"Ursula K. LeGuin - The Royals of Hegn" - читать интересную книгу автора (Le Guin Ursula K)

could not, have been the
father of the Duke of Vigrign, later
King of Shut.

Such
questions are not of interest to everyone, and the placid
fanaticism with which the Hegnish
pursue them bores or offends
many visitors to the island. The fact
that the Hegnish have absolutely
no interest in any people except
themselves can also cause offense,
or even rage. Foreigners exist. That
is all the Hegnish know about
them, and all they care to know. They
are too polite to say that
it is a pity that foreigners exist,
but if they had to think about
it, they would think so.



They do
not, however, have to think about foreigners. That is
taken care of for them. The
Interplanary Hotel on Hegn is in Hemgogn,
a beautiful little kingdom on the west
coast. The Interplanary
Agency runs the hotel and hires local

guides. The guides, mostly
dukes and earls, take visitors to see
the Alternation of the Watch
on the Walls, performed by princes of
the blood, wearing magnificent
traditional regalia, at noon and six
daily. The Agency also offers
day tours to a couple of other
kingdoms. The bus runs softly along
the ancient, indestructible roads
among sunlit orchards and wildfood
forests. The tourists get out of the
bus and look at the ruins,
or walk through the parts of the
palace open to visitors. The
inhabitants of the palace are aloof
but unfailingly civil and
courteous, as befits royalty. Perhaps
the Queen comes down and
smiles at the tourists without
actually looking at them and instructs
the pretty little Crown Princess to
invite them to pick and eat
whatever they like in the lunch-
orchard, and then she and the

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