CHAPTER 30
The King and the Kiss
The next morning the sun rose so bright that Irene said the rain hadwashed his face and let the light out clean. The torrents were stillroaring down the side of the mountain, but they were so much smaller asnot to be dangerous in the daylight. After an early breakfast, Peterwent to his work and Curdie and his mother set out to take the princesshome. They had difficulty in getting her dry across the streams, andCurdie had again and again to carry her, but at last they got safe onthe broader part of the road, and walked gently down towards the king'shouse. And what should they see as they turned the last corner but thelast of the king's troop riding through the gate!
'Oh, Curdie!' cried Irene, clapping her hands right joyfully,'myking-papa is come.'
The moment Curdie heard that, he caught her up in his arms, and set offat full speed, crying:
'Come on, mother dear! The king may break his heart before he knowsthat she is safe.'
Irene clung round his neck and he ran with her like a deer. When heentered the gate into the court, there sat the king on his horse, withall the people of the house about him, weeping and hanging their heads.The king was not weeping, but his face was white as a dead man's, andhe looked as if the life had gone out of him. The men-at-arms he hadbrought with him sat with horror-stricken faces, but eyes flashing withrage, waiting only for the word of the king to do something--they didnot know what, and nobody knew what.
The day before, the men-at-arms belonging to the house, as soon as theywere satisfied the princess had been carried away, rushed after thegoblins into the hole, but found that they had already so skilfullyblockaded the narrowest part, not many feet below the cellar, thatwithout miners and their tools they could do nothing. Not one of themknew where the mouth of the mine lay, and some of those who had set outto find it had been overtaken by the storm and had not even yetreturned. Poor Sir Walter was especially filled with shame, and almosthoped the king would order his head to be cut off, for to think of thatsweet little face down amongst the goblins was unendurable.
When Curdie ran in at the gate with the princess in his arms, they wereall so absorbed in their own misery and awed by the king's presence andgrief, that no one observed his arrival. He went straight up to theking, where he sat on his horse.
'Papa! papa!' the princess cried, stretching out her arms to him; 'hereI am!'
The king started. The colour rushed to his face. He gave aninarticulate cry. Curdie held up the princess, and the king bent downand took her from his arms. As he clasped her to his bosom, the bigtears went dropping down his cheeks and his beard. And such a shoutarose from all the bystanders that the startled horses pranced andcapered, and the armour rang and clattered, and the rocks of themountain echoed back the noises. The princess greeted them all as shenestled in her father's bosom, and the king did not set her down untilshe had told them all the story. But she had more to tell about Curdiethan about herself, and what she did tell about herself none of themcould understand--except the king and Curdie, who stood by the king'sknee stroking the neck of the great white horse. And still as she toldwhat Curdie had done, Sir Walter and others added to what she told,even Lootie joining in the praises of his courage and energy.
Curdie held his peace, looking quietly up in the king's face. And hismother stood on the outskirts of the crowd listening with delight, forher son's deeds were pleasant in her ears, until the princess caughtsight of her.
'And there is his mother, king-papa!' she said. 'See--there. She issuch a nice mother, and has been so kind to me!'
They all parted asunder as the king made a sign to her to come forward.She obeyed, and he gave her his hand, but could not speak.
'And now, king-papa,' the princess went on, 'I must tell you anotherthing. One night long ago Curdie drove the goblins away and broughtLootie and me safe from the mountain. And I promised him a kiss whenwe got home, but Lootie wouldn't let me give it him. I don't want youto scold Lootie, but I want you to tell her that a princess must do asshe promises.'
'Indeed she must, my child--except it be wrong,' said the king. 'There,give Curdie a kiss.'
And as he spoke he held her towards him.
The princess reached down, threw her arms round Curdie's neck, andkissed him on the mouth, saying: 'There, Curdie! There's the kiss Ipromised you!'
Then they all went into the house, and the cook rushed to the kitchenand the servants to their work. Lootie dressed Irene in her shiningestclothes, and the king put off his armour, and put on purple and gold;and a messenger was sent for Peter and all the miners, and there was agreat and a grand feast, which continued long after the princess wasput to bed.