"Esther M. Friesner - A Beltaine And Suspenders" - читать интересную книгу автора (Friesner Esther M)

flourishingEvoe ,Aristaeus !: An Inquiry into Certain Chthonic Rites in Somerset

Apiculture. Mrs.Threadneedle , the chairwoman, made haste to admit her to the

work site and even went so far as to mention her interest to the vicar.



They formed an unlikely triptych, those three-- the aging bluestocking, the

dapper vicar, and the skittish aesthete-- but at heart they were all cut from

the same clay. The ancient folkways of England called to them, albeit the call

came ever more and more faintly since the war, as theplowlands grew depleted of

their young blood and the new generation swarmed over the cities instead. From
village to village Olivia Drummond traveled, grim as death with a hangnail,

ruthlessly hunting down thesuigeneris ram-gelding song, the rare swan-upping

work-chant, the dotty Oldest Inhabitant who, for a pint or two (or seven), might

be persuaded to relate a venerable cradle tale that began, "Arrrh, themwunt go

farenootha ' wheels, butth 'piskies didfrummish 'umt'be 'isgawthmodder's

cat an' britches."



Olivia had to admit, helping out on this church mural project was rather more

restful and just as fulfilling as jotting down dialect-and.spit-encrusted

ramblings.Telemachus was the only one to touch the painting itself, but as more

and more of the work came to light he graciously permitted Olivia and the

vicar--to have a hand in interpreting the inscriptions.



"It still reminds me of theBayeux Tapestry," she remarked, looking up at the

section which was completely restored. It was an understandable association to

make. The figures of men, women, and angels were all done in the Norman style,

long-fingered hands cupped as if to catch the words scrolling from their mouths.