'Come in, Curdie,' said a voice.
Curdie shook. It was getting rather awful. The heart that had
never much heeded an army of goblins trembled at the soft word of
invitation. But then there was the red-spotted white thing in his
hand! He dared not hesitate, though. Gently he opened the door
through which the sound came, and what did he see? Nothing at
first - except indeed a great sloping shaft of moonlight that came
in at a high window, and rested on the floor. He stood and stared
at it, forgetting to shut the door.
'Why don't you come in, Curdie?' said the voice. 'Did you never
see moonlight before?'
'Never without a moon,' answered Curdie, in a trembling tone, but
gathering courage.
'Certainly not,' returned the voice, which was thin and quavering:
'I never saw moonlight without a moon.'
'But there's no moon outside,' said Curdie.
'Ah! but you're inside now,' said the voice.
The answer did not satisfy Curdie; but the voice went on.
'There are more moons than you know of, Curdie. Where there is one
sun there are many moons - and of many sorts. Come in and look out
of my window, and you will soon satisfy yourself that there is a
moon looking in at it.'
The gentleness of the voice made Curdie remember his manners. He
shut the door, and drew a step or two nearer to the moonlight.
All the time the sound of the spinning had been going on and on,
and Curdie now caught sight of the wheel.
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