as -her little feet ran, and a lump of tears was growing in her throat. -But she was too eager and perhaps too frightened to cry for some -time. At last her hope failed her. Nothing but passages and doors -everywhere! She threw herself on the floor, and burst into a -wailing cry broken by sobs. - -She did not cry long, however, for she was as brave as could be -expected of a princess of her age. After a good cry, she got up, -and brushed the dust from her frock. Oh, what old dust it was! -Then she wiped her eyes with her hands, for princesses don't always -have their handkerchiefs in their pockets, any more than some other -little girls I know of. Next, like a true princess, she resolved -on going wisely to work to find her way back: she would walk -through the passages, and look in every direction for the stair. -This she did, but without success. She went over the same ground -again an again without knowing it, for the passages and doors were -all alike. At last, in a corner, through a half-open door, she did -see a stair. But alas! it went the wrong way: instead of going -down, it went up. Frightened as she was, however, she could not -help wishing to see where yet further the stair could lead. It was -very narrow, and so steep that she went on like a four-legged -creature on her hands and feet. - - - -CHAPTER 3 -The Princess and - We Shall See Who - - -When she came to the top, she found herself in a little square -place, with three doors, two opposite each other, and one opposite -the top of the stair. She stood for a moment, without an idea in -her little head what to do next. But as she stood, she began to -hear a curious humming sound. Could it be the rain? No. It was -much more gentle, and even monotonous than the sound of the rain, -which now she scarcely heard. The low sweet humming sound went on, -sometimes stopping for a little while and then beginning again. It -was more like the hum of a very happy bee that had found a rich -well of honey in some globular flower, than anything else I can -think of at this moment. Where could it come from? She laid her -ear first to one of the doors to hearken if it was there - then to -another. When she laid her ear against the third door, there could -be no doubt where it came from: it must be from something in that -room. What could it be? She was rather afraid, but her curiosity -was stronger than her fear, and she opened the door very gently and -peeped in. What do you think she saw? A very old lady who sat -spinning. - -Perhaps you will wonder how the princess could tell that the old -lady was an old lady, when I inform you that not only was she -beautiful, but her skin was smooth and white. I will tell you -more. Her hair was combed back from her forehead and face, and -hung loose far down and all over her back. That is not much like -an old lady - is it? Ah! but it was white almost as snow. And -although her face was so smooth, her eyes looked so wise that you -could not have helped seeing she must be old. The princess, though -she could not have told you why, did think her very old indeed - -quite fifty, she said to herself. But she was rather older than -that, as you shall hear. - -While the princess stared bewildered, with her head just inside the -door, the old lady lifted hers, and said, in a sweet, but old and -rather shaky voice, which mingled very pleasantly with the -continued hum of her wheel: - -'Come in, my dear; come in. I am glad to see you.' - -That the princess was a real princess you might see now quite -plainly; for she didn't hang on to the handle of the door, and -stare without moving, as I have known some do who ought to have -been princesses but were only rather vulgar little girls. She did -as she was told, stepped inside the door at once, and shut it -gently behind her. - -'Come to me, my dear,' said the old lady. - -And again the princess did as she was told. She approached the old -lady - rather slowly, I confess - but did not stop until she stood -by her side, and looked up in her face with her blue eyes and the -two melted stars in them. - -'Why, what have you been doing with your eyes, child?' asked the -old lady. -'Crying,' answered the princess. - -'Why, child?' - -'Because I couldn't find my way down again.' - -'But you could find your way up.' - -'Not at first - not for a long time.' - -'But your face is streaked like the back of a zebra. Hadn't you a -handkerchief to wipe your eyes with?' - -'No.' - -'Then why didn't you come to me to wipe them for you?' - -'Please, I didn't know you were here. I will next time.' - -'There's a good child!' said the old lady. - -Then she stopped her wheel, and rose, and, going out of the room, -returned with a little silver basin and a soft white towel, with -which she washed and wiped the bright little face. And the -princess thought her hands were so smooth and nice! - -When she carried away the basin and towel, the little princess -wondered to see how straight and tall she was, for, although she -was so old, she didn't stoop a bit. She was dressed in black -velvet with thick white heavy-looking lace about it; and on the -black dress her hair shone like silver. There was hardly any more -furniture in the room than there might have been in that of the -poorest old woman who made her bread by her spinning. There was no -carpet on the floor - no table anywhere - nothing but the -spinning-wheel and the chair beside it. When she came back, she -sat down and without a word began her spinning once more, while -Irene, who had never seen a spinning-wheel, stood by her side and -looked on. When the old lady had got her thread fairly going -again, she said to the princess, but without looking at her: - -'Do you know my name, child?' - -'No, I don't know it,' answered the princess. - -'my name is Irene.' - -'That's my name!' cried the princess. - -'I know that. I let you have mine. I haven't got your name. -You've got mine.' - -'How can that be?' asked the princess, bewildered. 'I've always -had my name.' - -'Your papa, the king, asked me if I had any objection to your -having it; and, of course, I hadn't. I let you have it with -pleasure.' - -'It was very kind of you to give me your name - and such a pretty -one,' said the princess. - -'Oh, not so very kind!' said the old lady. 'A name is one of those -things one can give away and keep all the same. I have a good many -such things. Wouldn't you like to know who I am, child?' - -'Yes, that I should - very much.' - -'I'm your great-great-grandmother,' said the lady. - -'What's that?' asked the princess. - -'I'm your father's mother's father's mother.' - -'Oh, dear! I can't understand that,' said the princess. - -'I dare say not. I didn't expect you would. But that's no reason -why I shouldn't say it.' - -'Oh, no!' answered the princess. - -'I will explain it all to you when you are older,' the lady went -on. 'But you will be able to understand this much now: I came here -to take care of you.' - -'Is it long since you came? Was it yesterday? Or was it today, -because it was so wet that I couldn't get out?' - -'I've been here ever since you came yourself.' - -'What a long time!' said the princess. 'I don't remember it at -all.' - -'No. I suppose not.' - -'But I never saw you before.' - -'No. But you shall see me again.' - -'Do you live in this room always?' - -'I don't sleep in it. I sleep on the opposite side of the landing. -I sit here most of the day.' - -'I shouldn't like it. My nursery is much prettier. You must be a -queen too, if you are my great big grand-mother.' - -'Yes, I am a queen.' - -'Where is your crown, then?' -'In my bedroom.' - -'I should like to see it.' - -'You shall some day - not today.' - -'I wonder why nursie never told me.' - -'Nursie doesn't know. She never saw me.' - -'But somebody knows that you are in the house?' - -'No; nobody.' - -'How do you get your dinner, then?' - -'I keep poultry - of a sort.' - -'Where do you keep them?' - -'I will show you.' - -'And who makes the chicken broth for you?' - -'I never kill any of MY chickens.' - -'Then I can't understand.' - -'What did you have for breakfast this morning?' asked the lady. - -'Oh! I had bread and milk, and an egg - I dare say you eat their -eggs.' - -'Yes, that's it. I eat their eggs.' - -'Is that what makes your hair so white?' - -'No, my dear. It's old age. I am very old.' - -'I thought so. Are you fifty?' - -'Yes - more than that.' - -'Are you a hundred?' - -'Yes - more than that. I am too old for you to guess. Come and -see my chickens.' - -Again she stopped her spinning. She rose, took the princess by the -hand, led her out of the room, and opened the door opposite the -stair. The princess expected to see a lot of hens and chickens, -but instead of that, she saw the blue sky first, and then the roofs -of the house, with a multitude of the loveliest pigeons, mostly -white, but of all colours, walking about, making bows to each -other, and talking a language she could not understand. She -clapped her hands with delight, and up rose such a flapping of -wings that she in her turn was startled. - -'You've frightened my poultry,' said the old lady, smiling. - -'And they've frightened me,' said the princess, smiling too. 'But -what very nice poultry! Are the eggs nice?' - -'Yes, very nice.' -'What a small egg-spoon you must have! Wouldn't it be better to -keep hens, and get bigger eggs?' - -'How should I feed them, though?' - -'I see,' said the princess. 'The pigeons feed themselves. They've -got wings.' - -'Just so. If they couldn't fly, I couldn't eat their eggs.' - -'But how do you get at the eggs? Where are their nests?' - -The lady took hold of a little loop of string in the wall at the -side of the door and, lifting a shutter, showed a great many -pigeon-holes with nests, some with young ones and some with eggs in -them. The birds came in at the other side, and she took out the -eggs on this side. She closed it again quickly, lest the young -ones should be frightened. - -'Oh, what a nice way!' cried the princess. 'Will you give me an -egg to eat? I'm rather hungry.' - -'I will some day, but now you must go back, or nursie will be -miserable about you. I dare say she's looking for you everywhere.' - -'Except here,' answered the princess. 'Oh, how surprised she will -be when I tell her about my great big grand-grand-mother!' - -'Yes, that she will!' said the old lady with a curious smile. -'Mind you tell her all about it exactly.' - -'That I will. Please will you take me back to her?' - -'I can't go all the way, but I will take you to the top of the -stair, and then you must run down quite fast into your own room.' - -The little princess put her hand in the old lady's, who, looking -this way and that, brought her to the top of the first stair, and -thence to the bottom of the second, and did not leave her till she -saw her half-way down the third. When she heard the cry of her -nurse's pleasure at finding her, she turned and walked up the -stairs again, very fast indeed for such a very great grandmother, -and sat down to her spinning with another strange smile on her -sweet old face. - -About this spinning of hers I will tell you more another time. - -Guess what she was spinning. - - - -CHAPTER 4 -What the Nurse Thought of It - -'Why, where can you have been, princess?' asked the nurse, taking -her in her arms. 'It's very unkind of you to hide away so long. -I began to be afraid -' Here she checked herself. - -'What were you afraid of, nursie?' asked the princess. - -'Never mind,' she answered. 'Perhaps I will tell you another day. -Now tell me where you have been.' - -'I've been up a long way to see my very great, huge, old -grandmother,' said the princess. - -'What do you mean by that?' asked the nurse, who thought she was -making fun. - -'I mean that I've been a long way up and up to see My GREAT -grandmother. Ah, nursie, you don't know what a beautiful mother of -grandmothers I've got upstairs. She is such an old lady, with such -lovely white hair - as white as my silver cup. Now, when I think -of it, I think her hair must be silver.' - -'What nonsense you are talking, princess!' said the nurse. - -'I'm not talking nonsense,' returned Irene, rather offended. 'I -will tell you all about her. She's much taller than you, and much -prettier.' - -'Oh, I dare say!' remarked the nurse. - -'And she lives upon pigeons' eggs.' - -'Most likely,' said the nurse. - -'And she sits in an empty room, spin-spinning all day long.' - -'Not a doubt of it,' said the nurse. - -'And she keeps her crown in her bedroom.' - -'Of course - quite the proper place to keep her crown in. She -wears it in bed, I'll be bound.' -'She didn't say that. And I don't think she does. That wouldn't -be comfortable - would it? I don't think my papa wears his crown -for a night-cap. Does he, nursie?' - -'I never asked him. I dare say he does.' - -'And she's been there ever since I came here - ever so many years.' - -'Anybody could have told you that,' said the nurse, who did not -believe a word Irene was saying. - -'Why didn't you tell me, then?' - -'There was no necessity. You could make it all up for yourself.' - -'You don't believe me, then!' exclaimed the princess, astonished -and angry, as she well might be. - -'Did you expect me to believe you, princess?' asked the nurse -coldly. 'I know princesses are in the habit of telling -make-believes, but you are the first I ever heard of who expected -to have them believed,' she added, seeing that the child was -strangely in earnest. - -The princess burst into tears. - -'Well, I must say,' remarked the nurse, now thoroughly vexed with -her for crying, 'it is not at all becoming in a princess to tell -stories and expect to be believed just because she is a princess.' - -'But it's quite true, I tell you.' - -'You've dreamt it, then, child.' - -'No, I didn't dream it. I went upstairs, and I lost myself, and if -I hadn't found the beautiful lady, I should never have found -myself.' - -'Oh, I dare say!' - -'Well, you just come up with me, and see if I'm not telling the -truth.' - -'Indeed I have other work to do. It's your dinnertime, and I won't -have any more such nonsense.' - -The princess wiped her eyes, and her face grew so hot that they -were soon quite dry. She sat down to her dinner, but ate next to -nothing. Not to be believed does not at all agree with princesses: -for a real princess cannot tell a lie. So all the afternoon she -did not speak a word. Only when the nurse spoke to her, she -answered her, for a real princess is never rude - even when she -does well to be offended. - -Of course the nurse was not comfortable in her mind - not that she -suspected the least truth in Irene's story, but that she loved her -dearly, and was vexed with herself for having been cross to her. -She thought her crossness was the cause of the princess's -unhappiness, and had no idea that she was really and deeply hurt at -not being believed. But, as it became more and more plain during -the evening in her every motion and look, that, although she tried -to amuse herself with her toys, her heart was too vexed and -troubled to enjoy them, her nurse's discomfort grew and grew. When -bedtime came, she undressed and laid her down, but the child, -instead of holding up her little mouth to be kissed, turned away -from her and lay still. Then nursie's heart gave way altogether, -and she began to cry. At the sound of her first sob the princess -turned again, and held her face to kiss her as usual. But the -nurse had her handkerchief to her eyes, and did not see the -movement. - -'Nursie,' said the princess, 'why won't you believe me?' - -'Because I can't believe you,' said the nurse, getting angry again. - -'Ah! then, you can't help it,' said Irene, 'and I will not be vexed -with you any more. I will give you a kiss and go to sleep.' - -'You little angel!' cried the nurse, and caught her out of bed, and -walked about the room with her in her arms, kissing and hugging -her. - -'You will let me take you to see my dear old great big grandmother, -won't you?' said the princess, as she laid her down again. - -'And you won't say I'm ugly, any more - will you, princess?' -'Nursie, I never said you were ugly. What can you mean?' - -'Well, if you didn't say it, you meant it.' - -'Indeed, I never did.' - -'You said I wasn't so pretty as that -' - -'As my beautiful grandmother - yes, I did say that; and I say it -again, for it's quite true.' - -'Then I do think you are unkind!' said the nurse, and put her -handkerchief to her eyes again. - -'Nursie, dear, everybody can't be as beautiful as every other body, -you know. You are very nice-looking, but if you had been as -beautiful as my grandmother -' - -'Bother your grandmother!' said the nurse. - -'Nurse, that's very rude. You are not fit to be spoken to till you -can behave better.' -The princess turned away once more, and again the nurse was ashamed -of herself. - -'I'm sure I beg your pardon, princess,' she said, though still in -an offended tone. But the princess let the tone pass, and heeded -only the words. - -'You won't say it again, I am sure,' she answered, once more -turning towards her nurse. 'I was only going to say that if you -had been twice as nice-looking as you are, some king or other would -have married you, and then what would have become of me?' - -'You are an angel!' repeated the nurse, again embracing her. -'Now,' insisted Irene, 'you will come and see my grandmother - -won't you?' - -'I will go with you anywhere you like, my cherub,' she answered; -and in two minutes the weary little princess was fast asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 5 -The Princess Lets Well Alone - - -When she woke the next morning, the first thing she heard was the -rain still falling. Indeed, this day was so like the last that it -would have been difficult to tell where was the use of It. The -first thing she thought of, however, was not the rain, but the lady -in the tower; and the first question that occupied her thoughts was -whether she should not ask the nurse to fulfil her promise this -very morning, and go with her to find her grandmother as soon as -she had had her breakfast. But she came to the conclusion that -perhaps the lady would not be pleased if she took anyone to see her -without first asking leave; especially as it was pretty evident, -seeing she lived on pigeons' eggs, and cooked them herself, that -she did not want the household to know she was there. So the -princess resolved to take the first opportunity of running up alone -and asking whether she might bring her nurse. She believed the -fact that she could not otherwise convince her she was telling the -truth would have much weight with her grandmother. - -The princess and her nurse were the best of friends all -dressing-time, and the princess in consequence ate an enormous -little breakfast. - -'I wonder, Lootie' - that was her pet name for her nurse - 'what -pigeons' eggs taste like?' she said, as she was eating her egg - -not quite a common one, for they always picked out the pinky ones -for her. - -'We'll get you a pigeon's egg, and you shall judge for yourself,' -said the nurse. -'Oh, no, no!' returned Irene, suddenly reflecting they might -disturb the old lady in getting it, and that even if they did not, -she would have one less in consequence. - -'What a strange creature you are,' said the nurse - 'first to want -a thing and then to refuse it!' - -But she did not say it crossly, and the princess never minded any -remarks that were not unfriendly. - -'Well, you see, Lootie, there are reasons,' she returned, and said -no more, for she did not want to bring up the subject of their -former strife, lest her nurse should offer to go before she had had -her grandmother's permission to bring her. Of course she could -refuse to take her, but then she would believe her less than ever. - -Now the nurse, as she said herself afterwards, could not be every -moment in the room; and as never before yesterday had the princess -given her the smallest reason for anxiety, it had not yet come into -her head to watch her more closely. So she soon gave her a chance, -and, the very first that offered, Irene was off and up the stairs -again. - -This day's adventure, however, did not turn out like yesterday's, -although it began like it; and indeed to- day is very seldom like -yesterday, if people would note the differences - even when it -rains. The princess ran through passage after passage, and could -not find the stair of the tower. My own suspicion is that she had -not gone up high enough, and was searching on the second instead of -the third floor. When she turned to go back, she failed equally in -her search after the stair. She was lost once more. - -Something made it even worse to bear this time, and it was no -wonder that she cried again. Suddenly it occurred to her that it -was after having cried before that she had found her grandmother's -stair. She got up at once, wiped her eyes, and started upon a -fresh quest. - -This time, although she did not find what she hoped, she found what -was next best: she did not come on a stair that went up, but she -came upon one that went down. It was evidently not the stair she -had come up, yet it was a good deal better than none; so down she -went, and was singing merrily before she reached the bottom. -There, to her surprise, she found herself in the kitchen. Although -she was not allowed to go there alone, her nurse had often taken -her, and she was a great favourite with the servants. So there was -a general rush at her the moment she appeared, for every one wanted -to have her; and the report of where she was soon reached the -nurse's ears. She came at once to fetch her; but she never -suspected how she had got there, and the princess kept her own -counsel. - -Her failure to find the old lady not only disappointed her, but -made her very thoughtful. Sometimes she came almost to the nurse's -opinion that she had dreamed all about her; but that fancy never -lasted very long. She wondered much whether she should ever see -her again, and thought it very sad not to have been able to find -her when she particularly wanted her. She resolved to say nothing -more to her nurse on the subject, seeing it was so little in her -power to prove her words. - - - -CHAPTER 6 -The Little Miner - - -The next day the great cloud still hung over the mountain, and the -rain poured like water from a full sponge. The princess was very -fond of being out of doors, and she nearly cried when she saw that -the weather was no better. But the mist was not of such a dark -dingy grey; there was light in it; and as the hours went on it grew -brighter and brighter, until it was almost too brilliant to look -at; and late in the afternoon the sun broke out so gloriously that -Irene clapped her hands, crying: - -'See, see, Lootie! The sun has had his face washed. Look how -bright he is! Do get my hat, and let us go out for a walk. Oh, -dear! oh, dear! how happy I am!' - -Lootie was very glad to please the princess. She got her hat and -cloak, and they set out together for a walk up the mountain; for -the road was so hard and steep that the water could not rest upon -it, and it was always dry enough for walking a few minutes after -the rain ceased. The clouds were rolling away in broken pieces, -like great, overwoolly sheep, whose wool the sun had bleached till -it was almost too white for the eyes to bear. Between them the sky -shone with a deeper and purer blue, because of the rain. The trees -on the roadside were hung all over with drops, which sparkled in -the sun like jewels. The only things that were no brighter for the -rain were the brooks that ran down the mountain; they had changed -from the clearness of crystal to a muddy brown; but what they lost -in colour they gained in sound - or at least in noise, for a brook -when it is swollen is not so musical as before. But Irene was in -raptures with the great brown streams tumbling down everywhere; and -Lootie shared in her delight, for she too had been confined to the -house for three days. - -At length she observed that the sun was getting low, and said it -was time to be going back. She made the remark again and again, -but, every time, the princess begged her to go on just a little -farther and a little farther; reminding her that it was much easier -to go downhill, and saying that when they did turn they would be at -home in a moment. So on and on they did go, now to look at a group -of ferns over whose tops a stream was pouring in a watery arch, now -to pick a shining stone from a rock by the wayside, now to watch -the flight of some bird. Suddenly the shadow of a great mountain -peak came up from behind, and shot in front of them. When the -nurse saw it, she started and shook, and catching hold of the -princess's hand turned and began to run down the hill. - -'What's all the haste, nursie?' asked Irene, running alongside of -her. - -'We must not be out a moment longer.' - -'But we can't help being out a good many moments longer.' - -It was too true. The nurse almost cried. They were much too far -from home. It was against express orders to be out with the -princess one moment after the sun was down; and they were nearly a -mile up the mountain! If His Majesty, Irene's papa, were to hear -of it, Lootie would certainly be dismissed; and to leave the -princess would break her heart. It was no wonder she ran. But -Irene was not in the least frightened, not knowing anything to be -frightened at. She kept on chattering as well as she could, but it -was not easy. - -'Lootie! Lootie! why do you run so fast? It shakes my teeth when -I talk.' - -'Then don't talk,' said Lootie. - -'But the princess went on talking. She was always saying: 'Look, -look, Lootie!' but Lootie paid no more heed to anything she said, -only ran on. - -'Look, look, Lootie! Don't you see that funny man peeping over the -rock?' - -Lootie only ran the faster. They had to pass the rock, and when -they came nearer, the princess saw it was only a lump of the rock -itself that she had taken for a man. - -'Look, look, Lootie! There's such a curious creature at the foot -of that old tree. Look at it, Lootie! It's making faces at us, I -do think.' - -Lootie gave a stifled cry, and ran faster still - so fast that -Irene's little legs could not keep up with her, and she fell with -a crash. It was a hard downhill road, and she had been running -very fast - so it was no wonder she began to cry. This put the -nurse nearly beside herself; but all she could do was to run on, -the moment she got the princess on her feet again. - -'Who's that laughing at me?' said the princess, trying to keep in -her sobs, and running too fast for her grazed knees. - -'Nobody, child,' said the nurse, almost angrily. - -But that instant there came a burst of coarse tittering from -somewhere near, and a hoarse indistinct voice that seemed to say: -'Lies! lies! lies!' - -'Oh!' cried the nurse with a sigh that was almost a scream, and ran -on faster than ever. - -'Nursie! Lootie! I can't run any more. Do let us walk a bit.' - -'What am I to do?' said the nurse. 'Here, I will carry you.' - -She caught her up; but found her much too heavy to run with, and -had to set her down again. Then she looked wildly about her, gave -a great cry, and said: - -'We've taken the wrong turning somewhere, and I don't know where we -are. We are lost, lost!' - -The terror she was in had quite bewildered her. It was true enough -they had lost the way. They had been running down into a little -valley in which there was no house to be seen. - -Now Irene did not know what good reason there was for her nurse's -terror, for the servants had all strict orders never to mention the -goblins to her, but it was very discomposing to see her nurse in -such a fright. Before, however, she had time to grow thoroughly -alarmed like her, she heard the sound of whistling, and that -revived her. Presently she saw a boy coming up the road from the -valley to meet them. He was the whistler; but before they met his -whistling changed to singing. And this is something like what he -sang: - - -'Ring! dod! bang! -Go the hammers' clang! -Hit and turn and bore! -Whizz and puff and roar! -Thus we rive the rocks, -Force the goblin locks. - -See the shining ore! -One, two, three - -Bright as gold can be! -Four, five, six - -Shovels, mattocks, picks! -Seven, eight, nine - -Light your lamp at mine. -Ten, eleven, twelve - -Loosely hold the helve. -We're the merry miner-boys, -Make the goblins hold their noise.' - - -'I wish YOU would hold your noise,' said the nurse rudely, for the -very word GOBLIN at such a time and in such a place made her -tremble. It would bring the goblins upon them to a certainty, she -thought, to defy them in that way. But whether the boy heard her -or not, he did not stop his singing. - - -'Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen - -This is worth the siftin'; -Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen - -There's the match, and lay't in. -Nineteen, twenty - -Goblins in a plenty.' - - -'Do be quiet,' cried the nurse, in a whispered shriek. But the -boy, who was now close at hand, still went on. - -'Hush! scush! scurry! -There you go in a hurry! -Gobble! gobble! goblin! -There you go a wobblin'; -Hobble, hobble, hobblin' - -Cobble! cobble! cobblin'! -Hob-bob-goblin! - -Huuuuuh!' - - -'There!' said the boy, as he stood still opposite them. 'There! -that'll do for them. They can't bear singing, and they can't stand -that song. They can't sing themselves, for they have no more voice -than a crow; and they don't like other people to sing.' - -The boy was dressed in a miner's dress, with a curious cap on his -head. He was a very nice-looking boy, with eyes as dark as the -mines in which he worked and as sparkling as the crystals in their -rocks. He was about twelve years old. His face was almost too -pale for beauty, which came of his being so little in the open air -and the sunlight - for even vegetables grown in the dark are white; -but he looked happy, merry indeed - perhaps at the thought of -having routed the goblins; and his bearing as he stood before them -had nothing clownish or rude about it. - -'I saw them,' he went on, 'as I came up; and I'm very glad I did. -I knew they were after somebody, but I couldn't see who it was. -They won't touch you so long as I'm with you.' - -'Why, who are you?' asked the nurse, offended at the freedom with -which he spoke to them. - -'I'm Peter's son.' - -'Who's Peter?' - -'Peter the miner.' - -'I don't know him.' -'I'm his son, though.' - -'And why should the goblins mind you, pray?' - -'Because I don't mind them. I'm used to them.' - -'What difference does that make?' - -'If you're not afraid of them, they're afraid of you. I'm not -afraid of them. That's all. But it's all that's wanted - up here, -that is. It's a different thing down there. They won't always -mind that song even, down there. And if anyone sings it, they -stand grinning at him awfully; and if he gets frightened, and -misses a word, or says a wrong one, they - oh! don't they give it -him!' -'What do they do to him?' asked Irene, with a trembling voice. - -'Don't go frightening the princess,' said the nurse. - -'The princess!' repeated the little miner, taking off his curious -cap. 'I beg your pardon; but you oughtn't to be out so late. -Everybody knows that's against the law.' - -'Yes, indeed it is!' said the nurse, beginning to cry again. 'And -I shall have to suffer for it.' - -'What does that matter?' said the boy. 'It must be your fault. It -is the princess who will suffer for it. I hope they didn't hear -you call her the princess. If they did, they're sure to know her -again: they're awfully sharp.' - -'Lootie! Lootie!' cried the princess. 'Take me home.' - -'Don't go on like that,' said the nurse to the boy, almost -fiercely. 'How could I help it? I lost my way.' - -'You shouldn't have been out so late. You wouldn't have lost your -way if you hadn't been frightened,' said the boy. 'Come along. -I'll soon set you right again. Shall I carry your little -Highness?' - -'Impertinence!' murmured the nurse, but she did not say it aloud, -for she thought if she made him angry he might take his revenge by -telling someone belonging to the house, and then it would be sure -to come to the king's ears. 'No, thank you,' said Irene. 'I can -walk very well, though I can't run so fast as nursie. If you will -give me one hand, Lootie will give me another, and then I shall get -on famously.' - -They soon had her between them, holding a hand of each. - -'Now let's run,' said the nurse. - -'No, no!' said the little miner. 'That's the worst thing you can -do. If you hadn't run before, you would not have lost your way. -And if you run now, they will be after you in a moment.' - -'I don't want to run,' said Irene. - -'You don't think of me,' said the nurse. - -'Yes, I do, Lootie. The boy says they won't touch us if we don't -run.' - -'Yes, but if they know at the house that I've kept you out so late -I shall be turned away, and that would break my heart.' - -'Turned away, Lootie! Who would turn you away?' - -'Your papa, child.' - -'But I'll tell him it was all my fault. And you know it was, -Lootie.' - -'He won't mind that. I'm sure he won't.' - -'Then I'll cry, and go down on my knees to him, and beg him not to -take away my own dear Lootie.' - -The nurse was comforted at hearing this, and said no more. They -went on, walking pretty fast, but taking care not to run a step. - -'I want to talk to you,' said Irene to the little miner; 'but it's -so awkward! I don't know your name.' - -'My name's Curdie, little princess.' - -'What a funny name! Curdie! What more?' - -'Curdie Peterson. What's your name, please?' - -'Irene.' - -'What more?' - -'I don't know what more. What more is my name, Lootie?' - -'Princesses haven't got more than one name. They don't want it.' - -'Oh, then, Curdie, you must call me just Irene and no more.' - -'No, indeed,' said the nurse indignantly. 