From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 1

The Princess and the Goblin

George MacDonald

From TRW eBooks: trwheeler.com/ebooks.html

Contents
From TRW eBooks: t r wheel er . com/ ebooks. ht ml ........................................... 1
CHAPTER 1: Why the Princess Has a Story about Her......................................................... 2
CHAPTER 2: The Princess Loses Herself .............................................................................. 3
CHAPTER 3: The Princess andWe Shall See Who ............................................................ 5
CHAPTER 4: What the Nurse Thought of It ......................................................................... 9
CHAPTER 5: The Princess Lets Well Alone ........................................................................ 11
CHAPTER 6: The Little Miner ............................................................................................ 13
CHAPTER 7: The Mines ..................................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER 8: The Goblins .................................................................................................. 23
CHAPTER 9: The Hall of the Goblin Palace ........................................................................ 27
CHAPTER 10: The Princess's King-Papa ............................................................................ 31
CHAPTER 11: The Old Lady's Bedroom ............................................................................. 34
CHAPTER 12: A Short Chapter About Curdie .................................................................... 38
CHAPTER 13: The Cobs' Creatures .................................................................................... 39
CHAPTER 14: That Night Week ......................................................................................... 41
CHAPTER 15: Woven and Then Spun ............................................................................... 43
CHAPTER 16: The Ring ..................................................................................................... 49
CHAPTER 17: Springtime .................................................................................................. 50
CHAPTER 18: Curdie's Clue ............................................................................................... 51
CHAPTER 19: Goblin Counsels .......................................................................................... 56
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 2
CHAPTER 20: Irene's Clue ................................................................................................. 60
CHAPTER 21: The Escape ................................................................................................. 62
CHAPTER 22: The Old Lady and Curdie ............................................................................. 69
CHAPTER 23: Curdie and His Mother ............................................................................... 72
CHAPTER 24: Irene Behaves Like a Princess ..................................................................... 77
CHAPTER 25: Curdie Comes to Grief ................................................................................ 79
CHAPTER 26: The Goblin-Miners ...................................................................................... 81
CHAPTER 27: The Goblins in the King's House .................................................................. 82
CHAPTER 28: Curdie's Guide ............................................................................................ 86
CHAPTER 29: Masonwork ................................................................................................ 88
CHAPTER 30: The King and the Kiss .................................................................................. 90
CHAPTER 31: The Subterranean Waters .......................................................................... 91
CHAPTER 32: The Last Chapter ......................................................................................... 94



CHAPTER 1: Why the Princess Has a Story about Her
Ther e was once a l i t t l e pr i ncess whose f at her was ki ng over a gr eat count r y f ul l of
mount ai ns and val l eys. Hi s pal ace was bui l t upon one of t he mount ai ns, and was ver y
gr and and beaut i f ul . The pr i ncess, whose name was I r ene, was bor n t her e, but she was
sent soon af t er her bi r t h, because her mot her was not ver y st r ong, t o be br ought up
by count r y peopl e i n a l ar ge house, hal f cast l e, hal f f ar mhouse, on t he si de of
anot her mount ai n, about hal f - way bet ween i t s base and i t s peak.
The pr i ncess was a sweet l i t t l e cr eat ur e, and at t he t i me my st or y begi ns was about
ei ght year s ol d, I t hi nk, but she got ol der ver y f ast . Her f ace was f ai r and pr et t y,
wi t h eyes l i ke t wo bi t s of ni ght sky, each wi t h a st ar di ssol ved i n t he bl ue. Those
eyes you woul d have t hought must have known t hey came f r omt her e, so of t en wer e t hey
t ur ned up i n t hat di r ect i on. The cei l i ng of her nur ser y was bl ue, wi t h st ar s i n i t ,
as l i ke t he sky as t hey coul d make i t . But I doubt i f ever she saw t he r eal sky wi t h
t he st ar s i n i t , f or a r eason whi ch I had bet t er ment i on at once.
These mount ai ns wer e f ul l of hol l ow pl aces under neat h; huge caver ns, and wi ndi ng
ways, some wi t h wat er r unni ng t hr ough t hem, and some shi ni ng wi t h al l col our s of t he
r ai nbow when a l i ght was t aken i n. Ther e woul d not have been much known about t hem,
had t her e not been mi nes t her e, gr eat deep pi t s, wi t h l ong gal l er i es and passages
r unni ng of f f r omt hem, whi ch had been dug t o get at t he or e of whi ch t he mount ai ns
wer e f ul l . I n t he cour se of di ggi ng, t he mi ner s came upon many of t hese nat ur al
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caver ns. A f ew of t hemhad f ar - of f openi ngs out on t he si de of a mount ai n, or i nt o a
r avi ne.
Now i n t hese subt er r anean caver ns l i ved a st r ange r ace of bei ngs, cal l ed by some
gnomes, by some kobol ds, by some gobl i ns. Ther e was a l egend cur r ent i n t he count r y
t hat at one t i me t hey l i ved above gr ound, and wer e ver y l i ke ot her peopl e. But f or
some r eason or ot her , concer ni ng whi ch t her e wer e di f f er ent l egendar y t heor i es, t he
ki ng had l ai d what t hey t hought t oo sever e t axes upon t hem, or had r equi r ed
obser vances of t hemt hey di d not l i ke, or had begun t o t r eat t hemwi t h mor e sever i t y,
i n some way or ot her , and i mpose st r i ct er l aws; and t he consequence was t hat t hey had
al l di sappear ed f r omt he f ace of t he count r y. Accor di ng t o t he l egend, however ,
i nst ead of goi ng t o some ot her count r y, t hey had al l t aken r ef uge i n t he subt er r anean
caver ns, whence t hey never came out but at ni ght , and t hen sel domshowed t hemsel ves
i n any number s, and never t o many peopl e at once. I t was onl y i n t he l east f r equent ed
and most di f f i cul t par t s of t he mount ai ns t hat t hey wer e sai d t o gat her even at ni ght
i n t he open ai r . Those who had caught si ght of any of t hemsai d t hat t hey had gr eat l y
al t er ed i n t he cour se of gener at i ons; and no wonder , seei ng t hey l i ved away f r omt he
sun, i n col d and wet and dar k pl aces. They wer e now, not or di nar i l y ugl y, but ei t her
absol ut el y hi deous, or l udi cr ousl y gr ot esque bot h i n f ace and f or m. Ther e was no
i nvent i on, t hey sai d, of t he most l awl ess i magi nat i on expr essed by pen or penci l ,
t hat coul d sur pass t he ext r avagance of t hei r appear ance. But I suspect t hose who sai d
so had mi st aken some of t hei r ani mal compani ons f or t he gobl i ns t hemsel vesof whi ch
mor e by and by. The gobl i ns t hemsel ves wer e not so f ar r emoved f r omt he human as such
a descr i pt i on woul d i mpl y. And as t hey gr ew mi sshapen i n body t hey had gr own i n
knowl edge and cl ever ness, and now wer e abl e t o do t hi ngs no mor t al coul d see t he
possi bi l i t y of . But as t hey gr ew i n cunni ng, t hey gr ew i n mi schi ef , and t hei r gr eat
del i ght was i n ever y way t hey coul d t hi nk of t o annoy t he peopl e who l i ved i n t he
open- ai r st or ey above t hem. They had enough of af f ect i on l ef t f or each ot her t o
pr eser ve t hemf r ombei ng absol ut el y cr uel f or cr uel t y' s sake t o t hose t hat came i n
t hei r way; but st i l l t hey so hear t i l y cher i shed t he ancest r al gr udge agai nst t hose
who occupi ed t hei r f or mer possessi ons and especi al l y agai nst t he descendant s of t he
ki ng who had caused t hei r expul si on, t hat t hey sought ever y oppor t uni t y of t or ment i ng
t hemi n ways t hat wer e as odd as t hei r i nvent or s; and al t hough dwar f ed and mi sshapen,
t hey had st r engt h equal t o t hei r cunni ng. I n t he pr ocess of t i me t hey had got a ki ng
and a gover nment of t hei r own, whose chi ef busi ness, beyond t hei r own si mpl e af f ai r s,
was t o devi se t r oubl e f or t hei r nei ghbour s. I t wi l l now be pr et t y evi dent why t he
l i t t l e pr i ncess had never seen t he sky at ni ght . They wer e much t oo af r ai d of t he
gobl i ns t o l et her out of t he house t hen, even i n company wi t h ever so many
at t endant s; and t hey had good r eason, as we shal l see by and by.

CHAPTER 2: The Princess Loses Herself
I have sai d t he Pr i ncess I r ene was about ei ght year s ol d when my st or y begi ns. And
t hi s i s how i t begi ns.
One ver y wet day, when t he mount ai n was cover ed wi t h mi st whi ch was const ant l y
gat her i ng i t sel f t oget her i nt o r ai ndr ops, and pour i ng down on t he r oof s of t he gr eat
ol d house, whence i t f el l i n a f r i nge of wat er f r omt he eaves al l r ound about i t , t he
pr i ncess coul d not of cour se go out . She got ver y t i r ed, so t i r ed t hat even her t oys
coul d no l onger amuse her . You woul d wonder at t hat i f I had t i me t o descr i be t o you
one hal f of t he t oys she had. But t hen, you woul dn' t have t he t oys t hemsel ves, and
t hat makes al l t he di f f er ence: you can' t get t i r ed of a t hi ng bef or e you have i t . I t
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was a pi ct ur e, t hough, wor t h seei ngt he pr i ncess si t t i ng i n t he nur ser y wi t h t he sky
cei l i ng over her head, at a gr eat t abl e cover ed wi t h her t oys. I f t he ar t i st woul d
l i ke t o dr aw t hi s, I shoul d advi se hi mnot t o meddl e wi t h t he t oys. I amaf r ai d of
at t empt i ng t o descr i be t hem, and I t hi nk he had bet t er not t r y t o dr aw t hem. He had
bet t er not . He can do a t housand t hi ngs I can' t , but I don' t t hi nk he coul d dr aw
t hose t oys. No man coul d bet t er make t he pr i ncess her sel f t han he coul d, t hough
l eani ng wi t h her back bowed i nt o t he back of t he chai r , her head hangi ng down, and
her hands i n her l ap, ver y mi ser abl e as she woul d say her sel f , not even knowi ng what
she woul d l i ke, except i t wer e t o go out and get t hor oughl y wet , and cat ch a
par t i cul ar l y ni ce col d, and have t o go t o bed and t ake gr uel . The next moment af t er
you see her si t t i ng t her e, her nur se goes out of t he r oom.
Even t hat i s a change, and t he pr i ncess wakes up a l i t t l e, and l ooks about her . Then
she t umbl es of f her chai r and r uns out of t he door , not t he same door t he nur se went
out of , but one whi ch opened at t he f oot of a cur i ous ol d st ai r of wor m- eat en oak,
whi ch l ooked as i f never anyone had set f oot upon i t . She had once bef or e been up si x
st eps, and t hat was suf f i ci ent r eason, i n such a day, f or t r yi ng t o f i nd out what was
at t he t op of i t .
Up and up she r ansuch a l ong way i t seemed t o her ! unt i l she came t o t he t op of t he
t hi r d f l i ght . Ther e she f ound t he l andi ng was t he end of a l ong passage. I nt o t hi s
she r an. I t was f ul l of door s on each si de. Ther e wer e so many t hat she di d not car e
t o open any, but r an on t o t he end, wher e she t ur ned i nt o anot her passage, al so f ul l
of door s. When she had t ur ned t wi ce mor e, and st i l l saw door s and onl y door s about
her , she began t o get f r i ght ened. I t was so si l ent ! And al l t hose door s must hi de
r ooms wi t h nobody i n t hem! That was dr eadf ul . Al so t he r ai n made a gr eat t r ampl i ng
noi se on t he r oof . She t ur ned and st ar t ed at f ul l speed, her l i t t l e f oot st eps echoi ng
t hr ough t he sounds of t he r ai nback f or t he st ai r s and her saf e nur ser y. So she
t hought , but she had l ost her sel f l ong ago. I t doesn' t f ol l ow t hat she was l ost ,
because she had l ost her sel f , t hough.
She r an f or some di st ance, t ur ned sever al t i mes, and t hen began t o be af r ai d. Ver y
soon she was sur e t hat she had l ost t he way back. Rooms ever ywher e, and no st ai r ! Her
l i t t l e hear t beat as f ast as her l i t t l e f eet r an, and a l ump of t ear s was gr owi ng i n
her t hr oat . But she was t oo eager and per haps t oo f r i ght ened t o cr y f or some t i me. At
l ast her hope f ai l ed her . Not hi ng but passages and door s ever ywher e! She t hr ew
her sel f on t he f l oor , and bur st i nt o a wai l i ng cr y br oken by sobs.
She di d not cr y l ong, however , f or she was as br ave as coul d be expect ed of a
pr i ncess of her age. Af t er a good cr y, she got up, and br ushed t he dust f r omher
f r ock. Oh, what ol d dust i t was! Then she wi ped her eyes wi t h her hands, f or
pr i ncesses don' t al ways have t hei r handker chi ef s i n t hei r pocket s, any mor e t han some
ot her l i t t l e gi r l s I know of . Next , l i ke a t r ue pr i ncess, she r esol ved on goi ng
wi sel y t o wor k t o f i nd her way back: she woul d wal k t hr ough t he passages, and l ook i n
ever y di r ect i on f or t he st ai r . Thi s she di d, but wi t hout success. She went over t he
same gr ound agai n an agai n wi t hout knowi ng i t , f or t he passages and door s wer e al l
al i ke. At l ast , i n a cor ner , t hr ough a hal f - open door , she di d see a st ai r . But al as!
i t went t he wr ong way: i nst ead of goi ng down, i t went up. Fr i ght ened as she was,
however , she coul d not hel p wi shi ng t o see wher e yet f ur t her t he st ai r coul d l ead. I t
was ver y nar r ow, and so st eep t hat she went on l i ke a f our - l egged cr eat ur e on her
hands and f eet .


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CHAPTER 3: The Princess andWe Shall See Who
When she came t o t he t op, she f ound her sel f i n a l i t t l e squar e pl ace, wi t h t hr ee
door s, t wo opposi t e each ot her , and one opposi t e t he t op of t he st ai r . She st ood f or
a moment , wi t hout an i dea i n her l i t t l e head what t o do next . But as she st ood, she
began t o hear a cur i ous hummi ng sound. Coul d i t be t he r ai n? No. I t was much mor e
gent l e, and even monot onous t han t he sound of t he r ai n, whi ch now she scar cel y hear d.
The l ow sweet hummi ng sound went on, somet i mes st oppi ng f or a l i t t l e whi l e and t hen
begi nni ng agai n. I t was mor e l i ke t he humof a ver y happy bee t hat had f ound a r i ch
wel l of honey i n some gl obul ar f l ower , t han anyt hi ng el se I can t hi nk of at t hi s
moment . Wher e coul d i t come f r om? She l ai d her ear f i r st t o one of t he door s t o
hear ken i f i t was t her et hen t o anot her . When she l ai d her ear agai nst t he t hi r d
door , t her e coul d be no doubt wher e i t came f r om: i t must be f r omsomet hi ng i n t hat
r oom. What coul d i t be? She was r at her af r ai d, but her cur i osi t y was st r onger t han
her f ear , and she opened t he door ver y gent l y and peeped i n. What do you t hi nk she
saw? A ver y ol d l ady who sat spi nni ng.
Per haps you wi l l wonder how t he pr i ncess coul d t el l t hat t he ol d l ady was an ol d
l ady, when I i nf or myou t hat not onl y was she beaut i f ul , but her ski n was smoot h and
whi t e. I wi l l t el l you mor e. Her hai r was combed back f r omher f or ehead and f ace, and
hung l oose f ar down and al l over her back. That i s not much l i ke an ol d l adyi s i t ?
Ah! but i t was whi t e al most as snow. And al t hough her f ace was so smoot h, her eyes
l ooked so wi se t hat you coul d not have hel ped seei ng she must be ol d. The pr i ncess,
t hough she coul d not have t ol d you why, di d t hi nk her ver y ol d i ndeedqui t e f i f t y,
she sai d t o her sel f . But she was r at her ol der t han t hat , as you shal l hear .
Whi l e t he pr i ncess st ar ed bewi l der ed, wi t h her head j ust i nsi de t he door , t he ol d
l ady l i f t ed her s, and sai d, i n a sweet , but ol d and r at her shaky voi ce, whi ch mi ngl ed
ver y pl easant l y wi t h t he cont i nued humof her wheel :
' Come i n, my dear ; come i n. I amgl ad t o see you. '
That t he pr i ncess was a r eal pr i ncess you mi ght see now qui t e pl ai nl y; f or she di dn' t
hang on t o t he handl e of t he door , and st ar e wi t hout movi ng, as I have known some do
who ought t o have been pr i ncesses but wer e onl y r at her vul gar l i t t l e gi r l s. She di d
as she was t ol d, st epped i nsi de t he door at once, and shut i t gent l y behi nd her .
' Come t o me, my dear , ' sai d t he ol d l ady.
And agai n t he pr i ncess di d as she was t ol d. She appr oached t he ol d l adyr at her
sl owl y, I conf essbut di d not st op unt i l she st ood by her si de, and l ooked up i n her
f ace wi t h her bl ue eyes and t he t wo mel t ed st ar s i n t hem.
' Why, what have you been doi ng wi t h your eyes, chi l d?' asked t he ol d l ady.
' Cr yi ng, ' answer ed t he pr i ncess.
' Why, chi l d?'
' Because I coul dn' t f i nd my way down agai n. '
' But you coul d f i nd your way up. '
' Not at f i r st not f or a l ong t i me. '
' But your f ace i s st r eaked l i ke t he back of a zebr a. Hadn' t you a handker chi ef t o
wi pe your eyes wi t h?'
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' No. '
' Then why di dn' t you come t o me t o wi pe t hemf or you?'
' Pl ease, I di dn' t know you wer e her e. I wi l l next t i me. '
' Ther e' s a good chi l d! ' sai d t he ol d l ady.
Then she st opped her wheel , and r ose, and, goi ng out of t he r oom, r et ur ned wi t h a
l i t t l e si l ver basi n and a sof t whi t e t owel , wi t h whi ch she washed and wi ped t he
br i ght l i t t l e f ace. And t he pr i ncess t hought her hands wer e so smoot h and ni ce!
When she car r i ed away t he basi n and t owel , t he l i t t l e pr i ncess wonder ed t o see how
st r ai ght and t al l she was, f or , al t hough she was so ol d, she di dn' t st oop a bi t . She
was dr essed i n bl ack vel vet wi t h t hi ck whi t e heavy- l ooki ng l ace about i t ; and on t he
bl ack dr ess her hai r shone l i ke si l ver . Ther e was har dl y any mor e f ur ni t ur e i n t he
r oomt han t her e mi ght have been i n t hat of t he poor est ol d woman who made her br ead
by her spi nni ng. Ther e was no car pet on t he f l oor no t abl e anywher enot hi ng but t he
spi nni ng- wheel and t he chai r besi de i t . When she came back, she sat down and wi t hout
a wor d began her spi nni ng once mor e, whi l e I r ene, who had never seen a spi nni ng-
wheel , st ood by her si de and l ooked on. When t he ol d l ady had got her t hr ead f ai r l y
goi ng agai n, she sai d t o t he pr i ncess, but wi t hout l ooki ng at her :
' Do you know my name, chi l d?'
' No, I don' t know i t , ' answer ed t he pr i ncess.
' My name i s I r ene. '
' That ' s my name! ' cr i ed t he pr i ncess.
' I know t hat . I l et you have mi ne. I haven' t got your name. You' ve got mi ne. '
' How can t hat be?' asked t he pr i ncess, bewi l der ed. ' I ' ve al ways had my name. '
' Your papa, t he ki ng, asked me i f I had any obj ect i on t o your havi ng i t ; and, of
cour se, I hadn' t . I l et you have i t wi t h pl easur e. '
' I t was ver y ki nd of you t o gi ve me your nameand such a pr et t y one, ' sai d t he
pr i ncess.
' Oh, not so ver y ki nd! ' sai d t he ol d l ady. ' A name i s one of t hose t hi ngs one can
gi ve away and keep al l t he same. I have a good many such t hi ngs. Woul dn' t you l i ke t o
know who I am, chi l d?'
' Yes, t hat I shoul dver y much. '
' I ' myour gr eat - gr eat - gr andmot her , ' sai d t he l ady.
' What ' s t hat ?' asked t he pr i ncess.
' I ' myour f at her ' s mot her ' s f at her ' s mot her . '
' Oh, dear ! I can' t under st and t hat , ' sai d t he pr i ncess.
' I dar e say not . I di dn' t expect you woul d. But t hat ' s no r eason why I shoul dn' t say
i t . '
' Oh, no! ' answer ed t he pr i ncess.
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' I wi l l expl ai n i t al l t o you when you ar e ol der , ' t he l ady went on. ' But you wi l l be
abl e t o under st and t hi s much now: I came her e t o t ake car e of you. '
' I s i t l ong si nce you came? Was i t yest er day? Or was i t t oday, because i t was so wet
t hat I coul dn' t get out ?'
' I ' ve been her e ever si nce you came your sel f . '
' What a l ong t i me! ' sai d t he pr i ncess. ' I don' t r emember i t at al l . '
' No. I suppose not . '
' But I never saw you bef or e. '
' No. But you shal l see me agai n. '
' Do you l i ve i n t hi s r oomal ways?'
' I don' t sl eep i n i t . I sl eep on t he opposi t e si de of t he l andi ng. I si t her e most of
t he day. '
' I shoul dn' t l i ke i t . My nur ser y i s much pr et t i er . You must be a queen t oo, i f you
ar e my gr eat bi g gr and- mot her . '
' Yes, I ama queen. '
' Wher e i s your cr own, t hen?' ' I n my bedr oom. '
' I shoul d l i ke t o see i t . '
' You shal l some daynot t oday. '
' I wonder why nur si e never t ol d me. '
' Nur si e doesn' t know. She never saw me. '
' But somebody knows t hat you ar e i n t he house?'
' No; nobody. '
' How do you get your di nner , t hen?'
' I keep poul t r yof a sor t . '
' Wher e do you keep t hem?'
' I wi l l show you. '
' And who makes t he chi cken br ot h f or you?'
' I never ki l l any of MY chi ckens. '
' Then I can' t under st and. '
' What di d you have f or br eakf ast t hi s mor ni ng?' asked t he l ady.
' Oh! I had br ead and mi l k, and an eggI dar e say you eat t hei r eggs. '
' Yes, t hat ' s i t . I eat t hei r eggs. '
' I s t hat what makes your hai r so whi t e?'
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 8
' No, my dear . I t ' s ol d age. I amver y ol d. '
' I t hought so. Ar e you f i f t y?'
' Yesmor e t han t hat . '
' Ar e you a hundr ed?'
' Yesmor e t han t hat . I amt oo ol d f or you t o guess. Come and see my chi ckens. '
Agai n she st opped her spi nni ng. She r ose, t ook t he pr i ncess by t he hand, l ed her out
of t he r oom, and opened t he door opposi t e t he st ai r . The pr i ncess expect ed t o see a
l ot of hens and chi ckens, but i nst ead of t hat , she saw t he bl ue sky f i r st , and t hen
t he r oof s of t he house, wi t h a mul t i t ude of t he l ovel i est pi geons, most l y whi t e, but
of al l col our s, wal ki ng about , maki ng bows t o each ot her , and t al ki ng a l anguage she
coul d not under st and. She cl apped her hands wi t h del i ght , and up r ose such a f l appi ng
of wi ngs t hat she i n her t ur n was st ar t l ed.
' You' ve f r i ght ened my poul t r y, ' sai d t he ol d l ady, smi l i ng.
' And t hey' ve f r i ght ened me, ' sai d t he pr i ncess, smi l i ng t oo. ' But what ver y ni ce
poul t r y! Ar e t he eggs ni ce?'
' Yes, ver y ni ce. ' ' What a smal l egg- spoon you must have! Woul dn' t i t be bet t er t o
keep hens, and get bi gger eggs?'
' How shoul d I f eed t hem, t hough?'
' I see, ' sai d t he pr i ncess. ' The pi geons f eed t hemsel ves. They' ve got wi ngs. '
' J ust so. I f t hey coul dn' t f l y, I coul dn' t eat t hei r eggs. '
' But how do you get at t he eggs? Wher e ar e t hei r nest s?'
The l ady t ook hol d of a l i t t l e l oop of st r i ng i n t he wal l at t he si de of t he door
and, l i f t i ng a shut t er , showed a gr eat many pi geon- hol es wi t h nest s, some wi t h young
ones and some wi t h eggs i n t hem. The bi r ds came i n at t he ot her si de, and she t ook
out t he eggs on t hi s si de. She cl osed i t agai n qui ckl y, l est t he young ones shoul d be
f r i ght ened.
' Oh, what a ni ce way! ' cr i ed t he pr i ncess. ' Wi l l you gi ve me an egg t o eat ? I ' m
r at her hungr y. '
' I wi l l some day, but now you must go back, or nur si e wi l l be mi ser abl e about you. I
dar e say she' s l ooki ng f or you ever ywher e. '
' Except her e, ' answer ed t he pr i ncess. ' Oh, how sur pr i sed she wi l l be when I t el l her
about my gr eat bi g gr and- gr and- mot her ! '
' Yes, t hat she wi l l ! ' sai d t he ol d l ady wi t h a cur i ous smi l e. ' Mi nd you t el l her al l
about i t exact l y. '
' That I wi l l . Pl ease wi l l you t ake me back t o her ?'
' I can' t go al l t he way, but I wi l l t ake you t o t he t op of t he st ai r , and t hen you
must r un down qui t e f ast i nt o your own r oom. '
The l i t t l e pr i ncess put her hand i n t he ol d l ady' s, who, l ooki ng t hi s way and t hat ,
br ought her t o t he t op of t he f i r st st ai r , and t hence t o t he bot t omof t he second,
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 9
and di d not l eave her t i l l she saw her hal f - way down t he t hi r d. When she hear d t he
cr y of her nur se' s pl easur e at f i ndi ng her , she t ur ned and wal ked up t he st ai r s
agai n, ver y f ast i ndeed f or such a ver y gr eat gr andmot her , and sat down t o her
spi nni ng wi t h anot her st r ange smi l e on her sweet ol d f ace.
About t hi s spi nni ng of her s I wi l l t el l you mor e anot her t i me.
Guess what she was spi nni ng.

CHAPTER 4: What the Nurse Thought of It
' Why, wher e can you have been, pr i ncess?' asked t he nur se, t aki ng her i n her ar ms.
' I t ' s ver y unki nd of you t o hi de away so l ong. I began t o be af r ai d' Her e she
checked her sel f .
' What wer e you af r ai d of , nur si e?' asked t he pr i ncess.
' Never mi nd, ' she answer ed. ' Per haps I wi l l t el l you anot her day. Now t el l me wher e
you have been. '
' I ' ve been up a l ong way t o see my ver y gr eat , huge, ol d gr andmot her , ' sai d t he
pr i ncess.
' What do you mean by t hat ?' asked t he nur se, who t hought she was maki ng f un.
' I mean t hat I ' ve been a l ong way up and up t o see My GREAT gr andmot her . Ah, nur si e,
you don' t know what a beaut i f ul mot her of gr andmot her s I ' ve got upst ai r s. She i s such
an ol d l ady, wi t h such l ovel y whi t e hai r as whi t e as my si l ver cup. Now, when I t hi nk
of i t , I t hi nk her hai r must be si l ver . '
' What nonsense you ar e t al ki ng, pr i ncess! ' sai d t he nur se.
' I ' mnot t al ki ng nonsense, ' r et ur ned I r ene, r at her of f ended. ' I wi l l t el l you al l
about her . She' s much t al l er t han you, and much pr et t i er . '
' Oh, I dar e say! ' r emar ked t he nur se.
' And she l i ves upon pi geons' eggs. '
' Most l i kel y, ' sai d t he nur se.
' And she si t s i n an empt y r oom, spi n- spi nni ng al l day l ong. '
' Not a doubt of i t , ' sai d t he nur se.
' And she keeps her cr own i n her bedr oom. '
' Of cour sequi t e t he pr oper pl ace t o keep her cr own i n. She wear s i t i n bed, I ' l l be
bound. '
' She di dn' t say t hat . And I don' t t hi nk she does. That woul dn' t be comf or t abl ewoul d
i t ? I don' t t hi nk my papa wear s hi s cr own f or a ni ght - cap. Does he, nur si e?'
' I never asked hi m. I dar e say he does. '
' And she' s been t her e ever si nce I came her eever so many year s. '
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' Anybody coul d have t ol d you t hat , ' sai d t he nur se, who di d not bel i eve a wor d I r ene
was sayi ng.
' Why di dn' t you t el l me, t hen?'
' Ther e was no necessi t y. You coul d make i t al l up f or your sel f . '
' You don' t bel i eve me, t hen! ' excl ai med t he pr i ncess, ast oni shed and angr y, as she
wel l mi ght be.
' Di d you expect me t o bel i eve you, pr i ncess?' asked t he nur se col dl y. ' I know
pr i ncesses ar e i n t he habi t of t el l i ng make- bel i eves, but you ar e t he f i r st I ever
hear d of who expect ed t o have t hembel i eved, ' she added, seei ng t hat t he chi l d was
st r angel y i n ear nest .
The pr i ncess bur st i nt o t ear s.
' Wel l , I must say, ' r emar ked t he nur se, now t hor oughl y vexed wi t h her f or cr yi ng, ' i t
i s not at al l becomi ng i n a pr i ncess t o t el l st or i es and expect t o be bel i eved j ust
because she i s a pr i ncess. '
' But i t ' s qui t e t r ue, I t el l you. '
' You' ve dr eamt i t , t hen, chi l d. '
' No, I di dn' t dr eami t . I went upst ai r s, and I l ost mysel f , and i f I hadn' t f ound t he
beaut i f ul l ady, I shoul d never have f ound mysel f . '
' Oh, I dar e say! '
' Wel l , you j ust come up wi t h me, and see i f I ' mnot t el l i ng t he t r ut h. '
' I ndeed I have ot her wor k t o do. I t ' s your di nner t i me, and I won' t have any mor e such
nonsense. '
The pr i ncess wi ped her eyes, and her f ace gr ew so hot t hat t hey wer e soon qui t e dr y.
She sat down t o her di nner , but at e next t o not hi ng. Not t o be bel i eved does not at
al l agr ee wi t h pr i ncesses: f or a r eal pr i ncess cannot t el l a l i e. So al l t he
af t er noon she di d not speak a wor d. Onl y when t he nur se spoke t o her , she answer ed
her , f or a r eal pr i ncess i s never r udeeven when she does wel l t o be of f ended.
Of cour se t he nur se was not comf or t abl e i n her mi ndnot t hat she suspect ed t he l east
t r ut h i n I r ene' s st or y, but t hat she l oved her dear l y, and was vexed wi t h her sel f f or
havi ng been cr oss t o her . She t hought her cr ossness was t he cause of t he pr i ncess' s
unhappi ness, and had no i dea t hat she was r eal l y and deepl y hur t at not bei ng
bel i eved. But , as i t became mor e and mor e pl ai n dur i ng t he eveni ng i n her ever y
mot i on and l ook, t hat , al t hough she t r i ed t o amuse her sel f wi t h her t oys, her hear t
was t oo vexed and t r oubl ed t o enj oy t hem, her nur se' s di scomf or t gr ew and gr ew. When
bedt i me came, she undr essed and l ai d her down, but t he chi l d, i nst ead of hol di ng up
her l i t t l e mout h t o be ki ssed, t ur ned away f r omher and l ay st i l l . Then nur si e' s
hear t gave way al t oget her , and she began t o cr y. At t he sound of her f i r st sob t he
pr i ncess t ur ned agai n, and hel d her f ace t o ki ss her as usual . But t he nur se had her
handker chi ef t o her eyes, and di d not see t he movement .
' Nur si e, ' sai d t he pr i ncess, ' why won' t you bel i eve me?'
' Because I can' t bel i eve you, ' sai d t he nur se, get t i ng angr y agai n.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 11
' Ah! t hen, you can' t hel p i t , ' sai d I r ene, ' and I wi l l not be vexed wi t h you any
mor e. I wi l l gi ve you a ki ss and go t o sl eep. '
' You l i t t l e angel ! ' cr i ed t he nur se, and caught her out of bed, and wal ked about t he
r oomwi t h her i n her ar ms, ki ssi ng and huggi ng her .
' You wi l l l et me t ake you t o see my dear ol d gr eat bi g gr andmot her , won' t you?' sai d
t he pr i ncess, as she l ai d her down agai n.
' And you won' t say I ' mugl y, any mor ewi l l you, pr i ncess?' ' Nur si e, I never sai d you
wer e ugl y. What can you mean?'
' Wel l , i f you di dn' t say i t , you meant i t . '
' I ndeed, I never di d. '
' You sai d I wasn' t so pr et t y as t hat '
' As my beaut i f ul gr andmot her yes, I di d say t hat ; and I say i t agai n, f or i t ' s qui t e
t r ue. '
' Then I do t hi nk you ar e unki nd! ' sai d t he nur se, and put her handker chi ef t o her
eyes agai n.
' Nur si e, dear , ever ybody can' t be as beaut i f ul as ever y ot her body, you know. You ar e
ver y ni ce- l ooki ng, but i f you had been as beaut i f ul as my gr andmot her '
' Bot her your gr andmot her ! ' sai d t he nur se.
' Nur se, t hat ' s ver y r ude. You ar e not f i t t o be spoken t o t i l l you can behave
bet t er . '
The pr i ncess t ur ned away once mor e, and agai n t he nur se was ashamed of her sel f .
' I ' msur e I beg your par don, pr i ncess, ' she sai d, t hough st i l l i n an of f ended t one.
But t he pr i ncess l et t he t one pass, and heeded onl y t he wor ds.
' You won' t say i t agai n, I amsur e, ' she answer ed, once mor e t ur ni ng t owar ds her
nur se. ' I was onl y goi ng t o say t hat i f you had been t wi ce as ni ce- l ooki ng as you
ar e, some ki ng or ot her woul d have mar r i ed you, and t hen what woul d have become of
me?'
' You ar e an angel ! ' r epeat ed t he nur se, agai n embr aci ng her . ' Now, ' i nsi st ed I r ene,
' you wi l l come and see my gr andmot her won' t you?'
' I wi l l go wi t h you anywher e you l i ke, my cher ub, ' she answer ed; and i n t wo mi nut es
t he wear y l i t t l e pr i ncess was f ast asl eep.

CHAPTER 5: The Princess Lets Well Alone
When she woke t he next mor ni ng, t he f i r st t hi ng she hear d was t he r ai n st i l l f al l i ng.
I ndeed, t hi s day was so l i ke t he l ast t hat i t woul d have been di f f i cul t t o t el l wher e
was t he use of I t . The f i r st t hi ng she t hought of , however , was not t he r ai n, but t he
l ady i n t he t ower ; and t he f i r st quest i on t hat occupi ed her t hought s was whet her she
shoul d not ask t he nur se t o f ul f i l her pr omi se t hi s ver y mor ni ng, and go wi t h her t o
f i nd her gr andmot her as soon as she had had her br eakf ast . But she came t o t he
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 12
concl usi on t hat per haps t he l ady woul d not be pl eased i f she t ook anyone t o see her
wi t hout f i r st aski ng l eave; especi al l y as i t was pr et t y evi dent , seei ng she l i ved on
pi geons' eggs, and cooked t hemher sel f , t hat she di d not want t he househol d t o know
she was t her e. So t he pr i ncess r esol ved t o t ake t he f i r st oppor t uni t y of r unni ng up
al one and aski ng whet her she mi ght br i ng her nur se. She bel i eved t he f act t hat she
coul d not ot her wi se convi nce her she was t el l i ng t he t r ut h woul d have much wei ght
wi t h her gr andmot her .
The pr i ncess and her nur se wer e t he best of f r i ends al l dr essi ng- t i me, and t he
pr i ncess i n consequence at e an enor mous l i t t l e br eakf ast .
' I wonder , Loot i e' t hat was her pet name f or her nur se' what pi geons' eggs t ast e
l i ke?' she sai d, as she was eat i ng her eggnot qui t e a common one, f or t hey al ways
pi cked out t he pi nky ones f or her .
' We' l l get you a pi geon' s egg, and you shal l j udge f or your sel f , ' sai d t he nur se.
' Oh, no, no! ' r et ur ned I r ene, suddenl y r ef l ect i ng t hey mi ght di st ur b t he ol d l ady i n
get t i ng i t , and t hat even i f t hey di d not , she woul d have one l ess i n consequence.
' What a st r ange cr eat ur e you ar e, ' sai d t he nur se' f i r st t o want a t hi ng and t hen t o
r ef use i t ! '
But she di d not say i t cr ossl y, and t he pr i ncess never mi nded any r emar ks t hat wer e
not unf r i endl y.
' Wel l , you see, Loot i e, t her e ar e r easons, ' she r et ur ned, and sai d no mor e, f or she
di d not want t o br i ng up t he subj ect of t hei r f or mer st r i f e, l est her nur se shoul d
of f er t o go bef or e she had had her gr andmot her ' s per mi ssi on t o br i ng her . Of cour se
she coul d r ef use t o t ake her , but t hen she woul d bel i eve her l ess t han ever .
Now t he nur se, as she sai d her sel f af t er war ds, coul d not be ever y moment i n t he r oom;
and as never bef or e yest er day had t he pr i ncess gi ven her t he smal l est r eason f or
anxi et y, i t had not yet come i nt o her head t o wat ch her mor e cl osel y. So she soon
gave her a chance, and, t he ver y f i r st t hat of f er ed, I r ene was of f and up t he st ai r s
agai n.
Thi s day' s advent ur e, however , di d not t ur n out l i ke yest er day' s, al t hough i t began
l i ke i t ; and i ndeed t o- day i s ver y sel doml i ke yest er day, i f peopl e woul d not e t he
di f f er enceseven when i t r ai ns. The pr i ncess r an t hr ough passage af t er passage, and
coul d not f i nd t he st ai r of t he t ower . My own suspi ci on i s t hat she had not gone up
hi gh enough, and was sear chi ng on t he second i nst ead of t he t hi r d f l oor . When she
t ur ned t o go back, she f ai l ed equal l y i n her sear ch af t er t he st ai r . She was l ost
once mor e.
Somet hi ng made i t even wor se t o bear t hi s t i me, and i t was no wonder t hat she cr i ed
agai n. Suddenl y i t occur r ed t o her t hat i t was af t er havi ng cr i ed bef or e t hat she had
f ound her gr andmot her ' s st ai r . She got up at once, wi ped her eyes, and st ar t ed upon a
f r esh quest .
Thi s t i me, al t hough she di d not f i nd what she hoped, she f ound what was next best :
she di d not come on a st ai r t hat went up, but she came upon one t hat went down. I t
was evi dent l y not t he st ai r she had come up, yet i t was a good deal bet t er t han none;
so down she went , and was si ngi ng mer r i l y bef or e she r eached t he bot t om. Ther e, t o
her sur pr i se, she f ound her sel f i n t he ki t chen. Al t hough she was not al l owed t o go
t her e al one, her nur se had of t en t aken her , and she was a gr eat f avour i t e wi t h t he
ser vant s. So t her e was a gener al r ush at her t he moment she appear ed, f or ever y one
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 13
want ed t o have her ; and t he r epor t of wher e she was soon r eached t he nur se' s ear s.
She came at once t o f et ch her ; but she never suspect ed how she had got t her e, and t he
pr i ncess kept her own counsel .
Her f ai l ur e t o f i nd t he ol d l ady not onl y di sappoi nt ed her , but made her ver y
t hought f ul . Somet i mes she came al most t o t he nur se' s opi ni on t hat she had dr eamed al l
about her ; but t hat f ancy never l ast ed ver y l ong. She wonder ed much whet her she
shoul d ever see her agai n, and t hought i t ver y sad not t o have been abl e t o f i nd her
when she par t i cul ar l y want ed her . She r esol ved t o say not hi ng mor e t o her nur se on
t he subj ect , seei ng i t was so l i t t l e i n her power t o pr ove her wor ds.

CHAPTER 6: The Little Miner
The next day t he gr eat cl oud st i l l hung over t he mount ai n, and t he r ai n pour ed l i ke
wat er f r oma f ul l sponge. The pr i ncess was ver y f ond of bei ng out of door s, and she
near l y cr i ed when she saw t hat t he weat her was no bet t er . But t he mi st was not of
such a dar k di ngy gr ey; t her e was l i ght i n i t ; and as t he hour s went on i t gr ew
br i ght er and br i ght er , unt i l i t was al most t oo br i l l i ant t o l ook at ; and l at e i n t he
af t er noon t he sun br oke out so gl or i ousl y t hat I r ene cl apped her hands, cr yi ng:
' See, see, Loot i e! The sun has had hi s f ace washed. Look how br i ght he i s! Do get my
hat , and l et us go out f or a wal k. Oh, dear ! oh, dear ! how happy I am! '
Loot i e was ver y gl ad t o pl ease t he pr i ncess. She got her hat and cl oak, and t hey set
out t oget her f or a wal k up t he mount ai n; f or t he r oad was so har d and st eep t hat t he
wat er coul d not r est upon i t , and i t was al ways dr y enough f or wal ki ng a f ew mi nut es
af t er t he r ai n ceased. The cl ouds wer e r ol l i ng away i n br oken pi eces, l i ke gr eat ,
over wool l y sheep, whose wool t he sun had bl eached t i l l i t was al most t oo whi t e f or
t he eyes t o bear . Bet ween t hemt he sky shone wi t h a deeper and pur er bl ue, because of
t he r ai n. The t r ees on t he r oadsi de wer e hung al l over wi t h dr ops, whi ch spar kl ed i n
t he sun l i ke j ewel s. The onl y t hi ngs t hat wer e no br i ght er f or t he r ai n wer e t he
br ooks t hat r an down t he mount ai n; t hey had changed f r omt he cl ear ness of cr yst al t o
a muddy br own; but what t hey l ost i n col our t hey gai ned i n soundor at l east i n
noi se, f or a br ook when i t i s swol l en i s not so musi cal as bef or e. But I r ene was i n
r apt ur es wi t h t he gr eat br own st r eams t umbl i ng down ever ywher e; and Loot i e shar ed i n
her del i ght , f or she t oo had been conf i ned t o t he house f or t hr ee days.
At l engt h she obser ved t hat t he sun was get t i ng l ow, and sai d i t was t i me t o be goi ng
back. She made t he r emar k agai n and agai n, but , ever y t i me, t he pr i ncess begged her
t o go on j ust a l i t t l e f ar t her and a l i t t l e f ar t her ; r emi ndi ng her t hat i t was much
easi er t o go downhi l l , and sayi ng t hat when t hey di d t ur n t hey woul d be at home i n a
moment . So on and on t hey di d go, now t o l ook at a gr oup of f er ns over whose t ops a
st r eamwas pour i ng i n a wat er y ar ch, now t o pi ck a shi ni ng st one f r oma r ock by t he
waysi de, now t o wat ch t he f l i ght of some bi r d. Suddenl y t he shadow of a gr eat
mount ai n peak came up f r ombehi nd, and shot i n f r ont of t hem. When t he nur se saw i t ,
she st ar t ed and shook, and cat chi ng hol d of t he pr i ncess' s hand t ur ned and began t o
r un down t he hi l l .
' What ' s al l t he hast e, nur si e?' asked I r ene, r unni ng al ongsi de of her .
' We must not be out a moment l onger . '
' But we can' t hel p bei ng out a good many moment s l onger . '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 14
I t was t oo t r ue. The nur se al most cr i ed. They wer e much t oo f ar f r omhome. I t was
agai nst expr ess or der s t o be out wi t h t he pr i ncess one moment af t er t he sun was down;
and t hey wer e near l y a mi l e up t he mount ai n! I f Hi s Maj est y, I r ene' s papa, wer e t o
hear of i t , Loot i e woul d cer t ai nl y be di smi ssed; and t o l eave t he pr i ncess woul d
br eak her hear t . I t was no wonder she r an. But I r ene was not i n t he l east f r i ght ened,
not knowi ng anyt hi ng t o be f r i ght ened at . She kept on chat t er i ng as wel l as she
coul d, but i t was not easy.
' Loot i e! Loot i e! why do you r un so f ast ? I t shakes my t eet h when I t al k. '
' Then don' t t al k, ' sai d Loot i e.
' But t he pr i ncess went on t al ki ng. She was al ways sayi ng: ' Look, l ook, Loot i e! ' but
Loot i e pai d no mor e heed t o anyt hi ng she sai d, onl y r an on.
' Look, l ook, Loot i e! Don' t you see t hat f unny man peepi ng over t he r ock?'
Loot i e onl y r an t he f ast er . They had t o pass t he r ock, and when t hey came near er , t he
pr i ncess saw i t was onl y a l ump of t he r ock i t sel f t hat she had t aken f or a man.
' Look, l ook, Loot i e! Ther e' s such a cur i ous cr eat ur e at t he f oot of t hat ol d t r ee.
Look at i t , Loot i e! I t ' s maki ng f aces at us, I do t hi nk. '
Loot i e gave a st i f l ed cr y, and r an f ast er st i l l so f ast t hat I r ene' s l i t t l e l egs
coul d not keep up wi t h her , and she f el l wi t h a cr ash. I t was a har d downhi l l r oad,
and she had been r unni ng ver y f ast so i t was no wonder she began t o cr y. Thi s put t he
nur se near l y besi de her sel f ; but al l she coul d do was t o r un on, t he moment she got
t he pr i ncess on her f eet agai n.
' Who' s t hat l aughi ng at me?' sai d t he pr i ncess, t r yi ng t o keep i n her sobs, and
r unni ng t oo f ast f or her gr azed knees.
' Nobody, chi l d, ' sai d t he nur se, al most angr i l y.
But t hat i nst ant t her e came a bur st of coar se t i t t er i ng f r omsomewher e near , and a
hoar se i ndi st i nct voi ce t hat seemed t o say: ' Li es! l i es! l i es! '
' Oh! ' cr i ed t he nur se wi t h a si gh t hat was al most a scr eam, and r an on f ast er t han
ever .
' Nur si e! Loot i e! I can' t r un any mor e. Do l et us wal k a bi t . '
' What amI t o do?' sai d t he nur se. ' Her e, I wi l l car r y you. '
She caught her up; but f ound her much t oo heavy t o r un wi t h, and had t o set her down
agai n. Then she l ooked wi l dl y about her , gave a gr eat cr y, and sai d:
' We' ve t aken t he wr ong t ur ni ng somewher e, and I don' t know wher e we ar e. We ar e l ost ,
l ost ! '
The t er r or she was i n had qui t e bewi l der ed her . I t was t r ue enough t hey had l ost t he
way. They had been r unni ng down i nt o a l i t t l e val l ey i n whi ch t her e was no house t o
be seen.
Now I r ene di d not know what good r eason t her e was f or her nur se' s t er r or , f or t he
ser vant s had al l st r i ct or der s never t o ment i on t he gobl i ns t o her , but i t was ver y
di scomposi ng t o see her nur se i n such a f r i ght . Bef or e, however , she had t i me t o gr ow
t hor oughl y al ar med l i ke her , she hear d t he sound of whi st l i ng, and t hat r evi ved her .
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 15
Pr esent l y she saw a boy comi ng up t he r oad f r omt he val l ey t o meet t hem. He was t he
whi st l er ; but bef or e t hey met hi s whi st l i ng changed t o si ngi ng. And t hi s i s somet hi ng
l i ke what he sang:
' Ri ng! dod! bang!
Go t he hammer s' cl ang!
Hi t and t ur n and bor e!
Whi zz and puf f and r oar !
Thus we r i ve t he r ocks,
For ce t he gobl i n l ocks.
See t he shi ni ng or e!
One, t wo, t hr ee
Br i ght as gol d can be!
Four , f i ve, si x
Shovel s, mat t ocks, pi cks!
Seven, ei ght , ni ne
Li ght your l amp at mi ne.
Ten, el even, t wel ve
Loosel y hol d t he hel ve.
We' r e t he mer r y mi ner - boys,
Make t he gobl i ns hol d t hei r noi se. '

' I wi sh YOU woul d hol d your noi se, ' sai d t he nur se r udel y, f or t he ver y wor d GOBLI N
at such a t i me and i n such a pl ace made her t r embl e. I t woul d br i ng t he gobl i ns upon
t hemt o a cer t ai nt y, she t hought , t o def y t hemi n t hat way. But whet her t he boy hear d
her or not , he di d not st op hi s si ngi ng.

