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The Princess and the Goblin, CHAPTER 21, part 2

CHAPTER 21, part 2

'It's Curdie!' she cried joyfully.

'Hush! hush!' came Curdie's voice again from somewhere. 'Speak softly.' 'Why, you were singing loud!' said Irene.

'Yes. But they know I am here, and they don't know you are. Who are you?' 'I'm Irene,' answered the princess. 'I know who you are quite well. You're Curdie.' 'Why, how ever did you come here, Irene?' 'My great-great-grandmother sent me; and I think I've found out why. You can't get out, I suppose?' 'No, I can't. What are you doing?' 'Clearing away a huge heap of stones.' 'There's a princess!' exclaimed Curdie, in a tone of delight, but still speaking in little more than a whisper. 'I can't think how you got here, though.' 'My grandmother sent me after her thread.' 'I don't know what you mean,' said Curdie; 'but so you're there, it doesn't much matter.' 'Oh, yes, it does!' returned Irene. 'I should never have been here but for her.' 'You can tell me all about it when we get out, then. There's no time to lose now,'said Curdie. And Irene went to work, as fresh as when she began.

'There's such a lot of stones!' she said. 'It will take me a long time to get them all away.' 'How far on have you got?' asked Curdie.

'I've got about the half away, but the other half is ever so much bigger.' 'I don't think you will have to move the lower half. Do you see a slab laid up against the wall?' Irene looked, and felt about with her hands, and soon perceived the outlines of the slab.

'Yes,' she answered, 'I do.' 'Then, I think,' rejoined Curdie, 'when you have cleared the slab about half-way down, or a bit more, I shall be able to push it over.' 'I must follow my thread,' returned Irene, 'whatever I do.' 'What do you mean?' exclaimed Curdie. 'You will see when you get out,' answered the princess, and went on harder than ever.

CHAPTER 21, part 2

'It's Curdie!' she cried joyfully.

'Hush! hush!' came Curdie's voice again from somewhere. 'Speak softly.' 'Why, you were singing loud!' said Irene.

'Yes. But they know I am here, and they don't know you are. Who are you?' 'I'm Irene,' answered the princess. 'I know who you are quite well. You're Curdie.' 'Why, how ever did you come here, Irene?' 'My great-great-grandmother sent me; and I think I've found out why. You can't get out, I suppose?' 'No, I can't. What are you doing?' 'Clearing away a huge heap of stones.' 'There's a princess!' exclaimed Curdie, in a tone of delight, but still speaking in little more than a whisper. 'I can't think how you got here, though.' 'My grandmother sent me after her thread.' 'I don't know what you mean,' said Curdie; 'but so you're there, it doesn't much matter.' 'Oh, yes, it does!' returned Irene. 'I should never have been here but for her.' 'You can tell me all about it when we get out, then. There's no time to lose now,'said Curdie. And Irene went to work, as fresh as when she began.

'There's such a lot of stones!' she said. 'It will take me a long time to get them all away.' 'How far on have you got?' asked Curdie.

'I've got about the half away, but the other half is ever so much bigger.' 'I don't think you will have to move the lower half. Do you see a slab laid up against the wall?' Irene looked, and felt about with her hands, and soon perceived the outlines of the slab.

'Yes,' she answered, 'I do.' 'Then, I think,' rejoined Curdie, 'when you have cleared the slab about half-way down, or a bit more, I shall be able to push it over.' 'I must follow my thread,' returned Irene, 'whatever I do.' 'What do you mean?' exclaimed Curdie. 'You will see when you get out,'  answered the princess, and went on harder than ever.