The Princess and Curdie · Chapter
XVII: The Wine-Cellar explained
Curdie and Lina discover a hidden door in the cellar of Gwyntystorm palace.
What happens
Curdie and Lina discover a hidden door in the cellar of Gwyntystorm palace. They witness a butler secretly poisoning a wine cask, and Curdie's plan to expose him is thwarted when the butler is frightened away by Lina's howl. The servants dismiss the butler's story as a drunken dream, and Curdie takes the key to prevent further access. Later, Curdie sneaks into the palace hall to steal food, successfully grabbing a pie before returning to the cellar.
Themes in this chapter
Perception vs. Reality
The servants' refusal to believe the butler's account highlights how perception can be manipulated by prejudice and assumption, obscuring the true threat.
Corruption of Power
The butler's secret poisoning of the wine represents the abuse of trust and position within the palace, a sign of the moral decay in Gwyntystorm.
Characters to notice
- Curdie
Observes the butler's suspicious actions in the wine cellar, takes the key, and later steals a pie from the palace hall.
- Lina
Helps Curdie by opening the cellar door and later scares the butler with her howl, causing him to flee.
- The Servants
Accuse the butler of being drunk and dismiss his story, showing their distrust and lack of concern for the king's safety.
Key passages
“He was just preparing to rush out, and master him before he should give alarm, not in the least knowing what he should do next, when, to his relief, the man stopped at the third cask from where he stood.”
Curdie was about to attack the man to prevent him from raising an alarm, but the man stopped at a cask nearby, giving Curdie a moment of relief.
Shows Curdie's quick thinking and readiness to act, even without a clear plan.
“They replied that a fright was no less a fright that the cause was imaginary, and a dream no less a dream that the fright had waked him from it.”
The servants argued that a scare is still a scare even if the cause is imaginary, and a dream is still a dream even if it wakes you up.
Highlights the servants' rationalization to dismiss the butler's story, reflecting their unwillingness to confront the truth.