The Princess's King-Papa The weather continued fine for weeks, and the little princess went out every day.

So long a period of fine weather had indeed never been known upon that mountain.

The only uncomfortable thing was that her nurse was so nervous and particular about being in before the sun was down that often she would take to her heels when nothing worse than a fleecy cloud crossing the sun threw a shadow on the hillside; and many an evening they were home a full hour before the sunlight had left the weather-cock on the stables.

If it had not been for such odd behaviour Irene would by this time have almost forgotten the goblins.

She never forgot Curdie, but him she remembered for his own sake, and indeed would have remembered him if only because a princess never forgets her debts until they are paid.
One splendid sunshiny day, about an hour after noon, Irene, who was playing on a lawn in the garden, heard the distant blast of a bugle.
She jumped up with a cry of joy, for she knew by that particular blast that her father was on his way to see her.