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

village street. There Garm had the impudence to sneak out
of an alley and join in the chase.
All the people were at their windows or on the roofs.
Some laughed and some cheered; and some beat tins and
pans and kettles; and others blew horns and pipes and
whistles; and the parson had the church bells rung. Such
a to-do and an on-going had not been heard in Ham for a
hundred years.

Just outside the church the dragon gave up. He lay down
in the middle of the road and gasped. Garin came and
sniffed at his tail, but Chrysophylax was past all shame.
`Good people, and gallant warrior,' he panted, as Farmer
Giles rode up, while the villagers gathered round (at a
reasonable distance) with hayforks, poles, and pokers in
their hands. `Good people, don't kill me! I am very rich. I
will pay for all the damage I have done. I will pay for the
funerals of all the people I have killed, especially the
parson of Oakley; he shall have a noble cenotaph - though
he was rather lean. I will give you each a really good
present, if you will only let me go home and fetch it.'

`How much?' said the farmer.

`Well,' said the dragon, calculating quickly. He noticed that
the crowd was rather large. `Thirteen and eightpence each
?,

'Nonsense!' said Giles. 'Rubbish!' said the people. `Rot f
said the dog.

`Two golden guineas each, and children half price Y said
the dragon.

`What about dogs?' said Garm. `Go on!' said the farmer
`We're listening.'

`Ten pounds and a purse of silver for every soul, and gold
collars for the dogs?' said Chrysophylax anxiously.

`Kill him!' shouted the people, getting impatient:

`A bag of gold for everybody, and diamonds for the
ladies?' said Chrysophylax hurriedly.

`Now you talking, but not good enough,' said Farmer Giles.
`You've left dogs out again,' said Garm. `What size of bags
?' said the men. `How many diamonds?'said their wives.

`Dear me! dear me!' said the