"J.R.R. Tolkien - Farmer Giles of Ham" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolkien J.R.R)

`There's more to knighthood than a sword,' said Giles.
`There's dubbing and all that, or so I understand. Anyway
I've my own business to attend to.'

`Oh! but the King would do the dubbing, I don't doubt, if he
were asked,' said the miller. `Let us ask him, before it is
too late!'

'Nay!' said Giles. `Dubbing is not for my sort. I am a
farmer and proud of it: a plain honest man and honest men
fare ill at court, they say. It is more in your line, Master
Miller.'

The parson smiled: not at the farmer's retort, for Giles and
the miller were always giving one another as good as they
got, being bosom enemies, as the saying was in Ham. The
parson had suddenly been struck with a notion that pleased
him, but he said no more at that time. The miller was not
so pleased, and he scowled.

`Plain certainly, and honest perhaps,' said he. `But do you
have to go to court and be a knight before you kill a dragon?
Courage is all that is needed, as only yesterday I heard
Master Aegidius declare. Surely he has as much courage
as any knight?'

All the folk standing by shouted: `Of course not!' and `Yes
indeed! Three cheers for the Hero of Ham!'

Then Farmer Giles went home feeling very uncomfortable.
He was finding that a local reputation may require

keeping up, and that may prove awkward. He kicked the
dog, and hid the sword in a cupboard in the kitchen. Up till
then it had hung over the fireplace.

The next day the dragon moved to the neighbouring village
of Quercetum (Oakley in the vulgar tongue). He ate not
only sheep and cows and one or two persons of tender
age, but he ate the parson too. Rather rashly the parson
had sought to dissuade him from his evil ways. Then there
was a terrible commotion. All the people of Ham came up
the hill headed by their own parson; and they waited on
Farmer Giles.

`We look to you V they said; and they remained standing
round and looking, until the farmer's face was redder than
his beard.

`When are you going to start?' they asked.