The Princess and the Goblin

  CHAPTER 29

  Masonwork

  He had all at once remembered the resolution of the goblins to carryout their second plan upon the failure of the first. No doubt theywere already busy, and the mine was therefore in the greatest danger ofbeing flooded and rendered useless--not to speak of the lives of theminers.

  When he reached the mouth of the mine, after rousing all the minerswithin reach, he found his father and a good many more just entering.They all hurried to the gang by which he had found a way into thegoblin country. There the foresight of Peter had already collected agreat many blocks of stone, with cement, ready for building up the weakplace--well enough known to the goblins. Although there was not roomfor more than two to be actually building at once, they managed, bysetting all the rest to work in preparing the cement and passing thestones, to finish in the course of the day a huge buttress filling thewhole gang, and supported everywhere by the live rock. Before the hourwhen they usually dropped work, they were satisfied the mine was secure.

  They had heard goblin hammers and pickaxes busy all the time, and atlength fancied they heard sounds of water they had never heard before.But that was otherwise accounted for when they left the mine, for theystepped out into a tremendous storm which was raging all over themountain. The thunder was bellowing, and the lightning lancing out ofa huge black cloud which lay above it and hung down its edges of thickmist over its sides. The lightning was breaking out of the mountain,too, and flashing up into the cloud. From the state of the brooks, nowswollen into raging torrents, it was evident that the storm had beenstorming all day.

  The wind was blowing as if it would blow him off the mountain, but,anxious about his mother and the princess, Curdie darted up through thethick of the tempest. Even if they had not set out before the stormcame on, he did not judge them safe, for in such a storm even theirpoor little house was in danger. Indeed he soon found that but for ahuge rock against which it was built, and which protected it both fromthe blasts and the waters, it must have been swept if it was not blownaway; for the two torrents into which this rock parted the rush ofwater behind it united again in front of the cottage--two roaring anddangerous streams, which his mother and the princess could not possiblyhave passed. It was with great difficulty that he forced his waythrough one of them, and up to the door.

  The moment his hand fell on the latch, through all the uproar of windsand Waters came the joyous cry of the princess:

  'There's Curdie! Curdie! Curdie!'

  She was sitting wrapped in blankets on the bed, his mother trying forthe hundredth time to light the fire which had been drowned by the rainthat came down the chimney. The clay floor was one mass of mud, andthe whole place looked wretched. But the faces of the mother and theprincess shone as if their troubles only made them the merrier. Curdieburst out laughing at the sight of them.

  'I never had such fun!' said the princess, her eyes twinkling and herpretty teeth shining. 'How nice it must be to live in a cottage on themountain!'

  'It all depends on what kind your inside house is,' said the mother.

  'I know what you mean,' said Irene. 'That's the kind of thing mygrandmother says.'

  By the time Peter returned the storm was nearly over, but the streamswere so fierce and so swollen that it was not only out of the questionfor the princess to go down the mountain, but most dangerous for Petereven or Curdie to make the attempt in the gathering darkness.

  'They will be dreadfully frightened about you,' said Peter to theprincess, 'but we cannot help it. We must wait till the morning.'

  With Curdie's help, the fire was lighted at last, and the mother setabout making their supper; and after supper they all told the princessstories till she grew sleepy. Then Curdie's mother laid her inCurdie's bed, which was in a tiny little garret-room. As soon as shewas in bed, through a little window low down in the roof she caughtsight of her grandmother's lamp shining far away beneath, and she gazedat the beautiful silvery globe until she fell asleep.