ore than a whisper. 'I can't think how you got
here, though.'

'My grandmother sent me after her thread.'

'I don't know what you mean,' said Curdie; 'but so you're there, it
doesn't much matter.'

'Oh, yes, it does!' returned Irene. 'I should never have been here but
for her.'

'You can tell me all about it when we get out, then. There's no time
to lose now,'said Curdie.

And Irene went to work, as fresh as when she began.

'There's such a lot of stones!' she said. 'It will take me a long time
to get them all away.'

'How far on have you got?' asked Curdie.

'I've got about the half away, but the other half is ever so much
bigger.'

'I don't think you will have to move the lower half. Do you see a slab
laid up against the wall?'

Irene looked, and felt about with her hands, and soon perceived the
outlines of the slab.

'Yes,' she answered, 'I do.'

'Then, I think,' rejoined Curdie, 'when you have cleared the slab about
half-way down, or a bit more, I shall be able to push it over.'

'I must follow my thread,' returned Irene, 'whatever I do.'

'What do you mean?' exclaimed Curdie. 'You will see when you get out,'
answered the princess, and went on harder than ever.

But she was soon satisfied that what Curdie wanted done and what the
thread wanted done were one and the same thing. For she not only saw
that by following the turns of the thread she had been clearing the
face of the slab, but that, a little more than half-way down, the
thread went through the chink between the slab and the wall into the
place where Curdie was confined, so that she could not follow it any
farther until the slab was out of her way. As soon as she found this,
she said in a right joyous whisper:

'Now, Curdie, I think if you were to give a great push, the slab would
tumble over.'

'Stand quite clear of it, then,' said Curdie, 'and let me know when you
are ready.'

Irene got off the heap, and stood on one side of it. 'Now, Curdie!'
she cried.

Curdie gave a great rush with his shoulder against it. Out tumbled the
slab on the heap, and out crept Curdie over the top of it.

'You've saved my life, Irene!' he whispered.

'Oh, Curdie! I'm so glad! Let's get out of this horrid place as fast
as we can.'

'That's easier said than done,' returned he.

'Oh, no, it's quite easy,' said Irene. 'We have only to follow my
thread. I am sure that it's going to take us out now.'

She had already begun to follow it ove