'He shall do no such -thing.' - -'What shall he call me, then, Lootie?' - -'Your Royal Highness.' -'My Royal Highness! What's that? No, no, Lootie. I won't be -called names. I don't like them. You told me once yourself it's -only rude children that call names; and I'm sure Curdie wouldn't be -rude. Curdie, my name's Irene.' - -'Well, Irene,' said Curdie, with a glance at the nurse which showed -he enjoyed teasing her; 'it is very kind of you to let me call you -anything. I like your name very much.' - -He expected the nurse to interfere again; but he soon saw that she -was too frightened to speak. She was staring at something a few -yards before them in the middle of the path, where it narrowed -between rocks so that only one could pass at a time. - -'It is very much kinder of you to go out of your way to take us -home,' said Irene. -'I'm not going out of my way yet,' said Curdie. 'It's on the other -side of those rocks the path turns off to my father's.' - -'You wouldn't think of leaving us till we're safe home, I'm sure,' -gasped the nurse. - -'Of course not,' said Curdie. - -'You dear, good, kind Curdie! I'll give you a kiss when we get -home,' said the princess. - -The nurse gave her a great pull by the hand she held. But at that -instant the something in the middle of the way, which had looked -like a great lump of earth brought down by the rain, began to move. -One after another it shot out four long things, like two arms and -two legs, but it was now too dark to tell what they were. The -nurse began to tremble from head to foot. Irene clasped Curdie's -hand yet faster, and Curdie began to sing again: - - -'One, two - -Hit and hew! -Three, four - -Blast and bore! -Five, six - -There's a fix! -Seven, eight - -Hold it straight! -Nine, ten - -Hit again! -Hurry! scurry! -Bother! smother! -There's a toad -In the road! -Smash it! -Squash it! -Fry it! -Dry it! -You're another! -Up and off! -There's enough! - -Huuuuuh!' - - -As he uttered the last words, Curdie let go his hold of his -companion, and rushed at the thing in the road as if he would -trample it under his feet. It gave a great spring, and ran -straight up one of the rocks like a huge spider. Curdie turned -back laughing, and took Irene's hand again. She grasped his very -tight, but said nothing till they had passed the rocks. A few -yards more and she found herself on a part of the road she knew, -and was able to speak again. - -'Do you know, Curdie, I don't quite like your song: it sounds to me -rather rude,' she said. - -'Well, perhaps it is,' answered Curdie. 'I never thought of that; -it's a way we have. We do it because they don't like it.' - -'Who don't like it?' - -'The cobs, as we call them.' - -'Don't!' said the nurse. - -'Why not?' said Curdie. - -'I beg you won't. Please don't.' - -'Oh! if you ask me that way, of course, I won't; though I don't a -bit know why. Look! there are the lights of your great house down -below. You'll be at home in five minutes now.' - -Nothing more happened. They reached home in safety. Nobody had -missed them, or even known they had gone out; and they arrived at -the door belonging to their part of the house without anyone seeing -them. The nurse was rushing in with a hurried and not -over-gracious good night to Curdie; but the princess pulled her -hand from hers, and was just throwing her arms round Curdie's neck, -when she caught her again and dragged her away. - -'Lootie! Lootie! I promised a kiss,' cried Irene. - -'A princess mustn't give kisses. It's not at all proper,' said -Lootie. - -'But I promised,' said the princess. - -'There's no occasion; he's only a miner-boy.' - -'He's a good boy, and a brave boy, and he has been very kind to us. -Lootie! Lootie! I promised.' - -'Then you shouldn't have promised.' - -'Lootie, I promised him a kiss.' - -'Your Royal Highness,' said Lootie, suddenly grown very respectful, -'must come in directly.' - -'Nurse, a princess must not break her word,' said Irene, drawing -herself up and standing stock-still. - -Lootie did not know which the king might count the worst - to let -the princess be out after sunset, or to let her kiss a miner-boy. -She did not know that, being a gentleman, as many kings have been, -he would have counted neither of them the worse. However much he -might have disliked his daughter to kiss the miner-boy, he would -not have had her break her word for all the goblins in creation. -But, as I say, the nurse was not lady enough to understand this, -and so she was in a great difficulty, for, if she insisted, someone -might hear the princess cry and run to see, and then all would come -out. But here Curdie came again to the rescue. - -'Never mind, Princess Irene,' he said. 'You mustn't kiss me -tonight. But you shan't break your word. I will come another -time. You may be sure I will.' - -'Oh, thank you, Curdie!' said the princess, and stopped crying. - -'Good night, Irene; good night, Lootie,' said Curdie, and turned -and was out of sight in a moment. - -'I should like to see him!' muttered the nurse, as she carried the -princess to the nursery. - -'You will see him,' said Irene. 'You may be sure Curdie will keep -his word. He's sure to come again.' - -'I should like to see him!' repeated the nurse, and said no more. -She did not want to open a new cause of strife with the princess -by saying more plainly what she meant. Glad enough that she had -succeeded both in getting home unseen, and in keeping the princess -from kissing the miner's boy, she resolved to watch her far better -in future. Her carelessness had already doubled the danger she was -in. Formerly the goblins were her only fear; now she had to -protect her charge from Curdie as well. - - - -CHAPTER 7 -The Mines - - -Curdie went home whistling. He resolved to say nothing about the -princess for fear of getting the nurse into trouble, for while he -enjoyed teasing her because of her absurdity, he was careful not to -do her any harm. He saw no more of the goblins, and was soon fast -asleep in his bed. - -He woke in the middle of the night, and thought he heard curious -noises outside. He sat up and listened; then got up, and, opening -the door very quietly, went out. When he peeped round the corner, -he saw, under his own window, a group of stumpy creatures, whom he -at once recognized by their shape. Hardly, however, had he begun -his 'One, two, three!' when they broke asunder, scurried away, and -were out of sight. He returned laughing, got into bed again, and -was fast asleep in a moment. - -Reflecting a little over the matter in the morning, he came to the -conclusion that, as nothing of the kind had ever happened before, -they must be annoyed with him for interfering to protect the -princess. By the time he was dressed, however, he was thinking of -something quite different, for he did not value the enmity of the -goblins in the least. As soon as they had had breakfast, he set -off with his father for the mine. - -They entered the hill by a natural opening under a huge rock, where -a little stream rushed out. They followed its course for a few -yards, when the passage took a turn, and sloped steeply into the -heart of the hill. With many angles and windings and -branchings-off, and sometimes with steps where it came upon a -natural gulf, it led them deep into the hill before they arrived at -the place where they were at present digging out the precious ore. -This was of various kinds, for the mountain was very rich in the -better sorts of metals. With flint and steel, and tinder-box, they -lighted their lamps, then fixed them on their heads, and were soon -hard at work with their pickaxes and shovels and hammers. Father -and son were at work near each other, but not in the same gang - -the passages out of which the ore was dug, they called gangs - for -when the lode, or vein of ore, was small, one miner would have to -dig away alone in a passage no bigger than gave him just room to -work - sometimes in uncomfortable cramped positions. If they -stopped for a moment they could hear everywhere around them, some -nearer, some farther off, the sounds of their companions burrowing -away in all directions in the inside of the great mountain - some -boring holes in the rock in order to blow it up with gunpowder, -others shovelling the broken ore into baskets to be carried to the -mouth of the mine, others hitting away with their pickaxes. -Sometimes, if the miner was in a very lonely part, he would hear -only a tap-tapping, no louder than that of a woodpecker, for the -sound would come from a great distance off through the solid -mountain rock. - -The work was hard at best, for it is very warm underground; but it -was not particularly unpleasant, and some of the miners, when they -wanted to earn a little more money for a particular purpose, would -stop behind the rest and work all night. But you could not tell -night from day down there, except from feeling tired and sleepy; -for no light of the sun ever came into those gloomy regions. Some -who had thus remained behind during the night, although certain -there were none of their companions at work, would declare the next -morning that they heard, every time they halted for a moment to -take breath, a tap-tapping all about them, as if the mountain were -then more full of miners than ever it was during the day; and some -in consequence would never stay overnight, for all knew those were -the sounds of the goblins. They worked only at night, for the -miners' night was the goblins' day. Indeed, the greater number of -the miners were afraid of the goblins; for there were strange -stories well known amongst them of the treatment some had received -whom the goblins had surprised at their work during the night. The -more courageous of them, however, amongst them Peter Peterson and -Curdie, who in this took after his father, had stayed in the mine -all night again and again, and although they had several times -encountered a few stray goblins, had never yet failed in driving -them away. As I have indicated already, the chief defence against -them was verse, for they hated verse of every kind, and some kinds -they could not endure at all. I suspect they could not make any -themselves, and that was why they disliked it so much. At all -events, those who were most afraid of them were those who could -neither make verses themselves nor remember the verses that other -people made for them; while those who were never afraid were those -who could make verses for themselves; for although there were -certain old rhymes which were very effectual, yet it was well known -that a new rhyme, if of the right sort, was even more distasteful -to them, and therefore more effectual in putting them to flight. - -Perhaps my readers may be wondering what the goblins could be -about, working all night long, seeing they never carried up the ore -and sold it; but when I have informed them concerning what Curdie -learned the very next night, they will be able to understand. - -For Curdie had determined, if his father would permit him, to -remain there alone this night - and that for two reasons: first, he -wanted to get extra wages that he might buy a very warm red -petticoat for his mother, who had begun to complain of the cold of -the mountain air sooner than usual this autumn; and second, he had -just a faint hope of finding out what the goblins were about under -his window the night before. - -When he told his father, he made no objection, for he had great -confidence in his boy's courage and resources. - -'I'm sorry I can't stay with you,' said Peter; 'but I want to go -and pay the parson a visit this evening, and besides I've had a bit -of a headache all day.' - -'I'm sorry for that, father,' said Curdie. - -'Oh, it's not much. You'll be sure to take care of yourself, won't -you?' - -'Yes, father; I will. I'll keep a sharp look-out, I promise you.' -Curdie was the only one who remained in the mine. About six -o'clock the rest went away, everyone bidding him good night, and -telling him to take care of himself; for he was a great favourite -with them all. - -'Don't forget your rhymes,' said one. - -'No, no,'answered Curdie. - -'It's no matter if he does,' said another, 'for he'll only have to -make a new one.' - -'Yes: but he mightn't be able to make it fast enough,' said -another; 'and while it was cooking in his head, they might take a -mean advantage and set upon him.' - -'I'll do my best,' said Curdie. 'I'm not afraid.' -'We all know that,' they returned, and left him. - - - -CHAPTER 8 -The Goblins - - -For some time Curdie worked away briskly, throwing all the ore he -had disengaged on one side behind him, to be ready for carrying out -in the morning. He heard a good deal of goblin-tapping, but it all -sounded far away in the hill, and he paid it little heed. Towards -midnight he began to feel rather hungry; so he dropped his pickaxe, -got out a lump of bread which in the morning he had laid in a damp -hole in the rock, sat down on a heap of ore, and ate his supper. -Then he leaned back for five minutes' rest before beginning his -work again, and laid his head against the rock. He had not kept -the position for one minute before he heard something which made -him sharpen his ears. It sounded like a voice inside the rock. -After a while he heard it again. It was a goblin voice - there -could be no doubt about that - and this time he could make out the -words. - -'Hadn't we better be moving?'it said. - -A rougher and deeper voice replied: - -'There's no hurry. That wretched little mole won't be through -tonight, if he work ever so hard. He's not by any means at the -thinnest place.' - -'But you still think the lode does come through into our house?' -said the first voice. - -'Yes, but a good bit farther on than he has got to yet. If he had -struck a stroke more to the side just here,' said the goblin, -tapping the very stone, as it seemed to Curdie, against which his -head lay, 'he would have been through; but he's a couple of yards -past it now, and if he follow the lode it will be a week before it -leads him in. You see it back there - a long way. Still, perhaps, -in case of accident it would be as well to be getting out of this. -Helfer, you'll take the great chest. That's your business, you -know.' - -'Yes, dad,' said a third voice. 'But you must help me to get it on -my back. It's awfully heavy, you know.' - -'Well, it isn't just a bag of smoke, I admit. But you're as strong -as a mountain, Helfer.' - -'You say so, dad. I think myself I'm all right. But I could carry -ten times as much if it wasn't for my feet.' - -'That is your weak point, I confess, my boy.' -'Ain't it yours too, father?' - -'Well, to be honest, it's a goblin weakness. Why they come so -soft, I declare I haven't an idea.' - -'Specially when your head's so hard, you know, father.' - -'Yes my boy. The goblin's glory is his head. To think how the -fellows up above there have to put on helmets and things when they -go fighting! Ha! ha!' - -'But why don't we wear shoes like them, father? I should like it -- especially when I've got a chest like that on my head.' - -'Well, you see, it's not the fashion. The king never wears shoes.' - -'The queen does.' - -'Yes; but that's for distinction. The first queen, you see - I -mean the king's first wife - wore shoes, of course, because she -came from upstairs; and so, when she died, the next queen would not -be inferior to her as she called it, and would wear shoes too. It -was all pride. She is the hardest in forbidding them to the rest -of the women.' - -'I'm sure I wouldn't wear them - no, not for - that I wouldn't!' -said the first voice, which was evidently that of the mother of the -family. 'I can't think why either of them should.' - -'Didn't I tell you the first was from upstairs?' said the other. -'That was the only silly thing I ever knew His Majesty guilty of. -Why should he marry an outlandish woman like that-one of our -natural enemies too?' - -'I suppose he fell in love with her.' -'Pooh! pooh! He's just as happy now with one of his own people.' - -'Did she die very soon? They didn't tease her to death, did they?' - -'Oh, dear, no! The king worshipped her very footmarks.' - -'What made her die, then? Didn't the air agree with her?' - -'She died when the young prince was born.' - -'How silly of her! We never do that. It must have been because -she wore shoes.' - -'I don't know that.' - -'Why do they wear shoes up there?' - -'Ah, now that's a sensible question, and I will answer it. But in -order to do so, I must first tell you a secret. I once saw the -queen's feet.' - -'Without her shoes?' - -'Yes - without her shoes.' - -'No! Did you? How was it?' - -'Never you mind how it was. She didn't know I saw them. And what -do you think! - they had toes!' - -'Toes! What's that?' - -'You may well ask! I should never have known if I had not seen the -queen's feet. just imagine! the ends of her feet were split up -into five or six thin pieces!' - -'Oh, horrid! How could the king have fallen in love with her?' - -'You forget that she wore shoes. That is just why she wore them. -That is why all the men, and women too, upstairs wear shoes. They -can't bear the sight of their own feet without them.' - -'Ah! now I understand. If ever you wish for shoes again, Helfer, -I'll hit your feet - I will.' - -'No, no, mother; pray don't.' - -'Then don't you.' - -'But with such a big box on my head -' - -A horrid scream followed, which Curdie interpreted as in reply to -a blow from his mother upon the feet of her eldest goblin. - -'Well, I never knew so much before!' remarked a fourth voice. - -'Your knowledge is not universal quite yet,' said the father. 'You -were only fifty last month. Mind you see to the bed and bedding. -As soon as we've finished our supper, we'll be up and going. Ha! -ha! ha!' - -'What are you laughing at, husband?' - -'I'm laughing to think what a mess the miners will find themselves -in - somewhere before this day ten years.' - -'Why, what do you mean?' - -'Oh, nothing.' - -'Oh, yes, you do mean something. You always do mean something.' - -'It's more than you do, then, wife.' -'That may be; but it's not more than I find out, you know.' - -'Ha! ha! You're a sharp one. What a mother you've got, Helfer!' - -'Yes, father.' - -'Well, I suppose I must tell you. They're all at the palace -consulting about it tonight; and as soon as we've got away from -this thin place I'm going there to hear what night they fix upon. -I should like to see that young ruffian there on the other side, -struggling in the agonies of -' - -He dropped his voice so low that Curdie could hear only a growl. -The growl went on in the low bass for a good while, as inarticulate -as if the goblin's tongue had been a sausage; and it was not until -his wife spoke again that it rose to its former pitch. - -'But what shall we do when you are at the palace?' she asked. - -'I will see you safe in the new house I've been digging for you for -the last two months. Podge, you mind the table and chairs. I -commit them to your care. The table has seven legs - each chair -three. I shall require them all at your hands.' - -After this arose a confused conversation about the various -household goods and their transport; and Curdie heard nothing more -that was of any importance. - -He now knew at least one of the reasons for the constant sound of -the goblin hammers and pickaxes at night. They were making new -houses for themselves, to which they might retreat when the miners -should threaten to break into their dwellings. But he had learned -two things of far greater importance. The first was, that some -grievous calamity was preparing, and almost ready to fall upon the -heads of the miners; the second was - the one weak point of a -goblin's body; he had not known that their feet were so tender as -he had now reason to suspect. He had heard it said that they had -no toes: he had never had opportunity of inspecting them closely -enough, in the dusk in which they always appeared, to satisfy -himself whether it was a correct report. Indeed, he had not been -able even to satisfy himself as to whether they had no fingers, -although that also was commonly said to be the fact. One of the -miners, indeed, who had had more schooling than the rest, was wont -to argue that such must have been the primordial condition of -humanity, and that education and handicraft had developed both toes -and fingers - with which proposition Curdie had once heard his -father sarcastically agree, alleging in support of it the -probability that babies' gloves were a traditional remnant of the -old state of things; while the stockings of all ages, no regard -being paid in them to the toes, pointed in the same direction. But -what was of importance was the fact concerning the softness of the -goblin feet, which he foresaw might be useful to all miners. What -he had to do in the meantime, however, was to discover, if -possible, the special evil design the goblins had now in their -heads. - -Although he knew all the gangs and all the natural galleries with -which they communicated in the mined part of the mountain, he had -not the least idea where the palace of the king of the gnomes was; -otherwise he would have set out at once on the enterprise of -discovering what the said design was. He judged, and rightly, that -it must lie in a farther part of the mountain, between which and -the mine there was as yet no communication. There must be one -nearly completed, however; for it could be but a thin partition -which now separated them. If only he could get through in time to -follow the goblins as they retreated! A few blows would doubtless -be sufficient - just where his ear now lay; but if he attempted to -strike there with his pickaxe, he would only hasten the departure -of the family, put them on their guard, and perhaps lose their -involuntary guidance. He therefore began to feel the wall With his -hands, and soon found that some of the stones were loose enough to -be drawn out with little noise. - -Laying hold of a large one with both his hands, he drew it gently -out, and let it down softly. - -'What was that noise?' said the goblin father. - -Curdie blew out his light, lest it should shine through. - -'It must be that one miner that stayed behind the rest,' said the -mother. - -'No; he's been gone a good while. I haven't heard a blow for an -hour. Besides, it wasn't like that.' - -'Then I suppose it must have been a stone carried down the brook -inside.' -'Perhaps. It will have more room by and by.' - -Curdie kept quite still. After a little while, hearing nothing but -the sounds of their preparations for departure, mingled with an -occasional word of direction, and anxious to know whether the -removal of the stone had made an opening into the goblins' house, -he put in his hand to feel. It went in a good way, and then came -in contact with something soft. He had but a moment to feel it -over, it was so quickly withdrawn: it was one of the toeless goblin -feet. The owner of it gave a cry of fright. - -'What's the matter, Helfer?' asked his mother. - -'A beast came out of the wall and licked my foot.' - -'Nonsense! There are no wild beasts in our country,' said his -father. - -'But it was, father. I felt it.' - -'Nonsense, I say. Will you malign your native realms and reduce -them to a level with the country upstairs? That is swarming with -wild beasts of every description.' - -'But I did feel it, father.' - -'I tell you to hold your tongue. You are no patriot.' - -Curdie suppressed his laughter, and lay still as a mouse - but no -stiller, for every moment he kept nibbling away with his fingers at -the edges of the hole. He was slowly making it bigger, for here -the rock had been very much shattered with the blasting. - -There seemed to be a good many in the family, to judge from the -mass of confused talk which now and then came through the hole; but -when all were speaking together, and just as if they had -bottle-brushes - each at least one - in their throats, it was not -easy to make out much that was said. At length he heard once more -what the father goblin was saying. - -'Now, then,' he said, 'get your bundles on your backs. Here, -Helfer, I'll help you up with your chest.' - -'I wish it was my chest, father.' - -'Your turn will come in good time enough! Make haste. I must go -to the meeting at the palace tonight. When that's over, we can -come back and clear out the last of the things before our enemies -return in the morning. Now light your torches, and come along. -What a distinction it is, to provide our own light, instead of -being dependent on a thing hung up in the air - a most disagreeable -contrivance - intended no doubt to blind us when we venture out -under its baleful influence! Quite glaring and vulgar, I call it, -though no doubt useful to poor creatures who haven't the wit to -make light for themselves.' - -Curdie could hardly keep himself from calling through to know -whether they made the fire to light their torches by. But a -moment's reflection showed him that they would have said they did, -inasmuch as they struck two stones together, and the fire came. - - - -CHAPTER 9 -The Hall of the Goblin Palace - - -A sound of many soft feet followed, but soon ceased. Then Curdie -flew at the hole like a tiger, and tore and pulled. The sides gave -way, and it was soon large enough for him to crawl through. He -would not betray himself by rekindling his lamp, but the torches of -the retreating company, which he found departing in a straight line -up a long avenue from the door of their cave, threw back light -enough to afford him a glance round the deserted home of the -goblins. To his surprise, he could discover nothing to distinguish -it from an ordinary natural cave in the rock, upon many of which he -had come with the rest of the miners in the progress of their -excavations. The goblins had talked of coming back for the rest of -their household gear: he saw nothing that would have made him -suspect a family had taken shelter there for a single night. The -floor was rough and stony; the walls full of projecting corners; -the roof in one place twenty feet high, in another endangering his -forehead; while on one side a stream, no thicker than a needle, it -is true, but still sufficient to spread a wide dampness over the -wall, flowed down the face of the rock. But the troop in front of -him was toiling under heavy burdens. He could distinguish Helfer -now and then, in the flickering light and shade, with his heavy -chest on his bending shoulders; while the second brother was almost -buried in what looked like a great feather bed. 'Where do they get -the feathers?' thought Curdie; but in a moment the troop -disappeared at a turn of the way, and it was now both safe and -necessary for Curdie to follow them, lest they should be round the -next turning before he saw them again, for so he might lose them -altogether. He darted after them like a greyhound. When he -reached the corner and looked cautiously round, he saw them again -at some distance down another long passage. None of the galleries -he saw that night bore signs of the work of man - or of goblin -either. Stalactites, far older than the mines, hung from their -roofs; and their floors were rough with boulders and large round -stones, showing that there water must have once run. He waited -again at this corner till they had disappeared round the next, and -so followed them a long way through one passage after another. The -passages grew more and more lofty, and were more and more covered -in the roof with shining stalactites. - -It was a strange enough procession which he followed. But the -strangest part of it was the household animals which crowded -amongst the feet of the goblins. It was true they had no wild -animals down there - at least they did not know of any; but they -had a wonderful number of tame ones. I must, however, reserve any -contributions towards the natural history of these for a later -position in my story. - -At length, turning a corner too abruptly, he had almost rushed into -the middle of the goblin family; for there they had already set -down all their burdens on the floor of a cave considerably larger -than that which they had left. They were as yet too breathless to -speak, else he would have had warning of their arrest. He started -back, however, before anyone saw him, and retreating a good way, -stood watching till the father should come out to go to the palace. - -Before very long, both he and his son Helfer appeared and kept on -in the same direction as before, while Curdie followed them again -with renewed precaution. For a long time he heard no sound except -something like the rush of a river inside the rock; but at length -what seemed the far-off noise of a great shouting reached his ears, -which, however, presently ceased. After advancing a good way -farther, he thought he heard a single voice. It sounded clearer -and clearer as he went on, until at last he could almost -distinguish the words. In a moment or two, keeping after the -goblins round another corner, he once more started back - this time -in amazement. - -He was at the entrance of a magnificent cavern, of an oval shape, -once probably a huge natural reservoir of water, now the great -palace hall of the goblins. It rose to a tremendous height, but -the roof was composed of such shining materials, and the multitude -of torches carried by the goblins who crowded the floor lighted up -the place so brilliantly, that Curdie could see to the top quite -well. But he had no idea how immense the place was until his eyes -had got accustomed to it, which was not for a good many minutes. -The rough projections on the walls, and the shadows thrown upwards -from them by the torches, made the sides of the chamber look as if -they were crowded with statues upon brackets and pedestals, -reaching in irregular tiers from floor to roof. The walls -themselves were, in many parts, of gloriously shining substances, -some of them gorgeously coloured besides, which powerfully -contrasted with the shadows. Curdie could not help wondering -whether his rhymes would be of any use against such a multitude of -goblins as filled the floor of the hall, and indeed felt -considerably tempted to begin his shout of 'One, two, three!', but -as there was no reason for routing them and much for endeavouring -to discover their designs, he kept himself perfectly quiet, and -peering round the edge of the doorway, listened with both his sharp -ears. - -At the other end of the hall, high above the heads of the -multitude, was a terrace-like ledge of considerable height, caused -by the receding of the upper part of the cavern- wall. Upon this -sat the king and his court: the king on a throne hollowed out of a -huge block of green copper ore, and his court upon lower seats -around it. The king had been making them a speech, and the -applause which followed it was what Curdie had heard. One of the -court was now addressing the multitude. What he heard him say was -to the following effect: 'Hence it appears that two plans have been -for some time together working in the strong head of His Majesty -for the deliverance of his people. Regardless of the fact that we -were the first possessors of the regions they now inhabit; -regardless equally of the fact that we abandoned that region from -the loftiest motives; regardless also of the self-evident fact that -we excel them so far in mental ability as they excel us in stature, -they look upon us as a degraded race and make a mockery of all our -finer feelings. But, the time has almost arrived when - thanks to -His Majesty's inventive genius - it will be in our power to take a -thorough revenge upon them once for all, in respect of their -unfriendly behaviour.' - -'May it please Your Majesty -' cried a voice close by the door, -which Curdie recognized as that of the goblin he had followed. - -'Who is he that interrupts the Chancellor?' cried another from near -the throne. -'Glump,' answered several voices. - -'He is our trusty subject,' said the king himself, in a slow and -stately voice: 'let him come forward and speak.' - -A lane was parted through the crowd, and Glump, having ascended the -platform and bowed to the king, spoke as follows: - -'Sire, I would have held my peace, had I not known that I only knew -how near was the moment, to which the Chancellor had just referred. - -In all probability, before another day is past, the enemy will have -broken through into my house - the partition between being even now -not more than a foot in thickness.' - -'Not quite so much,' thought Curdie to himself. - -'This very evening I have had to remove my household effects; -therefore the sooner we are ready to carry out the plan, for the -execution of which His Majesty has been making such magnificent -preparations, the better. I may just add, that within the last few -days I have perceived a small outbreak in my dining-room, which, -combined with observations upon the course of the river escaping -where the evil men enter, has convinced me that close to the spot -must be a deep gulf in its channel. This discovery will, I trust, -add considerably to the otherwise immense forces at His Majesty's -disposal.' - -He ceased, and the king graciously acknowledged his speech with a -bend of his head; whereupon Glump, after a bow to His Majesty, slid -down amongst the rest of the undistinguished multitude. Then the -Chancellor rose and resumed. - -'The information which the worthy Glump has given us,' he said, -'might have been of considerable import at the present moment, but -for that other design already referred to, which naturally takes -precedence. His Majesty, unwilling to proceed to extremities, and -well aware that such measures sooner or later result in violent -reactions, has excogitated a more fundamental and comprehensive -measure, of which I need say no more. Should His Majesty be -successful - as who dares to doubt? - then a peace, all to the -advantage of the goblin kingdom, will be established for a -generation at least, rendered absolutely secure by the pledge which -His Royal Highness the prince will have and hold for the good -behaviour of her relatives. Should His Majesty fail - which who -shall dare even to imagine in his most secret thoughts? - then will -be the time for carrying out with rigour the design to which Glump -referred, and for which our preparations are even now all but -completed. The failure of the former will render the latter -imperative.' - -Curdie, perceiving that the assembly was drawing to a close and -that there was little chance of either plan being more fully -discovered, now thought it prudent to make his escape before the -goblins began to disperse, and slipped quietly away. - -There was not much danger of meeting any goblins, for all the men -at least were left behind him in the palace; but there was -considerable danger of his taking a wrong turning, for he had now -no light, and had therefore to depend upon his memory and his -hands. After he had left behind him the glow that issued from the -door of Glump's new abode, he was utterly without guide, so far as -his eyes were concerned. - -He was most anxious to get back through the hole before the goblins -should return to fetch the remains of their furniture. It was not -that he was in the least afraid of them, but, as it was of the -utmost importance that he should thoroughly discover what the plans -they were cherishing were, he must not occasion the slightest -suspicion that they were watched by a miner. - -He hurried on, feeling his way along the walls of rock. Had he not -been very courageous, he must have been very anxious, for he could -not but know that if he lost his way it would be the most difficult -thing in the world to find it again. Morning would bring no light -into these regions; and towards him least of all, who was known as -a special rhymester and persecutor, could goblins be expected to -exercise courtesy. Well might he wish that he had brought his lamp -and tinder-box with him, of which he had not thought when he crept -so eagerly after the goblins! He wished it all the more when, -after a while, he found his way blocked up, and could get no -farther. It was of no use to turn back, for he had not the least -idea where he had begun to go wrong. Mechanically, however, he -kept feeling about the walls that hemmed him in. His hand came -upon a place where a tiny stream of water was running down the face -of the rock. 