登陆注册
5391200000030

第30章

Robert felt pleased at being CALLED brave, and somehow it made him FEEL brave. He passed over the 'varlet'. It was the way people talked in historical romances for the young, he knew, and it was evidently not meant for rudeness. He only hoped he would be able to understand what they said to him. He had not always been able quite to follow the conversations in the historical romances for the young.

'His garb is strange,' said the other. 'Some outlandish treachery, belike.'

'Say, lad, what brings thee hither?'

Robert knew this meant, 'Now then, youngster, what are you up to here, eh?' - so he said:

'If you please, I want to go home.'

'Go, then!' said the man in the longest boots; 'none hindereth, and nought lets us to follow. Zooks!' he added in a cautious undertone, 'I misdoubt me but he beareth tidings to the besieged.'

'Where dwellest thou, young knave?' inquired the man with the largest steel-cap.

'Over there,' said Robert; and directly he had said it he knew he ought to have said 'Yonder!'

'Ha - sayest so?' rejoined the longest boots. 'Come hither, boy.

This is a matter for our leader.'

And to the leader Robert was dragged forthwith - by the reluctant ear.

The leader was the most glorious creature Robert had ever seen. He was exactly like the pictures Robert had so often admired in the historical romances. He had armour, and a helmet, and a horse, and a crest, and feathers, and a shield, and a lance, and a sword. His armour and his weapons were all, I am almost sure, of quite different periods. The shield was thirteenth-century, while the sword was of the pattern used in the Peninsular War. The cuirass was of the time of Charles I, and the helmet dated from the Second Crusade. The arms on the shield were very grand - three red running lions on a blue ground. The tents were of the latest brand and the whole appearance of camp, army, and leader might have been a shock to some. But Robert was dumb with admiration, and it all seemed to him perfectly correct, because he knew no more of heraldry or archaeology than the gifted artists who usually drew the pictures for the historical romances. The scene was indeed 'exactly like a picture'. He admired it all so much that he felt braver than ever.

'Come hither, lad,' said the glorious leader, when the men in Cromwellian steel-caps had said a few low eager words. And he took off his helmet, because he could not see properly with it on. He had a kind face, and long fair hair. 'Have no fear; thou shalt take no scathe,' he said.

Robert was glad of that. He wondered what 'scathe' was, and if it was nastier than the senna tea which he had to take sometimes.

'Unfold thy tale without alarm,' said the leader kindly. 'Whence comest thou, and what is thine intent?'

'My what?' said Robert.

'What seekest thou to accomplish? What is thine errand, that thou wanderest here alone among these rough men-at-arms? Poor child, thy mother's heart aches for thee e'en now, I'll warrant me.'

'I don't think so,' said Robert; 'you see, she doesn't know I'm out.'

The leader wiped away a manly tear, exactly as a leader in a historical romance would have done, and said:

'Fear not to speak the truth, my child; thou hast nought to fear from Wulfric de Talbot.'

Robert had a wild feeling that this glorious leader of the besieging party - being himself part of a wish - would be able to understand better than Martha, or the gipsies, or the policeman in Rochester, or the clergyman of yesterday, the true tale of the wishes and the Psammead. The only difficulty was that he knew he could never remember enough 'quothas' and 'beshrew me's', and things like that, to make his talk sound like the talk of a boy in a historical romance. However, he began boldly enough, with a sentence straight out of Ralph de Courcy; or, The Boy Crusader. He said:

'Grammercy for thy courtesy, fair sir knight. The fact is, it's like this - and I hope you're not in a hurry, because the story's rather a breather. Father and mother are away, and when we were down playing in the sand-pits we found a Psammead.'

'I cry thee mercy! A Sammyadd?' said the knight.

'Yes, a sort of - of fairy, or enchanter - yes, that's it, an enchanter; and he said we could have a wish every day, and we wished first to be beautiful.'

'Thy wish was scarce granted,' muttered one of the men-at-arms, looking at Robert, who went on as if he had not heard, though he thought the remark very rude indeed.

'And then we wished for money - treasure, you know; but we couldn't spend it. And yesterday we wished for wings, and we got them, and we had a ripping time to begin with -'

'Thy speech is strange and uncouth,' said Sir Wulfric de Talbot.

'Repeat thy words - what hadst thou?'

'A ripping - I mean a jolly - no - we were contented with our lot - that's what I mean; only, after that we got into an awful fix.'

'What is a fix? A fray, mayhap?'

'No - not a fray. A - a - a tight place.'

'A dungeon? Alas for thy youthful fettered limbs!' said the knight, with polite sympathy.

