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018 - Chapters 31-32 · Princess and the Goblin

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  Speaker 1: Section eighteen of The Princess and the Goblin. There is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public
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  Speaker 1: domain from our information. Not a volunteer, please visit LibriVox
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  Speaker 1: dot org. Recording by Lizzie Driver. The Princess and the
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  Speaker 1: Goblin by George mac donald, chapters thirty one to thirty two.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty one The Subterranean Waters. The King's harper, who
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  Speaker 1: always formed a part of his escort, was chanting a
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  Speaker 1: ballad which he made as he went on playing on
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  Speaker 1: his instrument, about the Princess and the goblins and the
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  Speaker 1: prowess of Curdie, when all at once he ceased with
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  Speaker 1: his eyes on one of the doors of the hall.
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  Speaker 1: Thereupon the eyes of the King and his guests turned thitherward.
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  Speaker 1: Also the next moment, through the open doorway came the
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  Speaker 1: Princess Irene. She went straight up to her father with
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  Speaker 1: her right hand stretched out a little sideways, and her forefinger,
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  Speaker 1: as her father and Curdie understood, feeling its way along
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  Speaker 1: the invisible thread. The King took her on his knee,
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  Speaker 1: and she said in his ear, King, Papa, do you
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  Speaker 1: hear that noise? I hear nothing said the King. Listen,
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  Speaker 1: she said, holding up her forefinger. The King listened, and
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  Speaker 1: a great stillness fell upon the company. Each man, seeing
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  Speaker 1: that the king listened, listened also, and the harper sat
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  Speaker 1: with his heart between his arms and his finger silent
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  Speaker 1: upon the strings. I do hear a noise, said the King,
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  Speaker 1: at last, A noise as of distant thunder. It is
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  Speaker 1: coming nearer and nearer. What can it be? They all
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  Speaker 1: heard it now, and each seemed ready to start to
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  Speaker 1: his feet as he listened, Yet all sat perfectly still.
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  Speaker 1: The noise came rapidly nearer. What can it be? Said
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  Speaker 1: the King again. I think it must be another storm
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  Speaker 1: coming over the mountain, said Sir Walter. Then Curdie, who
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  Speaker 1: at the first word of the king had slipped from
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  Speaker 1: his seat and laid his ear to the ground, rose
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  Speaker 1: up quickly, and, approaching the King, said, speaking very fast, Please,
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  Speaker 1: your Majesty, I think I know what it is. I
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  Speaker 1: have no time to explain, for that might make it
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  Speaker 1: too late for some of us. Will your Majesty give
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  Speaker 1: orders that everybody leave the house as quickly as possible
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  Speaker 1: and get up the mountain. The King, who was the
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  Speaker 1: wisest man in the Kingdom knew well there was a
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  Speaker 1: time when things must be done, and questions left till afterwards.
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  Speaker 1: He had faith in Curdie and rose instantly with Irene
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  Speaker 1: in his arms. Every man and woman, follow me, he said,
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  Speaker 1: and strode out into the darkness. Before he had reached
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  Speaker 1: the gate, the noise had grown to a great thundering roar,
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  Speaker 1: and the ground trembled beneath their feet. And before the
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  Speaker 1: last of them across the court out after them from
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  Speaker 1: the Great Hall, came a huge rush of turbid water
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  Speaker 1: and almost swept them away. But they got safe out
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  Speaker 1: of the gate and up the mountain, while the torrent
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  Speaker 1: went roaring down the road into the valley beneath. Curdie
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  Speaker 1: had left the King and the princess to look after
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  Speaker 1: his mother, whom he and his father, one on each side,
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  Speaker 1: caught up when the stream overtook them, and carried safe
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  Speaker 1: and dry. When the King had got out of the
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  Speaker 1: way of the water a little up the mountain, he
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  Speaker 1: stood with the princess in his arms, looking back with
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  Speaker 1: amazement on the issuing torrent, which glimmered fierce and foamy
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  Speaker 1: through the night. There Curdie rejoined them. Now Curdie said
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  Speaker 1: the king, what does it mean? Is this what you expected?
