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首页 » 经典英文小说 » The Princess and the Goblin公主与柯迪 » CHAPTER VIII THE GOBLINS
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CHAPTER VIII THE GOBLINS
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 FOR some time Curdie worked away briskly, throwing all the ore he had disengaged on one side behind him, to be ready for carrying out in the morning. He heard a good deal of goblin-tapping, but it all sounded far away in the hill, and he paid it little heed1. Toward midnight he began to feel rather hungry; so he dropped his pickaxe, got a lump of bread which in the morning he had laid in a damp hole in the rock, sat down on a heap of ore and ate his supper. Then he leaned back for five minutes' rest before beginning his work again, and laid his head against the rock. He had not kept the position for one minute before he heard something which made him sharpen his ears. It sounded like a voice inside the rock. After a while he heard it again. It was a goblin-voice—there could be no doubt about that—and this time he could make out the words.
"Hadn't we better be moving?" it said.
 
A rougher and deeper voice replied:
 
"There's no hurry. That wretched little mole2 won't be through to-night, if he work ever so hard. He's by no means at the thinnest place."
 
"But you still think the lode3 does come through into our house?" said the first voice.
 
"Yes, but a good bit farther on than he has got to yet. If he had struck a stroke more to the side just here," said the goblin, tapping the very stone, as it seemed to Curdie, against which his head lay, "he would have been through; but he's a couple of yards past it now, and if he follow the lode it will be a week before it leads him in. You see it back there—a long way. Still, perhaps, in case of accident, it would be as well to be getting out of this. Helfer, you'll take the great chest. That's your business, you know."
 
"Yes, dad," said a third voice. "But you must help me to get it on my back. It's awfully4 heavy, you know."
 
"Well, it isn't just a bag of smoke, I admit. But you're as strong as a mountain, Helfer."
 
"You say so, dad. I think myself I'm all right. But I could carry ten times as much if it wasn't for my feet."
 
"That is your weak point, I confess, my boy."
 
"Ain't it yours, too, father?"
 
"Well, to be honest, it is a goblin-weakness. Why they come so soft, I declare I haven't an idea."
 
"Specially5 when your head's so hard, you know, father."
 
"Yes, my boy. The goblin's glory is his head. To think how the fellows up above there have to put on helmets and things when they go fighting. Ha! ha!"
 
"But why don't we wear shoes like them, father? I should like it—specially when I've got a chest like that on my head."
 
"Well, you see, it's not the fashion. The king never wears shoes."
 
"The queen does."
 
"Yes; but that's for distinction. The first queen, you see—I mean the king's first wife—wore shoes of course, because she came from upstairs; and so, when she died, the next queen would not be inferior to her as she called it, and would wear shoes too. It was all pride. She is the hardest in forbidding them to the rest of the women."
 
"I'm sure I wouldn't wear them—no, not for—that I wouldn't!" said the first voice, which was evidently that of the mother of the family. "I can't think why either of them should."
 
"Didn't I tell you the first was from upstairs?" said the other. "That was the only silly thing I ever knew his Majesty6 guilty of. Why should he marry an outlandish woman like that—one of our natural enemies too?"
 
"I suppose he fell in love with her."
 
"Pooh! pooh! He's just as happy now with one of his own people."
 
"Did she die very soon? They didn't tease her to death, did they?"
 
"Oh dear no! The king worshipped her very footmarks."
 
"What made her die, then? Didn't the air agree with her?"
 
"She died when the young prince was born."
 
"How silly of her! We never do that. It must have been because she wore shoes."
 
"I don't know that."
 
"Why do they wear shoes up there?"
 
"Ah! now that's a sensible question, and I will answer it. But in order to do so, I must first tell you a secret. I once saw the queen's feet."
 
"Without her shoes?"
 
"Yes—without her shoes."
 
"No! Did you? How was it?"
 
"Never you mind how it was. She didn't know I saw them. And what do you think!—they had toes!"
 
"Toes! What's that?"
 
"You may well ask! I should never have known if I had not seen the queen's feet. Just imagine! the ends of her feet were split up into five or six thin pieces!"
 
"Oh, horrid7! How could the king have fallen in love with her?"
 
"You forget that she wore shoes. That is just why she wore them. That is why all the men, and women too, upstairs wear shoes. They can't bear the sight of their own feet without them."
 
"Ah! now I understand. If ever you wish for shoes again, Helfer, I'll hit your feet—I will."
 
"No, no, mother; pray don't."
 
"Then don't you."
 
"But with such a big box on my head—"
 
A horrid scream followed, which Curdie interpreted as in reply to a blow from his mother upon the feet of her eldest8 goblin.
 
