until I reached a spot you know well enough, Curdie, where the path
has
to make a sharp turn out of the way of a great rock on the left-hand
side. When I got there, I was suddenly surrounded by about half-adozen
of the cobs, the first I had ever seen, although I had heard tell of
them often enough. One of them blocked up the path, and they all
began
tormenting and teasing me in a way it makes me shudder to think of
even
now."
"If I had only been with you!" cried father and son in a breath.
The mother gave a funny little smile, and went on.
"They had some of their horrible creatures with them too, and I must
confess I was dreadfully frightened. They had torn my clothes very
much,
and I was afraid they were going to tear myself to pieces, when
suddenly
a great white soft light shone upon me. I looked up. A broad ray, like a
shining road, came down from a large globe of silvery light, not very
high up, indeed not quite so high as the horizon--so it could not have
Madhuri Noah
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