She sat sideways to him, and the light of the fire shone full upon her face.

He could not consider her handsome.

Her nose was certainly broader at the end than its extreme length, and her eyes, instead of being horizontal, were set up like two perpendicular eggs, one on the broad, the other on the small end.

Her mouth was no bigger than a small buttonhole until she laughed, when it stretched from ear to ear--only, to be sure, her ears were very nearly in the middle of her cheeks.
Anxious to hear everything they might say, Curdie ventured to slide down a smooth part of the rock just under him, to a projection below, upon which he thought to rest.

But whether he was not careful enough, or the projection gave way, down he came with a rush on the floor of the cavern, bringing with him a great rumbling shower of stones.
The goblins jumped from their seats in more anger than consternation, for they had never yet seen anything to be afraid of in the palace.
But when they saw Curdie with his pick in his hand their rage was mingled with fear, for they took him for the first of an invasion of miners.