"Gordon R. Dickson - The Last Dream" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

in the direction of the Tower, so that the knight happened to be pacing alongside him on horseback when
he suddenly went into these evolutions. It seemed to bother his charger not at all. тАЬGot her favor here
someplaceтАФhalf a momentтАФтАЭ

тАЬWhy donтАЩt you just tell me what itтАЩs like?тАЭ said Jim, sympathetically.

тАЬOh, well,тАЭ said Nevile-Smythe, giving up his search, тАЬitтАЩs a kerchief, you know. Monogrammed. E. dтАЩC.
SheтАЩs a deChauncy. ItтАЩs rather too bad, though. IтАЩd have liked to show it to you since weтАЩre going to the
Loathly Tower together.тАЭ

тАЬWe are?тАЭ said Jim, startled. тАЬButтАФI mean, itтАЩs my job. I didnтАЩt think youтАЩd wantтАФтАЭ

тАЬLord, yes,тАЭ said Nevile-Smythe, looking somewhat startled himself. тАЬA gentleman of coat-armor like
myselfтАФand an outrage like this taking place locally. IтАЩm no knight-errant, dash it, but I do have a decent
sense of responsibility.тАЭ

тАЬI meanтАФI just meantтАФтАЭ stumbled Jim. тАЬWhat if something happened to you? What would the Lady
Elinor say?тАЭ

тАЬWhy, what could she say?тАЭ replied Nevile-Smythe in plain astonishment. тАЬNo one but an utter rotter
dodges his plain duty. Besides, there may be a chance here for me to gain a little worship. ElinorтАЩs keen
on that. She wants me to come home safe.тАЭ

Jim blinked.

тАЬI donтАЩt get it,тАЭ he said.

тАЬBeg pardon?тАЭ

Jim explained his confusion.

тАЬWhy, how do you people do things overseas?тАЭ said Nevile-Smythe. тАЬAfter weтАЩre married and I have
lands of my own, IтАЩll be expected to raise a company and march out at my lordтАЩs call. If IтАЩve no name as
a knight, IтАЩll be able to raise nothing but bumpkins and clodpoles whoтАЩll desert at the first sight of steel.
On the other hand, if IтАЩve a name, IтАЩll have good men coming to serve under my banner; because, you
see, they know IтАЩll take good care of them; and by the same token theyтАЩll take good care of meтАФI say,
isnтАЩt it getting dark rather suddenly?тАЭ

Jim glanced at the sky. It was indeedтАФalmost the dimness of twilight although it could, by rights, be no
more than early afternoon yet. Glancing ahead up the Causeway, he became aware of a further
phenomenon. A line seemed to be cutting across the trees and grass and even extending out over the
waters of the meres on both sides. Moreover, it seemed to be moving toward them as if some heavy,
invisible fluid was slowly flooding out over the low country of the fenland.

тАЬWhyтАФтАЭ he began. A voice wailed suddenly from his left to interrupt him.

тАЬNo! No! Turn back, your worship. Turn back! ItтАЩs death in there!тАЭ

They turned their heads sharply. Secoh, the mere-dragon, sat perched on a half-drowned tussock about
forty feet out in the mere.