'What a stupid I am!' he said to himself. 'I am -actually at the end of my journey! And there are the goblins -coming back to fetch their things!' he added, as the red glimmer of -their torches appeared at the end of the long avenue that led up to -the cave. In a moment he had thrown himself on the floor, and -wriggled backwards through the hole. The floor on the other side -was several feet lower, which made it easier to get back. It was -all he could do to lift the largest stone he had taken out of the -hole, but he did manage to shove it in again. He sat down on the -ore-heap and thought. - -He was pretty sure that the latter plan of the goblins was to -inundate the mine by breaking outlets for the water accumulated in -the natural reservoirs of the mountain, as well as running through -portions of it. While the part hollowed by the miners remained -shut off from that inhabited by the goblins, they had had no -opportunity of injuring them thus; but now that a passage was -broken through, and the goblins' part proved the higher in the -mountain, it was clear to Curdie that the mine could be destroyed -in an hour. Water was always the chief danger to which the miners -were exposed. They met with a little choke-damp sometimes, but -never with the explosive firedamp so common in coal-mines. Hence -they were careful as soon as they saw any appearance of water. -As the result of his reflections while the goblins were busy in -their old home, it seemed to Curdie that it would be best to build -up the whole of this gang, filling it with stone, and clay or lie, -so that there should be no smallest channel for the water to get -into. There was not, however, any immediate danger, for the -execution of the goblins' plan was contingent upon the failure of -that unknown design which was to take precedence of it; and he was -most anxious to keep the door of communication open, that he might -if possible discover what the former plan was. At the same time -they could not resume their intermitted labours for the inundation -without his finding it out; when by putting all hands to the work, -the one existing outlet might in a single night be rendered -impenetrable to any weight of water; for by filling the gang -entirely up, their embankment would be buttressed by the sides of -the mountain itself. - -As soon as he found that the goblins had again retired, he lighted -his lamp, and proceeded to fill the hole he had made with such -stones as he could withdraw when he pleased. He then thought it -better, as he might have occasion to be up a good many nights after -this, to go home and have some sleep. - -How pleasant the night air felt upon the outside of the mountain -after what he had gone through in the inside of it! He hurried up -the hill without meeting a single goblin on the way, and called and -tapped at the window until he woke his father, who soon rose and -let him in. He told him the whole story; and, just as he had -expected, his father thought it best to work that lode no farther, -but at the same time to pretend occasionally to be at work there -still in order that the goblins might have no suspicions. Both -father and son then went to bed and slept soundly until the -morning. - -CHAPTER 10 -The Princess's King-Papa - - -The weather continued fine for weeks, and the little princess went -out every day. So long a period of fine weather had indeed never -been known upon that mountain. The only uncomfortable thing was -that her nurse was so nervous and particular about being in before -the sun was down that often she would take to her heels when -nothing worse than a fleecy cloud crossing the sun threw a shadow -on the hillside; and many an evening they were home a full hour -before the sunlight had left the weather-cock on the stables. If -it had not been for such odd behaviour Irene would by this time -have almost forgotten the goblins. She never forgot Curdie, but -him she remembered for his own sake, and indeed would have -remembered him if only because a princess never forgets her debts -until they are paid. - -One splendid sunshiny day, about an hour after noon, Irene, who was -playing on a lawn in the garden, heard the distant blast of a -bugle. She jumped up with a cry of joy, for she knew by that -particular blast that her father was on his way to see her. This -part of the garden lay on the slope of the hill and allowed a full -view of the country below. So she shaded her eyes with her hand -and looked far away to catch the first glimpse of shining armour. -In a few moments a little troop came glittering round the shoulder -of a hill. Spears and helmets were sparkling and gleaming, banners -were flying, horses prancing, and again came the bugle-blast which -was to her like the voice of her father calling across the -distance: 'Irene, I'm coming.' - -On and on they came until she could clearly distinguish the king. -He rode a white horse and was taller than any of the men with him. -He wore a narrow circle of gold set with jewels around his helmet, -and as he came still nearer Irene could discern the flashing of the -stones in the sun. It was a long time since he had been to see -her, and her little heart beat faster and faster as the shining -troop approached, for she loved her king-papa very dearly and was -nowhere so happy as in his arms. When they reached a certain -point, after which she could see them no more from the garden, she -ran to the gate, and there stood till up they came, clanging and -stamping, with one more bright bugle-blast which said: 'Irene, I am -come.' - -By this time the people of the house were all gathered at the gate, -but Irene stood alone in front of them. When the horsemen pulled -up she ran to the side of the white horse and held up her arms. -The king stopped and took her hands. In an instant she was on the -saddle and clasped in his great strong arms. - -I wish I could describe the king so that you could see him in your -mind. He had gentle, blue eyes, but a nose that made him look like -an eagle. A long dark beard, streaked with silvery lines, flowed -from his mouth almost to his waist, and as Irene sat on the saddle -and hid her glad face upon his bosom it mingled with the golden -hair which her mother had given her, and the two together were like -a cloud with streaks of the sun woven through it. After he had -held her to his heart for a minute he spoke to his white horse, and -the great beautiful creature, which had been prancing so proudly a -little while before, walked as gently as a lady - for he knew he -had a little lady on his back - through the gate and up to the door -of the house. Then the king set her on the ground and, -dismounting, took her hand and walked with her into the great hall, -which was hardly ever entered except when he came to see his little -princess. There he sat down, with two of his counsellors who had -accompanied him, to have some refreshment, and Irene sat on his -right hand and drank her milk out of a wooden bowl curiously -carved. - -After the king had eaten and drunk he turned to the princess and -said, stroking her hair: - -'Now, my child, what shall we do next?' - -This was the question he almost always put to her first after their -meal together; and Irene had been waiting for it with some -impatience, for now, she thought, she should be able to settle a -question which constantly perplexed her. - -'I should like you to take me to see my great old grandmother.' - -The king looked grave And said: - -'What does my little daughter mean?' - -'I mean the Queen Irene that lives up in the tower - the very old -lady, you know, with the long hair of silver.' - -The king only gazed at his little princess with a look which she -could not understand. - -'She's got her crown in her bedroom,' she went on; 'but I've not -been in there yet. You know she's there, don't you?' - -'No,' said the king, very quietly. - -'Then it must all be a dream,' said Irene. 'I half thought it was; -but I couldn't be sure. Now I am sure of it. Besides, I couldn't -find her the next time I went up.' - -At that moment a snow-white pigeon flew in at an open window and -settled upon Irene's head. She broke into a merry laugh, cowered -a little, and put up her hands to her head, saying: - -'Dear dovey, don't peck me. You'll pull out my hair with your long -claws if you don't mind.' - -The king stretched out his hand to take the pigeon, but it spread -its wings and flew again through the open window, when its -Whiteness made one flash in the sun and vanished. The king laid -his hand on his princess's head, held it back a little, gazed in -her face, smiled half a smile, and sighed half a sigh. - -'Come, my child; we'll have a walk in the garden together,' he -said. - -'You won't come up and see my huge, great, beautiful grandmother, -then, king-papa?' said the princess. - -'Not this time,' said the king very gently. 'She has not invited -me, you know, and great old ladies like her do not choose to be -visited without leave asked and given.' - -The garden was a very lovely place. Being upon a Mountainside -there were parts in it where the rocks came through in great -masses, and all immediately about them remained quite wild. Tufts -of heather grew upon them, and other hardy mountain plants and -flowers, while near them would be lovely roses and lilies and all -pleasant garden flowers. This mingling of the wild mountain with -the civilized garden was very quaint, and it was impossible for any -number of gardeners to make such a garden look formal and stiff. - -Against one of these rocks was a garden seat, shadowed from the -afternoon sun by the overhanging of the rock itself. There was a -little winding path up to the top of the rock, and on top another -seat; but they sat on the seat at its foot because the sun was hot; -and there they talked together of many things. At length the king -said: - -'You were out late one evening, Irene.' - -'Yes, papa. It was my fault; and Lootie was very sorry.' - -'I must talk to Lootie about it,' said the king. - -'Don't speak loud to her, please, papa,' said Irene. 'She's been -so afraid of being late ever since! Indeed she has not been -naughty. It was only a mistake for once.' - -'Once might be too often,' murmured the king to himself, as he -stroked his child's head. - -I can't tell you how he had come to know. I am sure Curdie had not -told him. Someone about the palace must have seen them, after all. - -He sat for a good while thinking. There was no sound to be heard -except that of a little stream which ran merrily out of an opening -in the rock by where they sat, and sped away down the hill through -the garden. Then he rose and, leaving Irene where she was, went -into the house and sent for Lootie, with whom he had a talk that -made her cry. -When in the evening he rode away upon his great white horse, he -left six of his attendants behind him, with orders that three of -them should watch outside the house every night, walking round and -round it from sunset to sunrise. It was clear he was not quite -comfortable about the princess. - - - -CHAPTER 11 -The Old Lady's Bedroom - - -Nothing more happened worth telling for some time. The autumn came -and went by. There were no more flowers in the garden. The wind -blew strong, and howled among the rocks. The rain fell, and -drenched the few yellow and red leaves that could not get off the -bare branches. Again and again there would be a glorious morning -followed by a pouring afternoon, and sometimes, for a week -together, there would be rain, nothing but rain, all day, and then -the most lovely cloudless night, with the sky all out in full-blown -stars - not one missing. But the princess could not see much of -them, for she went to bed early. The winter drew on, and she found -things growing dreary. When it was too stormy to go out, and she -had got tired of her toys, Lootie would take her about the house, -sometimes to the housekeeper's room, where the housekeeper, who was -a good, kind old woman, made much of her - sometimes to the -servants' hall or the kitchen, where she was not princess merely, -but absolute queen, and ran a great risk of being spoiled. -Sometimes she would run off herself to the room where the -men-at-arms whom the king had left sat, and they showed her their -arms and accoutrements and did what they could to amuse her. Still -at times she found it very dreary, and often and often wished that -her huge great grandmother had not been a dream. - -One morning the nurse left her with the housekeeper for a while. -To amuse her she turned out the contents of an old cabinet upon the -table. The little princess found her treasures, queer ancient -ornaments, and many things the use of which she could not imagine, -far more interesting than her own toys, and sat playing with them -for two hours or more. But, at length, in handling a curious -old-fashioned brooch, she ran the pin of it into her thumb, and -gave a little scream with the sharpness of the pain, but would have -thought little more of it had not the pain increased and her thumb -begun to swell. This alarmed the housekeeper greatly. The nurse -was fetched; the doctor was sent for; her hand was poulticed, and -long before her usual time she was put to bed. The pain still -continued, and although she fell asleep and dreamed a good many -dreams, there was the pain always in every dream. At last it woke -her UP. - -The moon was shining brightly into the room. The poultice had -fallen off her hand and it was burning hot. She fancied if she -could hold it into the moonlight that would cool it. So she got -out of bed, without waking the nurse who lay at the other end of -the room, and went to the window. When she looked out she saw one -of the men-at-arms walking in the garden with the moonlight -glancing on his armour. She was just going to tap on the window -and call him, for she wanted to tell him all about it, when she -bethought herself that that might wake Lootie, and she would put -her into her bed again. So she resolved to go to the window of -another room, and call him from there. It was so much nicer to -have somebody to talk to than to lie awake in bed with the burning -pain in her hand. She opened the door very gently and went through -the nursery, which did not look into the garden, to go to the other -window. But when she came to the foot of the old staircase there -was the moon shining down from some window high up, and making the -worm-eaten oak look very strange and delicate and lovely. In a -moment she was putting her little feet one after the other in the -silvery path up the stair, looking behind as she went, to see the -shadow they made in the middle of the silver. Some little girls -would have been afraid to find themselves thus alone in the middle -of the night, but Irene was a princess. - -As she went slowly up the stair, not quite sure that she was not -dreaming, suddenly a great longing woke up in her heart to try once -more whether she could not find the old lady with the silvery hair. -'If she is a dream,' she said to herself, 'then I am the likelier -to find her, if I am dreaming.' - -So up and up she went, stair after stair, until she Came to the -many rooms - all just as she had seen them before. Through passage -after passage she softly sped, comforting herself that if she -should lose her way it would not matter much, because when she woke -she would find herself in her own bed with Lootie not far off. -But, as if she had known every step of the way, she walked straight -to the door at the foot of the narrow stair that led to the tower. - -'What if I should realreality-really find my beautiful old -grandmother up there!' she said to herself as she crept up the -steep steps. - -When she reached the top she stood a moment listening in the dark, -for there was no moon there. Yes! it was! it was the hum of the -spinning-wheel! What a diligent grandmother to work both day and -night! She tapped gently at the door. - -'Come in, Irene,'said the sweet voice. - -The princess opened the door and entered. There was the moonlight -streaming in at the window, and in the middle of the moonlight sat -the old lady in her black dress with the white lace, and her -silvery hair mingling with the moonlight, so that you could not -have told which was which. 'Come in, Irene,' she said again. 'Can -you tell me what I am spinning?' - -'She speaks,' thought Irene, 'just as if she had seen me five -minutes ago, or yesterday at the farthest. - No,' she answered; 'I -don't know what you are spinning. Please, I thought you were a -dream. Why couldn't I find you before, great-great-grandmother?' - -'That you are hardly old enough to understand. But you would have -found me sooner if you hadn't come to think I was a dream. I will -give you one reason though why you couldn't find me. I didn't want -you to find me.' - -'Why, please?' - -'Because I did not want Lootie to know I was here.' - -'But you told me to tell Lootie.' - -'Yes. But I knew Lootie would not believe you. If she were to see -me sitting spinning here, she wouldn't believe me, either.' - -'Why?' - -'Because she couldn't. She would rub her eyes, and go away and say -she felt queer, and forget half of it and more, and then say it had -been all a dream.' - -'Just like me,' said Irene, feeling very much ashamed of herself. - -'Yes, a good deal like you, but not just like you; for you've come -again; and Lootie wouldn't have come again. She would have said, -No, no - she had had enough of such nonsense.' - -'Is it naughty of Lootie, then?' - -'It would be naughty of you. I've never done anything for Lootie.' - -'And you did wash my face and hands for me,' said Irene, beginning -to cry. - -The old lady smiled a sweet smile and said: - -'I'm not vexed with you, my child - nor with Lootie either. But I -don't want you to say anything more to Lootie about me. If she -should ask you, you must just be silent. But I do not think she -will ask you.' - -All the time they talked the old lady kept on spinning. - -'You haven't told me yet what I am spinning,' she said. - -'Because I don't know. It's very pretty stuff.' - -It was indeed very pretty stuff. There was a good bunch of it on -the distaff attached to the spinning-wheel, and in the moonlight it -shone like - what shall i say it was like? It was not white enough -for silver - yes, it was like silver, but shone grey rather than -white, and glittered only a little. And the thread the old lady -drew out from it was so fine that Irene could hardly see it. -'I am spinning this for you, my child.' - -'For me! What am I to do with it, please?' - -'I will tell you by and by. But first I will tell you what it is. -It is spider-web - of a particular kind. My pigeons bring it me -from over the great sea. There is only one forest where the -spiders live who make this particular kind - the finest and -strongest of any. I have nearly finished my present job. What is -on the rock now will be enough. I have a week's work there yet, -though,' she added, looking at the bunch. - -'Do you work all day and all night, too, great-great- -great-great-grandmother?' said the princess, thinking to be very -polite with so many greats. - -'I am not quite so great as all that,' she answered, smiling almost -merrily. 'If you call me grandmother, that will do. No, I don't -work every night - only moonlit nights, and then no longer than the -moon shines upon my wheel. I shan't work much longer tonight.' - -'And what will you do next, grandmother?' -'Go to bed. Would you like to see my bedroom?' - -'Yes, that I should.' - -'Then I think I won't work any longer tonight. I shall be in good -time.' - -The old lady rose, and left her wheel standing just as it was. You -see there was no good in putting it away, for where there was not -any furniture there was no danger of being untidy. - -Then she took Irene by the hand, but it was her bad hand and Irene -gave a little cry of pain. 'My child!' said her grandmother, 'what -is the matter?' - -Irene held her hand into the moonlight, that the old lady might see -it, and told her all about it, at which she looked grave. But she -only said: 'Give me your other hand'; and, having led her out upon -the little dark landing, opened the door on the opposite side of -it. What was Irene's surprise to see the loveliest room she had -ever seen in her life! It was large and lofty, and dome-shaped. -From the centre hung a lamp as round as a ball, shining as if with -the brightest moonlight, which made everything visible in the room, -though not so clearly that the princess could tell what many of the -things were. A large oval bed stood in the middle, with a coverlid -of rose colour, and velvet curtains all round it of a lovely pale -blue. The walls were also blue - spangled all over with what -looked like stars of silver. - -The old lady left her and, going to a strange-looking cabinet, -opened it and took out a curious silver casket. Then she sat down -on a low chair and, calling Irene, made her kneel before her while -she looked at her hand. Having examined it, she opened the casket, -and took from it a little ointment. The sweetest odour filled the -room - like that of roses and lilies - as she rubbed the ointment -gently all over the hot swollen hand. Her touch was so pleasant -and cool that it seemed to drive away the pain and heat wherever it -came. - -'Oh, grandmother! it is so nice!' said Irene. 'Thank you; thank -you.' - -Then the old lady went to a chest of drawers, and took out a large -handkerchief of gossamer-like cambric, which she tied round her -hand. - -'I don't think I can let you go away tonight,' she said. 'Would -you like to sleep with me?' - -'Oh, yes, yes, dear grandmother,' said Irene, and would have -clapped her hands, forgetting that she could not. - -'You won't be afraid, then, to go to bed with such an old woman?' - -'No. You are so beautiful, grandmother.' - -'But I am very old.' - -'And I suppose I am very young. You won't mind sleeping with such -a very young woman, grandmother?' - -'You sweet little pertness!' said the old lady, and drew her -towards her, and kissed her on the forehead and the cheek and the -mouth. Then she got a large silver basin, and having poured some -water into it made Irene sit on the chair, and washed her feet. -This done, she was ready for bed. And oh, what a delicious bed it -was into which her grandmother laid her! She hardly could have -told she was lying upon anything: she felt nothing but the -softness. - -The old lady having undressed herself lay down beside her. - -'Why don't you put out your moon?' asked the princess. - -'That never goes out, night or day,' she answered. 'In the darkest -night, if any of my pigeons are out on a message, they always see -my moon and know where to fly to.' - -'But if somebody besides the pigeons were to see it - somebody -about the house, I mean - they would come to look what it was and -find you.' - -'The better for them, then,' said the old lady. 'But it does not -happen above five times in a hundred years that anyone does see it. - -The greater part of those who do take it for a meteor, wink their -eyes, and forget it again. Besides, nobody could find the room -except I pleased. Besides, again - I will tell you a secret - if -that light were to go out you would fancy yourself lying in a bare -garret, on a heap of old straw, and would not see one of the -pleasant things round about you all the time.' - -'I hope it will never go out,' said the princess. - -'I hope not. But it is time we both went to sleep. Shall I take -you in my arms?' - -The little princess nestled close up to the old lady, who took her -in both her arms and held her close to her bosom. - -'Oh, dear! this is so nice!' said the princess. 'I didn't know -anything in the world could be so comfortable. I should like to -lie here for ever.' - -'You may if you will,' said the old lady. 'But I must put you to -one trial-not a very hard one, I hope. This night week you must -come back to me. If you don't, I do not know when you may find me -again, and you Will soon want me very much.' -'Oh! please, don't let me forget.' - -'You shall not forget. The only question is whether you will -believe I am anywhere - whether you will believe I am anything but -a dream. You may be sure I will do all I can to help you to come. -But it will rest with yourself, after all. On the night of next -Friday, you must come to me. Mind now.' - -'I will try,' said the princess. - -'Then good night,' said the old lady, and kissed the forehead which -lay in her bosom. - -In a moment more the little princess was dreaming in the midst of -the loveliest dreams - of summer seas and moonlight and mossy -springs and great murmuring trees, and beds of wild flowers with -such odours as she had never smelled before. But, after all, no -dream could be more lovely than what she had left behind when she -fell asleep. - -In the morning she found herself in her own bed. There was no -handkerchief or anything else on her hand, only a sweet odour -lingered about it. The swelling had all gone down; the prick of -the brooch had vanished - in fact, her hand was perfectly well. - - - -CHAPTER 12 -A Short Chapter About Curdie - -Curdie spent many nights in the mine. His father and he had taken -Mrs. Peterson into the secret, for they knew mother could hold her -tongue, which was more than could be said of all the miners' wives. - -But Curdie did not tell her that every night he spent in the mine, -part of it went in earning a new red petticoat for her. - -Mrs. Peterson was such a nice good mother! All mothers are nice -and good more or less, but Mrs. Peterson was nice and good all more -and no less. She made and kept a little heaven in that poor -cottage on the high hillside for her husband and son to go home to -out of the low and rather dreary earth in which they worked. I -doubt if the princess was very much happier even in the arms of her -huge great-grandmother than Peter and Curdie were in the arms of -Mrs. Peterson. True, her hands were hard and chapped and large, -but it was with work for them; and therefore, in the sight of the -angels, her hands were so much the more beautiful. And if Curdie -worked hard to get her a petticoat, she worked hard every day to -get him comforts which he would have missed much more than she -would a new petticoat even in winter. Not that she and Curdie ever -thought of how much they worked for each other: that would have -spoiled everything. - -When left alone in the mine Curdie always worked on for an hour or -two at first, following the lode which, according to Glump, would -lead at last into the deserted habitation. After that, he would -set out on a reconnoitring expedition. In order to manage this, or -rather the return from it, better than the first time, he had -bought a huge ball of fine string, having learned the trick from -Hop-o'-my-Thumb, whose history his mother had often told him. Not -that Hop-o'-my-Thumb had ever used a ball of string - I should be -sorry to be supposed so far out in my classics - but the principle -was the same as that of the pebbles. The end of this string he -fastened to his pickaxe, which figured no bad anchor, and then, -with the ball in his hand, unrolling it as he went, set out in the -dark through the natural gangs of the goblins' territory. The -first night or two he came upon nothing worth remembering; saw only -a little of the home-life of the cobs in the various caves they -called houses; failed in coming upon anything to cast light upon -the foregoing design which kept the inundation for the present in -the background. But at length, I think on the third or fourth -night, he found, partly guided by the noise of their implements, a -company of evidently the best sappers and miners amongst them, hard -at work. What were they about? It could not well be the -inundation, seeing that had in the meantime been postponed to -something else. Then what was it? He lurked and watched, every -now and then in the greatest risk of being detected, but without -success. He had again and again to retreat in haste, a proceeding -rendered the more difficult that he had to gather up his string as -he returned upon its course. It was not that he was afraid of the -goblins, but that he was afraid of their finding out that they were -watched, which might have prevented the discovery at which he -aimed. Sometimes his haste had to be such that, when he reached -home towards morning, his string, for lack of time to wind it up as -he 'dodged the cobs', would be in what seemed most hopeless -entanglement; but after a good sleep, though a short one, he always -found his mother had got it right again. There it was, wound in a -most respectable ball, ready for use the moment he should want it! - -'I can't think how you do it, mother,' he would say. - -'I follow the thread,' she would answer - 'just as you do in the -mine.' She never had more to say about it; but the less clever she -was with her words, the more clever she was with her hands; and the -less his mother said, the more Curdie believed she had to say. But -still he had made no discovery as to what the goblin miners were -about. - - - -CHAPTER 13 -The Cobs' Creatures - - -About this time the gentlemen whom the king had left behind him to -watch over the princess had each occasion to doubt the testimony of -his own eyes, for more than strange were the objects to which they -would bear witness. They were of one sort - creatures - but so -grotesque and misshapen as to be more like a child's drawings upon -his slate than anything natural. They saw them only at night, -while on guard about the house. The testimony of the man who first -reported having seen one of them was that, as he was walking slowly -round the house, while yet in the shadow, he caught sight of a -creature standing on its hind legs in the moonlight, with its -forefeet upon a window-ledge, staring in at the window. Its body -might have been that of a dog or wolf, he thought, but he declared -on his honour that its head was twice the size it ought to have -been for the size of its body, and as round as a ball, while the -face, which it turned upon him as it fled, was more like one carved -by a boy upon the turnip inside which he is going to put a candle -than anything else he could think of. It rushed into the garden. -He sent an arrow after it, and thought he must have struck it; for -it gave an unearthly howl, and he could not find his arrow any more -than the beast, although he searched all about the place where it -vanished. They laughed at him until he was driven to hold his -tongue, and said he must have taken too long a pull at the ale-jug. - -But before two nights were over he had one to side with him, for -he, too, had seen something strange, only