e supposed
to shoot from the heart of such a gem.

They went up the old gallery to find out what it could be. To their
surprise they found, however, that, after going some distance, they
were no nearer to it, so far as they could judge, than when they
started. It did not seem to move, and yet they moving did not approach
it. Still they persevered, for it was far too wonderful a thing to
lose sight of, so long as they could keep it. At length they drew near
the hollow where the water lay, and still were no nearer the light.
Where they expected to be stopped by the water, however, water was
none: something had taken place in some part of the mine that had
drained it off, and the gallery lay open as in former times.

And now, to their surprise, the light, instead of being in front of
them, was shining at the same distance to the right, where they did not
know there was any passage at all. Then they discovered, by the light
of the lanterns they carried, that there the water had broken through,
and made an entrance to a part of the mountain of which Peter knew
nothing. But they were hardly well into it, still following the light,
before Curdie thought he recognized some of the passages he had so
often gone through when he was watching the goblins.

After they had advanced a long way, with many turnings, now to the
right, now to the left, all at once their eyes seemed to come suddenly
to themselves, and they became aware that the light which they had
taken to be a great way from them was in reality almost within reach of
their hands.

The same instant it began to grow larger and thinner, the point of
light grew dim as it spread, the greenness melted away, and in a moment
or two, instead of the star, a dark, dark and yet luminous face was
looking at them with living eyes. And Curdie felt a great awe swell up
in his heart, for he thought he had seen those eyes before.

'I see you know me, Curdie,' said a voice.

'If your eyes are you, ma'am, then I know you,' said Curdie. 'But I
never saw your face before.'

'Yes, you have seen it, Curdie,' said the voice. And with that the
darkness of its complexion melted away, and down from the face dawned
out the form that belonged to it, until at last Curdie and his father
beheld a lady, beautiful exceedingly, dressed in something pale green,
like velvet, over which her hair fell in cataracts of a rich golden
colour. It looked as if it were pouring down from her head, and