ady, so delicate
and nice that she can bear nothing coarser than the finest linen to
touch her body, if she had a mirror that could show her the animal she
is growing to, as it lies waiting within the fair skin and the fine
linen and the silk and the jewels, would receive a shock that might
possibly wake her up.'

'Why then, ma'am, shouldn't she have it?'

The princess held her peace.

'Come here, Lina,' she said after a long pause.

From somewhere behind Curdie, crept forward the same hideous animal
which had fawned at his feet at the door, and which, without his
knowing it, had followed him every step up the dove tower. She ran to
the princess, and lay down flat at her feet, looking up at her with an
expression so pitiful that in Curdie's heart it overcame all the
ludicrousness of her horrible mass of incongruities. She had a very
short body, and very long legs made like an elephant's, so that in
lying down she kneeled with both pairs. Her tail, which dragged on the
floor behind her, was twice as long and quite as thick as her body.
Her head was something between that of a polar bear and a snake. Her
eyes were dark green, with a yellow light in them. Her under teeth
came up like a fringe of icicles, only very white, outside of her upper
lip. Her throat looked as if the hair had been plucked off. It showed
a skin white and smooth.

'Give Curdie a paw, Lina,' said the princess.

The creature rose, and, lifting a long foreleg, held up a great doglike
paw to Curdie. He took it gently. But what a shudder, as of terrified
delight, ran through him, when, instead of the paw of a dog, such as it
seemed to his eyes, he clasped in his great mining fist the soft, neat
little hand of a child! He took it in both of his, and held it as if
he could not let it go. The green eyes stared at him with their yellow
light, and the mouth was turned up toward him with its constant half
grin; but here was the child's hand! If he could but pull the child
out of the beast! His eyes sought the princess. She was watching him
with evident satisfaction.

'Ma'am, here is a child's hand!' said Curdie.

'Your gift does more for you than it promised. It is yet better to
perceive a hidden good than a hidden evil.'

'But,' began Curdie.

'I am not going to answer any more questions this evening,' interrupted
the princess. 'You have not half got to the bottom of the answers I
have already given you. That paw in your hand now mi