quite different from that -reported by the other. The description the second man gave of the -creature he had seen was yet more grotesque and unlikely. They -were both laughed at by the rest; but night after night another -came over to their side, until at last there was only one left to -laugh at all his companions. Two nights more passed, and he saw -nothing; but on the third he came rushing from the garden to the -other two before the house, in such an agitation that they declared -- for it was their turn now - that the band of his helmet was -cracking under his chin with the rising of his hair inside it. -Running with him into that part of the garden which I have already -described, they saw a score of creatures, to not one of which they -could give a name, and not one of which was like another, hideous -and ludicrous at once, gambolling on the lawn in the moonlight. -The supernatural or rather subnatural ugliness of their faces, the -length of legs and necks in some, the apparent absence of both or -either in others, made the spectators, although in one consent as -to what they saw, yet doubtful, as I have said, of the evidence of -their own eyes - and ears as well; for the noises they made, -although not loud, were as uncouth and varied as their forms, and -could be described neither as grunts nor squeaks nor roars nor -howls nor barks nor yells nor screams nor croaks nor hisses nor -mews nor shrieks, but only as something like all of them mingled in -one horrible dissonance. Keeping in the shade, the watchers had a -few moments to recover themselves before the hideous assembly -suspected their presence; but all at once, as if by common consent, -they scampered off in the direction of a great rock, and vanished -before the men had come to themselves sufficiently to think of -following them. - -My readers will suspect what these were; but I will now give them -full information concerning them. They were, of course, household -animals belonging to the goblins, whose ancestors had taken their -ancestors many centuries before from the upper regions of light -into the lower regions of darkness. The original stocks of these -horrible creatures were very much the same as the animals now seen -about farms and homes in the country, with the exception of a few -of them, which had been wild creatures, such as foxes, and indeed -wolves and small bears, which the goblins, from their proclivity -towards the animal creation, had caught when cubs and tamed. But -in the course of time all had undergone even greater changes than -had passed upon their owners. They had altered - that is, their -descendants had altered - into such creatures as I have not -attempted to describe except in the vaguest manner - the various -parts of their bodies assuming, in an apparently arbitrary and -self-willed manner, the most abnormal developments. Indeed, so -little did any distinct type predominate in some of the bewildering -results, that you could only have guessed at any known animal as -the original, and even then, what likeness remained would be more -one of general expression than of definable conformation. But what -increased the gruesomeness tenfold was that, from constant -domestic, or indeed rather family association with the goblins, -their countenances had grown in grotesque resemblance to the human. - -No one understands animals who does not see that every one of them, -even amongst the fishes, it may be with a dimness and vagueness -infinitely remote, yet shadows the human: in the case of these the -human resemblance had greatly increased: while their owners had -sunk towards them, they had risen towards their owners. But the -conditions of subterranean life being equally unnatural for both, -while the goblins were worse, the creatures had not improved by the -approximation, and its result would have appeared far more -ludicrous than consoling to the warmest lover of animal nature. I -shall now explain how it was that just then these animals began to -show themselves about the king's country house. - -The goblins, as Curdie had discovered, were mining on - at work -both day and night, in divisions, urging the scheme after which he -lay in wait. In the course of their tunnelling they had broken -into the channel of a small stream, but the break being in the top -of it, no water had escaped to interfere with their work. Some of -the creatures, hovering as they often did about their masters, had -found the hole, and had, with the curiosity which had grown to a -passion from the restraints of their unnatural circumstances, -proceeded to explore the channel. The stream was the same which -ran out by the seat on which Irene and her king-papa had sat as I -have told, and the goblin creatures found it jolly fun to get out -for a romp on a smooth lawn such as they had never seen in all -their poor miserable lives. But although they had partaken enough -of the nature of their owners to delight in annoying and alarming -any of the people whom they met on the mountain, they were, of -course, incapable of designs of their own, or of intentionally -furthering those of their masters. - -For several nights after the men-at-arms were at length of one mind -as to the fact of the visits of some horrible creatures, whether -bodily or spectral they could not yet say, they watched with -special attention that part of the garden where they had last seen -them. Perhaps indeed they gave in consequence too little attention -to the house. But the creatures were too cunning to be easily -caught; nor were the watchers quick-eyed enough to descry the head, -or the keen eyes in it, which, from the opening whence the stream -issued, would watch them in turn, ready, the moment they should -leave the lawn, to report the place clear. - - - -CHAPTER 14 -That Night Week - - -During the whole of the week Irene had been thinking every other -moment of her promise to the old lady, although even now she could -not feel quite sure that she had not been dreaming. Could it -really be that an old lady lived up in the top of the house, with -pigeons and a spinning-wheel, and a lamp that never went out? She -was, however, none the less determined, on the coming Friday, to -ascend the three stairs, walk through the passages with the many -doors, and try to find the tower in which she had either seen or -dreamed her grandmother. - -Her nurse could not help wondering what had come to the child - she -would sit so thoughtfully silent, and even in the midst of a game -with her would so suddenly fall into a dreamy mood. But Irene took -care to betray nothing, whatever efforts Lootie might make to get -at her thoughts. And Lootie had to say to herself: 'What an odd -child she is!' and give it up. -At length the longed-for Friday arrived, and lest Lootie should be -moved to watch her, Irene endeavoured to keep herself as quiet as -possible. In the afternoon she asked for her doll's house, and -went on arranging and rearranging the various rooms and their -inhabitants for a whole hour. Then she gave a sigh and threw -herself back in her chair. One of the dolls would not sit, and -another would not stand, and they were all very tiresome. Indeed, -there was one would not even lie down, which was too bad. But it -was now getting dark, and the darker it got the more excited Irene -became, and the more she felt it necessary to be composed. - -'I see you want your tea, princess,' said the nurse: 'I will go and -get it. The room feels close: I will open the window a little. -The evening is mild: it won't hurt you.' - -'There's no fear of that, Lootie,' said Irene, wishing she had put -off going for the tea till it was darker, when she might have made -her attempt with every advantage. - -I fancy Lootie was longer in returning than she had intended; for -when Irene, who had been lost in thought, looked up, she saw it was -nearly dark, and at the same moment caught sight of a pair of eyes, -bright with a green light, glowering at her through the open -window. The next instant something leaped into the room. It was -like a cat, with legs as long as a horse's, Irene said, but its -body no bigger and its legs no thicker than those of a cat. She -was too frightened to cry out, but not too frightened to jump from -her chair and run from the room. - -It is plain enough to every one of my readers what she ought to -have done - and indeed,Irene thought of it herself; but when she -came to the foot of the old stair, just outside the nursery door, -she imagined the creature running up those long ascents after her, -and pursuing her through the dark passages - which, after all, -might lead to no tower! That thought was too much. Her heart -failed her, and, turning from the stair, she rushed along to the -hall, whence, finding the front door open, she darted into the -court pursued - at least she thought so - by the creature. No one -happening to see her, on she ran, unable to think for fear, and -ready to run anywhere to elude the awful creature with the -stilt-legs. Not daring to look behind her, she rushed straight out -of the gate and up the mountain. It was foolish indeed - thus to -run farther and farther from all who could help her, as if she had -been seeking a fit spot for the goblin creature to eat her in his -leisure; but that is the way fear serves us: it always sides with -the thing we are afraid of. - -The princess was soon out of breath with running uphill; but she -ran on, for she fancied the horrible creature just behind her, -forgetting that, had it been after her such long legs as those must -have overtaken her long ago. At last she could run no longer, and -fell, unable even to scream, by the roadside, where she lay for -some time half dead with terror. But finding nothing lay hold of -her, and her breath beginning to come back, she ventured at length -to get half up and peer anxiously about her. It was now so dark -she could see nothing. Not a single star was out. She could not -even tell in what direction the house lay, and between her and home -she fancied the dreadful creature lying ready to pounce upon her. -She saw now that she ought to have run up the stairs at once. It -was well she did not scream; for, although very few of the goblins -had come out for weeks, a stray idler or two might have heard her. -She sat down upon a stone, and nobody but one who had done -something wrong could have been more miserable. She had quite -forgotten her promise to visit her grandmother. A raindrop fell on -her face. She looked up, and for a moment her terror was lost in -astonishment. At first she thought the rising moon had left her -place, and drawn nigh to see what could be the matter with the -little girl, sitting alone, without hat or cloak, on the dark bare -mountain; but she soon saw she was mistaken, for there was no light -on the ground at her feet, and no shadow anywhere. But a great -silver globe was hanging in the air; and as she gazed at the lovely -thing, her courage revived. If she were but indoors again, she -would fear nothing, not even the terrible creature with the long -legs! But how was she to find her way back? What could that light -be? Could it be -? No, it couldn't. But what if it should be - -yes - it must be - her great-great-grandmother's lamp, which guided -her pigeons home through the darkest night! She jumped up: she had -but to keep that light in view and she must find the house. Her -heart grew strong. Speedily, yet softly, she walked down the hill, -hoping to pass the watching creature unseen. Dark as it was, there -was little danger now of choosing the wrong road. And - which was -most strange - the light that filled her eyes from the lamp, -instead of blinding them for a moment to the object upon which they -next fell, enabled her for a moment to see it, despite the -darkness. By looking at the lamp and then dropping her eyes, she -could see the road for a yard or two in front of her, and this -saved her from several falls, for the road was very rough. But all -at once, to her dismay, it vanished, and the terror of the beast, -which had left her the moment she began to return, again laid hold -of her heart. The same instant, however, she caught the light of -the windows, and knew exactly where she was. It was too dark to -run, but she made what haste she could, and reached the gate in -safety. She found the house door still open, ran through the hall, -and, without even looking into the nursery, bounded straight up the -stair, and the next, and the next; then turning to the right, ran -through the long avenue of silent rooms, and found her way at once -to the door at the foot of the tower stair. - -When first the nurse missed her, she fancied she was playing her a -trick, and for some time took no trouble about her; but at last, -getting frightened, she had begun to search; and when the princess -entered, the whole household was hither and thither over the house, -hunting for her. A few seconds after she reached the stair of the -tower they had even begun to search the neglected rooms, in which -they would never have thought of looking had they not already -searched every other place they could think of in vain. But by -this time she was knocking at the old lady's door. - - -CHAPTER 15 -Woven and Then Spun - -'Come in, Irene,' said the silvery voice of her grandmother. - -The princess opened the door and peeped in. But the room was quite -dark and there was no sound of the spinning-wheel. She grew -frightened once more, thinking that, although the room was there, -the old lady might be a dream after all. Every little girl knows -how dreadful it is to find a room empty where she thought somebody -was; but Irene had to fancy for a moment that the person she came -to find was nowhere at all. She remembered, however, that at night -she spun only in the moonlight, and concluded that must be why -there was no sweet, bee-like humming: the old lady might be -somewhere in the darkness. Before she had time to think another -thought, she heard her voice again, saying as before: 'Come in, -Irene.' From the sound, she understood at once that she was not in -the room beside her. Perhaps she was in her bedroom. She turned -across the passage, feeling her way to the other door. When her -hand fell on the lock, again the old lady spoke: - -'Shut the other door behind you, Irene. I always close the door of -my workroom when I go to my chamber.' - -Irene wondered to hear her voice so plainly through the door: -having shut the other, she opened it and went in. Oh, what a -lovely haven to reach from the darkness and fear through which she -had come! The soft light made her feel as if she were going into -the heart of the milkiest pearl; while the blue walls and their -silver stars for a moment perplexed her with the fancy that they -were in reality the sky which she had left outside a minute ago -covered with rainclouds. - -'I've lighted a fire for you, Irene: you're cold and wet,' said her -grandmother. - -Then Irene looked again, and saw that what she had taken for a huge -bouquet of red roses on a low stand against the wall was in fact a -fire which burned in the shapes of the loveliest and reddest roses, -glowing gorgeously between the heads and wings of two cherubs of -shining silver. And when she came nearer, she found that the smell -of roses with which the room was filled came from the fire-roses on -the hearth. Her grandmother was dressed in the loveliest pale blue -velvet, over which her hair, no longer white, but of a rich golden -colour, streamed like a cataract, here falling in dull gathered -heaps, there rushing away in smooth shining falls. And ever as she -looked, the hair seemed pouring down from her head and vanishing in -a golden mist ere it reached the floor. It flowed from under the -edge of a circle of shining silver, set with alternated pearls and -opals. On her dress was no ornament whatever, neither was there a -ring on her hand, or a necklace or carcanet about her neck. But -her slippers glimmered with the light of the Milky Way, for they -were covered with seed-pearls and opals in one mass. Her face was -that of a woman of three-and-twenty. - -The princess was so bewildered with astonishment and admiration -that she could hardly thank her, and drew nigh with timidity, -feeling dirty and uncomfortable. The lady was seated on a low -chair by the side of the fire, with hands outstretched to take her, -but the princess hung back with a troubled smile. - -'Why, what's the matter?' asked her grandmother. 'You haven't been -doing anything wrong - I know that by your face, though it is -rather miserable. What's the matter, my dear?' - -And she still held out her arms. - -'Dear grandmother,' said Irene, 'I'm not so sure that I haven't -done something wrong. I ought to have run up to you at once when -the long-legged cat came in at the window, instead of running out -on the mountain and making myself such a fright.' - -'You were taken by surprise, my child, and you are not so likely to -do it again. It is when people do wrong things wilfully that they -are the more likely to do them again. Come.' - -And still she held out her arms. - -'But, grandmother, you're so beautiful and grand with your crown -on; and I am so dirty with mud and rain! I should quite spoil your -beautiful blue dress.' - -With a merry little laugh the lady sprung from her chair, more -lightly far than Irene herself could, caught the child to her -bosom, and, kissing the tear-stained face over and over, sat down -with her in her lap. - -'Oh, grandmother! You'll make yourself such a mess!' cried Irene, -clinging to her. - -'You darling! do you think I care more for my dress than for my -little girl? Besides - look here.' - -As she spoke she set her down, and Irene saw to her dismay that the -lovely dress was covered with the mud of her fall on the mountain -road. But the lady stooped to the fire, and taking from it, by the -stalk in her fingers, one of the burning roses, passed it once and -again and a third time over the front of her dress; and when Irene -looked, not a single stain was to be discovered. - -'There!' said her grandmother, 'you won't mind coming to me now?' - -But Irene again hung back, eying the flaming rose which the lady -held in her hand. - -'You're not afraid of the rose - are you?' she said, about to throw -it on the hearth again. -'Oh! don't, please!' cried Irene. 'Won't you hold it to my frock -and my hands and my face? And I'm afraid my feet and my knees want -it too.' -'No, answered her grandmother, smiling a little sadly, as she threw -the rose from her; 'it is too hot for you yet. It would set your -frock in a flame. Besides, I don't want to make you clean tonight. - -I want your nurse and the rest of the people to see you as you are, -for you will have to tell them how you ran away for fear of the -long-legged cat. I should like to wash you, but they would not -believe you then. Do you see that bath behind you?' - -The princess looked, and saw a large oval tub of silver, shining -brilliantly in the light of the wonderful lamp. - -'Go and look into it,' said the lady. - -Irene went, and came back very silent with her eyes shining. - -'What did you see?' asked her grandmother. - -'The sky, and the moon and the stars,' she answered. 'It looked as -if there was no bottom to it.' - -The lady smiled a pleased satisfied smile, and was silent also for -a few moments. Then she said: - -'Any time you want a bath, come to me. I know YOU have a bath -every morning, but sometimes you want one at night, too.' - -'Thank you, grandmother; I will - I will indeed,' answered Irene, -and was again silent for some moments thinking. Then she said: -'How was it, grandmother, that I saw your beautiful lamp - not the -light of it only - but the great round silvery lamp itself, hanging -alone in the great open air, high up? It was your lamp I saw - -wasn't it?' - -'Yes, my child - it was my lamp.' - -'Then how was it? I don't see a window all round.' - -'When I please I can make the lamp shine through the walls - shine -so strong that it melts them away from before the sight, and shows -itself as you saw it. But, as I told you, it is not everybody can -see it.' - -'How is it that I can, then? I'm sure I don't know.' - -'It is a gift born with you. And one day I hope everybody will -have it.' - -'But how do you make it shine through the walls?' - -'Ah! that you would not understand if I were to try ever so much to -make you - not yet - not yet. But,' added the lady, rising, 'you -must sit in my chair while I get you the present I have been -preparing for you. I told you my spinning was for you. It is -finished now, and I am going to fetch it. I have been keeping it -warm under one of my brooding pigeons.' - -Irene sat down in the low chair, and her grandmother left her, -shutting the door behind her. The child sat gazing, now at the -rose fire, now at the starry walls, now at the silver light; and a -great quietness grew in her heart. If all the long-legged cats in -the world had come rushing at her then she would not have been -afraid of them for a moment. How this was she could not tell - she -only knew there was no fear in her, and everything was so right and -safe that it could not get in. - -She had been gazing at the lovely lamp for some minutes fixedly: -turning her eyes, she found the wall had vanished, for she was -looking out on the dark cloudy night. But though she heard the -wind blowing, none of it blew upon her. In a moment more the -clouds themselves parted, or rather vanished like the wall, and she -looked straight into the starry herds, flashing gloriously in the -dark blue. It was but for a moment. The clouds gathered again and -shut out the stars; the wall gathered again and shut out the -clouds; and there stood the lady beside her with the loveliest -smile on her face, and a shimmering ball in her hand, about the -size of a pigeon's egg. - -'There, Irene; there is my work for you!' she said, holding out the -ball to the princess. - -She took it in her hand, and looked at it all over. It sparkled a -little, and shone here and there, but not much. It was of a sort -of grey-whiteness, something like spun glass. - -'Is this all your spinning, grandmother?' she asked. - -'All since you came to the house. There is more there than you -think.' - -'How pretty it is! What am I to do with it, please?' - -'That I will now explain to you,' answered the lady, turning from -her and going to her cabinet. She came back with a small ring in -her hand. Then she took the ball from Irene's, and did something -with the ring - Irene could not tell what. - -'Give me your hand,' she said. Irene held up her right hand. - -'Yes, that is the hand I want,' said the lady, and put the ring on -the forefinger of it. - -'What a beautiful ring!' said Irene. 'What is the stone called?' - -'It is a fire-opal.' -'Please, am I to keep it?' - -'Always.' -'Oh, thank you, grandmother! It's prettier than anything I ever -saw, except those - of all colours-in your - Please, is that your -crown?' - -'Yes, it is my crown. The stone in your ring is of the same sort -- only not so good. It has only red, but mine have all colours, -you see.' - -'Yes, grandmother. I will take such care of it! But -' she added, -hesitating. - -'But what?' asked her grandmother. - -'What am I to say when Lootie asks me where I got it?' - -'You will ask her where you got it,' answered the lady smiling. - -'I don't see how I can do that.' - -'You will, though.' - -'Of course I will, if you say so. But, you know, I can't pretend -not to know.' - -'Of course not. But don't trouble yourself about it. You will see -when the time comes.' - -So saying, the lady turned, and threw the little ball into the rose -fire. - -'Oh, grandmother!' exclaimed Irene; 'I thought you had spun it for -me.' - -'So I did, my child. And you've got it.' - -'No; it's burnt in the fire!' - -The lady put her hand in the fire, brought out the ball, glimmering -as before, and held it towards her. Irene stretched out her hand -to take it, but the lady turned and, going to her cabinet, opened -a drawer, and laid the ball in it. - -'Have I done anything to vex you, grandmother?' said Irene -pitifully. - -'No, my darling. But you must understand that no one ever gives -anything to another properly and really without keeping it. That -ball is yours.' - -'Oh! I'm not to take it with me! You are going to keep it for me!' - -'You are to take it with you. I've fastened the end of it to the -ring on your finger.' - -Irene looked at the ring. - -'I can't see it there, grandmother,' she said. - -'Feel - a little way from the ring - towards the cabinet,' said the -lady. - -'Oh! I do feel it!' exclaimed the princess. 'But I can't see it,' -she added, looking close to her outstretched hand. - -'No. The thread is too fine for you to see it. You can only feel -it. Now you can fancy how much spinning that took, although it -does seem such a little ball.' - -'But what use can I make of it, if it lies in your cabinet?' - -'That is what I will explain to you. It would be of no use to you -- it wouldn't be yours at all if it did not lie in my cabinet. Now -listen. If ever you find yourself in any danger - such, for -example, as you were in this same evening - you must take off your -ring and put it under the pillow of your bed. Then you must lay -your finger, the same that wore the ring, upon the thread, and -follow the thread wherever it leads you.' - -'Oh, how delightful! It will lead me to you, grandmother, I know!' - -'Yes. But, remember, it may seem to you a very roundabout way -indeed, and you must not doubt the thread. Of one thing you may be -sure, that while you hold it, I hold it too.' - -'It is very wonderful!' said Irene thoughtfully. Then suddenly -becoming aware, she jumped up, crying: - -'Oh, grandmother! here have I been sitting all this time in your -chair, and you standing! I beg your pardon.' - -The lady laid her hand on her shoulder, and said: - -'Sit down again, Irene. Nothing pleases me better than to see -anyone sit in my chair. I am only too glad to stand so long as -anyone will sit in it.' - -'How kind of you!' said the princess, and sat down again. - -'It makes me happy,' said the lady. - -'But,' said Irene, still puzzled, 'won't the thread get in -somebody's way and be broken, if the one end is fast to my ring, -and the other laid in your cabinet?' - -'You will find all that arrange itself. I am afraid it is time for -you to go.' - -'Mightn't I stay and sleep with you tonight, grandmother?' -'No, not tonight. If I had meant you to stay tonight, I should -have given you a bath; but you know everybody in the house is -miserable about you, and it would be cruel to keep them so all -night. You must go downstairs.' - -'I'm so glad, grandmother, you didn't say "Go home," for this is my -home. Mayn't I call this my home?' - -'You may, my child. And I trust you will always think it your -home. Now come. I must take you back without anyone seeing you.' - -'Please, I want to ask you one question more,' said Irene. 'Is it -because you have your crown on that you look so young?' - -'No, child,' answered her grandmother; 'it is because I felt so -young this evening that I put my crown on. And I thought you would -like to see your old grandmother in her best.' - -'Why do you call yourself old? You're not old, grandmother.' - -'I am very old indeed. It is so silly of people - I don't mean -you, for you are such a tiny, and couldn't know better - but it is -so silly of people to fancy that old age means crookedness and -witheredness and feebleness and sticks and spectacles and -rheumatism and forgetfulness! It is so silly! Old age has nothing -whatever to do with all that. The right old age means strength and -beauty and mirth and courage and clear eyes and strong painless -limbs. I am older than you are able to think, and -' - -'And look at you, grandmother!' cried Irene, jumping up and -flinging her arms about her neck. 'I won't be so silly again, I -promise you. At least - I'm rather afraid to promise - but if I -am, I promise to be sorry for it - I do. I wish I were as old as -you, grandmother. I don't think you are ever afraid of anything.' - -'Not for long, at least, my child. Perhaps by the time I am two -thousand years of age, I shall, indeed, never be afraid of -anything. But I confess I have sometimes been afraid about my -children - sometimes about you, Irene.' - -'Oh, I'm so sorry, grandmother! Tonight, I suppose, you mean.' - -'Yes - a little tonight; but a good deal when you had all but made -up your mind that I was a dream, and no real -great-great-grandmother. You must not suppose I am blaming you for -that. I dare say you could not help it.' - -'I don't know, grandmother,' said the princess, beginning to cry. -'I can't always do myself as I should like. And I don't always -try. I'm very sorry anyhow.' - -The lady stooped, lifted her in her arms, and sat down with her in -her chair, holding her close to her bosom. In a few minutes the -princess had sobbed herself to sleep. How long she slept I do not -know. When she came to herself she was sitting in her own high -chair at the nursery table, with her doll's house before her. - - - -CHAPTER 16 -The Ring - - -The same moment her nurse came into the room, sobbing. When she -saw her sitting there she started back with a loud cry of amazement -and joy. Then running to her, she caught her in her arms and -covered her with kisses. - -'My precious darling princess! where have you been? What has -happened to you? We've all been crying our eyes out, and searching -the house from top to bottom for you.' - -'Not quite from the top,' thought Irene to herself; and she might -have added, 'not quite to the bottom', perhaps, if she had known -all. But the one she would not, and the other she could not say. -'Oh, Lootie! I've had such a dreadful adventure!' she replied, and -told her all about the cat with the long legs, and how she ran out -upon the mountain, and came back again. But she said nothing of -her grandmother or her lamp. - -'And there we've been searching for you all over the house for more -than an hour and a half!' exclaimed the nurse. 'But that's no -matter, now we've got you! Only, princess, I must say,' she added, -her mood changing, 'what you ought to have done was to call for -your own Lootie to come and help you, instead of running out of the -house, and up the mountain, in that wild, I must say, foolish -fashion.' - -'Well, Lootie,' said Irene quietly, 'perhaps if you had a big cat, -all legs, running at you, you might not exactly know what was the -wisest thing to do at the moment.' - -'I wouldn't run up the mountain, anyhow,' returned Lootie. - -'Not if you had time to think about it. But when those creatures -came at you that night on the mountain, you were so frightened -yourself that you lost your way home.' - -This put a stop to Lootie's reproaches. She had been on the point -of saying that the long-legged cat must have been a twilight fancy -of the princess's, but the memory of the horrors of that night, and -of the talking-to which the king had given her in consequence, -prevented her from saying what after all she did not half believe -- having a strong suspicion that the cat was a goblin; for she knew -nothing of the difference between the goblins and their creatures: -she counted them all just goblins. - -Without another word she went and got some fresh tea and bread and -butter for the princess. Before she returned, the whole household, -headed by the housekeeper, burst into the nursery to exult over -their darling. The gentlemen-at-arms followed, and were ready -enough to believe all she told them about the long-legged cat. -Indeed, though wise enough to say nothing about it, they -remembered, with no little horror, just such a creature amongst -those they had surprised at their gambols upon the princess's lawn. - -In their own hearts they blamed themselves for not having kept -better watch. And their captain gave orders that from this night -the front door and all the windows on the ground floor should be -locked immediately the sun set, and opened after upon no pretence -whatever. The men-at-arms redoubled their vigilance, and for some -time there was no further cause of alarm. - -When the princess woke the next morning, her nurse was bending over -her. 'How your ring does glow this morning, princess! - just like -a fiery rose!' she said. - -'Does it, Lootie?' returned Irene. 'Who gave me the ring, Lootie? -I know I've had it a long time, but where did I get it? I don't -remember.' -'I think it must have been your mother gave it you, princess; but -really, for as long as you have worn it, I don't remember that ever -I heard,' answered her nurse. - -'I will ask my king-papa the next time he comes,' said Irene. - - - -CHAPTER 17 -Springtime - - -The spring so dear to all creatures, young and old, came at last, -and before the first few days of it had gone, the king rode through -its budding valleys to see his little daughter. He had been in a -distant part of his dominions all the winter, for he was not in the -habit of stopping in one great city, or of visiting only his -favourite country houses, but he moved from place to place, that -all his people might know him. Wherever he journeyed, he kept a -constant look-out for the ablest and best men to put into office; -and wherever he found himself mistaken, and those he had appointed -incapable or unjust, he removed them at once. Hence you see it was -his care of the people that kept him from seeing his princess so -often as he would have liked. You may wonder why he did not take -her about with him; but there were several reasons against his -doing so, and I suspect her great-great-grandmother had had a -principal hand in preventing it. Once more Irene heard the -bugle-blast, and once more she was at the gate to meet her father -as he rode up on his great white horse. - -After they had been alone for a little while, she thought of what -she had resolved to ask him. -'Please, king-papa,' she said, 'Will you tell me where I got this -pretty ring? I can't remember.' - -The king looked at it. A strange beautiful smile spread like -sunshine over his face, and an answering smile, but at the same -time a questioning one, spread like moonlight over Irene's. 