George Macdonald

A Double Story George Macdonald

The fact, as is plain, was, that the princess had disappeared in the folds of the wise woman'scloak. When she rushed from the room, the wise woman caught her to her bosom and flung theblack garment around her. The princess struggled wildly, for she was in fierce terror, and screamedas loud as choking fright would permit her; but her father, standing in the door, and looking downupon the wise woman, saw never a movement of the cloak, so tight was she held by her captor. Hewas indeed aware of a most angry crying, which reminded him of his daughter; but it sounded tohim so far away, that he took it for the passion of some child in the street, outside the palace-gates. Hence, unchallenged, the wise woman carried the princess down the marble stairs, out at the palacedoor, down a great flight of steps outside, across a paved court, through the brazen gates, along halfroused streets where people were opening their shops, through the huge gates of the city, and outinto the wide road, vanishing northwards; the princess struggling and screaming all the time, and thewise woman holding her tight. When at length she was too tired to struggle or scream any more, thewise woman unfolded her cloak, and set her down; and the princess saw the light and opened herswollen eyelids. There was nothing in sight that she had ever seen before. City and palace haddisappeared. They were upon a wide road going straight on, with a ditch on each side of it, thatbehind them widened into the great moat surrounding the city. She cast up a terrified look into thewise woman's face, that gazed down upon her gravely and kindly. Now the princess did not in theleast understand kindness. She always took it for a sign either of partiality or fear. So when the wisewoman looked kindly upon her, she rushed at her, butting with her head like a ram: but the folds ofthe cloak had closed around the wise woman; and, when the princess ran against it, she found it hardas the cloak of a bronze statue, and fell back upon the road with a great bruise on her head. The wisewoman lifted her again, and put her once more under the cloak, where she fell asleep, and where sheawoke again only to find that she was still being carried on and on.