ene.

'A princess mustn't give kisses. It's not at all proper,' said Lootie.

'But I promised,' said the princess.

'There's no occasion; he's only a miner-boy.'

'He's a good boy, and a brave boy, and he has been very kind to us.
Lootie! Lootie! I promised.'

'Then you shouldn't have promised.'

'Lootie, I promised him a kiss.'

'Your Royal Highness,' said Lootie, suddenly grown very respectful,
'must come in directly.'

'Nurse, a princess must not break her word,' said Irene, drawing
herself up and standing stock-still.

Lootie did not know which the king might count the worst--to let the
princess be out after sunset, or to let her kiss a miner-boy. She did
not know that, being a gentleman, as many kings have been, he would
have counted neither of them the worse. However much he might have
disliked his daughter to kiss the miner-boy, he would not have had her
break her word for all the goblins in creation. But, as I say, the
nurse was not lady enough to understand this, and so she was in a great
difficulty, for, if she insisted, someone might hear the princess cry
and run to see, and then all would come out. But here Curdie came
again to the rescue.

'Never mind, Princess Irene,' he said. 'You mustn't kiss me tonight.
But you shan't break your word. I will come another time. You may be
sure I will.'

'Oh, thank you, Curdie!' said the princess, and stopped crying.

'Good night, Irene; good night, Lootie,' said Curdie, and turned and
was out of sight in a moment.

'I should like to see him!' muttered the nurse, as she carried the
princess to the nursery.

'You will see him,' said Irene. 'You may be sure Curdie will keep his
word. He's sure to come again.'

'I should like to see him!' repeated the nurse, and said no more. She
did not want to open a new cause of strife with the princess by saying
more plainly what she meant. Glad enough that she had succeeded both
in getting home unseen, and in keeping the princess from kissing the
miner's boy, she resolved to watch her far better in future. Her
carelessness had already doubled the danger she was in. Formerly the
goblins were her only fear; now she had to protect her charge from
Curdie as well.

CHAPTER 7

The Mines

Curdie went home whistling. He resolved to say nothing about the
princess for fear of getting the nurse into trouble, for while he
enjoyed teasing her because of her absurdity, he was careful not to do
her any harm.