'It -was your queen-mamma's once,' he said. - -'And why isn't it hers now?' asked Irene. - -'She does not want it now,' said the king, looking grave. - -'Why doesn't she want it now?' - -'Because she's gone where all those rings are made.' - -'And when shall I see her?' asked the princess. - -'Not for some time yet,' answered the king, and the tears came into -his eyes. - -Irene did not remember her mother and did not know why her father -looked so, and why the tears came in his eyes; but she put her arms -round his neck and kissed him, and asked no more questions. - -The king was much disturbed on hearing the report of the -gentlemen-at-arms concerning the creatures they had seen; and I -presume would have taken Irene with him that very day, but for what -the presence of the ring on her finger assured him of. About an -hour before he left, Irene saw him go up the old stair; and he did -not come down again till they were just ready to start; and she -thought with herself that he had been up to see the old lady. When -he went away he left other six gentlemen behind him, that there -might be six of them always on guard. - -And now, in the lovely spring weather, Irene was out on the -mountain the greater part of the day. In the warmer hollows there -were lovely primroses, and not so many that she ever got tired of -them. As often as she saw a new one opening an eye of light in the -blind earth, she would clap her hands with gladness, and unlike -some children I know, instead of pulling it, would touch it as -tenderly as if it had been a new baby, and, having made its -acquaintance, would leave it as happy as she found it. She treated -the plants on which they grew like birds' nests; every fresh flower -was like a new little bird to her. She would pay visits to all the -flower-nests she knew, remembering each by itself. She would go -down on her hands and knees beside one and say: 'Good morning! Are -you all smelling very sweet this morning? Good-bye!' and then she -would go to another nest, and say the same. It was a favourite -amusement with her. There were many flowers up and down, and she -loved them all, but the primroses were her favourites. - -'They're not too shy, and they're not a bit forward,' she would say -to Lootie. -There were goats too about, over the mountain, and when the little -kids came she was as pleased with them as with the flowers. The -goats belonged to the miners mostly-a few of them to Curdie's -mother; but there were a good many wild ones that seemed to belong -to nobody. These the goblins counted theirs, and it was upon them -partly that they lived. They set snares and dug pits for them; and -did not scruple to take what tame ones happened to be caught; but -they did not try to steal them in any other manner, because they -were afraid of the dogs the hill-people kept to watch them, for the -knowing dogs always tried to bite their feet. But the goblins had -a kind of sheep of their own - very queer creatures, which they -drove out to feed at night, and the other goblin creatures were -wise enough to keep good watch over them, for they knew they should -have their bones by and by. - - - -CHAPTER 18 -Curdie's Clue - - -Curdie was as watchful as ever, but was almost getting tired of his -ill success. Every other night or so he followed the goblins -about, as they went on digging and boring, and getting as near them -as he could, watched them from behind stones and rocks; but as yet -he seemed no nearer finding out what they had in view. As at -first, he always kept hold of the end of his string, while his -pickaxe, left just outside the hole by which he entered the -goblins' country from the mine, continued to serve as an anchor and -hold fast the other end. The goblins, hearing no more noise in -that quarter, had ceased to apprehend an immediate invasion, and -kept no watch. - -One night, after dodging about and listening till he was nearly -falling asleep with weariness, he began to roll up his ball, for he -had resolved to go home to bed. It was not long, however, before -he began to feel bewildered. One after another he passed goblin -houses, caves, that is, occupied by goblin families, and at length -was sure they were many more than he had passed as he came. He had -to use great caution to pass unseen - they lay so close together. -Could his string have led him wrong? He still followed winding it, -and still it led him into more thickly populated quarters, until he -became quite uneasy, and indeed apprehensive; for although he was -not afraid of the cobs, he was afraid of not finding his way out. -But what could he do? It was of no use to sit down and wait for -the morning - the morning made no difference here. It was dark, -and always dark; and if his string failed him he was helpless. He -might even arrive within a yard of the mine and never know it. -Seeing he could do nothing better he would at least find where the -end of his string was, and, if possible, how it had come to play -him such a trick. He knew by the size of the ball that he was -getting pretty near the last of it, when he began to feel a tugging -and pulling at it. What could it mean? Turning a sharp corner, he -thought he heard strange sounds. These grew, as he went on, to a -scuffling and growling and squeaking; and the noise increased, -until, turning a second sharp corner, he found himself in the midst -of it, and the same moment tumbled over a wallowing mass, which he -knew must be a knot of the cobs' creatures. Before he could -recover his feet, he had caught some great scratches on his face -and several severe bites on his legs and arms. But as he scrambled -to get up, his hand fell upon his pickaxe, and before the horrid -beasts could do him any serious harm, he was laying about with it -right and left in the dark. The hideous cries which followed gave -him the satisfaction of knowing that he had punished some of them -pretty smartly for their rudeness, and by their scampering and -their retreating howls, he perceived that he had routed them. He -stood for a little, weighing his battle-axe in his hand as if it -had been the most precious lump of metal - but indeed no lump of -gold itself could have been so precious at the time as that common -tool - then untied the end of the string from it, put the ball in -his pocket, and still stood thinking. It was clear that the cobs' -creatures had found his axe, had between them carried it off, and -had so led him he knew not where. But for all his thinking he -could not tell what he ought to do, until suddenly he became aware -of a glimmer of light in the distance. Without a moment's -hesitation he set out for it, as fast as the unknown and rugged way -would permit. Yet again turning a corner, led by the dim light, he -spied something quite new in his experience of the underground -regions - a small irregular shape of something shining. Going up -to it, he found it was a piece of mica, or Muscovy glass, called -sheep-silver in Scotland, and the light flickered as if from a fire -behind it. After trying in vain for some time to discover an -entrance to the place where it was burning, he came at length to a -small chamber in which an opening, high in the wall, revealed a -glow beyond. To this opening he managed to scramble up, and then -he saw a strange sight. - -Below sat a little group of goblins around a fire, the smoke of -which vanished in the darkness far aloft. The sides of the cave -were full of shining minerals like those of the palace hall; and -the company was evidently of a superior order, for every one wore -stones about head, or arms, or waist, shining dull gorgeous colours -in the light of the fire. Nor had Curdie looked long before he -recognized the king himself, and found that he had made his way -into the inner apartment of the royal family. He had never had -such a good chance of hearing something. He crept through the hole -as softly as he could, scrambled a good way down the wall towards -them without attracting attention, and then sat down and listened. -The king, evidently the queen, and probably the crown prince and -the Prime Minister were talking together. He was sure of the queen -by her shoes, for as she warmed her feet at the fire, he saw them -quite plainly. - -'That will be fun!' said the one he took for the crown prince. -It was the first whole sentence he heard. - -'I don't see why you should think it such a grand affair!' said his -stepmother, tossing her head backward. - -'You must remember, my spouse,' interposed His Majesty, as if -making excuse for his son, 'he has got the same blood in him. His -mother -' - -'Don't talk to me of his mother! You positively encourage his -unnatural fancies. Whatever belongs to that mother ought to be cut -out of him.' - -'You forget yourself, my dear!' said the king. - -'I don't,' said the queen, 'nor you either. If you expect me to -approve of such coarse tastes, you will find yourself mistaken. I -don't wear shoes for nothing.' - -'You must acknowledge, however,' the king said, with a little -groan, 'that this at least is no whim of Harelip's, but a matter of -State policy. You are well aware that his gratification comes -purely from the pleasure of sacrificing himself to the public good. - -Does it not, Harelip?' - -'Yes, father; of course it does. Only it will be nice to make her -cry. I'll have the skin taken off between her toes, and tie them -up till they grow together. Then her feet will be like other -people's, and there will be no occasion for her to wear shoes.' - -'Do you mean to insinuate I've got toes, you unnatural wretch?' -cried the queen; and she moved angrily towards Harelip. The -councillor, however, who was betwixt them, leaned forward so as to -prevent her touching him, but only as if to address the prince. - -'Your Royal Highness,' he said, 'possibly requires to be reminded -that you have got three toes yourself - one on one foot, two on the -other.' - -'Ha! ha! ha!' shouted the queen triumphantly. - -The councillor, encouraged by this mark of favour, went on. - -'It seems to me, Your Royal Highness, it would greatly endear you -to your future people, proving to them that you are not the less -one of themselves that you had the misfortune to be born of a -sun-mother, if you were to command upon yourself the comparatively -slight operation which, in a more extended form, you so wisely -meditate with regard to your future princess.' - -'Ha! ha! ha!' laughed the queen louder than before, and the king -and the minister joined in the laugh. Harelip growled, and for a -few moments the others continued to express their enjoyment of his -discomfiture. - -The queen was the only one Curdie could see with any distinctness. -She sat sideways to him, and the light of the fire shone full upon -her face. He could not consider her handsome. Her nose was -certainly broader at the end than its extreme length, and her eyes, -instead of being horizontal, were set up like two perpendicular -eggs, one on the broad, the other on the small end. Her mouth was -no bigger than a small buttonhole until she laughed, when it -stretched from ear to ear - only, to be sure, her ears were very -nearly in the middle of her cheeks. - -Anxious to hear everything they might say, Curdie ventured to slide -down a smooth part of the rock just under him, to a projection -below, upon which he thought to rest. But whether he was not -careful enough, or the projection gave way, down he came with a -rush on the floor of the cavern, bringing with him a great rumbling -shower of stones. - -The goblins jumped from their seats in more anger than -consternation, for they had never yet seen anything to be afraid of -in the palace. But when they saw Curdie with his pick in his hand -their rage was mingled with fear, for they took him for the first -of an invasion of miners. The king notwithstanding drew himself up -to his full height of four feet, spread himself to his full breadth -of three and a half, for he was the handsomest and squarest of all -the goblins, and strutting up to Curdie, planted himself with -outspread feet before him, and said with dignity: - -'Pray what right have you in my palace?' - -'The right of necessity, Your Majesty,' answered Curdie. 'I lost -my way and did not know where I was wandering to.' - -'How did you get in?' - -'By a hole in the mountain.' - -'But you are a miner! Look at your pickaxe!' - -Curdie did look at it, answering: - -'I came upon it lying on the ground a little way from here. I -tumbled over some wild beasts who were playing with it. Look, Your -Majesty.' And Curdie showed him how he was scratched and bitten. - -The king was pleased to find him behave more politely than he had -expected from what his people had told him concerning the miners, -for he attributed it to the power of his own presence; but he did -not therefore feel friendly to the intruder. - -'You will oblige me by walking out of my dominions at once,' he -said, well knowing what a mockery lay in the words. - -'With pleasure, if Your Majesty will give me a guide,' said Curdie. - -'I will give you a thousand,' said the king with a scoffing air of -magnificent liberality. - -'One will be quite sufficient,' said Curdie. - -But the king uttered a strange shout, half halloo, half roar, and -in rushed goblins till the cave was swarming. He said something to -the first of them which Curdie could not hear, and it was passed -from one to another till in a moment the farthest in the crowd had -evidently heard and understood it. They began to gather about him -in a way he did not relish, and he retreated towards the wall. -They pressed upon him. - -'Stand back,' said Curdie, grasping his pickaxe tighter by his -knee. - -They only grinned and pressed closer. Curdie bethought himself and -began to rhyme. - - -'Ten, twenty, thirty - -You're all so very dirty! -Twenty, thirty, forty - -You're all so thick and snorty! -'Thirty, forty, fifty - -You're all so puff-and-snifty! -Forty, fifty, sixty - -Beast and man so mixty! - -'Fifty, sixty, seventy - -Mixty, maxty, leaventy! -Sixty, seventy, eighty - -All your cheeks so slaty! - -'Seventy, eighty, ninety, -All your hands so flinty! -Eighty, ninety, hundred, -Altogether dundred!' - - -The goblins fell back a little when he began, and made horrible -grimaces all through the rhyme, as if eating something so -disagreeable that it set their teeth on edge and gave them the -creeps; but whether it was that the rhyming words were most of them -no words at all, for, a new rhyme being considered the more -efficacious, Curdie had made it on the spur of the moment, or -whether it was that the presence of the king and queen gave them -courage, I cannot tell; but the moment the rhyme was over they -crowded on him again, and out shot a hundred long arms, with a -multitude of thick nailless fingers at the ends of them, to lay -hold upon him. Then Curdie heaved up his axe. But being as gentle -as courageous and not wishing to kill any of them, he turned the -end which was square and blunt like a hammer, and with that came -down a great blow on the head of the goblin nearest him. Hard as -the heads of all goblins are, he thought he must feel that. And so -he did, no doubt; but he only gave a horrible cry, and sprung at -Curdie's throat. Curdie, however, drew back in time, and just at -that critical moment remembered the vulnerable part of the goblin -body. He made a sudden rush at the king and stamped with all his -might on His Majesty's feet. The king gave a most unkingly howl -and almost fell into the fire. Curdie then rushed into the crowd, -stamping right and left. The goblins drew back, howling on every -side as he approached, but they were so crowded that few of those -he attacked could escape his tread; and the shrieking and roaring -that filled the cave would have appalled Curdie but for the good -hope it gave him. They were tumbling over each other in heaps in -their eagerness to rush from the cave, when a new assailant -suddenly faced him - the queen, with flaming eyes and expanded -nostrils, her hair standing half up from her head, rushed at him. -She trusted in her shoes: they were of granite - hollowed like -French sabots. Curdie would have endured much rather than hurt a -woman, even if she was a goblin; but here was an affair of life and -death: forgetting her shoes, he made a great stamp on one of her -feet. But she instantly returned it with very different effect, -causing him frightful pain, and almost disabling him. His only -chance with her would have been to attack the granite shoes with -his pickaxe, but before he could think of that she had caught him -up in her arms and was rushing with him across the cave. She -dashed him into a hole in the wall, with a force that almost -stunned him. But although he could not move, he was not too far -gone to hear her great cry, and the rush of multitudes of soft -feet, followed by the sounds of something heaved up against the -rock; after which came a multitudinous patter of stones falling -near him. The last had not ceased when he grew very faint, for his -head had been badly cut, and at last insensible. - -When he came to himself there was perfect silence about him, and -utter darkness, but for the merest glimmer in one tiny spot. He -crawled to it, and found that they had heaved a slab against the -mouth of the hole, past the edge of which a poor little gleam found -its way from the fire. He could not move it a hairbreadth, for -they had piled a great heap of stones against it. He crawled back -to where he had been lying, in the faint hope of finding his -pickaxe, But after a vain search he was at last compelled to -acknowledge himself in an evil plight. He sat down and tried to -think, but soon fell fast asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 19 -Goblin Counsels - - -He must have slept a long time, for when he awoke he felt -wonderfully restored - indeed almost well - and very hungry. There -were voices in the outer cave. - -Once more, then, it was night; for the goblins slept during the day -and went about their affairs during the night. - -In the universal and constant darkness of their dwelling they had -no reason to prefer the one arrangement to the other; but from -aversion to the sun-people they chose to be busy when there was -least chance of their being met either by the miners below, when -they were burrowing, or by the people of the mountain above, when -they were feeding their sheep or catching their goats. And indeed -it was only when the sun was away that the outside of the mountain -was sufficiently like their own dismal regions to be endurable to -their mole eyes, so thoroughly had they become unaccustomed to any -light beyond that of their own fires and torches. - -Curdie listened, and soon found that they were talking of himself. - -'How long will it take?' asked Harelip. - -'Not many days, I should think,' answered the king. 'They are poor -feeble creatures, those sun-people, and want to be always eating. -We can go a week at a time without food, and be all the better for -it; but I've been told they eat two or three times every day! Can -you believe it? They must be quite hollow inside - not at all like -us, nine-tenths of whose bulk is solid flesh and bone. Yes - I -judge a week of starvation will do for him.' -'If I may be allowed a word,' interposed the queen, - 'and I think -I ought to have some voice in the matter -' - -'The wretch is entirely at your disposal, my spouse,' interrupted -the king. 'He is your property. You caught him yourself.We should -never have done it.' - -The queen laughed. She seemed in far better humour than the night -before. - -'I was about to say,' she resumed, 'that it does seem a pity to -waste so much fresh meat.' - -'What are you thinking of, my love?' said the king. 'The very -notion of starving him implies that we are not going to give him -any meat, either salt or fresh.' - -'I'm not such a stupid as that comes to,' returned Her Majesty. -'What I mean is that by the time he is starved there will hardly be -a picking upon his bones.' - -The king gave a great laugh. - -'Well, my spouse, you may have him when you like,' he said. 'I -don't fancy him for my part. I am pretty sure he is tough eating.' - -'That would be to honour instead of punish his insolence,' returned -the queen. 'But why should our poor creatures be deprived of so -much nourishment? Our little dogs and cats and pigs and small -bears would enjoy him very much.' - -'You are the best of housekeepers, my lovely queen!' said her -husband. 'Let it be so by all means. Let us have our people in, -and get him out and kill him at once. He deserves it. The -mischief he might have brought upon us, now that he had penetrated -so far as our most retired citadel, is incalculable. Or rather let -us tie him hand and foot, and have the pleasure of seeing him torn -to pieces by full torchlight in the great hall.' - -'Better and better!' cried the queen and the prince together, both -of them clapping their hands. And the prince made an ugly noise -with his hare-lip, just as if he had intended to be one at the -feast. - -'But,' added the queen, bethinking herself, 'he is so troublesome. -For poor creatures as they are, there is something about those -sun-people that is very troublesome. I cannot imagine how it is -that with such superior strength and skill and understanding as -ours, we permit them to exist at all. Why do we not destroy them -entirely, and use their cattle and grazing lands at our pleasure? -Of course we don't want to live in their horrid country! It is far -too glaring for our quieter and more refined tastes. But we might -use it as a sort of outhouse, you know. Even our creatures' eyes -might get used to it, and if they did grow blind that would be of -no consequence, provided they grew fat as well. But we might even -keep their great cows and other creatures, and then we should have -a few more luxuries, such as cream and cheese, which at present we -only taste occasionally, when our brave men have succeeded in -carrying some off from their farms.' - -'It is worth thinking of,' said the king; 'and I don't know why you -should be the first to suggest it, except that you have a positive -genius for conquest. But still, as you say, there is something -very troublesome about them; and it would be better, as I -understand you to suggest, that we should starve him for a day or -two first, so that he may be a little less frisky when we take him -out.' - - -'Once there was a goblin -Living in a hole; -Busy he was cobblin' -A shoe without a sole. - -'By came a birdie: -"Goblin, what do you do?" -"Cobble at a sturdie -Upper leather shoe." - -'"What's the good o' that, Sir?" -Said the little bird. -"Why it's very Pat, Sir - -Plain without a word. - -'"Where 'tis all a hole, Sir, -Never can be holes: -Why should their shoes have soles, Sir, -When they've got no souls?"' - - -'What's that horrible noise?' cried the queen, shuddering from -pot-metal head to granite shoes. - -'I declare,' said the king with solemn indignation, 'it's the -sun-creature in the hole!' - -'Stop that disgusting noise!' cried the crown prince valiantly, -getting up and standing in front of the heap of stones, with his -face towards Curdie's prison. 'Do now, or I'll break your head.' - -'Break away,' shouted Curdie, and began singing again: - - -'Once there was a goblin, Living in a hole -' - - -'I really cannot bear it,' said the queen. 'If I could only get at -his horrid toes with my slippers again!' -'I think we had better go to bed,' said the king. - -'It's not time to go to bed,' said the queen. - -'I would if I was you,' said Curdie. - -'Impertinent wretch!' said the queen, with the utmost scorn in her -voice. - -'An impossible if,' said His Majesty with dignity. - -'Quite,' returned Curdie, and began singing again: - - -'Go to bed, -Goblin, do. -Help the queen -Take off her shoe. - -'If you do, -It will disclose -A horrid set -Of sprouting toes.' - - -'What a lie!' roared the queen in a rage. - -'By the way, that reminds me,' said the king, 'that for as long as -we have been married, I have never seen your feet, queen. I think -you might take off your shoes when you go to bed! They positively -hurt me sometimes.' - -'I will do as I like,' retorted the queen sulkily. - -'You ought to do as your own hubby wishes you,' said the king. - -'I will not,' said the queen. - -'Then I insist upon it,' said the king. - -Apparently His Majesty approached the queen for the purpose of -following the advice given by Curdie, for the latter heard a -scuffle, and then a great roar from the king. - -'Will you be quiet, then?' said the queen wickedly. - -'Yes, yes, queen. I only meant to coax you.' - -'Hands off!' cried the queen triumphantly. 'I'm going to bed. You -may come when you like. But as long as I am queen I will sleep in -my shoes. It is my royal privilege. Harelip, go to bed.' - -'I'm going,' said Harelip sleepily. - -'So am I,' said the king. - -'Come along, then,' said the queen; 'and mind you are good, or -I'll -' - -'Oh, no, no, no!' screamed the king in the most supplicating of -tones. - -Curdie heard only a muttered reply in the distance; and then the -cave was quite still. - -They had left the fire burning, and the light came through brighter -than before. Curdie thought it was time to try again if anything -could be done. But he found he could not get even a finger through -the chink between the slab and the rock. He gave a great rush with -his shoulder against the slab, but it yielded no more than if it -had been part of the rock. All he could do was to sit down and -think again. - -By and by he came to the resolution to pretend to be dying, in the -hope they might take him out before his strength was too much -exhausted to let him have a chance. Then, for the creatures, if he -could but find his axe again, he would have no fear of them; and if -it were not for the queen's horrid shoes, he would have no fear at -all. -Meantime, until they should come again at night, there was nothing -for him to do but forge new rhymes, now his only weapons. He had -no intention of using them at present, of course; but it was well -to have a stock, for he might live to want them, and the -manufacture of them would help to while away the time. - - - -CHAPTER 20 -Irene's Clue - - -That same morning early, the princess woke in a terrible fright. -There was a hideous noise in her room - creatures snarling and -hissing and rocketing about as if they were fighting. The moment -she came to herself, she remembered something she had never thought -of again - what her grandmother told her to do when she was -frightened. She immediately took off her ring and put it under her -pillow. As she did so she fancied she felt a finger and thumb take -it gently from under her palm. 'It must be my grandmother!' she -said to herself, and the thought gave her such courage that she -stopped to put on her dainty little slippers before running from -the room. While doing this she caught sight of a long cloak of -sky-blue, thrown over the back of a chair by the bedside. She had -never seen it before but it was evidently waiting for her. She put -it on, and then, feeling with the forefinger of her right hand, -soon found her grandmother's thread, which she proceeded at once to -follow, expecting it would lead her straight up the old stair. -When she reached the door she found it went down and ran along the -floor, so that she had almost to crawl in order to keep a hold of -it. Then, to her surprise, and somewhat to her dismay, she found -that instead of leading her towards the stair it turned in quite -the opposite direction. It led her through certain narrow passages -towards the kitchen, turning aside ere she reached it, and guiding -her to a door which communicated with a small back yard. Some of -the maids were already up, and this door was standing open. Across -the yard the thread still ran along the ground, until it brought -her to a door in the wall which opened upon the Mountainside. When -she had passed through, the thread rose to about half her height, -and she could hold it with ease as she walked. It led her straight -up the mountain. - -The cause of her alarm was less frightful than she supposed. The -cook's great black cat, pursued by the housekeeper's terrier, had -bounced against her bedroom door, which had not been properly -fastened, and the two had burst into the room together and -commenced a battle royal. How the nurse came to sleep through it -was a mystery, but I suspect the old lady had something to do with -it. - -It was a clear warm morning. The wind blew deliciously over the -Mountainside. Here and there she saw a late primrose but she did -not stop to call upon them. The sky was mottled with small clouds. - -The sun was not yet up, but some of their fluffy edges had caught -his light, and hung out orange and gold-coloured fringes upon the -air. The dew lay in round drops upon the leaves, and hung like -tiny diamond ear-rings from the blades of grass about her path. - -'How lovely that bit of gossamer is!' thought the princess, looking -at a long undulating line that shone at some distance from her up -the hill. It was not the time for gossamers though; and Irene soon -discovered that it was her own thread she saw shining on before her -in the light of the morning. It was leading her she knew not -whither; but she had never in her life been out before sunrise, and -everything was so fresh and cool and lively and full of something -coming, that she felt too happy to be afraid of anything. - -After leading her up a good distance, the thread turned to the -left, and down the path upon which she and Lootie had met Curdie. -But she never thought of that, for now in the morning light, with -its far outlook over the country, no path could have been more open -and airy and cheerful. She could see the road almost to the -horizon, along which she had so often watched her king-papa and his -troop come shining, with the bugle- blast cleaving the air before -them; and it was like a companion to her. Down and down the path -went, then up, and then down and then up again, getting rugged and -more rugged as it went; and still along the path went the silvery -thread, and still along the thread went Irene's little rosy-tipped -forefinger. By and by she came to a little stream that jabbered -and prattled down the hill, and up the side of the stream went both -path and thread. And still the path grew rougher and steeper, and -the mountain grew wilder, till Irene began to think she was going -a very long way from home; and when she turned to look back she saw -that the level country had vanished and the rough bare mountain had -closed in about her. But still on went the thread, and on went the -princess. Everything around her was getting brighter and brighter -as the sun came nearer; till at length his first rays all at once -alighted on the top of a rock before her, like some golden creature -fresh from the sky. Then she saw that the little stream ran out of -a hole in that rock, that the path did not go past the rock, and -that the thread was leading her straight up to it. A shudder ran -through her from head to foot when she found that the thread was -actually taking her into the hole out of which the stream ran. It -ran out babbling joyously, but she had to go in. - -She did not hesitate. Right into the hole she went, which was high -enough to let her walk without stooping. For a little way there -was a brown glimmer, but at the first turn it all but ceased, and -before she had gone many paces she was in total darkness. Then she -began to be frightened indeed. Every moment she kept feeling the -thread backwards and forwards, and as she went farther and farther -into the darkness of the great hollow mountain, she kept thinking -more and more about her grandmother, and all that she had said to -her, and how kind she had been, and how beautiful she was, and all -about her lovely room, and the fire of roses, and the great lamp -that sent its light through stone walls. And she became more and -more sure that the thread could not have gone there of itself, and -that her grandmother must have sent it. But it tried her -dreadfully when the path went down very steep, and especially When -she came to places where she had to go down rough stairs, and even -sometimes a ladder. Through one narrow passage after another, over -lumps of rock and sand and clay, the thread guided her, until she -came to a small hole through which she had to creep. Finding no -change on the other side, 'Shall I ever get back?' she thought, -over and over again, wondering at herself that she was not ten -times more frightened, and often feeling as if she were only -walking in the story of a dream. Sometimes she heard the noise of -water, a dull gurgling inside the rock. By and by she heard the -sounds of blows, which came nearer and nearer; but again they grew -duller, and almost died away. In a hundred directions she turned, -obedient to the guiding thread. - -At last she spied a dull red shine, and came up to the mica window, -and thence away and round about, and right, into a cavern, where -glowed the red embers of a fire. Here the thread began to rise. -It rose as high as her head and higher still. What should she do -if she lost her hold? She was pulling it down: She might break it! -She could see it far up, glowing as red as her fire-opal in the -light of the embers. - -But presently she came to a huge heap of stones, piled in a slope -against the wall of the cavern. On these she climbed, and soon -recovered the level of the thread only however to find, the next -moment, that it vanished through the heap of stones, and left her -standing on it, with her face to the solid rock. For one terrible -moment she felt as if her grandmother had forsaken her. The thread -which the spiders had spun far over the seas, which her grandmother -had sat in the moonlight and spun again for her, which she had -tempered in the rose-fire and tied to her opal ring, had left her -- had gone where she could no longer follow it - had brought her -into a horrible cavern, and there left her! She was forsaken -indeed! - -'When shall I wake?' she said to herself in an agony, but the same -moment knew that it was no dream. She threw herself upon the heap, -and began to cry. It was well she did not know what creatures, one -of them with stone shoes on her feet, were lying in the next cave. -But neither did she know who was on the other side of the slab. - -At length the thought struck her that at least she could follow the -thread backwards, and thus get out of the mountain, and home. She -rose at once, and found the thread. But the instant she tried to -feel it backwards, it vanished from her touch. Forwards, it led -her hand up to the heap of stones - backwards it seemed nowhere. -Neither could she see it as before in the light of the fire. She -burst into a wailing cry, and again threw herself down on the -stones. - - - -CHAPTER 21 -The Escape - - -As the princess lay and sobbed she kept feeling the thread -mechanically, following it with her finger many times up to the -stones in which it disappeared. By and by she began, still -mechanically, to poke her finger in after it between the stones as -far as she could. All at once it came into her head that she might -remove some of the stones and see where the thread went next. -Almost laughing at herself for never having thought of this before, -she jumped to her feet. Her fear vanished; once more she was -certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought her there -just to leave her there; and she began to throw away the stones -from the top as fast as she could, sometimes two or three at a -handful, sometimes taking both hands to lift one. After clearing -them away a little, she found that the thread turned and went -straight downwards. Hence, as the heap sloped a good deal, growing -of course wider towards its base, she had to throw away a multitude -of stones to follow the thread. But this was not all, for she soon -found that the thread, after going straight down for a little way, -turned first sideways in one direction, then sideways in another, -and then shot, at various angles, hither and thither inside the -heap, so that she began to be afraid that to clear the thread she -must remove the whole huge gathering. She was dismayed at the very -idea, but, losing no time, set to work with a will; and with aching -back, and bleeding fingers and hands, she worked on, sustained by -the pleasure of seeing the heap slowly diminish and begin to show -itself on the opposite side of the fire. Another thing which -helped to keep up her courage was that, as often as she uncovered -a turn of the thread, instead of lying loose upon the stone, it -tightened up; this made her sure that her grandmother was at the -end of it somewhere. - -She had got about half-way down when she started, and nearly fell -with fright. Close to her ears as it seemed, a voice broke out -singing: - - -'Jabber, bother, smash! -You'll have it all in a crash. -Jabber, smash, bother! -You'll have the worst of the pother. -Smash, bother, jabber! -' - - -Here Curdie stopped, either because he could not find a rhyme to -'jabber', or because he remembered what he had forgotten when he -woke up at the sound of Irene's labours, that his plan was to make -the goblins think he was getting weak. But he had uttered enough -to let Irene know who he was. - -'It's Curdie!' she cried joyfully. - -'Hush! hush!' came Curdie's voice again from somewhere. 