' Thi r t een, f our t een, f i f t een
Thi s i s wor t h t he si f t i n' ;
Si xt een, sevent een, ei ght een
Ther e' s t he mat ch, and l ay' t i n.
Ni net een, t went y
Gobl i ns i n a pl ent y. '

From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 16
' Do be qui et , ' cr i ed t he nur se, i n a whi sper ed shr i ek. But t he boy, who was now cl ose
at hand, st i l l went on.
' Hush! scush! scur r y!
Ther e you go i n a hur r y!
Gobbl e! gobbl e! gobl i n!
Ther e you go a wobbl i n' ;
Hobbl e, hobbl e, hobbl i n'
Cobbl e! cobbl e! cobbl i n' !
Hob- bob- gobl i n!
Huuuuuh! '

' Ther e! ' sai d t he boy, as he st ood st i l l opposi t e t hem. ' Ther e! t hat ' l l do f or t hem.
They can' t bear si ngi ng, and t hey can' t st and t hat song. They can' t si ng t hemsel ves,
f or t hey have no mor e voi ce t han a cr ow; and t hey don' t l i ke ot her peopl e t o si ng. '
The boy was dr essed i n a mi ner ' s dr ess, wi t h a cur i ous cap on hi s head. He was a ver y
ni ce- l ooki ng boy, wi t h eyes as dar k as t he mi nes i n whi ch he wor ked and as spar kl i ng
as t he cr yst al s i n t hei r r ocks. He was about t wel ve year s ol d. Hi s f ace was al most
t oo pal e f or beaut y, whi ch came of hi s bei ng so l i t t l e i n t he open ai r and t he
sunl i ght f or even veget abl es gr own i n t he dar k ar e whi t e; but he l ooked happy, mer r y
i ndeedper haps at t he t hought of havi ng r out ed t he gobl i ns; and hi s bear i ng as he
st ood bef or e t hemhad not hi ng cl owni sh or r ude about i t .
' I saw t hem, ' he went on, ' as I came up; and I ' mver y gl ad I di d. I knew t hey wer e
af t er somebody, but I coul dn' t see who i t was. They won' t t ouch you so l ong as I ' m
wi t h you. '
' Why, who ar e you?' asked t he nur se, of f ended at t he f r eedomwi t h whi ch he spoke t o
t hem.
' I ' mPet er ' s son. '
' Who' s Pet er ?'
' Pet er t he mi ner . '
' I don' t know hi m. ' ' I ' mhi s son, t hough. '
' And why shoul d t he gobl i ns mi nd you, pr ay?'
' Because I don' t mi nd t hem. I ' mused t o t hem. '
' What di f f er ence does t hat make?'
' I f you' r e not af r ai d of t hem, t hey' r e af r ai d of you. I ' mnot af r ai d of t hem. That ' s
al l . But i t ' s al l t hat ' s want edup her e, t hat i s. I t ' s a di f f er ent t hi ng down t her e.
They won' t al ways mi nd t hat song even, down t her e. And i f anyone si ngs i t , t hey st and
gr i nni ng at hi mawf ul l y; and i f he get s f r i ght ened, and mi sses a wor d, or says a
wr ong one, t heyoh! don' t t hey gi ve i t hi m! '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 17
' What do t hey do t o hi m?' asked I r ene, wi t h a t r embl i ng voi ce.
' Don' t go f r i ght eni ng t he pr i ncess, ' sai d t he nur se.
' The pr i ncess! ' r epeat ed t he l i t t l e mi ner , t aki ng of f hi s cur i ous cap. ' I beg your
par don; but you ought n' t t o be out so l at e. Ever ybody knows t hat ' s agai nst t he l aw. '
' Yes, i ndeed i t i s! ' sai d t he nur se, begi nni ng t o cr y agai n. ' And I shal l have t o
suf f er f or i t . '
' What does t hat mat t er ?' sai d t he boy. ' I t must be your f aul t . I t i s t he pr i ncess who
wi l l suf f er f or i t . I hope t hey di dn' t hear you cal l her t he pr i ncess. I f t hey di d,
t hey' r e sur e t o know her agai n: t hey' r e awf ul l y shar p. '
' Loot i e! Loot i e! ' cr i ed t he pr i ncess. ' Take me home. '
' Don' t go on l i ke t hat , ' sai d t he nur se t o t he boy, al most f i er cel y. ' How coul d I
hel p i t ? I l ost my way. '
' You shoul dn' t have been out so l at e. You woul dn' t have l ost your way i f you hadn' t
been f r i ght ened, ' sai d t he boy. ' Come al ong. I ' l l soon set you r i ght agai n. Shal l I
car r y your l i t t l e Hi ghness?'
' I mper t i nence! ' mur mur ed t he nur se, but she di d not say i t al oud, f or she t hought i f
she made hi mangr y he mi ght t ake hi s r evenge by t el l i ng someone bel ongi ng t o t he
house, and t hen i t woul d be sur e t o come t o t he ki ng' s ear s. ' No, t hank you, ' sai d
I r ene. ' I can wal k ver y wel l , t hough I can' t r un so f ast as nur si e. I f you wi l l gi ve
me one hand, Loot i e wi l l gi ve me anot her , and t hen I shal l get on f amousl y. '
They soon had her bet ween t hem, hol di ng a hand of each.
' Now l et ' s r un, ' sai d t he nur se.
' No, no! ' sai d t he l i t t l e mi ner . ' That ' s t he wor st t hi ng you can do. I f you hadn' t
r un bef or e, you woul d not have l ost your way. And i f you r un now, t hey wi l l be af t er
you i n a moment . '
' I don' t want t o r un, ' sai d I r ene.
' You don' t t hi nk of me, ' sai d t he nur se.
' Yes, I do, Loot i e. The boy says t hey won' t t ouch us i f we don' t r un. '
' Yes, but i f t hey know at t he house t hat I ' ve kept you out so l at e I shal l be t ur ned
away, and t hat woul d br eak my hear t . '
' Tur ned away, Loot i e! Who woul d t ur n you away?'
' Your papa, chi l d. '
' But I ' l l t el l hi mi t was al l my f aul t . And you know i t was, Loot i e. '
' He won' t mi nd t hat . I ' msur e he won' t . '
' Then I ' l l cr y, and go down on my knees t o hi m, and beg hi mnot t o t ake away my own
dear Loot i e. '
The nur se was comf or t ed at hear i ng t hi s, and sai d no mor e. They went on, wal ki ng
pr et t y f ast , but t aki ng car e not t o r un a st ep.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 18
' I want t o t al k t o you, ' sai d I r ene t o t he l i t t l e mi ner ; ' but i t ' s so awkwar d! I
don' t know your name. '
' My name' s Cur di e, l i t t l e pr i ncess. '
' What a f unny name! Cur di e! What mor e?'
' Cur di e Pet er son. What ' s your name, pl ease?'
' I r ene. '
' What mor e?'
' I don' t know what mor e. What mor e i s my name, Loot i e?'
' Pr i ncesses haven' t got mor e t han one name. They don' t want i t . '
' Oh, t hen, Cur di e, you must cal l me j ust I r ene and no mor e. '
' No, i ndeed, ' sai d t he nur se i ndi gnant l y. ' He shal l do no such t hi ng. '
' What shal l he cal l me, t hen, Loot i e?'
' Your Royal Hi ghness. ' ' My Royal Hi ghness! What ' s t hat ? No, no, Loot i e. I won' t be
cal l ed names. I don' t l i ke t hem. You t ol d me once your sel f i t ' s onl y r ude chi l dr en
t hat cal l names; and I ' msur e Cur di e woul dn' t be r ude. Cur di e, my name' s I r ene. '
' Wel l , I r ene, ' sai d Cur di e, wi t h a gl ance at t he nur se whi ch showed he enj oyed
t easi ng her ; ' i t i s ver y ki nd of you t o l et me cal l you anyt hi ng. I l i ke your name
ver y much. '
He expect ed t he nur se t o i nt er f er e agai n; but he soon saw t hat she was t oo f r i ght ened
t o speak. She was st ar i ng at somet hi ng a f ew yar ds bef or e t hemi n t he mi ddl e of t he
pat h, wher e i t nar r owed bet ween r ocks so t hat onl y one coul d pass at a t i me.
' I t i s ver y much ki nder of you t o go out of your way t o t ake us home, ' sai d I r ene.
' I ' mnot goi ng out of my way yet , ' sai d Cur di e. ' I t ' s on t he ot her si de of t hose
r ocks t he pat h t ur ns of f t o my f at her ' s. '
' You woul dn' t t hi nk of l eavi ng us t i l l we' r e saf e home, I ' msur e, ' gasped t he nur se.
' Of cour se not , ' sai d Cur di e.
' You dear , good, ki nd Cur di e! I ' l l gi ve you a ki ss when we get home, ' sai d t he
pr i ncess.
The nur se gave her a gr eat pul l by t he hand she hel d. But at t hat i nst ant t he
somet hi ng i n t he mi ddl e of t he way, whi ch had l ooked l i ke a gr eat l ump of ear t h
br ought down by t he r ai n, began t o move. One af t er anot her i t shot out f our l ong
t hi ngs, l i ke t wo ar ms and t wo l egs, but i t was now t oo dar k t o t el l what t hey wer e.
The nur se began t o t r embl e f r omhead t o f oot . I r ene cl asped Cur di e' s hand yet f ast er ,
and Cur di e began t o si ng agai n:
' One, t wo
Hi t and hew!
Thr ee, f our
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 19
Bl ast and bor e!
Fi ve, si x
Ther e' s a f i x!
Seven, ei ght
Hol d i t st r ai ght !
Ni ne, t en
Hi t agai n!
Hur r y! scur r y!
Bot her ! smot her !
Ther e' s a t oad
I n t he r oad!
Smash i t !
Squash i t !
Fr y i t !
Dr y i t !
You' r e anot her !
Up and of f !
Ther e' s enough!
Huuuuuh! '

As he ut t er ed t he l ast wor ds, Cur di e l et go hi s hol d of hi s compani on, and r ushed at
t he t hi ng i n t he r oad as i f he woul d t r ampl e i t under hi s f eet . I t gave a gr eat
spr i ng, and r an st r ai ght up one of t he r ocks l i ke a huge spi der . Cur di e t ur ned back
l aughi ng, and t ook I r ene' s hand agai n. She gr asped hi s ver y t i ght , but sai d not hi ng
t i l l t hey had passed t he r ocks. A f ew yar ds mor e and she f ound her sel f on a par t of
t he r oad she knew, and was abl e t o speak agai n.
' Do you know, Cur di e, I don' t qui t e l i ke your song: i t sounds t o me r at her r ude, ' she
sai d.
' Wel l , per haps i t i s, ' answer ed Cur di e. ' I never t hought of t hat ; i t ' s a way we have.
We do i t because t hey don' t l i ke i t . '
' Who don' t l i ke i t ?'
' The cobs, as we cal l t hem. '
' Don' t ! ' sai d t he nur se.
' Why not ?' sai d Cur di e.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 20
' I beg you won' t . Pl ease don' t . '
' Oh! i f you ask me t hat way, of cour se, I won' t ; t hough I don' t a bi t know why. Look!
t her e ar e t he l i ght s of your gr eat house down bel ow. You' l l be at home i n f i ve
mi nut es now. '
Not hi ng mor e happened. They r eached home i n saf et y. Nobody had mi ssed t hem, or even
known t hey had gone out ; and t hey ar r i ved at t he door bel ongi ng t o t hei r par t of t he
house wi t hout anyone seei ng t hem. The nur se was r ushi ng i n wi t h a hur r i ed and not
over - gr aci ous good ni ght t o Cur di e; but t he pr i ncess pul l ed her hand f r omher s, and
was j ust t hr owi ng her ar ms r ound Cur di e' s neck, when she caught her agai n and dr agged
her away.
' Loot i e! Loot i e! I pr omi sed a ki ss, ' cr i ed I r ene.
' A pr i ncess must n' t gi ve ki sses. I t ' s not at al l pr oper , ' sai d Loot i e.
' But I pr omi sed, ' sai d t he pr i ncess.
' Ther e' s no occasi on; he' s onl y a mi ner - boy. '
' He' s a good boy, and a br ave boy, and he has been ver y ki nd t o us. Loot i e! Loot i e! I
pr omi sed. '
' Then you shoul dn' t have pr omi sed. '
' Loot i e, I pr omi sed hi ma ki ss. '
' Your Royal Hi ghness, ' sai d Loot i e, suddenl y gr own ver y r espect f ul , ' must come i n
di r ect l y. '
' Nur se, a pr i ncess must not br eak her wor d, ' sai d I r ene, dr awi ng her sel f up and
st andi ng st ock- st i l l .
Loot i e di d not know whi ch t he ki ng mi ght count t he wor st t o l et t he pr i ncess be out
af t er sunset , or t o l et her ki ss a mi ner - boy. She di d not know t hat , bei ng a
gent l eman, as many ki ngs have been, he woul d have count ed nei t her of t hemt he wor se.
However much he mi ght have di sl i ked hi s daught er t o ki ss t he mi ner - boy, he woul d not
have had her br eak her wor d f or al l t he gobl i ns i n cr eat i on. But , as I say, t he nur se
was not l ady enough t o under st and t hi s, and so she was i n a gr eat di f f i cul t y, f or , i f
she i nsi st ed, someone mi ght hear t he pr i ncess cr y and r un t o see, and t hen al l woul d
come out . But her e Cur di e came agai n t o t he r escue.
' Never mi nd, Pr i ncess I r ene, ' he sai d. ' You must n' t ki ss me t oni ght . But you shan' t
br eak your wor d. I wi l l come anot her t i me. You may be sur e I wi l l . '
' Oh, t hank you, Cur di e! ' sai d t he pr i ncess, and st opped cr yi ng.
' Good ni ght , I r ene; good ni ght , Loot i e, ' sai d Cur di e, and t ur ned and was out of si ght
i n a moment .
' I shoul d l i ke t o see hi m! ' mut t er ed t he nur se, as she car r i ed t he pr i ncess t o t he
nur ser y.
' You wi l l see hi m, ' sai d I r ene. ' You may be sur e Cur di e wi l l keep hi s wor d. He' s sur e
t o come agai n. '
' I shoul d l i ke t o see hi m! ' r epeat ed t he nur se, and sai d no mor e. She di d not want t o
open a new cause of st r i f e wi t h t he pr i ncess by sayi ng mor e pl ai nl y what she meant .
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 21
Gl ad enough t hat she had succeeded bot h i n get t i ng home unseen, and i n keepi ng t he
pr i ncess f r omki ssi ng t he mi ner ' s boy, she r esol ved t o wat ch her f ar bet t er i n
f ut ur e. Her car el essness had al r eady doubl ed t he danger she was i n. For mer l y t he
gobl i ns wer e her onl y f ear ; now she had t o pr ot ect her char ge f r omCur di e as wel l .

CHAPTER 7: The Mines
Cur di e went home whi st l i ng. He r esol ved t o say not hi ng about t he pr i ncess f or f ear of
get t i ng t he nur se i nt o t r oubl e, f or whi l e he enj oyed t easi ng her because of her
absur di t y, he was car ef ul not t o do her any har m. He saw no mor e of t he gobl i ns, and
was soon f ast asl eep i n hi s bed.
He woke i n t he mi ddl e of t he ni ght , and t hought he hear d cur i ous noi ses out si de. He
sat up and l i st ened; t hen got up, and, openi ng t he door ver y qui et l y, went out . When
he peeped r ound t he cor ner , he saw, under hi s own wi ndow, a gr oup of st umpy
cr eat ur es, whomhe at once r ecogni zed by t hei r shape. Har dl y, however , had he begun
hi s ' One, t wo, t hr ee! ' when t hey br oke asunder , scur r i ed away, and wer e out of si ght .
He r et ur ned l aughi ng, got i nt o bed agai n, and was f ast asl eep i n a moment .
Ref l ect i ng a l i t t l e over t he mat t er i n t he mor ni ng, he came t o t he concl usi on t hat ,
as not hi ng of t he ki nd had ever happened bef or e, t hey must be annoyed wi t h hi mf or
i nt er f er i ng t o pr ot ect t he pr i ncess. By t he t i me he was dr essed, however , he was
t hi nki ng of somet hi ng qui t e di f f er ent , f or he di d not val ue t he enmi t y of t he gobl i ns
i n t he l east . As soon as t hey had had br eakf ast , he set of f wi t h hi s f at her f or t he
mi ne.
They ent er ed t he hi l l by a nat ur al openi ng under a huge r ock, wher e a l i t t l e st r eam
r ushed out . They f ol l owed i t s cour se f or a f ew yar ds, when t he passage t ook a t ur n,
and sl oped st eepl y i nt o t he hear t of t he hi l l . Wi t h many angl es and wi ndi ngs and
br anchi ngs- of f , and somet i mes wi t h st eps wher e i t came upon a nat ur al gul f , i t l ed
t hemdeep i nt o t he hi l l bef or e t hey ar r i ved at t he pl ace wher e t hey wer e at pr esent
di ggi ng out t he pr eci ous or e. Thi s was of var i ous ki nds, f or t he mount ai n was ver y
r i ch i n t he bet t er sor t s of met al s. Wi t h f l i nt and st eel , and t i nder - box, t hey
l i ght ed t hei r l amps, t hen f i xed t hemon t hei r heads, and wer e soon har d at wor k wi t h
t hei r pi ckaxes and shovel s and hammer s. Fat her and son wer e at wor k near each ot her ,
but not i n t he same gangt he passages out of whi ch t he or e was dug, t hey cal l ed
gangsf or when t he l ode, or vei n of or e, was smal l , one mi ner woul d have t o di g away
al one i n a passage no bi gger t han gave hi mj ust r oomt o wor ksomet i mes i n
uncomf or t abl e cr amped posi t i ons. I f t hey st opped f or a moment t hey coul d hear
ever ywher e ar ound t hem, some near er , some f ar t her of f , t he sounds of t hei r compani ons
bur r owi ng away i n al l di r ect i ons i n t he i nsi de of t he gr eat mount ai nsome bor i ng
hol es i n t he r ock i n or der t o bl ow i t up wi t h gunpowder , ot her s shovel l i ng t he br oken
or e i nt o basket s t o be car r i ed t o t he mout h of t he mi ne, ot her s hi t t i ng away wi t h
t hei r pi ckaxes. Somet i mes, i f t he mi ner was i n a ver y l onel y par t , he woul d hear onl y
a t ap- t appi ng, no l ouder t han t hat of a woodpecker , f or t he sound woul d come f r oma
gr eat di st ance of f t hr ough t he sol i d mount ai n r ock.
The wor k was har d at best , f or i t i s ver y war munder gr ound; but i t was not
par t i cul ar l y unpl easant , and some of t he mi ner s, when t hey want ed t o ear n a l i t t l e
mor e money f or a par t i cul ar pur pose, woul d st op behi nd t he r est and wor k al l ni ght .
But you coul d not t el l ni ght f r omday down t her e, except f r omf eel i ng t i r ed and
sl eepy; f or no l i ght of t he sun ever came i nt o t hose gl oomy r egi ons. Some who had
t hus r emai ned behi nd dur i ng t he ni ght , al t hough cer t ai n t her e wer e none of t hei r
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 22
compani ons at wor k, woul d decl ar e t he next mor ni ng t hat t hey hear d, ever y t i me t hey
hal t ed f or a moment t o t ake br eat h, a t ap- t appi ng al l about t hem, as i f t he mount ai n
wer e t hen mor e f ul l of mi ner s t han ever i t was dur i ng t he day; and some i n
consequence woul d never st ay over ni ght , f or al l knew t hose wer e t he sounds of t he
gobl i ns. They wor ked onl y at ni ght , f or t he mi ner s' ni ght was t he gobl i ns' day.
I ndeed, t he gr eat er number of t he mi ner s wer e af r ai d of t he gobl i ns; f or t her e wer e
st r ange st or i es wel l known amongst t hemof t he t r eat ment some had r ecei ved whomt he
gobl i ns had sur pr i sed at t hei r wor k dur i ng t he ni ght . The mor e cour ageous of t hem,
however , amongst t hemPet er Pet er son and Cur di e, who i n t hi s t ook af t er hi s f at her ,
had st ayed i n t he mi ne al l ni ght agai n and agai n, and al t hough t hey had sever al t i mes
encount er ed a f ew st r ay gobl i ns, had never yet f ai l ed i n dr i vi ng t hemaway. As I have
i ndi cat ed al r eady, t he chi ef def ence agai nst t hemwas ver se, f or t hey hat ed ver se of
ever y ki nd, and some ki nds t hey coul d not endur e at al l . I suspect t hey coul d not
make any t hemsel ves, and t hat was why t hey di sl i ked i t so much. At al l event s, t hose
who wer e most af r ai d of t hemwer e t hose who coul d nei t her make ver ses t hemsel ves nor
r emember t he ver ses t hat ot her peopl e made f or t hem; whi l e t hose who wer e never
af r ai d wer e t hose who coul d make ver ses f or t hemsel ves; f or al t hough t her e wer e
cer t ai n ol d r hymes whi ch wer e ver y ef f ect ual , yet i t was wel l known t hat a new r hyme,
i f of t he r i ght sor t , was even mor e di st ast ef ul t o t hem, and t her ef or e mor e ef f ect ual
i n put t i ng t hemt o f l i ght .
Per haps my r eader s may be wonder i ng what t he gobl i ns coul d be about , wor ki ng al l
ni ght l ong, seei ng t hey never car r i ed up t he or e and sol d i t ; but when I have
i nf or med t hemconcer ni ng what Cur di e l ear ned t he ver y next ni ght , t hey wi l l be abl e
t o under st and.
For Cur di e had det er mi ned, i f hi s f at her woul d per mi t hi m, t o r emai n t her e al one t hi s
ni ght and t hat f or t wo r easons: f i r st , he want ed t o get ext r a wages t hat he mi ght buy
a ver y war mr ed pet t i coat f or hi s mot her , who had begun t o compl ai n of t he col d of
t he mount ai n ai r sooner t han usual t hi s aut umn; and second, he had j ust a f ai nt hope
of f i ndi ng out what t he gobl i ns wer e about under hi s wi ndow t he ni ght bef or e.
When he t ol d hi s f at her , he made no obj ect i on, f or he had gr eat conf i dence i n hi s
boy' s cour age and r esour ces.
' I ' msor r y I can' t st ay wi t h you, ' sai d Pet er ; ' but I want t o go and pay t he par son a
vi si t t hi s eveni ng, and besi des I ' ve had a bi t of a headache al l day. '
' I ' msor r y f or t hat , f at her , ' sai d Cur di e.
' Oh, i t ' s not much. You' l l be sur e t o t ake car e of your sel f , won' t you?'
' Yes, f at her ; I wi l l . I ' l l keep a shar p l ook- out , I pr omi se you. ' Cur di e was t he onl y
one who r emai ned i n t he mi ne. About si x o' cl ock t he r est went away, ever yone bi ddi ng
hi mgood ni ght , and t el l i ng hi mt o t ake car e of hi msel f ; f or he was a gr eat f avour i t e
wi t h t hemal l .
' Don' t f or get your r hymes, ' sai d one.
' No, no, ' answer ed Cur di e.
' I t ' s no mat t er i f he does, ' sai d anot her , ' f or he' l l onl y have t o make a new one. '
' Yes: but he mi ght n' t be abl e t o make i t f ast enough, ' sai d anot her ; ' and whi l e i t
was cooki ng i n hi s head, t hey mi ght t ake a mean advant age and set upon hi m. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 23
' I ' l l do my best , ' sai d Cur di e. ' I ' mnot af r ai d. ' ' We al l know t hat , ' t hey r et ur ned,
and l ef t hi m.

CHAPTER 8: The Goblins
For some t i me Cur di e wor ked away br i skl y, t hr owi ng al l t he or e he had di sengaged on
one si de behi nd hi m, t o be r eady f or car r yi ng out i n t he mor ni ng. He hear d a good
deal of gobl i n- t appi ng, but i t al l sounded f ar away i n t he hi l l , and he pai d i t
l i t t l e heed. Towar ds mi dni ght he began t o f eel r at her hungr y; so he dr opped hi s
pi ckaxe, got out a l ump of br ead whi ch i n t he mor ni ng he had l ai d i n a damp hol e i n
t he r ock, sat down on a heap of or e, and at e hi s supper . Then he l eaned back f or f i ve
mi nut es' r est bef or e begi nni ng hi s wor k agai n, and l ai d hi s head agai nst t he r ock. He
had not kept t he posi t i on f or one mi nut e bef or e he hear d somet hi ng whi ch made hi m
shar pen hi s ear s. I t sounded l i ke a voi ce i nsi de t he r ock. Af t er a whi l e he hear d i t
agai n. I t was a gobl i n voi cet her e coul d be no doubt about t hat and t hi s t i me he
coul d make out t he wor ds.
' Hadn' t we bet t er be movi ng?' i t sai d.
A r ougher and deeper voi ce r epl i ed:
' Ther e' s no hur r y. That wr et ched l i t t l e mol e won' t be t hr ough t oni ght , i f he wor k
ever so har d. He' s not by any means at t he t hi nnest pl ace. '
' But you st i l l t hi nk t he l ode does come t hr ough i nt o our house?' sai d t he f i r st
voi ce.
' Yes, but a good bi t f ar t her on t han he has got t o yet . I f he had st r uck a st r oke
mor e t o t he si de j ust her e, ' sai d t he gobl i n, t appi ng t he ver y st one, as i t seemed t o
Cur di e, agai nst whi ch hi s head l ay, ' he woul d have been t hr ough; but he' s a coupl e of
yar ds past i t now, and i f he f ol l ow t he l ode i t wi l l be a week bef or e i t l eads hi m
i n. You see i t back t her ea l ong way. St i l l , per haps, i n case of acci dent i t woul d be
as wel l t o be get t i ng out of t hi s. Hel f er , you' l l t ake t he gr eat chest . That ' s your
busi ness, you know. '
' Yes, dad, ' sai d a t hi r d voi ce. ' But you must hel p me t o get i t on my back. I t ' s
awf ul l y heavy, you know. '
' Wel l , i t i sn' t j ust a bag of smoke, I admi t . But you' r e as st r ong as a mount ai n,
Hel f er . '
' You say so, dad. I t hi nk mysel f I ' mal l r i ght . But I coul d car r y t en t i mes as much
i f i t wasn' t f or my f eet . '
' That i s your weak poi nt , I conf ess, my boy. ' ' Ai n' t i t your s t oo, f at her ?'
' Wel l , t o be honest , i t ' s a gobl i n weakness. Why t hey come so sof t , I decl ar e I
haven' t an i dea. '
' Speci al l y when your head' s so har d, you know, f at her . '
' Yes my boy. The gobl i n' s gl or y i s hi s head. To t hi nk how t he f el l ows up above t her e
have t o put on hel met s and t hi ngs when t hey go f i ght i ng! Ha! ha! '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 24
' But why don' t we wear shoes l i ke t hem, f at her ? I shoul d l i ke i t especi al l y when I ' ve
got a chest l i ke t hat on my head. '
' Wel l , you see, i t ' s not t he f ashi on. The ki ng never wear s shoes. '
' The queen does. '
' Yes; but t hat ' s f or di st i nct i on. The f i r st queen, you seeI mean t he ki ng' s f i r st
wi f ewor e shoes, of cour se, because she came f r omupst ai r s; and so, when she di ed,
t he next queen woul d not be i nf er i or t o her as she cal l ed i t , and woul d wear shoes
t oo. I t was al l pr i de. She i s t he har dest i n f or bi ddi ng t hemt o t he r est of t he
women. '
' I ' msur e I woul dn' t wear t hemno, not f or t hat I woul dn' t ! ' sai d t he f i r st voi ce,
whi ch was evi dent l y t hat of t he mot her of t he f ami l y. ' I can' t t hi nk why ei t her of
t hemshoul d. '
' Di dn' t I t el l you t he f i r st was f r omupst ai r s?' sai d t he ot her . ' That was t he onl y
si l l y t hi ng I ever knew Hi s Maj est y gui l t y of . Why shoul d he mar r y an out l andi sh
woman l i ke t hat - one of our nat ur al enemi es t oo?'
' I suppose he f el l i n l ove wi t h her . ' ' Pooh! pooh! He' s j ust as happy now wi t h one of
hi s own peopl e. '
' Di d she di e ver y soon? They di dn' t t ease her t o deat h, di d t hey?'
' Oh, dear , no! The ki ng wor shi pped her ver y f oot mar ks. '
' What made her di e, t hen? Di dn' t t he ai r agr ee wi t h her ?'
' She di ed when t he young pr i nce was bor n. '
' How si l l y of her ! We never do t hat . I t must have been because she wor e shoes. '
' I don' t know t hat . '
' Why do t hey wear shoes up t her e?'
' Ah, now t hat ' s a sensi bl e quest i on, and I wi l l answer i t . But i n or der t o do so, I
must f i r st t el l you a secr et . I once saw t he queen' s f eet . '
' Wi t hout her shoes?'
' Yeswi t hout her shoes. '
' No! Di d you? How was i t ?'
' Never you mi nd how i t was. She di dn' t know I saw t hem. And what do you t hi nk! t hey
had t oes! '
' Toes! What ' s t hat ?'
' You may wel l ask! I shoul d never have known i f I had not seen t he queen' s f eet . J ust
i magi ne! t he ends of her f eet wer e spl i t up i nt o f i ve or si x t hi n pi eces! '
' Oh, hor r i d! How coul d t he ki ng have f al l en i n l ove wi t h her ?'
' You f or get t hat she wor e shoes. That i s j ust why she wor e t hem. That i s why al l t he
men, and women t oo, upst ai r s wear shoes. They can' t bear t he si ght of t hei r own f eet
wi t hout t hem. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 25
' Ah! now I under st and. I f ever you wi sh f or shoes agai n, Hel f er , I ' l l hi t your f eet I
wi l l . '
' No, no, mot her ; pr ay don' t . '
' Then don' t you. '
' But wi t h such a bi g box on my head'
A hor r i d scr eamf ol l owed, whi ch Cur di e i nt er pr et ed as i n r epl y t o a bl ow f r omhi s
mot her upon t he f eet of her el dest gobl i n.
' Wel l , I never knew so much bef or e! ' r emar ked a f our t h voi ce.
' Your knowl edge i s not uni ver sal qui t e yet , ' sai d t he f at her . ' You wer e onl y f i f t y
l ast mont h. Mi nd you see t o t he bed and beddi ng. As soon as we' ve f i ni shed our
supper , we' l l be up and goi ng. Ha! ha! ha! '
' What ar e you l aughi ng at , husband?'
' I ' ml aughi ng t o t hi nk what a mess t he mi ner s wi l l f i nd t hemsel ves i nsomewher e
bef or e t hi s day t en year s. '
' Why, what do you mean?'
' Oh, not hi ng. '
' Oh, yes, you do mean somet hi ng. You al ways do mean somet hi ng. '
' I t ' s mor e t han you do, t hen, wi f e. ' ' That may be; but i t ' s not mor e t han I f i nd out ,
you know. '
' Ha! ha! You' r e a shar p one. What a mot her you' ve got , Hel f er ! '
' Yes, f at her . '
' Wel l , I suppose I must t el l you. They' r e al l at t he pal ace consul t i ng about i t
t oni ght ; and as soon as we' ve got away f r omt hi s t hi n pl ace I ' mgoi ng t her e t o hear
what ni ght t hey f i x upon. I shoul d l i ke t o see t hat young r uf f i an t her e on t he ot her
si de, st r uggl i ng i n t he agoni es of '
He dr opped hi s voi ce so l ow t hat Cur di e coul d hear onl y a gr owl . The gr owl went on i n
t he l ow bass f or a good whi l e, as i nar t i cul at e as i f t he gobl i n' s t ongue had been a
sausage; and i t was not unt i l hi s wi f e spoke agai n t hat i t r ose t o i t s f or mer pi t ch.

' But what shal l we do when you ar e at t he pal ace?' she asked.
' I wi l l see you saf e i n t he new house I ' ve been di ggi ng f or you f or t he l ast t wo
mont hs. Podge, you mi nd t he t abl e and chai r s. I commi t t hemt o your car e. The t abl e
has seven l egseach chai r t hr ee. I shal l r equi r e t hemal l at your hands. '
Af t er t hi s ar ose a conf used conver sat i on about t he var i ous househol d goods and t hei r
t r anspor t ; and Cur di e hear d not hi ng mor e t hat was of any i mpor t ance.
He now knew at l east one of t he r easons f or t he const ant sound of t he gobl i n hammer s
and pi ckaxes at ni ght . They wer e maki ng new houses f or t hemsel ves, t o whi ch t hey
mi ght r et r eat when t he mi ner s shoul d t hr eat en t o br eak i nt o t hei r dwel l i ngs. But he
had l ear ned t wo t hi ngs of f ar gr eat er i mpor t ance. The f i r st was, t hat some gr i evous
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 26
cal ami t y was pr epar i ng, and al most r eady t o f al l upon t he heads of t he mi ner s; t he
second wast he one weak poi nt of a gobl i n' s body; he had not known t hat t hei r f eet
wer e so t ender as he had now r eason t o suspect . He had hear d i t sai d t hat t hey had no
t oes: he had never had oppor t uni t y of i nspect i ng t hemcl osel y enough, i n t he dusk i n
whi ch t hey al ways appear ed, t o sat i sf y hi msel f whet her i t was a cor r ect r epor t .
I ndeed, he had not been abl e even t o sat i sf y hi msel f as t o whet her t hey had no
f i nger s, al t hough t hat al so was commonl y sai d t o be t he f act . One of t he mi ner s,
i ndeed, who had had mor e school i ng t han t he r est , was wont t o ar gue t hat such must
have been t he pr i mor di al condi t i on of humani t y, and t hat educat i on and handi cr af t had
devel oped bot h t oes and f i nger swi t h whi ch pr oposi t i on Cur di e had once hear d hi s
f at her sar cast i cal l y agr ee, al l egi ng i n suppor t of i t t he pr obabi l i t y t hat babi es'
gl oves wer e a t r adi t i onal r emnant of t he ol d st at e of t hi ngs; whi l e t he st ocki ngs of
al l ages, no r egar d bei ng pai d i n t hemt o t he t oes, poi nt ed i n t he same di r ect i on.
But what was of i mpor t ance was t he f act concer ni ng t he sof t ness of t he gobl i n f eet ,
whi ch he f or esaw mi ght be usef ul t o al l mi ner s. What he had t o do i n t he meant i me,
however , was t o di scover , i f possi bl e, t he speci al evi l desi gn t he gobl i ns had now i n
t hei r heads.
Al t hough he knew al l t he gangs and al l t he nat ur al gal l er i es wi t h whi ch t hey
communi cat ed i n t he mi ned par t of t he mount ai n, he had not t he l east i dea wher e t he
pal ace of t he ki ng of t he gnomes was; ot her wi se he woul d have set out at once on t he
ent er pr i se of di scover i ng what t he sai d desi gn was. He j udged, and r i ght l y, t hat i t
must l i e i n a f ar t her par t of t he mount ai n, bet ween whi ch and t he mi ne t her e was as
yet no communi cat i on. Ther e must be one near l y compl et ed, however ; f or i t coul d be
but a t hi n par t i t i on whi ch now separ at ed t hem. I f onl y he coul d get t hr ough i n t i me
t o f ol l ow t he gobl i ns as t hey r et r eat ed! A f ew bl ows woul d doubt l ess be suf f i ci ent
j ust wher e hi s ear now l ay; but i f he at t empt ed t o st r i ke t her e wi t h hi s pi ckaxe, he
woul d onl y hast en t he depar t ur e of t he f ami l y, put t hemon t hei r guar d, and per haps
l ose t hei r i nvol unt ar y gui dance. He t her ef or e began t o f eel t he wal l Wi t h hi s hands,
and soon f ound t hat some of t he st ones wer e l oose enough t o be dr awn out wi t h l i t t l e
noi se.
Layi ng hol d of a l ar ge one wi t h bot h hi s hands, he dr ew i t gent l y out , and l et i t
down sof t l y.
' What was t hat noi se?' sai d t he gobl i n f at her .
Cur di e bl ew out hi s l i ght , l est i t shoul d shi ne t hr ough.
' I t must be t hat one mi ner t hat st ayed behi nd t he r est , ' sai d t he mot her .
' No; he' s been gone a good whi l e. I haven' t hear d a bl ow f or an hour . Besi des, i t
wasn' t l i ke t hat . '
' Then I suppose i t must have been a st one car r i ed down t he br ook i nsi de. '
' Per haps. I t wi l l have mor e r oomby and by. '
Cur di e kept qui t e st i l l . Af t er a l i t t l e whi l e, hear i ng not hi ng but t he sounds of
t hei r pr epar at i ons f or depar t ur e, mi ngl ed wi t h an occasi onal wor d of di r ect i on, and
anxi ous t o know whet her t he r emoval of t he st one had made an openi ng i nt o t he
gobl i ns' house, he put i n hi s hand t o f eel . I t went i n a good way, and t hen came i n
cont act wi t h somet hi ng sof t . He had but a moment t o f eel i t over , i t was so qui ckl y
wi t hdr awn: i t was one of t he t oel ess gobl i n f eet . The owner of i t gave a cr y of
f r i ght .
' What ' s t he mat t er , Hel f er ?' asked hi s mot her .
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 27
' A beast came out of t he wal l and l i cked my f oot . '
' Nonsense! Ther e ar e no wi l d beast s i n our count r y, ' sai d hi s f at her .
' But i t was, f at her . I f el t i t . '
' Nonsense, I say. Wi l l you mal i gn your nat i ve r eal ms and r educe t hemt o a l evel wi t h
t he count r y upst ai r s? That i s swar mi ng wi t h wi l d beast s of ever y descr i pt i on. '
' But I di d f eel i t , f at her . '
' I t el l you t o hol d your t ongue. You ar e no pat r i ot . '
Cur di e suppr essed hi s l aught er , and l ay st i l l as a mousebut no st i l l er , f or ever y
moment he kept ni bbl i ng away wi t h hi s f i nger s at t he edges of t he hol e. He was sl owl y
maki ng i t bi gger , f or her e t he r ock had been ver y much shat t er ed wi t h t he bl ast i ng.
Ther e seemed t o be a good many i n t he f ami l y, t o j udge f r omt he mass of conf used t al k
whi ch now and t hen came t hr ough t he hol e; but when al l wer e speaki ng t oget her , and
j ust as i f t hey had bot t l e- br usheseach at l east onei n t hei r t hr oat s, i t was not
easy t o make out much t hat was sai d. At l engt h he hear d once mor e what t he f at her
gobl i n was sayi ng.
' Now, t hen, ' he sai d, ' get your bundl es on your backs. Her e, Hel f er , I ' l l hel p you up
wi t h your chest . '
' I wi sh i t was my chest , f at her . '
' Your t ur n wi l l come i n good t i me enough! Make hast e. I must go t o t he meet i ng at t he
pal ace t oni ght . When t hat ' s over , we can come back and cl ear out t he l ast of t he
t hi ngs bef or e our enemi es r et ur n i n t he mor ni ng. Now l i ght your t or ches, and come
al ong. What a di st i nct i on i t i s, t o pr ovi de our own l i ght , i nst ead of bei ng dependent
on a t hi ng hung up i n t he ai r a most di sagr eeabl e cont r i vancei nt ended no doubt t o
bl i nd us when we vent ur e out under i t s bal ef ul i nf l uence! Qui t e gl ar i ng and vul gar , I
cal l i t , t hough no doubt usef ul t o poor cr eat ur es who haven' t t he wi t t o make l i ght
f or t hemsel ves. '
Cur di e coul d har dl y keep hi msel f f r omcal l i ng t hr ough t o know whet her t hey made t he
f i r e t o l i ght t hei r t or ches by. But a moment ' s r ef l ect i on showed hi mt hat t hey woul d
have sai d t hey di d, i nasmuch as t hey st r uck t wo st ones t oget her , and t he f i r e came.

