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012 - Chapter 21 · Princess and the Goblin

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  Speaker 1: Section twelve of The Princess and the Goblin. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information not a volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Lizzie Driver. The Princess Ends the Goblin by
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  Speaker 1: George mac donald, Chapter twenty one, the Escape. As the
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  Speaker 1: Princess lay and sobbed, she kept feeling the thread, mechanically,
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  Speaker 1: following it with her finger many times up to the
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  Speaker 1: stone in which it disappeared. By and by she began,
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  Speaker 1: still mechanically to poke her finger in after it between
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  Speaker 1: the stones as far as she could. All at once
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  Speaker 1: it came into her head that she might remove some
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  Speaker 1: of the stones and see where the thread went next.
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  Speaker 1: Almost laughing at herself, and never having thought of this before,
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  Speaker 1: she jumped to her feet. Her fear vanished once more.
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  Speaker 1: She was certain her grandmother's thread could not have brought
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  Speaker 1: her there, just to leave her there, and she began
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  Speaker 1: to throw away the stones from the top as fast
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  Speaker 1: as she could, sometimes two or three at a handhule,
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  Speaker 1: sometimes taking both hands to lift one. After clearing them
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  Speaker 1: away a little, she found that the thread turned and
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  Speaker 1: went straight downwards. Hence, as the heap sloped a good deal,
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  Speaker 1: growing of course wider towards its base, she had to
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  Speaker 1: throw away a multitude of stones to follow the thread.
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  Speaker 1: But this was not all, for she soon found that
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  Speaker 1: the thread, after going straight down for a little way,
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  Speaker 1: turned first sideways in one direction, then sideways in another,
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  Speaker 1: and then shot at various angles hither and thither inside
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  Speaker 1: the heap, so that she began to be afraid that
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  Speaker 1: to clear the thread she must remove the whole huge gathering.
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  Speaker 1: She was dismayed at the very idea, but losing no time,
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  Speaker 1: set to work with the will, and with aching back
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  Speaker 1: and bleeding fingers and hands, she worked on, sustained by
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  Speaker 1: the pleasure of seeing the heaps slowly diminish and begin
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  Speaker 1: to show itself on the opposite side of the fire.
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  Speaker 1: Another thing which helped to keep up her courage was
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  Speaker 1: that as often as she uncovered a turn of the thread,
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  Speaker 1: instead of lying loose upon the stone, it tightened up.
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  Speaker 1: This made her sure that her grandmother was at the
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  Speaker 1: end of it somewhere. She had got about half way
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  Speaker 1: down when she started, and nearly fell with fright close
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  Speaker 1: to her ears, as it seemed a voice broke out, singing,
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  Speaker 1: Jabba bother, smash, You'll have it all in a crash jabber,
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  Speaker 1: smash bother, You'll have the worst of the pother smash
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  Speaker 1: bother jabber Here Curdie stopped, either because he could not
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  Speaker 1: find a rhyme to jabber, or because he remembered what
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  Speaker 1: he had forgotten when he woke up at the sound
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  Speaker 1: of Irene's labors. That his plan was to make the
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  Speaker 1: goblins think he was getting weak. But he had uttered
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  Speaker 1: enough to let Irene know who he was. It's Curdy,
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  Speaker 1: she cried joyfully. Hush, hush, came Curdie's voice again. From somewhere,
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  Speaker 1: Speak softly. Why you were singing loud, said Irene. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: but they know I'm here, and they don't know you are.
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  Speaker 1: Who are you I am, Irene, answered the princess. I
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  Speaker 1: know who you are quite well. You're Curdie. Why however
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  Speaker 1: did you come here, Irene? My great great grandmother sent me,
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  Speaker 1: and I think I found out why you can't get out?
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  Speaker 1: I suppose no, I can't. What are you doing clearing
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  Speaker 1: away a huge heap of stones. There's a princess, exclaimed
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  Speaker 1: Curdie in a tone of delight. But still speaking a
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  Speaker 1: little more than a whisper. I can't think how you
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  Speaker 1: got here, though my grandmother sent me after her thread.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know what you mean, said Curdie. But so
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  Speaker 1: you're there, it doesn't much matter. Oh yes it does,
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  Speaker 1: returned Irene. I should never have been here but for her.
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  Speaker 1: You can tell me all about it when we get out.
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  Speaker 1: Then there's no time to lose now, said Curdie, and
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  Speaker 1: Irene went to work as fresh as when she began.
