"Terry Pratchett. A Hat Full Of Sky " - читать интересную книгу автораglint in her eye and a certain proud lift to her chin. Nac Mac Feegle girls
were very rare and they grew up knowing they were going to be keldas one day, and Tiffany had a definite feeling that Rob Anybody was going to find married life trickier than he thought. She was going to be sorry to leave them behind, but not terribly sorry. They were nice in a way but they could, after a while, get on your nerves. Anyway, she was eleven now, and had a feeling that after a certain age you shouldnt slide down holes in the ground to talk to little men. Besides, the look that Jeannie had given her, just for a moment, had been pure poison. Tiffany had read its meaning without having to try. Tiffany had been the kelda of the clan, even if it was only for a short time. She had also been engaged to be married to Rob Anybody, even if that had only been a sort of political trick. Jeannie knew all that. And the look had said: He is mine. This place is mine. I do not want you here! Keep out! A pool of silence followed Tiffany and Miss Tick down the lane, since the usual things that rustle in hedges tended to keep very quiet when the Nac Mac Feegle were around. They reached the little village green and sat down to wait for the carriers cart that went just a bit faster than walking pace and would take five hours to get to the village of Twoshirts, where - Tiffanys parents thought - theyd get the big coach that ran all the way to the distant mountains and beyond. Tiffany could actually see it coming up the road when she heard the hoofbeats across the green. She turned, and her heart seemed to leap and It was Roland, the Barons son, on a fine black horse. He leaped down before the horse had stopped, and then stood there looking embarrassed. Ah, I see a very fine and interesting example of a . . . a . . . a big stone over there, said Miss Tick in a sticky-sweet voice. Ill just go and have a look at it, shall I? Tiffany could have pinched her for that. Er, youre going, then, said Roland as Miss Tick hurried away. Yes, said Tiffany. Roland looked as though he was going to explode with nervousness. I got this for you, he said. I had it made by a man, er, over in Yelp. He held out a package wrapped in soft paper. Tiffany took it and put it carefully in her pocket. Thank you, she said, and dropped a small curtsy. Strictly speaking thats what you had to do when you met a nobleman, but it just made Roland blush and stutter. O-open it later on, said Roland. Er, I hope youll like it. Thank you, said Tiffany sweetly. Heres the cart. Er . . . you dont want to miss it. Thank you, said Tiffany, and curtsied again, because of the effect it had. It was a little bit cruel, but sometimes you had to be. Anyway, it would be very hard to miss the cart. If you ran fast, you could easily overtake it. It was so slow that stop never came as a surprise. There were no seats. The carrier went around the villages every other day, picking up packages and, sometimes, people. You just found a place |
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