[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

"Ah, James!" he said. "It's a glad sight to see you! How do I look?"
Brian turned around in front of Jim. He was clearly already dressed for the
main banquet of the season himself, in a blue cote-hardie, only slightly
faded, and wearing small, very clean, very recently reblacked heelless shoes
that looked more like slippers to Jim's eyeing but then all the shoes of this
time did than anything else. His knight's belt, with its sheathed dagger
attached, was the one resplendent thing about him; it having been one of the
prizes at a tourney where he had carried the day.
All this, of course, adorned a lean, fit, sinewy body; which, if no more than
five feet nine inches tall, carried itself as if it was at least a foot
taller and did so with justification.
Brian had fought and beaten many men a great deal taller, heavier and
possibly even stronger than he.
"You look excellent, Brian," said Jim, and meant it.
"Hah!" said Brian with satisfaction, turning back. "It's good of you to say
so, James. I would not have it said I cannot dress to fit my station."
Abruptly he turned his back again.
"However, James," he went on anxiously, "would you look at the collar at the
back of my cote-hardie? It was a touch worn. A clever woman with a needle at
my castle turned it inward, somewhat I know not exactly what she did; but the
aim was to keep the worn spot from showing. Yet it seems to me that when I
have it on, as now, I can reach back there, and feel a sort of roughness in
the cloth, as if the worn part was still showing. Tell me, do you see it, as
you stand there?"
Jim looked at the curve at the top of Brian's cote-hardie in the back. The
worn spot he had spoken of was almost out of sight, but not quite. Still,
anyone would have to come up and practically peer down the back of Brian's
neck to see it properly.
"I don't see a thing," said Jim.
"Ah, that relieves me," said Brian, turning back. "Are you ready to go down
to the hall, James? Where's Angela?"
"She's to come along here to get me when she's ready to go down," said Jim.
"If you want to wait, we can all go down together."
"I'll be glad to wait, of course," said Brian. "Indeed, it may do more for my
reputation with those here to see how closely I come into dinner with you and
the Lady Angela and Geronde, than if Geronde and I went down by ourselves.
When the steward announces you, he must needs announce me in a voice not too
different, and all eyes in the hall will of course then turn upon us four."
"You underrate yourself, Brian," said Jim. "Angie and I are the ones who will
be honored to enter with the well-known winner of so many tournaments. One of
the premier lances ofEngland ."
Page 69
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Well, well," said Brian, "I would not myself call myself one of the premier
lances ofEngland , of course; but let that be and on to other subjects sit
down and I will fetch us to drink."
"I was thinking of taking a nap " Jim broke off, seeing the disappointment on
Brian's face.
Brian very seldom invited anyone to Castle Smythe, because of its run-down
condition. But he had the born soul of a host in him; and here in this one
room of the Earl's, considerably smaller than either of the rooms that Jim and
Angie occupied and which must necessarily hold his squire as well as
himself the squire sleeping on a pallet in front of the door he had a chance
to be a host. "On second thought, some wine is exactly what I want!"
"Well said!" said Brian, rummaging in a corner among his belongings, piled up
there in helter-skelter fashion. He came up with a large leather flask of the
sort that normally contained water, but was useful for carrying wine on
horseback because there was no danger of it breaking, as anything but a metal
container might during the vicissitudes of a journey. "I have only the two
cups, and no means to wash them here at the moment. But perhaps you might be
content to wipe one out, James."
Jim chose the smaller cup, poured some of the water from the leathern
watering jug on the table into it and took one of the patches from the secret
inside pockets of his own cote-hardie, and did as Brian suggested. The odds
against his picking up any unfriendly bacteria were relatively small, in this
case.
"Ah, wine," said Brian, pouring from the jug of it he had picked up, "good
for the soul, good for the& "
He evidently ran out of inspiration. Jim reflected that for Brian, wine
probably was good for his soul. In fact, good for everything, at any hour of
the day or night and in considerable quantities. But it did not seem to have
any great effect on him. However, this was the chance he had been waiting for.
"As a matter of fact, Brian," he said, after adding water to his own wine,
"I've been wanting to talk to you. You remember the business with the troll
downstairs?"
"Very well, James," said Brian, looking serious. "A stouter such being, I
vow, I would never have imagined!"
"Well," said Jim, "Carolinus has given me the, er duty of finding the other
troll. The one the castle troll claims is up here. That'll be the first step
in dealing with the situation with the castle troll. And besides that, other
things have turned up since& "
He told Brian about Agatha Falon's gift of the golden ring, and the Prince's
overindulgence in wine how he had talked of fear for his life if Agatha [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]