CHAPTER 9: The Hall of the Goblin Palace
A sound of many sof t f eet f ol l owed, but soon ceased. Then Cur di e f l ew at t he hol e
l i ke a t i ger , and t or e and pul l ed. The si des gave way, and i t was soon l ar ge enough
f or hi mt o cr awl t hr ough. He woul d not bet r ay hi msel f by r eki ndl i ng hi s l amp, but t he
t or ches of t he r et r eat i ng company, whi ch he f ound depar t i ng i n a st r ai ght l i ne up a
l ong avenue f r omt he door of t hei r cave, t hr ew back l i ght enough t o af f or d hi ma
gl ance r ound t he deser t ed home of t he gobl i ns. To hi s sur pr i se, he coul d di scover
not hi ng t o di st i ngui sh i t f r oman or di nar y nat ur al cave i n t he r ock, upon many of
whi ch he had come wi t h t he r est of t he mi ner s i n t he pr ogr ess of t hei r excavat i ons.
The gobl i ns had t al ked of comi ng back f or t he r est of t hei r househol d gear : he saw
not hi ng t hat woul d have made hi msuspect a f ami l y had t aken shel t er t her e f or a
si ngl e ni ght . The f l oor was r ough and st ony; t he wal l s f ul l of pr oj ect i ng cor ner s;
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 28
t he r oof i n one pl ace t went y f eet hi gh, i n anot her endanger i ng hi s f or ehead; whi l e on
one si de a st r eam, no t hi cker t han a needl e, i t i s t r ue, but st i l l suf f i ci ent t o
spr ead a wi de dampness over t he wal l , f l owed down t he f ace of t he r ock. But t he t r oop
i n f r ont of hi mwas t oi l i ng under heavy bur dens. He coul d di st i ngui sh Hel f er now and
t hen, i n t he f l i cker i ng l i ght and shade, wi t h hi s heavy chest on hi s bendi ng
shoul der s; whi l e t he second br ot her was al most bur i ed i n what l ooked l i ke a gr eat
f eat her bed. ' Wher e do t hey get t he f eat her s?' t hought Cur di e; but i n a moment t he
t r oop di sappear ed at a t ur n of t he way, and i t was now bot h saf e and necessar y f or
Cur di e t o f ol l ow t hem, l est t hey shoul d be r ound t he next t ur ni ng bef or e he saw t hem
agai n, f or so he mi ght l ose t hemal t oget her . He dar t ed af t er t heml i ke a gr eyhound.
When he r eached t he cor ner and l ooked caut i ousl y r ound, he saw t hemagai n at some
di st ance down anot her l ong passage. None of t he gal l er i es he saw t hat ni ght bor e
si gns of t he wor k of manor of gobl i n ei t her . St al act i t es, f ar ol der t han t he mi nes,
hung f r omt hei r r oof s; and t hei r f l oor s wer e r ough wi t h boul der s and l ar ge r ound
st ones, showi ng t hat t her e wat er must have once r un. He wai t ed agai n at t hi s cor ner
t i l l t hey had di sappear ed r ound t he next , and so f ol l owed t hema l ong way t hr ough one
passage af t er anot her . The passages gr ew mor e and mor e l of t y, and wer e mor e and mor e
cover ed i n t he r oof wi t h shi ni ng st al act i t es.
I t was a st r ange enough pr ocessi on whi ch he f ol l owed. But t he st r angest par t of i t
was t he househol d ani mal s whi ch cr owded amongst t he f eet of t he gobl i ns. I t was t r ue
t hey had no wi l d ani mal s down t her eat l east t hey di d not know of any; but t hey had a
wonder f ul number of t ame ones. I must , however , r eser ve any cont r i but i ons t owar ds t he
nat ur al hi st or y of t hese f or a l at er posi t i on i n my st or y.
At l engt h, t ur ni ng a cor ner t oo abr upt l y, he had al most r ushed i nt o t he mi ddl e of t he
gobl i n f ami l y; f or t her e t hey had al r eady set down al l t hei r bur dens on t he f l oor of
a cave consi der abl y l ar ger t han t hat whi ch t hey had l ef t . They wer e as yet t oo
br eat hl ess t o speak, el se he woul d have had war ni ng of t hei r ar r est . He st ar t ed back,
however , bef or e anyone saw hi m, and r et r eat i ng a good way, st ood wat chi ng t i l l t he
f at her shoul d come out t o go t o t he pal ace.
Bef or e ver y l ong, bot h he and hi s son Hel f er appear ed and kept on i n t he same
di r ect i on as bef or e, whi l e Cur di e f ol l owed t hemagai n wi t h r enewed pr ecaut i on. For a
l ong t i me he hear d no sound except somet hi ng l i ke t he r ush of a r i ver i nsi de t he
r ock; but at l engt h what seemed t he f ar - of f noi se of a gr eat shout i ng r eached hi s
ear s, whi ch, however , pr esent l y ceased. Af t er advanci ng a good way f ar t her , he
t hought he hear d a si ngl e voi ce. I t sounded cl ear er and cl ear er as he went on, unt i l
at l ast he coul d al most di st i ngui sh t he wor ds. I n a moment or t wo, keepi ng af t er t he
gobl i ns r ound anot her cor ner , he once mor e st ar t ed backt hi s t i me i n amazement .
He was at t he ent r ance of a magni f i cent caver n, of an oval shape, once pr obabl y a
huge nat ur al r eser voi r of wat er , now t he gr eat pal ace hal l of t he gobl i ns. I t r ose t o
a t r emendous hei ght , but t he r oof was composed of such shi ni ng mat er i al s, and t he
mul t i t ude of t or ches car r i ed by t he gobl i ns who cr owded t he f l oor l i ght ed up t he
pl ace so br i l l i ant l y, t hat Cur di e coul d see t o t he t op qui t e wel l . But he had no i dea
how i mmense t he pl ace was unt i l hi s eyes had got accust omed t o i t , whi ch was not f or
a good many mi nut es. The r ough pr oj ect i ons on t he wal l s, and t he shadows t hr own
upwar ds f r omt hemby t he t or ches, made t he si des of t he chamber l ook as i f t hey wer e
cr owded wi t h st at ues upon br acket s and pedest al s, r eachi ng i n i r r egul ar t i er s f r om
f l oor t o r oof . The wal l s t hemsel ves wer e, i n many par t s, of gl or i ousl y shi ni ng
subst ances, some of t hemgor geousl y col our ed besi des, whi ch power f ul l y cont r ast ed
wi t h t he shadows. Cur di e coul d not hel p wonder i ng whet her hi s r hymes woul d be of any
use agai nst such a mul t i t ude of gobl i ns as f i l l ed t he f l oor of t he hal l , and i ndeed
f el t consi der abl y t empt ed t o begi n hi s shout of ' One, t wo, t hr ee! ' , but as t her e was
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 29
no r eason f or r out i ng t hemand much f or endeavour i ng t o di scover t hei r desi gns, he
kept hi msel f per f ect l y qui et , and peer i ng r ound t he edge of t he door way, l i st ened
wi t h bot h hi s shar p ear s.
At t he ot her end of t he hal l , hi gh above t he heads of t he mul t i t ude, was a t er r ace-
l i ke l edge of consi der abl e hei ght , caused by t he r ecedi ng of t he upper par t of t he
caver n- wal l . Upon t hi s sat t he ki ng and hi s cour t : t he ki ng on a t hr one hol l owed out
of a huge bl ock of gr een copper or e, and hi s cour t upon l ower seat s ar ound i t . The
ki ng had been maki ng t hema speech, and t he appl ause whi ch f ol l owed i t was what
Cur di e had hear d. One of t he cour t was now addr essi ng t he mul t i t ude. What he hear d
hi msay was t o t he f ol l owi ng ef f ect : ' Hence i t appear s t hat t wo pl ans have been f or
some t i me t oget her wor ki ng i n t he st r ong head of Hi s Maj est y f or t he del i ver ance of
hi s peopl e. Regar dl ess of t he f act t hat we wer e t he f i r st possessor s of t he r egi ons
t hey now i nhabi t ; r egar dl ess equal l y of t he f act t hat we abandoned t hat r egi on f r om
t he l of t i est mot i ves; r egar dl ess al so of t he sel f - evi dent f act t hat we excel t hemso
f ar i n ment al abi l i t y as t hey excel us i n st at ur e, t hey l ook upon us as a degr aded
r ace and make a mocker y of al l our f i ner f eel i ngs. But , t he t i me has al most ar r i ved
whent hanks t o Hi s Maj est y' s i nvent i ve geni usi t wi l l be i n our power t o t ake a
t hor ough r evenge upon t hemonce f or al l , i n r espect of t hei r unf r i endl y behavi our . '
' May i t pl ease Your Maj est y' cr i ed a voi ce cl ose by t he door , whi ch Cur di e
r ecogni zed as t hat of t he gobl i n he had f ol l owed.
' Who i s he t hat i nt er r upt s t he Chancel l or ?' cr i ed anot her f r omnear t he t hr one.
' Gl ump, ' answer ed sever al voi ces.
' He i s our t r ust y subj ect , ' sai d t he ki ng hi msel f , i n a sl ow and st at el y voi ce: ' l et
hi mcome f or war d and speak. '
A l ane was par t ed t hr ough t he cr owd, and Gl ump, havi ng ascended t he pl at f or mand
bowed t o t he ki ng, spoke as f ol l ows:
' Si r e, I woul d have hel d my peace, had I not known t hat I onl y knew how near was t he
moment , t o whi ch t he Chancel l or had j ust r ef er r ed.
I n al l pr obabi l i t y, bef or e anot her day i s past , t he enemy wi l l have br oken t hr ough
i nt o my houset he par t i t i on bet ween bei ng even now not mor e t han a f oot i n
t hi ckness. '
' Not qui t e so much, ' t hought Cur di e t o hi msel f .
' Thi s ver y eveni ng I have had t o r emove my househol d ef f ect s; t her ef or e t he sooner we
ar e r eady t o car r y out t he pl an, f or t he execut i on of whi ch Hi s Maj est y has been
maki ng such magni f i cent pr epar at i ons, t he bet t er . I may j ust add, t hat wi t hi n t he
l ast f ew days I have per cei ved a smal l out br eak i n my di ni ng- r oom, whi ch, combi ned
wi t h obser vat i ons upon t he cour se of t he r i ver escapi ng wher e t he evi l men ent er , has
convi nced me t hat cl ose t o t he spot must be a deep gul f i n i t s channel . Thi s
di scover y wi l l , I t r ust , add consi der abl y t o t he ot her wi se i mmense f or ces at Hi s
Maj est y' s di sposal . '
He ceased, and t he ki ng gr aci ousl y acknowl edged hi s speech wi t h a bend of hi s head;
wher eupon Gl ump, af t er a bow t o Hi s Maj est y, sl i d down amongst t he r est of t he
undi st i ngui shed mul t i t ude. Then t he Chancel l or r ose and r esumed.
' The i nf or mat i on whi ch t he wor t hy Gl ump has gi ven us, ' he sai d, ' mi ght have been of
consi der abl e i mpor t at t he pr esent moment , but f or t hat ot her desi gn al r eady r ef er r ed
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 30
t o, whi ch nat ur al l y t akes pr ecedence. Hi s Maj est y, unwi l l i ng t o pr oceed t o
ext r emi t i es, and wel l awar e t hat such measur es sooner or l at er r esul t i n vi ol ent
r eact i ons, has excogi t at ed a mor e f undament al and compr ehensi ve measur e, of whi ch I
need say no mor e. Shoul d Hi s Maj est y be successf ul as who dar es t o doubt ?t hen a
peace, al l t o t he advant age of t he gobl i n ki ngdom, wi l l be est abl i shed f or a
gener at i on at l east , r ender ed absol ut el y secur e by t he pl edge whi ch Hi s Royal
Hi ghness t he pr i nce wi l l have and hol d f or t he good behavi our of her r el at i ves.
Shoul d Hi s Maj est y f ai l whi ch who shal l dar e even t o i magi ne i n hi s most secr et
t hought s?t hen wi l l be t he t i me f or car r yi ng out wi t h r i gour t he desi gn t o whi ch
Gl ump r ef er r ed, and f or whi ch our pr epar at i ons ar e even now al l but compl et ed. The
f ai l ur e of t he f or mer wi l l r ender t he l at t er i mper at i ve. '
Cur di e, per cei vi ng t hat t he assembl y was dr awi ng t o a cl ose and t hat t her e was l i t t l e
chance of ei t her pl an bei ng mor e f ul l y di scover ed, now t hought i t pr udent t o make hi s
escape bef or e t he gobl i ns began t o di sper se, and sl i pped qui et l y away.
Ther e was not much danger of meet i ng any gobl i ns, f or al l t he men at l east wer e l ef t
behi nd hi mi n t he pal ace; but t her e was consi der abl e danger of hi s t aki ng a wr ong
t ur ni ng, f or he had now no l i ght , and had t her ef or e t o depend upon hi s memor y and hi s
hands. Af t er he had l ef t behi nd hi mt he gl ow t hat i ssued f r omt he door of Gl ump' s new
abode, he was ut t er l y wi t hout gui de, so f ar as hi s eyes wer e concer ned.
He was most anxi ous t o get back t hr ough t he hol e bef or e t he gobl i ns shoul d r et ur n t o
f et ch t he r emai ns of t hei r f ur ni t ur e. I t was not t hat he was i n t he l east af r ai d of
t hem, but , as i t was of t he ut most i mpor t ance t hat he shoul d t hor oughl y di scover what
t he pl ans t hey wer e cher i shi ng wer e, he must not occasi on t he sl i ght est suspi ci on
t hat t hey wer e wat ched by a mi ner .
He hur r i ed on, f eel i ng hi s way al ong t he wal l s of r ock. Had he not been ver y
cour ageous, he must have been ver y anxi ous, f or he coul d not but know t hat i f he l ost
hi s way i t woul d be t he most di f f i cul t t hi ng i n t he wor l d t o f i nd i t agai n. Mor ni ng
woul d br i ng no l i ght i nt o t hese r egi ons; and t owar ds hi ml east of al l , who was known
as a speci al r hymest er and per secut or , coul d gobl i ns be expect ed t o exer ci se
cour t esy. Wel l mi ght he wi sh t hat he had br ought hi s l amp and t i nder - box wi t h hi m, of
whi ch he had not t hought when he cr ept so eager l y af t er t he gobl i ns! He wi shed i t al l
t he mor e when, af t er a whi l e, he f ound hi s way bl ocked up, and coul d get no f ar t her .
I t was of no use t o t ur n back, f or he had not t he l east i dea wher e he had begun t o go
wr ong. Mechani cal l y, however , he kept f eel i ng about t he wal l s t hat hemmed hi mi n. Hi s
hand came upon a pl ace wher e a t i ny st r eamof wat er was r unni ng down t he f ace of t he
r ock. ' What a st upi d I am! ' he sai d t o hi msel f . ' I amact ual l y at t he end of my
j our ney! And t her e ar e t he gobl i ns comi ng back t o f et ch t hei r t hi ngs! ' he added, as
t he r ed gl i mmer of t hei r t or ches appear ed at t he end of t he l ong avenue t hat l ed up
t o t he cave. I n a moment he had t hr own hi msel f on t he f l oor , and wr i ggl ed backwar ds
t hr ough t he hol e. The f l oor on t he ot her si de was sever al f eet l ower , whi ch made i t
easi er t o get back. I t was al l he coul d do t o l i f t t he l ar gest st one he had t aken out
of t he hol e, but he di d manage t o shove i t i n agai n. He sat down on t he or e- heap and
t hought .
He was pr et t y sur e t hat t he l at t er pl an of t he gobl i ns was t o i nundat e t he mi ne by
br eaki ng out l et s f or t he wat er accumul at ed i n t he nat ur al r eser voi r s of t he mount ai n,
as wel l as r unni ng t hr ough por t i ons of i t . Whi l e t he par t hol l owed by t he mi ner s
r emai ned shut of f f r omt hat i nhabi t ed by t he gobl i ns, t hey had had no oppor t uni t y of
i nj ur i ng t hemt hus; but now t hat a passage was br oken t hr ough, and t he gobl i ns' par t
pr oved t he hi gher i n t he mount ai n, i t was cl ear t o Cur di e t hat t he mi ne coul d be
dest r oyed i n an hour . Wat er was al ways t he chi ef danger t o whi ch t he mi ner s wer e
exposed. They met wi t h a l i t t l e choke- damp somet i mes, but never wi t h t he expl osi ve
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 31
f i r edamp so common i n coal - mi nes. Hence t hey wer e car ef ul as soon as t hey saw any
appear ance of wat er . As t he r esul t of hi s r ef l ect i ons whi l e t he gobl i ns wer e busy i n
t hei r ol d home, i t seemed t o Cur di e t hat i t woul d be best t o bui l d up t he whol e of
t hi s gang, f i l l i ng i t wi t h st one, and cl ay or l i e, so t hat t her e shoul d be no
smal l est channel f or t he wat er t o get i nt o. Ther e was not , however , any i mmedi at e
danger , f or t he execut i on of t he gobl i ns' pl an was cont i ngent upon t he f ai l ur e of
t hat unknown desi gn whi ch was t o t ake pr ecedence of i t ; and he was most anxi ous t o
keep t he door of communi cat i on open, t hat he mi ght i f possi bl e di scover what t he
f or mer pl an was. At t he same t i me t hey coul d not r esume t hei r i nt er mi t t ed l abour s f or
t he i nundat i on wi t hout hi s f i ndi ng i t out ; when by put t i ng al l hands t o t he wor k, t he
one exi st i ng out l et mi ght i n a si ngl e ni ght be r ender ed i mpenet r abl e t o any wei ght of
wat er ; f or by f i l l i ng t he gang ent i r el y up, t hei r embankment woul d be but t r essed by
t he si des of t he mount ai n i t sel f .
As soon as he f ound t hat t he gobl i ns had agai n r et i r ed, he l i ght ed hi s l amp, and
pr oceeded t o f i l l t he hol e he had made wi t h such st ones as he coul d wi t hdr aw when he
pl eased. He t hen t hought i t bet t er , as he mi ght have occasi on t o be up a good many
ni ght s af t er t hi s, t o go home and have some sl eep.
How pl easant t he ni ght ai r f el t upon t he out si de of t he mount ai n af t er what he had
gone t hr ough i n t he i nsi de of i t ! He hur r i ed up t he hi l l wi t hout meet i ng a si ngl e
gobl i n on t he way, and cal l ed and t apped at t he wi ndow unt i l he woke hi s f at her , who
soon r ose and l et hi mi n. He t ol d hi mt he whol e st or y; and, j ust as he had expect ed,
hi s f at her t hought i t best t o wor k t hat l ode no f ar t her , but at t he same t i me t o
pr et end occasi onal l y t o be at wor k t her e st i l l i n or der t hat t he gobl i ns mi ght have
no suspi ci ons. Bot h f at her and son t hen went t o bed and sl ept soundl y unt i l t he
mor ni ng.

CHAPTER 10: The Princess's King-Papa
The weat her cont i nued f i ne f or weeks, and t he l i t t l e pr i ncess went out ever y day. So
l ong a per i od of f i ne weat her had i ndeed never been known upon t hat mount ai n. The
onl y uncomf or t abl e t hi ng was t hat her nur se was so ner vous and par t i cul ar about bei ng
i n bef or e t he sun was down t hat of t en she woul d t ake t o her heel s when not hi ng wor se
t han a f l eecy cl oud cr ossi ng t he sun t hr ew a shadow on t he hi l l si de; and many an
eveni ng t hey wer e home a f ul l hour bef or e t he sunl i ght had l ef t t he weat her - cock on
t he st abl es. I f i t had not been f or such odd behavi our I r ene woul d by t hi s t i me have
al most f or got t en t he gobl i ns. She never f or got Cur di e, but hi mshe r emember ed f or hi s
own sake, and i ndeed woul d have r emember ed hi mi f onl y because a pr i ncess never
f or get s her debt s unt i l t hey ar e pai d.
One spl endi d sunshi ny day, about an hour af t er noon, I r ene, who was pl ayi ng on a l awn
i n t he gar den, hear d t he di st ant bl ast of a bugl e. She j umped up wi t h a cr y of j oy,
f or she knew by t hat par t i cul ar bl ast t hat her f at her was on hi s way t o see her . Thi s
par t of t he gar den l ay on t he sl ope of t he hi l l and al l owed a f ul l vi ew of t he
count r y bel ow. So she shaded her eyes wi t h her hand and l ooked f ar away t o cat ch t he
f i r st gl i mpse of shi ni ng ar mour . I n a f ew moment s a l i t t l e t r oop came gl i t t er i ng
r ound t he shoul der of a hi l l . Spear s and hel met s wer e spar kl i ng and gl eami ng, banner s
wer e f l yi ng, hor ses pr anci ng, and agai n came t he bugl e- bl ast whi ch was t o her l i ke
t he voi ce of her f at her cal l i ng acr oss t he di st ance: ' I r ene, I ' mcomi ng. '
On and on t hey came unt i l she coul d cl ear l y di st i ngui sh t he ki ng. He r ode a whi t e
hor se and was t al l er t han any of t he men wi t h hi m. He wor e a nar r ow ci r cl e of gol d
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 32
set wi t h j ewel s ar ound hi s hel met , and as he came st i l l near er I r ene coul d di scer n
t he f l ashi ng of t he st ones i n t he sun. I t was a l ong t i me si nce he had been t o see
her , and her l i t t l e hear t beat f ast er and f ast er as t he shi ni ng t r oop appr oached, f or
she l oved her ki ng- papa ver y dear l y and was nowher e so happy as i n hi s ar ms. When
t hey r eached a cer t ai n poi nt , af t er whi ch she coul d see t hemno mor e f r omt he gar den,
she r an t o t he gat e, and t her e st ood t i l l up t hey came, cl angi ng and st ampi ng, wi t h
one mor e br i ght bugl e- bl ast whi ch sai d: ' I r ene, I amcome. '
By t hi s t i me t he peopl e of t he house wer e al l gat her ed at t he gat e, but I r ene st ood
al one i n f r ont of t hem. When t he hor semen pul l ed up she r an t o t he si de of t he whi t e
hor se and hel d up her ar ms. The ki ng st opped and t ook her hands. I n an i nst ant she
was on t he saddl e and cl asped i n hi s gr eat st r ong ar ms.
I wi sh I coul d descr i be t he ki ng so t hat you coul d see hi mi n your mi nd. He had
gent l e, bl ue eyes, but a nose t hat made hi ml ook l i ke an eagl e. A l ong dar k bear d,
st r eaked wi t h si l ver y l i nes, f l owed f r omhi s mout h al most t o hi s wai st , and as I r ene
sat on t he saddl e and hi d her gl ad f ace upon hi s bosomi t mi ngl ed wi t h t he gol den
hai r whi ch her mot her had gi ven her , and t he t wo t oget her wer e l i ke a cl oud wi t h
st r eaks of t he sun woven t hr ough i t . Af t er he had hel d her t o hi s hear t f or a mi nut e
he spoke t o hi s whi t e hor se, and t he gr eat beaut i f ul cr eat ur e, whi ch had been
pr anci ng so pr oudl y a l i t t l e whi l e bef or e, wal ked as gent l y as a l adyf or he knew he
had a l i t t l e l ady on hi s backt hr ough t he gat e and up t o t he door of t he house. Then
t he ki ng set her on t he gr ound and, di smount i ng, t ook her hand and wal ked wi t h her
i nt o t he gr eat hal l , whi ch was har dl y ever ent er ed except when he came t o see hi s
l i t t l e pr i ncess. Ther e he sat down, wi t h t wo of hi s counsel l or s who had accompani ed
hi m, t o have some r ef r eshment , and I r ene sat on hi s r i ght hand and dr ank her mi l k out
of a wooden bowl cur i ousl y car ved.
Af t er t he ki ng had eat en and dr unk he t ur ned t o t he pr i ncess and sai d, st r oki ng her
hai r :
' Now, my chi l d, what shal l we do next ?'
Thi s was t he quest i on he al most al ways put t o her f i r st af t er t hei r meal t oget her ;
and I r ene had been wai t i ng f or i t wi t h some i mpat i ence, f or now, she t hought , she
shoul d be abl e t o set t l e a quest i on whi ch const ant l y per pl exed her .
' I shoul d l i ke you t o t ake me t o see my gr eat ol d gr andmot her . '
The ki ng l ooked gr ave And sai d:
' What does my l i t t l e daught er mean?'
' I mean t he Queen I r ene t hat l i ves up i n t he t ower t he ver y ol d l ady, you know, wi t h
t he l ong hai r of si l ver . '
The ki ng onl y gazed at hi s l i t t l e pr i ncess wi t h a l ook whi ch she coul d not
under st and.
' She' s got her cr own i n her bedr oom, ' she went on; ' but I ' ve not been i n t her e yet .
You know she' s t her e, don' t you?'
' No, ' sai d t he ki ng, ver y qui et l y.
' Then i t must al l be a dr eam, ' sai d I r ene. ' I hal f t hought i t was; but I coul dn' t be
sur e. Now I amsur e of i t . Besi des, I coul dn' t f i nd her t he next t i me I went up. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 33
At t hat moment a snow- whi t e pi geon f l ew i n at an open wi ndow and set t l ed upon I r ene' s
head. She br oke i nt o a mer r y l augh, cower ed a l i t t l e, and put up her hands t o her
head, sayi ng:
' Dear dovey, don' t peck me. You' l l pul l out my hai r wi t h your l ong cl aws i f you don' t
mi nd. '
The ki ng st r et ched out hi s hand t o t ake t he pi geon, but i t spr ead i t s wi ngs and f l ew
agai n t hr ough t he open wi ndow, when i t s Whi t eness made one f l ash i n t he sun and
vani shed. The ki ng l ai d hi s hand on hi s pr i ncess' s head, hel d i t back a l i t t l e, gazed
i n her f ace, smi l ed hal f a smi l e, and si ghed hal f a si gh.
' Come, my chi l d; we' l l have a wal k i n t he gar den t oget her , ' he sai d.
' You won' t come up and see my huge, gr eat , beaut i f ul gr andmot her , t hen, ki ng- papa?'
sai d t he pr i ncess.
' Not t hi s t i me, ' sai d t he ki ng ver y gent l y. ' She has not i nvi t ed me, you know, and
gr eat ol d l adi es l i ke her do not choose t o be vi si t ed wi t hout l eave asked and gi ven. '
The gar den was a ver y l ovel y pl ace. Bei ng upon a Mount ai nsi de t her e wer e par t s i n i t
wher e t he r ocks came t hr ough i n gr eat masses, and al l i mmedi at el y about t hemr emai ned
qui t e wi l d. Tuf t s of heat her gr ew upon t hem, and ot her har dy mount ai n pl ant s and
f l ower s, whi l e near t hemwoul d be l ovel y r oses and l i l i es and al l pl easant gar den
f l ower s. Thi s mi ngl i ng of t he wi l d mount ai n wi t h t he ci vi l i zed gar den was ver y
quai nt , and i t was i mpossi bl e f or any number of gar dener s t o make such a gar den l ook
f or mal and st i f f .
Agai nst one of t hese r ocks was a gar den seat , shadowed f r omt he af t er noon sun by t he
over hangi ng of t he r ock i t sel f . Ther e was a l i t t l e wi ndi ng pat h up t o t he t op of t he
r ock, and on t op anot her seat ; but t hey sat on t he seat at i t s f oot because t he sun
was hot ; and t her e t hey t al ked t oget her of many t hi ngs. At l engt h t he ki ng sai d:
' You wer e out l at e one eveni ng, I r ene. '
' Yes, papa. I t was my f aul t ; and Loot i e was ver y sor r y. '
' I must t al k t o Loot i e about i t , ' sai d t he ki ng.
' Don' t speak l oud t o her , pl ease, papa, ' sai d I r ene. ' She' s been so af r ai d of bei ng
l at e ever si nce! I ndeed she has not been naught y. I t was onl y a mi st ake f or once. '
' Once mi ght be t oo of t en, ' mur mur ed t he ki ng t o hi msel f , as he st r oked hi s chi l d' s
head.
I can' t t el l you how he had come t o know. I amsur e Cur di e had not t ol d hi m. Someone
about t he pal ace must have seen t hem, af t er al l .
He sat f or a good whi l e t hi nki ng. Ther e was no sound t o be hear d except t hat of a
l i t t l e st r eamwhi ch r an mer r i l y out of an openi ng i n t he r ock by wher e t hey sat , and
sped away down t he hi l l t hr ough t he gar den. Then he r ose and, l eavi ng I r ene wher e she
was, went i nt o t he house and sent f or Loot i e, wi t h whomhe had a t al k t hat made her
cr y.
When i n t he eveni ng he r ode away upon hi s gr eat whi t e hor se, he l ef t si x of hi s
at t endant s behi nd hi m, wi t h or der s t hat t hr ee of t hemshoul d wat ch out si de t he house
ever y ni ght , wal ki ng r ound and r ound i t f r omsunset t o sunr i se. I t was cl ear he was
not qui t e comf or t abl e about t he pr i ncess.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 34

CHAPTER 11: The Old Lady's Bedroom
Not hi ng mor e happened wor t h t el l i ng f or some t i me. The aut umn came and went by. Ther e
wer e no mor e f l ower s i n t he gar den. The wi nd bl ew st r ong, and howl ed among t he r ocks.
The r ai n f el l , and dr enched t he f ew yel l ow and r ed l eaves t hat coul d not get of f t he
bar e br anches. Agai n and agai n t her e woul d be a gl or i ous mor ni ng f ol l owed by a
pour i ng af t er noon, and somet i mes, f or a week t oget her , t her e woul d be r ai n, not hi ng
but r ai n, al l day, and t hen t he most l ovel y cl oudl ess ni ght , wi t h t he sky al l out i n
f ul l - bl own st ar snot one mi ssi ng. But t he pr i ncess coul d not see much of t hem, f or
she went t o bed ear l y. The wi nt er dr ew on, and she f ound t hi ngs gr owi ng dr ear y. When
i t was t oo st or my t o go out , and she had got t i r ed of her t oys, Loot i e woul d t ake her
about t he house, somet i mes t o t he housekeeper ' s r oom, wher e t he housekeeper , who was
a good, ki nd ol d woman, made much of her somet i mes t o t he ser vant s' hal l or t he
ki t chen, wher e she was not pr i ncess mer el y, but absol ut e queen, and r an a gr eat r i sk
of bei ng spoi l ed. Somet i mes she woul d r un of f her sel f t o t he r oomwher e t he men- at -
ar ms whomt he ki ng had l ef t sat , and t hey showed her t hei r ar ms and accout r ement s and
di d what t hey coul d t o amuse her . St i l l at t i mes she f ound i t ver y dr ear y, and of t en
and of t en wi shed t hat her huge gr eat gr andmot her had not been a dr eam.
One mor ni ng t he nur se l ef t her wi t h t he housekeeper f or a whi l e. To amuse her she
t ur ned out t he cont ent s of an ol d cabi net upon t he t abl e. The l i t t l e pr i ncess f ound
her t r easur es, queer anci ent or nament s, and many t hi ngs t he use of whi ch she coul d
not i magi ne, f ar mor e i nt er est i ng t han her own t oys, and sat pl ayi ng wi t h t hemf or
t wo hour s or mor e. But , at l engt h, i n handl i ng a cur i ous ol d- f ashi oned br ooch, she
r an t he pi n of i t i nt o her t humb, and gave a l i t t l e scr eamwi t h t he shar pness of t he
pai n, but woul d have t hought l i t t l e mor e of i t had not t he pai n i ncr eased and her
t humb begun t o swel l . Thi s al ar med t he housekeeper gr eat l y. The nur se was f et ched;
t he doct or was sent f or ; her hand was poul t i ced, and l ong bef or e her usual t i me she
was put t o bed. The pai n st i l l cont i nued, and al t hough she f el l asl eep and dr eamed a
good many dr eams, t her e was t he pai n al ways i n ever y dr eam. At l ast i t woke her UP.
The moon was shi ni ng br i ght l y i nt o t he r oom. The poul t i ce had f al l en of f her hand and
i t was bur ni ng hot . She f anci ed i f she coul d hol d i t i nt o t he moonl i ght t hat woul d
cool i t . So she got out of bed, wi t hout waki ng t he nur se who l ay at t he ot her end of
t he r oom, and went t o t he wi ndow. When she l ooked out she saw one of t he men- at - ar ms
wal ki ng i n t he gar den wi t h t he moonl i ght gl anci ng on hi s ar mour . She was j ust goi ng
t o t ap on t he wi ndow and cal l hi m, f or she want ed t o t el l hi mal l about i t , when she
bet hought her sel f t hat t hat mi ght wake Loot i e, and she woul d put her i nt o her bed
agai n. So she r esol ved t o go t o t he wi ndow of anot her r oom, and cal l hi mf r omt her e.
I t was so much ni cer t o have somebody t o t al k t o t han t o l i e awake i n bed wi t h t he
bur ni ng pai n i n her hand. She opened t he door ver y gent l y and went t hr ough t he
nur ser y, whi ch di d not l ook i nt o t he gar den, t o go t o t he ot her wi ndow. But when she
came t o t he f oot of t he ol d st ai r case t her e was t he moon shi ni ng down f r omsome
wi ndow hi gh up, and maki ng t he wor m- eat en oak l ook ver y st r ange and del i cat e and
l ovel y. I n a moment she was put t i ng her l i t t l e f eet one af t er t he ot her i n t he
si l ver y pat h up t he st ai r , l ooki ng behi nd as she went , t o see t he shadow t hey made i n
t he mi ddl e of t he si l ver . Some l i t t l e gi r l s woul d have been af r ai d t o f i nd t hemsel ves
t hus al one i n t he mi ddl e of t he ni ght , but I r ene was a pr i ncess.
As she went sl owl y up t he st ai r , not qui t e sur e t hat she was not dr eami ng, suddenl y a
gr eat l ongi ng woke up i n her hear t t o t r y once mor e whet her she coul d not f i nd t he
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 35
ol d l ady wi t h t he si l ver y hai r . ' I f she i s a dr eam, ' she sai d t o her sel f , ' t hen I am
t he l i kel i er t o f i nd her , i f I amdr eami ng. '
So up and up she went , st ai r af t er st ai r , unt i l she Came t o t he many r oomsal l j ust
as she had seen t hembef or e. Thr ough passage af t er passage she sof t l y sped,
comf or t i ng her sel f t hat i f she shoul d l ose her way i t woul d not mat t er much, because
when she woke she woul d f i nd her sel f i n her own bed wi t h Loot i e not f ar of f . But , as
i f she had known ever y st ep of t he way, she wal ked st r ai ght t o t he door at t he f oot
of t he nar r ow st ai r t hat l ed t o t he t ower .
' What i f I shoul d r eal r eal i t y- r eal l y f i nd my beaut i f ul ol d gr andmot her up t her e! ' she
sai d t o her sel f as she cr ept up t he st eep st eps.
When she r eached t he t op she st ood a moment l i st eni ng i n t he dar k, f or t her e was no
moon t her e. Yes! i t was! i t was t he humof t he spi nni ng- wheel ! What a di l i gent
gr andmot her t o wor k bot h day and ni ght ! She t apped gent l y at t he door .
' Come i n, I r ene, ' sai d t he sweet voi ce.
The pr i ncess opened t he door and ent er ed. Ther e was t he moonl i ght st r eami ng i n at t he
wi ndow, and i n t he mi ddl e of t he moonl i ght sat t he ol d l ady i n her bl ack dr ess wi t h
t he whi t e l ace, and her si l ver y hai r mi ngl i ng wi t h t he moonl i ght , so t hat you coul d
not have t ol d whi ch was whi ch. ' Come i n, I r ene, ' she sai d agai n. ' Can you t el l me
what I amspi nni ng?'
' She speaks, ' t hought I r ene, ' j ust as i f she had seen me f i ve mi nut es ago, or
yest er day at t he f ar t hest . No, ' she answer ed; ' I don' t know what you ar e spi nni ng.
Pl ease, I t hought you wer e a dr eam. Why coul dn' t I f i nd you bef or e, gr eat - gr eat -
gr andmot her ?'
' That you ar e har dl y ol d enough t o under st and. But you woul d have f ound me sooner i f
you hadn' t come t o t hi nk I was a dr eam. I wi l l gi ve you one r eason t hough why you
coul dn' t f i nd me. I di dn' t want you t o f i nd me. '
' Why, pl ease?'
' Because I di d not want Loot i e t o know I was her e. '
' But you t ol d me t o t el l Loot i e. '
' Yes. But I knew Loot i e woul d not bel i eve you. I f she wer e t o see me si t t i ng spi nni ng
her e, she woul dn' t bel i eve me, ei t her . '
' Why?'
' Because she coul dn' t . She woul d r ub her eyes, and go away and say she f el t queer ,
and f or get hal f of i t and mor e, and t hen say i t had been al l a dr eam. '
' J ust l i ke me, ' sai d I r ene, f eel i ng ver y much ashamed of her sel f .
' Yes, a good deal l i ke you, but not j ust l i ke you; f or you' ve come agai n; and Loot i e
woul dn' t have come agai n. She woul d have sai d, No, noshe had had enough of such
nonsense. '
' I s i t naught y of Loot i e, t hen?'
' I t woul d be naught y of you. I ' ve never done anyt hi ng f or Loot i e. '
' And you di d wash my f ace and hands f or me, ' sai d I r ene, begi nni ng t o cr y.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 36
The ol d l ady smi l ed a sweet smi l e and sai d:
' I ' mnot vexed wi t h you, my chi l dnor wi t h Loot i e ei t her . But I don' t want you t o say
anyt hi ng mor e t o Loot i e about me. I f she shoul d ask you, you must j ust be si l ent . But
I do not t hi nk she wi l l ask you. '
Al l t he t i me t hey t al ked t he ol d l ady kept on spi nni ng.
' You haven' t t ol d me yet what I amspi nni ng, ' she sai d.
' Because I don' t know. I t ' s ver y pr et t y st uf f . '
I t was i ndeed ver y pr et t y st uf f . Ther e was a good bunch of i t on t he di st af f at t ached
t o t he spi nni ng- wheel , and i n t he moonl i ght i t shone l i kewhat shal l I say i t was
l i ke? I t was not whi t e enough f or si l ver yes, i t was l i ke si l ver , but shone gr ey
r at her t han whi t e, and gl i t t er ed onl y a l i t t l e. And t he t hr ead t he ol d l ady dr ew out
f r omi t was so f i ne t hat I r ene coul d har dl y see i t . ' I amspi nni ng t hi s f or you, my
chi l d. '
' For me! What amI t o do wi t h i t , pl ease?'
' I wi l l t el l you by and by. But f i r st I wi l l t el l you what i t i s. I t i s spi der - webof
a par t i cul ar ki nd. My pi geons br i ng i t me f r omover t he gr eat sea. Ther e i s onl y one
f or est wher e t he spi der s l i ve who make t hi s par t i cul ar ki ndt he f i nest and st r ongest
of any. I have near l y f i ni shed my pr esent j ob. What i s on t he r ock now wi l l be
enough. I have a week' s wor k t her e yet , t hough, ' she added, l ooki ng at t he bunch.
' Do you wor k al l day and al l ni ght , t oo, gr eat - gr eat - gr eat - gr eat - gr andmot her ?' sai d
t he pr i ncess, t hi nki ng t o be ver y pol i t e wi t h so many gr eat s.
' I amnot qui t e so gr eat as al l t hat , ' she answer ed, smi l i ng al most mer r i l y. ' I f you
cal l me gr andmot her , t hat wi l l do. No, I don' t wor k ever y ni ght onl y moonl i t ni ght s,
and t hen no l onger t han t he moon shi nes upon my wheel . I shan' t wor k much l onger
t oni ght . '
' And what wi l l you do next , gr andmot her ?' ' Go t o bed. Woul d you l i ke t o see my
bedr oom?'
' Yes, t hat I shoul d. '
' Then I t hi nk I won' t wor k any l onger t oni ght . I shal l be i n good t i me. '
The ol d l ady r ose, and l ef t her wheel st andi ng j ust as i t was. You see t her e was no
good i n put t i ng i t away, f or wher e t her e was not any f ur ni t ur e t her e was no danger of
bei ng unt i dy.
Then she t ook I r ene by t he hand, but i t was her bad hand and I r ene gave a l i t t l e cr y
of pai n. ' My chi l d! ' sai d her gr andmot her , ' what i s t he mat t er ?'
I r ene hel d her hand i nt o t he moonl i ght , t hat t he ol d l ady mi ght see i t , and t ol d her
al l about i t , at whi ch she l ooked gr ave. But she onl y sai d: ' Gi ve me your ot her
hand' ; and, havi ng l ed her out upon t he l i t t l e dar k l andi ng, opened t he door on t he
opposi t e si de of i t . What was I r ene' s sur pr i se t o see t he l ovel i est r oomshe had ever
seen i n her l i f e! I t was l ar ge and l of t y, and dome- shaped. Fr omt he cent r e hung a
l amp as r ound as a bal l , shi ni ng as i f wi t h t he br i ght est moonl i ght , whi ch made
ever yt hi ng vi si bl e i n t he r oom, t hough not so cl ear l y t hat t he pr i ncess coul d t el l
what many of t he t hi ngs wer e. A l ar ge oval bed st ood i n t he mi ddl e, wi t h a cover l i d
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 37
of r ose col our , and vel vet cur t ai ns al l r ound i t of a l ovel y pal e bl ue. The wal l s
wer e al so bl uespangl ed al l over wi t h what l ooked l i ke st ar s of si l ver .
The ol d l ady l ef t her and, goi ng t o a st r ange- l ooki ng cabi net , opened i t and t ook out
a cur i ous si l ver casket . Then she sat down on a l ow chai r and, cal l i ng I r ene, made
her kneel bef or e her whi l e she l ooked at her hand. Havi ng exami ned i t , she opened t he
casket , and t ook f r omi t a l i t t l e oi nt ment . The sweet est odour f i l l ed t he r ooml i ke
t hat of r oses and l i l i esas she r ubbed t he oi nt ment gent l y al l over t he hot swol l en
hand. Her t ouch was so pl easant and cool t hat i t seemed t o dr i ve away t he pai n and
heat wher ever i t came.
' Oh, gr andmot her ! i t i s so ni ce! ' sai d I r ene. ' Thank you; t hank you. '
Then t he ol d l ady went t o a chest of dr awer s, and t ook out a l ar ge handker chi ef of
gossamer - l i ke cambr i c, whi ch she t i ed r ound her hand.
' I don' t t hi nk I can l et you go away t oni ght , ' she sai d. ' Woul d you l i ke t o sl eep
wi t h me?'
' Oh, yes, yes, dear gr andmot her , ' sai d I r ene, and woul d have cl apped her hands,
f or get t i ng t hat she coul d not .
' You won' t be af r ai d, t hen, t o go t o bed wi t h such an ol d woman?'
' No. You ar e so beaut i f ul , gr andmot her . '
' But I amver y ol d. '
' And I suppose I amver y young. You won' t mi nd sl eepi ng wi t h such a ver y young woman,
gr andmot her ?'
' You sweet l i t t l e per t ness! ' sai d t he ol d l ady, and dr ew her t owar ds her , and ki ssed
her on t he f or ehead and t he cheek and t he mout h. Then she got a l ar ge si l ver basi n,
and havi ng pour ed some wat er i nt o i t made I r ene si t on t he chai r , and washed her
f eet . Thi s done, she was r eady f or bed. And oh, what a del i ci ous bed i t was i nt o
whi ch her gr andmot her l ai d her ! She har dl y coul d have t ol d she was l yi ng upon
anyt hi ng: she f el t not hi ng but t he sof t ness.
The ol d l ady havi ng undr essed her sel f l ay down besi de her .
' Why don' t you put out your moon?' asked t he pr i ncess.
' That never goes out , ni ght or day, ' she answer ed. ' I n t he dar kest ni ght , i f any of
my pi geons ar e out on a message, t hey al ways see my moon and know wher e t o f l y t o. '
' But i f somebody besi des t he pi geons wer e t o see i t somebody about t he house, I mean
t hey woul d come t o l ook what i t was and f i nd you. '
' The bet t er f or t hem, t hen, ' sai d t he ol d l ady. ' But i t does not happen above f i ve
t i mes i n a hundr ed year s t hat anyone does see i t .
The gr eat er par t of t hose who do t ake i t f or a met eor , wi nk t hei r eyes, and f or get i t
agai n. Besi des, nobody coul d f i nd t he r oomexcept I pl eased. Besi des, agai nI wi l l
t el l you a secr et i f t hat l i ght wer e t o go out you woul d f ancy your sel f l yi ng i n a
bar e gar r et , on a heap of ol d st r aw, and woul d not see one of t he pl easant t hi ngs
r ound about you al l t he t i me. '
' I hope i t wi l l never go out , ' sai d t he pr i ncess.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 38
' I hope not . But i t i s t i me we bot h went t o sl eep. Shal l I t ake you i n my ar ms?'
The l i t t l e pr i ncess nest l ed cl ose up t o t he ol d l ady, who t ook her i n bot h her ar ms
and hel d her cl ose t o her bosom.
' Oh, dear ! t hi s i s so ni ce! ' sai d t he pr i ncess. ' I di dn' t know anyt hi ng i n t he wor l d
coul d be so comf or t abl e. I shoul d l i ke t o l i e her e f or ever . '
' You may i f you wi l l , ' sai d t he ol d l ady. ' But I must put you t o one t r i al - not a ver y
har d one, I hope. Thi s ni ght week you must come back t o me. I f you don' t , I do not
know when you may f i nd me agai n, and you wi l l soon want me ver y much. '
' Oh! pl ease, don' t l et me f or get . '
' You shal l not f or get . The onl y quest i on i s whet her you wi l l bel i eve I amanywher e
whet her you wi l l bel i eve I amanyt hi ng but a dr eam. You may be sur e I wi l l do al l I
can t o hel p you t o come. But i t wi l l r est wi t h your sel f , af t er al l . On t he ni ght of
next Fr i day, you must come t o me. Mi nd now. '
' I wi l l t r y, ' sai d t he pr i ncess.
' Then good ni ght , ' sai d t he ol d l ady, and ki ssed t he f or ehead whi ch l ay i n her bosom.
I n a moment mor e t he l i t t l e pr i ncess was dr eami ng i n t he mi dst of t he l ovel i est
dr eamsof summer seas and moonl i ght and mossy spr i ngs and gr eat mur mur i ng t r ees, and
beds of wi l d f l ower s wi t h such odour s as she had never smel l ed bef or e. But , af t er
al l , no dr eamcoul d be mor e l ovel y t han what she had l ef t behi nd when she f el l
asl eep.
I n t he mor ni ng she f ound her sel f i n her own bed. Ther e was no handker chi ef or
anyt hi ng el se on her hand, onl y a sweet odour l i nger ed about i t . The swel l i ng had al l
gone down; t he pr i ck of t he br ooch had vani shedi n f act , her hand was per f ect l y wel l .

