Stories Oct, 2013 | Page 502

horrible grimaces all through the rhyme.] The king was pleased to find him behave more politely than he had expected from what his people had told him concerning the miners, for he attributed it to the power of his own presence; but he did not therefore feel friendly to the intruder. "You will oblige me by walking out of my dominions at once," he said, well knowing what a mockery lay in the words. "With pleasure, if your majesty will give me a guide," said Curdie. "I will give you a thousand," said the king, with a scoffing air of magnificent liberality. "One will be quite sufficient," said Curdie. But the king uttered a strange shout, half halloo, half roar, and in rushed goblins till the cave was swarming. He said something to the first of them which Curdie could not hear, and it was passed from one to another till in a moment the farthest in the crowd had evidently heard Madhuri Noah C:\Users\MNoah\Documents\The Princess and the Goblin1.docx Page 501 of 634