Stories Oct, 2013 | Page 297

thundering roar, and the ground trembled beneath their feet, and before the last of them had crossed the court, out after them from the great hall-door came a huge rush of turbid water, and almost swept them away. But they got safe out of the gate and up the mountain, while the torrent went roaring down the road into the valley beneath. Curdie had left the king and the princess to look after his mother, whom he and his father, one on each side, caught up when the stream overtook them and carried safe and dry. When the king had got out of the way of the water, a little up the mountain, he stood with the princess in his arms, looking back with amazement on the issuing torrent, which glimmered fierce and foamy through the night. There Curdie rejoined them. "Now, Curdie," said the king, "what does it mean! Is this what you expected?" "It is, your Majesty," said Curdie; and proceeded to tell him about the Madhuri Noah C:\Users\MNoah\Documents\The Princess and the Goblin1.docx Page 296 of 634