本集演播：槑贰 

后期：骐煜

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第6章05 小矿工

“你知道吗，科迪，我不喜欢你唱的歌：我觉得那歌太粗鲁了。”她说。

“哦，是有点，”科迪答道，“我还从没想过这个；这不过是我们的手段。因为它们不喜欢，我们才那么做的。”

“谁不喜欢？” “我们管它们叫矮脚怪。”

“别说了！”奶妈说。

“为什么？”科迪问。

“我请求你不要说了。求你了。”

“哦！如果你那样请求我的话，当然，我就不说了；虽然我一点儿不知道为什么。看！下面是你的大宅子的灯光。你五分钟就能到家了。”

之后什么也没发生。她们安全地到家了。没人想他们，也没人知道她们出门。谁也没看见她们回到了自己家的大门口。奶妈急匆匆地冲进家里，都没跟科迪问候一句晚安。但是公主把手从她手里挣脱出来，刚要抱住科迪的脖子就被奶妈抓住，拽了回去。

“洛蒂！洛蒂！我承诺过要给他一个吻的。”艾琳哭了。

“公主不能给别人吻。那不得体。”洛蒂说。“可我承诺过的。”公主说。

“没有必要。他只是个矿工小子。”

“他是个好孩子，而且是个勇敢的孩子，他一直对我们很好。洛蒂！洛蒂！我承诺过的。”

“你根本就不该承诺。”

“洛蒂，我承诺过给他一个吻。”

“殿下，”洛蒂突然变得庄严起来，“该进去了。”

“嬷嬷，公主不可以不遵守诺言。”艾琳一动不动地站在那里说。

洛蒂不知道国王会觉得哪个更糟糕——是让公主日落后出门，还是让她亲一个矿工小子。她不知道，像国王那样的绅士，他两样都不会看得很重。不管他多么不想让自己的女儿亲一个矿工小子，他都更加不希望她像哥布林所说的那样不守诺言。不过，我说过了，奶妈还没到能理解这一点的层次，所以她为难极了，因为，如果她坚持不同意，别人可能会听见公主哭，全都跑过来看。不过科迪又一次解了围。

“没关系的，艾琳公主，”他说，“你不可以在晚上吻我。但是你又不能食言。所以我下次再来。你可以放心我肯定会来。”

“哦，谢谢你，科迪！”公主不哭了。

“晚安，艾琳，晚安，洛蒂。”科迪说着，转身离去，一会儿就看不见了。

“我可真想见到他！”奶妈抱着公主回儿童房的时候小声嘀咕。

“你会再见到他的，”艾琳说，“你放心，科迪肯定会遵守诺言。他肯定会再来的。”

“我可真想见到他！”奶妈重复道，然后不再说话。她不希望因为说出自己真实的意思而导致跟公主再次争执起来。成功带着公主回来没被任何人看见，也没让公主亲上那个矿工小子，她已经很满意了。不过她还是决心以后要对她严加看管。她的不小心已经让公主陷入两次危险了。以前还只是担心哥布林，现在她要同时防备科迪了。

Part V

'Do you know, Curdie, I don't quite like your song: it sounds to me rather rude,' she said.

'Well, perhaps it is,' answered Curdie. 'I never thought of that; it's a way we have. We do it because they don't like it.'

'Who don't like it?'

'The cobs, as we call them.'

'Don't!' said the nurse.

'Why not?' said Curdie.

'I beg you won't. Please don't.'

'Oh! if you ask me that way, of course, I won't; though I don't a bit know why. Look! there are the lights of your great house down below. You'll be at home in five minutes now.'

Nothing more happened. They reached home in safety. Nobody had missed them, or even known they had gone out; and they arrived at the door belonging to their part of the house without anyone seeing them. The nurse was rushing in with a hurried and not over-gracious good night to Curdie; but the princess pulled her hand from hers, and was just throwing her arms round Curdie's neck, when she caught her again and dragged her away.

'Lootie! Lootie! I promised a kiss,' cried Irene.

'A princess mustn't give kisses. It's not at all proper,' said Lootie.

'But I promised,' said the princess.

'There's no occasion; he's only a miner-boy.'

'He's a good boy, and a brave boy, and he has been very kind to us. Lootie! Lootie! I promised.'

'Then you shouldn't have promised.'

'Lootie, I promised him a kiss.'

'Your Royal Highness,' said Lootie, suddenly grown very respectful, 'must come in directly.'

'Nurse, a princess must not break her word,' said Irene, drawing herself up and standing stock-still.

Lootie did not know which the king might count the worst—to let the princess be out after sunset, or to let her kiss a miner-boy. She did not know that, being a gentleman, as many kings have been, he would have counted neither of them the worse. However much he might have disliked his daughter to kiss the miner-boy, he would not have had her break her word for all the goblins in creation. But, as I say, the nurse was not lady enough to understand this, and so she was in a great difficulty, for, if she insisted, someone might hear the princess cry and run to see, and then all would come out. But here Curdie came again to the rescue.

'Never mind, Princess Irene,' he said. 'You mustn't kiss me tonight. But you shan't break your word. I will come another time. You may be sure I will.'

'Oh, thank you, Curdie!' said the princess, and stopped crying.

'Good night, Irene; good night, Lootie,' said Curdie, and turned and was out of sight in a moment.

'I should like to see him!' muttered the nurse, as she carried the princess to the nursery.

'You will see him,' said Irene. 'You may be sure Curdie will keep his word. He's sure to come again.'

'I should like to see him!' repeated the nurse, and said no more. She did not want to open a new cause of strife with the princess by saying more plainly what she meant. Glad enough that she had succeeded both in getting home unseen, and in keeping the princess from kissing the miner's boy, she resolved to watch her far better in future. Her carelessness had already doubled the danger she was in. Formerly the goblins were her only fear; now she had to protect her charge from Curdie as well.