"Robin McKinley - Damar 1 - The Blue Sword" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinley Robin)

"It did not go well at all."
The slow headshakes Dedham and Peterson gave this comment said much louder than words could
how great an understatement this was.
"He won't be back," continued Sir Charles.
There was the grim silence of agreement, and then Peterson added: "But I don't think he is going to
run to the Northerners to make an alliance, either."
Sir Charles looked up at last. "You think not?"
Peterson shook his head: a quick decided jerk. "No. He would not have listened to Jack at the end,
then, if he had meant to go to our enemies."
Jack said, with what Harry recognized as well-controlled impatience, "The Hillfolk will never ally with
the Northerners. They consider them inimical by blood, by heritageby everything they believe in. They
would be declaring themselves not of the Hills if they went to the North."
Sir Charles ran his hand through his white hair, sighed, and said: "You know these people better than
I, and I will take your word for it, since I can do nothing else." He paused. "I will have to write a report
of this meeting, of course; and I do not at all know what I will say."
Beth and Cassie and Harry were all biting their tongues to keep from asking any questions that might
call attention to their interested presence and cause the conversation to be adjourned till the men retired
to some official inner sanctum where the fascinating subject could be pursued in private. Therefore they
were both delighted and alarmed when Lady Amelia asked: "But, Charles, what happened?"
Sir Charles seemed to focus his gaze with some difficulty on the apprehensive face of his wife; then his
eyes moved over the table and the girls knew that they had been noticed again. They held their breaths.
"Mmm," said Sir Charles, and there was a silence while the tips of Beth's ears turned pink with not
breathing.
"It hurts nothing but our pride to tell you," Dedham said at last. "He was here less than two hours;
rode up out of nowhere, as far as we could tellwe thought we were keeping watch so we'd have some
warning of his arrival."
The girls' eyes were riveted on Dedham's face, or they might have exchanged glances.
"He strode up to the front door as if he were walking through his own courtyard; fortunately, we had
seen them when they entered the gates in front here and were more or less collected to greet him; and
your man, Charles, had the sense to throw open the door before we found out whether or not he would
have walked right through it.
"I suppose the first calamity was that we understood each other's languages so poorly. Corlath spoke
no Homelander at allalthough, frankly, I don't guarantee that that means he couldn't."
Peterson grunted.
"You noticed it too, did you? One of the men he had with him did the translating, such as it was; and
Peterson and I tried to talk Darian"
"We did talk Darian," Peterson put in. "I know Darian almost as well as I know Homelanderas do
you, Jack, you're just more modest about itand I've managed to make myself understood to Darians from
all sorts of odd corners of this oversized administrationincluding a few Free Hillfolk."
Harry thought: And the Hill-king stopped dead, as angry as he was, when Dedham addressed him in
the Old Tongue?
"In all events," Dedham went on, "we didn't seem able to make ourselves understood too readily to
Corlath."
"And his translator translated no faster than he had to, I thought," Peterson put in.
Dedham smiled a little. "Ah, your pride's been bent out of shape. Be fair."
Peterson answered his smile, but said obstinately, "I'm sure of it."
"You may be right." Dedham paused. "It wouldn't surprise me; it gave them time to look at us a little
without seeming to."
"A little!" Sir Charles broke out. "Man, they were here less than two hours! How can theyheconclude
anything about us in so little time? He gave us no chance."