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

Midday came. People were too anxious to eat much. The
afternoon passed slowly. Still Tailbiter showed no sign of
leaping from the scabbard. None of the watchers on the
hill, nor any of the small boys who had climbed to the tops
of tall trees, could see anything by air or by land that might
herald the return of the dragon.

The blacksmith walked about whistling; but it was not until
evening fell and the stars came out that the other folk of
the village began to suspect that the dragon did not mean
to come back at all. Still they recalled his many solemn
and astonishing. oaths and kept on hoping. When,
however, midnight struck and the appointed day was over,
their disappointment was deep. The blacksmith was
delighted..

`I told you so,' he said. But they were still not convinced.

`After all he was badly hurt,' said some.

`We did not give him enough time,' said others. `It is a
powerful long way to the mountains, and he would have a
lot to carry. Maybe he has had to get help'

But the next day passed and the next. Then they all gave
up hope. The King was in a red rage. The victuals and
drink had run out, and the knights were grumbling loudly.
They wished to go back to the merriments of court. But
the King wanted money.

He took leave of his loyal subjects, but he was short and
sharp about it; and he cancelled half the tallies on the
Exchequer. He was quite cold to Farmer Giles and
dismissed him with a nod.

`You will hear from us later,' he said, and rode off with his
knights and his trumpeters.

The more hopeful and simple-minded thought that a
message would soon come from the court to summon
master Aegidius to the King, to be knighted at the least. In
a week the message came, but it was of different sort. It
was written and signed in triplicate: one copy for Giles;
one for the parson; and one to be nailed on the church
door. Only the copy addressed to the parson was of any
use, for the court-hand was peculiar and as dark to the
folk of Ham as the Book-Latin. But the parson rendered it
into the vulgar tongue and read it from the pulpit. It was
short and to the point (for a royal letter); the King was in a
hurry.