"Well, I never knew so much before!" remarked a fourth voice.
 
"Your knowledge is not universal quite yet," said the father. "You were only fifty last month. Mind you see to the bed and bedding. As soon as we've finished our supper, we'll be up and going. Ha! ha! ha!"
 
"What are you laughing at, husband?"
 
"I'm laughing to think what a mess the miners will find themselves in—somewhere before this day ten years."
 
"Why, what do you mean?"
 
"Oh, nothing."
 
"Oh yes, you do mean something. You always do mean something."
 
"It's more than you do, then, wife."
 
"That may be; but it's not more than I find out, you know."
 
"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 growl9. The growl went on in a low bass10 for a good while, as inarticulate as if the goblin's tongue had been a sausage; and it was not until his wife spoke11 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."
 
After this arose a confused conversation about the various household goods and their transport; and Curdie heard nothing more that was of any importance.
 
He now knew at least one of the reasons for the constant sound of the goblin hammers and pickaxes at night. They were making new houses for themselves, to which they might retreat when the miners should threaten to break into their dwellings12. But he had learned two things of far greater importance. The first was, that some grievous calamity13 was preparing, and almost ready to fall upon the heads of the miners; the second was—the one weak point of a goblin's body: he had not known that their feet were so tender as he had now reason to suspect. He had heard it said that they had no toes: he had never had opportunity of inspecting them closely enough in the dusk in which they always appeared, to satisfy himself whether it was a correct report. Indeed, he had not been able even to satisfy himself as to whether they had no fingers, although that also was commonly said to be the fact. One of the miners, indeed, who had had more schooling14 than the rest, was wont15 to argue that such must have been the primordial16 condition of humanity, and that education and handicraft had developed both toes and fingers—with which proposition Curdie had once heard his father sarcastically17 agree, alleging18 in support of it the probability that babies' gloves were a traditional remnant of the old state of things; while the stockings of all ages, no regard being paid in them to the toes, pointed19 in the same direction. But what was of importance was the fact concerning the softness of the goblin-feet, which he foresaw might be useful to all miners. What he had to do in the mean time, however, was to discover, if possible, the special evil design the goblins had now in their heads.
 
Although he knew all the gangs and all the natural galleries with which they communicated in the mined part of the mountain, he had not the least idea where the palace of the king of the gnomes20 was; otherwise he would have set out at once on the enterprise of discovering what the said design was. He judged, and rightly, that it must lie in a farther part of the mountain, between which and the mine there was as yet no communication. There must be one nearly completed, however; for it could be but a thin partition which now separated them. If only he could get through in time to follow the goblins as they retreated! A few blows would doubtless be sufficient—just where his ear now lay; but if he attempted to strike there with his pickaxe, he would only hasten the departure of the family, put them on their guard, and perhaps lose their involuntary guidance. He therefore began to feel the wall with his hands, and soon found that some of the stones were loose enough to be drawn21 out with little noise.
 
Laying hold of a large one with both his hands, he drew it gently out, and let it down softly.
 
"What was that noise?" said the goblin father.
 
Curdie blew out his light, lest it should shine through.
 
"It must be that one miner that stayed behind the rest," said the mother.
 
"No; he's been gone a good while. I haven't heard a blow for an hour. Besides, it wasn't like that."
 
"Then I suppose it must have been a stone carried down the brook22 inside."
 
"Perhaps. It will have more room by and by."
 
Curdie kept quite still. After a little while, hearing nothing but the sounds of their preparations for departure, mingled23 with an occasional word of direction, and anxious to know whether the removal of the stone had made an opening into the goblins' house, he put in his hand to feel. It went in a good way, and then came in contact with something soft. He had but a moment to feel it over, it was so quickly withdrawn24: it was one of the toeless goblin-feet. The owner of it gave a cry of fright.
 
"What's the matter, Helfer?" asked his mother.
 
"A beast came out of the wall, and licked my foot."
 
"Nonsense! There are no wild beasts in our country," said his father.
 
"But it was, father. I felt it."
 
"Nonsense, I say. Will you malign25 your native realms and reduce them to a level with the country up-stairs? That is swarming26 with wild beasts of every description."
 
"But I did feel it, father."
 
"I tell you to hold your tongue. You are no patriot27."
 
Curdie suppressed his laughter, and lay still as a mouse—but no stiller, for every moment he kept nibbling28 away with his fingers at the edges of the hole. He was slowly making it bigger, for here the rock had been very much shattered with the blasting.
 
There seemed to be a good many in the family, to judge from the mass of confused talk which now and then came through the hole; but when all were speaking together, and just as if they had bottle-brushes—each at least one—in their throats, it was not easy to make out much that was said. At length he heard once more what the father-goblin was saying.
 