'Speak -softly.' - -'Why, you were singing loud!' said Irene. - -'Yes. But they know I am here, and they don't know you are. Who -are you?' - -'I'm Irene,' answered the princess. 'I know who you are quite -well. You're Curdie.' - -'Why, how ever did you come here, Irene?' - -'My great-great-grandmother sent me; and I think I've found out -why. You can't get out, I suppose?' - -'No, I can't. What are you doing?' - -'Clearing away a huge heap of stones.' - -'There's a princess!' exclaimed Curdie, in a tone of delight, but -still speaking in little more than a whisper. 'I can't think how -you got here, though.' - -'my grandmother sent me after her thread.' - -'I don't know what you mean,' said Curdie; 'but so you're there, it -doesn't much matter.' - -'Oh, yes, it does!' returned Irene. 'I should never have been here -but for her.' - -'You can tell me all about it when we get out, then. There's no -time to lose now,'said Curdie. - -And Irene went to work, as fresh as when she began. - -'There's such a lot of stones!' she said. 'It will take me a long -time to get them all away.' - -'How far on have you got?' asked Curdie. - -'I've got about the half away, but the other half is ever so much -bigger.' - -'I don't think you will have to move the lower half. Do you see a -slab laid up against the wall?' - -Irene looked, and felt about with her hands, and soon perceived the -outlines of the slab. - -'Yes,' she answered, 'I do.' - -'Then, I think,' rejoined Curdie, 'when you have cleared the slab -about half-way down, or a bit more, I shall be able to push it -over.' - -'I must follow my thread,' returned Irene, 'whatever I do.' - -'What do you mean?'exclaimed Curdie. -'You will see when you get out,' answered the princess, and went on -harder than ever. - -But she was soon satisfied that what Curdie wanted done and what -the thread wanted done were one and the same thing. For she not -only saw that by following the turns of the thread she had been -clearing the face of the slab, but that, a little more than -half-way down, the thread went through the chink between the slab -and the wall into the place where Curdie was confined, so that she -could not follow it any farther until the slab was out of her way. -As soon as she found this, she said in a right joyous whisper: - -'Now, Curdie, I think if you were to give a great push, the slab -would tumble over.' - -'Stand quite clear of it, then,' said Curdie, 'and let me know when -you are ready.' - -Irene got off the heap, and stood on one side of it. 'Now, -Curdie!' she cried. - -Curdie gave a great rush with his shoulder against it. Out tumbled -the slab on the heap, and out crept Curdie over the top of it. - -'You've saved my life, Irene!' he whispered. - -'Oh, Curdie! I'm so glad! Let's get out of this horrid place as -fast as we can.' - -'That's easier said than done,' returned he. - -'Oh, no, it's quite easy,' said Irene. 'We have only to follow my -thread. I am sure that it's going to take us out now.' - -She had already begun to follow it over the fallen slab into the -hole, while Curdie was searching the floor of the cavern for his -pickaxe. - -'Here it is!' he cried. 'No, it is not,' he added, in a -disappointed tone. 'What can it be, then? I declare it's a torch. -That is jolly! It's better almost than my pickaxe. Much better if -it weren't for those stone shoes!' he went on, as he lighted the -torch by blowing the last embers of the expiring fire. - -When he looked up, with the lighted torch casting a glare into the -great darkness of the huge cavern, he caught sight of Irene -disappearing in the hole out of which he had himself just come. - -'Where are you going there?' he cried. 'That's not the way out. -That's where I couldn't get out.' - -'I know that,' whispered Irene. 'But this is the way my thread -goes, and I must follow it.' - -'What nonsense the child talks!' said Curdie to himself. 'I must -follow her, though, and see that she comes to no harm. She will -soon find she can't get out that way, and then she will come with -me.' - -So he crept over the slab once more into the hole with his torch in -his hand. But when he looked about in it, he could see her -nowhere. And now he discovered that although the hole was narrow, -it was much longer than he had supposed; for in one direction the -roof came down very low, and the hole went off in a narrow passage, -of which he could not see the end. The princess must have crept in -there. He got on his knees and one hand, holding the torch with -the other, and crept after her. The hole twisted about, in some -parts so low that he could hardly get through, in others so high -that he could not see the roof, but everywhere it was narrow - far -too narrow for a goblin to get through, and so I presume they never -thought that Curdie might. He was beginning to feel very -uncomfortable lest something should have befallen the princess, -when he heard her voice almost close to his ear, whispering: - -'Aren't you coming, Curdie?' - -And when he turned the next corner there she stood waiting for him. - -'I knew you couldn't go wrong in that narrow hole, but now you must -keep by me, for here is a great wide place,' she said. - -'I can't understand it,' said Curdie, half to himself, half to -Irene. - -'Never mind,' she returned. 'Wait till we get out.' - -Curdie, utterly astonished that she had already got so far, and by -a path he had known nothing of, thought it better to let her do as -she pleased. 'At all events,' he said again to himself, 'I know -nothing about the way, miner as I am; and she seems to think she -does know something about it, though how she should passes my -comprehension. So she's just as likely to find her way as I am, -and as she insists on taking the lead, I must follow. We can't be -much worse off than we are, anyhow.' Reasoning thus, he followed -her a few steps, and came out in another great cavern, across which -Irene walked in a straight line, as confidently as if she knew -every step of the way. Curdie went on after her, flashing his -torch about, and trying to see something of what lay around them. -Suddenly he started back a pace as the light fell upon something -close by which Irene was passing. It was a platform of rock raised -a few feet from the floor and covered with sheepskins, upon which -lay two horrible figures asleep, at once recognized by Curdie as -the king and queen of the goblins. He lowered his torch instantly -lest the light should awake them. As he did so it flashed upon his -pickaxe, lying by the side of the queen, whose hand lay close by -the handle of it. - -'Stop one moment,' he whispered. 'Hold my torch, and don't let the -light on their faces.' - -Irene shuddered when she saw the frightful creatures, whom she had -passed without observing them, but she did as he requested, and -turning her back, held the torch low in front of her. Curdie drew -his pickaxe carefully away, and as he did so spied one of her feet, -projecting from under the skins. The great clumsy granite shoe, -exposed thus to his hand, was a temptation not to be resisted. He -laid hold of it, and, with cautious efforts, drew it off. The -moment he succeeded, he saw to his astonishment that what he had -sung in ignorance, to annoy the queen, was actually true: she had -six horrible toes. Overjoyed at his success, and seeing by the -huge bump in the sheepskins where the other foot was, he proceeded -to lift them gently, for, if he could only succeed in carrying away -the other shoe as well, he would be no more afraid of the goblins -than of so many flies. But as he pulled at the second shoe the -queen gave a growl and sat up in bed. The same instant the king -awoke also and sat up beside her. - -'Run, Irene!' cried Curdie, for though he was not now in the least -afraid for himself, he was for the princess. - -Irene looked once round, saw the fearful creatures awake, and like -the wise princess she was, dashed the torch on the ground and -extinguished it, crying out: - -'Here, Curdie, take my hand.' - -He darted to her side, forgetting neither the queen's shoe nor his -pickaxe, and caught hold of her hand, as she sped fearlessly where -her thread guided her. They heard the queen give a great bellow; -but they had a good start, for it would be some time before they -could get torches lighted to pursue them. just as they thought -they saw a gleam behind them, the thread brought them to a very -narrow opening, through which Irene crept easily, and Curdie with -difficulty. - -'Now,'said Curdie; 'I think we shall be safe.' - -'Of course we shall,' returned Irene. 'Why do you think so?'asked -Curdie. - -'Because my grandmother is taking care of us.' - -'That's all nonsense,' said Curdie. 'I don't know what you mean.' - -'Then if you don't know what I mean, what right have you to call it -nonsense?' asked the princess, a little offended. - -'I beg your pardon, Irene,' said Curdie; 'I did not mean to vex -you.' - -'Of course not,' returned the princess. 'But why do you think we -shall be safe?' -'Because the king and queen are far too stout to get through that -hole.' - -'There might be ways round,' said the princess. - -'To be sure there might: we are not out of it yet,' acknowledged -Curdie. - -'But what do you mean by the king and queen?' asked the princess. -'I should never call such creatures as those a king and a queen.' - -'Their own people do, though,' answered Curdie. - -The princess asked more questions, and Curdie, as they walked -leisurely along, gave her a full account, not only of the character -and habits of the goblins, so far as he knew them, but of his own -adventures with them, beginning from the very night after that in -which he had met her and Lootie upon the mountain. When he had -finished, he begged Irene to tell him how it was that she had come -to his rescue. So Irene too had to tell a long story, which she -did in rather a roundabout manner, interrupted by many questions -concerning things she had not explained. But her tale, as he did -not believe more than half of it, left everything as unaccountable -to him as before, and he was nearly as much perplexed as to what he -must think of the princess. He could not believe that she was -deliberately telling stories, and the only conclusion he could come -to was that Lootie had been playing the child tricks, inventing no -end of lies to frighten her for her own purposes. - -'But how ever did Lootie come to let you go into the mountains -alone?'he asked. - -'Lootie knows nothing about it. I left her fast asleep - at least -I think so. I hope my grandmother won't let her get into trouble, -for it wasn't her fault at all, as my grandmother very well knows.' - -'But how did you find your way to me?' persisted Curdie. - -'I told you already,' answered Irene; 'by keeping my finger upon my -grandmother's thread, as I am doing now.' - -'You don't mean you've got the thread there?' - -'Of course I do. I have told you so ten times already. I have -hardly - except when I was removing the stones - taken my finger -off it. There!' she added, guiding Curdie's hand to the thread, -'you feel it yourself - don't you?' - -'I feel nothing at all,' replied Curdie. -'Then what can be the matter with your finger? I feel it -perfectly. To be sure it is very thin, and in the sunlight looks -just like the thread of a spider, though there are many of them -twisted together to make it - but for all that I can't think why -you shouldn't feel it as well as I do.' - -Curdie was too polite to say he did not believe there was any -thread there at all. What he did say was: - -'Well, I can make nothing of it.' - -'I can, though, and you must be glad of that, for it will do for -both of us.' - -'We're not out yet,' said Curdie. - -'We soon shall be,' returned Irene confidently. And now the thread -went downwards, and led Irene's hand to a hole in the floor of the -cavern, whence came a sound of running water which they had been -hearing for some time. - -'It goes into the ground now, Curdie,' she said, stopping. - -He had been listening to another sound, which his practised ear had -caught long ago, and which also had been growing louder. It was -the noise the goblin-miners made at their work, and they seemed to -be at no great distance now. Irene heard it the moment she -stopped. - -'What is that noise?' she asked. 'Do you know, Curdie?' - -'Yes. It is the goblins digging and burrowing,' he answered. - -'And you don't know what they do it for?' - -'No; I haven't the least idea. Would you like to see them?' he -asked, wishing to have another try after their secret. - -'If my thread took me there, I shouldn't much mind; but I don't -want to see them, and I can't leave my thread. It leads me down -into the hole, and we had better go at once.' - -'Very well. Shall I go in first?' said Curdie. - -'No; better not. You can't feel the thread,' she answered, -stepping down through a narrow break in the floor of the cavern. -'Oh!' she cried, 'I am in the water. It is running strong - but it -is not deep, and there is just room to walk. Make haste, Curdie.' - -He tried, but the hole was too small for him to get in. - -'Go on a little bit he said, shouldering his pickaxe. In a few -moments he had cleared a larger opening and followed her. They -went on, down and down with the running water, Curdie getting more -and more afraid it was leading them to some terrible gulf in the -heart of the mountain. In one or two places he had to break away -the rock to make room before even Irene could get through - at -least without hurting herself. But at length they spied a glimmer -of light, and in a minute more they were almost blinded by the full -sunlight, into which they emerged. It was some little time before -the princess could see well enough to discover that they stood in -her own garden, close by the seat on which she and her king-papa -had sat that afternoon. They had come out by the channel of the -little stream. She danced and clapped her hands with delight. - -'Now, Curdie!' she cried, 'won't you believe what I told you about -my grandmother and her thread?' - -For she had felt all the time that Curdie was not believing what -she told him. - -'There! - don't you see it shining on before us?' she added. - -'I don't see anything,' persisted Curdie. - -'Then you must believe without seeing,' said the princess; 'for you -can't deny it has brought us out of the mountain.' - -'I can't deny we are out of the mountain, and I should be very -ungrateful indeed to deny that you had brought me out of it.' - -'I couldn't have done it but for the thread,' persisted Irene. - -'That's the part I don't understand.' - -'well, come along, and Lootie will get you something to eat. I am -sure you must want it very much.' - -'Indeed I do. But my father and mother will be so anxious about -me, I must make haste - first up the mountain to tell my mother, -and then down into the mine again to let my father know.' - -'Very well, Curdie; but you can't get out without coming this way, -and I will take you through the house, for that is nearest.' - -They met no one by the way, for, indeed, as before, the people were -here and there and everywhere searching for the princess. When -they got in Irene found that the thread, as she had half expected, -went up the old staircase, and a new thought struck her. She -turned to Curdie and said: - -'My grandmother wants me. Do come up with me and see her. Then -you will know that I have been telling you the truth. Do come - to -please me, Curdie. I can't bear you should think what I say is not -true.' - -'I never doubted you believed what you said,' returned Curdie. 'I -only thought you had some fancy in your head that was not correct.' -'But do come, dear Curdie.' - -The little miner could not withstand this appeal, and though he -felt shy in what seemed to him a huge grand house, he yielded, and -followed her up the stair. - - - -CHAPTER 22 -The Old Lady and Curdie - - -Up the stair then they went, and the next and the next, and through -the long rows of empty rooms, and up the little tower stair, Irene -growing happier and happier as she ascended. There was no answer -when she knocked at length at the door of the workroom, nor could -she hear any sound of the spinning-wheel, and once more her heart -sank within her, but only for one moment, as she turned and knocked -at the other door. - -'Come in,' answered the sweet voice of her grandmother, and Irene -opened the door and entered, followed by Curdie. - -'You darling!' cried the lady, who was seated by a fire of red -roses mingled with white. 'I've been waiting for you, and indeed -getting a little anxious about you, and beginning to think whether -I had not better go and fetch you myself.' - -As she spoke she took the little princess in her arms and placed -her upon her lap. She was dressed in white now, and looking if -possible more lovely than ever. - -'I've brought Curdie, grandmother. He wouldn't believe what I told -him and so I've brought him.' - -'Yes - I see him. He is a good boy, Curdie, and a brave boy. -Aren't you glad you've got him out?' - -'Yes, grandmother. But it wasn't very good of him not to believe -me when I was telling him the truth.' - -'People must believe what they can, and those who believe more must -not be hard upon those who believe less. I doubt if you would have -believed it all yourself if you hadn't seen some of it.' - -'Ah! yes, grandmother, I dare say. I'm sure you are right. But -he'll believe now.' - -'I don't know that,' replied her grandmother. - -'Won't you, Curdie?' said Irene, looking round at him as she asked -the question. He was standing in the middle of the floor, staring, -and looking strangely bewildered. This she thought came of his -astonishment at the beauty of the lady. -'Make a bow to my grandmother, Curdie,' she said. - -'I don't see any grandmother,' answered Curdie rather gruffly. - -'Don't see my grandmother, when I'm sitting in her lap?' exclaimed -the princess. - -'No, I don't,' reiterated Curdie, in an offended tone. - -'Don't you see the lovely fire of roses - white ones amongst them -this time?' asked Irene, almost as bewildered as he. - -'No, I don't,' answered Curdie, almost sulkily. - -'Nor the blue bed? Nor the rose-coloured counterpane? - Nor the -beautiful light, like the moon, hanging from the roof?' - -'You're making game of me, Your Royal Highness; and after what we -have come through together this day, I don't think it is kind of -you,' said Curdie, feeling very much hurt. - -'Then what do you see?' asked Irene, who perceived at once that for -her not to believe him was at least as bad as for him not to -believe her. - -'I see a big, bare, garret-room - like the one in mother's cottage, -only big enough to take the cottage itself in, and leave a good -margin all round,' answered Curdie. - -'And what more do you see?' - -'I see a tub, and a heap of musty straw, and a withered apple, and -a ray of sunlight coming through a hole in the middle of the roof -and shining on your head, and making all the place look a curious -dusky brown. I think you had better drop it, princess, and go down -to the nursery, like a good girl.' - -'But don't you hear my grandmother talking to me?' asked Irene, -almost crying. - -'No. I hear the cooing of a lot of pigeons. If you won't come -down, I will go without you. I think that will be better anyhow, -for I'm sure nobody who met us would believe a word we said to -them. They would think we made it all up. I don't expect anybody -but my own father and mother to believe me. They know I wouldn't -tell a story.' - -'And yet you won't believe me, Curdie?' expostulated the princess, -now fairly crying with vexation and sorrow at the gulf between her -and Curdie. - -'No. I can't, and I can't help it,' said Curdie, turning to leave -the room. - -'What SHALL I do, grandmother?' sobbed the princess, turning her -face round upon the lady's bosom, and shaking with suppressed sobs. - -'You must give him time,' said her grandmother; 'and you must be -content not to be believed for a while. It is very hard to bear; -but I have had to bear it, and shall have to bear it many a time -yet. I will take care of what Curdie thinks of you in the end. -You must let him go now.' - -'You're not coming, are you?' asked Curdie. - -'No, Curdie; my grandmother says I must let you go. Turn to the -right when you get to the bottom of all the stairs, and that will -take you to the hall where the great door is.' - -'Oh! I don't doubt I can find my way - without you, princess, or -your old grannie's thread either,' said Curdie quite rudely. - -'Oh, Curdie! Curdie!' - -'I wish I had gone home at once. I'm very much obliged to you, -Irene, for getting me out of that hole, but I wish you hadn't made -a fool of me afterwards.' - -He said this as he opened the door, which he left open, and, -without another word, went down the stair. Irene listened with -dismay to his departing footsteps. Then turning again to the lady: - -'What does it all mean, grandmother?' she sobbed, and burst into -fresh tears. - -'It means, my love, that I did not mean to show myself. Curdie is -not yet able to believe some things. Seeing is not believing - it -is only seeing. You remember I told you that if Lootie were to see -me, she would rub her eyes, forget the half she saw, and call the -other half nonsense.' - -'Yes; but I should have thought Curdie -' - -'You are right. Curdie is much farther on than Lootie, and you -will see what will come of it. But in the meantime you must be -content, I say, to be misunderstood for a while. We are all very -anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there -is one thing much more necessary.' - -'What is that, grandmother?' - -'To understand other people.' - -'Yes, grandmother. I must be fair - for if I'm not fair to other -people, I'm not worth being understood myself. I see. So as -Curdie can't help it, I will not be vexed with him, but just wait.' - -'There's my own dear child,' said her grandmother, and pressed her -close to her bosom. - -'Why weren't you in your workroom when we came up, grandmother?' -asked Irene, after a few moments' silence. - -'If I had been there, Curdie would have seen me well enough. But -why should I be there rather than in this beautiful room?' - -'I thought you would be spinning.' - -'I've nobody to spin for just at present. I never spin without -knowing for whom I am spinning.' - -'That reminds me - there is one thing that puzzles me,' said the -princess: 'how are you to get the thread out of the mountain again? -Surely you won't have to make another for me? That would be such -a trouble!' - -The lady set her down and rose and went to the fire. Putting in -her hand, she drew it out again and held up the shining ball -between her finger and thumb. - -'I've got it now, you see,' she said, coming back to the princess, -'all ready for you when you want it.' - -Going to her cabinet, she laid it in the same drawer as before. - -'And here is your ring,' she added, taking it from the little -finger of her left hand and putting it on the forefinger of Irene's -right hand. - -'Oh, thank you, grandmother! I feel so safe now!' - -'You are very tired, my child,' the lady went on. 'Your hands are -hurt with the stones, and I have counted nine bruises on you. just -look what you are like.' - -And she held up to her a little mirror which she had brought from -the cabinet. The princess burst into a merry laugh at the sight. -She was so draggled with the stream and dirty with creeping through -narrow places, that if she had seen the reflection without knowing -it was a reflection, she would have taken herself for some gipsy -child whose face was washed and hair combed about once in a month. -The lady laughed too, and lifting her again upon her knee, took off -her cloak and night-gown. Then she carried her to the side of the -room. Irene wondered what she was going to do with her, but asked -no questions - only starting a little when she found that she was -going to lay her in the large silver bath; for as she looked into -it, again she saw no bottom, but the stars shining miles away, as -it seemed, in a great blue gulf. Her hands closed involuntarily on -the beautiful arms that held her, and that was all. - -The lady pressed her once more to her bosom, saying: - -'Do not be afraid, my child.' - -'No, grandmother,' answered the princess, with a little gasp; and -the next instant she sank in the clear cool water. - -When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but a strange lovely blue -over and beneath and all about her. The lady, and the beautiful -room, had vanished from her sight, and she seemed utterly alone. -But instead of being afraid, she felt more than happy - perfectly -blissful. And from somewhere came the voice of the lady, singing -a strange sweet song, of which she could distinguish every word; -but of the sense she had only a feeling - no understanding. Nor -could she remember a single line after it was gone. It vanished, -like the poetry in a dream, as fast as it came. In after years, -however, she would sometimes fancy that snatches of melody suddenly -rising in her brain must be little phrases and fragments of the air -of that song; and the very fancy would make her happier, and abler -to do her duty. - -How long she lay in the water she did not know. It seemed a long -time - not from weariness but from pleasure. But at last she felt -the beautiful hands lay hold of her, and through the gurgling water -she was lifted out into the lovely room. The lady carried her to -the fire, and sat down with her in her lap, and dried her tenderly -with the softest towel. It was so different from Lootie's drying. -When the lady had done, she stooped to the fire, and drew from it -her night-gown, as white as snow. - -'How delicious!' exclaimed the princess. 'It smells of all the -roses in the world, I think.' - -When she stood up on the floor she felt as if she had been made -over again. Every bruise and all weariness were gone, and her -hands were soft and whole as ever. - -'Now I am going to put you to bed for a good sleep,' said her -grandmother. - -'But what will Lootie be thinking? And what am I to say to her -when she asks me where I have been?' - -'Don't trouble yourself about it. You will find it all come -right,' said her grandmother, and laid her into the blue bed, under -the rosy counterpane. - -'There is just one thing more,' said Irene. 'I am a little anxious -about Curdie. As I brought him into the house, I ought to have -seen him safe on his way home.' - -'I took care of all that,' answered the lady. 'I told you to let -him go, and therefore I was bound to look after him. Nobody saw -him, and he is now eating a good dinner in his mother's cottage far -up in the mountain.' - -'Then I will go to sleep,' said Irene, and in a few minutes she was -fast asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 23 -Curdie and His Mother - - -Curdie went up the mountain neither whistling nor singing, for he -was vexed with Irene for taking him in, as he called it; and he was -vexed with himself for having spoken to her so angrily. His mother -gave a cry of joy when she saw him, and at once set about getting -him something to eat, asking him questions all the time, which he -did not answer so cheerfully as usual. When his meal was ready, -she left him to eat it, and hurried to the mine to let his father -know he was safe. When she came back, she found him fast asleep -upon her bed; nor did he wake until his father came home in the -evening. - -'Now, Curdie,' his mother said, as they sat at supper, 'tell us the -whole story from beginning to end, just as it all happened.' - -Curdie obeyed, and told everything to the point where they came out -upon the lawn in the garden of the king's house. - -'And what happened after that?' asked his mother. 'You haven't -told us all. You ought to be very happy at having got away from -those demons, and instead of that I never saw you so gloomy. There -must be something more. Besides, you do not speak of that lovely -child as I should like to hear you. She saved your life at the -risk of her own, and yet somehow you don't seem to think much of -it.' - -'She talked such nonsense' answered Curdie, 'and told me a pack of -things that weren't a bit true; and I can't get over it.' - -'What were they?' asked his father. 'Your mother may be able to -throw some light upon them.' - -Then Curdie made a clean breast of it, and told them everything. - -They all sat silent for some time, pondering the strange tale. At -last Curdie's mother spoke. - -'You confess, my boy,' she said, 'there is something about the -whole affair you do not understand?' - -'Yes, of course, mother,' he answered. 'I cannot understand how a -child knowing nothing about the mountain, or even that I was shut -up in it, should come all that way alone, straight to where I was; -and then, after getting me out of the hole, lead me out of the -mountain too, where I should not have known a step of the way if it -had been as light as in the open air.' -'Then you have no right to say what she told you was not true. She -did take you out, and she must have had something to guide her: why -not a thread as well as a rope, or anything else? There is -something you cannot explain, and her explanation may be the right -one.' - -'It's no explanation at all, mother; and I can't believe it.' - -'That may be only because you do not understand it. If you did, -you would probably find it was an explanation, and believe it -thoroughly. I don't blame you for not being able to believe it, -but I do blame you for fancying such a child would try to deceive -you. Why should she? Depend upon it, she told you all she knew. -Until you had found a better way of accounting for it all, you -might at least have been more sparing of your judgement.' - -'That is what something inside me has been saying all the time,' -said Curdie, hanging down his head. 