e, and, I will tell you so much, it may be in a very different
shape. But come now, I will lead you out of this cavern; my good Joan
will be getting too anxious about you. One word more: you will allow
that the men knew little what they were talking about this morning,
when they told all those tales of Old Mother Wotherwop; but did it
occur to you to think how it was they fell to talking about me at all?
It was because I came to them; I was beside them all the time they were
talking about me, though they were far enough from knowing it, and had
very little besides foolishness to say.'

As she spoke she turned and led the way from the cavern, which, as if a
door had been closed, sank into absolute blackness behind them. And
now they saw nothing more of the lady except the green star, which
again seemed a good distance in front of them, and to which they came
no nearer, although following it at a quick pace through the mountain.
Such was their confidence in her guidance, however, and so fearless
were they in consequence, that they felt their way neither with hand
nor foot, but walked straight on through the pitch-dark galleries.
When at length the night of the upper world looked in at the mouth of
the mine, the green light seemed to lose its way among the stars, and
they saw it no more.

Out they came into the cool, blessed night. It was very late, and only
starlight. To their surprise, three paces away they saw, seated upon a
stone, an old country-woman, in a cloak which they took for black.
When they came close up to it, they saw it was red.

'Good evening!' said Peter.

'Good evening!' returned the old woman, in a voice as old as herself.

But Curdie took off his cap and said:

'I am your servant, Princess.'

The old woman replied:

'Come to me in the dove tower tomorrow night, Curdie--alone.'

'I will, ma'am,' said Curdie.

So they parted, and father and son went home to wife and mother--two
persons in one rich, happy woman.

CHAPTER 8

Curdie's Mission

The next night Curdie went home from the mine a little earlier than
usual, to make himself tidy before going to the dove tower. The
princess had not appointed an exact time for him to be there; he would
go as near the time he had gone first as he could. On his way to the
bottom of the hill, he met his father coming up. The sun was then
down, and the warm first of the twilight filled the evening. He came
rather wearily up the hill: the roa