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Goblins in the King's House 271
"Where 'tis all a hole, sir, Never can be holes: Why should their shoes have soles, sir, When they've got no souls?
" But she upon her foot, sir, Has a granite shoe: The strongest leather boot, sir, Six would soon be through."
The queen gave a howl of rage and dismay; and before she recovered her presence of mind, Curdie, having begun with the group nearest him, had eleven of the knights on their legs again.
"Stamp on their feet!" he cried as each man rose, and in a few minutes the hall was nearly empty, the goblins running from it as fast as they could, howling and shrieking and limping, and cowering every now and then as they ran to cuddle their wounded feet in their hard hands, or to protect them from the frightful stamp-stamp of the armed men.
And now Curdie approached the group which, trusting in the queen and her shoe, kept their guard over the prostrate captain. The king sat on the captain's head, but the queen stood in front, like an infuriated cat, with her perpen- |
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