e to her house. She was not like her
fellow townspeople, for that they were strangers recommended them to
her.

The moment her door was shut the other doors began to open, and soon
there appeared little groups here and there about a threshold, while a
few of the more courageous ventured out upon the square--all ready to
make for their houses again, however, upon the least sign of movement
in the little thatched one.

The baker and the barber had joined one of these groups, and were
busily wagging their tongues against Curdie and his horrible beast.

'He can't be honest,' said the barber; 'for he paid me double the worth
of the pane he broke in my window.'

And then he told them how Curdie broke his window by breaking a stone
in the street with his hammer. There the baker struck in.

'Now that was the stone,' said he, 'over which I had fallen three times
within the last month: could it be by fair means he broke that to
pieces at the first blow? Just to make up my mind on that point I
tried his own hammer against a stone in the gate; it nearly broke both
my arms, and loosened half the teeth in my head!'

CHAPTER 15

Derba and Barbara

Meantime the wanderers were hospitably entertained by the old woman and
her grandchild and they were all very comfortable and happy together.
Little Barbara sat upon Curdie's knee, and he told her stories about
the mines and his adventures in them. But he never mentioned the king
or the princess, for all that story was hard to believe. And he told
her about his mother and father, and how good they were. And Derba sat
and listened. At last little Barbara fell asleep in Curdie's arms, and
her grandmother carried her to bed.

It was a poor little house, and Derba gave up her own room to Curdie
because he was honest and talked wisely. Curdie saw how it was, and
begged her to allow him to lie on the floor, but she would not hear of
it.

In the night he was waked by Lina pulling at him. As soon as he spoke
to her she ceased, and Curdie, listening, thought he heard someone
trying to get in. He rose, took his mattock, and went about the house,
listening and watching; but although he heard noises now at one place
now at another, he could not think what they meant for no one appeared.
Certainly, considering how she had frightened them all in the day, it
was not likely any one would attack Lina at night. By and by the
noises ceased, and Curdie went back to his bed, and slept