The Princess and the Goblin

  CHAPTER 5

  The Princess Lets Well Alone

  When she woke the next morning, the first thing she heard was the rainstill falling. Indeed, this day was so like the last that it wouldhave been difficult to tell where was the use of It. The first thingshe thought of, however, was not the rain, but the lady in the tower;and the first question that occupied her thoughts was whether sheshould not ask the nurse to fulfil her promise this very morning, andgo with her to find her grandmother as soon as she had had herbreakfast. But she came to the conclusion that perhaps the lady wouldnot be pleased if she took anyone to see her without first askingleave; especially as it was pretty evident, seeing she lived onpigeons' eggs, and cooked them herself, that she did not want thehousehold to know she was there. So the princess resolved to take thefirst opportunity of running up alone and asking whether she mightbring her nurse. She believed the fact that she could not otherwiseconvince her she was telling the truth would have much weight with hergrandmother.

  The princess and her nurse were the best of friends all dressing-time,and the princess in consequence ate an enormous little breakfast.

  'I wonder, Lootie'--that was her pet name for her nurse--'what pigeons'eggs taste like?' she said, as she was eating her egg--not quite acommon one, for they always picked out the pinky ones for her.

  'We'll get you a pigeon's egg, and you shall judge for yourself,' saidthe nurse.

  'Oh, no, no!' returned Irene, suddenly reflecting they might disturbthe old lady in getting it, and that even if they did not, she wouldhave one less in consequence.

  'What a strange creature you are,' said the nurse--'first to want athing and then to refuse it!'

  But she did not say it crossly, and the princess never minded anyremarks that were not unfriendly.

  'Well, you see, Lootie, there are reasons,' she returned, and said nomore, for she did not want to bring up the subject of their formerstrife, lest her nurse should offer to go before she had had hergrandmother's permission to bring her. Of course she could refuse totake her, but then she would believe her less than ever.

  Now the nurse, as she said herself afterwards, could not be everymoment in the room; and as never before yesterday had the princessgiven her the smallest reason for anxiety, it had not yet come into herhead to watch her more closely. So she soon gave her a chance, and,the very first that offered, Irene was off and up the stairs again.

  This day's adventure, however, did not turn out like yesterday's,although it began like it; and indeed to-day is very seldom likeyesterday, if people would note the differences--even when it rains.The princess ran through passage after passage, and could not find thestair of the tower. My own suspicion is that she had not gone up highenough, and was searching on the second instead of the third floor.When she turned to go back, she failed equally in her search after thestair. She was lost once more.

  Something made it even worse to bear this time, and it was no wonderthat she cried again. Suddenly it occurred to her that it was afterhaving cried before that she had found her grandmother's stair. Shegot up at once, wiped her eyes, and started upon a fresh quest.

  This time, although she did not find what she hoped, she found what wasnext best: she did not come on a stair that went up, but she came uponone that went down. It was evidently not the stair she had come up,yet it was a good deal better than none; so down she went, and wassinging merrily before she reached the bottom. There, to her surprise,she found herself in the kitchen. Although she was not allowed to gothere alone, her nurse had often taken her, and she was a greatfavourite with the servants. So there was a general rush at her themoment she appeared, for every one wanted to have her; and the reportof where she was soon reached the nurse's ears. She came at once tofetch her; but she never suspected how she had got there, and theprincess kept her own counsel.

  Her failure to find the old lady not only disappointed her, but madeher very thoughtful. Sometimes she came almost to the nurse's opinionthat she had dreamed all about her; but that fancy never lasted verylong. She wondered much whether she should ever see her again, andthought it very sad not to have been able to find her when sheparticularly wanted her. She resolved to say nothing more to her nurseon the subject, seeing it was so little in her power to prove her words.