COUNTER-PLOTTING.
Curdie was already sufficiently enlightened as to how things were going,
to see that he must have the princess of one mind with him, and they
must work together. It was clear that amongst those about the king there
was a plot against him: for one thing, they had agreed in a lie
concerning himself; and it was plain also that the doctor was working
out a design against the health and reason of his majesty, rendering the
question of his life a matter of little moment. It was in itself
sufficient to justify the worst fears, that the people outside the
palace were ignorant of his majesty's condition: he believed those
inside it also--the butler excepted--were ignorant of it as well.
Doubtless his majesty's councillors desired to alienate the hearts of
his subjects from their sovereign. Curdie's idea was that they intended
to kill the king, marry the princess to one of themselves, and found a
new dynasty; but whatever their purpose, there was treason in the palace
of the worst sort: they were making and keeping the king incapable, in
order to effect that purpose. The first thing to be seen to therefore
was, that his majesty should neither eat morsel nor drink drop of
anything prepared for him in the palace. Could this have been managed
without the princess, Curdie would have preferred leaving her in
ignorance of the horrors from which he sought to deliver her. He feared
also the danger of her knowledge betraying itself to the evil eyes about
her; but it must be risked--and she had always been a wise child.
Another thing was clear to him--that with such traitors no terms of
honour were either binding or possible, and that, short of lying, he
might use any means to foil them. And he could not doubt that the old
princess had sent him expressly to frustrate their plans.
While he stood thinking thus with himself, the princess was earnestly
watching the king, with looks of childish love and womanly tenderness
that went to Curdie's heart. Now and then with a great fan of peacock
feathers she would fan him very softly; now and then, seeing a cloud
begin to gather upon the sky of his sleeping face, she would climb upon
the bed, and bending to his ear whisper into it, then draw back and
watch again--generally to see the cloud disperse. In his deepest
slumber, the soul of the king lay open to the voice of his child, and
that voice had power either to change the aspect of his visions, or,
which was better still, to breathe hope into his heart, and courage to
endure them.
Curdie came near, and softly called her.
"I can't leave papa just yet," she returned, in a low voice.
"I will wait," said Curdie; "but I want very much to say something."
In a few minutes she came to him where he stood under the lamp.
"Well, Curdie, what is it?" she said.
"Princess," he replied, "I want to tell you that I have found why your
grandmother sent me."
"Come this way, then," she answered, "where I can see the face of my
king."
Curdie placed a chair for her in the spot she chose, where she would be
near enough to mark any slightest change on her father's countenance,
yet where their low-voiced talk would not disturb him. There he sat down
beside her and told her all the story--how her grandmother had sent her
good pigeon for him, and how she had instructed him, and sent him there
without telling him what he had to do. Then he told her what he had
discovered of the state of things generally in Gwyntystorm, and
specially what he had heard and seen in the palace that night.
"Things are in a bad state enough," he said in conclusion;--"lying and
selfishness and inhospitality and dishonesty everywhere; and to crown
all, they speak with disrespect of the good king, and not a man of them
knows he is ill."
"You frighten me dreadfully," said Irene, trembling.
"You must be brave for your king's sake," said Curdie.
"Indeed I will," she replied, and turned a long loving look upon the
beautiful face of her father. "But what _is_ to be done? And how _am_ I
to believe such horrible things of Dr. Kelman?"
"My dear princess," replied Curdie, "you know nothing of him but his
face and his tongue, and they are both false. Either you must beware of
him, or you must doubt your grandmother and me; for I tell you, by the
gift she gave me of testing hands, that this man is a snake. That round
body he shows is but the case of a serpent. Perhaps the creature lies
there, as in its nest, coiled round and round inside."
"Horrible!" said Irene.
"Horrible indeed; but we must not try to get rid of horrible things by
refusing to look at them, and saying they are not there. Is not your
beautiful father sleeping better since he had the wine?"
"Yes."
"Does he always sleep better after having it?"
She reflected an instant.
"No; always worse--till to-night," she answered.
"Then remember that was the wine I got him--not what the butler drew.
Nothing that passes through any hand in the house except yours or mine
must henceforth, till he is well, reach his majesty's lips."
"But how, dear Curdie?" said the princess, almost crying.
"That we must contrive," answered Curdie. "I know how to take care of
the wine; but for his food--now we must think."
"He takes hardly any," said the princess, with a pathetic shake of her
little head which Curdie had almost learned to look for.
"The more need," he replied, "there should be no poison in it." Irene
shuddered. "As soon as he has honest food he will begin to grow better.
And you must be just as careful with yourself, princess," Curdie went
on, "for you don't know when they may begin to poison you too."
"There's no fear of me; don't talk about me," said Irene. "The good
food!--how are we to get it, Curdie? That is the whole question."
"I am thinking hard," answered Curdie. "The good food? Let me see--let
me see!--Such servants as I saw below are sure to have the best of
everything for themselves: I will go and see what I can find on their
supper-table."
"The chancellor sleeps in the house, and he and the master of the king's
horse always have their supper together in a room off the great hall, to
the right as you go down the stair," said Irene. "I would go with you,
but I dare not leave my father. Alas! he scarcely ever takes more than a
mouthful. I can't think how he lives! And the very thing he would like,
and often asks for--a bit of bread--I can hardly ever get for him: Dr.
Kelman has forbidden it, and says it is nothing less than poison to
him."
"Bread at least he _shall_ have," said Curdie; "and that, with the
honest wine, will do as well as anything, I do believe. I will go at
once and look for some. But I want you to see Lina first, and know her,
lest, coming upon her by accident at any time, you should be
frightened."
"I should like much to see her," said the princess.
Warning her not to be startled by her ugliness, he went to the door and
called her.
She entered, creeping with downcast head, and dragging her tail over the
floor behind her. Curdie watched the princess as the frightful creature
came nearer and nearer. One shudder went from head to foot of her, and
next instant she stepped to meet her. Lina dropped flat on the floor,
and covered her face with her two big paws. It went to the heart of the
princess: in a moment she was on her knees beside her, stroking her ugly
head, and patting her all over.
"Good dog! Dear ugly dog!" she said.
Lina whimpered.
"I believe," said Curdie, "from what your grandmother told me, that Lina
is a woman, and that she was naughty, but is now growing good."
Lina had lifted her head while Irene was caressing her; now she dropped
it again between her paws; but the princess took it in her hands, and
kissed the forehead betwixt the gold-green eyes.
"Shall I take her with me or leave her?" asked Curdie.
"Leave her, poor dear," said Irene, and Curdie, knowing the way now,
went without her.
He took his way first to the room the princess had spoken of, and there
also were the remains of supper; but neither there nor in the kitchen
could he find a scrap of plain wholesome-looking bread. So he returned
and told her that as soon as it was light he would go into the city for
some, and asked her for a handkerchief to tie it in. If he could not
bring it himself, he would send it by Lina, who could keep out of sight
better than he, and as soon as all was quiet at night he would come to
her again. He also asked her to tell the king that he was in the house.
His hope lay in the fact that bakers everywhere go to work early. But it
was yet much too early. So he persuaded the princess to lie down,
promising to call her if the king should stir.