She entered, creeping with downcast head, and dragging her tail

over the floor behind her. Curdie watched the princess as the
frightful creature came nearer and nearer. One shudder went from

head to foot, and next instant she stepped to meet her. Lina
dropped flat on the floor, and covered her face with her two big

paws. It went to the heart of the princess: in a moment she was on
her knees beside her, stroking her ugly head, and patting her all

over.
'Good dog! Dear ugly dog!' she said.

Lina whimpered.
'I believe,' said Curdie, 'from what your grandmother told me, that

Lina is a woman, and that she was naughty, but is now growing
good.'

Lina had lifted her head while Irene was caressing her; now she
dropped it again between her paws; but the princess took it in her

hands, and kissed the forehead betwixt the gold-green eyes.
'Shall I take her with me or leave her?' asked Curdie.

'Leave her, poor dear,' said Irene, and Curdie, knowing the way
now, went without her.

He took his way first to the room the princess had spoken of, and
there also were the remains of supper; but neither there nor in the

kitchen could he find a scrap of plain wholesome-looking bread. So
he returned and told her that as soon as it was light he would go

into the city for some, and asked her for a handkerchief to tie it
in. If he could not bring it himself, he would send it by Lina,

who could keep out of sight better than he, and as soon as all was
quiet at night he would come to her again. He also asked her to

tell the king that he was in the house. His hope lay in the fact
that bakers everywhere go to work early. But it was yet much too

early. So he persuaded the princess to lie down, promising to call
her if the king should stir.

CHAPTER 21
The Loaf

His Majesty slept very quietly. The dawn had grown almost day, and
still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a
moment. She had slept, she said, and felt quite fresh. Delighted

to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her
chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

Curdie got his mattock from where he had hidden it behind a great
mirror, and went to the cellar, followed by Lina. They took some

breakfast with them as they passed through the hall, and as soon as
they had eaten it went out the back way.

At the mouth of the passage Curdie seized the rope, drew himself
up, pushed away the shutter, and entered the dungeon. Then he

swung the end of the rope to Lina, and she caught it in her teeth.
When her master said, 'Now, Lina!' she gave a great spring, and he

ran away with the end of the rope as fast as ever he could. And
such a spring had she made, that by the time he had to bear her

weight she was within a few feet of the hole. The instant she got
a paw through, she was all through.

Apparently their enemies were waiting till hunger should have cowed
them, for there was no sign of any attempt having been made to open

the door. A blow or two of Curdie's mattock drove the shattered
lock clean from it, and telling Lina to wait there till he came

back, and let no one in, he walked out into the silent street, and
drew the door to behind them. He could hardly believe it was not

yet a whole day since he had been thrown in there with his hands
tied at his back.

Down the town he went, walking in the middle of the street, that,
if any one saw him, he might see he was not afraid, and hesitate to

rouse an attack on him. As to the dogs, ever since the death of
their two companions, a shadow that looked like a mattock was

enough to make them scamper. As soon as he reached the archway of
the city gate he turned to reconnoitre the baker's shop, and

perceiving no sign of movement, waited there watching for the
first.

After about an hour, the door opened, and the baker's man appeared
with a pail in his hand. He went to a pump that stood in the

street, and having filled his pail returned with it into the shop.
Curdie stole after him, found the door on the latch, opened it very

gently, peeped in, saw nobody, and entered. Remembering perfectly
from what shelf the baker's wife had taken the loaf she said was

the best, and seeing just one upon it, he seized it, laid the price
of it on the counter, and sped softly out, and up the street. Once

more in the dungeon beside Lina, his first thought was to fasten up
the door again, which would have been easy, so many iron fragments

of all sorts and sizes lay about; but he bethought himself that if
he left it as it was, and they came to find him, they would

conclude at once that they had made their escape by it, and would
look no farther so as to discover the hole. He therefore merely

pushed the door close and left it. Then once more carefully
arranging the earth behind the shutter, so that it should again

fall with it, he returned to the cellar.
And now he had to convey the loaf to the princess. If he could

venture to take it himself, well; if not, he would send Lina. He
crept to the door of the servants' hall, and found the sleepers

beginning to stir. One said it was time to go to bed; another,
that he would go to the cellar instead, and have a mug of wine to

waken him up; while a third challenged a fourth to give him his
revenge at some game or other.

'Oh, hang your losses!' answered his companion; 'you'll soon pick
up twice as much about the house, if you but keep your eyes open.'

Perceiving there would be risk in attempting to pass through, and
reflecting that the porters in the great hall would probably be

awake also, Curdie went back to the cellar, took Irene's
handkerchief with the loaf in it, tied it round Lina's neck, and

told her to take it to the princess.
Using every shadow and every shelter, Lina slid through the

servants like a shapelessterror through a guilty mind, and so, by
corridor and great hall, up the stair to the king's chamber.

Irene trembled a little when she saw her glide soundless in across
the silent dusk of the morning, that filtered through the heavy

drapery of the windows, but she recovered herself at once when she
saw the bundle about her neck, for it both assured her of Curdie's

safety, and gave her hope of her father's. She untied it with joy,
and Lina stole away, silent as she had come. Her joy was the

greater that the king had waked up a little before, and expressed
a desire for food - not that he felt exactly hungry, he said, and

yet he wanted something. If only he might have a piece of nice
fresh bread! Irene had no knife, but with eager hands she broke a

great piece from the loaf, and poured out a full glass of wine.
The king ate and drank, enjoyed the bread and the wine much, and

instantly fell asleep again.
It was hours before the lazy people brought their breakfast. When

it came, Irene crumbled a little about, threw some into the
fireplace, and managed to make the tray look just as usual.

in the meantime, down below in the cellar, Curdie was lying in the
hollow between the upper sides of two of the great casks, the

warmest place he could find. Lina was watching. She lay at his
feet, across the two casks, and did her best so to arrange her huge

tail that it should be a warm coverlid for her master.
By and by Dr Kelman called to see his patient; and now that Irene's