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  Speaker 1: There's such a lot of stones, she said, it will
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  Speaker 1: take me a long time to get them all away.
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  Speaker 1: How far on have you got, asked Curdie. I've got
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  Speaker 1: about the half away, but the other half is ever
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  Speaker 1: so much bigger. I don't think you'll have to move
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  Speaker 1: the lower half. Do you see a slab laid up
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  Speaker 1: against the wall. Irene looked and felt about with her hands,
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  Speaker 1: and soon perceived the outlines of the slab. Yes, she answered,
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  Speaker 1: I do the I think, rejoined Curdie. When you have
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  Speaker 1: cleared the slab about half way down or a bit more,
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  Speaker 1: I shall be able to push it over. I must
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  Speaker 1: follow my thread, returned Irene. Whatever I do, what do
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  Speaker 1: you mean? Exclaimed Curdie, you will see when you get out,
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  Speaker 1: answered the princess, and went on harder than ever. But
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  Speaker 1: she was soon satisfied that what Curdie wanted done and
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  Speaker 1: what the thread wanted done were one and the same thing,
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  Speaker 1: For she not only saw that by following the turns
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  Speaker 1: of the thread she had been clear in the face
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  Speaker 1: of the slab, but that a little more than half
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  Speaker 1: way down the thread went through the chink between the
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  Speaker 1: slab and the wall, into the place where Curdie was confined,
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  Speaker 1: so that she could not follow it any farther until
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  Speaker 1: the slab was out of her way. As soon as
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  Speaker 1: she found this, she said, in a right joyous whisper. Now, Curdie,
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  Speaker 1: I think if you were to give a great push,
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  Speaker 1: the slab should tumble over. Stand quite clear of it, then,
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  Speaker 1: said Curdie, and let me know when you are ready.
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  Speaker 1: Irene got off the heap and stood on one side
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  Speaker 1: of it. Now, Curdie, she cried. Curdie gave a great
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  Speaker 1: brush with his shoulder against it. Out tumbled the slab
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  Speaker 1: on the heap, and out crept Curdie over the top
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  Speaker 1: of it. You saved my life, Irene, he whispered, Oh Curdie,
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  Speaker 1: I'm so glad. Let's get out of this horrid place
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  Speaker 1: as fast as we can. That's easier said than done,
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  Speaker 1: returned he Oh, no, it's quite easy, said Irene. We
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  Speaker 1: have only to follow my thread. I am sure that
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  Speaker 1: it's going to take us out now. She had already
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  Speaker 1: begun to follow it over the fallen slab into the
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  Speaker 1: hole while Curdie was searching the floor of the cavern
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  Speaker 1: for his pickaxe. Here it is, he cried, No it
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  Speaker 1: is not, he added in a disappointed tone. What can
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  Speaker 1: it be? Then? I declare it's a torch. That is jolly.
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  Speaker 1: It's better almost than my pickaxe, much better if it
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  Speaker 1: weren't for those stone shoes, he went on, as he
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  Speaker 1: lighted the torch by blowing the last embers of the
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  Speaker 1: expiring fire. When he looked up, with the lighted torch
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  Speaker 1: casting a glare into the great darkness of the huge cavern,
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  Speaker 1: he caught sight of Irene disappearing in the hole out
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  Speaker 1: of which he had himself. Just come, where are you
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  Speaker 1: going there? He cried, that's no way out. That's where
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  Speaker 1: I couldn't get out. I know that, whispered Irene. But
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  Speaker 1: this is the way my thread goes and I must
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  Speaker 1: follow it. What nonsense the child talks, said Curdie to himself.
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  Speaker 1: I must follow her, though, and see she comes to
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  Speaker 1: no harm. She will soon find she can't get out
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  Speaker 1: that way, and then she'll come with me. So he
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  Speaker 1: crept over the slab once more into the hole with
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  Speaker 1: his torch in his hand. But when he looked about
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  Speaker 1: in it, he could see her nowhere. And now he
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  Speaker 1: discovered that although the hole was narrow, it was much
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  Speaker 1: longer than he had supposed for. In one direction, the
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  Speaker 1: roof came down very low, and the hole went off
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  Speaker 1: in a narrow passage of which he could not see
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  Speaker 1: the end. The princess must have crept in there. He
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  Speaker 1: got on his knees in one hand, holding the torch
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  Speaker 1: with the other, and crept after her. The hole twisted about,
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  Speaker 1: in some parts so low that he could hardly get through,
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  Speaker 1: in others so high that he could not see the roof.
