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

share it fairly among ourselves. Then, if you make a solemn vow
never to disturb our land again, nor td stir up any other monster
to trouble us, we will let you depart with both your head and
your tail to your own home. And now you shall take such strong
oaths to return (with your ransom) as even the conscience of a
worm must hold binding.' .

Chrysophylax accepted, after a plausible show of hesitation. He
even shed hot tears, lamenting his ruin, till there were steaming
puddles in the road; but no one was moved by them. He swore
many oaths, solemn and astonishing, that he would return with
all his wealth on the feast of St Hilarius and St Felix. That gave
him eight days, and far too short a time for the journey, as even
those ignorant of geography might well have reflected.
Nonetheless, they let him go, and escorted him as far as the
bridge.

`To our next meeting f he said, as he passed over the river. `I am
sure we shall all look forward to it.'

`We shall indeed,' they said. They were, of course, very foolish.
For though the oaths he had taken should have burdened his
conscience with sorrow and a great fear of disaster, he had, alas
I no conscience at all. And if this regrettable lack in one of
imperial lineage was beyond the comprehension of the simple, at
the least the parson with his booklearning might have guessed
it. Maybe he did. He was a. grammarian, and could doubtless see
further into the future than others.

The blacksmith shook his head as he went back to his smithy.
`Ominous names,' he said. `Hilarius and Felix! I don't like the
sound of them.'

The King, of course, quickly heard the news. It ran through the
realm like fire and lost nothing in the telling. The King was
deeply moved, for various reasons, not the least being financial;
and he made up his mind to ride at once in person to Ham, where
such strange things seemed to happen.

He arrived four days after the dragon's departure, coming over
the bridge on his white horse, with many knights and trumpeters,
and a large baggage-train. All the people had put on their best
clothes and lined the street to welcome him. The cavalcade came
to a halt in the open space before the church gate. Farmer Giles
knelt before the King, when he was. presented; but the King told
him to rise, and actually patted him on the back. The knights
pretended not to observe this familiarity.

The King ordered the whole village to assemble in Farmer Giles's
large pasture beside the river; and when they were all gathered