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  Speaker 1: It is, your majesty, said Curdie, and proceeded to tell
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  Speaker 1: him about the second scheme of the goblins, who, fancying
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  Speaker 1: the miners of more importance to the upper world than
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  Speaker 1: they were, had resolved if they should fail in carrying
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  Speaker 1: off the king's daughter, to flood the mine and drown
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  Speaker 1: the miners. Then he explained what the miners had done
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  Speaker 1: to prevent it. The goblins head, in pursuance of their design,
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  Speaker 1: let loose all the underground reservoirs and streams, expecting the
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  Speaker 1: water to run down into the mine, which was lower
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  Speaker 1: than their part of the mountain. For they had, as
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  Speaker 1: they supposed, not knowing of the solid wall close behind,
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  Speaker 1: broken a passage threw into it. But the readiest outlet
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  Speaker 1: the water could find had turned out to be the
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  Speaker 1: tunnel they had made to the King's house, the possibility
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  Speaker 1: of which catastrophe had not occurred to the young miner
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  Speaker 1: until he had laid his ear to the floor of
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  Speaker 1: the hall. What was then to be done? The house
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  Speaker 1: appeared in danger of falling, and every moment the torrent
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  Speaker 1: was increasing. We must set out at once, said the king,
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  Speaker 1: But how to get at the horses? Shall I see
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  Speaker 1: if we can manage that, said Curdie, Do, said the King.
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  Speaker 1: Curdie gathered the men at arms and took them over
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  Speaker 1: the garden wall, and so to the stables. They found
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  Speaker 1: their horses in terror. The water was rising fast around them,
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  Speaker 1: and it was quite time till they were got out.
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  Speaker 1: But there was no way to get them out except
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  Speaker 1: by riding them through the stream, which was now pouring
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  Speaker 1: from the lower windows as well as the door. As
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  Speaker 1: one horse was quite enough for any man to manage
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  Speaker 1: through such a torrent. Curdie got on to the King's
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  Speaker 1: white charger, and leading the way, brought them all in
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  Speaker 1: safety to the rising ground. Look, look, Curdie cried Irene,
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  Speaker 1: the moment that, having dismounted, he led the horse up
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  Speaker 1: to the king. Curdie did look and saw high in
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  Speaker 1: the air, somewhere about the top of the King's house,
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  Speaker 1: a great globe of light shining like the purest silver. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: he cried in some consternation, that is your grandmother's lamp.
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  Speaker 1: We must get her out. I will go and find her.
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  Speaker 1: The house may fall. You know, my grandmother is in
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  Speaker 1: no danger. Said Irene, smiling. Here, Curdie, take the princess
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  Speaker 1: while I get on my horse, said the king. Curdie
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  Speaker 1: took the princess again, and both turned their eyes to
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  Speaker 1: the globe of light. The same moment there shot from
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  Speaker 1: it a white bird, which, descending with outstretched wings, made
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  Speaker 1: one circle round the King and Curdie and the princess,
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  Speaker 1: and then glided up again. The light and the pigeon
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  Speaker 1: vanished together. Now, Curdie, said the princess, as he littered
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  Speaker 1: her to her father's arms. You see, my grandmother knows
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  Speaker 1: all about it and isn't frightened. I believe she could
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  Speaker 1: walk through that water and it wouldn't wet her a bit.
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  Speaker 1: But my child, said the king, you will be cold
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  Speaker 1: if you haven't something more on. Run Curdie, my boy,
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  Speaker 1: and fetch anything you can lay your hands on to
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  Speaker 1: keep the princess warm. We have a long ride before us.
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  Speaker 1: Curdie was gone in a moment, and soon returned with
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  Speaker 1: a great rich fare and the news that dead goblins
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  Speaker 1: were tossing about in the current through the house. They
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  Speaker 1: had been caught in their own snare instead of the mine.