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  Speaker 1: But everywhere it was narrow, far too narrow for a
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  Speaker 1: goblin to get through. And so I presume they never
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  Speaker 1: thought that Curdie might. He was beginning to feel very
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  Speaker 1: uncomfortable lest something should have befallen the princess. When he
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  Speaker 1: heard her voice almost close to his ear, whispering, aren't
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  Speaker 1: you coming, Curdie? And when he turned the next corner,
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  Speaker 1: there she stood waiting for him. I knew you couldn't
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  Speaker 1: go wrong in that narrow hole, but now you must
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  Speaker 1: keep by me, for here is a great wide place,
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  Speaker 1: she said. I can't understand it, said Curdie, half to himself,
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  Speaker 1: half to Irene. Never mind, she returned, wait till we
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  Speaker 1: get out. Curdie, utterly, astonished that she had already got
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  Speaker 1: so far and by a path he had known nothing of,
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  Speaker 1: thought it better to let her do as she pleased.
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  Speaker 1: At all events, he said again to himself, I know
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  Speaker 1: nothing about the way minor as I am, and she
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  Speaker 1: seems to think she does know something about it, though
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  Speaker 1: how she should passes my comprehension. So she's just as
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  Speaker 1: likely to find her way as I am. And as
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  Speaker 1: she insists on taking the lead, I must follow. We
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  Speaker 1: can't be much worse off than we are anyhow. Reasoning thus,
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  Speaker 1: he followed her a few steps and came out in
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  Speaker 1: another great cavern, across which Irene walked in a straight line,
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  Speaker 1: as confidently as if she knew every step of the way.
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  Speaker 1: Curdie went on after her, flashing his torch about and
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  Speaker 1: trying to see something of what lay around them. Suddenly
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  Speaker 1: he started back a pace as the light fell upon
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  Speaker 1: something close by which Irene was passing. It was a
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  Speaker 1: platform of rock, raised a few feet from the floor
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  Speaker 1: and covered with sheepskins, upon which lay two horrible figures
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  Speaker 1: asleep at once, Recognized by Curdie as the King and
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  Speaker 1: Queen of the goblins, he lowered his torch instantly lest
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  Speaker 1: the light should awake them. As he did so, it
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  Speaker 1: flashed upon his pickaxe, lying by the side of the queen,
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  Speaker 1: whose hand lay close by the handle of it. Stop
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  Speaker 1: one moment, he whispered, hold my torch, and don't let
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  Speaker 1: the light on their faces. Irene shuddered when she saw
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  Speaker 1: the frightful creatures whom she had passed without absors deserving them,
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  Speaker 1: but she did as he requested, and, turning her back,
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  Speaker 1: held the torch low in front of her. Curdie drew
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  Speaker 1: his pickaxe carefully away, and as he did so, spied
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  Speaker 1: one of her feet projecting from under the skins. The
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  Speaker 1: great clumsy granite shoe exposed thus to his hand was
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  Speaker 1: a temptation not to be resisted. He laid hold of it,
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  Speaker 1: and with cautious efforts, drew it off. The moment he succeeded,
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  Speaker 1: he saw to his astonishment that what he had sung
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  Speaker 1: in ignorance to annoy the queen was actually true. She
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  Speaker 1: had six horrible toes. Overjoyed at his success, and seeing
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  Speaker 1: by the huge bump in the sheepskins where the other
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  Speaker 1: foot was, he proceeded to lift them gently, for if
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  Speaker 1: he could only succeed in carrying away the other shoe
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  Speaker 1: as well, he would be no more afraid of the
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  Speaker 1: goblins than of so many flies. But as he pulled
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  Speaker 1: the second shoe, the Queen gave a growl and sat
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  Speaker 1: up in bed. The same instant the king awoke also
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  Speaker 1: and sat up beside her. Run Irene cried Curdie, for
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  Speaker 1: though he was not now in the least afraid for himself,
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  Speaker 1: he was for the princess. Irene looked round once saw
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  Speaker 1: the fearful creatures awake, and like the wise princess, she
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  Speaker 1: was dashed the torch on the ground and extinguished it,
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  Speaker 1: crying out, here, Curdie, take my hand. He darted to
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  Speaker 1: her side, forgetting neither the queen's shoe nor his pickaxe,
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  Speaker 1: and caught hold of her hand as she sped fearlessly
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  Speaker 1: where her thread guided her. They heard the Queen give
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  Speaker 1: a great bellow, but they had a good start, for
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  Speaker 1: it would be some time before they could get tortures
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  Speaker 1: lighted to pursue them. Just as they thought, they saw
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  Speaker 1: a gleam behind them, the thread brought them to a
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  Speaker 1: very narrow opening, through which Irene crept easily and Curdie
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  Speaker 1: with difficulty. Now said Curdie, I think we shall be safe.
