The Princess and the Goblin · Chapter
X: The Princess’s King-Papa explained
The king visits Princess Irene after a long absence.
What happens
The king visits Princess Irene after a long absence. During their time together, Irene asks to see her great-grandmother in the tower, but the king gently dismisses it as a dream. He learns of Irene's late evening outdoors and speaks with Lootie, leaving six guards to watch the house at night.
Themes in this chapter
Trust and Belief
Irene's belief in her great-grandmother is challenged when the king suggests it was a dream, highlighting the tension between childlike faith and adult skepticism.
Family and Loyalty
The deep affection between Irene and her father is shown through their reunion and the king's protective measures.
Characters to notice
- Princess Irene
Joyfully greets her father and asks to visit her great-grandmother, but accepts the king's explanation that it might have been a dream.
- The King
Visits Irene, listens to her story about the old lady in the tower, and takes precautions by leaving guards after learning of her late evening outing.
- Lootie
Is spoken to by the king about the evening Irene was out late; she cries afterward.
- Curdie
Irene remembers him fondly and recalls her debt to him, though he does not appear in the chapter.
Key passages
“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.”
Irene would have forgotten the goblins if not for her nurse's strange actions, but she always remembered Curdie because she felt indebted to him.
Highlights Irene's sense of honor and her lasting memory of Curdie.
“I should like you to take me to see my great old grandmother.”
Irene asks her father to bring her to the old lady in the tower.
Irene's request reveals her continued belief in the mysterious grandmother.
“Then it must all be a dream, said Irene. I half thought it was; but I couldn't be sure. Now I am sure of it.”
Irene concludes that her encounter with the old lady was only a dream after the king denies knowing her.
Shows Irene's willingness to accept her father's authority over her own experience.