'But what do you make of the -grandmother? That is what I can't get over. To take me up to an -old garret, and try to persuade me against the sight of my own eyes -that it was a beautiful room, with blue walls and silver stars, and -no end of things in it, when there was nothing there but an old tub -and a withered apple and a heap of straw and a sunbeam! It was too -bad! She might have had some old woman there at least to pass for -her precious grandmother!' - -'Didn't she speak as if she saw those other things herself, -Curdie?' - -'Yes. That's what bothers me. You would have thought she really -meant and believed that she saw every one of the things she talked -about. And not one of them there! It was too bad, I say.' - -'Perhaps some people can see things other people can't see, -Curdie,' said his mother very gravely. 'I think I will tell you -something I saw myself once - only Perhaps You won't believe me -either!' - -'Oh, mother, mother!' cried Curdie, bursting into tears; 'I don't -deserve that, surely!' - -'But what I am going to tell you is very strange,' persisted his -mother; 'and if having heard it you were to say I must have been -dreaming, I don't know that I should have any right to be vexed -with you, though I know at least that I was not asleep.' - -'Do tell me, mother. Perhaps it will help me to think better of -the princess.' - -'That's why I am tempted to tell you,' replied his mother. 'But -first, I may as well mention that, according to old whispers, there -is something more than common about the king's family; and the -queen was of the same blood, for they were cousins of some degree. -There were strange stories told concerning them - all good stories -- but strange, very strange. What they were I cannot tell, for I -only remember the faces of my grandmother and my mother as they -talked together about them. There was wonder and awe - not fear - -in their eyes, and they whispered, and never spoke aloud. But what -I saw myself was this: Your father was going to work in the mine -one night, and I had been down with his supper. It was soon after -we were married, and not very long before you were born. He came -with me to the mouth of the mine, and left me to go home alone, for -I knew the way almost as well as the floor of our own cottage. It -was pretty dark, and in some parts of the road where the rocks -overhung nearly quite dark. But I got along perfectly well, never -thinking of being afraid, until I reached a spot you know well -enough, Curdie, where the path has to make a sharp turn out of the -way of a great rock on the left-hand side. When I got there, I was -suddenly surrounded by about half a dozen of the cobs, the first I -had ever seen, although I had heard tell of them often enough. One -of them blocked up the path, and they all began tormenting and -teasing me in a way it makes me shudder to think of even now.' - -'If I had only been with you!' cried father and son in a breath. - -The mother gave a funny little smile, and went on. - -'They had some of their horrible creatures with them too, and I -must confess I was dreadfully frightened. They had torn my clothes -very much, and I was afraid they were going to tear myself to -pieces, when suddenly a great white soft light shone upon me. I -looked up. A broad ray, like a shining road, came down from a -large globe of silvery light, not very high up, indeed not quite so -high as the horizon - so it could not have been a new star or -another moon or anything of that sort. The cobs dropped -persecuting me, and looked dazed, and I thought they were going to -run away, but presently they began again. The same moment, -however, down the path from the globe of light came a bird, shining -like silver in the sun. It gave a few rapid flaps first, and then, -with its wings straight out, shot,sliding down the slope of the -light. It looked to me just like a white pigeon. But whatever it -was, when the cobs caught sight of it coming straight down upon -them, they took to their heels and scampered away across the -mountain, leaving me safe, only much frightened. As soon as it had -sent them off, the bird went gliding again up the light, and the -moment it reached the globe the light disappeared, just as if a -shutter had been closed over a window, and I saw it no More. But -I had no more trouble with the cobs that night or ever after.' - -'How strange!' exclaimed Curdie. - -'Yes, it was strange; but I can't help believing it, whether you do -or not,' said his mother. - -'It's exactly as your mother told it to me the very next morning,' -said his father. - -'You don't think I'm doubting my own mother?' cried Curdie. -'There are other people in the world quite as well worth believing -as your own mother,' said his mother. 'I don't know that she's so -much the fitter to be believed that she happens to be your mother, -Mr. Curdie. There are mothers far more likely to tell lies than -the little girl I saw talking to the primroses a few weeks ago. If -she were to lie I should begin to doubt my own word.' - -'But princesses have told lies as well as other people,' said -Curdie. - -'Yes, but not princesses like that child. She's a good girl, I am -certain, and that's more than being a princess. Depend upon it you -will have to be sorry for behaving so to her, Curdie. You ought at -least to have held your tongue.' - -'I am sorry now,' answered Curdie. - -'You ought to go and tell her so, then.' - -'I don't see how I could manage that. They wouldn't let a miner -boy like me have a word with her alone; and I couldn't tell her -before that nurse of hers. She'd be asking ever so many questions, -and I don't know how many the little princess would like me to -answer. She told me that Lootie didn't know anything about her -coming to get me out of the mountain. I am certain she would have -prevented her somehow if she had known it. But I may have a chance -before long, and meantime I must try to do something for her. I -think, father, I have got on the track at last.' - -'Have you, indeed, my boy?' said Peter. 'I am sure you deserve -some success; you have worked very hard for it. What have you -found out?' - -'It's difficult, you know, father, inside the mountain, especially -in the dark, and not knowing what turns you have taken, to tell the -lie of things outside.' - -'Impossible, my boy, without a chart, or at least a compass,' -returned his father. - -'Well, I think I have nearly discovered in what direction the cobs -are mining. If I am right, I know something else that I can put to -it, and then one and one will make three.' - -'They very often do, Curdie, as we miners ought to be very well -aware. Now tell us, my boy, what the two things are, and see -whether we can guess at the same third as you.' - -'I don't see what that has to do with the princess,' interposed his -mother. - -'I will soon let you see that, mother. Perhaps you may think me -foolish, but until I am sure there, is nothing in my present fancy, -I am more determined than ever to go on with my observations. just -as we came to the channel by which we got out, I heard the miners -at work somewhere near - I think down below us. Now since I began -to watch them, they have mined a good half-mile, in a straight -line; and so far as I am aware, they are working in no other part -of the mountain. But I never could tell in what direction they -were going. When we came out in the king's garden, however, I -thought at once whether it was possible they were working towards -the king's house; and what I want to do tonight is to make sure -whether they are or not. I will take a light with me -' - -'Oh, Curdie,' cried his mother, 'then they will see you.' - -'I'm no more afraid of them now than I was before,' rejoined -Curdie, 'now that I've got this precious shoe. They can't make -another such in a hurry, and one bare foot will do for my purpose. -Woman as she may be, I won't spare her next time. But I shall be -careful with my light, for I don't want them to see me. I won't -stick it in my hat.' - -'Go on, then, and tell us what you mean to do.' - -'I mean to take a bit of paper with me and a pencil, and go in at -the mouth of the stream by which we came out. I shall mark on the -paper as near as I can the angle of every turning I take until I -find the cobs at work, and so get a good idea in what direction -they are going. If it should prove to be nearly parallel with the -stream, I shall know it is towards the king's house they are -working.' - -'And what if you should? How much wiser will you be then?' - -'Wait a minute, mother dear. I told you that when I came upon the -royal family in the cave, they were talking of their prince - -Harelip, they called him - marrying a sun-woman - that means one of -us - one with toes to her feet. Now in the speech one of them made -that night at their great gathering, of which I heard only a part, -he said that peace would be secured for a generation at least by -the pledge the prince would hold for the good behaviour of her -relatives: that's what he said, and he must have meant the -sun-woman the prince was to marry. I am quite sure the king is -much too proud to wish his son to marry any but a princess, and -much too knowing to fancy that his having a peasant woman for a -wife would be of any great advantage to them.' - -'I see what you are driving at now,' said his mother. - -'But,' said his father, 'our king would dig the mountain to the -plain before he would have his princess the wife of a cob, if he -were ten times a prince.' - -'Yes; but they think so much of themselves!' said his mother. -'Small creatures always do. The bantam is the proudest cock in my -little yard.' - -'And I fancy,' said Curdie, 'if they once got her, they would tell -the king they would kill her except he consented to the marriage.' - -'They might say so,' said his father, 'but they wouldn't kill her; -they would keep her alive for the sake of the hold it gave them -over our king. Whatever he did to them, they would threaten to do -the same to the princess.' - -'And they are bad enough to torment her just for their own -amusement - I know that,' said his mother. - -'Anyhow, I will keep a watch on them, and see what they are up to,' -said Curdie. 'It's too horrible to think of. I daren't let myself -do it. But they shan't have her - at least if I can help it. So, -mother dear - my clue is all right - will you get me a bit of paper -and a pencil and a lump of pease pudding, and I will set out at -once. I saw a place where I can climb over the wall of the garden -quite easily.' - -'You must mind and keep out of the way of the men on the watch,' -said his mother. - -'That I will. I don't want them to know anything about it. They -would spoil it all. The cobs would only try some other plan - they -are such obstinate creatures! I shall take good care, mother. -They won't kill and eat me either, if they should come upon me. So -you needn't mind them.' - -His mother got him what he had asked for, and Curdie set out. -Close beside the door by which the princess left the garden for the -mountain stood a great rock, and by climbing it Curdie got over the -wall. He tied his clue to a stone just inside the channel of the -stream, and took his pickaxe with him. He had not gone far before -he encountered a horrid creature coming towards the mouth. The -spot was too narrow for two of almost any size or shape, and -besides Curdie had no wish to let the creature pass. Not being -able to use his pickaxe, however, he had a severe struggle with -him, and it was only after receiving many bites, some of them bad, -that he succeeded in killing him with his pocket-knife. Having -dragged him out, he made haste to get in again before another -should stop up the way. - -I need not follow him farther in this night's adventures. He -returned to his breakfast, satisfied that the goblins were mining -in the direction of the palace - on so low a level that their -intention must, he thought, be to burrow under the walls of the -king's house, and rise up inside it - in order, he fully believed, -to lay hands on the little princess, and carry her off for a wife -to their horrid Harelip. - - - -CHAPTER 24 -Irene Behaves Like a Princess - -When the princess awoke from the sweetest of sleeps, she found her -nurse bending over her, the housekeeper looking over the nurse's -shoulder, and the laundry- maid looking over the housekeeper's. -The room was full of women-servants; and the gentlemen-at-arms, -with a long column of servants behind them, were peeping, or trying -to peep in at the door of the nursery. - -'Are those horrid creatures gone?' asked the princess, remembering -first what had terrified her in the morning. - -'You naughty, naughty little princess!' cried Lootie. - -Her face was very pale, with red streaks in it, and she looked as -if she were going to shake her; but Irene said nothing - only -waited to hear what should come next. - -'How could you get under the clothes like that, and make us all -fancy you were lost! And keep it up all day too! You are the most -obstinate child! It's anything but fun to us, I can tell you!' - -It was the only way the nurse could account for her disappearance. - -'I didn't do that, Lootie,' said Irene, very quietly. - -'Don't tell stories!' cried her nurse quite rudely. - -'I shall tell you nothing at all,' said Irene. - -'That's just as bad,' said the nurse. - -'Just as bad to say nothing at all as to tell stories?' exclaimed -the princess. 'I will ask my papa about that. He won't say so. -And I don't think he will like you to say so.' - -'Tell me directly what you mean by it!' screamed the nurse, half -wild with anger at the princess and fright at the possible -consequences to herself. - -'When I tell you the truth, Lootie,' said the princess, who somehow -did not feel at all angry, 'you say to me "Don't tell stories": it -seems I must tell stories before you will believe me.' - -'You are very rude, princess,' said the nurse. - -'You are so rude, Lootie, that I will not speak to you again till -you are sorry. Why should I, when I know you will not believe me?' -returned the princess. For she did know perfectly well that if she -were to tell Lootie what she had been about, the more she went on -to tell her, the less would she believe her. - -'You are the most provoking child!' cried her nurse. 'You deserve -to be well punished for your wicked behaviour.' - -'Please, Mrs Housekeeper,' said the princess, 'will you take me to -your room, and keep me till my king-papa comes? I will ask him to -come as soon as he can.' - -Every one stared at these words. Up to this moment they had all -regarded her as little more than a baby. - -But the housekeeper was afraid of the nurse, and sought to patch -matters up, saying: - -'I am sure, princess, nursie did not mean to be rude to you.' - -'I do not think my papa would wish me to have a nurse who spoke to -me as Lootie does. If she thinks I tell lies, she had better -either say so to my papa, or go away. Sir Walter, will you take -charge of me?' - -'With the greatest of pleasure, princess,' answered the captain of -the gentlemen-at-arms, walking with his great stride into the room. - -The crowd of servants made eager way for him, and he bowed low -before the little princess's bed. 'I shall send my servant at -once, on the fastest horse in the stable, to tell your king-papa -that Your Royal Highness desires his presence. When you have -chosen one of these under-servants to wait upon you, I shall order -the room to be cleared.' - -'Thank you very much, Sir Walter,' said the princess, and her eye -glanced towards a rosy-cheeked girl who had lately come to the -house as a scullery-maid. - -But when Lootie saw the eyes of her dear princess going in search -of another instead of her, she fell upon her knees by the bedside, -and burst into a great cry of distress. - -'I think, Sir Walter,' said the princess, 'I will keep Lootie. But -I put myself under your care; and you need not trouble my king-papa -until I speak to you again. Will you all please to go away? I am -quite safe and well, and I did not hide myself for the sake either -of amusing myself, or of troubling my people. Lootie, will you -please to dress me.' - - - -CHAPTER 25 -Curdie Comes to Grief - - -Everything was for some time quiet above ground. The king was -still away in a distant part of his dominions. The men-at-arms -kept watching about the house. They had been considerably -astonished by finding at the foot of the rock in the garden the -hideous body of the goblin creature killed by Curdie; but they came -to the conclusion that it had been slain in the mines, and had -crept out there to die; and except an occasional glimpse of a live -one they saw nothing to cause alarm. Curdie kept watching in the -mountain, and the goblins kept burrowing deeper into the earth. As -long as they went deeper there was, Curdie judged, no immediate -danger. - -To Irene the summer was as full of pleasure as ever, and for a long -time, although she often thought of her grandmother during the day, -and often dreamed about her at night, she did not see her. The -kids and the flowers were as much her delight as ever, and she made -as much friendship with the miners' children she met on the -mountain as Lootie would permit; but Lootie had very foolish -notions concerning the dignity of a princess, not understanding -that the truest princess is just the one who loves all her brothers -and sisters best, and who is most able to do them good by being -humble towards them. At the same time she was considerably altered -for the better in her behaviour to the princess. She could not -help seeing that she was no longer a mere child, but wiser than her -age would account for. She kept foolishly whispering to the -servants, however - sometimes that the princess was not right in -her mind, sometimes that she was too good to live, and other -nonsense of the same sort. - -All this time Curdie had to be sorry, without a chance of -confessing, that he had behaved so unkindly to the princess. This -perhaps made him the more diligent in his endeavours to serve her. -His mother and he often talked on the subject, and she comforted -him, and told him she was sure he would some day have the -opportunity he so much desired. -Here I should like to remark, for the sake of princes and -princesses in general, that it is a low and contemptible thing to -refuse to confess a fault, or even an error. If a true princess -has done wrong, she is always uneasy until she has had an -opportunity of throwing the wrongness away from her by saying: 'I -did it; and I wish I had not; and I am sorry for having done it.' -So you see there is some ground for supposing that Curdie was not -a miner only, but a prince as well. Many such instances have been -known in the world's history. - -At length, however, he began to see signs of a change in the -proceedings of the goblin excavators: they were going no deeper, -but had commenced running on a level; and he watched them, -therefore, more closely than ever. All at once, one night, coming -to a slope of very hard rock, they began to ascend along the -inclined plane of its surface. Having reached its top, they went -again on a level for a night or two, after which they began to -ascend once more, and kept on at a pretty steep angle. At length -Curdie judged it time to transfer his observation to another -quarter, and the next night he did not go to the mine at all; but, -leaving his pickaxe and clue at home, and taking only his usual -lumps of bread and pease pudding, went down the mountain to the -king's house. He climbed over the wall, and remained in the garden -the whole night, creeping on hands and knees from one spot to the -other, and lying at full length with his ear to the ground, -listening. But he heard nothing except the tread of the -men-at-arms as they marched about, whose observation, as the night -was cloudy and there was no moon, he had little difficulty in -avoiding. For several following nights he continued to haunt the -garden and listen, but with no success. - -At length, early one evening, whether it was that he had got -careless of his own safety, or that the growing moon had become -strong enough to expose him, his watching came to a sudden end. He -was creeping from behind the rock where the stream ran out, for he -had been listening all round it in the hope it might convey to his -ear some indication of the whereabouts of the goblin miners, when -just as he came into the moonlight on the lawn, a whizz in his ear -and a blow upon his leg startled him. He instantly squatted in the -hope of eluding further notice. But when he heard the sound of -running feet, he jumped up to take the chance of escape by flight. -He fell, however, with a keen shoot of pain, for the bolt of a -crossbow had wounded his leg, and the blood was now streaming from -it. He was instantly laid Hold of by two or three of the -men-at-arms. It was useless to struggle, and he submitted in -silence. - -'It's a boy!' cried several of them together, in a tone of -amazement. 'I thought it was one of those demons. What are you -about here?' - -'Going to have a little rough usage, apparently,' said Curdie, -laughing, as the men shook him. - -'Impertinence will do you no good. You have no business here in -the king's grounds, and if you don't give a true account of -yourself, you shall fare as a thief.' - -'Why, what else could he be?' said one. - -'He might have been after a lost kid, you know,' suggested another. - -'I see no good in trying to excuse him. He has no business here, -anyhow.' - -'Let me go away, then, if you please,' said Curdie. - -'But we don't please - not except you give a good account of -yourself.' - -'I don't feel quite sure whether I can trust you,' said Curdie. - -'We are the king's own men-at-arms,' said the captain courteously, -for he was taken with Curdie's appearance and courage. - -'Well, I will tell you all about it - if you will promise to listen -to me and not do anything rash.' - -'I call that cool!' said one of the party, laughing. 'He will tell -us what mischief he was about, if we promise to do as pleases him.' - -'I was about no mischief,' said Curdie. - - -But ere he could say more he turned faint, and fell senseless on -the grass. Then first they discovered that the bolt they had shot, -taking him for one of the goblin creatures, had wounded him. - -They carried him into the house and laid him down in the hall. The -report spread that they had caught a robber, and the servants -crowded in to see the villain. Amongst the rest came the nurse. -The moment she saw him she exclaimed with indignation: - -'I declare it's the same young rascal of a miner that was rude to -me and the princess on the mountain. He actually wanted to kiss -the princess. I took good care of that - the wretch! And he was -prowling about, was he? Just like his impudence!' The princess -being fast asleep, she could misrepresent at her pleasure. - -When he heard this, the captain, although he had considerable doubt -of its truth, resolved to keep Curdie a prisoner until they could -search into the affair. So, after they had brought him round a -little, and attended to his wound, which was rather a bad one, they -laid him, still exhausted from the loss of blood, upon a mattress -in a disused room - one of those already so often mentioned - and -locked the door, and left him. He passed a troubled night, and in -the morning they found him talking wildly. In the evening he came -to himself, but felt very weak, and his leg was exceedingly -painful. Wondering where he was, and seeing one of the men-at-arms -in the room, he began to question him and soon recalled the events -of the preceding night. As he was himself unable to watch any -more, he told the soldier all he knew about the goblins, and begged -him to tell his companions, and stir them up to watch with tenfold -vigilance; but whether it was that he did not talk quite -coherently, or that the whole thing appeared incredible, certainly -the man concluded that Curdie was only raving still, and tried to -coax him into holding his tongue. This, of course, annoyed Curdie -dreadfully, who now felt in his turn what it was not to be -believed, and the consequence was that his fever returned, and by -the time when, at his persistent entreaties, the captain was -called, there could be no doubt that he was raving. They did for -him what they could, and promised everything he wanted, but with no -intention of fulfilment. At last he went to sleep, and when at -length his sleep grew profound and peaceful, they left him, locked -the door again, and withdrew, intending to revisit him early in the -morning. - - - -CHAPTER 26 -The Goblin-Miners - - -That same night several of the servants were having a chat together -before going to bed. - -'What can that noise be?' said one of the housemaids, who had been -listening for a moment or two. - -'I've heard it the last two nights,' said the cook. 'If there were -any about the place, I should have taken it for rats, but my Tom -keeps them far enough.' - -'I've heard, though,' said the scullery-maid, 'that rats move about -in great companies sometimes. There may be an army of them -invading us. I've heard the noises yesterday and today too.' - -'It'll be grand fun, then, for my Tom and Mrs Housekeeper's Bob,' -said the cook. 'They'll be friends for once in their lives, and -fight on the same side. I'll engage Tom and Bob together will put -to flight any number of rats.' - -'It seems to me,' said the nurse, 'that the noises are much too -loud for that. I have heard them all day, and my princess has -asked me several times what they could be. Sometimes they sound -like distant thunder, and sometimes like the noises you hear in the -mountain from those horrid miners underneath.' - -'I shouldn't wonder,' said the cook, 'if it was the miners after -all. They may have come on some hole in the mountain through which -the noises reach to us. They are always boring and blasting and -breaking, you know.' - -As he spoke, there came a great rolling rumble beneath them, and -the house quivered. They all started up in affright, and rushing -to the hall found the gentlemen-at-arms in consternation also. -They had sent to wake their captain, who said from their -description that it must have been an earthquake, an occurrence -which, although very rare in that country, had taken place almost -within the century; and then went to bed again, strange to say, and -fell -fast asleep without once thinking of Curdie, or associating -the noises they had heard with what he had told them. He had not -believed Curdie. If he had, he would at once have thought of what -he had said, and would have taken precautions. As they heard -nothing more, they concluded that Sir Walter was right, and that -the danger was over for perhaps another hundred years. The fact, -as discovered afterwards, was that the goblins had, in working up -a second sloping face of stone, arrived at a huge block which lay -under the cellars of the house, within the line of the foundations. - -It was so round that when they succeeded, after hard work, in -dislodging it without blasting, it rolled thundering down the slope -with a bounding, jarring roll, which shook the foundations of the -house. The goblins were themselves dismayed at the noise, for they -knew, by careful spying and measuring, that they must now be very -near, if not under the king's house, and they feared giving an -alarm. They, therefore, remained quiet for a while, and when they -began to work again, they no doubt thought themselves very -fortunate in coming upon a vein of sand which filled a winding -fissure in the rock on which the house was built. By scooping this -away they came out in the king's wine cellar. -No sooner did they find where they were, than they scurried back -again, like rats into their holes, and running at full speed to the -goblin palace, announced their success to the king and queen with -shouts of triumph. - -In a moment the goblin royal family and the whole goblin people -were on their way in hot haste to the king's house, each eager to -have a share in the glory of carrying off that same night the -Princess Irene. - -The queen went stumping along in one shoe of stone and one of skin. - -This could not have been pleasant, and my readers may wonder that, -with such skilful workmen about her, she had not yet replaced the -shoe carried off by Curdie. As the king, however, had more than -one ground of objection to her stone shoes, he no doubt took -advantage of the discovery of her toes, and threatened to expose -her deformity if she had another made. I presume he insisted on -her being content with skin shoes, and allowed her to wear the -remaining granite one on the present occasion only because she was -going out to war. - -They soon arrived in the king's wine cellar, and regardless of its -huge vessels, of which they did not know the use, proceeded at -once, but as quietly as they could, to force the door that led -upwards. - - -CHAPTER 27 -The Goblins in the King's House - - -When Curdie fell asleep he began at once to dream. He thought he -was ascending the Mountainside from the mouth of the mine, -whistling and singing 'Ring, dod, bang!' when he came upon a woman -and child who had lost their way; and from that point he went on -dreaming everything that had happened to him since he thus met the -princess and Lootie; how he had watched the goblins, how he had -been taken by them, how he had been rescued by the princess; -everything, indeed, until he was wounded, captured, and imprisoned -by the men-at-arms. And now he thought he was lying wide awake -where they had laid him, when suddenly he heard a great thundering -sound. - -'The cobs are coming!' he said. 'They didn't believe a word I told -them! The cobs'll be carrying off the princess from under their -stupid noses! But they shan't! that they shan't!' - -He jumped up, as he thought, and began to dress, but, to his -dismay, found that he was still lying in bed. - -'Now then, I will!' he said. 