"Ha! ha! You're a sharp one. What a mother you've got, Helfer!"
"Yes, father."
"Well, I suppose I must tell you. They're all at the palace consulting
about it to-night; and as soon as we've got away from this thin place,
I'm going there to hear what night they fix upon. I should like to see
that young ruffian there on the other side, struggling in the agonies
of--"
He dropped his voice so low that Curdie could hear only a growl. The
growl went on in a low bass for a good while, as inarticulate as if the
goblin's tongue had been a sausage; and it was not until his wife spoke
again that it rose to its former pitch.
"But what shall we do when you are at the palace?" she asked.
"I will see you safe in the new house I've been digging for you for the
last two months. Podge, you mind the table and chairs. I commit them
to
your care. The table has seven legs--each chair three. I shall require
them all at your hands."
Madhuri Noah
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