ves of the human noises rose a bigger wave, and
by the running and shouting and outcry, Curdie learned that the
magistrate was approaching.

Presently came the sound of the great rusty key in the lock, which
yielded with groaning reluctance; the door was thrown back, the light
rushed in, and with it came the voice of the city marshal, calling upon
Curdie, by many legal epithets opprobrious, to come forth and be tried
for his life, inasmuch as he had raised a tumult in His Majesty's city
of Gwyntystorm, troubled the hearts of the king's baker and barber, and
slain the faithful dogs of His Majesty's well-beloved butchers.

He was still reading, and Curdie was still seated in the brown twilight
of the vault, not listening, but pondering with himself how this king
the city marshal talked of could be the same with the Majesty he had
seen ride away on his grand white horse with the Princess Irene on a
cushion before him, when a scream of agonized terror arose on the
farthest skirt of the crowd, and, swifter than flood or flame, the
horror spread shrieking. In a moment the air was filled with hideous
howling, cries of unspeakable dismay, and the multitudinous noise of
running feet. The next moment, in at the door of the vault bounded
Lina, her two green eyes flaming yellow as sunflowers, and seeming to
light up the dungeon. With one spring she threw herself at Curdie's
feet, and laid her head upon them panting. Then came a rush of two or
three soldiers darkening the doorway, but it was only to lay hold of
the key, pull the door to, and lock it; so that once more Curdie and
Lina were prisoners together.

For a few moments Lina lay panting hard: it is breathless work leaping
and roaring both at once, and that in a way to scatter thousands of
people. Then she jumped up, and began snuffing about all over the
place; and Curdie saw what he had never seen before--two faint spots of
light cast from her eyes upon the ground, one on each side of her
snuffing nose. He got out his tinder box--a miner is never without
one--and lighted a precious bit of candle he carried in a division of
it just for a moment, for he must not waste it.

The light revealed a vault without any window or other opening than the
door. It was very old and much neglected. The mortar had vanished
from between the stones, and it was half filled with a heap of all
sorts of rubbish, beaten down in the middle, but looser at the sides;
it sloped from the door