CHAPTER 12: A Short Chapter About Curdie
Cur di e spent many ni ght s i n t he mi ne. Hi s f at her and he had t aken Mr s. Pet er son i nt o
t he secr et , f or t hey knew mot her coul d hol d her t ongue, whi ch was mor e t han coul d be
sai d of al l t he mi ner s' wi ves.
But Cur di e di d not t el l her t hat ever y ni ght he spent i n t he mi ne, par t of i t went i n
ear ni ng a new r ed pet t i coat f or her .
Mr s. Pet er son was such a ni ce good mot her ! Al l mot her s ar e ni ce and good mor e or
l ess, but Mr s. Pet er son was ni ce and good al l mor e and no l ess. She made and kept a
l i t t l e heaven i n t hat poor cot t age on t he hi gh hi l l si de f or her husband and son t o go
home t o out of t he l ow and r at her dr ear y ear t h i n whi ch t hey wor ked. I doubt i f t he
pr i ncess was ver y much happi er even i n t he ar ms of her huge gr eat - gr andmot her t han
Pet er and Cur di e wer e i n t he ar ms of Mr s. Pet er son. Tr ue, her hands wer e har d and
chapped and l ar ge, but i t was wi t h wor k f or t hem; and t her ef or e, i n t he si ght of t he
angel s, her hands wer e so much t he mor e beaut i f ul . And i f Cur di e wor ked har d t o get
her a pet t i coat , she wor ked har d ever y day t o get hi mcomf or t s whi ch he woul d have
mi ssed much mor e t han she woul d a new pet t i coat even i n wi nt er . Not t hat she and
Cur di e ever t hought of how much t hey wor ked f or each ot her : t hat woul d have spoi l ed
ever yt hi ng.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 39
When l ef t al one i n t he mi ne Cur di e al ways wor ked on f or an hour or t wo at f i r st ,
f ol l owi ng t he l ode whi ch, accor di ng t o Gl ump, woul d l ead at l ast i nt o t he deser t ed
habi t at i on. Af t er t hat , he woul d set out on a r econnoi t r i ng expedi t i on. I n or der t o
manage t hi s, or r at her t he r et ur n f r omi t , bet t er t han t he f i r st t i me, he had bought
a huge bal l of f i ne st r i ng, havi ng l ear ned t he t r i ck f r omHop- o' - my- Thumb, whose
hi st or y hi s mot her had of t en t ol d hi m. Not t hat Hop- o' - my- Thumb had ever used a bal l
of st r i ngI shoul d be sor r y t o be supposed so f ar out i n my cl assi csbut t he
pr i nci pl e was t he same as t hat of t he pebbl es. The end of t hi s st r i ng he f ast ened t o
hi s pi ckaxe, whi ch f i gur ed no bad anchor , and t hen, wi t h t he bal l i n hi s hand,
unr ol l i ng i t as he went , set out i n t he dar k t hr ough t he nat ur al gangs of t he
gobl i ns' t er r i t or y. The f i r st ni ght or t wo he came upon not hi ng wor t h r emember i ng;
saw onl y a l i t t l e of t he home- l i f e of t he cobs i n t he var i ous caves t hey cal l ed
houses; f ai l ed i n comi ng upon anyt hi ng t o cast l i ght upon t he f or egoi ng desi gn whi ch
kept t he i nundat i on f or t he pr esent i n t he backgr ound. But at l engt h, I t hi nk on t he
t hi r d or f our t h ni ght , he f ound, par t l y gui ded by t he noi se of t hei r i mpl ement s, a
company of evi dent l y t he best sapper s and mi ner s amongst t hem, har d at wor k. What
wer e t hey about ? I t coul d not wel l be t he i nundat i on, seei ng t hat had i n t he meant i me
been post poned t o somet hi ng el se. Then what was i t ? He l ur ked and wat ched, ever y now
and t hen i n t he gr eat est r i sk of bei ng det ect ed, but wi t hout success. He had agai n
and agai n t o r et r eat i n hast e, a pr oceedi ng r ender ed t he mor e di f f i cul t t hat he had
t o gat her up hi s st r i ng as he r et ur ned upon i t s cour se. I t was not t hat he was af r ai d
of t he gobl i ns, but t hat he was af r ai d of t hei r f i ndi ng out t hat t hey wer e wat ched,
whi ch mi ght have pr event ed t he di scover y at whi ch he ai med. Somet i mes hi s hast e had
t o be such t hat , when he r eached home t owar ds mor ni ng, hi s st r i ng, f or l ack of t i me
t o wi nd i t up as he ' dodged t he cobs' , woul d be i n what seemed most hopel ess
ent angl ement ; but af t er a good sl eep, t hough a shor t one, he al ways f ound hi s mot her
had got i t r i ght agai n. Ther e i t was, wound i n a most r espect abl e bal l , r eady f or use
t he moment he shoul d want i t !
' I can' t t hi nk how you do i t , mot her , ' he woul d say.
' I f ol l ow t he t hr ead, ' she woul d answer ' j ust as you do i n t he mi ne. ' She never had
mor e t o say about i t ; but t he l ess cl ever she was wi t h her wor ds, t he mor e cl ever she
was wi t h her hands; and t he l ess hi s mot her sai d, t he mor e Cur di e bel i eved she had t o
say. But st i l l he had made no di scover y as t o what t he gobl i n mi ner s wer e about .

CHAPTER 13: The Cobs' Creatures
About t hi s t i me t he gent l emen whomt he ki ng had l ef t behi nd hi mt o wat ch over t he
pr i ncess had each occasi on t o doubt t he t est i mony of hi s own eyes, f or mor e t han
st r ange wer e t he obj ect s t o whi ch t hey woul d bear wi t ness. They wer e of one sor t
cr eat ur esbut so gr ot esque and mi sshapen as t o be mor e l i ke a chi l d' s dr awi ngs upon
hi s sl at e t han anyt hi ng nat ur al . They saw t hemonl y at ni ght , whi l e on guar d about
t he house. The t est i mony of t he man who f i r st r epor t ed havi ng seen one of t hemwas
t hat , as he was wal ki ng sl owl y r ound t he house, whi l e yet i n t he shadow, he caught
si ght of a cr eat ur e st andi ng on i t s hi nd l egs i n t he moonl i ght , wi t h i t s f or ef eet
upon a wi ndow- l edge, st ar i ng i n at t he wi ndow. I t s body mi ght have been t hat of a dog
or wol f , he t hought , but he decl ar ed on hi s honour t hat i t s head was t wi ce t he si ze
i t ought t o have been f or t he si ze of i t s body, and as r ound as a bal l , whi l e t he
f ace, whi ch i t t ur ned upon hi mas i t f l ed, was mor e l i ke one car ved by a boy upon t he
t ur ni p i nsi de whi ch he i s goi ng t o put a candl e t han anyt hi ng el se he coul d t hi nk of .
I t r ushed i nt o t he gar den. He sent an ar r ow af t er i t , and t hought he must have st r uck
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 40
i t ; f or i t gave an unear t hl y howl , and he coul d not f i nd hi s ar r ow any mor e t han t he
beast , al t hough he sear ched al l about t he pl ace wher e i t vani shed. They l aughed at
hi munt i l he was dr i ven t o hol d hi s t ongue, and sai d he must have t aken t oo l ong a
pul l at t he al e- j ug.
But bef or e t wo ni ght s wer e over he had one t o si de wi t h hi m, f or he, t oo, had seen
somet hi ng st r ange, onl y qui t e di f f er ent f r omt hat r epor t ed by t he ot her . The
descr i pt i on t he second man gave of t he cr eat ur e he had seen was yet mor e gr ot esque
and unl i kel y. They wer e bot h l aughed at by t he r est ; but ni ght af t er ni ght anot her
came over t o t hei r si de, unt i l at l ast t her e was onl y one l ef t t o l augh at al l hi s
compani ons. Two ni ght s mor e passed, and he saw not hi ng; but on t he t hi r d he came
r ushi ng f r omt he gar den t o t he ot her t wo bef or e t he house, i n such an agi t at i on t hat
t hey decl ar edf or i t was t hei r t ur n nowt hat t he band of hi s hel met was cr acki ng
under hi s chi n wi t h t he r i si ng of hi s hai r i nsi de i t . Runni ng wi t h hi mi nt o t hat par t
of t he gar den whi ch I have al r eady descr i bed, t hey saw a scor e of cr eat ur es, t o not
one of whi ch t hey coul d gi ve a name, and not one of whi ch was l i ke anot her , hi deous
and l udi cr ous at once, gambol l i ng on t he l awn i n t he moonl i ght . The super nat ur al or
r at her subnat ur al ugl i ness of t hei r f aces, t he l engt h of l egs and necks i n some, t he
appar ent absence of bot h or ei t her i n ot her s, made t he spect at or s, al t hough i n one
consent as t o what t hey saw, yet doubt f ul , as I have sai d, of t he evi dence of t hei r
own eyesand ear s as wel l ; f or t he noi ses t hey made, al t hough not l oud, wer e as
uncout h and var i ed as t hei r f or ms, and coul d be descr i bed nei t her as gr unt s nor
squeaks nor r oar s nor howl s nor bar ks nor yel l s nor scr eams nor cr oaks nor hi sses nor
mews nor shr i eks, but onl y as somet hi ng l i ke al l of t hemmi ngl ed i n one hor r i bl e
di ssonance. Keepi ng i n t he shade, t he wat cher s had a f ew moment s t o r ecover
t hemsel ves bef or e t he hi deous assembl y suspect ed t hei r pr esence; but al l at once, as
i f by common consent , t hey scamper ed of f i n t he di r ect i on of a gr eat r ock, and
vani shed bef or e t he men had come t o t hemsel ves suf f i ci ent l y t o t hi nk of f ol l owi ng
t hem.
My r eader s wi l l suspect what t hese wer e; but I wi l l now gi ve t hemf ul l i nf or mat i on
concer ni ng t hem. They wer e, of cour se, househol d ani mal s bel ongi ng t o t he gobl i ns,
whose ancest or s had t aken t hei r ancest or s many cent ur i es bef or e f r omt he upper
r egi ons of l i ght i nt o t he l ower r egi ons of dar kness. The or i gi nal st ocks of t hese
hor r i bl e cr eat ur es wer e ver y much t he same as t he ani mal s now seen about f ar ms and
homes i n t he count r y, wi t h t he except i on of a f ew of t hem, whi ch had been wi l d
cr eat ur es, such as f oxes, and i ndeed wol ves and smal l bear s, whi ch t he gobl i ns, f r om
t hei r pr ocl i vi t y t owar ds t he ani mal cr eat i on, had caught when cubs and t amed. But i n
t he cour se of t i me al l had under gone even gr eat er changes t han had passed upon t hei r
owner s. They had al t er edt hat i s, t hei r descendant s had al t er edi nt o such cr eat ur es
as I have not at t empt ed t o descr i be except i n t he vaguest manner t he var i ous par t s of
t hei r bodi es assumi ng, i n an appar ent l y ar bi t r ar y and sel f - wi l l ed manner , t he most
abnor mal devel opment s. I ndeed, so l i t t l e di d any di st i nct t ype pr edomi nat e i n some of
t he bewi l der i ng r esul t s, t hat you coul d onl y have guessed at any known ani mal as t he
or i gi nal , and even t hen, what l i keness r emai ned woul d be mor e one of gener al
expr essi on t han of def i nabl e conf or mat i on. But what i ncr eased t he gr uesomeness
t enf ol d was t hat , f r omconst ant domest i c, or i ndeed r at her f ami l y associ at i on wi t h
t he gobl i ns, t hei r count enances had gr own i n gr ot esque r esembl ance t o t he human.
No one under st ands ani mal s who does not see t hat ever y one of t hem, even amongst t he
f i shes, i t may be wi t h a di mness and vagueness i nf i ni t el y r emot e, yet shadows t he
human: i n t he case of t hese t he human r esembl ance had gr eat l y i ncr eased: whi l e t hei r
owner s had sunk t owar ds t hem, t hey had r i sen t owar ds t hei r owner s. But t he condi t i ons
of subt er r anean l i f e bei ng equal l y unnat ur al f or bot h, whi l e t he gobl i ns wer e wor se,
t he cr eat ur es had not i mpr oved by t he appr oxi mat i on, and i t s r esul t woul d have
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 41
appear ed f ar mor e l udi cr ous t han consol i ng t o t he war mest l over of ani mal nat ur e. I
shal l now expl ai n how i t was t hat j ust t hen t hese ani mal s began t o show t hemsel ves
about t he ki ng' s count r y house.
The gobl i ns, as Cur di e had di scover ed, wer e mi ni ng onat wor k bot h day and ni ght , i n
di vi si ons, ur gi ng t he scheme af t er whi ch he l ay i n wai t . I n t he cour se of t hei r
t unnel l i ng t hey had br oken i nt o t he channel of a smal l st r eam, but t he br eak bei ng i n
t he t op of i t , no wat er had escaped t o i nt er f er e wi t h t hei r wor k. Some of t he
cr eat ur es, hover i ng as t hey of t en di d about t hei r mast er s, had f ound t he hol e, and
had, wi t h t he cur i osi t y whi ch had gr own t o a passi on f r omt he r est r ai nt s of t hei r
unnat ur al ci r cumst ances, pr oceeded t o expl or e t he channel . The st r eamwas t he same
whi ch r an out by t he seat on whi ch I r ene and her ki ng- papa had sat as I have t ol d,
and t he gobl i n cr eat ur es f ound i t j ol l y f un t o get out f or a r omp on a smoot h l awn
such as t hey had never seen i n al l t hei r poor mi ser abl e l i ves. But al t hough t hey had
par t aken enough of t he nat ur e of t hei r owner s t o del i ght i n annoyi ng and al ar mi ng any
of t he peopl e whomt hey met on t he mount ai n, t hey wer e, of cour se, i ncapabl e of
desi gns of t hei r own, or of i nt ent i onal l y f ur t her i ng t hose of t hei r mast er s.
For sever al ni ght s af t er t he men- at - ar ms wer e at l engt h of one mi nd as t o t he f act of
t he vi si t s of some hor r i bl e cr eat ur es, whet her bodi l y or spect r al t hey coul d not yet
say, t hey wat ched wi t h speci al at t ent i on t hat par t of t he gar den wher e t hey had l ast
seen t hem. Per haps i ndeed t hey gave i n consequence t oo l i t t l e at t ent i on t o t he house.
But t he cr eat ur es wer e t oo cunni ng t o be easi l y caught ; nor wer e t he wat cher s qui ck-
eyed enough t o descr y t he head, or t he keen eyes i n i t , whi ch, f r omt he openi ng
whence t he st r eami ssued, woul d wat ch t hemi n t ur n, r eady, t he moment t hey shoul d
l eave t he l awn, t o r epor t t he pl ace cl ear .

CHAPTER 14: That Night Week
Dur i ng t he whol e of t he week I r ene had been t hi nki ng ever y ot her moment of her
pr omi se t o t he ol d l ady, al t hough even now she coul d not f eel qui t e sur e t hat she had
not been dr eami ng. Coul d i t r eal l y be t hat an ol d l ady l i ved up i n t he t op of t he
house, wi t h pi geons and a spi nni ng- wheel , and a l amp t hat never went out ? She was,
however , none t he l ess det er mi ned, on t he comi ng Fr i day, t o ascend t he t hr ee st ai r s,
wal k t hr ough t he passages wi t h t he many door s, and t r y t o f i nd t he t ower i n whi ch she
had ei t her seen or dr eamed her gr andmot her .
Her nur se coul d not hel p wonder i ng what had come t o t he chi l dshe woul d si t so
t hought f ul l y si l ent , and even i n t he mi dst of a game wi t h her woul d so suddenl y f al l
i nt o a dr eamy mood. But I r ene t ook car e t o bet r ay not hi ng, what ever ef f or t s Loot i e
mi ght make t o get at her t hought s. And Loot i e had t o say t o her sel f : ' What an odd
chi l d she i s! ' and gi ve i t up.
At l engt h t he l onged- f or Fr i day ar r i ved, and l est Loot i e shoul d be moved t o wat ch
her , I r ene endeavour ed t o keep her sel f as qui et as possi bl e. I n t he af t er noon she
asked f or her dol l ' s house, and went on ar r angi ng and r ear r angi ng t he var i ous r ooms
and t hei r i nhabi t ant s f or a whol e hour . Then she gave a si gh and t hr ew her sel f back
i n her chai r . One of t he dol l s woul d not si t , and anot her woul d not st and, and t hey
wer e al l ver y t i r esome. I ndeed, t her e was one woul d not even l i e down, whi ch was t oo
bad. But i t was now get t i ng dar k, and t he dar ker i t got t he mor e exci t ed I r ene
became, and t he mor e she f el t i t necessar y t o be composed.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 42
' I see you want your t ea, pr i ncess, ' sai d t he nur se: ' I wi l l go and get i t . The r oom
f eel s cl ose: I wi l l open t he wi ndow a l i t t l e. The eveni ng i s mi l d: i t won' t hur t
you. '
' Ther e' s no f ear of t hat , Loot i e, ' sai d I r ene, wi shi ng she had put of f goi ng f or t he
t ea t i l l i t was dar ker , when she mi ght have made her at t empt wi t h ever y advant age.
I f ancy Loot i e was l onger i n r et ur ni ng t han she had i nt ended; f or when I r ene, who had
been l ost i n t hought , l ooked up, she saw i t was near l y dar k, and at t he same moment
caught si ght of a pai r of eyes, br i ght wi t h a gr een l i ght , gl ower i ng at her t hr ough
t he open wi ndow. The next i nst ant somet hi ng l eaped i nt o t he r oom. I t was l i ke a cat ,
wi t h l egs as l ong as a hor se' s, I r ene sai d, but i t s body no bi gger and i t s l egs no
t hi cker t han t hose of a cat . She was t oo f r i ght ened t o cr y out , but not t oo
f r i ght ened t o j ump f r omher chai r and r un f r omt he r oom.
I t i s pl ai n enough t o ever y one of my r eader s what she ought t o have doneand i ndeed,
I r ene t hought of i t her sel f ; but when she came t o t he f oot of t he ol d st ai r , j ust
out si de t he nur ser y door , she i magi ned t he cr eat ur e r unni ng up t hose l ong ascent s
af t er her , and pur sui ng her t hr ough t he dar k passageswhi ch, af t er al l , mi ght l ead t o
no t ower ! That t hought was t oo much. Her hear t f ai l ed her , and, t ur ni ng f r omt he
st ai r , she r ushed al ong t o t he hal l , whence, f i ndi ng t he f r ont door open, she dar t ed
i nt o t he cour t pur suedat l east she t hought soby t he cr eat ur e. No one happeni ng t o
see her , on she r an, unabl e t o t hi nk f or f ear , and r eady t o r un anywher e t o el ude t he
awf ul cr eat ur e wi t h t he st i l t - l egs. Not dar i ng t o l ook behi nd her , she r ushed
st r ai ght out of t he gat e and up t he mount ai n. I t was f ool i sh i ndeedt hus t o r un
f ar t her and f ar t her f r omal l who coul d hel p her , as i f she had been seeki ng a f i t
spot f or t he gobl i n cr eat ur e t o eat her i n hi s l ei sur e; but t hat i s t he way f ear
ser ves us: i t al ways si des wi t h t he t hi ng we ar e af r ai d of .
The pr i ncess was soon out of br eat h wi t h r unni ng uphi l l ; but she r an on, f or she
f anci ed t he hor r i bl e cr eat ur e j ust behi nd her , f or get t i ng t hat , had i t been af t er her
such l ong l egs as t hose must have over t aken her l ong ago. At l ast she coul d r un no
l onger , and f el l , unabl e even t o scr eam, by t he r oadsi de, wher e she l ay f or some t i me
hal f dead wi t h t er r or . But f i ndi ng not hi ng l ay hol d of her , and her br eat h begi nni ng
t o come back, she vent ur ed at l engt h t o get hal f up and peer anxi ousl y about her . I t
was now so dar k she coul d see not hi ng. Not a si ngl e st ar was out . She coul d not even
t el l i n what di r ect i on t he house l ay, and bet ween her and home she f anci ed t he
dr eadf ul cr eat ur e l yi ng r eady t o pounce upon her . She saw now t hat she ought t o have
r un up t he st ai r s at once. I t was wel l she di d not scr eam; f or , al t hough ver y f ew of
t he gobl i ns had come out f or weeks, a st r ay i dl er or t wo mi ght have hear d her . She
sat down upon a st one, and nobody but one who had done somet hi ng wr ong coul d have
been mor e mi ser abl e. She had qui t e f or got t en her pr omi se t o vi si t her gr andmot her . A
r ai ndr op f el l on her f ace. She l ooked up, and f or a moment her t er r or was l ost i n
ast oni shment . At f i r st she t hought t he r i si ng moon had l ef t her pl ace, and dr awn ni gh
t o see what coul d be t he mat t er wi t h t he l i t t l e gi r l , si t t i ng al one, wi t hout hat or
cl oak, on t he dar k bar e mount ai n; but she soon saw she was mi st aken, f or t her e was no
l i ght on t he gr ound at her f eet , and no shadow anywher e. But a gr eat si l ver gl obe was
hangi ng i n t he ai r ; and as she gazed at t he l ovel y t hi ng, her cour age r evi ved. I f she
wer e but i ndoor s agai n, she woul d f ear not hi ng, not even t he t er r i bl e cr eat ur e wi t h
t he l ong l egs! But how was she t o f i nd her way back? What coul d t hat l i ght be? Coul d
i t be? No, i t coul dn' t . But what i f i t shoul d beyesi t must beher gr eat - gr eat -
gr andmot her ' s l amp, whi ch gui ded her pi geons home t hr ough t he dar kest ni ght ! She
j umped up: she had but t o keep t hat l i ght i n vi ew and she must f i nd t he house. Her
hear t gr ew st r ong. Speedi l y, yet sof t l y, she wal ked down t he hi l l , hopi ng t o pass t he
wat chi ng cr eat ur e unseen. Dar k as i t was, t her e was l i t t l e danger now of choosi ng t he
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 43
wr ong r oad. Andwhi ch was most st r anget he l i ght t hat f i l l ed her eyes f r omt he l amp,
i nst ead of bl i ndi ng t hemf or a moment t o t he obj ect upon whi ch t hey next f el l ,
enabl ed her f or a moment t o see i t , despi t e t he dar kness. By l ooki ng at t he l amp and
t hen dr oppi ng her eyes, she coul d see t he r oad f or a yar d or t wo i n f r ont of her , and
t hi s saved her f r omsever al f al l s, f or t he r oad was ver y r ough. But al l at once, t o
her di smay, i t vani shed, and t he t er r or of t he beast , whi ch had l ef t her t he moment
she began t o r et ur n, agai n l ai d hol d of her hear t . The same i nst ant , however , she
caught t he l i ght of t he wi ndows, and knew exact l y wher e she was. I t was t oo dar k t o
r un, but she made what hast e she coul d, and r eached t he gat e i n saf et y. She f ound t he
house door st i l l open, r an t hr ough t he hal l , and, wi t hout even l ooki ng i nt o t he
nur ser y, bounded st r ai ght up t he st ai r , and t he next , and t he next ; t hen t ur ni ng t o
t he r i ght , r an t hr ough t he l ong avenue of si l ent r ooms, and f ound her way at once t o
t he door at t he f oot of t he t ower st ai r .
When f i r st t he nur se mi ssed her , she f anci ed she was pl ayi ng her a t r i ck, and f or
some t i me t ook no t r oubl e about her ; but at l ast , get t i ng f r i ght ened, she had begun
t o sear ch; and when t he pr i ncess ent er ed, t he whol e househol d was hi t her and t hi t her
over t he house, hunt i ng f or her . A f ew seconds af t er she r eached t he st ai r of t he
t ower t hey had even begun t o sear ch t he negl ect ed r ooms, i n whi ch t hey woul d never
have t hought of l ooki ng had t hey not al r eady sear ched ever y ot her pl ace t hey coul d
t hi nk of i n vai n. But by t hi s t i me she was knocki ng at t he ol d l ady' s door .

CHAPTER 15: Woven and Then Spun
' Come i n, I r ene, ' sai d t he si l ver y voi ce of her gr andmot her .
The pr i ncess opened t he door and peeped i n. But t he r oomwas qui t e dar k and t her e was
no sound of t he spi nni ng- wheel . She gr ew f r i ght ened once mor e, t hi nki ng t hat ,
al t hough t he r oomwas t her e, t he ol d l ady mi ght be a dr eamaf t er al l . Ever y l i t t l e
gi r l knows how dr eadf ul i t i s t o f i nd a r oomempt y wher e she t hought somebody was;
but I r ene had t o f ancy f or a moment t hat t he per son she came t o f i nd was nowher e at
al l . She r emember ed, however , t hat at ni ght she spun onl y i n t he moonl i ght , and
concl uded t hat must be why t her e was no sweet , bee- l i ke hummi ng: t he ol d l ady mi ght
be somewher e i n t he dar kness. Bef or e she had t i me t o t hi nk anot her t hought , she hear d
her voi ce agai n, sayi ng as bef or e: ' Come i n, I r ene. ' Fr omt he sound, she under st ood
at once t hat she was not i n t he r oombesi de her . Per haps she was i n her bedr oom. She
t ur ned acr oss t he passage, f eel i ng her way t o t he ot her door . When her hand f el l on
t he l ock, agai n t he ol d l ady spoke:
' Shut t he ot her door behi nd you, I r ene. I al ways cl ose t he door of my wor kr oomwhen I
go t o my chamber . '
I r ene wonder ed t o hear her voi ce so pl ai nl y t hr ough t he door : havi ng shut t he ot her ,
she opened i t and went i n. Oh, what a l ovel y haven t o r each f r omt he dar kness and
f ear t hr ough whi ch she had come! The sof t l i ght made her f eel as i f she wer e goi ng
i nt o t he hear t of t he mi l ki est pear l ; whi l e t he bl ue wal l s and t hei r si l ver st ar s f or
a moment per pl exed her wi t h t he f ancy t hat t hey wer e i n r eal i t y t he sky whi ch she had
l ef t out si de a mi nut e ago cover ed wi t h r ai ncl ouds.
' I ' ve l i ght ed a f i r e f or you, I r ene: you' r e col d and wet , ' sai d her gr andmot her .
Then I r ene l ooked agai n, and saw t hat what she had t aken f or a huge bouquet of r ed
r oses on a l ow st and agai nst t he wal l was i n f act a f i r e whi ch bur ned i n t he shapes
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 44
of t he l ovel i est and r eddest r oses, gl owi ng gor geousl y bet ween t he heads and wi ngs of
t wo cher ubs of shi ni ng si l ver . And when she came near er , she f ound t hat t he smel l of
r oses wi t h whi ch t he r oomwas f i l l ed came f r omt he f i r e- r oses on t he hear t h. Her
gr andmot her was dr essed i n t he l ovel i est pal e bl ue vel vet , over whi ch her hai r , no
l onger whi t e, but of a r i ch gol den col our , st r eamed l i ke a cat ar act , her e f al l i ng i n
dul l gat her ed heaps, t her e r ushi ng away i n smoot h shi ni ng f al l s. And ever as she
l ooked, t he hai r seemed pour i ng down f r omher head and vani shi ng i n a gol den mi st er e
i t r eached t he f l oor . I t f l owed f r omunder t he edge of a ci r cl e of shi ni ng si l ver ,
set wi t h al t er nat ed pear l s and opal s. On her dr ess was no or nament what ever , nei t her
was t her e a r i ng on her hand, or a neckl ace or car canet about her neck. But her
sl i pper s gl i mmer ed wi t h t he l i ght of t he Mi l ky Way, f or t hey wer e cover ed wi t h seed-
pear l s and opal s i n one mass. Her f ace was t hat of a woman of t hr ee- and- t went y.
The pr i ncess was so bewi l der ed wi t h ast oni shment and admi r at i on t hat she coul d har dl y
t hank her , and dr ew ni gh wi t h t i mi di t y, f eel i ng di r t y and uncomf or t abl e. The l ady was
seat ed on a l ow chai r by t he si de of t he f i r e, wi t h hands out st r et ched t o t ake her ,
but t he pr i ncess hung back wi t h a t r oubl ed smi l e.
' Why, what ' s t he mat t er ?' asked her gr andmot her . ' You haven' t been doi ng anyt hi ng
wr ongI know t hat by your f ace, t hough i t i s r at her mi ser abl e. What ' s t he mat t er , my
dear ?'
And she st i l l hel d out her ar ms.
' Dear gr andmot her , ' sai d I r ene, ' I ' mnot so sur e t hat I haven' t done somet hi ng wr ong.
I ought t o have r un up t o you at once when t he l ong- l egged cat came i n at t he wi ndow,
i nst ead of r unni ng out on t he mount ai n and maki ng mysel f such a f r i ght . '
' You wer e t aken by sur pr i se, my chi l d, and you ar e not so l i kel y t o do i t agai n. I t
i s when peopl e do wr ong t hi ngs wi l f ul l y t hat t hey ar e t he mor e l i kel y t o do t hem
agai n. Come. '
And st i l l she hel d out her ar ms.
' But , gr andmot her , you' r e so beaut i f ul and gr and wi t h your cr own on; and I amso
di r t y wi t h mud and r ai n! I shoul d qui t e spoi l your beaut i f ul bl ue dr ess. '
Wi t h a mer r y l i t t l e l augh t he l ady spr ung f r omher chai r , mor e l i ght l y f ar t han I r ene
her sel f coul d, caught t he chi l d t o her bosom, and, ki ssi ng t he t ear - st ai ned f ace over
and over , sat down wi t h her i n her l ap.
' Oh, gr andmot her ! You' l l make your sel f such a mess! ' cr i ed I r ene, cl i ngi ng t o her .
' You dar l i ng! do you t hi nk I car e mor e f or my dr ess t han f or my l i t t l e gi r l ? Besi des
l ook her e. '
As she spoke she set her down, and I r ene saw t o her di smay t hat t he l ovel y dr ess was
cover ed wi t h t he mud of her f al l on t he mount ai n r oad. But t he l ady st ooped t o t he
f i r e, and t aki ng f r omi t , by t he st al k i n her f i nger s, one of t he bur ni ng r oses,
passed i t once and agai n and a t hi r d t i me over t he f r ont of her dr ess; and when I r ene
l ooked, not a si ngl e st ai n was t o be di scover ed.
' Ther e! ' sai d her gr andmot her , ' you won' t mi nd comi ng t o me now?'
But I r ene agai n hung back, eyi ng t he f l ami ng r ose whi ch t he l ady hel d i n her hand.
' You' r e not af r ai d of t he r osear e you?' she sai d, about t o t hr ow i t on t he hear t h
agai n.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 45
' Oh! don' t , pl ease! ' cr i ed I r ene. ' Won' t you hol d i t t o my f r ock and my hands and my
f ace? And I ' maf r ai d my f eet and my knees want i t t oo. '
' No, answer ed her gr andmot her , smi l i ng a l i t t l e sadl y, as she t hr ew t he r ose f r om
her ; ' i t i s t oo hot f or you yet . I t woul d set your f r ock i n a f l ame. Besi des, I don' t
want t o make you cl ean t oni ght .
I want your nur se and t he r est of t he peopl e t o see you as you ar e, f or you wi l l have
t o t el l t hemhow you r an away f or f ear of t he l ong- l egged cat . I shoul d l i ke t o wash
you, but t hey woul d not bel i eve you t hen. Do you see t hat bat h behi nd you?'
The pr i ncess l ooked, and saw a l ar ge oval t ub of si l ver , shi ni ng br i l l i ant l y i n t he
l i ght of t he wonder f ul l amp.
' Go and l ook i nt o i t , ' sai d t he l ady.
I r ene went , and came back ver y si l ent wi t h her eyes shi ni ng.
' What di d you see?' asked her gr andmot her .
' The sky, and t he moon and t he st ar s, ' she answer ed. ' I t l ooked as i f t her e was no
bot t omt o i t . '
The l ady smi l ed a pl eased sat i sf i ed smi l e, and was si l ent al so f or a f ew moment s.
Then she sai d:
' Any t i me you want a bat h, come t o me. I know YOU have a bat h ever y mor ni ng, but
somet i mes you want one at ni ght , t oo. '
' Thank you, gr andmot her ; I wi l l I wi l l i ndeed, ' answer ed I r ene, and was agai n si l ent
f or some moment s t hi nki ng. Then she sai d: ' How was i t , gr andmot her , t hat I saw your
beaut i f ul l ampnot t he l i ght of i t onl ybut t he gr eat r ound si l ver y l amp i t sel f ,
hangi ng al one i n t he gr eat open ai r , hi gh up? I t was your l amp I sawwasn' t i t ?'
' Yes, my chi l di t was my l amp. '
' Then how was i t ? I don' t see a wi ndow al l r ound. '
' When I pl ease I can make t he l amp shi ne t hr ough t he wal l sshi ne so st r ong t hat i t
mel t s t hemaway f r ombef or e t he si ght , and shows i t sel f as you saw i t . But , as I t ol d
you, i t i s not ever ybody can see i t . '
' How i s i t t hat I can, t hen? I ' msur e I don' t know. '
' I t i s a gi f t bor n wi t h you. And one day I hope ever ybody wi l l have i t . '
' But how do you make i t shi ne t hr ough t he wal l s?'
' Ah! t hat you woul d not under st and i f I wer e t o t r y ever so much t o make younot yet
not yet . But , ' added t he l ady, r i si ng, ' you must si t i n my chai r whi l e I get you t he
pr esent I have been pr epar i ng f or you. I t ol d you my spi nni ng was f or you. I t i s
f i ni shed now, and I amgoi ng t o f et ch i t . I have been keepi ng i t war munder one of my
br oodi ng pi geons. '
I r ene sat down i n t he l ow chai r , and her gr andmot her l ef t her , shut t i ng t he door
behi nd her . The chi l d sat gazi ng, now at t he r ose f i r e, now at t he st ar r y wal l s, now
at t he si l ver l i ght ; and a gr eat qui et ness gr ew i n her hear t . I f al l t he l ong- l egged
cat s i n t he wor l d had come r ushi ng at her t hen she woul d not have been af r ai d of t hem
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 46
f or a moment . How t hi s was she coul d not t el l she onl y knew t her e was no f ear i n her ,
and ever yt hi ng was so r i ght and saf e t hat i t coul d not get i n.
She had been gazi ng at t he l ovel y l amp f or some mi nut es f i xedl y: t ur ni ng her eyes,
she f ound t he wal l had vani shed, f or she was l ooki ng out on t he dar k cl oudy ni ght .
But t hough she hear d t he wi nd bl owi ng, none of i t bl ew upon her . I n a moment mor e t he
cl ouds t hemsel ves par t ed, or r at her vani shed l i ke t he wal l , and she l ooked st r ai ght
i nt o t he st ar r y her ds, f l ashi ng gl or i ousl y i n t he dar k bl ue. I t was but f or a moment .
The cl ouds gat her ed agai n and shut out t he st ar s; t he wal l gat her ed agai n and shut
out t he cl ouds; and t her e st ood t he l ady besi de her wi t h t he l ovel i est smi l e on her
f ace, and a shi mmer i ng bal l i n her hand, about t he si ze of a pi geon' s egg.
' Ther e, I r ene; t her e i s my wor k f or you! ' she sai d, hol di ng out t he bal l t o t he
pr i ncess.
She t ook i t i n her hand, and l ooked at i t al l over . I t spar kl ed a l i t t l e, and shone
her e and t her e, but not much. I t was of a sor t of gr ey- whi t eness, somet hi ng l i ke spun
gl ass.
' I s t hi s al l your spi nni ng, gr andmot her ?' she asked.
' Al l si nce you came t o t he house. Ther e i s mor e t her e t han you t hi nk. '
' How pr et t y i t i s! What amI t o do wi t h i t , pl ease?'
' That I wi l l now expl ai n t o you, ' answer ed t he l ady, t ur ni ng f r omher and goi ng t o
her cabi net . She came back wi t h a smal l r i ng i n her hand. Then she t ook t he bal l f r om
I r ene' s, and di d somet hi ng wi t h t he r i ngI r ene coul d not t el l what .
' Gi ve me your hand, ' she sai d. I r ene hel d up her r i ght hand.
' Yes, t hat i s t he hand I want , ' sai d t he l ady, and put t he r i ng on t he f or ef i nger of
i t .
' What a beaut i f ul r i ng! ' sai d I r ene. ' What i s t he st one cal l ed?'
' I t i s a f i r e- opal . ' ' Pl ease, amI t o keep i t ?'
' Al ways. ' ' Oh, t hank you, gr andmot her ! I t ' s pr et t i er t han anyt hi ng I ever saw, except
t hoseof al l col our s- i n your Pl ease, i s t hat your cr own?'
' Yes, i t i s my cr own. The st one i n your r i ng i s of t he same sor t onl y not so good. I t
has onl y r ed, but mi ne have al l col our s, you see. '
' Yes, gr andmot her . I wi l l t ake such car e of i t ! But ' she added, hesi t at i ng.
' But what ?' asked her gr andmot her .
' What amI t o say when Loot i e asks me wher e I got i t ?'
' You wi l l ask her wher e you got i t , ' answer ed t he l ady smi l i ng.
' I don' t see how I can do t hat . '
' You wi l l , t hough. '
' Of cour se I wi l l , i f you say so. But , you know, I can' t pr et end not t o know. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 47
' Of cour se not . But don' t t r oubl e your sel f about i t . You wi l l see when t he t i me
comes. '
So sayi ng, t he l ady t ur ned, and t hr ew t he l i t t l e bal l i nt o t he r ose f i r e.
' Oh, gr andmot her ! ' excl ai med I r ene; ' I t hought you had spun i t f or me. '
' So I di d, my chi l d. And you' ve got i t . '
' No; i t ' s bur nt i n t he f i r e! '
The l ady put her hand i n t he f i r e, br ought out t he bal l , gl i mmer i ng as bef or e, and
hel d i t t owar ds her . I r ene st r et ched out her hand t o t ake i t , but t he l ady t ur ned
and, goi ng t o her cabi net , opened a dr awer , and l ai d t he bal l i n i t .
' Have I done anyt hi ng t o vex you, gr andmot her ?' sai d I r ene pi t i f ul l y.
' No, my dar l i ng. But you must under st and t hat no one ever gi ves anyt hi ng t o anot her
pr oper l y and r eal l y wi t hout keepi ng i t . That bal l i s your s. '
' Oh! I ' mnot t o t ake i t wi t h me! You ar e goi ng t o keep i t f or me! '
' You ar e t o t ake i t wi t h you. I ' ve f ast ened t he end of i t t o t he r i ng on your
f i nger . '
I r ene l ooked at t he r i ng.
' I can' t see i t t her e, gr andmot her , ' she sai d.
' Feel a l i t t l e way f r omt he r i ngt owar ds t he cabi net , ' sai d t he l ady.
' Oh! I do f eel i t ! ' excl ai med t he pr i ncess. ' But I can' t see i t , ' she added, l ooki ng
cl ose t o her out st r et ched hand.
' No. The t hr ead i s t oo f i ne f or you t o see i t . You can onl y f eel i t . Now you can
f ancy how much spi nni ng t hat t ook, al t hough i t does seemsuch a l i t t l e bal l . '
' But what use can I make of i t , i f i t l i es i n your cabi net ?'
' That i s what I wi l l expl ai n t o you. I t woul d be of no use t o youi t woul dn' t be
your s at al l i f i t di d not l i e i n my cabi net . Now l i st en. I f ever you f i nd your sel f
i n any danger such, f or exampl e, as you wer e i n t hi s same eveni ngyou must t ake of f
your r i ng and put i t under t he pi l l ow of your bed. Then you must l ay your f i nger , t he
same t hat wor e t he r i ng, upon t he t hr ead, and f ol l ow t he t hr ead wher ever i t l eads
you. '
' Oh, how del i ght f ul ! I t wi l l l ead me t o you, gr andmot her , I know! '
' Yes. But , r emember , i t may seemt o you a ver y r oundabout way i ndeed, and you must
not doubt t he t hr ead. Of one t hi ng you may be sur e, t hat whi l e you hol d i t , I hol d i t
t oo. '
' I t i s ver y wonder f ul ! ' sai d I r ene t hought f ul l y. Then suddenl y becomi ng awar e, she
j umped up, cr yi ng:
' Oh, gr andmot her ! her e have I been si t t i ng al l t hi s t i me i n your chai r , and you
st andi ng! I beg your par don. '
The l ady l ai d her hand on her shoul der , and sai d:
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 48
' Si t down agai n, I r ene. Not hi ng pl eases me bet t er t han t o see anyone si t i n my chai r .
I amonl y t oo gl ad t o st and so l ong as anyone wi l l si t i n i t . '
' How ki nd of you! ' sai d t he pr i ncess, and sat down agai n.
' I t makes me happy, ' sai d t he l ady.
' But , ' sai d I r ene, st i l l puzzl ed, ' won' t t he t hr ead get i n somebody' s way and be
br oken, i f t he one end i s f ast t o my r i ng, and t he ot her l ai d i n your cabi net ?'
' You wi l l f i nd al l t hat ar r ange i t sel f . I amaf r ai d i t i s t i me f or you t o go. '
' Mi ght n' t I st ay and sl eep wi t h you t oni ght , gr andmot her ?' ' No, not t oni ght . I f I had
meant you t o st ay t oni ght , I shoul d have gi ven you a bat h; but you know ever ybody i n
t he house i s mi ser abl e about you, and i t woul d be cr uel t o keep t hemso al l ni ght .
You must go downst ai r s. '
' I ' mso gl ad, gr andmot her , you di dn' t say " Go home, " f or t hi s i s my home. Mayn' t I
cal l t hi s my home?'
' You may, my chi l d. And I t r ust you wi l l al ways t hi nk i t your home. Now come. I must
t ake you back wi t hout anyone seei ng you. '
' Pl ease, I want t o ask you one quest i on mor e, ' sai d I r ene. ' I s i t because you have
your cr own on t hat you l ook so young?'
' No, chi l d, ' answer ed her gr andmot her ; ' i t i s because I f el t so young t hi s eveni ng
t hat I put my cr own on. And I t hought you woul d l i ke t o see your ol d gr andmot her i n
her best . '
' Why do you cal l your sel f ol d? You' r e not ol d, gr andmot her . '
' I amver y ol d i ndeed. I t i s so si l l y of peopl eI don' t mean you, f or you ar e such a
t i ny, and coul dn' t know bet t er but i t i s so si l l y of peopl e t o f ancy t hat ol d age
means cr ookedness and wi t her edness and f eebl eness and st i cks and spect acl es and
r heumat i smand f or get f ul ness! I t i s so si l l y! Ol d age has not hi ng what ever t o do wi t h
al l t hat . The r i ght ol d age means st r engt h and beaut y and mi r t h and cour age and cl ear
eyes and st r ong pai nl ess l i mbs. I amol der t han you ar e abl e t o t hi nk, and'
' And l ook at you, gr andmot her ! ' cr i ed I r ene, j umpi ng up and f l i ngi ng her ar ms about
her neck. ' I won' t be so si l l y agai n, I pr omi se you. At l east I ' mr at her af r ai d t o
pr omi sebut i f I am, I pr omi se t o be sor r y f or i t I do. I wi sh I wer e as ol d as you,
gr andmot her . I don' t t hi nk you ar e ever af r ai d of anyt hi ng. '
' Not f or l ong, at l east , my chi l d. Per haps by t he t i me I amt wo t housand year s of
age, I shal l , i ndeed, never be af r ai d of anyt hi ng. But I conf ess I have somet i mes
been af r ai d about my chi l dr ensomet i mes about you, I r ene. '
' Oh, I ' mso sor r y, gr andmot her ! Toni ght , I suppose, you mean. '
' Yesa l i t t l e t oni ght ; but a good deal when you had al l but made up your mi nd t hat I
was a dr eam, and no r eal gr eat - gr eat - gr andmot her . You must not suppose I ambl ami ng
you f or t hat . I dar e say you coul d not hel p i t . '
' I don' t know, gr andmot her , ' sai d t he pr i ncess, begi nni ng t o cr y. ' I can' t al ways do
mysel f as I shoul d l i ke. And I don' t al ways t r y. I ' mver y sor r y anyhow. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 49
The l ady st ooped, l i f t ed her i n her ar ms, and sat down wi t h her i n her chai r , hol di ng
her cl ose t o her bosom. I n a f ew mi nut es t he pr i ncess had sobbed her sel f t o sl eep.
How l ong she sl ept I do not know. When she came t o her sel f she was si t t i ng i n her own
hi gh chai r at t he nur ser y t abl e, wi t h her dol l ' s house bef or e her .

