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268 The Princess and the Goblin
'11 be carrying off the princess from under their stupid noses! But they sha'n't! that they sha'n't!"
He jumped up, as he thought, and began to dress, but, to his dismay, found that he was still lying in bed.
"Now then I will!" he said. " Here goes! I am up now!"
But yet again he found himself snug in bed. Twenty times he tried, and twenty times he failed; for in fact he was not awake, only dreaming that he was. At length in an agony of despair, fancying he heard the goblins all over the house, he gave a great cry. Then there came, as he thought, a hand upon the lock of his door. It opened, and, looking up, he saw a lady with white hair, carrying a silver box in her hand, enter the room. She came to his bed, he thought, stroked his head and face with cool, soft hands, took the dressing from his leg, rubbed it with something that smelt like roses, and then waved her hands over him three times. At the last wave of her hands everything vanished, he felt himself sinking into the profoundest slumber, and remembered nothing more until he awoke in earnest. |
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