'Here goes! I am up now!' - -But yet again he found himself snug in bed. Twenty times he tried, -and twenty times he failed; for in fact he was not awake, only -dreaming that he was. At length in an agony of despair, fancying -he heard the goblins all over the house, he gave a great cry. Then -there came, as he thought, a hand upon the lock of his door. It -opened, and, looking up, he saw a lady with white hair, carrying a -silver box in her hand, enter the room. She came to his bed, he -thought, stroked his head and face with cool, soft hands, took the -dressing from his leg, rubbed it with something that smelt like -roses, and then waved her hands over him three times. At the last -wave of her hands everything vanished, he felt himself sinking into -the profoundest slumber, and remembered nothing more until he awoke -in earnest. - -The setting moon was throwing a feeble light through the casement, -and the house was full of uproar. There was soft heavy -multitudinous stamping, a clashing and clanging of weapons, the -voices of men and the cries of women, mixed with a hideous -bellowing, which sounded victorious. The cobs were in the house! -He sprang from his bed, hurried on some of his clothes, not -forgetting his shoes, which were armed with nails; then spying an -old hunting-knife, or short sword, hanging on the wall, he caught -it, and rushed down the stairs, guided by the sounds of strife, -which grew louder and louder. - -When he reached the ground floor he found the whole place swarming. - -All the goblins of the mountain seemed gathered there. He rushed -amongst them, shouting: - - -'One, two, -Hit and hew! -Three, four, -Blast and bore!' - - -and with every rhyme he came down a great stamp upon a foot, -cutting at the same time their faces - executing, indeed, a sword -dance of the wildest description. Away scattered the goblins in -every direction - into closets, up stairs, into chimneys, up on -rafters, and down to the cellars. Curdie went on stamping and -slashing and singing, but saw nothing of the people of the house -until he came to the great hall, in which, the moment he entered -it, arose a great goblin shout. The last of the men-at-arms, the -captain himself, was on the floor, buried beneath a wallowing crowd -of goblins. For, while each knight was busy defending himself as -well as he could, by stabs in the thick bodies of the goblins, for -he had soon found their heads all but invulnerable, the queen had -attacked his legs and feet with her horrible granite shoe, and he -was soon down; but the captain had got his back to the wall and -stood out longer. The goblins would have torn them all to pieces, -but the king had given orders to carry them away alive, and over -each of them, in twelve groups, was standing a knot of goblins, -while as many as could find room were sitting upon their prostrate -bodies. -Curdie burst in dancing and gyrating and stamping and singing like -a small incarnate whirlwind. - - -'Where 'tis all a hole, sir, -Never can be holes: -Why should their shoes have soles, sir, -When they've got no souls? - -'But she upon her foot, sir, -Has a granite shoe: -The strongest leather boot, sir, -Six would soon be through.' - - -The queen gave a howl of rage and dismay; and before she recovered -her presence of mind, Curdie, having begun with the group nearest -him, had eleven of the knights on their legs again. - -'Stamp on their feet!' he cried as each man rose, and in a few -minutes the hall was nearly empty, the goblins running from it as -fast as they could, howling and shrieking and limping, and cowering -every now and then as they ran to cuddle their wounded feet in -their hard hands, or to protect them from the frightful stamp-stamp -of the armed men. -And now Curdie approached the group which, in trusting in the queen -and her shoe, kept their guard over the prostrate captain. The -king sat on the captain's head, but the queen stood in front, like -an infuriated cat, with her perpendicular eyes gleaming green, and -her hair standing half up from her horrid head. Her heart was -quaking, however, and she kept moving about her skin-shod foot with -nervous apprehension. When Curdie was within a few paces, she -rushed at him, made one tremendous stamp at his opposing foot, -which happily he withdrew in time, and caught him round the waist, -to dash him on the marble floor. But just as she caught him, he -came down with all the weight of his iron-shod shoe upon her -skin-shod foot, and with a hideous howl she dropped him, squatted -on the floor, and took her foot in both her hands. Meanwhile the -rest rushed on the king and the bodyguard, sent them flying, and -lifted the prostrate captain, who was all but pressed to death. It -was some moments before he recovered breath and consciousness. - -'Where's the princess?' cried Curdie, again and again. - -No one knew, and off they all rushed in search of her. - -Through every room in the house they went, but nowhere was she to -be found. Neither was one of the servants to be seen. But Curdie, -who had kept to the lower part of the house, which was now quiet -enough, began to hear a confused sound as of a distant hubbub, and -set out to find where it came from. The noise grew as his sharp -ears guided him to a stair and so to the wine cellar. It was full -of goblins, whom the butler was supplying with wine as fast as he -could draw it. - -While the queen and her party had encountered the men-at-arms, -Harelip with another company had gone off to search the house. -They captured every one they met, and when they could find no more, -they hurried away to carry them safe to the caverns below. But -when the butler, who was amongst them, found that their path lay -through the wine cellar, he bethought himself of persuading them to -taste the wine, and, as he had hoped, they no sooner tasted than -they wanted more. The routed goblins, on their way below, joined -them, and when Curdie entered they were all, with outstretched -hands, in which were vessels of every description from sauce pan to -silver cup, pressing around the butler, who sat at the tap of a -huge cask, filling and filling. Curdie cast one glance around the -place before commencing his attack, and saw in the farthest corner -a terrified group of the domestics unwatched, but cowering without -courage to attempt their escape. Amongst them was the -terror-stricken face of Lootie; but nowhere could he see the -princess. Seized with the horrible conviction that Harelip had -already carried her off, he rushed amongst them, unable for wrath -to sing any more, but stamping and cutting with greater fury than -ever. - -'Stamp on their feet; stamp on their feet!' he shouted, and in a -moment the goblins were disappearing through the hole in the floor -like rats and mice. -They could not vanish so fast, however, but that many more goblin -feet had to go limping back over the underground ways of the -mountain that morning. - -Presently, however, they were reinforced from above by the king and -his party, with the redoubtable queen at their head. Finding -Curdie again busy amongst her unfortunate subjects, she rushed at -him once more with the rage of despair, and this time gave him a -bad bruise on the foot. Then a regular stamping fight got up -between them, Curdie, with the point of his hunting- knife, keeping -her from clasping her mighty arms about him, as he watched his -opportunity of getting once more a good stamp at her skin-shod -foot. But the queen was more wary as well as more agile than -hitherto. - -The rest meantime, finding their adversary thus matched for the -moment, paused in their headlong hurry, and turned to the shivering -group of women in the corner. As if determined to emulate his -father and have a sun-woman of some sort to share his future -throne, Harelip rushed at them, caught up Lootie, and sped with her -to the hole. She gave a great shriek, and Curdie heard her, and -saw the plight she was in. Gathering all his strength, he gave the -queen a sudden cut across the face with his weapon, came down, as -she started back, with all his weight on the proper foot, and -sprung to Lootie's rescue. The prince had two defenceless feet, -and on both of them Curdie stamped just as he reached the hole. He -dropped his burden and rolled shrieking into the earth. Curdie -made one stab at him as he disappeared, caught hold of the -senseless Lootie, and having dragged her back to the corner, there -mounted guard over her, preparing once more to encounter the queen. - -Her face streaming with blood, and her eyes flashing green -lightning through it, she came on with her mouth open and her teeth -grinning like a tiger's, followed by the king and her bodyguard of -the thickest goblins. But the same moment in rushed the captain -and his men, and ran at them stamping furiously. They dared not -encounter such an onset. Away they scurried, the queen foremost. -Of course, the right thing would have been to take the king and -queen prisoners, and hold them hostages for the princess, but they -were so anxious to find her that no one thought of detaining them -until it was too late. - -Having thus rescued the servants, they set about searching the -house once more. None of them could give the least information -concerning the princess. Lootie was almost silly with terror, and, -although scarcely able to walk would not leave Curdie's side for a -single moment. Again he allowed the others to search the rest of -the house - where, except a dismayed goblin lurking here and there, -they found no one - while he requested Lootie to take him to the -princess's room. She was as submissive and obedient as if he had -been the king. - -He found the bedclothes tossed about, and most of them on the -floor, while the princess's garments were scattered all over the -room, which was in the greatest confusion. It was only too evident -that the goblins had been there, and Curdie had no longer any doubt -that she had been carried off at the very first of the inroad. -With a pang of despair he saw how wrong they had been in not -securing the king and queen and prince; but he determined to find -and rescue the princess as she had found and rescued him, or meet -the worst fate to which the goblins could doom him. - - - -CHAPTER 28 -Curdie's Guide - - -just as the consolation of this resolve dawned upon his mind and he -was turning away for the cellar to follow the goblins into their -hole, something touched his hand. It was the slightest touch, and -when he looked he could see nothing. Feeling and peering about in -the grey of the dawn, his fingers came upon a tight thread. He -looked again, and narrowly, but still could see nothing. It -flashed upon him that this must be the princess's thread. Without -saying a word, for he knew no one would believe him any more than -he had believed the princess, he followed the thread with his -finger, contrived to give Lootie the slip, and was soon out of the -house and on the mountainside - surprised that, if the thread were -indeed the grandmother's messenger, it should have led the -princess, as he supposed it must, into the mountain, where she -would be certain to meet the goblins rushing back enraged from -their defeat. But he hurried on in the hope of overtaking her -first. When he arrived, however, at the place where the path -turned off for the mine, he found that the thread did not turn with -it, but went straight up the mountain. Could it be that the thread -was leading him home to his mother's cottage? Could the princess -be there? He bounded up the mountain like one of its own goats, -and before the sun was up the thread had brought him indeed to his -mother's door. There it vanished from his fingers, and he could -not find it, search as he might. - -The door was on the latch, and he entered. There sat his mother by -the fire, and in her arms lay the princess, fast asleep. - -'Hush, Curdie!' said his mother. 'Do not wake her. I'm so glad -you're come! I thought the cobs must have got you again!' - -With a heart full of delight, Curdie sat down at a corner of the -hearth, on a stool opposite his mother's chair, and gazed at the -princess, who slept as peacefully as if she had been in her own -bed. All at once she opened her eyes and fixed them on him. - -'Oh, Curdie! you're come!' she said quietly. 'I thought you -would!' - -Curdie rose and stood before her with downcast eyes. - -'Irene,' he said, 'I am very sorry I did not believe you.' - -'Oh, never mind, Curdie!' answered the princess. 'You couldn't, -you know. You do believe me now, don't you?' - -'I can't help it now. I ought to have helped it before.' - -'Why can't you help it now?' - -'Because, just as I was going into the mountain to look for you, I -got hold of your thread, and it brought me here.' - -'Then you've come from my house, have you?' - -'Yes, I have.' - -'I didn't know you were there.' - -'I've been there two or three days, I believe.' - -'And I never knew it! Then perhaps you can tell me why my -grandmother has brought me here? I can't think. Something woke me -- I didn't know what, but I was frightened, and I felt for the -thread, and there it was! I was more frightened still when it -brought me out on the mountain, for I thought it was going to take -me into it again, and I like the outside of it best. I supposed -you were in trouble again, and I had to get you out. But it -brought me here instead; and, oh, Curdie! your mother has been so -kind to me - just like my own grandmother!' - -Here Curdie's mother gave the princess a hug, and the princess -turned and gave her a sweet smile, and held up her mouth to kiss -her. - -'Then you didn't see the cobs?'asked Curdie. - -'No; I haven't been into the mountain, I told you, Curdie.' - -'But the cobs have been into your house - all over it - and into -your bedroom, making such a row!' - -'What did they want there? It was very rude of them.' - -'They wanted you - to carry you off into the mountain with them, -for a wife to their prince Harelip.' - -'Oh, how dreadful' cried the princess, shuddering. - -'But you needn't be afraid, you know. Your grandmother takes care -of you.' - -'Ah! you do believe in my grandmother, then? I'm so glad! She -made me think you would some day.' - -All at once Curdie remembered his dream, and was silent, thinking. - -'But how did you come to be in my house, and me not know it?' asked -the princess. - -Then Curdie had to explain everything - how he had watched for her -sake, how he had been wounded and shut up by the soldiers, how he -heard the noises and could not rise, and how the beautiful old lady -had come to him, and all that followed. - -'Poor Curdie! to lie there hurt and ill, and me never to know it!' -exclaimed the princess, stroking his rough hand. 'I would have -come and nursed you, if they had told me.' - -'I didn't see you were lame,' said his mother. - -'Am I, mother? Oh - yes - I suppose I ought to be! I declare I've -never thought of it since I got up to go down amongst the cobs!' - -'Let me see the wound,' said his mother. - -He pulled down his stocking - when behold, except a great scar, his -leg was perfectly sound! - -Curdie and his mother gazed in each other's eyes, full of wonder, -but Irene called out: - -'I thought so, Curdie! I was sure it wasn't a dream. I was sure -my grandmother had been to see you. Don't you smell the roses? It -was my grandmother healed your leg, and sent you to help me.' - -'No, Princess Irene,' said Curdie; 'I wasn't good enough to be -allowed to help you: I didn't believe you. Your grandmother took -care of you without me.' - -'She sent you to help my people, anyhow. I wish my king-papa would -come. I do want so to tell him how good you have been!' - -'But,' said the mother, 'we are forgetting how frightened your -people must be. You must take the princess home at once, Curdie - -or at least go and tell them where she is.' - -'Yes, mother. Only I'm dreadfully hungry. Do let me have some -breakfast first. They ought to have listened to me, and then they -wouldn't have been taken by surprise as they were.' - -'That is true, Curdie; but it is not for you to blame them much. -You remember?' - -'Yes, mother, I do. Only I must really have something to eat.' - -'You shall, my boy - as fast as I can get it,' said his mother, -rising and setting the princess on her chair. - -But before his breakfast was ready, Curdie jumped up so suddenly as -to startle both his companions. - -'Mother, mother!' he cried, 'I was forgetting. You must take the -princess home yourself. I must go and wake my father.' - -Without a word of explanation, he rushed to the place where his -father was sleeping. Having thoroughly roused him with what he -told him he darted out of the cottage. - - - -CHAPTER 29 -Masonwork - - -He had all at once remembered the resolution of the goblins to -carry out their second plan upon the failure of the first. No -doubt they were already busy, and the mine was therefore in the -greatest danger of being flooded and rendered useless - not to -speak of the lives of the miners. -When he reached the mouth of the mine, after rousing all the miners -within reach, he found his father and a good many more just -entering. They all hurried to the gang by which he had found a way -into the goblin country. There the foresight of Peter had already -collected a great many blocks of stone, with cement, ready for -building up the weak place - well enough known to the goblins. -Although there was not room for more than two to be actually -building at once, they managed, by setting all the rest to work in -preparing the cement and passing the stones, to finish in the -course of the day a huge buttress filling the whole gang, and -supported everywhere by the live rock. Before the hour when they -usually dropped work, they were satisfied the mine was secure. - -They had heard goblin hammers and pickaxes busy all the time, and -at length fancied they heard sounds of water they had never heard -before. But that was otherwise accounted for when they left the -mine, for they stepped out into a tremendous storm which was raging -all over the mountain. The thunder was bellowing, and the -lightning lancing out of a huge black cloud which lay above it and -hung down its edges of thick mist over its sides. The lightning -was breaking out of the mountain, too, and flashing up into the -cloud. From the state of the brooks, now swollen into raging -torrents, it was evident that the storm had been storming all day. - -The wind was blowing as if it would blow him off the mountain, but, -anxious about his mother and the princess, Curdie darted up through -the thick of the tempest. Even if they had not set out before the -storm came on, he did not judge them safe, for in such a storm even -their poor little house was in danger. Indeed he soon found that -but for a huge rock against which it was built, and which protected -it both from the blasts and the waters, it must have been swept if -it was not blown away; for the two torrents into which this rock -parted the rush of water behind it united again in front of the -cottage - two roaring and dangerous streams, which his mother and -the princess could not possibly have passed. It was with great -difficulty that he forced his way through one of them, and up to -the door. - -The moment his hand fell on the latch, through all the uproar of -winds and Waters came the joyous cry of the princess: - -'There's Curdie! Curdie! Curdie!' - -She was sitting wrapped in blankets on the bed, his mother trying -for the hundredth time to light the fire which had been drowned by -the rain that came down the chimney. The clay floor was one mass -of mud, and the whole place looked wretched. But the faces of the -mother and the princess shone as if their troubles only made them -the merrier. Curdie burst out laughing at the sight of them. - -'I never had such fun!' said the princess, her eyes twinkling and -her pretty teeth shining. 'How nice it must be to live in a -cottage on the mountain!' - -'It all depends on what kind your inside house is,' said the -mother. - -'I know what you mean,' said Irene. 'That's the kind of thing my -grandmother says.' - -By the time Peter returned the storm was nearly over, but the -streams were so fierce and so swollen that it was not only out of -the question for the princess to go down the mountain, but most -dangerous for Peter even or Curdie to make the attempt in the -gathering darkness. - -'They will be dreadfully frightened about you,' said Peter to the -princess, 'but we cannot help it. We must wait till the morning.' - -With Curdie's help, the fire was lighted at last, and the mother -set about making their supper; and after supper they all told the -princess stories till she grew sleepy. Then Curdie's mother laid -her in Curdie's bed, which was in a tiny little garret-room. As -soon as she was in bed, through a little window low down in the -roof she caught sight of her grandmother's lamp shining far away -beneath, and she gazed at the beautiful silvery globe until she -fell asleep. - - - -CHAPTER 30 -The King an the Kiss - - -The next morning the sun rose so bright that Irene said the rain -had washed his face and let the light out clean. The torrents were -still roaring down the side of the mountain, but they were so much -smaller as not to be dangerous in the daylight. After an early -breakfast, Peter went to his work and Curdie and his mother set out -to take the princess home. They had difficulty in getting her dry -across the streams, and Curdie had again and again to carry her, -but at last they got safe on the broader part of the road, and -walked gently down towards the king's house. And what should they -see as they turned the last corner but the last of the king's troop -riding through the gate! - -'Oh, Curdie!' cried Irene, clapping her hands right joyfully,'my -king-papa is come.' - -The moment Curdie heard that, he caught her up in his arms, and set -off at full speed, crying: - -come on, mother dear! The king may break his heart before he knows -that she is safe.' - -Irene clung round his neck and he ran with her like a deer. When -he entered the gate into the court, there sat the king on his -horse, with all the people of the house about him, weeping and -hanging their heads. The king was not weeping, but his face was -white as a dead man's, and he looked as if the life had gone out of -him. The men-at-arms he had brought with him sat with -horror-stricken faces, but eyes flashing with rage, waiting only -for the word of the king to do something - they did not know what, -and nobody knew what. -The day before, the men-at-arms belonging to the house, as soon as -they were satisfied the princess had been carried away, rushed -after the goblins into the hole, but found that they had already so -skilfully blockaded the narrowest part, not many feet below the -cellar, that without miners and their tools they could do nothing. -Not one of them knew where the mouth of the mine lay, and some of -those who had set out to find it had been overtaken by the storm -and had not even yet returned. Poor Sir Walter was especially -filled with shame, and almost hoped the king would order his head -to be cut off, for to think of that sweet little face down amongst -the goblins was unendurable. - -When Curdie ran in at the gate with the princess in his arms, they -were all so absorbed in their own misery and awed by the king's -presence and grief, that no one observed his arrival. He went -straight up to the king, where he sat on his horse. - -'Papa! papa!' the princess cried, stretching out her arms to him; -'here I am!' - -The king started. The colour rushed to his face. He gave an -inarticulate cry. Curdie held up the princess, and the king bent -down and took her from his arms. As he clasped her to his bosom, -the big tears went dropping down his cheeks and his beard. And -such a shout arose from all the bystanders that the startled horses -pranced and capered, and the armour rang and clattered, and the -rocks of the mountain echoed back the noises. The princess greeted -them all as she nestled in her father's bosom, and the king did not -set her down until she had told them all the story. But she had -more to tell about Curdie than about herself, and what she did tell -about herself none of them could understand - except the king and -Curdie, who stood by the king's knee stroking the neck of the great -white horse. And still as she told what Curdie had done, Sir -Walter and others added to what she told, even Lootie joining in -the praises of his courage and energy. - -Curdie held his peace, looking quietly up in the king's face. And -his mother stood on the outskirts of the crowd listening with -delight, for her son's deeds were pleasant in her ears, until the -princess caught sight of her. - -'And there is his mother, king-papa!' she said. 'See - there. She -is such a nice mother, and has been so kind to me!' - -They all parted asunder as the king made a sign to her to come -forward. She obeyed, and he gave her his hand, but could not -speak. - -'And now, king-papa,' the princess went on, 'I must tell you -another thing. One night long ago Curdie drove the goblins away -and brought Lootie and me safe from the mountain. And I promised -him a kiss when we got home, but Lootie wouldn't let me give it -him. I don't want you to scold Lootie, but I want you to tell her -that a princess must do as she promises.' -'Indeed she must, my child - except it be wrong,' said the king. -'There, give Curdie a kiss.' - -And as he spoke he held her towards him. - -The princess reached down, threw her arms round Curdie's neck, and -kissed him on the mouth, saying: 'There, Curdie! There's the kiss -I promised you!' - -Then they all went into the house, and the cook rushed to the -kitchen and the servants to their work. Lootie dressed Irene in -her shiningest clothes, and the king put off his armour, and put on -purple and gold; and a messenger was sent for Peter and all the -miners, and there was a great and a grand feast, which continued -long after the princess was put to bed. - - - -CHAPTER 31 -The Subterranean Waters - - -The king's harper, who always formed a part of his escort, was -chanting a ballad which he made as he went on playing on his -instrument - about the princess and the goblins, and the prowess of -Curdie, when all at once he ceased, with his eyes on one of the -doors of the hall. Thereupon the eyes of the king and his guests -turned thitherward also. The next moment, through the open doorway -came the princess Irene. She went straight up to her father, with -her right hand stretched out a little sideways, and her forefinger, -as her father and Curdie understood, feeling its way along the -invisible thread. The king took her on his knee, and she said in -his ear: - -'King-papa, do you hear that noise?' - -'I hear nothing,' said the king. - -'Listen,' she said, holding up her forefinger. - -The king listened, and a great stillness fell upon the company. -Each man, seeing that the king listened, listened also, and the -harper sat with his harp between his arms, and his finger silent -upon the strings. - -'I do hear a noise,' said the king at length - 'a noise as of -distant thunder. It is coming nearer and nearer. What can it be?' - -They all heard it now, and each seemed ready to start to his feet -as he listened. Yet all sat perfectly still. The noise came -rapidly nearer. - -'What can it be?' said the king again. - -'I think it must be another storm coming over the mountain,' said -Sir Walter. - -Then Curdie, who at the first word of the king had slipped from his -seat, and laid his ear to the ground, rose up quickly, and -approaching the king said, speaking very fast: - -'Please, Your Majesty, I think I know what it is. I have no time -to explain, for that might make it too late for some of us. Will -Your Majesty give orders that everybody leave the house as quickly -as possible and get up the mountain?' - -The king, who was the wisest man in the kingdom, knew well there -was a time when things must be done and questions left till -afterwards. He had faith in Curdie, and rose instantly, with Irene -in his arms. 'Every man and woman follow me,' he said, and strode -out into the darkness. - -Before he had reached the gate, the noise had grown to a great -thundering roar, and the ground trembled beneath their feet, and -before the last of them had crossed the court, out after them from -the great hall door came a huge rush of turbid water, and almost -swept them away. But they got safe out of the gate and up the -mountain, while the torrent went roaring down the road into the -valley beneath. - -Curdie had left the king and the princess to look after his mother, -whom he and his father, one on each side, caught up when the stream -overtook them and carried safe and dry. - -When the king had got out of the way of the water, a little up the -mountain, he stood with the princess in his arms, looking back with -amazement on the issuing torrent, which glimmered fierce and foamy -through the night. There Curdie rejoined them. - -'Now, Curdie,' said the king, 'what does it mean? Is this what you -expected?' - -'It is, Your Majesty,' said Curdie; and proceeded to tell him about -the second scheme of the goblins, who, fancying the miners of more -importance to the upper world than they were, had resolved, if they -should fail in carrying off the king's daughter, to flood the mine -and drown the miners. Then he explained what the miners had done -to prevent it. The goblins had, in pursuance of their design, let -loose all the underground reservoirs and streams, expecting the -water to run down into the mine, which was lower than their part of -the mountain, for they had, as they supposed, not knowing of the -solid wall close behind, broken a passage through into it. But the -readiest outlet the water could find had turned out to be the -tunnel they had made to the king's house, the possibility of which -catastrophe had not occurred to the young miner until he had laid -his ear to the floor of the hall. - -What was then to be done? The house appeared in danger of falling, -and every moment the torrent was increasing. - -'We must set out at once,' said the king. 'But how to get at the -horses!' - -'Shall I see if we can manage that?' said Curdie. - -'Do,' said the king. - -Curdie gathered the men-at-arms, and took them over the garden -wall, and so to the stables. They found their horses in terror; -the water was rising fast around them, and it was quite time they -were got out. But there was no way to get them out, except by -riding them through the stream, which was now pouring from the -lower windows as well as the door. As one horse was quite enough -for any man to manage through such a torrent, Curdie got on the -king's white charger and, leading the way, brought them all in -safety to the rising ground. - -'Look, look, Curdie!' cried Irene, the moment that, having -dismounted, he led the horse up to the king. - -Curdie did look, and saw, high in the air, somewhere about the top -of the king's house, a great globe of light shining like the purest -silver. - -'Oh!' he cried in some consternation, 'that is your grandmother's -lamp! We must get her out. I will go an find her. The house may -fall, you know.' - -'My grandmother is in no danger,' said Irene, smiling. - -'Here, Curdie, take the princess while I get on my horse,' said the -king. - -Curdie took the princess again, and both turned their eyes to the -globe of light. The same moment there shot from it a white bird, -which, descending with outstretched wings, made one circle round -the king an Curdie and the princess, and then glided up again. The -light and the pigeon vanished together. - -'Now, Curdie!' said the princess, as he lifted her to her father's -arms, 'you see my grandmother knows all about it, and isn't -frightened. I believe she could walk through that water and it -wouldn't wet her a bit.' - -'But, my child,' said the king, 'you will be cold if you haven't -Something more on. Run, Curdie, my boy, and fetch anything you can -lay your hands on, to keep the princess warm. We have a long ride -before us.' - -Curdie was gone in a moment, and soon returned with a great rich -fur, and the news that dead goblins were tossing about in the -current through the house. They had been caught in their own -snare; instead of the mine they had flooded their own country, -whence they were now swept up drowned. Irene shuddered, but the -king held her close to his bosom. Then he turned to Sir Walter, -and said: - -'Bring Curdie's father and mother here.' - -'I wish,' said the king, when they stood before him, 'to take your -son with me. He shall enter my bodyguard at once, and wait further -promotion.' - -Peter and his wife, overcome, only murmured almost inaudible -thanks. But Curdie spoke aloud. - -'Please, Your Majesty,' he said, 'I cannot leave my father and -mother.' - -'That's right, Curdie!' cried the princess. 'I wouldn't if I was -you.' - -The king looked at the princess and then at Curdie with a glow of -satisfaction on his countenance. - -'I too think you are right, Curdie,' he said, 'and I will not ask -you again. But I shall have a chance of doing something for you -some time.' - -'Your Majesty has already allowed me to serve you,' said Curdie. - -'But, Curdie,' said his mother, 'why shouldn't you go with the -king? We can get on very well without you.' - -'But I can't get on very well without you,' said Curdie. 'The king -is very kind, but I could not be half the use to him that I am to -you. Please, Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind giving my mother -a red petticoat! I should have got her one long ago, but for the -goblins.' - -'As soon as we get home,' said the king, 'Irene and I will search -out the warmest one to be found, and send it by one of the -gentlemen.' - -'Yes, that we will, Curdie!' said the princess. 'And next summer -we'll come back and see you wear it, Curdie's mother,' she added. -'Shan't we, king-papa?' - -'Yes, my love; I hope so,' said the king. - -Then turning to the miners, he said: - -'Will you do the best you can for my servants tonight? I hope they -will be able to return to the house tomorrow.' - -The miners with one voice promised their hospitality. -Then the king commanded his servants to mind whatever Curdie should -say to them, and after shaking hands with him and his father and -mother, the king and the princess and all their company rode away -down the side of the new stream, which had already devoured half -the road, into the starry night. - - - -CHAPTER 32 -The Last Chapter - - -All the rest went up the mountain, and separated in groups to the -homes of the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie -with them. And the whole way a light, of which all but Lootie -understood the origin, shone upon their path. But when they looked -round they could see nothing of the silvery globe. - -For days and days the water continued to rush from the doors and -windows of the king's house, and a few goblin bodies were swept out -into the road. - -Curdie saw that something must be done. He spoke to his father and -the rest of the miners, and they at once proceeded to make another -outlet for the waters. By setting all hands to the work, -tunnelling here and building there, they soon succeeded; and having -also made a little tunnel to drain the water away from under the -king's house, they were soon able to get into the wine cellar, -where they found a multitude of dead goblins - among the rest the -queen, with the skin-shoe gone, and the stone one fast to her ankle -- for the water had swept away the barricade, which prevented the -men-at-arms from following the goblins, and had greatly widened the -passage. They built it securely up, and then went back to their -labours in the mine. - -A good many of the goblins with their creatures escaped from the -inundation out upon the mountain. But most of them soon left that -part of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in -character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies. -Their skulls became softer as well as their hearts, and their feet -grew harder, and by degrees they became friendly with the -inhabitants of the mountain and even with the miners. But the -latter were merciless to any of the cobs' creatures that came in -their way, until at length they all but disappeared. - -The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for -another volume. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg Etext of The Princess and the Goblin - diff --git a/old/prgob10.zip b/old/prgob10.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 648eef3..0000000 --- a/old/prgob10.zip +++ /dev/null |