"T. H. White - The Once and Future King" - читать интересную книгу автора (White T.H)

remember that your claim to the throne is hardly a conventional one."
"Let them come," replied the King. "I don't mind. I will beat them properly this time, and then we will
see who is master."
The old man crammed his beard in his mouth and began to chew it, as he generally did when he was put
about. He bit through one of the hairs, which stuck between two teeth. He tried to lick it off, then took it
out with his fingers. Finally he began curling-it into two points.
"I suppose you will learn some day," he said, "but God knows it is heartbreaking, uphill work." "Oh?"
"Yes," cried Merlyn passionately. "Oh? oh? oh? That is all you can say. Oh? oh? oh? Like a schoolboy."
"I shall cut off your head if you are not careful." "Cut it off. It would be a good thing if you did. I should
not have to keep on tutoring, at any rate."
Arthur shifted his elbow on the battlement and looked at his ancient friend.
"What is the matter, Merlyn?" he asked. "Have I been doing something wrong? I am sorry if I have."
The magician uncurled his beard and blew his nose. "It is not so much what you are doing," he said. "It


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is how you are thinking. If there is one thing I can't stand, it is stupidity. I always say that stupidity is the
Sin against the Holy Ghost." "I know you do." "Now you are being sarcastic." The King took him by the
shoulder and turned him round. "Look," he said, "what is wrong? Are you in a bad temper? If I have
done something stupid, tell me. Don't be in a bad temper."
It had the effect of making the aged nigromant angrier than before.
"Tell you!" he exclaimed. "And what is going to happen when there is nobody to tell you? Are you
never going to think for yourself? What is going to happen when I am locked up in this wretched
tumulus of mine, I should like to know?"
"I didn't know there was a tumulus in it." "Oh, hang the tumulus! What tumulus? What am I supposed to
be talking about?"
"Stupidity," said Arthur. "It was stupidity when we started." "Exactly."
"Well, it's no good saying Exactly. You were going to say something about it."
"I don't know what I was going to say about it. You put one in such a passion with all your this and that,
that I am sure nobody would know what they were talking about for two minutes together. How did it
begin?"
"It began about the battle."
"Now I remember," said Merlyn. "That is exactly where it did begin."
"I said it was a good battle." "So I recollect."
"Well, it was a good battle," he repeated defensively. "It was a jolly battle, and I won it myself, and it
was fun."
The magician's eyes veiled thelmselves like a vulture's, as he vanished inside his mind. There was
silence on the battlements for several minutes, while a pair of peregrines that were being hacked in a
nearby field flew over their heads in a playful chase, crying out Kik-kik-kik, their bells ringing. Merlyn
looked out of his eyes once more.
"It was clever of you," he said slowly, "to win the battle."
Arthur had been taught that he ought to be modest, and he was too simple to notice that the vulture was
going to pounce.
"Oh, well. It was luck."
"Very clever," repeated Merlyn. "How many of your kerns were killed?" "I don't remember." "No."
"Kay saidтАФ"