CHAPTER 16: The Ring
The same moment her nur se came i nt o t he r oom, sobbi ng. When she saw her si t t i ng t her e
she st ar t ed back wi t h a l oud cr y of amazement and j oy. Then r unni ng t o her , she
caught her i n her ar ms and cover ed her wi t h ki sses.
' My pr eci ous dar l i ng pr i ncess! wher e have you been? What has happened t o you? We' ve
al l been cr yi ng our eyes out , and sear chi ng t he house f r omt op t o bot t omf or you. '
' Not qui t e f r omt he t op, ' t hought I r ene t o her sel f ; and she mi ght have added, ' not
qui t e t o t he bot t om' , per haps, i f she had known al l . But t he one she woul d not , and
t he ot her she coul d not say. ' Oh, Loot i e! I ' ve had such a dr eadf ul advent ur e! ' she
r epl i ed, and t ol d her al l about t he cat wi t h t he l ong l egs, and how she r an out upon
t he mount ai n, and came back agai n. But she sai d not hi ng of her gr andmot her or her
l amp.
' And t her e we' ve been sear chi ng f or you al l over t he house f or mor e t han an hour and
a hal f ! ' excl ai med t he nur se. ' But t hat ' s no mat t er , now we' ve got you! Onl y,
pr i ncess, I must say, ' she added, her mood changi ng, ' what you ought t o have done was
t o cal l f or your own Loot i e t o come and hel p you, i nst ead of r unni ng out of t he
house, and up t he mount ai n, i n t hat wi l d, I must say, f ool i sh f ashi on. '
' Wel l , Loot i e, ' sai d I r ene qui et l y, ' per haps i f you had a bi g cat , al l l egs, r unni ng
at you, you mi ght not exact l y know what was t he wi sest t hi ng t o do at t he moment . '
' I woul dn' t r un up t he mount ai n, anyhow, ' r et ur ned Loot i e.
' Not i f you had t i me t o t hi nk about i t . But when t hose cr eat ur es came at you t hat
ni ght on t he mount ai n, you wer e so f r i ght ened your sel f t hat you l ost your way home. '
Thi s put a st op t o Loot i e' s r epr oaches. She had been on t he poi nt of sayi ng t hat t he
l ong- l egged cat must have been a t wi l i ght f ancy of t he pr i ncess' s, but t he memor y of
t he hor r or s of t hat ni ght , and of t he t al ki ng- t o whi ch t he ki ng had gi ven her i n
consequence, pr event ed her f r omsayi ng what af t er al l she di d not hal f bel i evehavi ng
a st r ong suspi ci on t hat t he cat was a gobl i n; f or she knew not hi ng of t he di f f er ence
bet ween t he gobl i ns and t hei r cr eat ur es: she count ed t hemal l j ust gobl i ns.
Wi t hout anot her wor d she went and got some f r esh t ea and br ead and but t er f or t he
pr i ncess. Bef or e she r et ur ned, t he whol e househol d, headed by t he housekeeper , bur st
i nt o t he nur ser y t o exul t over t hei r dar l i ng. The gent l emen- at - ar ms f ol l owed, and
wer e r eady enough t o bel i eve al l she t ol d t hemabout t he l ong- l egged cat . I ndeed,
t hough wi se enough t o say not hi ng about i t , t hey r emember ed, wi t h no l i t t l e hor r or ,
j ust such a cr eat ur e amongst t hose t hey had sur pr i sed at t hei r gambol s upon t he
pr i ncess' s l awn.
I n t hei r own hear t s t hey bl amed t hemsel ves f or not havi ng kept bet t er wat ch. And
t hei r capt ai n gave or der s t hat f r omt hi s ni ght t he f r ont door and al l t he wi ndows on
t he gr ound f l oor shoul d be l ocked i mmedi at el y t he sun set , and opened af t er upon no
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 50
pr et ence what ever . The men- at - ar ms r edoubl ed t hei r vi gi l ance, and f or some t i me t her e
was no f ur t her cause of al ar m.
When t he pr i ncess woke t he next mor ni ng, her nur se was bendi ng over her . ' How your
r i ng does gl ow t hi s mor ni ng, pr i ncess! j ust l i ke a f i er y r ose! ' she sai d.
' Does i t , Loot i e?' r et ur ned I r ene. ' Who gave me t he r i ng, Loot i e? I know I ' ve had i t
a l ong t i me, but wher e di d I get i t ? I don' t r emember . '
' I t hi nk i t must have been your mot her gave i t you, pr i ncess; but r eal l y, f or as l ong
as you have wor n i t , I don' t r emember t hat ever I hear d, ' answer ed her nur se.
' I wi l l ask my ki ng- papa t he next t i me he comes, ' sai d I r ene.

CHAPTER 17: Springtime
The spr i ng so dear t o al l cr eat ur es, young and ol d, came at l ast , and bef or e t he
f i r st f ew days of i t had gone, t he ki ng r ode t hr ough i t s buddi ng val l eys t o see hi s
l i t t l e daught er . He had been i n a di st ant par t of hi s domi ni ons al l t he wi nt er , f or
he was not i n t he habi t of st oppi ng i n one gr eat ci t y, or of vi si t i ng onl y hi s
f avour i t e count r y houses, but he moved f r ompl ace t o pl ace, t hat al l hi s peopl e mi ght
know hi m. Wher ever he j our neyed, he kept a const ant l ook- out f or t he abl est and best
men t o put i nt o of f i ce; and wher ever he f ound hi msel f mi st aken, and t hose he had
appoi nt ed i ncapabl e or unj ust , he r emoved t hemat once. Hence you see i t was hi s car e
of t he peopl e t hat kept hi mf r omseei ng hi s pr i ncess so of t en as he woul d have l i ked.
You may wonder why he di d not t ake her about wi t h hi m; but t her e wer e sever al r easons
agai nst hi s doi ng so, and I suspect her gr eat - gr eat - gr andmot her had had a pr i nci pal
hand i n pr event i ng i t . Once mor e I r ene hear d t he bugl e- bl ast , and once mor e she was
at t he gat e t o meet her f at her as he r ode up on hi s gr eat whi t e hor se.
Af t er t hey had been al one f or a l i t t l e whi l e, she t hought of what she had r esol ved t o
ask hi m.
' Pl ease, ki ng- papa, ' she sai d, ' Wi l l you t el l me wher e I got t hi s pr et t y r i ng? I
can' t r emember . '
The ki ng l ooked at i t . A st r ange beaut i f ul smi l e spr ead l i ke sunshi ne over hi s f ace,
and an answer i ng smi l e, but at t he same t i me a quest i oni ng one, spr ead l i ke moonl i ght
over I r ene' s. ' I t was your queen- mamma' s once, ' he sai d.
' And why i sn' t i t her s now?' asked I r ene.
' She does not want i t now, ' sai d t he ki ng, l ooki ng gr ave.
' Why doesn' t she want i t now?'
' Because she' s gone wher e al l t hose r i ngs ar e made. '
' And when shal l I see her ?' asked t he pr i ncess.
' Not f or some t i me yet , ' answer ed t he ki ng, and t he t ear s came i nt o hi s eyes.
I r ene di d not r emember her mot her and di d not know why her f at her l ooked so, and why
t he t ear s came i n hi s eyes; but she put her ar ms r ound hi s neck and ki ssed hi m, and
asked no mor e quest i ons.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 51
The ki ng was much di st ur bed on hear i ng t he r epor t of t he gent l emen- at - ar ms concer ni ng
t he cr eat ur es t hey had seen; and I pr esume woul d have t aken I r ene wi t h hi mt hat ver y
day, but f or what t he pr esence of t he r i ng on her f i nger assur ed hi mof . About an
hour bef or e he l ef t , I r ene saw hi mgo up t he ol d st ai r ; and he di d not come down
agai n t i l l t hey wer e j ust r eady t o st ar t ; and she t hought wi t h her sel f t hat he had
been up t o see t he ol d l ady. When he went away he l ef t ot her si x gent l emen behi nd
hi m, t hat t her e mi ght be si x of t hemal ways on guar d.
And now, i n t he l ovel y spr i ng weat her , I r ene was out on t he mount ai n t he gr eat er par t
of t he day. I n t he war mer hol l ows t her e wer e l ovel y pr i mr oses, and not so many t hat
she ever got t i r ed of t hem. As of t en as she saw a new one openi ng an eye of l i ght i n
t he bl i nd ear t h, she woul d cl ap her hands wi t h gl adness, and unl i ke some chi l dr en I
know, i nst ead of pul l i ng i t , woul d t ouch i t as t ender l y as i f i t had been a new baby,
and, havi ng made i t s acquai nt ance, woul d l eave i t as happy as she f ound i t . She
t r eat ed t he pl ant s on whi ch t hey gr ew l i ke bi r ds' nest s; ever y f r esh f l ower was l i ke
a new l i t t l e bi r d t o her . She woul d pay vi si t s t o al l t he f l ower - nest s she knew,
r emember i ng each by i t sel f . She woul d go down on her hands and knees besi de one and
say: ' Good mor ni ng! Ar e you al l smel l i ng ver y sweet t hi s mor ni ng? Good- bye! ' and t hen
she woul d go t o anot her nest , and say t he same. I t was a f avour i t e amusement wi t h
her . Ther e wer e many f l ower s up and down, and she l oved t hemal l , but t he pr i mr oses
wer e her f avour i t es.
' They' r e not t oo shy, and t hey' r e not a bi t f or war d, ' she woul d say t o Loot i e.
Ther e wer e goat s t oo about , over t he mount ai n, and when t he l i t t l e ki ds came she was
as pl eased wi t h t hemas wi t h t he f l ower s. The goat s bel onged t o t he mi ner s most l y- a
f ew of t hemt o Cur di e' s mot her ; but t her e wer e a good many wi l d ones t hat seemed t o
bel ong t o nobody. These t he gobl i ns count ed t hei r s, and i t was upon t hempar t l y t hat
t hey l i ved. They set snar es and dug pi t s f or t hem; and di d not scr upl e t o t ake what
t ame ones happened t o be caught ; but t hey di d not t r y t o st eal t hemi n any ot her
manner , because t hey wer e af r ai d of t he dogs t he hi l l - peopl e kept t o wat ch t hem, f or
t he knowi ng dogs al ways t r i ed t o bi t e t hei r f eet . But t he gobl i ns had a ki nd of sheep
of t hei r ownver y queer cr eat ur es, whi ch t hey dr ove out t o f eed at ni ght , and t he
ot her gobl i n cr eat ur es wer e wi se enough t o keep good wat ch over t hem, f or t hey knew
t hey shoul d have t hei r bones by and by.

CHAPTER 18: Curdie's Clue
Cur di e was as wat chf ul as ever , but was al most get t i ng t i r ed of hi s i l l success.
Ever y ot her ni ght or so he f ol l owed t he gobl i ns about , as t hey went on di ggi ng and
bor i ng, and get t i ng as near t hemas he coul d, wat ched t hemf r ombehi nd st ones and
r ocks; but as yet he seemed no near er f i ndi ng out what t hey had i n vi ew. As at f i r st ,
he al ways kept hol d of t he end of hi s st r i ng, whi l e hi s pi ckaxe, l ef t j ust out si de
t he hol e by whi ch he ent er ed t he gobl i ns' count r y f r omt he mi ne, cont i nued t o ser ve
as an anchor and hol d f ast t he ot her end. The gobl i ns, hear i ng no mor e noi se i n t hat
quar t er , had ceased t o appr ehend an i mmedi at e i nvasi on, and kept no wat ch.
One ni ght , af t er dodgi ng about and l i st eni ng t i l l he was near l y f al l i ng asl eep wi t h
wear i ness, he began t o r ol l up hi s bal l , f or he had r esol ved t o go home t o bed. I t
was not l ong, however , bef or e he began t o f eel bewi l der ed. One af t er anot her he
passed gobl i n houses, caves, t hat i s, occupi ed by gobl i n f ami l i es, and at l engt h was
sur e t hey wer e many mor e t han he had passed as he came. He had t o use gr eat caut i on
t o pass unseent hey l ay so cl ose t oget her . Coul d hi s st r i ng have l ed hi mwr ong? He
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 52
st i l l f ol l owed wi ndi ng i t , and st i l l i t l ed hi mi nt o mor e t hi ckl y popul at ed quar t er s,
unt i l he became qui t e uneasy, and i ndeed appr ehensi ve; f or al t hough he was not af r ai d
of t he cobs, he was af r ai d of not f i ndi ng hi s way out . But what coul d he do? I t was
of no use t o si t down and wai t f or t he mor ni ngt he mor ni ng made no di f f er ence her e.
I t was dar k, and al ways dar k; and i f hi s st r i ng f ai l ed hi mhe was hel pl ess. He mi ght
even ar r i ve wi t hi n a yar d of t he mi ne and never know i t . Seei ng he coul d do not hi ng
bet t er he woul d at l east f i nd wher e t he end of hi s st r i ng was, and, i f possi bl e, how
i t had come t o pl ay hi msuch a t r i ck. He knew by t he si ze of t he bal l t hat he was
get t i ng pr et t y near t he l ast of i t , when he began t o f eel a t uggi ng and pul l i ng at
i t . What coul d i t mean? Tur ni ng a shar p cor ner , he t hought he hear d st r ange sounds.
These gr ew, as he went on, t o a scuf f l i ng and gr owl i ng and squeaki ng; and t he noi se
i ncr eased, unt i l , t ur ni ng a second shar p cor ner , he f ound hi msel f i n t he mi dst of i t ,
and t he same moment t umbl ed over a wal l owi ng mass, whi ch he knew must be a knot of
t he cobs' cr eat ur es. Bef or e he coul d r ecover hi s f eet , he had caught some gr eat
scr at ches on hi s f ace and sever al sever e bi t es on hi s l egs and ar ms. But as he
scr ambl ed t o get up, hi s hand f el l upon hi s pi ckaxe, and bef or e t he hor r i d beast s
coul d do hi many ser i ous har m, he was l ayi ng about wi t h i t r i ght and l ef t i n t he
dar k. The hi deous cr i es whi ch f ol l owed gave hi mt he sat i sf act i on of knowi ng t hat he
had puni shed some of t hempr et t y smar t l y f or t hei r r udeness, and by t hei r scamper i ng
and t hei r r et r eat i ng howl s, he per cei ved t hat he had r out ed t hem. He st ood f or a
l i t t l e, wei ghi ng hi s bat t l e- axe i n hi s hand as i f i t had been t he most pr eci ous l ump
of met al but i ndeed no l ump of gol d i t sel f coul d have been so pr eci ous at t he t i me as
t hat common t ool t hen unt i ed t he end of t he st r i ng f r omi t , put t he bal l i n hi s
pocket , and st i l l st ood t hi nki ng. I t was cl ear t hat t he cobs' cr eat ur es had f ound hi s
axe, had bet ween t hemcar r i ed i t of f , and had so l ed hi mhe knew not wher e. But f or
al l hi s t hi nki ng he coul d not t el l what he ought t o do, unt i l suddenl y he became
awar e of a gl i mmer of l i ght i n t he di st ance. Wi t hout a moment ' s hesi t at i on he set out
f or i t , as f ast as t he unknown and r ugged way woul d per mi t . Yet agai n t ur ni ng a
cor ner , l ed by t he di ml i ght , he spi ed somet hi ng qui t e new i n hi s exper i ence of t he
under gr ound r egi onsa smal l i r r egul ar shape of somet hi ng shi ni ng. Goi ng up t o i t , he
f ound i t was a pi ece of mi ca, or Muscovy gl ass, cal l ed sheep- si l ver i n Scot l and, and
t he l i ght f l i cker ed as i f f r oma f i r e behi nd i t . Af t er t r yi ng i n vai n f or some t i me
t o di scover an ent r ance t o t he pl ace wher e i t was bur ni ng, he came at l engt h t o a
smal l chamber i n whi ch an openi ng, hi gh i n t he wal l , r eveal ed a gl ow beyond. To t hi s
openi ng he managed t o scr ambl e up, and t hen he saw a st r ange si ght .
Bel ow sat a l i t t l e gr oup of gobl i ns ar ound a f i r e, t he smoke of whi ch vani shed i n t he
dar kness f ar al of t . The si des of t he cave wer e f ul l of shi ni ng mi ner al s l i ke t hose of
t he pal ace hal l ; and t he company was evi dent l y of a super i or or der , f or ever y one
wor e st ones about head, or ar ms, or wai st , shi ni ng dul l gor geous col our s i n t he l i ght
of t he f i r e. Nor had Cur di e l ooked l ong bef or e he r ecogni zed t he ki ng hi msel f , and
f ound t hat he had made hi s way i nt o t he i nner apar t ment of t he r oyal f ami l y. He had
never had such a good chance of hear i ng somet hi ng. He cr ept t hr ough t he hol e as
sof t l y as he coul d, scr ambl ed a good way down t he wal l t owar ds t hemwi t hout
at t r act i ng at t ent i on, and t hen sat down and l i st ened. The ki ng, evi dent l y t he queen,
and pr obabl y t he cr own pr i nce and t he Pr i me Mi ni st er wer e t al ki ng t oget her . He was
sur e of t he queen by her shoes, f or as she war med her f eet at t he f i r e, he saw t hem
qui t e pl ai nl y.
' That wi l l be f un! ' sai d t he one he t ook f or t he cr own pr i nce. I t was t he f i r st whol e
sent ence he hear d.
' I don' t see why you shoul d t hi nk i t such a gr and af f ai r ! ' sai d hi s st epmot her ,
t ossi ng her head backwar d.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 53
' You must r emember , my spouse, ' i nt er posed Hi s Maj est y, as i f maki ng excuse f or hi s
son, ' he has got t he same bl ood i n hi m. Hi s mot her '
' Don' t t al k t o me of hi s mot her ! You posi t i vel y encour age hi s unnat ur al f anci es.
What ever bel ongs t o t hat mot her ought t o be cut out of hi m. '
' You f or get your sel f , my dear ! ' sai d t he ki ng.
' I don' t , ' sai d t he queen, ' nor you ei t her . I f you expect me t o appr ove of such
coar se t ast es, you wi l l f i nd your sel f mi st aken. I don' t wear shoes f or not hi ng. '
' You must acknowl edge, however , ' t he ki ng sai d, wi t h a l i t t l e gr oan, ' t hat t hi s at
l east i s no whi mof Har el i p' s, but a mat t er of St at e pol i cy. You ar e wel l awar e t hat
hi s gr at i f i cat i on comes pur el y f r omt he pl easur e of sacr i f i ci ng hi msel f t o t he publ i c
good.
Does i t not , Har el i p?'
' Yes, f at her ; of cour se i t does. Onl y i t wi l l be ni ce t o make her cr y. I ' l l have t he
ski n t aken of f bet ween her t oes, and t i e t hemup t i l l t hey gr ow t oget her . Then her
f eet wi l l be l i ke ot her peopl e' s, and t her e wi l l be no occasi on f or her t o wear
shoes. '
' Do you mean t o i nsi nuat e I ' ve got t oes, you unnat ur al wr et ch?' cr i ed t he queen; and
she moved angr i l y t owar ds Har el i p. The counci l l or , however , who was bet wi xt t hem,
l eaned f or war d so as t o pr event her t ouchi ng hi m, but onl y as i f t o addr ess t he
pr i nce.

' Your Royal Hi ghness, ' he sai d, ' possi bl y r equi r es t o be r emi nded t hat you have got
t hr ee t oes your sel f one on one f oot , t wo on t he ot her . '
' Ha! ha! ha! ' shout ed t he queen t r i umphant l y.
The counci l l or , encour aged by t hi s mar k of f avour , went on.
' I t seems t o me, Your Royal Hi ghness, i t woul d gr eat l y endear you t o your f ut ur e
peopl e, pr ovi ng t o t hemt hat you ar e not t he l ess one of t hemsel ves t hat you had t he
mi sf or t une t o be bor n of a sun- mot her , i f you wer e t o command upon your sel f t he
compar at i vel y sl i ght oper at i on whi ch, i n a mor e ext ended f or m, you so wi sel y medi t at e
wi t h r egar d t o your f ut ur e pr i ncess. '
' Ha! ha! ha! ' l aughed t he queen l ouder t han bef or e, and t he ki ng and t he mi ni st er
j oi ned i n t he l augh. Har el i p gr owl ed, and f or a f ew moment s t he ot her s cont i nued t o
expr ess t hei r enj oyment of hi s di scomf i t ur e.
The queen was t he onl y one Cur di e coul d see wi t h any di st i nct ness. She sat si deways
t o hi m, and t he l i ght of t he f i r e shone f ul l upon her f ace. He coul d not consi der her
handsome. Her nose was cer t ai nl y br oader at t he end t han i t s ext r eme l engt h, and her
eyes, i nst ead of bei ng hor i zont al , wer e set up l i ke t wo per pendi cul ar eggs, one on
t he br oad, t he ot her on t he smal l end. Her mout h was no bi gger t han a smal l
but t onhol e unt i l she l aughed, when i t st r et ched f r omear t o ear onl y, t o be sur e, her
ear s wer e ver y near l y i n t he mi ddl e of her cheeks.
Anxi ous t o hear ever yt hi ng t hey mi ght say, Cur di e vent ur ed t o sl i de down a smoot h
par t of t he r ock j ust under hi m, t o a pr oj ect i on bel ow, upon whi ch he t hought t o
r est . But whet her he was not car ef ul enough, or t he pr oj ect i on gave way, down he came
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 54
wi t h a r ush on t he f l oor of t he caver n, br i ngi ng wi t h hi ma gr eat r umbl i ng shower of
st ones.
The gobl i ns j umped f r omt hei r seat s i n mor e anger t han const er nat i on, f or t hey had
never yet seen anyt hi ng t o be af r ai d of i n t he pal ace. But when t hey saw Cur di e wi t h
hi s pi ck i n hi s hand t hei r r age was mi ngl ed wi t h f ear , f or t hey t ook hi mf or t he
f i r st of an i nvasi on of mi ner s. The ki ng not wi t hst andi ng dr ew hi msel f up t o hi s f ul l
hei ght of f our f eet , spr ead hi msel f t o hi s f ul l br eadt h of t hr ee and a hal f , f or he
was t he handsomest and squar est of al l t he gobl i ns, and st r ut t i ng up t o Cur di e,
pl ant ed hi msel f wi t h out spr ead f eet bef or e hi m, and sai d wi t h di gni t y:
' Pr ay what r i ght have you i n my pal ace?'
' The r i ght of necessi t y, Your Maj est y, ' answer ed Cur di e. ' I l ost my way and di d not
know wher e I was wander i ng t o. '
' How di d you get i n?'
' By a hol e i n t he mount ai n. '
' But you ar e a mi ner ! Look at your pi ckaxe! '
Cur di e di d l ook at i t , answer i ng:
' I came upon i t l yi ng on t he gr ound a l i t t l e way f r omher e. I t umbl ed over some wi l d
beast s who wer e pl ayi ng wi t h i t . Look, Your Maj est y. ' And Cur di e showed hi mhow he
was scr at ched and bi t t en.
The ki ng was pl eased t o f i nd hi mbehave mor e pol i t el y t han he had expect ed f r omwhat
hi s peopl e had t ol d hi mconcer ni ng t he mi ner s, f or he at t r i but ed i t t o t he power of
hi s own pr esence; but he di d not t her ef or e f eel f r i endl y t o t he i nt r uder .
' You wi l l obl i ge me by wal ki ng out of my domi ni ons at once, ' he sai d, wel l knowi ng
what a mocker y l ay i n t he wor ds.
' Wi t h pl easur e, i f Your Maj est y wi l l gi ve me a gui de, ' sai d Cur di e.
' I wi l l gi ve you a t housand, ' sai d t he ki ng wi t h a scof f i ng ai r of magni f i cent
l i ber al i t y.
' One wi l l be qui t e suf f i ci ent , ' sai d Cur di e.
But t he ki ng ut t er ed a st r ange shout , hal f hal l oo, hal f r oar , and i n r ushed gobl i ns
t i l l t he cave was swar mi ng. He sai d somet hi ng t o t he f i r st of t hemwhi ch Cur di e coul d
not hear , and i t was passed f r omone t o anot her t i l l i n a moment t he f ar t hest i n t he
cr owd had evi dent l y hear d and under st ood i t . They began t o gat her about hi mi n a way
he di d not r el i sh, and he r et r eat ed t owar ds t he wal l . They pr essed upon hi m.
' St and back, ' sai d Cur di e, gr aspi ng hi s pi ckaxe t i ght er by hi s knee.
They onl y gr i nned and pr essed cl oser . Cur di e bet hought hi msel f and began t o r hyme.

' Ten, t went y, t hi r t y
You' r e al l so ver y di r t y!
Twent y, t hi r t y, f or t y
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 55
You' r e al l so t hi ck and snor t y!
' Thi r t y, f or t y, f i f t y
You' r e al l so puf f - and- sni f t y!
For t y, f i f t y, si xt y
Beast and man so mi xt y!
' Fi f t y, si xt y, sevent y
Mi xt y, maxt y, l eavent y!
Si xt y, sevent y, ei ght y
Al l your cheeks so sl at y!
' Sevent y, ei ght y, ni net y,
Al l your hands so f l i nt y!
Ei ght y, ni net y, hundr ed,
Al t oget her dundr ed! '

The gobl i ns f el l back a l i t t l e when he began, and made hor r i bl e gr i maces al l t hr ough
t he r hyme, as i f eat i ng somet hi ng so di sagr eeabl e t hat i t set t hei r t eet h on edge and
gave t hemt he cr eeps; but whet her i t was t hat t he r hymi ng wor ds wer e most of t hemno
wor ds at al l , f or , a new r hyme bei ng consi der ed t he mor e ef f i caci ous, Cur di e had made
i t on t he spur of t he moment , or whet her i t was t hat t he pr esence of t he ki ng and
queen gave t hemcour age, I cannot t el l ; but t he moment t he r hyme was over t hey
cr owded on hi magai n, and out shot a hundr ed l ong ar ms, wi t h a mul t i t ude of t hi ck
nai l l ess f i nger s at t he ends of t hem, t o l ay hol d upon hi m. Then Cur di e heaved up hi s
axe. But bei ng as gent l e as cour ageous and not wi shi ng t o ki l l any of t hem, he t ur ned
t he end whi ch was squar e and bl unt l i ke a hammer , and wi t h t hat came down a gr eat
bl ow on t he head of t he gobl i n near est hi m. Har d as t he heads of al l gobl i ns ar e, he
t hought he must f eel t hat . And so he di d, no doubt ; but he onl y gave a hor r i bl e cr y,
and spr ung at Cur di e' s t hr oat . Cur di e, however , dr ew back i n t i me, and j ust at t hat
cr i t i cal moment r emember ed t he vul ner abl e par t of t he gobl i n body. He made a sudden
r ush at t he ki ng and st amped wi t h al l hi s mi ght on Hi s Maj est y' s f eet . The ki ng gave
a most unki ngl y howl and al most f el l i nt o t he f i r e. Cur di e t hen r ushed i nt o t he
cr owd, st ampi ng r i ght and l ef t . The gobl i ns dr ew back, howl i ng on ever y si de as he
appr oached, but t hey wer e so cr owded t hat f ew of t hose he at t acked coul d escape hi s
t r ead; and t he shr i eki ng and r oar i ng t hat f i l l ed t he cave woul d have appal l ed Cur di e
but f or t he good hope i t gave hi m. They wer e t umbl i ng over each ot her i n heaps i n
t hei r eager ness t o r ush f r omt he cave, when a new assai l ant suddenl y f aced hi mt he
queen, wi t h f l ami ng eyes and expanded nost r i l s, her hai r st andi ng hal f up f r omher
head, r ushed at hi m. She t r ust ed i n her shoes: t hey wer e of gr ani t ehol l owed l i ke
Fr ench sabot s. Cur di e woul d have endur ed much r at her t han hur t a woman, even i f she
was a gobl i n; but her e was an af f ai r of l i f e and deat h: f or get t i ng her shoes, he made
a gr eat st amp on one of her f eet . But she i nst ant l y r et ur ned i t wi t h ver y di f f er ent
ef f ect , causi ng hi mf r i ght f ul pai n, and al most di sabl i ng hi m. Hi s onl y chance wi t h
her woul d have been t o at t ack t he gr ani t e shoes wi t h hi s pi ckaxe, but bef or e he coul d
t hi nk of t hat she had caught hi mup i n her ar ms and was r ushi ng wi t h hi macr oss t he
cave. She dashed hi mi nt o a hol e i n t he wal l , wi t h a f or ce t hat al most st unned hi m.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 56
But al t hough he coul d not move, he was not t oo f ar gone t o hear her gr eat cr y, and
t he r ush of mul t i t udes of sof t f eet , f ol l owed by t he sounds of somet hi ng heaved up
agai nst t he r ock; af t er whi ch came a mul t i t udi nous pat t er of st ones f al l i ng near hi m.
The l ast had not ceased when he gr ew ver y f ai nt , f or hi s head had been badl y cut , and
at l ast i nsensi bl e.
When he came t o hi msel f t her e was per f ect si l ence about hi m, and ut t er dar kness, but
f or t he mer est gl i mmer i n one t i ny spot . He cr awl ed t o i t , and f ound t hat t hey had
heaved a sl ab agai nst t he mout h of t he hol e, past t he edge of whi ch a poor l i t t l e
gl eamf ound i t s way f r omt he f i r e. He coul d not move i t a hai r br eadt h, f or t hey had
pi l ed a gr eat heap of st ones agai nst i t . He cr awl ed back t o wher e he had been l yi ng,
i n t he f ai nt hope of f i ndi ng hi s pi ckaxe, But af t er a vai n sear ch he was at l ast
compel l ed t o acknowl edge hi msel f i n an evi l pl i ght . He sat down and t r i ed t o t hi nk,
but soon f el l f ast asl eep.

CHAPTER 19: Goblin Counsels
He must have sl ept a l ong t i me, f or when he awoke he f el t wonder f ul l y r est or edi ndeed
al most wel l and ver y hungr y. Ther e wer e voi ces i n t he out er cave.
Once mor e, t hen, i t was ni ght ; f or t he gobl i ns sl ept dur i ng t he day and went about
t hei r af f ai r s dur i ng t he ni ght .
I n t he uni ver sal and const ant dar kness of t hei r dwel l i ng t hey had no r eason t o pr ef er
t he one ar r angement t o t he ot her ; but f r omaver si on t o t he sun- peopl e t hey chose t o
be busy when t her e was l east chance of t hei r bei ng met ei t her by t he mi ner s bel ow,
when t hey wer e bur r owi ng, or by t he peopl e of t he mount ai n above, when t hey wer e
f eedi ng t hei r sheep or cat chi ng t hei r goat s. And i ndeed i t was onl y when t he sun was
away t hat t he out si de of t he mount ai n was suf f i ci ent l y l i ke t hei r own di smal r egi ons
t o be endur abl e t o t hei r mol e eyes, so t hor oughl y had t hey become unaccust omed t o any
l i ght beyond t hat of t hei r own f i r es and t or ches.
Cur di e l i st ened, and soon f ound t hat t hey wer e t al ki ng of hi msel f .
' How l ong wi l l i t t ake?' asked Har el i p.
' Not many days, I shoul d t hi nk, ' answer ed t he ki ng. ' They ar e poor f eebl e cr eat ur es,
t hose sun- peopl e, and want t o be al ways eat i ng. We can go a week at a t i me wi t hout
f ood, and be al l t he bet t er f or i t ; but I ' ve been t ol d t hey eat t wo or t hr ee t i mes
ever y day! Can you bel i eve i t ? They must be qui t e hol l ow i nsi denot at al l l i ke us,
ni ne- t ent hs of whose bul k i s sol i d f l esh and bone. YesI j udge a week of st ar vat i on
wi l l do f or hi m. '
' I f I may be al l owed a wor d, ' i nt er posed t he queen, ' and I t hi nk I ought t o have some
voi ce i n t he mat t er '
' The wr et ch i s ent i r el y at your di sposal , my spouse, ' i nt er r upt ed t he ki ng. ' He i s
your pr oper t y. You caught hi myour sel f . We shoul d never have done i t . '
The queen l aughed. She seemed i n f ar bet t er humour t han t he ni ght bef or e.
' I was about t o say, ' she r esumed, ' t hat i t does seema pi t y t o wast e so much f r esh
meat . '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 57
' What ar e you t hi nki ng of , my l ove?' sai d t he ki ng. ' The ver y not i on of st ar vi ng hi m
i mpl i es t hat we ar e not goi ng t o gi ve hi many meat , ei t her sal t or f r esh. '
' I ' mnot such a st upi d as t hat comes t o, ' r et ur ned Her Maj est y. ' What I mean i s t hat
by t he t i me he i s st ar ved t her e wi l l har dl y be a pi cki ng upon hi s bones. '
The ki ng gave a gr eat l augh.
' Wel l , my spouse, you may have hi mwhen you l i ke, ' he sai d. ' I don' t f ancy hi mf or my
par t . I ampr et t y sur e he i s t ough eat i ng. '
' That woul d be t o honour i nst ead of puni sh hi s i nsol ence, ' r et ur ned t he queen. ' But
why shoul d our poor cr eat ur es be depr i ved of so much nour i shment ? Our l i t t l e dogs and
cat s and pi gs and smal l bear s woul d enj oy hi mver y much. '
' You ar e t he best of housekeeper s, my l ovel y queen! ' sai d her husband. ' Let i t be so
by al l means. Let us have our peopl e i n, and get hi mout and ki l l hi mat once. He
deser ves i t . The mi schi ef he mi ght have br ought upon us, now t hat he had penet r at ed
so f ar as our most r et i r ed ci t adel , i s i ncal cul abl e. Or r at her l et us t i e hi mhand
and f oot , and have t he pl easur e of seei ng hi mt or n t o pi eces by f ul l t or chl i ght i n
t he gr eat hal l . '
' Bet t er and bet t er ! ' cr i ed t he queen and t he pr i nce t oget her , bot h of t hemcl appi ng
t hei r hands. And t he pr i nce made an ugl y noi se wi t h hi s har e- l i p, j ust as i f he had
i nt ended t o be one at t he f east .
' But , ' added t he queen, bet hi nki ng her sel f , ' he i s so t r oubl esome. For poor cr eat ur es
as t hey ar e, t her e i s somet hi ng about t hose sun- peopl e t hat i s ver y t r oubl esome. I
cannot i magi ne how i t i s t hat wi t h such super i or st r engt h and ski l l and under st andi ng
as our s, we per mi t t hemt o exi st at al l . Why do we not dest r oy t hement i r el y, and use
t hei r cat t l e and gr azi ng l ands at our pl easur e? Of cour se we don' t want t o l i ve i n
t hei r hor r i d count r y! I t i s f ar t oo gl ar i ng f or our qui et er and mor e r ef i ned t ast es.
But we mi ght use i t as a sor t of out house, you know. Even our cr eat ur es' eyes mi ght
get used t o i t , and i f t hey di d gr ow bl i nd t hat woul d be of no consequence, pr ovi ded
t hey gr ew f at as wel l . But we mi ght even keep t hei r gr eat cows and ot her cr eat ur es,
and t hen we shoul d have a f ew mor e l uxur i es, such as cr eamand cheese, whi ch at
pr esent we onl y t ast e occasi onal l y, when our br ave men have succeeded i n car r yi ng
some of f f r omt hei r f ar ms. '
' I t i s wor t h t hi nki ng of , ' sai d t he ki ng; ' and I don' t know why you shoul d be t he
f i r st t o suggest i t , except t hat you have a posi t i ve geni us f or conquest . But st i l l ,
as you say, t her e i s somet hi ng ver y t r oubl esome about t hem; and i t woul d be bet t er ,
as I under st and you t o suggest , t hat we shoul d st ar ve hi mf or a day or t wo f i r st , so
t hat he may be a l i t t l e l ess f r i sky when we t ake hi mout . '

' Once t her e was a gobl i n
Li vi ng i n a hol e;
Busy he was cobbl i n'
A shoe wi t hout a sol e.
' By came a bi r di e:
" Gobl i n, what do you do?"
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 58
" Cobbl e at a st ur di e
Upper l eat her shoe. "
' " What ' s t he good o' t hat , Si r ?"
Sai d t he l i t t l e bi r d.
" Why i t ' s ver y Pat , Si r
Pl ai n wi t hout a wor d.
' " Wher e ' t i s al l a hol e, Si r ,
Never can be hol es:
Why shoul d t hei r shoes have sol es, Si r ,
When t hey' ve got no soul s?" '

' What ' s t hat hor r i bl e noi se?' cr i ed t he queen, shudder i ng f r ompot - met al head t o
gr ani t e shoes.
' I decl ar e, ' sai d t he ki ng wi t h sol emn i ndi gnat i on, ' i t ' s t he sun- cr eat ur e i n t he
hol e! '
' St op t hat di sgust i ng noi se! ' cr i ed t he cr own pr i nce val i ant l y, get t i ng up and
st andi ng i n f r ont of t he heap of st ones, wi t h hi s f ace t owar ds Cur di e' s pr i son. ' Do
now, or I ' l l br eak your head. '
' Br eak away, ' shout ed Cur di e, and began si ngi ng agai n:

' Once t her e was a gobl i n,
Li vi ng i n a hol e'

' I r eal l y cannot bear i t , ' sai d t he queen. ' I f I coul d onl y get at hi s hor r i d t oes
wi t h my sl i pper s agai n! '
' I t hi nk we had bet t er go t o bed, ' sai d t he ki ng.
' I t ' s not t i me t o go t o bed, ' sai d t he queen.
' I woul d i f I was you, ' sai d Cur di e.
' I mper t i nent wr et ch! ' sai d t he queen, wi t h t he ut most scor n i n her voi ce.
' An i mpossi bl e i f , ' sai d Hi s Maj est y wi t h di gni t y.
' Qui t e, ' r et ur ned Cur di e, and began si ngi ng agai n:

' Go t o bed,
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 59
Gobl i n, do.
Hel p t he queen
Take of f her shoe.
' I f you do,
I t wi l l di scl ose
A hor r i d set
Of spr out i ng t oes. '

' What a l i e! ' r oar ed t he queen i n a r age.
' By t he way, t hat r emi nds me, ' sai d t he ki ng, ' t hat f or as l ong as we have been
mar r i ed, I have never seen your f eet , queen. I t hi nk you mi ght t ake of f your shoes
when you go t o bed! They posi t i vel y hur t me somet i mes. '
' I wi l l do as I l i ke, ' r et or t ed t he queen sul ki l y.
' You ought t o do as your own hubby wi shes you, ' sai d t he ki ng.
' I wi l l not , ' sai d t he queen.
' Then I i nsi st upon i t , ' sai d t he ki ng.
Appar ent l y Hi s Maj est y appr oached t he queen f or t he pur pose of f ol l owi ng t he advi ce
gi ven by Cur di e, f or t he l at t er hear d a scuf f l e, and t hen a gr eat r oar f r omt he ki ng.
' Wi l l you be qui et , t hen?' sai d t he queen wi ckedl y.
' Yes, yes, queen. I onl y meant t o coax you. '
' Hands of f ! ' cr i ed t he queen t r i umphant l y. ' I ' mgoi ng t o bed. You may come when you
l i ke. But as l ong as I amqueen I wi l l sl eep i n my shoes. I t i s my r oyal pr i vi l ege.
Har el i p, go t o bed. '
' I ' mgoi ng, ' sai d Har el i p sl eepi l y.
' So amI , ' sai d t he ki ng.
' Come al ong, t hen, ' sai d t he queen; ' and mi nd you ar e good, or I ' l l '
' Oh, no, no, no! ' scr eamed t he ki ng i n t he most suppl i cat i ng of t ones.
Cur di e hear d onl y a mut t er ed r epl y i n t he di st ance; and t hen t he cave was qui t e
st i l l .
They had l ef t t he f i r e bur ni ng, and t he l i ght came t hr ough br i ght er t han bef or e.
Cur di e t hought i t was t i me t o t r y agai n i f anyt hi ng coul d be done. But he f ound he
coul d not get even a f i nger t hr ough t he chi nk bet ween t he sl ab and t he r ock. He gave
a gr eat r ush wi t h hi s shoul der agai nst t he sl ab, but i t yi el ded no mor e t han i f i t
had been par t of t he r ock. Al l he coul d do was t o si t down and t hi nk agai n.
By and by he came t o t he r esol ut i on t o pr et end t o be dyi ng, i n t he hope t hey mi ght
t ake hi mout bef or e hi s st r engt h was t oo much exhaust ed t o l et hi mhave a chance.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 60
Then, f or t he cr eat ur es, i f he coul d but f i nd hi s axe agai n, he woul d have no f ear of
t hem; and i f i t wer e not f or t he queen' s hor r i d shoes, he woul d have no f ear at al l .
Meant i me, unt i l t hey shoul d come agai n at ni ght , t her e was not hi ng f or hi mt o do but
f or ge new r hymes, now hi s onl y weapons. He had no i nt ent i on of usi ng t hemat pr esent ,
of cour se; but i t was wel l t o have a st ock, f or he mi ght l i ve t o want t hem, and t he
manuf act ur e of t hemwoul d hel p t o whi l e away t he t i me.

