<SPAN name="chap32"></SPAN>
<h3> CHAPTER 32 </h3>
<h3> The Last Chapter </h3>
<p>All the rest went up the mountain, and separated in groups to the homes
of the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie with them.
And the whole way a light, of which all but Lootie understood the
origin, shone upon their path. But when they looked round they could
see nothing of the silvery globe.</p>
<p>For days and days the water continued to rush from the doors and
windows of the king's house, and a few goblin bodies were swept out
into the road.</p>
<p>Curdie saw that something must be done. He spoke to his father and the
rest of the miners, and they at once proceeded to make another outlet
for the waters. By setting all hands to the work, tunnelling here and
building there, they soon succeeded; and having also made a little
tunnel to drain the water away from under the king's house, they were
soon able to get into the wine cellar, where they found a multitude of
dead goblins—among the rest the queen, with the skin-shoe gone, and
the stone one fast to her ankle—for the water had swept away the
barricade, which prevented the men-at-arms from following the goblins,
and had greatly widened the passage. They built it securely up, and
then went back to their labours in the mine.</p>
<p>A good many of the goblins with their creatures escaped from the
inundation out upon the mountain. But most of them soon left that part
of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in
character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies. Their
skulls became softer as well as their hearts, and their feet grew
harder, and by degrees they became friendly with the inhabitants of the
mountain and even with the miners. But the latter were merciless to
any of the cobs' creatures that came in their way, until at length they
all but disappeared.</p>
<p>The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for
another volume.</p>
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