Which is the best objective summary of The Princess and the Goblin, Chapter 8?
1Curdie has lunch in the tunnel, and he stops mining for a while. The goblins think he has gone home, so they begin to talk about him. They say they will enjoy seeing him suffer, which is a hint that the goblins are about to attack. The goblins talk more quietly when they give the details, so Curdie doesn’t hear. Once they speak more loudly, Curdie carefully removes a rock to open up their passageway so he can follow them and stop their planning.
2The goblins are planning to attack the miners. Curdie overhears this while he is sitting in a tunnel near an underground goblin house. The father goblin will go to the palace to see when the attack will take place, so Curdie will have to follow them. There is some humor in this part of the book, but it does not advance the story very far. Curdie also finds out that the goblins have weak feet, which is likely to be important later.
3The goblins talk about several different things. They get ready to move away from the mines, because they do not like the tunnels getting so thin. They also talk about having sensitive feet and about how they do not wear shoes, except for the queen, who inherited the tradition from the first human queen. Then the goblins talk about attacking the miners, but they mumble. Curdie decides to follow the goblins to their palace to find out what is going on.
4While mining overnight, Curdie comes to a spot in the tunnel where he overhears a goblin family through a thin wall. Curdie finds out about a goblin physical weakness that people might be able to use to their advantage. He also overhears them planning an attack on the miners, but he does not hear what kind or when. When the goblins leave, Curdie manages to open a passage between their underground tunnels.
