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."What are you doing?" inquired a booming voice."Didn't I just let you in?"The boy looked around the empty corridor, but no one was there."Which one of you said that?" he demanded bravely."Which one of us?" The voice was puzzled."I just see you and me.And stop that!" it continued as he slid his fingers over the hinges."I'm very ticklish!"Richard's mouth formed an O."I don't believe it!" he breathed."It's the blinking door, isn't it? Well, if you're the door, then you can just let me out!""Sorry," replied the door officiously."No minors allowed outside without their parents.""But I'm not one of your miners!" exclaimed the boy."I've never been in a mine before now!""You're confusing me," remarked the door."I never open when I'm confused."Richard began pounding on the iron surface."I'm built to withstand that," it observed stoically."Listen, if you don't open up right now, I'll—""Good evening, goblin King."Richard froze, his heart in his mouth.The authorities had him at last."Good evening, door," replied a pleasant voice."Good evening, Richard.Why are you beating up my door? Are you going so soon?"The terrified boy huddled against the iron surface, his eyes tightly shut."Your Majesty, if you'll just let me out," he whispered, "you'll never see me again.""I've no doubt of that," remarked the voice."Why would I want to let you out?""You don't want me here," insisted Richard desperately."You've been angry about me from the start.I know what you think.You think I'm not good enough to be one of your goblins.You think I'm trash," he concluded miserably."And you'd be right about that.""I think you're very smart, and I'm impressed at your character.Now, why don't you turn around and look at me?"The street urchin shook his head and kept his eyes shut."No, you're talking like a real gentleman," he said dolefully, "but it's best if I just go.I'll go back to the life I'm used to.I'd rather.""You'd rather?" The voice was closer."You'd rather not have a home or a King?""No." The boy gave a sigh."I'd rather not even think about them.""That's unfortunate because you have them anyway." A firm hand pulled him around, and he looked into two piercing eyes.Richard burst into tears."I'm sorry!" he wailed."For everything! Don't send me away! I couldn't bear it, I tell you.You'd kill me! Please don't send me away!" He wrapped his skinny arms around his King and wept noisily on his shirtfront."That's better," commented Marak, patting the sobbing boy on the head."So you were running away before I could send you away.""It's the worst thing I know," explained the boy tearfully."I couldn't bear it happening again.""No, you couldn't," agreed his monarch."I'm surprised you survived it before.Being alone is the worst thing that can happen to a goblin, and it shouldn't ever have a chance to happen.That's why I was so angry when I heard about you all alone out there.I certainly wasn't angry at you."Richard considered this through his tears."I don't know what you're going to do with me, Your Majesty," he said sadly."All I know is picking pockets and scaring people in a show.I can't do anything but steal and lift handkerchiefs and wallets.Except—I do know how to make beans jump into a pot."Marak laughed."You have one honest pursuit, anyway! With a talent like that, you'll never go hungry.Come along.Tomorrow, I'll take you to the pages' floor, and you can meet the other children, but tonight you can stay with my family."The urchin wiped his streaming eyes with the back of his hand."Bless me!" he exclaimed in wonder."Me stay with a king and queen and all, just like I was somebody!""And a prince, too," pointed out Marak."I don't mind if you teach my son how to pick pockets, but keep that bean trick to yourself.He would love it, and Kate's very particular about his manners.Let's go wake her up now, Richard.She's been anxious to meet you." And the King of the ugly people led his new subject away in search of a place to belong.Chapter FifteenSable and Tinsel went through the endless halls and stairwells of the palace, and one long, thin, bright cave replaced another before the apprehensive woman's field of view.Somehow, she was supposed to find a way to live in this strange series of boxes upon boxes.But when they opened the door of their new living quarters, Sable didn't see a sterile box.The large, open room had been designed to look as much like a stretch of forest as possible.A number of artificial trees stood here and there, and green mats and hangings simulated the ferns and vines of a woodland scene.Over it all stretched a dull black ceiling so high that it failed to attract notice.An ornamental pool sparkled by the door under the shadow of some green-hung saplings.A little fountain bubbled at one end of it, and small silver fish flashed through the water beneath polished stone water-lilies.The elf woman found that she was able to breathe freely for the first time since coming underground.It wasn't that the pretend trees fooled her.They just made the place look right to her.In the same way that Tinsel would have recognized a chair whether it was wood, stone, or metal, Sable recognized the organic clutter and jumble that belonged to a proper forest camp.And when they climbed the steps notched into the short cliff face that led up to their sleeping area, there stood a tent
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