"Alexander, Lloyd - The Beggar Queen" - читать интересную книгу автора (Alexander Lloyd)

ers I've been looking at town archives, too, estate ac-
counts when I can get at them I put down all the
figures how much yield for an artistocrat's land, how
much more for a freeholder's There's no question, it
strikes you in the faceЧ"

"That the aristocracy's made a botch of it," put in
Luther "Embarrassing discovery for a future pnnce "

"I copied the figures and sent them to Torrens and
the king They can see for themselves "

Luther chuckled "You're a born troublemaker You
should have stayed with us "

"No There must be another way to set things right
Not trying to pull down the monarchy There's terrible
poverty in the countryside, in the towns, too, for that
matter But if it couid be worked out fairly, everyone
would be better off It's common senseЧ"

"It's common sense to end the monarchy altogether
Start with that, not with how many bushels of corn to
an acre "

[61

"That's only your way of looking at it '
"Mine And a great many others' "
Theo put back his papers Argument was useless
Luther, like Flonan, had set on one path and would see
no other What troubled Theo was whether they under-
stood things more clearly than he did He brightened
as he reached into the traveling case "I've been doing
something else "

He brought out his sketchbook and opened it on the
table Since leaving Mananstat, he had taken the habit
of drawing At first, it merely passed the time But lately
it had become more than idle amusement If a day
passed without adding to his sketches, he felt unsatis-
fied and empty

Luther paged through the book, now and then stop-
ping to look closer at a scene a peasant woman and her
child, a gaggle of street urchins, a fishwife, a carpenter
planing a board "That's Westmark Not your accounts
and archives "

Theo warmed his hands at the fire Something had