CHAPTER 20: Irene's Clue
That same mor ni ng ear l y, t he pr i ncess woke i n a t er r i bl e f r i ght . Ther e was a hi deous
noi se i n her r oomcr eat ur es snar l i ng and hi ssi ng and r ocket i ng about as i f t hey wer e
f i ght i ng. The moment she came t o her sel f , she r emember ed somet hi ng she had never
t hought of agai nwhat her gr andmot her t ol d her t o do when she was f r i ght ened. She
i mmedi at el y t ook of f her r i ng and put i t under her pi l l ow. As she di d so she f anci ed
she f el t a f i nger and t humb t ake i t gent l y f r omunder her pal m. ' I t must be my
gr andmot her ! ' she sai d t o her sel f , and t he t hought gave her such cour age t hat she
st opped t o put on her dai nt y l i t t l e sl i pper s bef or e r unni ng f r omt he r oom. Whi l e
doi ng t hi s she caught si ght of a l ong cl oak of sky- bl ue, t hr own over t he back of a
chai r by t he bedsi de. She had never seen i t bef or e but i t was evi dent l y wai t i ng f or
her . She put i t on, and t hen, f eel i ng wi t h t he f or ef i nger of her r i ght hand, soon
f ound her gr andmot her ' s t hr ead, whi ch she pr oceeded at once t o f ol l ow, expect i ng i t
woul d l ead her st r ai ght up t he ol d st ai r . When she r eached t he door she f ound i t went
down and r an al ong t he f l oor , so t hat she had al most t o cr awl i n or der t o keep a hol d
of i t . Then, t o her sur pr i se, and somewhat t o her di smay, she f ound t hat i nst ead of
l eadi ng her t owar ds t he st ai r i t t ur ned i n qui t e t he opposi t e di r ect i on. I t l ed her
t hr ough cer t ai n nar r ow passages t owar ds t he ki t chen, t ur ni ng asi de er e she r eached
i t , and gui di ng her t o a door whi ch communi cat ed wi t h a smal l back yar d. Some of t he
mai ds wer e al r eady up, and t hi s door was st andi ng open. Acr oss t he yar d t he t hr ead
st i l l r an al ong t he gr ound, unt i l i t br ought her t o a door i n t he wal l whi ch opened
upon t he Mount ai nsi de. When she had passed t hr ough, t he t hr ead r ose t o about hal f her
hei ght , and she coul d hol d i t wi t h ease as she wal ked. I t l ed her st r ai ght up t he
mount ai n.
The cause of her al ar mwas l ess f r i ght f ul t han she supposed. The cook' s gr eat bl ack
cat , pur sued by t he housekeeper ' s t er r i er , had bounced agai nst her bedr oomdoor ,
whi ch had not been pr oper l y f ast ened, and t he t wo had bur st i nt o t he r oomt oget her
and commenced a bat t l e r oyal . How t he nur se came t o sl eep t hr ough i t was a myst er y,
but I suspect t he ol d l ady had somet hi ng t o do wi t h i t .
I t was a cl ear war mmor ni ng. The wi nd bl ew del i ci ousl y over t he Mount ai nsi de. Her e
and t her e she saw a l at e pr i mr ose but she di d not st op t o cal l upon t hem. The sky was
mot t l ed wi t h smal l cl ouds.
The sun was not yet up, but some of t hei r f l uf f y edges had caught hi s l i ght , and hung
out or ange and gol d- col our ed f r i nges upon t he ai r . The dew l ay i n r ound dr ops upon
t he l eaves, and hung l i ke t i ny di amond ear - r i ngs f r omt he bl ades of gr ass about her
pat h.
' How l ovel y t hat bi t of gossamer i s! ' t hought t he pr i ncess, l ooki ng at a l ong
undul at i ng l i ne t hat shone at some di st ance f r omher up t he hi l l . I t was not t he t i me
f or gossamer s t hough; and I r ene soon di scover ed t hat i t was her own t hr ead she saw
shi ni ng on bef or e her i n t he l i ght of t he mor ni ng. I t was l eadi ng her she knew not
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 61
whi t her ; but she had never i n her l i f e been out bef or e sunr i se, and ever yt hi ng was so
f r esh and cool and l i vel y and f ul l of somet hi ng comi ng, t hat she f el t t oo happy t o be
af r ai d of anyt hi ng.
Af t er l eadi ng her up a good di st ance, t he t hr ead t ur ned t o t he l ef t , and down t he
pat h upon whi ch she and Loot i e had met Cur di e. But she never t hought of t hat , f or now
i n t he mor ni ng l i ght , wi t h i t s f ar out l ook over t he count r y, no pat h coul d have been
mor e open and ai r y and cheer f ul . She coul d see t he r oad al most t o t he hor i zon, al ong
whi ch she had so of t en wat ched her ki ng- papa and hi s t r oop come shi ni ng, wi t h t he
bugl e- bl ast cl eavi ng t he ai r bef or e t hem; and i t was l i ke a compani on t o her . Down
and down t he pat h went , t hen up, and t hen down and t hen up agai n, get t i ng r ugged and
mor e r ugged as i t went ; and st i l l al ong t he pat h went t he si l ver y t hr ead, and st i l l
al ong t he t hr ead went I r ene' s l i t t l e r osy- t i pped f or ef i nger . By and by she came t o a
l i t t l e st r eamt hat j abber ed and pr at t l ed down t he hi l l , and up t he si de of t he st r eam
went bot h pat h and t hr ead. And st i l l t he pat h gr ew r ougher and st eeper , and t he
mount ai n gr ew wi l der , t i l l I r ene began t o t hi nk she was goi ng a ver y l ong way f r om
home; and when she t ur ned t o l ook back she saw t hat t he l evel count r y had vani shed
and t he r ough bar e mount ai n had cl osed i n about her . But st i l l on went t he t hr ead,
and on went t he pr i ncess. Ever yt hi ng ar ound her was get t i ng br i ght er and br i ght er as
t he sun came near er ; t i l l at l engt h hi s f i r st r ays al l at once al i ght ed on t he t op of
a r ock bef or e her , l i ke some gol den cr eat ur e f r esh f r omt he sky. Then she saw t hat
t he l i t t l e st r eamr an out of a hol e i n t hat r ock, t hat t he pat h di d not go past t he
r ock, and t hat t he t hr ead was l eadi ng her st r ai ght up t o i t . A shudder r an t hr ough
her f r omhead t o f oot when she f ound t hat t he t hr ead was act ual l y t aki ng her i nt o t he
hol e out of whi ch t he st r eamr an. I t r an out babbl i ng j oyousl y, but she had t o go i n.
She di d not hesi t at e. Ri ght i nt o t he hol e she went , whi ch was hi gh enough t o l et her
wal k wi t hout st oopi ng. For a l i t t l e way t her e was a br own gl i mmer , but at t he f i r st
t ur n i t al l but ceased, and bef or e she had gone many paces she was i n t ot al dar kness.
Then she began t o be f r i ght ened i ndeed. Ever y moment she kept f eel i ng t he t hr ead
backwar ds and f or war ds, and as she went f ar t her and f ar t her i nt o t he dar kness of t he
gr eat hol l ow mount ai n, she kept t hi nki ng mor e and mor e about her gr andmot her , and al l
t hat she had sai d t o her , and how ki nd she had been, and how beaut i f ul she was, and
al l about her l ovel y r oom, and t he f i r e of r oses, and t he gr eat l amp t hat sent i t s
l i ght t hr ough st one wal l s. And she became mor e and mor e sur e t hat t he t hr ead coul d
not have gone t her e of i t sel f , and t hat her gr andmot her must have sent i t . But i t
t r i ed her dr eadf ul l y when t he pat h went down ver y st eep, and especi al l y When she came
t o pl aces wher e she had t o go down r ough st ai r s, and even somet i mes a l adder . Thr ough
one nar r ow passage af t er anot her , over l umps of r ock and sand and cl ay, t he t hr ead
gui ded her , unt i l she came t o a smal l hol e t hr ough whi ch she had t o cr eep. Fi ndi ng no
change on t he ot her si de, ' Shal l I ever get back?' she t hought , over and over agai n,
wonder i ng at her sel f t hat she was not t en t i mes mor e f r i ght ened, and of t en f eel i ng as
i f she wer e onl y wal ki ng i n t he st or y of a dr eam. Somet i mes she hear d t he noi se of
wat er , a dul l gur gl i ng i nsi de t he r ock. By and by she hear d t he sounds of bl ows,
whi ch came near er and near er ; but agai n t hey gr ew dul l er , and al most di ed away. I n a
hundr ed di r ect i ons she t ur ned, obedi ent t o t he gui di ng t hr ead.
At l ast she spi ed a dul l r ed shi ne, and came up t o t he mi ca wi ndow, and t hence away
and r ound about , and r i ght , i nt o a caver n, wher e gl owed t he r ed ember s of a f i r e.
Her e t he t hr ead began t o r i se. I t r ose as hi gh as her head and hi gher st i l l . What
shoul d she do i f she l ost her hol d? She was pul l i ng i t down: She mi ght br eak i t ! She
coul d see i t f ar up, gl owi ng as r ed as her f i r e- opal i n t he l i ght of t he ember s.
But pr esent l y she came t o a huge heap of st ones, pi l ed i n a sl ope agai nst t he wal l of
t he caver n. On t hese she cl i mbed, and soon r ecover ed t he l evel of t he t hr ead onl y
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 62
however t o f i nd, t he next moment , t hat i t vani shed t hr ough t he heap of st ones, and
l ef t her st andi ng on i t , wi t h her f ace t o t he sol i d r ock. For one t er r i bl e moment she
f el t as i f her gr andmot her had f or saken her . The t hr ead whi ch t he spi der s had spun
f ar over t he seas, whi ch her gr andmot her had sat i n t he moonl i ght and spun agai n f or
her , whi ch she had t emper ed i n t he r ose- f i r e and t i ed t o her opal r i ng, had l ef t her
had gone wher e she coul d no l onger f ol l ow i t had br ought her i nt o a hor r i bl e caver n,
and t her e l ef t her ! She was f or saken i ndeed!
' When shal l I wake?' she sai d t o her sel f i n an agony, but t he same moment knew t hat
i t was no dr eam. She t hr ew her sel f upon t he heap, and began t o cr y. I t was wel l she
di d not know what cr eat ur es, one of t hemwi t h st one shoes on her f eet , wer e l yi ng i n
t he next cave. But nei t her di d she know who was on t he ot her si de of t he sl ab.
At l engt h t he t hought st r uck her t hat at l east she coul d f ol l ow t he t hr ead backwar ds,
and t hus get out of t he mount ai n, and home. She r ose at once, and f ound t he t hr ead.
But t he i nst ant she t r i ed t o f eel i t backwar ds, i t vani shed f r omher t ouch. For war ds,
i t l ed her hand up t o t he heap of st onesbackwar ds i t seemed nowher e. Nei t her coul d
she see i t as bef or e i n t he l i ght of t he f i r e. She bur st i nt o a wai l i ng cr y, and
agai n t hr ew her sel f down on t he st ones.

CHAPTER 21: The Escape
As t he pr i ncess l ay and sobbed she kept f eel i ng t he t hr ead mechani cal l y, f ol l owi ng i t
wi t h her f i nger many t i mes up t o t he st ones i n whi ch i t di sappear ed. By and by she
began, st i l l mechani cal l y, t o poke her f i nger i n af t er i t bet ween t he st ones as f ar
as she coul d. Al l at once i t came i nt o her head t hat she mi ght r emove some of t he
st ones and see wher e t he t hr ead went next . Al most l aughi ng at her sel f f or never
havi ng t hought of t hi s bef or e, she j umped t o her f eet . Her f ear vani shed; once mor e
she was cer t ai n her gr andmot her ' s t hr ead coul d not have br ought her t her e j ust t o
l eave her t her e; and she began t o t hr ow away t he st ones f r omt he t op as f ast as she
coul d, somet i mes t wo or t hr ee at a handf ul , somet i mes t aki ng bot h hands t o l i f t one.
Af t er cl ear i ng t hemaway a l i t t l e, she f ound t hat t he t hr ead t ur ned and went st r ai ght
downwar ds. Hence, as t he heap sl oped a good deal , gr owi ng of cour se wi der t owar ds i t s
base, she had t o t hr ow away a mul t i t ude of st ones t o f ol l ow t he t hr ead. But t hi s was
not al l , f or she soon f ound t hat t he t hr ead, af t er goi ng st r ai ght down f or a l i t t l e
way, t ur ned f i r st si deways i n one di r ect i on, t hen si deways i n anot her , and t hen shot ,
at var i ous angl es, hi t her and t hi t her i nsi de t he heap, so t hat she began t o be af r ai d
t hat t o cl ear t he t hr ead she must r emove t he whol e huge gat her i ng. She was di smayed
at t he ver y i dea, but , l osi ng no t i me, set t o wor k wi t h a wi l l ; and wi t h achi ng back,
and bl eedi ng f i nger s and hands, she wor ked on, sust ai ned by t he pl easur e of seei ng
t he heap sl owl y di mi ni sh and begi n t o show i t sel f on t he opposi t e si de of t he f i r e.
Anot her t hi ng whi ch hel ped t o keep up her cour age was t hat , as of t en as she uncover ed
a t ur n of t he t hr ead, i nst ead of l yi ng l oose upon t he st one, i t t i ght ened up; t hi s
made her sur e t hat her gr andmot her was at t he end of i t somewher e.
She had got about hal f - way down when she st ar t ed, and near l y f el l wi t h f r i ght . Cl ose
t o her ear s as i t seemed, a voi ce br oke out si ngi ng:
' J abber , bot her , smash!
You' l l have i t al l i n a cr ash.
J abber , smash, bot her !
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 63
You' l l have t he wor st of t he pot her .
Smash, bot her , j abber ! '

Her e Cur di e st opped, ei t her because he coul d not f i nd a r hyme t o ' j abber ' , or because
he r emember ed what he had f or got t en when he woke up at t he sound of I r ene' s l abour s,
t hat hi s pl an was t o make t he gobl i ns t hi nk he was get t i ng weak. But he had ut t er ed
enough t o l et I r ene know who he was.
' I t ' s Cur di e! ' she cr i ed j oyf ul l y.
' Hush! hush! ' came Cur di e' s voi ce agai n f r omsomewher e. ' Speak sof t l y. '
' Why, you wer e si ngi ng l oud! ' sai d I r ene.
' Yes. But t hey know I amher e, and t hey don' t know you ar e. Who ar e you?'
' I ' mI r ene, ' answer ed t he pr i ncess. ' I know who you ar e qui t e wel l . You' r e Cur di e. '
' Why, how ever di d you come her e, I r ene?'
' My gr eat - gr eat - gr andmot her sent me; and I t hi nk I ' ve f ound out why. You can' t get
out , I suppose?'
' No, I can' t . What ar e you doi ng?'
' Cl ear i ng away a huge heap of st ones. '
' Ther e' s a pr i ncess! ' excl ai med Cur di e, i n a t one of del i ght , but st i l l speaki ng i n
l i t t l e mor e t han a whi sper . ' I can' t t hi nk how you got her e, t hough. '
' My gr andmot her sent me af t er her t hr ead. '
' I don' t know what you mean, ' sai d Cur di e; ' but so you' r e t her e, i t doesn' t much
mat t er . '
' Oh, yes, i t does! ' r et ur ned I r ene. ' I shoul d never have been her e but f or her . '
' You can t el l me al l about i t when we get out , t hen. Ther e' s no t i me t o l ose
now, ' sai d Cur di e.
And I r ene went t o wor k, as f r esh as when she began.
' Ther e' s such a l ot of st ones! ' she sai d. ' I t wi l l t ake me a l ong t i me t o get t hem
al l away. '
' How f ar on have you got ?' asked Cur di e.
' I ' ve got about t he hal f away, but t he ot her hal f i s ever so much bi gger . '
' I don' t t hi nk you wi l l have t o move t he l ower hal f . Do you see a sl ab l ai d up
agai nst t he wal l ?'
I r ene l ooked, and f el t about wi t h her hands, and soon per cei ved t he out l i nes of t he
sl ab.
' Yes, ' she answer ed, ' I do. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 64
' Then, I t hi nk, ' r ej oi ned Cur di e, ' when you have cl ear ed t he sl ab about hal f - way
down, or a bi t mor e, I shal l be abl e t o push i t over . '
' I must f ol l ow my t hr ead, ' r et ur ned I r ene, ' what ever I do. '
' What do you mean?' excl ai med Cur di e. ' You wi l l see when you get out , ' answer ed t he
pr i ncess, and went on har der t han ever .
But she was soon sat i sf i ed t hat what Cur di e want ed done and what t he t hr ead want ed
done wer e one and t he same t hi ng. For she not onl y saw t hat by f ol l owi ng t he t ur ns of
t he t hr ead she had been cl ear i ng t he f ace of t he sl ab, but t hat , a l i t t l e mor e t han
hal f - way down, t he t hr ead went t hr ough t he chi nk bet ween t he sl ab and t he wal l i nt o
t he pl ace wher e Cur di e was conf i ned, so t hat she coul d not f ol l ow i t any f ar t her
unt i l t he sl ab was out of her way. As soon as she f ound t hi s, she sai d i n a r i ght
j oyous whi sper :
' Now, Cur di e, I t hi nk i f you wer e t o gi ve a gr eat push, t he sl ab woul d t umbl e over . '
' St and qui t e cl ear of i t , t hen, ' sai d Cur di e, ' and l et me know when you ar e r eady. '
I r ene got of f t he heap, and st ood on one si de of i t . ' Now, Cur di e! ' she cr i ed.
Cur di e gave a gr eat r ush wi t h hi s shoul der agai nst i t . Out t umbl ed t he sl ab on t he
heap, and out cr ept Cur di e over t he t op of i t .
' You' ve saved my l i f e, I r ene! ' he whi sper ed.
' Oh, Cur di e! I ' mso gl ad! Let ' s get out of t hi s hor r i d pl ace as f ast as we can. '
' That ' s easi er sai d t han done, ' r et ur ned he.
' Oh, no, i t ' s qui t e easy, ' sai d I r ene. ' We have onl y t o f ol l ow my t hr ead. I amsur e
t hat i t ' s goi ng t o t ake us out now. '
She had al r eady begun t o f ol l ow i t over t he f al l en sl ab i nt o t he hol e, whi l e Cur di e
was sear chi ng t he f l oor of t he caver n f or hi s pi ckaxe.
' Her e i t i s! ' he cr i ed. ' No, i t i s not , ' he added, i n a di sappoi nt ed t one. ' What can
i t be, t hen? I decl ar e i t ' s a t or ch. That i s j ol l y! I t ' s bet t er al most t han my
pi ckaxe. Much bet t er i f i t wer en' t f or t hose st one shoes! ' he went on, as he l i ght ed
t he t or ch by bl owi ng t he l ast ember s of t he expi r i ng f i r e.
When he l ooked up, wi t h t he l i ght ed t or ch cast i ng a gl ar e i nt o t he gr eat dar kness of
t he huge caver n, he caught si ght of I r ene di sappear i ng i n t he hol e out of whi ch he
had hi msel f j ust come.
' Wher e ar e you goi ng t her e?' he cr i ed. ' That ' s not t he way out . That ' s wher e I
coul dn' t get out . '
' I know t hat , ' whi sper ed I r ene. ' But t hi s i s t he way my t hr ead goes, and I must
f ol l ow i t . '
' What nonsense t he chi l d t al ks! ' sai d Cur di e t o hi msel f . ' I must f ol l ow her , t hough,
and see t hat she comes t o no har m. She wi l l soon f i nd she can' t get out t hat way, and
t hen she wi l l come wi t h me. '
So he cr ept over t he sl ab once mor e i nt o t he hol e wi t h hi s t or ch i n hi s hand. But
when he l ooked about i n i t , he coul d see her nowher e. And now he di scover ed t hat
al t hough t he hol e was nar r ow, i t was much l onger t han he had supposed; f or i n one
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 65
di r ect i on t he r oof came down ver y l ow, and t he hol e went of f i n a nar r ow passage, of
whi ch he coul d not see t he end. The pr i ncess must have cr ept i n t her e. He got on hi s
knees and one hand, hol di ng t he t or ch wi t h t he ot her , and cr ept af t er her . The hol e
t wi st ed about , i n some par t s so l ow t hat he coul d har dl y get t hr ough, i n ot her s so
hi gh t hat he coul d not see t he r oof , but ever ywher e i t was nar r owf ar t oo nar r ow f or
a gobl i n t o get t hr ough, and so I pr esume t hey never t hought t hat Cur di e mi ght . He
was begi nni ng t o f eel ver y uncomf or t abl e l est somet hi ng shoul d have bef al l en t he
pr i ncess, when he hear d her voi ce al most cl ose t o hi s ear , whi sper i ng:
' Ar en' t you comi ng, Cur di e?'
And when he t ur ned t he next cor ner t her e she st ood wai t i ng f or hi m.
' I knew you coul dn' t go wr ong i n t hat nar r ow hol e, but now you must keep by me, f or
her e i s a gr eat wi de pl ace, ' she sai d.
' I can' t under st and i t , ' sai d Cur di e, hal f t o hi msel f , hal f t o I r ene.
' Never mi nd, ' she r et ur ned. ' Wai t t i l l we get out . '
Cur di e, ut t er l y ast oni shed t hat she had al r eady got so f ar , and by a pat h he had
known not hi ng of , t hought i t bet t er t o l et her do as she pl eased. ' At al l event s, ' he
sai d agai n t o hi msel f , ' I know not hi ng about t he way, mi ner as I am; and she seems t o
t hi nk she does know somet hi ng about i t , t hough how she shoul d passes my
compr ehensi on. So she' s j ust as l i kel y t o f i nd her way as I am, and as she i nsi st s on
t aki ng t he l ead, I must f ol l ow. We can' t be much wor se of f t han we ar e, anyhow. '
Reasoni ng t hus, he f ol l owed her a f ew st eps, and came out i n anot her gr eat caver n,
acr oss whi ch I r ene wal ked i n a st r ai ght l i ne, as conf i dent l y as i f she knew ever y
st ep of t he way. Cur di e went on af t er her , f l ashi ng hi s t or ch about , and t r yi ng t o
see somet hi ng of what l ay ar ound t hem. Suddenl y he st ar t ed back a pace as t he l i ght
f el l upon somet hi ng cl ose by whi ch I r ene was passi ng. I t was a pl at f or mof r ock
r ai sed a f ew f eet f r omt he f l oor and cover ed wi t h sheepski ns, upon whi ch l ay t wo
hor r i bl e f i gur es asl eep, at once r ecogni zed by Cur di e as t he ki ng and queen of t he
gobl i ns. He l ower ed hi s t or ch i nst ant l y l est t he l i ght shoul d awake t hem. As he di d
so i t f l ashed upon hi s pi ckaxe, l yi ng by t he si de of t he queen, whose hand l ay cl ose
by t he handl e of i t .
' St op one moment , ' he whi sper ed. ' Hol d my t or ch, and don' t l et t he l i ght on t hei r
f aces. '
I r ene shudder ed when she saw t he f r i ght f ul cr eat ur es, whomshe had passed wi t hout
obser vi ng t hem, but she di d as he r equest ed, and t ur ni ng her back, hel d t he t or ch l ow
i n f r ont of her . Cur di e dr ew hi s pi ckaxe car ef ul l y away, and as he di d so spi ed one
of her f eet , pr oj ect i ng f r omunder t he ski ns. The gr eat cl umsy gr ani t e shoe, exposed
t hus t o hi s hand, was a t empt at i on not t o be r esi st ed. He l ai d hol d of i t , and, wi t h
caut i ous ef f or t s, dr ew i t of f . The moment he succeeded, he saw t o hi s ast oni shment
t hat what he had sung i n i gnor ance, t o annoy t he queen, was act ual l y t r ue: she had
si x hor r i bl e t oes. Over j oyed at hi s success, and seei ng by t he huge bump i n t he
sheepski ns wher e t he ot her f oot was, he pr oceeded t o l i f t t hemgent l y, f or , i f he
coul d onl y succeed i n car r yi ng away t he ot her shoe as wel l , he woul d be no mor e
af r ai d of t he gobl i ns t han of so many f l i es. But as he pul l ed at t he second shoe t he
queen gave a gr owl and sat up i n bed. The same i nst ant t he ki ng awoke al so and sat up
besi de her .
' Run, I r ene! ' cr i ed Cur di e, f or t hough he was not now i n t he l east af r ai d f or
hi msel f , he was f or t he pr i ncess.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 66
I r ene l ooked once r ound, saw t he f ear f ul cr eat ur es awake, and l i ke t he wi se pr i ncess
she was, dashed t he t or ch on t he gr ound and ext i ngui shed i t , cr yi ng out :
' Her e, Cur di e, t ake my hand. '
He dar t ed t o her si de, f or get t i ng nei t her t he queen' s shoe nor hi s pi ckaxe, and
caught hol d of her hand, as she sped f ear l essl y wher e her t hr ead gui ded her . They
hear d t he queen gi ve a gr eat bel l ow; but t hey had a good st ar t , f or i t woul d be some
t i me bef or e t hey coul d get t or ches l i ght ed t o pur sue t hem. J ust as t hey t hought t hey
saw a gl eambehi nd t hem, t he t hr ead br ought t hemt o a ver y nar r ow openi ng, t hr ough
whi ch I r ene cr ept easi l y, and Cur di e wi t h di f f i cul t y.
' Now, ' sai d Cur di e; ' I t hi nk we shal l be saf e. '
' Of cour se we shal l , ' r et ur ned I r ene. ' Why do you t hi nk so?' asked Cur di e.
' Because my gr andmot her i s t aki ng car e of us. '
' That ' s al l nonsense, ' sai d Cur di e. ' I don' t know what you mean. '
' Then i f you don' t know what I mean, what r i ght have you t o cal l i t nonsense?' asked
t he pr i ncess, a l i t t l e of f ended.
' I beg your par don, I r ene, ' sai d Cur di e; ' I di d not mean t o vex you. '
' Of cour se not , ' r et ur ned t he pr i ncess. ' But why do you t hi nk we shal l be saf e?'
' Because t he ki ng and queen ar e f ar t oo st out t o get t hr ough t hat hol e. '
' Ther e mi ght be ways r ound, ' sai d t he pr i ncess.
' To be sur e t her e mi ght : we ar e not out of i t yet , ' acknowl edged Cur di e.
' But what do you mean by t he ki ng and queen?' asked t he pr i ncess. ' I shoul d never
cal l such cr eat ur es as t hose a ki ng and a queen. '
' Thei r own peopl e do, t hough, ' answer ed Cur di e.
The pr i ncess asked mor e quest i ons, and Cur di e, as t hey wal ked l ei sur el y al ong, gave
her a f ul l account , not onl y of t he char act er and habi t s of t he gobl i ns, so f ar as he
knew t hem, but of hi s own advent ur es wi t h t hem, begi nni ng f r omt he ver y ni ght af t er
t hat i n whi ch he had met her and Loot i e upon t he mount ai n. When he had f i ni shed, he
begged I r ene t o t el l hi mhow i t was t hat she had come t o hi s r escue. So I r ene t oo had
t o t el l a l ong st or y, whi ch she di d i n r at her a r oundabout manner , i nt er r upt ed by
many quest i ons concer ni ng t hi ngs she had not expl ai ned. But her t al e, as he di d not
bel i eve mor e t han hal f of i t , l ef t ever yt hi ng as unaccount abl e t o hi mas bef or e, and
he was near l y as much per pl exed as t o what he must t hi nk of t he pr i ncess. He coul d
not bel i eve t hat she was del i ber at el y t el l i ng st or i es, and t he onl y concl usi on he
coul d come t o was t hat Loot i e had been pl ayi ng t he chi l d t r i cks, i nvent i ng no end of
l i es t o f r i ght en her f or her own pur poses.
' But how ever di d Loot i e come t o l et you go i nt o t he mount ai ns al one?' he asked.
' Loot i e knows not hi ng about i t . I l ef t her f ast asl eepat l east I t hi nk so. I hope my
gr andmot her won' t l et her get i nt o t r oubl e, f or i t wasn' t her f aul t at al l , as my
gr andmot her ver y wel l knows. '
' But how di d you f i nd your way t o me?' per si st ed Cur di e.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 67
' I t ol d you al r eady, ' answer ed I r ene; ' by keepi ng my f i nger upon my gr andmot her ' s
t hr ead, as I amdoi ng now. '
' You don' t mean you' ve got t he t hr ead t her e?'
' Of cour se I do. I have t ol d you so t en t i mes al r eady. I have har dl yexcept when I
was r emovi ng t he st onest aken my f i nger of f i t . Ther e! ' she added, gui di ng Cur di e' s
hand t o t he t hr ead, ' you f eel i t your sel f don' t you?'
' I f eel not hi ng at al l , ' r epl i ed Cur di e. ' Then what can be t he mat t er wi t h your
f i nger ? I f eel i t per f ect l y. To be sur e i t i s ver y t hi n, and i n t he sunl i ght l ooks
j ust l i ke t he t hr ead of a spi der , t hough t her e ar e many of t hemt wi st ed t oget her t o
make i t but f or al l t hat I can' t t hi nk why you shoul dn' t f eel i t as wel l as I do. '
Cur di e was t oo pol i t e t o say he di d not bel i eve t her e was any t hr ead t her e at al l .
What he di d say was:
' Wel l , I can make not hi ng of i t . '
' I can, t hough, and you must be gl ad of t hat , f or i t wi l l do f or bot h of us. '
' We' r e not out yet , ' sai d Cur di e.
' We soon shal l be, ' r et ur ned I r ene conf i dent l y. And now t he t hr ead went downwar ds,
and l ed I r ene' s hand t o a hol e i n t he f l oor of t he caver n, whence came a sound of
r unni ng wat er whi ch t hey had been hear i ng f or some t i me.
' I t goes i nt o t he gr ound now, Cur di e, ' she sai d, st oppi ng.
He had been l i st eni ng t o anot her sound, whi ch hi s pr act i sed ear had caught l ong ago,
and whi ch al so had been gr owi ng l ouder . I t was t he noi se t he gobl i n- mi ner s made at
t hei r wor k, and t hey seemed t o be at no gr eat di st ance now. I r ene hear d i t t he moment
she st opped.
' What i s t hat noi se?' she asked. ' Do you know, Cur di e?'
' Yes. I t i s t he gobl i ns di ggi ng and bur r owi ng, ' he answer ed.
' And you don' t know what t hey do i t f or ?'
' No; I haven' t t he l east i dea. Woul d you l i ke t o see t hem?' he asked, wi shi ng t o have
anot her t r y af t er t hei r secr et .
' I f my t hr ead t ook me t her e, I shoul dn' t much mi nd; but I don' t want t o see t hem, and
I can' t l eave my t hr ead. I t l eads me down i nt o t he hol e, and we had bet t er go at
once. '
' Ver y wel l . Shal l I go i n f i r st ?' sai d Cur di e.
' No; bet t er not . You can' t f eel t he t hr ead, ' she answer ed, st eppi ng down t hr ough a
nar r ow br eak i n t he f l oor of t he caver n. ' Oh! ' she cr i ed, ' I ami n t he wat er . I t i s
r unni ng st r ongbut i t i s not deep, and t her e i s j ust r oomt o wal k. Make hast e,
Cur di e. '

He t r i ed, but t he hol e was t oo smal l f or hi mt o get i n.
' Go on a l i t t l e bi t he sai d, shoul der i ng hi s pi ckaxe. I n a f ew moment s he had cl ear ed
a l ar ger openi ng and f ol l owed her . They went on, down and down wi t h t he r unni ng
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 68
wat er , Cur di e get t i ng mor e and mor e af r ai d i t was l eadi ng t hemt o some t er r i bl e gul f
i n t he hear t of t he mount ai n. I n one or t wo pl aces he had t o br eak away t he r ock t o
make r oombef or e even I r ene coul d get t hr oughat l east wi t hout hur t i ng her sel f . But
at l engt h t hey spi ed a gl i mmer of l i ght , and i n a mi nut e mor e t hey wer e al most
bl i nded by t he f ul l sunl i ght , i nt o whi ch t hey emer ged. I t was some l i t t l e t i me bef or e
t he pr i ncess coul d see wel l enough t o di scover t hat t hey st ood i n her own gar den,
cl ose by t he seat on whi ch she and her ki ng- papa had sat t hat af t er noon. They had
come out by t he channel of t he l i t t l e st r eam. She danced and cl apped her hands wi t h
del i ght .
' Now, Cur di e! ' she cr i ed, ' won' t you bel i eve what I t ol d you about my gr andmot her and
her t hr ead?'
For she had f el t al l t he t i me t hat Cur di e was not bel i evi ng what she t ol d hi m.
' Ther e! don' t you see i t shi ni ng on bef or e us?' she added.
' I don' t see anyt hi ng, ' per si st ed Cur di e.
' Then you must bel i eve wi t hout seei ng, ' sai d t he pr i ncess; ' f or you can' t deny i t has
br ought us out of t he mount ai n. '
' I can' t deny we ar e out of t he mount ai n, and I shoul d be ver y ungr at ef ul i ndeed t o
deny t hat you had br ought me out of i t . '
' I coul dn' t have done i t but f or t he t hr ead, ' per si st ed I r ene.
' That ' s t he par t I don' t under st and. '
' Wel l , come al ong, and Loot i e wi l l get you somet hi ng t o eat . I amsur e you must want
i t ver y much. '
' I ndeed I do. But my f at her and mot her wi l l be so anxi ous about me, I must make
hast ef i r st up t he mount ai n t o t el l my mot her , and t hen down i nt o t he mi ne agai n t o
l et my f at her know. '
' Ver y wel l , Cur di e; but you can' t get out wi t hout comi ng t hi s way, and I wi l l t ake
you t hr ough t he house, f or t hat i s near est . '
They met no one by t he way, f or , i ndeed, as bef or e, t he peopl e wer e her e and t her e
and ever ywher e sear chi ng f or t he pr i ncess. When t hey got i n I r ene f ound t hat t he
t hr ead, as she had hal f expect ed, went up t he ol d st ai r case, and a new t hought st r uck
her . She t ur ned t o Cur di e and sai d:
' My gr andmot her want s me. Do come up wi t h me and see her . Then you wi l l know t hat I
have been t el l i ng you t he t r ut h. Do comet o pl ease me, Cur di e. I can' t bear you
shoul d t hi nk what I say i s not t r ue. '
' I never doubt ed you bel i eved what you sai d, ' r et ur ned Cur di e. ' I onl y t hought you
had some f ancy i n your head t hat was not cor r ect . ' ' But do come, dear Cur di e. '
The l i t t l e mi ner coul d not wi t hst and t hi s appeal , and t hough he f el t shy i n what
seemed t o hi ma huge gr and house, he yi el ded, and f ol l owed her up t he st ai r .


From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 69
CHAPTER 22: The Old Lady and Curdie
Up t he st ai r t hen t hey went , and t he next and t he next , and t hr ough t he l ong r ows of
empt y r ooms, and up t he l i t t l e t ower st ai r , I r ene gr owi ng happi er and happi er as she
ascended. Ther e was no answer when she knocked at l engt h at t he door of t he wor kr oom,
nor coul d she hear any sound of t he spi nni ng- wheel , and once mor e her hear t sank
wi t hi n her , but onl y f or one moment , as she t ur ned and knocked at t he ot her door .
' Come i n, ' answer ed t he sweet voi ce of her gr andmot her , and I r ene opened t he door and
ent er ed, f ol l owed by Cur di e.
' You dar l i ng! ' cr i ed t he l ady, who was seat ed by a f i r e of r ed r oses mi ngl ed wi t h
whi t e. ' I ' ve been wai t i ng f or you, and i ndeed get t i ng a l i t t l e anxi ous about you, and
begi nni ng t o t hi nk whet her I had not bet t er go and f et ch you mysel f . '
As she spoke she t ook t he l i t t l e pr i ncess i n her ar ms and pl aced her upon her l ap.
She was dr essed i n whi t e now, and l ooki ng i f possi bl e mor e l ovel y t han ever .
' I ' ve br ought Cur di e, gr andmot her . He woul dn' t bel i eve what I t ol d hi mand so I ' ve
br ought hi m. '
' YesI see hi m. He i s a good boy, Cur di e, and a br ave boy. Ar en' t you gl ad you' ve got
hi mout ?'
' Yes, gr andmot her . But i t wasn' t ver y good of hi mnot t o bel i eve me when I was
t el l i ng hi mt he t r ut h. '
' Peopl e must bel i eve what t hey can, and t hose who bel i eve mor e must not be har d upon
t hose who bel i eve l ess. I doubt i f you woul d have bel i eved i t al l your sel f i f you
hadn' t seen some of i t . '
' Ah! yes, gr andmot her , I dar e say. I ' msur e you ar e r i ght . But he' l l bel i eve now. '
' I don' t know t hat , ' r epl i ed her gr andmot her .
' Won' t you, Cur di e?' sai d I r ene, l ooki ng r ound at hi mas she asked t he quest i on. He
was st andi ng i n t he mi ddl e of t he f l oor , st ar i ng, and l ooki ng st r angel y bewi l der ed.
Thi s she t hought came of hi s ast oni shment at t he beaut y of t he l ady.
' Make a bow t o my gr andmot her , Cur di e, ' she sai d.
' I don' t see any gr andmot her , ' answer ed Cur di e r at her gr uf f l y.
' Don' t see my gr andmot her , when I ' msi t t i ng i n her l ap?' excl ai med t he pr i ncess.
' No, I don' t , ' r ei t er at ed Cur di e, i n an of f ended t one.
' Don' t you see t he l ovel y f i r e of r oseswhi t e ones amongst t hemt hi s t i me?' asked
I r ene, al most as bewi l der ed as he.
' No, I don' t , ' answer ed Cur di e, al most sul ki l y.
' Nor t he bl ue bed? Nor t he r ose- col our ed count er pane?Nor t he beaut i f ul l i ght , l i ke
t he moon, hangi ng f r omt he r oof ?'
' You' r e maki ng game of me, Your Royal Hi ghness; and af t er what we have come t hr ough
t oget her t hi s day, I don' t t hi nk i t i s ki nd of you, ' sai d Cur di e, f eel i ng ver y much
hur t .
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 70
' Then what do you see?' asked I r ene, who per cei ved at once t hat f or her not t o
bel i eve hi mwas at l east as bad as f or hi mnot t o bel i eve her .
' I see a bi g, bar e, gar r et - r ooml i ke t he one i n mot her ' s cot t age, onl y bi g enough t o
t ake t he cot t age i t sel f i n, and l eave a good mar gi n al l r ound, ' answer ed Cur di e.
' And what mor e do you see?'
' I see a t ub, and a heap of must y st r aw, and a wi t her ed appl e, and a r ay of sunl i ght
comi ng t hr ough a hol e i n t he mi ddl e of t he r oof and shi ni ng on your head, and maki ng
al l t he pl ace l ook a cur i ous dusky br own. I t hi nk you had bet t er dr op i t , pr i ncess,
and go down t o t he nur ser y, l i ke a good gi r l . '
' But don' t you hear my gr andmot her t al ki ng t o me?' asked I r ene, al most cr yi ng.
' No. I hear t he cooi ng of a l ot of pi geons. I f you won' t come down, I wi l l go wi t hout
you. I t hi nk t hat wi l l be bet t er anyhow, f or I ' msur e nobody who met us woul d bel i eve
a wor d we sai d t o t hem. They woul d t hi nk we made i t al l up. I don' t expect anybody
but my own f at her and mot her t o bel i eve me. They know I woul dn' t t el l a st or y. '
' And yet you won' t bel i eve me, Cur di e?' expost ul at ed t he pr i ncess, now f ai r l y cr yi ng
wi t h vexat i on and sor r ow at t he gul f bet ween her and Cur di e.
' No. I can' t , and I can' t hel p i t , ' sai d Cur di e, t ur ni ng t o l eave t he r oom.
' What SHALL I do, gr andmot her ?' sobbed t he pr i ncess, t ur ni ng her f ace r ound upon t he
l ady' s bosom, and shaki ng wi t h suppr essed sobs.
' You must gi ve hi mt i me, ' sai d her gr andmot her ; ' and you must be cont ent not t o be
bel i eved f or a whi l e. I t i s ver y har d t o bear ; but I have had t o bear i t , and shal l
have t o bear i t many a t i me yet . I wi l l t ake car e of what Cur di e t hi nks of you i n t he
end. You must l et hi mgo now. '
' You' r e not comi ng, ar e you?' asked Cur di e.
' No, Cur di e; my gr andmot her says I must l et you go. Tur n t o t he r i ght when you get t o
t he bot t omof al l t he st ai r s, and t hat wi l l t ake you t o t he hal l wher e t he gr eat door
i s. '
' Oh! I don' t doubt I can f i nd my waywi t hout you, pr i ncess, or your ol d gr anni e' s
t hr ead ei t her , ' sai d Cur di e qui t e r udel y.
' Oh, Cur di e! Cur di e! '
' I wi sh I had gone home at once. I ' mver y much obl i ged t o you, I r ene, f or get t i ng me
out of t hat hol e, but I wi sh you hadn' t made a f ool of me af t er war ds. '
He sai d t hi s as he opened t he door , whi ch he l ef t open, and, wi t hout anot her wor d,
went down t he st ai r . I r ene l i st ened wi t h di smay t o hi s depar t i ng f oot st eps. Then
t ur ni ng agai n t o t he l ady:
' What does i t al l mean, gr andmot her ?' she sobbed, and bur st i nt o f r esh t ear s.
' I t means, my l ove, t hat I di d not mean t o show mysel f . Cur di e i s not yet abl e t o
bel i eve some t hi ngs. Seei ng i s not bel i evi ngi t i s onl y seei ng. You r emember I t ol d
you t hat i f Loot i e wer e t o see me, she woul d r ub her eyes, f or get t he hal f she saw,
and cal l t he ot her hal f nonsense. '
' Yes; but I shoul d have t hought Cur di e'
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 71
' You ar e r i ght . Cur di e i s much f ar t her on t han Loot i e, and you wi l l see what wi l l
come of i t . But i n t he meant i me you must be cont ent , I say, t o be mi sunder st ood f or a
whi l e. We ar e al l ver y anxi ous t o be under st ood, and i t i s ver y har d not t o be. But
t her e i s one t hi ng much mor e necessar y. '
' What i s t hat , gr andmot her ?'
' To under st and ot her peopl e. '
' Yes, gr andmot her . I must be f ai r f or i f I ' mnot f ai r t o ot her peopl e, I ' mnot wor t h
bei ng under st ood mysel f . I see. So as Cur di e can' t hel p i t , I wi l l not be vexed wi t h
hi m, but j ust wai t . '
' Ther e' s my own dear chi l d, ' sai d her gr andmot her , and pr essed her cl ose t o her
bosom.
' Why wer en' t you i n your wor kr oomwhen we came up, gr andmot her ?' asked I r ene, af t er a
f ew moment s' si l ence.
' I f I had been t her e, Cur di e woul d have seen me wel l enough. But why shoul d I be
t her e r at her t han i n t hi s beaut i f ul r oom?'
' I t hought you woul d be spi nni ng. '
' I ' ve nobody t o spi n f or j ust at pr esent . I never spi n wi t hout knowi ng f or whomI am
spi nni ng. '
' That r emi nds met her e i s one t hi ng t hat puzzl es me, ' sai d t he pr i ncess: ' how ar e you
t o get t he t hr ead out of t he mount ai n agai n? Sur el y you won' t have t o make anot her
f or me? That woul d be such a t r oubl e! '
The l ady set her down and r ose and went t o t he f i r e. Put t i ng i n her hand, she dr ew i t
out agai n and hel d up t he shi ni ng bal l bet ween her f i nger and t humb.
' I ' ve got i t now, you see, ' she sai d, comi ng back t o t he pr i ncess, ' al l r eady f or you
when you want i t . '
Goi ng t o her cabi net , she l ai d i t i n t he same dr awer as bef or e.
' And her e i s your r i ng, ' she added, t aki ng i t f r omt he l i t t l e f i nger of her l ef t hand
and put t i ng i t on t he f or ef i nger of I r ene' s r i ght hand.
' Oh, t hank you, gr andmot her ! I f eel so saf e now! '
' You ar e ver y t i r ed, my chi l d, ' t he l ady went on. ' Your hands ar e hur t wi t h t he
st ones, and I have count ed ni ne br ui ses on you. J ust l ook what you ar e l i ke. '
And she hel d up t o her a l i t t l e mi r r or whi ch she had br ought f r omt he cabi net . The
pr i ncess bur st i nt o a mer r y l augh at t he si ght . She was so dr aggl ed wi t h t he st r eam
and di r t y wi t h cr eepi ng t hr ough nar r ow pl aces, t hat i f she had seen t he r ef l ect i on
wi t hout knowi ng i t was a r ef l ect i on, she woul d have t aken her sel f f or some gi psy
chi l d whose f ace was washed and hai r combed about once i n a mont h. The l ady l aughed
t oo, and l i f t i ng her agai n upon her knee, t ook of f her cl oak and ni ght - gown. Then she
car r i ed her t o t he si de of t he r oom. I r ene wonder ed what she was goi ng t o do wi t h
her , but asked no quest i onsonl y st ar t i ng a l i t t l e when she f ound t hat she was goi ng
t o l ay her i n t he l ar ge si l ver bat h; f or as she l ooked i nt o i t , agai n she saw no
bot t om, but t he st ar s shi ni ng mi l es away, as i t seemed, i n a gr eat bl ue gul f . Her
hands cl osed i nvol unt ar i l y on t he beaut i f ul ar ms t hat hel d her , and t hat was al l .
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 72
The l ady pr essed her once mor e t o her bosom, sayi ng:
' Do not be af r ai d, my chi l d. '
' No, gr andmot her , ' answer ed t he pr i ncess, wi t h a l i t t l e gasp; and t he next i nst ant
she sank i n t he cl ear cool wat er .
When she opened her eyes, she saw not hi ng but a st r ange l ovel y bl ue over and beneat h
and al l about her . The l ady, and t he beaut i f ul r oom, had vani shed f r omher si ght , and
she seemed ut t er l y al one. But i nst ead of bei ng af r ai d, she f el t mor e t han happy
per f ect l y bl i ssf ul . And f r omsomewher e came t he voi ce of t he l ady, si ngi ng a st r ange
sweet song, of whi ch she coul d di st i ngui sh ever y wor d; but of t he sense she had onl y
a f eel i ngno under st andi ng. Nor coul d she r emember a si ngl e l i ne af t er i t was gone.
I t vani shed, l i ke t he poet r y i n a dr eam, as f ast as i t came. I n af t er year s, however ,
she woul d somet i mes f ancy t hat snat ches of mel ody suddenl y r i si ng i n her br ai n must
be l i t t l e phr ases and f r agment s of t he ai r of t hat song; and t he ver y f ancy woul d
make her happi er , and abl er t o do her dut y.
How l ong she l ay i n t he wat er she di d not know. I t seemed a l ong t i menot f r om
wear i ness but f r ompl easur e. But at l ast she f el t t he beaut i f ul hands l ay hol d of
her , and t hr ough t he gur gl i ng wat er she was l i f t ed out i nt o t he l ovel y r oom. The l ady
car r i ed her t o t he f i r e, and sat down wi t h her i n her l ap, and dr i ed her t ender l y
wi t h t he sof t est t owel . I t was so di f f er ent f r omLoot i e' s dr yi ng. When t he l ady had
done, she st ooped t o t he f i r e, and dr ew f r omi t her ni ght - gown, as whi t e as snow.
' How del i ci ous! ' excl ai med t he pr i ncess. ' I t smel l s of al l t he r oses i n t he wor l d, I
t hi nk. '
When she st ood up on t he f l oor she f el t as i f she had been made over agai n. Ever y
br ui se and al l wear i ness wer e gone, and her hands wer e sof t and whol e as ever .
' Now I amgoi ng t o put you t o bed f or a good sl eep, ' sai d her gr andmot her .
' But what wi l l Loot i e be t hi nki ng? And what amI t o say t o her when she asks me wher e
I have been?'
' Don' t t r oubl e your sel f about i t . You wi l l f i nd i t al l come r i ght , ' sai d her
gr andmot her , and l ai d her i nt o t he bl ue bed, under t he r osy count er pane.
' Ther e i s j ust one t hi ng mor e, ' sai d I r ene. ' I ama l i t t l e anxi ous about Cur di e. As I
br ought hi mi nt o t he house, I ought t o have seen hi msaf e on hi s way home. '
' I t ook car e of al l t hat , ' answer ed t he l ady. ' I t ol d you t o l et hi mgo, and
t her ef or e I was bound t o l ook af t er hi m. Nobody saw hi m, and he i s now eat i ng a good
di nner i n hi s mot her ' s cot t age f ar up i n t he mount ai n. '
' Then I wi l l go t o sl eep, ' sai d I r ene, and i n a f ew mi nut es she was f ast asl eep.

