"Jack Mann - Her Ways Are Death" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mann Jack)

evil, personified. A power, in his time.тАЭ
тАЬAnd there you have itтАФin his time,тАЭ Gees retorted calmly. тАЬA swindler of any sortтАФa person who
thrives on deceitтАФis a real evil in any time, and you yourself own that the gods of Norse mythology were
not immortals at all, but heroes subsequently deified. And IтАЩm not going to use a kow-towing tone over
any one of them, especially Loki, to please you or anybody.тАЭ
тАЬYou will please yourself, of course.тАЭ To GeesтАЩ surprise, the rejoinder was almost meek. тАЬI am going
into this matter of the Norse gods, and especially of the Volsung half-gods, children of Odin by a mortal
woman, as, say a foundation for what I wish to tell youтАФover which I felt you might possibly advise me,
at the least.тАЭ
Gees felt all his prejudice against J. St. Pol Naylor returning. That speech was like the manтАЩs
letterтАФfar too much like it. Didactic, each word chosen carefullyтАФhe was on his dignity again.
тАЬThe VolsungsтАФyes. Well? Not a very creditable crowd, were they? That is, by modern standards,тАЭ
Gees said reflectively.
тАЬI am a Volsung,тАЭ Naylor replied coldly.
тАЬIs that so?тАЭ Gees did not sound impressed. тАЬWell, if I were you, I should keep it dark. Difficult to
prove, tooтАФтАЭ
тАЬMr. Green!тАЭ The interruption was angrily harsh. тАЬI am sorry I ever asked you to call on me here. I
will write your cheque for eighteen guineas as arranged, and bid you good-day.тАЭ And he got on his feet in
pursuance of the intent.
Gees said, тАЬPity you havenтАЩt got a fire here.тАЭ
Pausing, turning about in curiosity over the remark, Naylor asked, тАЬWhy?тАЭ A sharply frosty
monosyllable, he made it.
тАЬTo save me the trouble of striking a match to burn said cheque,тАЭ Gees answered coolly. тАЬI donтАЩt
take money I havenтАЩt earned.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАФyouтАФтАЭ Naylor sat down again. тАЬI am a Volsung, I tell you!тАЭ he reiterated, and now there was
fierce intensity in the claim.
тАЬAnd I tell you it would be difficult to prove it,тАЭ Gees retorted. тАЬIn any case, what does it matter? I
donтАЩt seeтАФтАЭ
тАЬIтАЩll tell you.тАЭ Naylor appeared to have forgotten his outburst of anger. тАЬVolsung Sigurd carried off
Wulfruna, wife to Oger the Nailer, so called because, when he killed an enemy, he cut off the right hand
of the dead man and nailed it over the doorway of his great hall. This Wulfruna was still a very lovely
woman when Sigurd stole her, for which OgerтАФtoday, that name would be Hugo, of courseтАФfor which
Oger eventually killed him. Wulfruna was left with child by Sigurd, and she hid away and eventually bore
the child, a daughter. Except for the sex of the child, this is the story of Siegmund and Sieflinde as
Wagner tells it in the Valkyrie.тАЭ
тАЬObviously,тАЭ Gees observed, тАЬexcept also that those two were brother and sister. This Sigurd and
Wulfruna were not, I take it.тАЭ
тАЬThey were that, or very nearly that,тАЭ Naylor answered slowlyтАФreluctantly, it seemed. тАЬThey were
both Volsungs. All this is out of history, of course, purely legendary. YetтАФbelieve meтАФtrue.тАЭ
тАЬMost legends have a foundation in fact,тАЭ Gees remarked primly.
тАЬThis is fact,тАЭ Naylor insisted earnestly. тАЬTo finish that story though. Wulfruna, before Sigurd came
and tempted her away, had borne a male child to Oger, one who was named Oger Ogersson, as was the
fashion of naming in those times. Which is evidence, though not proof, that the elder Oger was founder of
the family through Wulfruna his wife, because he does not appear to have been called anyoneтАЩs son, but
only Oger the Nailer. And my name, you note, is Naylor.тАЭ
тАЬThere will be missing shoots on that family tree,тАЭ Gees commented.
тАЬBelieve it or not, as you like,тАЭ Naylor said sourly. тАЬOger Ogersson dropped the тАШNailerтАЩ from his
titles, but it was resumed by his grandson, who went viking, and nailed the hands of his dead enemies
round the prow of his long ship. And from then on, in various forms according to the time the nameтАФa
nickname, if you likeтАФstuck to the family.