English: Identifier: princesscurdiemacd

Title: The princess and Curdie Year: 1908 (1900s) Authors: MacDonald, George, 1824-1905 Subjects: Publisher: Philadelphia London : J.B. Lippincott Contributing Library: Information and Library Science Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Text Appearing Before Image: down under the tree, closedhis eyes, and thought to sleep. He found him-self mistaken however. But although he couldnot sleep, he was yet aware of resting delight-fully. Presently he heard a sweet sound ofsinging somewhere, such as he had never heardbefore—a singing as of curious birds far off,which drew nearer and nearer. At length heheard their wings, and, opening his eyes, saw anumber of very large birds, as it seemed, alight-ing around him, still singing. It was strange tohear song from the throats of such big birds.And still singing, with large and round but notthe less bird-like voices, they began to weave astrange dance about him, moving their wings intime with their legs. But the dance seemedsomehow to be troubled and broken, and to returnupon itself in an eddy, in place of sweepingsmoothly on. And he soon learned, in the lowshort growls behind him, the cause of the imper-fection : they wanted to dance all round the tree,but Lina would not permit them to come on herside. 118

Text Appearing After Image: THEY BEGAN TO WEAVE A STRANGE DANCE ABOUT HIM LINA Now Curdie liked the birds, and did notaltogether like Lina. But neither, nor bothtogether, made a reason for driving away theprincesss creature. Doubtless she had been agoblins creature, but the last time he saw herwas in the kings house and the dove-tower, andat the old princesss feet. So he left her to doas she would, and the dance of the birds con-tinued only a semicircle, troubled at the edges,and returning upon itself. But their song andtheir motions, nevertheless, and the waving oftheir wings, began at length to make him verysleepy. All the time he had kept doubting everynow and then whether they could really be birds,and the sleepier he got, the more he imaginedthem something else, but he suspected no harm.Suddenly, just as he was sinking beneath thewaves of slumber, he awoke in fierce pain. Thebirds were upon him—all over him—and hadbegun to tear him with beaks and claws. Hehad but time, however, to feel that he could not

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