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  Speaker 1: They had flooded their own country whence they were now
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  Speaker 1: swept up drowned. Irene shuddered, but the King held her
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  Speaker 1: close to his bosom. Then he turned to Sir Walter
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  Speaker 1: and said, bring Curdie's and mother here. I wish, said
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  Speaker 1: the King, when they stood before him, to take your
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  Speaker 1: son with me. He shall enter my bodyguard at once
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  Speaker 1: and wait further promotion. Peter and his wife, overcome, only
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  Speaker 1: murmured almost inaudible thanks, But Curdie spoke aloud. Please, your majesty,
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  Speaker 1: he said, I cannot leave my father and mother. That's right, Curdie,
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  Speaker 1: cried the princess. I wouldn't if I was you. The
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  Speaker 1: King looked at the princess and then at Curdie, with
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  Speaker 1: a glow of satisfaction on his countenance. I too think
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  Speaker 1: you are right, Curdie, he said, and I will not
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  Speaker 1: ask you again, but I shall have a chance of
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  Speaker 1: doing something for you some time. Your Majesty has already
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  Speaker 1: allowed me to serve you, said Curdie. But Curdie said
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  Speaker 1: his mother, why shouldn't you go with the king. We
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  Speaker 1: can get on very well without you, but I can't
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  Speaker 1: get on very well without you, said Curdie. The King
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  Speaker 1: is very kind, but I could not be half the
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  Speaker 1: use to him that I am to you, Please, your majesty,
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  Speaker 1: if you wouldn't mind giving my mother a red petticoat,
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  Speaker 1: I should have got her one long ago, but for
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  Speaker 1: the goblins. As soon as we get home, said the king,
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  Speaker 1: I rene, and I will search out to the warmest
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  Speaker 1: one to be found and send it by one of
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  Speaker 1: the gentlemen. Yes, that we will, Curdie, said the princess.
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  Speaker 1: And next summer we'll come back and see you wear it.
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  Speaker 1: Curdie's mother, she added, sha'n't we King Papa, Yes, my love,
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  Speaker 1: I hope, so, said the King. Then, turning to the miners,
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  Speaker 1: he said, will you do your best you can for
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  Speaker 1: my servants to night? I hope they will be able
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  Speaker 1: to return to the house to morrow. The miners, with
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  Speaker 1: one voice, promised their hospitality. Then the king commanded his
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  Speaker 1: servants to mind whatever Curdie should say to them, and
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  Speaker 1: after shaking hands with him and his father and mother,
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  Speaker 1: the King and the princess and all their company rode
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  Speaker 1: away down the side of the new stream, which had
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  Speaker 1: already devoured half the road into the starry night. Chapter
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  Speaker 1: thirty two, the last chapter. All the rest went up
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  Speaker 1: the mountain and separated in groups to the homes of
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  Speaker 1: the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie
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  Speaker 1: with them, and the whole way alight of which all
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  Speaker 1: but Lootie understood the origin shone upon their path, But
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  Speaker 1: when they looked round they could see nothing of the
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  Speaker 1: silvery globe. For days and days, the water continued to
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  Speaker 1: rush from the doors and windows of the King's house,
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  Speaker 1: and a few goblin bodies were swept out onto the road.
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  Speaker 1: Curdie saw that something must be done. He spoke to
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  Speaker 1: his father and the rest of the miners, and they
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  Speaker 1: at once proceeded to make another outlet for the waters
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  Speaker 1: by setting all hands to the work. Tunneling here and
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  Speaker 1: building there. They soon succeeded, and having also made a
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  Speaker 1: little tunnel to drain the water away from under the
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  Speaker 1: King's house, they were soon able to get into the
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  Speaker 1: wine cellar, where they found a multitude of dead goblins
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  Speaker 1: among the rest of the queen, with the skin shoe
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  Speaker 1: gone and the stone one fast to an ankle. For
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  Speaker 1: the water had swept away the barricade which prevented the
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  Speaker 1: men at arms from following the goblins, and had greatly
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  Speaker 1: widened the passage, they built it securely up, and then
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  Speaker 1: went back to their labors in the mine. A good
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  Speaker 1: many of the goblins with their creatures, escaped from the
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  Speaker 1: inundation out upon the mountain, but most of them soon
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  Speaker 1: left that part of the country, and most of those
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  Speaker 1: remained grew milder in character, and indeed became very much
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  Speaker 1: like the Scotch brownies. Their skulls became soft after, as
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  Speaker 1: well as their hearts, and their feet grew harder, and
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  Speaker 1: by degrees they became friendly with the inhabitants of the mountain,
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  Speaker 1: and even with the miners, but the latter were merciless
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  Speaker 1: to any of the COB's creatures that came in their way,
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  Speaker 1: until at length they all but disappeared. The rest of
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  Speaker 1: the history of the Princess and Curdie must be kept
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  Speaker 1: for another volume, and of Section eighteen and of the
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  Speaker 1: Princess sent to the Goblin by George mac donald