CHAPTER 23: Curdie and His Mother
Cur di e went up t he mount ai n nei t her whi st l i ng nor si ngi ng, f or he was vexed wi t h
I r ene f or t aki ng hi mi n, as he cal l ed i t ; and he was vexed wi t h hi msel f f or havi ng
spoken t o her so angr i l y. Hi s mot her gave a cr y of j oy when she saw hi m, and at once
set about get t i ng hi msomet hi ng t o eat , aski ng hi mquest i ons al l t he t i me, whi ch he
di d not answer so cheer f ul l y as usual . When hi s meal was r eady, she l ef t hi mt o eat
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 73
i t , and hur r i ed t o t he mi ne t o l et hi s f at her know he was saf e. When she came back,
she f ound hi mf ast asl eep upon her bed; nor di d he wake unt i l hi s f at her came home i n
t he eveni ng.
' Now, Cur di e, ' hi s mot her sai d, as t hey sat at supper , ' t el l us t he whol e st or y f r om
begi nni ng t o end, j ust as i t al l happened. '
Cur di e obeyed, and t ol d ever yt hi ng t o t he poi nt wher e t hey came out upon t he l awn i n
t he gar den of t he ki ng' s house.
' And what happened af t er t hat ?' asked hi s mot her . ' You haven' t t ol d us al l . You ought
t o be ver y happy at havi ng got away f r omt hose demons, and i nst ead of t hat I never
saw you so gl oomy. Ther e must be somet hi ng mor e. Besi des, you do not speak of t hat
l ovel y chi l d as I shoul d l i ke t o hear you. She saved your l i f e at t he r i sk of her
own, and yet somehow you don' t seemt o t hi nk much of i t . '
' She t al ked such nonsense' answer ed Cur di e, ' and t ol d me a pack of t hi ngs t hat
wer en' t a bi t t r ue; and I can' t get over i t . '
' What wer e t hey?' asked hi s f at her . ' Your mot her may be abl e t o t hr ow some l i ght upon
t hem. '
Then Cur di e made a cl ean br east of i t , and t ol d t hemever yt hi ng.
They al l sat si l ent f or some t i me, ponder i ng t he st r ange t al e. At l ast Cur di e' s
mot her spoke.
' You conf ess, my boy, ' she sai d, ' t her e i s somet hi ng about t he whol e af f ai r you do
not under st and?'
' Yes, of cour se, mot her , ' he answer ed. ' I cannot under st and how a chi l d knowi ng
not hi ng about t he mount ai n, or even t hat I was shut up i n i t , shoul d come al l t hat
way al one, st r ai ght t o wher e I was; and t hen, af t er get t i ng me out of t he hol e, l ead
me out of t he mount ai n t oo, wher e I shoul d not have known a st ep of t he way i f i t had
been as l i ght as i n t he open ai r . '
' Then you have no r i ght t o say what she t ol d you was not t r ue. She di d t ake you out ,
and she must have had somet hi ng t o gui de her : why not a t hr ead as wel l as a r ope, or
anyt hi ng el se? Ther e i s somet hi ng you cannot expl ai n, and her expl anat i on may be t he
r i ght one. '
' I t ' s no expl anat i on at al l , mot her ; and I can' t bel i eve i t . '
' That may be onl y because you do not under st and i t . I f you di d, you woul d pr obabl y
f i nd i t was an expl anat i on, and bel i eve i t t hor oughl y. I don' t bl ame you f or not
bei ng abl e t o bel i eve i t , but I do bl ame you f or f ancyi ng such a chi l d woul d t r y t o
decei ve you. Why shoul d she? Depend upon i t , she t ol d you al l she knew. Unt i l you had
f ound a bet t er way of account i ng f or i t al l , you mi ght at l east have been mor e
spar i ng of your j udgement . '
' That i s what somet hi ng i nsi de me has been sayi ng al l t he t i me, ' sai d Cur di e, hangi ng
down hi s head. ' But what do you make of t he gr andmot her ? That i s what I can' t get
over . To t ake me up t o an ol d gar r et , and t r y t o per suade me agai nst t he si ght of my
own eyes t hat i t was a beaut i f ul r oom, wi t h bl ue wal l s and si l ver st ar s, and no end
of t hi ngs i n i t , when t her e was not hi ng t her e but an ol d t ub and a wi t her ed appl e and
a heap of st r aw and a sunbeam! I t was t oo bad! She mi ght have had some ol d woman
t her e at l east t o pass f or her pr eci ous gr andmot her ! '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 74
' Di dn' t she speak as i f she saw t hose ot her t hi ngs her sel f , Cur di e?'
' Yes. That ' s what bot her s me. You woul d have t hought she r eal l y meant and bel i eved
t hat she saw ever y one of t he t hi ngs she t al ked about . And not one of t hemt her e! I t
was t oo bad, I say. '
' Per haps some peopl e can see t hi ngs ot her peopl e can' t see, Cur di e, ' sai d hi s mot her
ver y gr avel y. ' I t hi nk I wi l l t el l you somet hi ng I saw mysel f onceonl y Per haps You
won' t bel i eve me ei t her ! '
' Oh, mot her , mot her ! ' cr i ed Cur di e, bur st i ng i nt o t ear s; ' I don' t deser ve t hat ,
sur el y! '
' But what I amgoi ng t o t el l you i s ver y st r ange, ' per si st ed hi s mot her ; ' and i f
havi ng hear d i t you wer e t o say I must have been dr eami ng, I don' t know t hat I shoul d
have any r i ght t o be vexed wi t h you, t hough I know at l east t hat I was not asl eep. '
' Do t el l me, mot her . Per haps i t wi l l hel p me t o t hi nk bet t er of t he pr i ncess. '
' That ' s why I amt empt ed t o t el l you, ' r epl i ed hi s mot her . ' But f i r st , I may as wel l
ment i on t hat , accor di ng t o ol d whi sper s, t her e i s somet hi ng mor e t han common about
t he ki ng' s f ami l y; and t he queen was of t he same bl ood, f or t hey wer e cousi ns of some
degr ee. Ther e wer e st r ange st or i es t ol d concer ni ng t hemal l good st or i esbut st r ange,
ver y st r ange. What t hey wer e I cannot t el l , f or I onl y r emember t he f aces of my
gr andmot her and my mot her as t hey t al ked t oget her about t hem. Ther e was wonder and
awenot f ear i n t hei r eyes, and t hey whi sper ed, and never spoke al oud. But what I saw
mysel f was t hi s: Your f at her was goi ng t o wor k i n t he mi ne one ni ght , and I had been
down wi t h hi s supper . I t was soon af t er we wer e mar r i ed, and not ver y l ong bef or e you
wer e bor n. He came wi t h me t o t he mout h of t he mi ne, and l ef t me t o go home al one,
f or I knew t he way al most as wel l as t he f l oor of our own cot t age. I t was pr et t y
dar k, and i n some par t s of t he r oad wher e t he r ocks over hung near l y qui t e dar k. But I
got al ong per f ect l y wel l , never t hi nki ng of bei ng af r ai d, unt i l I r eached a spot you
know wel l enough, Cur di e, wher e t he pat h has t o make a shar p t ur n out of t he way of a
gr eat r ock on t he l ef t - hand si de. When I got t her e, I was suddenl y sur r ounded by
about hal f a dozen of t he cobs, t he f i r st I had ever seen, al t hough I had hear d t el l
of t hemof t en enough. One of t hembl ocked up t he pat h, and t hey al l began t or ment i ng
and t easi ng me i n a way i t makes me shudder t o t hi nk of even now. '
' I f I had onl y been wi t h you! ' cr i ed f at her and son i n a br eat h.
The mot her gave a f unny l i t t l e smi l e, and went on.
' They had some of t hei r hor r i bl e cr eat ur es wi t h t hemt oo, and I must conf ess I was
dr eadf ul l y f r i ght ened. They had t or n my cl ot hes ver y much, and I was af r ai d t hey wer e
goi ng t o t ear mysel f t o pi eces, when suddenl y a gr eat whi t e sof t l i ght shone upon me.
I l ooked up. A br oad r ay, l i ke a shi ni ng r oad, came down f r oma l ar ge gl obe of
si l ver y l i ght , not ver y hi gh up, i ndeed not qui t e so hi gh as t he hor i zonso i t coul d
not have been a new st ar or anot her moon or anyt hi ng of t hat sor t . The cobs dr opped
per secut i ng me, and l ooked dazed, and I t hought t hey wer e goi ng t o r un away, but
pr esent l y t hey began agai n. The same moment , however , down t he pat h f r omt he gl obe of
l i ght came a bi r d, shi ni ng l i ke si l ver i n t he sun. I t gave a f ew r api d f l aps f i r st ,
and t hen, wi t h i t s wi ngs st r ai ght out , shot , sl i di ng down t he sl ope of t he l i ght . I t
l ooked t o me j ust l i ke a whi t e pi geon. But what ever i t was, when t he cobs caught
si ght of i t comi ng st r ai ght down upon t hem, t hey t ook t o t hei r heel s and scamper ed
away acr oss t he mount ai n, l eavi ng me saf e, onl y much f r i ght ened. As soon as i t had
sent t hemof f , t he bi r d went gl i di ng agai n up t he l i ght , and t he moment i t r eached
t he gl obe t he l i ght di sappear ed, j ust as i f a shut t er had been cl osed over a wi ndow,
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 75
and I saw i t no Mor e. But I had no mor e t r oubl e wi t h t he cobs t hat ni ght or ever
af t er . '
' How st r ange! ' excl ai med Cur di e.
' Yes, i t was st r ange; but I can' t hel p bel i evi ng i t , whet her you do or not , ' sai d hi s
mot her .
' I t ' s exact l y as your mot her t ol d i t t o me t he ver y next mor ni ng, ' sai d hi s f at her .
' You don' t t hi nk I ' mdoubt i ng my own mot her ?' cr i ed Cur di e. ' Ther e ar e ot her peopl e
i n t he wor l d qui t e as wel l wor t h bel i evi ng as your own mot her , ' sai d hi s mot her . ' I
don' t know t hat she' s so much t he f i t t er t o be bel i eved t hat she happens t o be your
mot her , Mr . Cur di e. Ther e ar e mot her s f ar mor e l i kel y t o t el l l i es t han t he l i t t l e
gi r l I saw t al ki ng t o t he pr i mr oses a f ew weeks ago. I f she wer e t o l i e I shoul d
begi n t o doubt my own wor d. '
' But pr i ncesses have t ol d l i es as wel l as ot her peopl e, ' sai d Cur di e.
' Yes, but not pr i ncesses l i ke t hat chi l d. She' s a good gi r l , I amcer t ai n, and t hat ' s
mor e t han bei ng a pr i ncess. Depend upon i t you wi l l have t o be sor r y f or behavi ng so
t o her , Cur di e. You ought at l east t o have hel d your t ongue. '
' I amsor r y now, ' answer ed Cur di e.
' You ought t o go and t el l her so, t hen. '
' I don' t see how I coul d manage t hat . They woul dn' t l et a mi ner boy l i ke me have a
wor d wi t h her al one; and I coul dn' t t el l her bef or e t hat nur se of her s. She' d be
aski ng ever so many quest i ons, and I don' t know how many t he l i t t l e pr i ncess woul d
l i ke me t o answer . She t ol d me t hat Loot i e di dn' t know anyt hi ng about her comi ng t o
get me out of t he mount ai n. I amcer t ai n she woul d have pr event ed her somehow i f she
had known i t . But I may have a chance bef or e l ong, and meant i me I must t r y t o do
somet hi ng f or her . I t hi nk, f at her , I have got on t he t r ack at l ast . '
' Have you, i ndeed, my boy?' sai d Pet er . ' I amsur e you deser ve some success; you have
wor ked ver y har d f or i t . What have you f ound out ?'
' I t ' s di f f i cul t , you know, f at her , i nsi de t he mount ai n, especi al l y i n t he dar k, and
not knowi ng what t ur ns you have t aken, t o t el l t he l i e of t hi ngs out si de. '
' I mpossi bl e, my boy, wi t hout a char t , or at l east a compass, ' r et ur ned hi s f at her .
' Wel l , I t hi nk I have near l y di scover ed i n what di r ect i on t he cobs ar e mi ni ng. I f I
amr i ght , I know somet hi ng el se t hat I can put t o i t , and t hen one and one wi l l make
t hr ee. '
' They ver y of t en do, Cur di e, as we mi ner s ought t o be ver y wel l awar e. Now t el l us,
my boy, what t he t wo t hi ngs ar e, and see whet her we can guess at t he same t hi r d as
you. '
' I don' t see what t hat has t o do wi t h t he pr i ncess, ' i nt er posed hi s mot her .
' I wi l l soon l et you see t hat , mot her . Per haps you may t hi nk me f ool i sh, but unt i l I
amsur e t her e, i s not hi ng i n my pr esent f ancy, I ammor e det er mi ned t han ever t o go
on wi t h my obser vat i ons. J ust as we came t o t he channel by whi ch we got out , I hear d
t he mi ner s at wor k somewher e near I t hi nk down bel ow us. Now si nce I began t o wat ch
t hem, t hey have mi ned a good hal f - mi l e, i n a st r ai ght l i ne; and so f ar as I amawar e,
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 76
t hey ar e wor ki ng i n no ot her par t of t he mount ai n. But I never coul d t el l i n what
di r ect i on t hey wer e goi ng. When we came out i n t he ki ng' s gar den, however , I t hought
at once whet her i t was possi bl e t hey wer e wor ki ng t owar ds t he ki ng' s house; and what
I want t o do t oni ght i s t o make sur e whet her t hey ar e or not . I wi l l t ake a l i ght
wi t h me'
' Oh, Cur di e, ' cr i ed hi s mot her , ' t hen t hey wi l l see you. '
' I ' mno mor e af r ai d of t hemnow t han I was bef or e, ' r ej oi ned Cur di e, ' now t hat I ' ve
got t hi s pr eci ous shoe. They can' t make anot her such i n a hur r y, and one bar e f oot
wi l l do f or my pur pose. Woman as she may be, I won' t spar e her next t i me. But I shal l
be car ef ul wi t h my l i ght , f or I don' t want t hemt o see me. I won' t st i ck i t i n my
hat . '
' Go on, t hen, and t el l us what you mean t o do. '
' I mean t o t ake a bi t of paper wi t h me and a penci l , and go i n at t he mout h of t he
st r eamby whi ch we came out . I shal l mar k on t he paper as near as I can t he angl e of
ever y t ur ni ng I t ake unt i l I f i nd t he cobs at wor k, and so get a good i dea i n what
di r ect i on t hey ar e goi ng. I f i t shoul d pr ove t o be near l y par al l el wi t h t he st r eam, I
shal l know i t i s t owar ds t he ki ng' s house t hey ar e wor ki ng. '
' And what i f you shoul d? How much wi ser wi l l you be t hen?'
' Wai t a mi nut e, mot her dear . I t ol d you t hat when I came upon t he r oyal f ami l y i n t he
cave, t hey wer e t al ki ng of t hei r pr i nceHar el i p, t hey cal l ed hi mmar r yi ng a sun-
womant hat means one of usone wi t h t oes t o her f eet . Now i n t he speech one of t hem
made t hat ni ght at t hei r gr eat gat her i ng, of whi ch I hear d onl y a par t , he sai d t hat
peace woul d be secur ed f or a gener at i on at l east by t he pl edge t he pr i nce woul d hol d
f or t he good behavi our of her r el at i ves: t hat ' s what he sai d, and he must have meant
t he sun- woman t he pr i nce was t o mar r y. I amqui t e sur e t he ki ng i s much t oo pr oud t o
wi sh hi s son t o mar r y any but a pr i ncess, and much t oo knowi ng t o f ancy t hat hi s
havi ng a peasant woman f or a wi f e woul d be of any gr eat advant age t o t hem. '
' I see what you ar e dr i vi ng at now, ' sai d hi s mot her .
' But , ' sai d hi s f at her , ' our ki ng woul d di g t he mount ai n t o t he pl ai n bef or e he woul d
have hi s pr i ncess t he wi f e of a cob, i f he wer e t en t i mes a pr i nce. '
' Yes; but t hey t hi nk so much of t hemsel ves! ' sai d hi s mot her . ' Smal l cr eat ur es al ways
do. The bant ami s t he pr oudest cock i n my l i t t l e yar d. '
' And I f ancy, ' sai d Cur di e, ' i f t hey once got her , t hey woul d t el l t he ki ng t hey
woul d ki l l her except he consent ed t o t he mar r i age. '
' They mi ght say so, ' sai d hi s f at her , ' but t hey woul dn' t ki l l her ; t hey woul d keep
her al i ve f or t he sake of t he hol d i t gave t hemover our ki ng. What ever he di d t o
t hem, t hey woul d t hr eat en t o do t he same t o t he pr i ncess. '
' And t hey ar e bad enough t o t or ment her j ust f or t hei r own amusement I know t hat , '
sai d hi s mot her .
' Anyhow, I wi l l keep a wat ch on t hem, and see what t hey ar e up t o, ' sai d Cur di e.
' I t ' s t oo hor r i bl e t o t hi nk of . I dar en' t l et mysel f do i t . But t hey shan' t have her
at l east i f I can hel p i t . So, mot her dear my cl ue i s al l r i ght wi l l you get me a bi t
of paper and a penci l and a l ump of pease puddi ng, and I wi l l set out at once. I saw
a pl ace wher e I can cl i mb over t he wal l of t he gar den qui t e easi l y. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 77
' You must mi nd and keep out of t he way of t he men on t he wat ch, ' sai d hi s mot her .
' That I wi l l . I don' t want t hemt o know anyt hi ng about i t . They woul d spoi l i t al l .
The cobs woul d onl y t r y some ot her pl ant hey ar e such obst i nat e cr eat ur es! I shal l
t ake good car e, mot her . They won' t ki l l and eat me ei t her , i f t hey shoul d come upon
me. So you needn' t mi nd t hem. '
Hi s mot her got hi mwhat he had asked f or , and Cur di e set out . Cl ose besi de t he door
by whi ch t he pr i ncess l ef t t he gar den f or t he mount ai n st ood a gr eat r ock, and by
cl i mbi ng i t Cur di e got over t he wal l . He t i ed hi s cl ue t o a st one j ust i nsi de t he
channel of t he st r eam, and t ook hi s pi ckaxe wi t h hi m. He had not gone f ar bef or e he
encount er ed a hor r i d cr eat ur e comi ng t owar ds t he mout h. The spot was t oo nar r ow f or
t wo of al most any si ze or shape, and besi des Cur di e had no wi sh t o l et t he cr eat ur e
pass. Not bei ng abl e t o use hi s pi ckaxe, however , he had a sever e st r uggl e wi t h hi m,
and i t was onl y af t er r ecei vi ng many bi t es, some of t hembad, t hat he succeeded i n
ki l l i ng hi mwi t h hi s pocket - kni f e. Havi ng dr agged hi mout , he made hast e t o get i n
agai n bef or e anot her shoul d st op up t he way.
I need not f ol l ow hi mf ar t her i n t hi s ni ght ' s advent ur es. He r et ur ned t o hi s
br eakf ast , sat i sf i ed t hat t he gobl i ns wer e mi ni ng i n t he di r ect i on of t he pal aceon
so l ow a l evel t hat t hei r i nt ent i on must , he t hought , be t o bur r ow under t he wal l s of
t he ki ng' s house, and r i se up i nsi de i t i n or der , he f ul l y bel i eved, t o l ay hands on
t he l i t t l e pr i ncess, and car r y her of f f or a wi f e t o t hei r hor r i d Har el i p.

CHAPTER 24: Irene Behaves Like a Princess
When t he pr i ncess awoke f r omt he sweet est of sl eeps, she f ound her nur se bendi ng over
her , t he housekeeper l ooki ng over t he nur se' s shoul der , and t he l aundr y- mai d l ooki ng
over t he housekeeper ' s. The r oomwas f ul l of women- ser vant s; and t he gent l emen- at -
ar ms, wi t h a l ong col umn of ser vant s behi nd t hem, wer e peepi ng, or t r yi ng t o peep i n
at t he door of t he nur ser y.
' Ar e t hose hor r i d cr eat ur es gone?' asked t he pr i ncess, r emember i ng f i r st what had
t er r i f i ed her i n t he mor ni ng.
' You naught y, naught y l i t t l e pr i ncess! ' cr i ed Loot i e.
Her f ace was ver y pal e, wi t h r ed st r eaks i n i t , and she l ooked as i f she wer e goi ng
t o shake her ; but I r ene sai d not hi ngonl y wai t ed t o hear what shoul d come next .
' How coul d you get under t he cl ot hes l i ke t hat , and make us al l f ancy you wer e l ost !
And keep i t up al l day t oo! You ar e t he most obst i nat e chi l d! I t ' s anyt hi ng but f un
t o us, I can t el l you! '
I t was t he onl y way t he nur se coul d account f or her di sappear ance.
' I di dn' t do t hat , Loot i e, ' sai d I r ene, ver y qui et l y.
' Don' t t el l st or i es! ' cr i ed her nur se qui t e r udel y.
' I shal l t el l you not hi ng at al l , ' sai d I r ene.
' That ' s j ust as bad, ' sai d t he nur se.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 78
' J ust as bad t o say not hi ng at al l as t o t el l st or i es?' excl ai med t he pr i ncess. ' I
wi l l ask my papa about t hat . He won' t say so. And I don' t t hi nk he wi l l l i ke you t o
say so. '
' Tel l me di r ect l y what you mean by i t ! ' scr eamed t he nur se, hal f wi l d wi t h anger at
t he pr i ncess and f r i ght at t he possi bl e consequences t o her sel f .
' When I t el l you t he t r ut h, Loot i e, ' sai d t he pr i ncess, who somehow di d not f eel at
al l angr y, ' you say t o me " Don' t t el l st or i es" : i t seems I must t el l st or i es bef or e
you wi l l bel i eve me. '
' You ar e ver y r ude, pr i ncess, ' sai d t he nur se.
' You ar e so r ude, Loot i e, t hat I wi l l not speak t o you agai n t i l l you ar e sor r y. Why
shoul d I , when I know you wi l l not bel i eve me?' r et ur ned t he pr i ncess. For she di d
know per f ect l y wel l t hat i f she wer e t o t el l Loot i e what she had been about , t he mor e
she went on t o t el l her , t he l ess woul d she bel i eve her .
' You ar e t he most pr ovoki ng chi l d! ' cr i ed her nur se. ' You deser ve t o be wel l puni shed
f or your wi cked behavi our . '
' Pl ease, Mr s Housekeeper , ' sai d t he pr i ncess, ' wi l l you t ake me t o your r oom, and
keep me t i l l my ki ng- papa comes? I wi l l ask hi mt o come as soon as he can. '
Ever y one st ar ed at t hese wor ds. Up t o t hi s moment t hey had al l r egar ded her as
l i t t l e mor e t han a baby.
But t he housekeeper was af r ai d of t he nur se, and sought t o pat ch mat t er s up, sayi ng:
' I amsur e, pr i ncess, nur si e di d not mean t o be r ude t o you. '
' I do not t hi nk my papa woul d wi sh me t o have a nur se who spoke t o me as Loot i e does.
I f she t hi nks I t el l l i es, she had bet t er ei t her say so t o my papa, or go away. Si r
Wal t er , wi l l you t ake char ge of me?'
' Wi t h t he gr eat est of pl easur e, pr i ncess, ' answer ed t he capt ai n of t he gent l emen- at -
ar ms, wal ki ng wi t h hi s gr eat st r i de i nt o t he r oom.
The cr owd of ser vant s made eager way f or hi m, and he bowed l ow bef or e t he l i t t l e
pr i ncess' s bed. ' I shal l send my ser vant at once, on t he f ast est hor se i n t he st abl e,
t o t el l your ki ng- papa t hat Your Royal Hi ghness desi r es hi s pr esence. When you have
chosen one of t hese under - ser vant s t o wai t upon you, I shal l or der t he r oomt o be
cl ear ed. '
' Thank you ver y much, Si r Wal t er , ' sai d t he pr i ncess, and her eye gl anced t owar ds a
r osy- cheeked gi r l who had l at el y come t o t he house as a scul l er y- mai d.
But when Loot i e saw t he eyes of her dear pr i ncess goi ng i n sear ch of anot her i nst ead
of her , she f el l upon her knees by t he bedsi de, and bur st i nt o a gr eat cr y of
di st r ess.
' I t hi nk, Si r Wal t er , ' sai d t he pr i ncess, ' I wi l l keep Loot i e. But I put mysel f under
your car e; and you need not t r oubl e my ki ng- papa unt i l I speak t o you agai n. Wi l l you
al l pl ease t o go away? I amqui t e saf e and wel l , and I di d not hi de mysel f f or t he
sake ei t her of amusi ng mysel f , or of t r oubl i ng my peopl e. Loot i e, wi l l you pl ease t o
dr ess me. '

From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 79

CHAPTER 25: Curdie Comes to Grief
Ever yt hi ng was f or some t i me qui et above gr ound. The ki ng was st i l l away i n a di st ant
par t of hi s domi ni ons. The men- at - ar ms kept wat chi ng about t he house. They had been
consi der abl y ast oni shed by f i ndi ng at t he f oot of t he r ock i n t he gar den t he hi deous
body of t he gobl i n cr eat ur e ki l l ed by Cur di e; but t hey came t o t he concl usi on t hat i t
had been sl ai n i n t he mi nes, and had cr ept out t her e t o di e; and except an occasi onal
gl i mpse of a l i ve one t hey saw not hi ng t o cause al ar m. Cur di e kept wat chi ng i n t he
mount ai n, and t he gobl i ns kept bur r owi ng deeper i nt o t he ear t h. As l ong as t hey went
deeper t her e was, Cur di e j udged, no i mmedi at e danger .
To I r ene t he summer was as f ul l of pl easur e as ever , and f or a l ong t i me, al t hough
she of t en t hought of her gr andmot her dur i ng t he day, and of t en dr eamed about her at
ni ght , she di d not see her . The ki ds and t he f l ower s wer e as much her del i ght as
ever , and she made as much f r i endshi p wi t h t he mi ner s' chi l dr en she met on t he
mount ai n as Loot i e woul d per mi t ; but Loot i e had ver y f ool i sh not i ons concer ni ng t he
di gni t y of a pr i ncess, not under st andi ng t hat t he t r uest pr i ncess i s j ust t he one who
l oves al l her br ot her s and si st er s best , and who i s most abl e t o do t hemgood by
bei ng humbl e t owar ds t hem. At t he same t i me she was consi der abl y al t er ed f or t he
bet t er i n her behavi our t o t he pr i ncess. She coul d not hel p seei ng t hat she was no
l onger a mer e chi l d, but wi ser t han her age woul d account f or . She kept f ool i shl y
whi sper i ng t o t he ser vant s, however somet i mes t hat t he pr i ncess was not r i ght i n her
mi nd, somet i mes t hat she was t oo good t o l i ve, and ot her nonsense of t he same sor t .
Al l t hi s t i me Cur di e had t o be sor r y, wi t hout a chance of conf essi ng, t hat he had
behaved so unki ndl y t o t he pr i ncess. Thi s per haps made hi mt he mor e di l i gent i n hi s
endeavour s t o ser ve her . Hi s mot her and he of t en t al ked on t he subj ect , and she
comf or t ed hi m, and t ol d hi mshe was sur e he woul d some day have t he oppor t uni t y he so
much desi r ed.
Her e I shoul d l i ke t o r emar k, f or t he sake of pr i nces and pr i ncesses i n gener al , t hat
i t i s a l ow and cont empt i bl e t hi ng t o r ef use t o conf ess a f aul t , or even an er r or . I f
a t r ue pr i ncess has done wr ong, she i s al ways uneasy unt i l she has had an oppor t uni t y
of t hr owi ng t he wr ongness away f r omher by sayi ng: ' I di d i t ; and I wi sh I had not ;
and I amsor r y f or havi ng done i t . ' So you see t her e i s some gr ound f or supposi ng
t hat Cur di e was not a mi ner onl y, but a pr i nce as wel l . Many such i nst ances have been
known i n t he wor l d' s hi st or y.
At l engt h, however , he began t o see si gns of a change i n t he pr oceedi ngs of t he
gobl i n excavat or s: t hey wer e goi ng no deeper , but had commenced r unni ng on a l evel ;
and he wat ched t hem, t her ef or e, mor e cl osel y t han ever . Al l at once, one ni ght ,
comi ng t o a sl ope of ver y har d r ock, t hey began t o ascend al ong t he i ncl i ned pl ane of
i t s sur f ace. Havi ng r eached i t s t op, t hey went agai n on a l evel f or a ni ght or t wo,
af t er whi ch t hey began t o ascend once mor e, and kept on at a pr et t y st eep angl e. At
l engt h Cur di e j udged i t t i me t o t r ansf er hi s obser vat i on t o anot her quar t er , and t he
next ni ght he di d not go t o t he mi ne at al l ; but , l eavi ng hi s pi ckaxe and cl ue at
home, and t aki ng onl y hi s usual l umps of br ead and pease puddi ng, went down t he
mount ai n t o t he ki ng' s house. He cl i mbed over t he wal l , and r emai ned i n t he gar den
t he whol e ni ght , cr eepi ng on hands and knees f r omone spot t o t he ot her , and l yi ng at
f ul l l engt h wi t h hi s ear t o t he gr ound, l i st eni ng. But he hear d not hi ng except t he
t r ead of t he men- at - ar ms as t hey mar ched about , whose obser vat i on, as t he ni ght was
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 80
cl oudy and t her e was no moon, he had l i t t l e di f f i cul t y i n avoi di ng. For sever al
f ol l owi ng ni ght s he cont i nued t o haunt t he gar den and l i st en, but wi t h no success.
At l engt h, ear l y one eveni ng, whet her i t was t hat he had got car el ess of hi s own
saf et y, or t hat t he gr owi ng moon had become st r ong enough t o expose hi m, hi s wat chi ng
came t o a sudden end. He was cr eepi ng f r ombehi nd t he r ock wher e t he st r eamr an out ,
f or he had been l i st eni ng al l r ound i t i n t he hope i t mi ght convey t o hi s ear some
i ndi cat i on of t he wher eabout s of t he gobl i n mi ner s, when j ust as he came i nt o t he
moonl i ght on t he l awn, a whi zz i n hi s ear and a bl ow upon hi s l eg st ar t l ed hi m. He
i nst ant l y squat t ed i n t he hope of el udi ng f ur t her not i ce. But when he hear d t he sound
of r unni ng f eet , he j umped up t o t ake t he chance of escape by f l i ght . He f el l ,
however , wi t h a keen shoot of pai n, f or t he bol t of a cr ossbow had wounded hi s l eg,
and t he bl ood was now st r eami ng f r omi t . He was i nst ant l y l ai d Hol d of by t wo or
t hr ee of t he men- at - ar ms. I t was usel ess t o st r uggl e, and he submi t t ed i n si l ence.
' I t ' s a boy! ' cr i ed sever al of t hemt oget her , i n a t one of amazement . ' I t hought i t
was one of t hose demons. What ar e you about her e?'
' Goi ng t o have a l i t t l e r ough usage, appar ent l y, ' sai d Cur di e, l aughi ng, as t he men
shook hi m.
' I mper t i nence wi l l do you no good. You have no busi ness her e i n t he ki ng' s gr ounds,
and i f you don' t gi ve a t r ue account of your sel f , you shal l f ar e as a t hi ef . '
' Why, what el se coul d he be?' sai d one.
' He mi ght have been af t er a l ost ki d, you know, ' suggest ed anot her .
' I see no good i n t r yi ng t o excuse hi m. He has no busi ness her e, anyhow. '
' Let me go away, t hen, i f you pl ease, ' sai d Cur di e.
' But we don' t pl easenot except you gi ve a good account of your sel f . '
' I don' t f eel qui t e sur e whet her I can t r ust you, ' sai d Cur di e.
' We ar e t he ki ng' s own men- at - ar ms, ' sai d t he capt ai n cour t eousl y, f or he was t aken
wi t h Cur di e' s appear ance and cour age.
' Wel l , I wi l l t el l you al l about i t i f you wi l l pr omi se t o l i st en t o me and not do
anyt hi ng r ash. '
' I cal l t hat cool ! ' sai d one of t he par t y, l aughi ng. ' He wi l l t el l us what mi schi ef
he was about , i f we pr omi se t o do as pl eases hi m. '
' I was about no mi schi ef , ' sai d Cur di e.
But er e he coul d say mor e he t ur ned f ai nt , and f el l sensel ess on t he gr ass. Then
f i r st t hey di scover ed t hat t he bol t t hey had shot , t aki ng hi mf or one of t he gobl i n
cr eat ur es, had wounded hi m.
They car r i ed hi mi nt o t he house and l ai d hi mdown i n t he hal l . The r epor t spr ead t hat
t hey had caught a r obber , and t he ser vant s cr owded i n t o see t he vi l l ai n. Amongst t he
r est came t he nur se. The moment she saw hi mshe excl ai med wi t h i ndi gnat i on:
' I decl ar e i t ' s t he same young r ascal of a mi ner t hat was r ude t o me and t he pr i ncess
on t he mount ai n. He act ual l y want ed t o ki ss t he pr i ncess. I t ook good car e of t hat
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 81
t he wr et ch! And he was pr owl i ng about , was he? J ust l i ke hi s i mpudence! ' The pr i ncess
bei ng f ast asl eep, she coul d mi sr epr esent at her pl easur e.
When he hear d t hi s, t he capt ai n, al t hough he had consi der abl e doubt of i t s t r ut h,
r esol ved t o keep Cur di e a pr i soner unt i l t hey coul d sear ch i nt o t he af f ai r . So, af t er
t hey had br ought hi mr ound a l i t t l e, and at t ended t o hi s wound, whi ch was r at her a
bad one, t hey l ai d hi m, st i l l exhaust ed f r omt he l oss of bl ood, upon a mat t r ess i n a
di sused r oomone of t hose al r eady so of t en ment i onedand l ocked t he door , and l ef t
hi m. He passed a t r oubl ed ni ght , and i n t he mor ni ng t hey f ound hi mt al ki ng wi l dl y. I n
t he eveni ng he came t o hi msel f , but f el t ver y weak, and hi s l eg was exceedi ngl y
pai nf ul . Wonder i ng wher e he was, and seei ng one of t he men- at - ar ms i n t he r oom, he
began t o quest i on hi mand soon r ecal l ed t he event s of t he pr ecedi ng ni ght . As he was
hi msel f unabl e t o wat ch any mor e, he t ol d t he sol di er al l he knew about t he gobl i ns,
and begged hi mt o t el l hi s compani ons, and st i r t hemup t o wat ch wi t h t enf ol d
vi gi l ance; but whet her i t was t hat he di d not t al k qui t e coher ent l y, or t hat t he
whol e t hi ng appear ed i ncr edi bl e, cer t ai nl y t he man concl uded t hat Cur di e was onl y
r avi ng st i l l , and t r i ed t o coax hi mi nt o hol di ng hi s t ongue. Thi s, of cour se, annoyed
Cur di e dr eadf ul l y, who now f el t i n hi s t ur n what i t was not t o be bel i eved, and t he
consequence was t hat hi s f ever r et ur ned, and by t he t i me when, at hi s per si st ent
ent r eat i es, t he capt ai n was cal l ed, t her e coul d be no doubt t hat he was r avi ng. They
di d f or hi mwhat t hey coul d, and pr omi sed ever yt hi ng he want ed, but wi t h no i nt ent i on
of f ul f i l ment . At l ast he went t o sl eep, and when at l engt h hi s sl eep gr ew pr of ound
and peacef ul , t hey l ef t hi m, l ocked t he door agai n, and wi t hdr ew, i nt endi ng t o
r evi si t hi mear l y i n t he mor ni ng.

CHAPTER 26: The Goblin-Miners
That same ni ght sever al of t he ser vant s wer e havi ng a chat t oget her bef or e goi ng t o
bed.
' What can t hat noi se be?' sai d one of t he housemai ds, who had been l i st eni ng f or a
moment or t wo.
' I ' ve hear d i t t he l ast t wo ni ght s, ' sai d t he cook. ' I f t her e wer e any about t he
pl ace, I shoul d have t aken i t f or r at s, but my Tomkeeps t hemf ar enough. '
' I ' ve hear d, t hough, ' sai d t he scul l er y- mai d, ' t hat r at s move about i n gr eat
compani es somet i mes. Ther e may be an ar my of t hemi nvadi ng us. I ' ve hear d t he noi ses
yest er day and t oday t oo. '
' I t ' l l be gr and f un, t hen, f or my Tomand Mr s Housekeeper ' s Bob, ' sai d t he cook.
' They' l l be f r i ends f or once i n t hei r l i ves, and f i ght on t he same si de. I ' l l engage
Tomand Bob t oget her wi l l put t o f l i ght any number of r at s. '
' I t seems t o me, ' sai d t he nur se, ' t hat t he noi ses ar e much t oo l oud f or t hat . I have
hear d t hemal l day, and my pr i ncess has asked me sever al t i mes what t hey coul d be.
Somet i mes t hey sound l i ke di st ant t hunder , and somet i mes l i ke t he noi ses you hear i n
t he mount ai n f r omt hose hor r i d mi ner s under neat h. '
' I shoul dn' t wonder , ' sai d t he cook, ' i f i t was t he mi ner s af t er al l . They may have
come on some hol e i n t he mount ai n t hr ough whi ch t he noi ses r each t o us. They ar e
al ways bor i ng and bl ast i ng and br eaki ng, you know. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 82
As he spoke, t her e came a gr eat r ol l i ng r umbl e beneat h t hem, and t he house qui ver ed.
They al l st ar t ed up i n af f r i ght , and r ushi ng t o t he hal l f ound t he gent l emen- at - ar ms
i n const er nat i on al so. They had sent t o wake t hei r capt ai n, who sai d f r omt hei r
descr i pt i on t hat i t must have been an ear t hquake, an occur r ence whi ch, al t hough ver y
r ar e i n t hat count r y, had t aken pl ace al most wi t hi n t he cent ur y; and t hen went t o bed
agai n, st r ange t o say, and f el l f ast asl eep wi t hout once t hi nki ng of Cur di e, or
associ at i ng t he noi ses t hey had hear d wi t h what he had t ol d t hem. He had not bel i eved
Cur di e. I f he had, he woul d at once have t hought of what he had sai d, and woul d have
t aken pr ecaut i ons. As t hey hear d not hi ng mor e, t hey concl uded t hat Si r Wal t er was
r i ght , and t hat t he danger was over f or per haps anot her hundr ed year s. The f act , as
di scover ed af t er war ds, was t hat t he gobl i ns had, i n wor ki ng up a second sl opi ng f ace
of st one, ar r i ved at a huge bl ock whi ch l ay under t he cel l ar s of t he house, wi t hi n
t he l i ne of t he f oundat i ons.
I t was so r ound t hat when t hey succeeded, af t er har d wor k, i n di sl odgi ng i t wi t hout
bl ast i ng, i t r ol l ed t hunder i ng down t he sl ope wi t h a boundi ng, j ar r i ng r ol l , whi ch
shook t he f oundat i ons of t he house. The gobl i ns wer e t hemsel ves di smayed at t he
noi se, f or t hey knew, by car ef ul spyi ng and measur i ng, t hat t hey must now be ver y
near , i f not under t he ki ng' s house, and t hey f ear ed gi vi ng an al ar m. They,
t her ef or e, r emai ned qui et f or a whi l e, and when t hey began t o wor k agai n, t hey no
doubt t hought t hemsel ves ver y f or t unat e i n comi ng upon a vei n of sand whi ch f i l l ed a
wi ndi ng f i ssur e i n t he r ock on whi ch t he house was bui l t . By scoopi ng t hi s away t hey
came out i n t he ki ng' s wi ne cel l ar .
No sooner di d t hey f i nd wher e t hey wer e, t han t hey scur r i ed back agai n, l i ke r at s
i nt o t hei r hol es, and r unni ng at f ul l speed t o t he gobl i n pal ace, announced t hei r
success t o t he ki ng and queen wi t h shout s of t r i umph.
I n a moment t he gobl i n r oyal f ami l y and t he whol e gobl i n peopl e wer e on t hei r way i n
hot hast e t o t he ki ng' s house, each eager t o have a shar e i n t he gl or y of car r yi ng
of f t hat same ni ght t he Pr i ncess I r ene.
The queen went st umpi ng al ong i n one shoe of st one and one of ski n.
Thi s coul d not have been pl easant , and my r eader s may wonder t hat , wi t h such ski l f ul
wor kmen about her , she had not yet r epl aced t he shoe car r i ed of f by Cur di e. As t he
ki ng, however , had mor e t han one gr ound of obj ect i on t o her st one shoes, he no doubt
t ook advant age of t he di scover y of her t oes, and t hr eat ened t o expose her def or mi t y
i f she had anot her made. I pr esume he i nsi st ed on her bei ng cont ent wi t h ski n shoes,
and al l owed her t o wear t he r emai ni ng gr ani t e one on t he pr esent occasi on onl y
because she was goi ng out t o war .
They soon ar r i ved i n t he ki ng' s wi ne cel l ar , and r egar dl ess of i t s huge vessel s, of
whi ch t hey di d not know t he use, pr oceeded at once, but as qui et l y as t hey coul d, t o
f or ce t he door t hat l ed upwar ds.