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  Speaker 1: Of course we shall returned Irene. Why do you think so,
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  Speaker 1: asked Curdie, because my grandmother is taking care of us.
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  Speaker 1: That's all nonsense, said Curdie. I don't know what you mean.
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  Speaker 1: Then if you don't know what I mean, what right
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  Speaker 1: have you to call it nonsense, asked the princess, a
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  Speaker 1: little offended. I beg your pardon, Irene, said Curdie. I
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  Speaker 1: do not mean to vex you. Of course not, returned
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  Speaker 1: the princess. But why do you think we shall be safe?
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  Speaker 1: Because the King and Queen are far too stout to
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  Speaker 1: get through that hole. There might be ways round, said
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  Speaker 1: the princess. To be sure, they might. We are not
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  Speaker 1: out of it yet, acknowledged Curdie, But what do you
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  Speaker 1: mean by the king and queen? Asked the princess. I
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  Speaker 1: should ever caused such creatures as those a king and
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  Speaker 1: a queen their own people do, though, answered Curdie. The
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  Speaker 1: princess asked more questions, and Curdie, as they walked leisurely along,
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  Speaker 1: gave her a full account not only of the character
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  Speaker 1: and habits of the goblins, so far as he knew them,
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  Speaker 1: but of his own adventures with them, beginning from the
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  Speaker 1: very night after that in which he had met her
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  Speaker 1: and Looty upon the mountain. When he had finished, he
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  Speaker 1: begged Irene to tell him how it was that she
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  Speaker 1: had come to his rescue. So Irene, too had to
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  Speaker 1: tell a long story, which she did in rather a
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  Speaker 1: round about manner, interrupted by many questions concerning things she
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  Speaker 1: had not explained. But her tale, as he did not
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  Speaker 1: believe more than half of it, left everything as unaccountable
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  Speaker 1: to him as before, and he was nearly as much
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  Speaker 1: perplexed as to what he must think of the princess.
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  Speaker 1: He could not believe that she was deliberately telling stories,
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  Speaker 1: and the only conclusion he could come to was that
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  Speaker 1: Ludi had been playing the child tricks, inventing no end
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  Speaker 1: of lies to frighten her for our own purposes. But however,
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  Speaker 1: did Lucy come to let you go into the mountains alone?
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  Speaker 1: He asked. Ludy knows nothing about it. I left her
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  Speaker 1: fast asleep, at least I think so. I hope my
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  Speaker 1: grandmother won't let her get into trouble, for it was
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  Speaker 1: on her fault at all, as my grandmother very well knows.
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  Speaker 1: But how did you find your way to me, persisted Curdie.
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  Speaker 1: I told you already, answered Irene, by keeping my finger
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  Speaker 1: upon my grandmother's thread, as I am doing now. You
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  Speaker 1: don't mean you've got the thread there? Of course I do.
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  Speaker 1: I have told you so ten times already. I have hardly,
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  Speaker 1: except when I was removing the stones, taken my finger
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  Speaker 1: off it there, she added, guiding Curdie's hand to the thread.
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  Speaker 1: I feel nothing at all, replied Curdie. Then what can
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  Speaker 1: be the matter with your finger? I feel it perfectly,
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  Speaker 1: to be sure. It is very thin, and in the
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  Speaker 1: sunlight looks just like the thread of a spider, though
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  Speaker 1: there are many of them twisted together to make it.
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  Speaker 1: But for all that, I can't think why you shouldn't
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  Speaker 1: feel it as well as I do. Curdie was too
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  Speaker 1: polite to say he did not believe there was any
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  Speaker 1: thread there at all. What he did say was, well,
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  Speaker 1: I can make nothing of it. I can, though, and
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  Speaker 1: you must be glad of that, for it will do
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  Speaker 1: for both of us. We're not out yet, said Curdie.
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  Speaker 1: We soon shall be returned Irene confidently. And now the
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  Speaker 1: thread went downwards and led Irene's hand to a hole
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  Speaker 1: in the floor of the cavern. Whence came a sound
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  Speaker 1: of running water, which they had been hearing for some time.
