At last
the king half woke. The doctor seized the glass, raised his head,
poured the wine down his throat, and let his head fall back on the
pillow again. Tenderly wiping his beard, and bidding the princess
good night in paternal tones, he then took his leave. Curdie would
gladly have driven his pick into his head, but that was not in his
commission, and he let him go. The little round man looked very
carefully to his feet as he crossed the threshold.
'That attentive fellow of a page has removed the mat,' he said to
himself, as he walked along the corridor. 'I must remember him.'
CHAPTER 20
Counterplotting
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 among 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.
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