gentlemen.'

'Yes, that we will, Curdie!' said the princess. 'And next summer
we'll come back and see you wear it, Curdie's mother,' she added.

'Shan't we, king-papa?'
'Yes, my love; I hope so,' said the king.

Then turning to the miners, he said:
'Will you do the best you can for my servants tonight? I hope they

will be able to return to the house tomorrow.'
The miners with one voice promised their hospitality.

Then the king commanded his servants to mind whatever Curdie should
say to them, and after shaking hands with him and his father and

mother, the king and the princess and all their company rode away
down the side of the new stream, which had already devoured half

the road, into the starry night.
CHAPTER 32

The Last Chapter
All the rest went up the mountain, and separated in groups to the

homes of the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie
with them. And the whole way a light, of which all but Lootie

understood the origin, shone upon their path. But when they looked
round they could see nothing of the silvery globe.

For days and days the water continued to rush from the doors and
windows of the king's house, and a few goblin bodies were swept out

into the road.
Curdie saw that something must be done. He spoke to his father and

the rest of the miners, and they at once proceeded to make another
outlet for the waters. By setting all hands to the work,

tunnelling here and building there, they soon succeeded; and having
also made a little tunnel to drain the water away from under the

king's house, they were soon able to get into the wine cellar,
where they found a multitude of dead goblins - among the rest the

queen, with the skin-shoe gone, and the stone one fast to her ankle
- for the water had swept away the barricade, which prevented the

men-at-arms from following the goblins, and had greatly widened the
passage. They built it securely up, and then went back to their

labours in the mine.
A good many of the goblins with their creatures escaped from the

inundation out upon the mountain. But most of them soon left that
part of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in

character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies.
Their skulls became softer as well as their hearts, and their feet

grew harder, and by degrees they became friendly with the
inhabitants of the mountain and even with the miners. But the

latter were merciless to any of the cobs' creatures that came in
their way, until at length they all but disappeared.

The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for
another volume.

End

• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)
• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• origin [´ɔridʒin] n.起源；由来；出身 (初中英语单词)
• tunnel [´tʌnl] n.隧道 v.挖隧道 (初中英语单词)
• multitude [´mʌltitju:d] n.大群(批)；众多 (初中英语单词)
• goblin [´gɔblin] n.恶鬼，小妖精 (高中英语单词)
• scotch [skɔtʃ] vt.&n.刻痕(于)；划伤 (高中英语单词)
• starry [´stɑ:ri] a.星光照耀的，闪亮的 (英语四级单词)
• silvery [´silvəri] a.银一般的 (英语四级单词)
• setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (英语四级单词)
• securely [si´kjuəli] ad.安全地；无疑地 (英语六级单词)
• merciless [´mə:siləs] a.残忍的；无情的 (英语六级单词)