"Now then," he said, "get your bundles on your backs. Here, Helfer, I'll help you up with your chest."
 
"I wish it was my chest, father."
 
"Your turn will come in good time enough! Make haste. I must go to the meeting at the palace to-night. When that's over, we can come back and clear out the last of the things before our enemies return in the morning. Now light your torches, and come along. What a distinction it is to provide our own light, instead of being dependent on a thing hung up in the air—a most disagreeable contrivance—intended no doubt to blind us when we venture out under its baleful influence! Quite glaring and vulgar, I call it, though no doubt useful to poor creatures who haven't the wit to make light for themselves!"
 
Curdie could hardly keep himself from calling through to know whether they made the fire to light their torches by. But a moment's reflection showed him that they would have said they did, inasmuch as they struck two stones together, and the fire came.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 heed ldQzi     
v.注意,留意;n.注意,留心
参考例句:
  • You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
  • For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。
2 mole 26Nzn     
n.胎块;痣;克分子
参考例句:
  • She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
  • The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。
3 lode I8tzk     
n.矿脉
参考例句:
  • We discovered the rich lode bellied out.我们发现丰富的矿脉突然增大了。
  • A lode of gold was discovered。他们发现了一处黄金矿藏。
4 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
参考例句:
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
5 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
6 majesty MAExL     
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权
参考例句:
  • The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
  • Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下,您必须赶快做出决定!
7 horrid arozZj     
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的
参考例句:
  • I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
  • The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃,她咽不下去。
8 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的,最年老的
参考例句:
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
9 growl VeHzE     
v.(狗等)嗥叫,(炮等)轰鸣;n.嗥叫,轰鸣
参考例句:
  • The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫,尾巴也跟着摇摆。
  • The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。
10 bass APUyY     
n.男低音(歌手);低音乐器;低音大提琴
参考例句:
  • He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
  • The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。
11 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
12 dwellings aa496e58d8528ad0edee827cf0b9b095     
n.住处,处所( dwelling的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
  • The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 calamity nsizM     
n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件
参考例句:
  • Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
  • The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。
14 schooling AjAzM6     
n.教育;正规学校教育
参考例句:
  • A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
  • Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。
15 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯
参考例句:
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
16 primordial 11PzK     
adj.原始的;最初的
参考例句:
  • It is the primordial force that propels us forward.它是推动我们前进的原始动力。
  • The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.的尼安德特人是我们的原始祖先之一.
17 sarcastically sarcastically     
adv.挖苦地,讽刺地
参考例句:
  • 'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。
  • Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她,讽刺地鞠了一躬。
18 alleging 16407100de5c54b7b204953b7a851bc3     
断言,宣称,辩解( allege的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税,他的名誉受到损害。
  • This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯,还说不必,只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。
19 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
20 gnomes 4d2c677a8e6ad6ce060d276f3fcfc429     
n.矮子( gnome的名词复数 );侏儒;(尤指金融市场上搞投机的)银行家;守护神
参考例句:
  • I have a wonderful recipe: bring two gnomes, two eggs. 我有一个绝妙的配方:准备两个侏儒,两个鸡蛋。 来自互联网
  • Illusions cast by gnomes from a small village have started becoming real. 53侏儒对一个小村庄施放的幻术开始变为真实。 来自互联网
21 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
22 brook PSIyg     
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让
参考例句:
  • In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
  • The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。
23 mingled fdf34efd22095ed7e00f43ccc823abdf     
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系]
参考例句:
  • The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
  • The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候,这一男一女就开始交往了。
24 withdrawn eeczDJ     
vt.收回;使退出;vi.撤退,退出
参考例句:
  • Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
  • All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。
25 malign X8szX     
adj.有害的;恶性的;恶意的;v.诽谤,诬蔑
参考例句:
  • It was easy to see why the cartoonists regularly portrayed him as a malign cherub.难怪漫画家总是把他画成一个邪恶的小天使。
  • She likes to malign innocent persons.她爱诋毁那些清白的人。
26 swarming db600a2d08b872102efc8fbe05f047f9     
密集( swarm的现在分词 ); 云集; 成群地移动; 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去
参考例句:
  • The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
  • The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。
27 patriot a3kzu     
n.爱国者,爱国主义者
参考例句:
  • He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
  • He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。
28 nibbling 610754a55335f7412ddcddaf447d7d54     
v.啃,一点一点地咬(吃)( nibble的现在分词 );啃出(洞),一点一点咬出(洞);慢慢减少;小口咬
参考例句:
  • We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿,喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
  • He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》


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