swiftly, it disappeared among the ancient roofs of the palace.

CHAPTER 34



Judgement

The king and his army returned, bringing with them one prisoner



only, the lord chancellor. Curdie had dragged him from under a

fallen tent, not by the hand of a man, but by the foot of a mule.



When they entered the city, it was still as the grave. The

citizens had fled home. 'We must submit,' they cried, 'or the king



and his demons will destroy us.' The king rode through the streets

in silence, ill-pleased with his people. But he stopped his horse



in the midst of the market place, and called, in a voice loud and

clear as the cry of a silver trumpet, 'Go and find your own. Bury



your dead, and bring home your wounded.' Then he turned him

gloomily to the palace.



just as they reached the gates, Peter, who, as they went, had been

telling his tale to Curdie, ended it with the words:



'And so there I was, in the nick of time to save the two

princess" target="_blank" title="n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人">princesses!'



'The two princess" target="_blank" title="n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人">princesses, Father! The one on the great red horse was

the housemaid,' said Curdie, and ran to open the gates for the



king.

They found Derba returned before them, and already busy preparing



them food. The king put up his charger with his own hands, rubbed

him down, and fed him.



When they had washed, and eaten and drunk, he called the colonel,

and told Curdie and the page to bring out the traitors and the



beasts, and attend him to the market place.

By this time the people were crowding back into the city, bearing



their dead and wounded. And there was lamentation in Gwyntystorm,

for no one could comfort himself, and no one had any to comfort



him. The nation was victorious, but the people were conquered.

The king stood in the centre of the market place, upon the steps of



the ancient cross. He had laid aside his helmet and put on his

crown, but he stood all armed beside, with his sword in his hand.



He called the people to him, and, for all the terror of the beasts,

they dared not disobey him. Those, even, who were carrying their



wounded laid them down, and drew near trembling.

Then the king said to Curdie and the page:



'Set the evil men before me.'

He looked upon them for a moment in mingled anger and pity, then



turned to the people and said:

'Behold your trust! Ye slaves, behold your leaders! I would have



freed you, but ye would not be free. Now shall ye be ruled with a

rod of iron, that ye may learn what freedom is, and love it and



seek it. These wretches I will send where they shall mislead you

no longer.'



He made a sign to Curdie, who immediately brought up the

legserpent. To the body of the animal they bound the lord



chamberlain, speechless with horror. The butler began to shriek

and pray, but they bound him on the back of Clubhead. One after



another, upon the largest of the creatures they bound the whole

seven, each through the unveiling terror looking the villain he



was. Then said the king:

'I thank you, my good beasts; and I hope to visit you ere long.



Take these evil men with you, and go to your place.'

Like a whirlwind they were in the crowd, scattering it like dust.



Like hounds they rushed from the city, their burdens howling and

raving.



What became of them I have never heard.

Then the king turned once more to the people and said, 'Go to your



houses'; nor vouchsafed them another word. They crept home like

chidden hounds.



The king returned to the palace. He made the colonel a duke, and

the page a knight, and Peter he appointed general of all his mines.



But to Curdie he said:

'You are my own boy, Curdie. My child cannot choose but love you,



and when you are grown up - if you both will - you shall marry each

other, and be king and queen when I am gone. Till then be the



king's Curdie.'

Irene held out her arms to Curdie. He raised her in his, and she



kissed him.

'And my Curdie too!' she said.



Thereafter the people called him Prince Conrad; but the king always

called him either just Curdie, or my miner boy.