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  Speaker 1: It goes into the ground. Now, Curdie, she said, stopping.
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  Speaker 1: He had been listening to another sound, which is practiced,
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  Speaker 1: eared caught long ago, and which also had been growing louder.
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  Speaker 1: It was the noise the Goblin miners made at their work,
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  Speaker 1: and they seemed to be at no great distance. Now
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  Speaker 1: Irene heard it the moment she stopped. What is that noise,
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  Speaker 1: she asked, Do you know, Curdie? Yes, it is the
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  Speaker 1: Goblin's digging and burrowing, he answered, And you don't know
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  Speaker 1: what they do it for? No, I haven't the least idea.
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  Speaker 1: Would you like to see them, he asked, wishing to
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  Speaker 1: have another try after their secret. If my thread took
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  Speaker 1: me there, I shouldn't much mind. But I don't want
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  Speaker 1: to see them, and I can't leave my thread. It
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  Speaker 1: leads me down into the hole, and we'd better go
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  Speaker 1: at once. Very well, Shall I go in first, said Curdie.
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  Speaker 1: No better not. You can't feel the thread, she answered,
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  Speaker 1: stepping down through a narrow break in the floor of
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  Speaker 1: the cavern. Oh, she cried, I am in the water.
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  Speaker 1: It is running strong, but it is not deep, and
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  Speaker 1: there is just room to walk. Make haste, Curdie. He tried,
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  Speaker 1: but the hole was too small for him to get in.
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  Speaker 1: Go on a little bit, he said, sholdering his pickaxe.
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  Speaker 1: In a few moments he had cleared a larger opening
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  Speaker 1: and followed her. They went on down and down with
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  Speaker 1: the running water, Curdie getting more and more afraid it
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  Speaker 1: was leading them to some terrible gulf in the heart
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  Speaker 1: of the mountain. In one or two places he had
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  Speaker 1: to break away the rock to make room before even
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  Speaker 1: Irene could get the room, at least without hurting herself.
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  Speaker 1: But at length they spied a glimmer of light, and
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  Speaker 1: in a minute more they were almost blinded by the
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  Speaker 1: full sunlight, into which they emerged. It was some little
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  Speaker 1: time before the princess could see well enough to discover
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  Speaker 1: that they stood in her own garden, close by the
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  Speaker 1: seat on which she and her king Papa had sat
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  Speaker 1: that afternoon. They had come out by the channel of
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  Speaker 1: the little stream. She danced and clapped her hands with delight. Now, Curdie,
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  Speaker 1: she cried, won't you believe what I told you about
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  Speaker 1: my grandmother and her thread? For she had felt all
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  Speaker 1: the time that Curdie was not believing what she told him.
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  Speaker 1: There don't you see it shining on before us, she added,
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  Speaker 1: I don't see anything persisted, Curdie. Then you must believe
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  Speaker 1: without seeing, said the princess, For you can't deny it
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  Speaker 1: has brought us out of the mountain. I can't deny
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  Speaker 1: we are out of the mountain. And I should be
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  Speaker 1: very ungrateful, indeed, to deny that you had brought me
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  Speaker 1: out of it. I couldn't have done it but for
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  Speaker 1: the thread persisted, Irene. That's the part I don't understand. Well,
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  Speaker 1: come along and LOUTI will get you something to eat.
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  Speaker 1: I am sure you must want it very much, indeed
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  Speaker 1: I do. But my father and mother will be so
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: anxious about me. I must make haste, first up the
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: mountain to tell my mother, and then down into the
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: mine again to let my father know very well, Curdie,
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: but you can't go on without coming this way, and
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: I will take you through the house, for that is nearest.
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: They met no one by the way, for indeed, as before,
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: the people were here and there and everywhere searching for
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: the princess. When they got in, I really found that
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: the thread, as she had half expected, went up the
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: old staircase, and a new thought struck her. She turned
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: to Curdie and said, my grandmother wants me. Do come
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: up with me and see her. Then you will know
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: that I have been telling you the truth. Do come
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: to please me, Curdie. I can't bear that you should
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: think what I say is not true. I never doubted
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: you believed what you said, returned Curdie. I only thought
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: you had some fancy in your head that was not correct.
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: But do come, dear Curdie. The little miner could not
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: withstand this appeal, and though he felt shy in what
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: seemed to him a huge grand house, he yielded and
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: followed her up the stair end of Section twelve