CHAPTER 27: The Goblins in the King's House
When Cur di e f el l asl eep he began at once t o dr eam. He t hought he was ascendi ng t he
Mount ai nsi de f r omt he mout h of t he mi ne, whi st l i ng and si ngi ng ' Ri ng, dod, bang! '
when he came upon a woman and chi l d who had l ost t hei r way; and f r omt hat poi nt he
went on dr eami ng ever yt hi ng t hat had happened t o hi msi nce he t hus met t he pr i ncess
and Loot i e; how he had wat ched t he gobl i ns, how he had been t aken by t hem, how he had
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 83
been r escued by t he pr i ncess; ever yt hi ng, i ndeed, unt i l he was wounded, capt ur ed, and
i mpr i soned by t he men- at - ar ms. And now he t hought he was l yi ng wi de awake wher e t hey
had l ai d hi m, when suddenl y he hear d a gr eat t hunder i ng sound.
' The cobs ar e comi ng! ' he sai d. ' They di dn' t bel i eve a wor d I t ol d t hem! The cobs' l l
be car r yi ng of f t he pr i ncess f r omunder t hei r st upi d noses! But t hey shan' t ! t hat
t hey shan' t ! '
He j umped up, as he t hought , and began t o dr ess, but , t o hi s di smay, f ound t hat he
was st i l l l yi ng i n bed.
' Now t hen, I wi l l ! ' he sai d. ' Her e goes! I amup now! '
But yet agai n he f ound hi msel f snug i n bed. Twent y t i mes he t r i ed, and t went y t i mes
he f ai l ed; f or i n f act he was not awake, onl y dr eami ng t hat he was. At l engt h i n an
agony of despai r , f ancyi ng he hear d t he gobl i ns al l over t he house, he gave a gr eat
cr y. Then t her e came, as he t hought , a hand upon t he l ock of hi s door . I t opened,
and, l ooki ng up, he saw a l ady wi t h whi t e hai r , car r yi ng a si l ver box i n her hand,
ent er t he r oom. She came t o hi s bed, he t hought , st r oked hi s head and f ace wi t h cool ,
sof t hands, t ook t he dr essi ng f r omhi s l eg, r ubbed i t wi t h somet hi ng t hat smel t l i ke
r oses, and t hen waved her hands over hi mt hr ee t i mes. At t he l ast wave of her hands
ever yt hi ng vani shed, he f el t hi msel f si nki ng i nt o t he pr of oundest sl umber , and
r emember ed not hi ng mor e unt i l he awoke i n ear nest .
The set t i ng moon was t hr owi ng a f eebl e l i ght t hr ough t he casement , and t he house was
f ul l of upr oar . Ther e was sof t heavy mul t i t udi nous st ampi ng, a cl ashi ng and cl angi ng
of weapons, t he voi ces of men and t he cr i es of women, mi xed wi t h a hi deous bel l owi ng,
whi ch sounded vi ct or i ous. The cobs wer e i n t he house! He spr ang f r omhi s bed, hur r i ed
on some of hi s cl ot hes, not f or get t i ng hi s shoes, whi ch wer e ar med wi t h nai l s; t hen
spyi ng an ol d hunt i ng- kni f e, or shor t swor d, hangi ng on t he wal l , he caught i t , and
r ushed down t he st ai r s, gui ded by t he sounds of st r i f e, whi ch gr ew l ouder and l ouder .
When he r eached t he gr ound f l oor he f ound t he whol e pl ace swar mi ng.
Al l t he gobl i ns of t he mount ai n seemed gat her ed t her e. He r ushed amongst t hem,
shout i ng:
' One, t wo,
Hi t and hew!
Thr ee, f our ,
Bl ast and bor e! '
and wi t h ever y r hyme he came down a gr eat st amp upon a f oot , cut t i ng at t he same t i me
t hei r f acesexecut i ng, i ndeed, a swor d dance of t he wi l dest descr i pt i on. Away
scat t er ed t he gobl i ns i n ever y di r ect i oni nt o cl oset s, up st ai r s, i nt o chi mneys, up
on r af t er s, and down t o t he cel l ar s. Cur di e went on st ampi ng and sl ashi ng and
si ngi ng, but saw not hi ng of t he peopl e of t he house unt i l he came t o t he gr eat hal l ,
i n whi ch, t he moment he ent er ed i t , ar ose a gr eat gobl i n shout . The l ast of t he men-
at - ar ms, t he capt ai n hi msel f , was on t he f l oor , bur i ed beneat h a wal l owi ng cr owd of
gobl i ns. For , whi l e each kni ght was busy def endi ng hi msel f as wel l as he coul d, by
st abs i n t he t hi ck bodi es of t he gobl i ns, f or he had soon f ound t hei r heads al l but
i nvul ner abl e, t he queen had at t acked hi s l egs and f eet wi t h her hor r i bl e gr ani t e
shoe, and he was soon down; but t he capt ai n had got hi s back t o t he wal l and st ood
out l onger . The gobl i ns woul d have t or n t hemal l t o pi eces, but t he ki ng had gi ven
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 84
or der s t o car r y t hemaway al i ve, and over each of t hem, i n t wel ve gr oups, was
st andi ng a knot of gobl i ns, whi l e as many as coul d f i nd r oomwer e si t t i ng upon t hei r
pr ost r at e bodi es.
Cur di e bur st i n danci ng and gyr at i ng and st ampi ng and si ngi ng l i ke a smal l i ncar nat e
whi r l wi nd.
' Wher e ' t i s al l a hol e, si r ,
Never can be hol es:
Why shoul d t hei r shoes have sol es, si r ,
When t hey' ve got no soul s?
' But she upon her f oot , si r ,
Has a gr ani t e shoe:
The st r ongest l eat her boot , si r ,
Si x woul d soon be t hr ough. '

The queen gave a howl of r age and di smay; and bef or e she r ecover ed her pr esence of
mi nd, Cur di e, havi ng begun wi t h t he gr oup near est hi m, had el even of t he kni ght s on
t hei r l egs agai n.
' St amp on t hei r f eet ! ' he cr i ed as each man r ose, and i n a f ew mi nut es t he hal l was
near l y empt y, t he gobl i ns r unni ng f r omi t as f ast as t hey coul d, howl i ng and
shr i eki ng and l i mpi ng, and cower i ng ever y now and t hen as t hey r an t o cuddl e t hei r
wounded f eet i n t hei r har d hands, or t o pr ot ect t hemf r omt he f r i ght f ul st amp- st amp
of t he ar med men.
And now Cur di e appr oached t he gr oup whi ch, i n t r ust i ng i n t he queen and her shoe,
kept t hei r guar d over t he pr ost r at e capt ai n. The ki ng sat on t he capt ai n' s head, but
t he queen st ood i n f r ont , l i ke an i nf ur i at ed cat , wi t h her per pendi cul ar eyes
gl eami ng gr een, and her hai r st andi ng hal f up f r omher hor r i d head. Her hear t was
quaki ng, however , and she kept movi ng about her ski n- shod f oot wi t h ner vous
appr ehensi on. When Cur di e was wi t hi n a f ew paces, she r ushed at hi m, made one
t r emendous st amp at hi s opposi ng f oot , whi ch happi l y he wi t hdr ew i n t i me, and caught
hi mr ound t he wai st , t o dash hi mon t he mar bl e f l oor . But j ust as she caught hi m, he
came down wi t h al l t he wei ght of hi s i r on- shod shoe upon her ski n- shod f oot , and wi t h
a hi deous howl she dr opped hi m, squat t ed on t he f l oor , and t ook her f oot i n bot h her
hands. Meanwhi l e t he r est r ushed on t he ki ng and t he bodyguar d, sent t hemf l yi ng, and
l i f t ed t he pr ost r at e capt ai n, who was al l but pr essed t o deat h. I t was some moment s
bef or e he r ecover ed br eat h and consci ousness.
' Wher e' s t he pr i ncess?' cr i ed Cur di e, agai n and agai n.
No one knew, and of f t hey al l r ushed i n sear ch of her .
Thr ough ever y r oomi n t he house t hey went , but nowher e was she t o be f ound. Nei t her
was one of t he ser vant s t o be seen. But Cur di e, who had kept t o t he l ower par t of t he
house, whi ch was now qui et enough, began t o hear a conf used sound as of a di st ant
hubbub, and set out t o f i nd wher e i t came f r om. The noi se gr ew as hi s shar p ear s
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 85
gui ded hi mt o a st ai r and so t o t he wi ne cel l ar . I t was f ul l of gobl i ns, whomt he
but l er was suppl yi ng wi t h wi ne as f ast as he coul d dr aw i t .
Whi l e t he queen and her par t y had encount er ed t he men- at - ar ms, Har el i p wi t h anot her
company had gone of f t o sear ch t he house. They capt ur ed ever y one t hey met , and when
t hey coul d f i nd no mor e, t hey hur r i ed away t o car r y t hemsaf e t o t he caver ns bel ow.
But when t he but l er , who was amongst t hem, f ound t hat t hei r pat h l ay t hr ough t he wi ne
cel l ar , he bet hought hi msel f of per suadi ng t hemt o t ast e t he wi ne, and, as he had
hoped, t hey no sooner t ast ed t han t hey want ed mor e. The r out ed gobl i ns, on t hei r way
bel ow, j oi ned t hem, and when Cur di e ent er ed t hey wer e al l , wi t h out st r et ched hands,
i n whi ch wer e vessel s of ever y descr i pt i on f r omsauce pan t o si l ver cup, pr essi ng
ar ound t he but l er , who sat at t he t ap of a huge cask, f i l l i ng and f i l l i ng. Cur di e
cast one gl ance ar ound t he pl ace bef or e commenci ng hi s at t ack, and saw i n t he
f ar t hest cor ner a t er r i f i ed gr oup of t he domest i cs unwat ched, but cower i ng wi t hout
cour age t o at t empt t hei r escape. Amongst t hemwas t he t er r or - st r i cken f ace of Loot i e;
but nowher e coul d he see t he pr i ncess. Sei zed wi t h t he hor r i bl e convi ct i on t hat
Har el i p had al r eady car r i ed her of f , he r ushed amongst t hem, unabl e f or wr at h t o si ng
any mor e, but st ampi ng and cut t i ng wi t h gr eat er f ur y t han ever .
' St amp on t hei r f eet ; st amp on t hei r f eet ! ' he shout ed, and i n a moment t he gobl i ns
wer e di sappear i ng t hr ough t he hol e i n t he f l oor l i ke r at s and mi ce.
They coul d not vani sh so f ast , however , but t hat many mor e gobl i n f eet had t o go
l i mpi ng back over t he under gr ound ways of t he mount ai n t hat mor ni ng.
Pr esent l y, however , t hey wer e r ei nf or ced f r omabove by t he ki ng and hi s par t y, wi t h
t he r edoubt abl e queen at t hei r head. Fi ndi ng Cur di e agai n busy amongst her
unf or t unat e subj ect s, she r ushed at hi monce mor e wi t h t he r age of despai r , and t hi s
t i me gave hi ma bad br ui se on t he f oot . Then a r egul ar st ampi ng f i ght got up bet ween
t hem, Cur di e, wi t h t he poi nt of hi s hunt i ng- kni f e, keepi ng her f r omcl aspi ng her
mi ght y ar ms about hi m, as he wat ched hi s oppor t uni t y of get t i ng once mor e a good
st amp at her ski n- shod f oot . But t he queen was mor e war y as wel l as mor e agi l e t han
hi t her t o.
The r est meant i me, f i ndi ng t hei r adver sar y t hus mat ched f or t he moment , paused i n
t hei r headl ong hur r y, and t ur ned t o t he shi ver i ng gr oup of women i n t he cor ner . As i f
det er mi ned t o emul at e hi s f at her and have a sun- woman of some sor t t o shar e hi s
f ut ur e t hr one, Har el i p r ushed at t hem, caught up Loot i e, and sped wi t h her t o t he
hol e. She gave a gr eat shr i ek, and Cur di e hear d her , and saw t he pl i ght she was i n.
Gat her i ng al l hi s st r engt h, he gave t he queen a sudden cut acr oss t he f ace wi t h hi s
weapon, came down, as she st ar t ed back, wi t h al l hi s wei ght on t he pr oper f oot , and
spr ung t o Loot i e' s r escue. The pr i nce had t wo def encel ess f eet , and on bot h of t hem
Cur di e st amped j ust as he r eached t he hol e. He dr opped hi s bur den and r ol l ed
shr i eki ng i nt o t he ear t h. Cur di e made one st ab at hi mas he di sappear ed, caught hol d
of t he sensel ess Loot i e, and havi ng dr agged her back t o t he cor ner , t her e mount ed
guar d over her , pr epar i ng once mor e t o encount er t he queen.
Her f ace st r eami ng wi t h bl ood, and her eyes f l ashi ng gr een l i ght ni ng t hr ough i t , she
came on wi t h her mout h open and her t eet h gr i nni ng l i ke a t i ger ' s, f ol l owed by t he
ki ng and her bodyguar d of t he t hi ckest gobl i ns. But t he same moment i n r ushed t he
capt ai n and hi s men, and r an at t hemst ampi ng f ur i ousl y. They dar ed not encount er
such an onset . Away t hey scur r i ed, t he queen f or emost . Of cour se, t he r i ght t hi ng
woul d have been t o t ake t he ki ng and queen pr i soner s, and hol d t hemhost ages f or t he
pr i ncess, but t hey wer e so anxi ous t o f i nd her t hat no one t hought of det ai ni ng t hem
unt i l i t was t oo l at e.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 86
Havi ng t hus r escued t he ser vant s, t hey set about sear chi ng t he house once mor e. None
of t hemcoul d gi ve t he l east i nf or mat i on concer ni ng t he pr i ncess. Loot i e was al most
si l l y wi t h t er r or , and, al t hough scar cel y abl e t o wal k woul d not l eave Cur di e' s si de
f or a si ngl e moment . Agai n he al l owed t he ot her s t o sear ch t he r est of t he house
wher e, except a di smayed gobl i n l ur ki ng her e and t her e, t hey f ound no onewhi l e he
r equest ed Loot i e t o t ake hi mt o t he pr i ncess' s r oom. She was as submi ssi ve and
obedi ent as i f he had been t he ki ng.
He f ound t he bedcl ot hes t ossed about , and most of t hemon t he f l oor , whi l e t he
pr i ncess' s gar ment s wer e scat t er ed al l over t he r oom, whi ch was i n t he gr eat est
conf usi on. I t was onl y t oo evi dent t hat t he gobl i ns had been t her e, and Cur di e had no
l onger any doubt t hat she had been car r i ed of f at t he ver y f i r st of t he i nr oad. Wi t h
a pang of despai r he saw how wr ong t hey had been i n not secur i ng t he ki ng and queen
and pr i nce; but he det er mi ned t o f i nd and r escue t he pr i ncess as she had f ound and
r escued hi m, or meet t he wor st f at e t o whi ch t he gobl i ns coul d doomhi m.

CHAPTER 28: Curdie's Guide
J ust as t he consol at i on of t hi s r esol ve dawned upon hi s mi nd and he was t ur ni ng away
f or t he cel l ar t o f ol l ow t he gobl i ns i nt o t hei r hol e, somet hi ng t ouched hi s hand. I t
was t he sl i ght est t ouch, and when he l ooked he coul d see not hi ng. Feel i ng and peer i ng
about i n t he gr ey of t he dawn, hi s f i nger s came upon a t i ght t hr ead. He l ooked agai n,
and nar r owl y, but st i l l coul d see not hi ng. I t f l ashed upon hi mt hat t hi s must be t he
pr i ncess' s t hr ead. Wi t hout sayi ng a wor d, f or he knew no one woul d bel i eve hi many
mor e t han he had bel i eved t he pr i ncess, he f ol l owed t he t hr ead wi t h hi s f i nger ,
cont r i ved t o gi ve Loot i e t he sl i p, and was soon out of t he house and on t he
mount ai nsi desur pr i sed t hat , i f t he t hr ead wer e i ndeed t he gr andmot her ' s messenger ,
i t shoul d have l ed t he pr i ncess, as he supposed i t must , i nt o t he mount ai n, wher e she
woul d be cer t ai n t o meet t he gobl i ns r ushi ng back enr aged f r omt hei r def eat . But he
hur r i ed on i n t he hope of over t aki ng her f i r st . When he ar r i ved, however , at t he
pl ace wher e t he pat h t ur ned of f f or t he mi ne, he f ound t hat t he t hr ead di d not t ur n
wi t h i t , but went st r ai ght up t he mount ai n. Coul d i t be t hat t he t hr ead was l eadi ng
hi mhome t o hi s mot her ' s cot t age? Coul d t he pr i ncess be t her e? He bounded up t he
mount ai n l i ke one of i t s own goat s, and bef or e t he sun was up t he t hr ead had br ought
hi mi ndeed t o hi s mot her ' s door . Ther e i t vani shed f r omhi s f i nger s, and he coul d not
f i nd i t , sear ch as he mi ght .
The door was on t he l at ch, and he ent er ed. Ther e sat hi s mot her by t he f i r e, and i n
her ar ms l ay t he pr i ncess, f ast asl eep.
' Hush, Cur di e! ' sai d hi s mot her . ' Do not wake her . I ' mso gl ad you' r e come! I t hought
t he cobs must have got you agai n! '
Wi t h a hear t f ul l of del i ght , Cur di e sat down at a cor ner of t he hear t h, on a st ool
opposi t e hi s mot her ' s chai r , and gazed at t he pr i ncess, who sl ept as peacef ul l y as i f
she had been i n her own bed. Al l at once she opened her eyes and f i xed t hemon hi m.
' Oh, Cur di e! you' r e come! ' she sai d qui et l y. ' I t hought you woul d! '
Cur di e r ose and st ood bef or e her wi t h downcast eyes.
' I r ene, ' he sai d, ' I amver y sor r y I di d not bel i eve you. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 87
' Oh, never mi nd, Cur di e! ' answer ed t he pr i ncess. ' You coul dn' t , you know. You do
bel i eve me now, don' t you?'
' I can' t hel p i t now. I ought t o have hel ped i t bef or e. '
' Why can' t you hel p i t now?'
' Because, j ust as I was goi ng i nt o t he mount ai n t o l ook f or you, I got hol d of your
t hr ead, and i t br ought me her e. '
' Then you' ve come f r ommy house, have you?'
' Yes, I have. '
' I di dn' t know you wer e t her e. '
' I ' ve been t her e t wo or t hr ee days, I bel i eve. '
' And I never knew i t ! Then per haps you can t el l me why my gr andmot her has br ought me
her e? I can' t t hi nk. Somet hi ng woke meI di dn' t know what , but I was f r i ght ened, and
I f el t f or t he t hr ead, and t her e i t was! I was mor e f r i ght ened st i l l when i t br ought
me out on t he mount ai n, f or I t hought i t was goi ng t o t ake me i nt o i t agai n, and I
l i ke t he out si de of i t best . I supposed you wer e i n t r oubl e agai n, and I had t o get
you out . But i t br ought me her e i nst ead; and, oh, Cur di e! your mot her has been so
ki nd t o mej ust l i ke my own gr andmot her ! '
Her e Cur di e' s mot her gave t he pr i ncess a hug, and t he pr i ncess t ur ned and gave her a
sweet smi l e, and hel d up her mout h t o ki ss her .
' Then you di dn' t see t he cobs?' asked Cur di e.
' No; I haven' t been i nt o t he mount ai n, I t ol d you, Cur di e. '
' But t he cobs have been i nt o your houseal l over i t and i nt o your bedr oom, maki ng
such a r ow! '
' What di d t hey want t her e? I t was ver y r ude of t hem. '
' They want ed yout o car r y you of f i nt o t he mount ai n wi t h t hem, f or a wi f e t o t hei r
pr i nce Har el i p. '
' Oh, how dr eadf ul ' cr i ed t he pr i ncess, shudder i ng.
' But you needn' t be af r ai d, you know. Your gr andmot her t akes car e of you. '
' Ah! you do bel i eve i n my gr andmot her , t hen? I ' mso gl ad! She made me t hi nk you woul d
some day. '
Al l at once Cur di e r emember ed hi s dr eam, and was si l ent , t hi nki ng.
' But how di d you come t o be i n my house, and me not know i t ?' asked t he pr i ncess.
Then Cur di e had t o expl ai n ever yt hi nghow he had wat ched f or her sake, how he had
been wounded and shut up by t he sol di er s, how he hear d t he noi ses and coul d not r i se,
and how t he beaut i f ul ol d l ady had come t o hi m, and al l t hat f ol l owed.
' Poor Cur di e! t o l i e t her e hur t and i l l , and me never t o know i t ! ' excl ai med t he
pr i ncess, st r oki ng hi s r ough hand. ' I woul d have come and nur sed you, i f t hey had
t ol d me. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 88
' I di dn' t see you wer e l ame, ' sai d hi s mot her .
' AmI , mot her ? OhyesI suppose I ought t o be! I decl ar e I ' ve never t hought of i t
si nce I got up t o go down amongst t he cobs! '
' Let me see t he wound, ' sai d hi s mot her .
He pul l ed down hi s st ocki ngwhen behol d, except a gr eat scar , hi s l eg was per f ect l y
sound!
Cur di e and hi s mot her gazed i n each ot her ' s eyes, f ul l of wonder , but I r ene cal l ed
out :
' I t hought so, Cur di e! I was sur e i t wasn' t a dr eam. I was sur e my gr andmot her had
been t o see you. Don' t you smel l t he r oses? I t was my gr andmot her heal ed your l eg,
and sent you t o hel p me. '
' No, Pr i ncess I r ene, ' sai d Cur di e; ' I wasn' t good enough t o be al l owed t o hel p you: I
di dn' t bel i eve you. Your gr andmot her t ook car e of you wi t hout me. '
' She sent you t o hel p my peopl e, anyhow. I wi sh my ki ng- papa woul d come. I do want so
t o t el l hi mhow good you have been! '
' But , ' sai d t he mot her , ' we ar e f or get t i ng how f r i ght ened your peopl e must be. You
must t ake t he pr i ncess home at once, Cur di eor at l east go and t el l t hemwher e she
i s. '
' Yes, mot her . Onl y I ' mdr eadf ul l y hungr y. Do l et me have some br eakf ast f i r st . They
ought t o have l i st ened t o me, and t hen t hey woul dn' t have been t aken by sur pr i se as
t hey wer e. '
' That i s t r ue, Cur di e; but i t i s not f or you t o bl ame t hemmuch. You r emember ?'
' Yes, mot her , I do. Onl y I must r eal l y have somet hi ng t o eat . '
' You shal l , my boyas f ast as I can get i t , ' sai d hi s mot her , r i si ng and set t i ng t he
pr i ncess on her chai r .
But bef or e hi s br eakf ast was r eady, Cur di e j umped up so suddenl y as t o st ar t l e bot h
hi s compani ons.
' Mot her , mot her ! ' he cr i ed, ' I was f or get t i ng. You must t ake t he pr i ncess home
your sel f . I must go and wake my f at her . '
Wi t hout a wor d of expl anat i on, he r ushed t o t he pl ace wher e hi s f at her was sl eepi ng.
Havi ng t hor oughl y r oused hi mwi t h what he t ol d hi mhe dar t ed out of t he cot t age.

CHAPTER 29: Masonwork
He had al l at once r emember ed t he r esol ut i on of t he gobl i ns t o car r y out t hei r second
pl an upon t he f ai l ur e of t he f i r st . No doubt t hey wer e al r eady busy, and t he mi ne was
t her ef or e i n t he gr eat est danger of bei ng f l ooded and r ender ed usel essnot t o speak
of t he l i ves of t he mi ner s.
When he r eached t he mout h of t he mi ne, af t er r ousi ng al l t he mi ner s wi t hi n r each, he
f ound hi s f at her and a good many mor e j ust ent er i ng. They al l hur r i ed t o t he gang by
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 89
whi ch he had f ound a way i nt o t he gobl i n count r y. Ther e t he f or esi ght of Pet er had
al r eady col l ect ed a gr eat many bl ocks of st one, wi t h cement , r eady f or bui l di ng up
t he weak pl acewel l enough known t o t he gobl i ns. Al t hough t her e was not r oomf or mor e
t han t wo t o be act ual l y bui l di ng at once, t hey managed, by set t i ng al l t he r est t o
wor k i n pr epar i ng t he cement and passi ng t he st ones, t o f i ni sh i n t he cour se of t he
day a huge but t r ess f i l l i ng t he whol e gang, and suppor t ed ever ywher e by t he l i ve
r ock. Bef or e t he hour when t hey usual l y dr opped wor k, t hey wer e sat i sf i ed t he mi ne
was secur e.
They had hear d gobl i n hammer s and pi ckaxes busy al l t he t i me, and at l engt h f anci ed
t hey hear d sounds of wat er t hey had never hear d bef or e. But t hat was ot her wi se
account ed f or when t hey l ef t t he mi ne, f or t hey st epped out i nt o a t r emendous st or m
whi ch was r agi ng al l over t he mount ai n. The t hunder was bel l owi ng, and t he l i ght ni ng
l anci ng out of a huge bl ack cl oud whi ch l ay above i t and hung down i t s edges of t hi ck
mi st over i t s si des. The l i ght ni ng was br eaki ng out of t he mount ai n, t oo, and
f l ashi ng up i nt o t he cl oud. Fr omt he st at e of t he br ooks, now swol l en i nt o r agi ng
t or r ent s, i t was evi dent t hat t he st or mhad been st or mi ng al l day.
The wi nd was bl owi ng as i f i t woul d bl ow hi mof f t he mount ai n, but , anxi ous about hi s
mot her and t he pr i ncess, Cur di e dar t ed up t hr ough t he t hi ck of t he t empest . Even i f
t hey had not set out bef or e t he st or mcame on, he di d not j udge t hemsaf e, f or i n
such a st or meven t hei r poor l i t t l e house was i n danger . I ndeed he soon f ound t hat
but f or a huge r ock agai nst whi ch i t was bui l t , and whi ch pr ot ect ed i t bot h f r omt he
bl ast s and t he wat er s, i t must have been swept i f i t was not bl own away; f or t he t wo
t or r ent s i nt o whi ch t hi s r ock par t ed t he r ush of wat er behi nd i t uni t ed agai n i n
f r ont of t he cot t aget wo r oar i ng and danger ous st r eams, whi ch hi s mot her and t he
pr i ncess coul d not possi bl y have passed. I t was wi t h gr eat di f f i cul t y t hat he f or ced
hi s way t hr ough one of t hem, and up t o t he door .
The moment hi s hand f el l on t he l at ch, t hr ough al l t he upr oar of wi nds and Wat er s
came t he j oyous cr y of t he pr i ncess:
' Ther e' s Cur di e! Cur di e! Cur di e! '
She was si t t i ng wr apped i n bl anket s on t he bed, hi s mot her t r yi ng f or t he hundr edt h
t i me t o l i ght t he f i r e whi ch had been dr owned by t he r ai n t hat came down t he chi mney.
The cl ay f l oor was one mass of mud, and t he whol e pl ace l ooked wr et ched. But t he
f aces of t he mot her and t he pr i ncess shone as i f t hei r t r oubl es onl y made t hemt he
mer r i er . Cur di e bur st out l aughi ng at t he si ght of t hem.
' I never had such f un! ' sai d t he pr i ncess, her eyes t wi nkl i ng and her pr et t y t eet h
shi ni ng. ' How ni ce i t must be t o l i ve i n a cot t age on t he mount ai n! '
' I t al l depends on what ki nd your i nsi de house i s, ' sai d t he mot her .
' I know what you mean, ' sai d I r ene. ' That ' s t he ki nd of t hi ng my gr andmot her says. '
By t he t i me Pet er r et ur ned t he st or mwas near l y over , but t he st r eams wer e so f i er ce
and so swol l en t hat i t was not onl y out of t he quest i on f or t he pr i ncess t o go down
t he mount ai n, but most danger ous f or Pet er even or Cur di e t o make t he at t empt i n t he
gat her i ng dar kness.
' They wi l l be dr eadf ul l y f r i ght ened about you, ' sai d Pet er t o t he pr i ncess, ' but we
cannot hel p i t . We must wai t t i l l t he mor ni ng. '
Wi t h Cur di e' s hel p, t he f i r e was l i ght ed at l ast , and t he mot her set about maki ng
t hei r supper ; and af t er supper t hey al l t ol d t he pr i ncess st or i es t i l l she gr ew
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 90
sl eepy. Then Cur di e' s mot her l ai d her i n Cur di e' s bed, whi ch was i n a t i ny l i t t l e
gar r et - r oom. As soon as she was i n bed, t hr ough a l i t t l e wi ndow l ow down i n t he r oof
she caught si ght of her gr andmot her ' s l amp shi ni ng f ar away beneat h, and she gazed at
t he beaut i f ul si l ver y gl obe unt i l she f el l asl eep.

CHAPTER 30: The King and the Kiss
The next mor ni ng t he sun r ose so br i ght t hat I r ene sai d t he r ai n had washed hi s f ace
and l et t he l i ght out cl ean. The t or r ent s wer e st i l l r oar i ng down t he si de of t he
mount ai n, but t hey wer e so much smal l er as not t o be danger ous i n t he dayl i ght . Af t er
an ear l y br eakf ast , Pet er went t o hi s wor k and Cur di e and hi s mot her set out t o t ake
t he pr i ncess home. They had di f f i cul t y i n get t i ng her dr y acr oss t he st r eams, and
Cur di e had agai n and agai n t o car r y her , but at l ast t hey got saf e on t he br oader
par t of t he r oad, and wal ked gent l y down t owar ds t he ki ng' s house. And what shoul d
t hey see as t hey t ur ned t he l ast cor ner but t he l ast of t he ki ng' s t r oop r i di ng
t hr ough t he gat e!
' Oh, Cur di e! ' cr i ed I r ene, cl appi ng her hands r i ght j oyf ul l y, ' my ki ng- papa i s come. '
The moment Cur di e hear d t hat , he caught her up i n hi s ar ms, and set of f at f ul l
speed, cr yi ng:
' Come on, mot her dear ! The ki ng may br eak hi s hear t bef or e he knows t hat she i s
saf e. '
I r ene cl ung r ound hi s neck and he r an wi t h her l i ke a deer . When he ent er ed t he gat e
i nt o t he cour t , t her e sat t he ki ng on hi s hor se, wi t h al l t he peopl e of t he house
about hi m, weepi ng and hangi ng t hei r heads. The ki ng was not weepi ng, but hi s f ace
was whi t e as a dead man' s, and he l ooked as i f t he l i f e had gone out of hi m. The men-
at - ar ms he had br ought wi t h hi msat wi t h hor r or - st r i cken f aces, but eyes f l ashi ng
wi t h r age, wai t i ng onl y f or t he wor d of t he ki ng t o do somet hi ngt hey di d not know
what , and nobody knew what .
The day bef or e, t he men- at - ar ms bel ongi ng t o t he house, as soon as t hey wer e
sat i sf i ed t he pr i ncess had been car r i ed away, r ushed af t er t he gobl i ns i nt o t he hol e,
but f ound t hat t hey had al r eady so ski l f ul l y bl ockaded t he nar r owest par t , not many
f eet bel ow t he cel l ar , t hat wi t hout mi ner s and t hei r t ool s t hey coul d do not hi ng. Not
one of t hemknew wher e t he mout h of t he mi ne l ay, and some of t hose who had set out
t o f i nd i t had been over t aken by t he st or mand had not even yet r et ur ned. Poor Si r
Wal t er was especi al l y f i l l ed wi t h shame, and al most hoped t he ki ng woul d or der hi s
head t o be cut of f , f or t o t hi nk of t hat sweet l i t t l e f ace down amongst t he gobl i ns
was unendur abl e.
When Cur di e r an i n at t he gat e wi t h t he pr i ncess i n hi s ar ms, t hey wer e al l so
absor bed i n t hei r own mi ser y and awed by t he ki ng' s pr esence and gr i ef , t hat no one
obser ved hi s ar r i val . He went st r ai ght up t o t he ki ng, wher e he sat on hi s hor se.
' Papa! papa! ' t he pr i ncess cr i ed, st r et chi ng out her ar ms t o hi m; ' her e I am! '
The ki ng st ar t ed. The col our r ushed t o hi s f ace. He gave an i nar t i cul at e cr y. Cur di e
hel d up t he pr i ncess, and t he ki ng bent down and t ook her f r omhi s ar ms. As he
cl asped her t o hi s bosom, t he bi g t ear s went dr oppi ng down hi s cheeks and hi s bear d.
And such a shout ar ose f r omal l t he byst ander s t hat t he st ar t l ed hor ses pr anced and
caper ed, and t he ar mour r ang and cl at t er ed, and t he r ocks of t he mount ai n echoed back
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 91
t he noi ses. The pr i ncess gr eet ed t hemal l as she nest l ed i n her f at her ' s bosom, and
t he ki ng di d not set her down unt i l she had t ol d t hemal l t he st or y. But she had mor e
t o t el l about Cur di e t han about her sel f , and what she di d t el l about her sel f none of
t hemcoul d under st andexcept t he ki ng and Cur di e, who st ood by t he ki ng' s knee
st r oki ng t he neck of t he gr eat whi t e hor se. And st i l l as she t ol d what Cur di e had
done, Si r Wal t er and ot her s added t o what she t ol d, even Loot i e j oi ni ng i n t he
pr ai ses of hi s cour age and ener gy.
Cur di e hel d hi s peace, l ooki ng qui et l y up i n t he ki ng' s f ace. And hi s mot her st ood on
t he out ski r t s of t he cr owd l i st eni ng wi t h del i ght , f or her son' s deeds wer e pl easant
i n her ear s, unt i l t he pr i ncess caught si ght of her .
' And t her e i s hi s mot her , ki ng- papa! ' she sai d. ' Seet her e. She i s such a ni ce
mot her , and has been so ki nd t o me! '
They al l par t ed asunder as t he ki ng made a si gn t o her t o come f or war d. She obeyed,
and he gave her hi s hand, but coul d not speak.
' And now, ki ng- papa, ' t he pr i ncess went on, ' I must t el l you anot her t hi ng. One ni ght
l ong ago Cur di e dr ove t he gobl i ns away and br ought Loot i e and me saf e f r omt he
mount ai n. And I pr omi sed hi ma ki ss when we got home, but Loot i e woul dn' t l et me gi ve
i t hi m. I don' t want you t o scol d Loot i e, but I want you t o t el l her t hat a pr i ncess
must do as she pr omi ses. '
' I ndeed she must , my chi l dexcept i t be wr ong, ' sai d t he ki ng. ' Ther e, gi ve Cur di e a
ki ss. '
And as he spoke he hel d her t owar ds hi m.
The pr i ncess r eached down, t hr ew her ar ms r ound Cur di e' s neck, and ki ssed hi mon t he
mout h, sayi ng: ' Ther e, Cur di e! Ther e' s t he ki ss I pr omi sed you! '
Then t hey al l went i nt o t he house, and t he cook r ushed t o t he ki t chen and t he
ser vant s t o t hei r wor k. Loot i e dr essed I r ene i n her shi ni ngest cl ot hes, and t he ki ng
put of f hi s ar mour , and put on pur pl e and gol d; and a messenger was sent f or Pet er
and al l t he mi ner s, and t her e was a gr eat and a gr and f east , whi ch cont i nued l ong
af t er t he pr i ncess was put t o bed.

CHAPTER 31: The Subterranean Waters
The ki ng' s har per , who al ways f or med a par t of hi s escor t , was chant i ng a bal l ad
whi ch he made as he went on pl ayi ng on hi s i nst r ument about t he pr i ncess and t he
gobl i ns, and t he pr owess of Cur di e, when al l at once he ceased, wi t h hi s eyes on one
of t he door s of t he hal l . Ther eupon t he eyes of t he ki ng and hi s guest s t ur ned
t hi t her war d al so. The next moment , t hr ough t he open door way came t he pr i ncess I r ene.
She went st r ai ght up t o her f at her , wi t h her r i ght hand st r et ched out a l i t t l e
si deways, and her f or ef i nger , as her f at her and Cur di e under st ood, f eel i ng i t s way
al ong t he i nvi si bl e t hr ead. The ki ng t ook her on hi s knee, and she sai d i n hi s ear :
' Ki ng- papa, do you hear t hat noi se?'
' I hear not hi ng, ' sai d t he ki ng.
' Li st en, ' she sai d, hol di ng up her f or ef i nger .
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 92
The ki ng l i st ened, and a gr eat st i l l ness f el l upon t he company. Each man, seei ng t hat
t he ki ng l i st ened, l i st ened al so, and t he har per sat wi t h hi s har p bet ween hi s ar ms,
and hi s f i nger si l ent upon t he st r i ngs.
' I do hear a noi se, ' sai d t he ki ng at l engt h' a noi se as of di st ant t hunder . I t i s
comi ng near er and near er . What can i t be?'
They al l hear d i t now, and each seemed r eady t o st ar t t o hi s f eet as he l i st ened. Yet
al l sat per f ect l y st i l l . The noi se came r api dl y near er .
' What can i t be?' sai d t he ki ng agai n.
' I t hi nk i t must be anot her st or mcomi ng over t he mount ai n, ' sai d Si r Wal t er .
Then Cur di e, who at t he f i r st wor d of t he ki ng had sl i pped f r omhi s seat , and l ai d
hi s ear t o t he gr ound, r ose up qui ckl y, and appr oachi ng t he ki ng sai d, speaki ng ver y
f ast :
' Pl ease, Your Maj est y, I t hi nk I know what i t i s. I have no t i me t o expl ai n, f or t hat
mi ght make i t t oo l at e f or some of us. Wi l l Your Maj est y gi ve or der s t hat ever ybody
l eave t he house as qui ckl y as possi bl e and get up t he mount ai n?'
The ki ng, who was t he wi sest man i n t he ki ngdom, knew wel l t her e was a t i me when
t hi ngs must be done and quest i ons l ef t t i l l af t er war ds. He had f ai t h i n Cur di e, and
r ose i nst ant l y, wi t h I r ene i n hi s ar ms. ' Ever y man and woman f ol l ow me, ' he sai d, and
st r ode out i nt o t he dar kness.
Bef or e he had r eached t he gat e, t he noi se had gr own t o a gr eat t hunder i ng r oar , and
t he gr ound t r embl ed beneat h t hei r f eet , and bef or e t he l ast of t hemhad cr ossed t he
cour t , out af t er t hemf r omt he gr eat hal l door came a huge r ush of t ur bi d wat er , and
al most swept t hemaway. But t hey got saf e out of t he gat e and up t he mount ai n, whi l e
t he t or r ent went r oar i ng down t he r oad i nt o t he val l ey beneat h.
Cur di e had l ef t t he ki ng and t he pr i ncess t o l ook af t er hi s mot her , whomhe and hi s
f at her , one on each si de, caught up when t he st r eamover t ook t hemand car r i ed saf e
and dr y.
When t he ki ng had got out of t he way of t he wat er , a l i t t l e up t he mount ai n, he st ood
wi t h t he pr i ncess i n hi s ar ms, l ooki ng back wi t h amazement on t he i ssui ng t or r ent ,
whi ch gl i mmer ed f i er ce and f oamy t hr ough t he ni ght . Ther e Cur di e r ej oi ned t hem.
' Now, Cur di e, ' sai d t he ki ng, ' what does i t mean? I s t hi s what you expect ed?'
' I t i s, Your Maj est y, ' sai d Cur di e; and pr oceeded t o t el l hi mabout t he second scheme
of t he gobl i ns, who, f ancyi ng t he mi ner s of mor e i mpor t ance t o t he upper wor l d t han
t hey wer e, had r esol ved, i f t hey shoul d f ai l i n car r yi ng of f t he ki ng' s daught er , t o
f l ood t he mi ne and dr own t he mi ner s. Then he expl ai ned what t he mi ner s had done t o
pr event i t . The gobl i ns had, i n pur suance of t hei r desi gn, l et l oose al l t he
under gr ound r eser voi r s and st r eams, expect i ng t he wat er t o r un down i nt o t he mi ne,
whi ch was l ower t han t hei r par t of t he mount ai n, f or t hey had, as t hey supposed, not
knowi ng of t he sol i d wal l cl ose behi nd, br oken a passage t hr ough i nt o i t . But t he
r eadi est out l et t he wat er coul d f i nd had t ur ned out t o be t he t unnel t hey had made t o
t he ki ng' s house, t he possi bi l i t y of whi ch cat ast r ophe had not occur r ed t o t he young
mi ner unt i l he had l ai d hi s ear t o t he f l oor of t he hal l .
What was t hen t o be done? The house appear ed i n danger of f al l i ng, and ever y moment
t he t or r ent was i ncr easi ng.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 93
' We must set out at once, ' sai d t he ki ng. ' But how t o get at t he hor ses! '
' Shal l I see i f we can manage t hat ?' sai d Cur di e.
' Do, ' sai d t he ki ng.
Cur di e gat her ed t he men- at - ar ms, and t ook t hemover t he gar den wal l , and so t o t he
st abl es. They f ound t hei r hor ses i n t er r or ; t he wat er was r i si ng f ast ar ound t hem,
and i t was qui t e t i me t hey wer e got out . But t her e was no way t o get t hemout , except
by r i di ng t hemt hr ough t he st r eam, whi ch was now pour i ng f r omt he l ower wi ndows as
wel l as t he door . As one hor se was qui t e enough f or any man t o manage t hr ough such a
t or r ent , Cur di e got on t he ki ng' s whi t e char ger and, l eadi ng t he way, br ought t hem
al l i n saf et y t o t he r i si ng gr ound.
' Look, l ook, Cur di e! ' cr i ed I r ene, t he moment t hat , havi ng di smount ed, he l ed t he
hor se up t o t he ki ng.
Cur di e di d l ook, and saw, hi gh i n t he ai r , somewher e about t he t op of t he ki ng' s
house, a gr eat gl obe of l i ght shi ni ng l i ke t he pur est si l ver .
' Oh! ' he cr i ed i n some const er nat i on, ' t hat i s your gr andmot her ' s l amp! We must get
her out . I wi l l go an f i nd her . The house may f al l , you know. '
' My gr andmot her i s i n no danger , ' sai d I r ene, smi l i ng.
' Her e, Cur di e, t ake t he pr i ncess whi l e I get on my hor se, ' sai d t he ki ng.
Cur di e t ook t he pr i ncess agai n, and bot h t ur ned t hei r eyes t o t he gl obe of l i ght . The
same moment t her e shot f r omi t a whi t e bi r d, whi ch, descendi ng wi t h out st r et ched
wi ngs, made one ci r cl e r ound t he ki ng an Cur di e and t he pr i ncess, and t hen gl i ded up
agai n. The l i ght and t he pi geon vani shed t oget her .
' Now, Cur di e! ' sai d t he pr i ncess, as he l i f t ed her t o her f at her ' s ar ms, ' you see my
gr andmot her knows al l about i t , and i sn' t f r i ght ened. I bel i eve she coul d wal k
t hr ough t hat wat er and i t woul dn' t wet her a bi t . '
' But , my chi l d, ' sai d t he ki ng, ' you wi l l be col d i f you haven' t Somet hi ng mor e on.
Run, Cur di e, my boy, and f et ch anyt hi ng you can l ay your hands on, t o keep t he
pr i ncess war m. We have a l ong r i de bef or e us. '
Cur di e was gone i n a moment , and soon r et ur ned wi t h a gr eat r i ch f ur , and t he news
t hat dead gobl i ns wer e t ossi ng about i n t he cur r ent t hr ough t he house. They had been
caught i n t hei r own snar e; i nst ead of t he mi ne t hey had f l ooded t hei r own count r y,
whence t hey wer e now swept up dr owned. I r ene shudder ed, but t he ki ng hel d her cl ose
t o hi s bosom. Then he t ur ned t o Si r Wal t er , and sai d:
' Br i ng Cur di e' s f at her and mot her her e. '
' I wi sh, ' sai d t he ki ng, when t hey st ood bef or e hi m, ' t o t ake your son wi t h me. He
shal l ent er my bodyguar d at once, and wai t f ur t her pr omot i on. '
Pet er and hi s wi f e, over come, onl y mur mur ed al most i naudi bl e t hanks. But Cur di e spoke
al oud.
' Pl ease, Your Maj est y, ' he sai d, ' I cannot l eave my f at her and mot her . '
' That ' s r i ght , Cur di e! ' cr i ed t he pr i ncess. ' I woul dn' t i f I was you. '
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 94
The ki ng l ooked at t he pr i ncess and t hen at Cur di e wi t h a gl ow of sat i sf act i on on hi s
count enance.
' I t oo t hi nk you ar e r i ght , Cur di e, ' he sai d, ' and I wi l l not ask you agai n. But I
shal l have a chance of doi ng somet hi ng f or you some t i me. '
' Your Maj est y has al r eady al l owed me t o ser ve you, ' sai d Cur di e.
' But , Cur di e, ' sai d hi s mot her , ' why shoul dn' t you go wi t h t he ki ng? We can get on
ver y wel l wi t hout you. '
' But I can' t get on ver y wel l wi t hout you, ' sai d Cur di e. ' The ki ng i s ver y ki nd, but
I coul d not be hal f t he use t o hi mt hat I amt o you. Pl ease, Your Maj est y, i f you
woul dn' t mi nd gi vi ng my mot her a r ed pet t i coat ! I shoul d have got her one l ong ago,
but f or t he gobl i ns. '
' As soon as we get home, ' sai d t he ki ng, ' I r ene and I wi l l sear ch out t he war mest one
t o be f ound, and send i t by one of t he gent l emen. '
' Yes, t hat we wi l l , Cur di e! ' sai d t he pr i ncess. ' And next summer we' l l come back and
see you wear i t , Cur di e' s mot her , ' she added. ' Shan' t we, ki ng- papa?'
' Yes, my l ove; I hope so, ' sai d t he ki ng.
Then t ur ni ng t o t he mi ner s, he sai d:
' Wi l l you do t he best you can f or my ser vant s t oni ght ? I hope t hey wi l l be abl e t o
r et ur n t o t he house t omor r ow. '
The mi ner s wi t h one voi ce pr omi sed t hei r hospi t al i t y. Then t he ki ng commanded hi s
ser vant s t o mi nd what ever Cur di e shoul d say t o t hem, and af t er shaki ng hands wi t h hi m
and hi s f at her and mot her , t he ki ng and t he pr i ncess and al l t hei r company r ode away
down t he si de of t he new st r eam, whi ch had al r eady devour ed hal f t he r oad, i nt o t he
st ar r y ni ght .

CHAPTER 32: The Last Chapter
Al l t he r est went up t he mount ai n, and separ at ed i n gr oups t o t he homes of t he
mi ner s. Cur di e and hi s f at her and mot her t ook Loot i e wi t h t hem. And t he whol e way a
l i ght , of whi ch al l but Loot i e under st ood t he or i gi n, shone upon t hei r pat h. But when
t hey l ooked r ound t hey coul d see not hi ng of t he si l ver y gl obe.
For days and days t he wat er cont i nued t o r ush f r omt he door s and wi ndows of t he
ki ng' s house, and a f ew gobl i n bodi es wer e swept out i nt o t he r oad.
Cur di e saw t hat somet hi ng must be done. He spoke t o hi s f at her and t he r est of t he
mi ner s, and t hey at once pr oceeded t o make anot her out l et f or t he wat er s. By set t i ng
al l hands t o t he wor k, t unnel l i ng her e and bui l di ng t her e, t hey soon succeeded; and
havi ng al so made a l i t t l e t unnel t o dr ai n t he wat er away f r omunder t he ki ng' s house,
t hey wer e soon abl e t o get i nt o t he wi ne cel l ar , wher e t hey f ound a mul t i t ude of dead
gobl i nsamong t he r est t he queen, wi t h t he ski n- shoe gone, and t he st one one f ast t o
her ankl ef or t he wat er had swept away t he bar r i cade, whi ch pr event ed t he men- at - ar ms
f r omf ol l owi ng t he gobl i ns, and had gr eat l y wi dened t he passage. They bui l t i t
secur el y up, and t hen went back t o t hei r l abour s i n t he mi ne.
From TR Wheeler eBooks Page 95
A good many of t he gobl i ns wi t h t hei r cr eat ur es escaped f r omt he i nundat i on out upon
t he mount ai n. But most of t hemsoon l ef t t hat par t of t he count r y, and most of t hose
who r emai ned gr ew mi l der i n char act er , and i ndeed became ver y much l i ke t he Scot ch
br owni es. Thei r skul l s became sof t er as wel l as t hei r hear t s, and t hei r f eet gr ew
har der , and by degr ees t hey became f r i endl y wi t h t he i nhabi t ant s of t he mount ai n and
even wi t h t he mi ner s. But t he l at t er wer e mer ci l ess t o any of t he cobs' cr eat ur es
t hat came i n t hei r way, unt i l at l engt h t hey al l but di sappear ed.
The r est of t he hi st or y of The Pr i ncess and Cur di e must be kept f or anot her vol ume.

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