'It wasn't a dungeon. We just - just encountered undeserved misfortunes,' Robert explained, 'and to-day we are punished by not being allowed to go out. That's where I live,' - he pointed to the castle. 'The others are in there, and they're not allowed to go out. It's all the Psammead's - I mean the enchanter's fault. Iwish we'd never seen him.'

'He is an enchanter of might?'

'Oh yes - of might and main. Rather!'

'And thou deemest that it is the spells of the enchanter whom thou hast angered that have lent strength to the besieging party,' said the gallant leader; 'but know thou that Wulfric de Talbot needs no enchanter's aid to lead his followers to victory.'

'No, I'm sure you don't,' said Robert, with hasty courtesy; 'of course not - you wouldn't, you know. But, all the same, it's partly his fault, but we're most to blame. You couldn't have done anything if it hadn't been for us.'

'How now, bold boy?' asked Sir Wulfric haughtily. 'Thy speech is dark, and eke scarce courteous. Unravel me this riddle!'

同类推荐
  • 瀋陽日記

    瀋陽日記

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说观佛三昧海经

    佛说观佛三昧海经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 哭苗垂

    哭苗垂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神鼎一揆禅师语录

    神鼎一揆禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 棋经十三篇

    棋经十三篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 酷炫女友:男神追妻十八式

    酷炫女友:男神追妻十八式

    姜奕欢是何许人也,年级第一总是她,上课睡觉还是她,开始,她是扮猪吃虎,她是电脑高手,后来,辛辰的初恋到老伴都是她。辛辰是何许人也,长相帅气却从不沾花惹草,而且还是毒舌王中王,不过,最憋屈的还是自己永远屈居年级第二,不过也没有办法,谁叫第一是自己喜欢的菇凉呢?年级第三,总是最苦的,不仅成绩上被打压,还要吃第一和第二的狗粮,真是一把辛酸泪说也说不尽啊。。。
  • 马洛伊·山多尔经典作品集(全六册)

    马洛伊·山多尔经典作品集(全六册)

    马洛伊·山多尔用一生写就的6部挚爱之作。其中,《一个市民的自白》堪比普鲁斯特《追忆似水年华》的杰作,自匈牙利文移译的首部中文译本。
  • 腰问

    腰问

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 万世绝巅

    万世绝巅

    这世上本就没有什么绝对的好人也不存在什么恶人,家世,名门,天赋,生来高人一等,这就是资本,而我要做的就是给这个混乱不堪的世界再加一点猛料。
  • 凤御苍穹:天才五公主

    凤御苍穹:天才五公主

    她本是翱翔九天的七彩天凤,却遭遇恋人背叛,折翼身死,一夕之间,全族尽灭。千年后涅磐重生,她誓要夺回一切。说她不具武脉不能修炼?渣渣们睁大狗眼看清楚,什么叫惊艳绝才天生异禀!炼神器,御万兽,笑傲九天。但这条一天到晚就招惹她的小龙是怎么回事?喂,贱人烈,调戏姐可是要付出代价的!那人却道:“你我同仇敌忾,不如缔结良缘,共同为祸苍生!”
  • Philosophy 4

    Philosophy 4

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 不朽的守护万念

    不朽的守护万念

    一把“守护之刃”传递万千思念。守护之刃所在之处,必是守护之人。
  • 喜田乐嫁

    喜田乐嫁

    张曦秀一睁眼,古代?穿越了?重生了!不错,就这么过吧,好歹看着是个官家小姐。不过,恶奴欺幼主?原来父母皆亡!不怕,张曦秀秀眉一立,斗恶奴拉幼弟,咱不过官小姐的日子,那就过地主田园新生活。
  • 凤凰奇侠②:风骚老板娘

    凤凰奇侠②:风骚老板娘

    他真以为自己是打不死的蟑螂啊!明明伤重得快要挂掉还爱逞强。辛苦救回他一条命,他不知感激就算了,也不能恩将仇报的把她当犯人对待吧?战场上百战无敌的将军跟个恶棍没两样,不但无耻的偷窥她洗澡还强行扣留她。饶是好脾气的她也气得想一把火烧了军营──说来好笑,他爱做“白日梦”关她什么事?又不是她作法让他大白天见鬼的……明知不该与他有瓜葛,她却管不住自己的心,只是她一直没有把身分对他说清楚、讲明白。那关于他们从前世纠缠到今生的秘密……
  • 英雄故事(影响青少年一生的中华典故)

    英雄故事(影响青少年一生的中华典故)

    中华文明源远流长,历史文化典籍中的典故也是数不胜数。本书编者在先秦到晚清的文化典籍中穿梭往来,精选出数千则典故,并对每则典故的出处、故事、含义、用法进行了详解。为了方便读者查阅,根据含义的异同对这些典故进行了分类,使读者用起来方便快捷、得心应手。一书在手,尽览中国语言文化的博大精深。