They sat down to supper, and Derba and the knight and the housemaid

waited, and Barbara sat at the king's left hand. The housemaid



poured out the wine; and as she poured for Curdie red wine that

foamed in the cup, as if glad to see the light whence it had been

• refuge [´refju:dʒ] v.&n.避难(所)；庇护 (初中英语单词)


• ascend [ə´send] v.登；上升；追溯 (初中英语单词)


• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• butcher [´butʃə] n.屠夫，刽子手 (初中英语单词)


• collar [´kɔlə] n.衣领；(狗等的)项圈 (初中英语单词)


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• confusion [kən´fju:ʒən] n.混乱(状态)；骚乱 (初中英语单词)


• clutch [klʌtʃ] v.抓住 n.爪子；控制 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• feathered [´feðəd] a.有羽毛的；羽状的 (初中英语单词)


• multitude [´mʌltitju:d] n.大群(批)；众多 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• fright [frait] n.惊吓；恐怖；怪人 (初中英语单词)


• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)


• attendant [ə´tendənt] n.随员 a.伴随的 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


• dismay [dis´mei] n.惊慌 vt.使惊慌 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• helmet [´helmit] n.钢盔 (初中英语单词)


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)


• alongside [əlɔŋ´said] ad.在旁 prep.横靠 (高中英语单词)


• forging [´fɔ:dʒiŋ] n.锻件；锻造(法) (高中英语单词)


• trumpet [´trʌmpit] n.喇叭；小号 (高中英语单词)


• thereafter [ðeə´rɑ:ftə] adv.此后，其后 (高中英语单词)


• commend [kə´mend] vt.把…交托给；称赞 (高中英语单词)


• foremost [´fɔ:məust] a.最重要的；最先的 (高中英语单词)


• colonel [´kə:nəl] n.海(陆)军上校 (高中英语单词)


• correctly [kə´rektli] ad.正确地；恰当地 (高中英语单词)


• motion [´məuʃən] n.手势 vt.打手势 (高中英语单词)


• frantic [´fræntik] a.发狂的；急忙的 (高中英语单词)


• buffet [´bʌfit, bʌ´fət] n.食品小卖部 v.打击 (高中英语单词)


• sweeping [´swi:piŋ] a.掠过的 n.扫除；清除 (高中英语单词)


• torrent [´tɔrənt] n.奔流，激流，洪流；迸发 (高中英语单词)


• baggage [´bægidʒ] n.行李 (高中英语单词)


• homeward [´həumwəd] ad.&a.回家(的) (高中英语单词)


• fatigue [fə´ti:g] n.&vt.(使)疲劳(劳累) (高中英语单词)


• chancellor [´tʃɑ:nsələ] n.首相；大臣 (高中英语单词)


• victorious [vik´tɔ:riəs] a.得胜的，胜利的 (高中英语单词)


• butler [´bʌtlə] n.(男)管家 (高中英语单词)


• knight [nait] n.骑士；爵士 (高中英语单词)


• brazen [´breizən] a.黄铜制的；无耻的 (英语四级单词)


• unrest [ʌn´rest] n.不安；不稳；动乱 (英语四级单词)


• happening [´hæpəniŋ] n.事件，偶然发生的事 (英语四级单词)


• warlike [´wɔ:laik] a.战争的；好战的 (英语四级单词)


• knives [naivz] knife的复数 (英语四级单词)


• horizontal [,hɔri´zɔntl] a.水平的，横的 (英语四级单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• lamentation [,læmen´teiʃən] n.悲痛，哀悼，痛哭 (英语四级单词)


• disobey [,disə´bei] v.不服从；不听命令 (英语四级单词)


• speechless [´spi:tʃləs] a.说不出话的 (英语四级单词)


• villain [´vilən] n.坏人；恶棍；反面角色 (英语四级单词)


• whirlwind [´wə:l,wind] n.旋风；猛烈的势力 (英语四级单词)


• mockery [´mɔkəri] n.嘲笑；笑柄 (英语六级单词)


• wherewith [wɛə´wiθ] ad.用什么；用以 (英语六级单词)


• ceaseless [´si:slis] a.不绝的，不停的 (英语六级单词)


• swiftness [´swiftnis] n.迅速，敏捷 (英语六级单词)


• charger [´tʃɑ:dʒə] n.军马；委托者；控诉者 (英语六级单词)