looked kindly down at the little creature in front of him.
“I came from your country,” wailed the Goblin. “I was once a mortal man, even as you. But I crossed over the enchanted moor. The Elfin King appeared in the guise of a beauteous Knight. He looked brave, and noble, and generous. I followed him hither, and drank of his heather ale. Now I must bide here for seven long years. And your friend, too, drank of the accursed draught. He now lies at our lawful Monarch's feet. He will wake up. But it will be in such a guise as I wear.”
“Is there anything that I can do to rescue him!” cried Earl St. Clair eagerly. “I have no fear of the spell of his cruel captor. I bear the Sign of One Who is stronger than he. Speak speedily, little man.”
“Yes, there is something that you can do,” whispered the Goblin, “but it is a desperate attempt. If you fail, then not even the Power of the Blessed Sign will save you.”
“And what is that?” asked the Earl impatiently.
“You must remain motionless,” answered the old man, “in the cold and frost till dawn break. Soon they will sing Matins in the Holy Church. Then you must walk slowly nine times round the edge of the enchanted Circle. After that you must walk boldly across it to the red marble table where the Elfin King sits. On it you will see an emerald goblet with heather ale. You must carry it away. But let no word cross your lips. This enchanted ground whereon we dance may look solid to your eyes. But in reality it is not so. It is a quaking bog. There is a great lake under it. A fearsome Monster dwells there. If you utter a word, you will fall through the bog. You will perish in the waters beneath.”
The Grisly Goblin stepped back among his companions. He left Earl St. Clair alone on the outskirts of the charmed Ring.
There Earl St. Clair waited, through the long, dark hours. The grey dawn began to break over the hilltops. Then the Elfin forms before him dwindled and faded away.
Soon the sound of the Matin Bell[18] came across the moor. Earl St. Clair began his solemn walk. Round and round the Ring he paced. He walked steadily. When he finished, he stepped boldly on to the enchanted ground. Then he walked across it. All the ghostly Elves and Goblins lay frozen into tiny blocks of ice.
He approached the marble table. The hairs rose on his head at the sight of the Elfin King. In front of him lay Earl Gregory. Two black ravens sat, one on each side of the table. They guarded the emerald goblet.
Earl St. Clair lifted the precious cup. The ravens rose in the air. They circled round his head. The ravens cried with rage. They threatened to dash the cup from his hands with their claws. The frozen Elves, and even their mighty King himself stirred in their sleep, and sat up. But the Power of the Holy Sign restrained them.
Earl St. Clair heard awesome and terrible sounds around him. The ravens shrieked. The frozen Goblins screamed, too. From the lake below came the sound of the breathing of the awful Monster.
But the brave Earl heeded none of these things. He trusted in the Might of the Sign he bore. It carried him safely through all the dangers. The sound of the Matin Bell died away in the morning air. He stepped on to solid ground once more. Then he flung the enchanted goblet from him.
The frozen Elves vanished, along with their King and his marble table. Nothing was left on the rank green grass save Earl Gregory. Earl Gregory slowly woke from his enchanted slumber. He stretched himself, and stood up. He gazed vaguely round him. He scarcely remembered where he was.
Earl St. Clair ran to him. He held his friend in his arms. Then the two friends returned to the wondrous goblet. They found nothing but a piece of rough grey whinstone, with a drop of dew in a little crevice.
1. Who are the eldritch dancers?
1) hardworking farmers
2) brave knights
3) elves and goblins
4) a prince and a princess
5) Earl Gregory and Earl St. Clair
2. goblet = ____________________
1) plate
2) fork
3) knife
4) oven
5) cup
3. Вставьте нужный предлог:
He walked through their ranks ____________________ he came to the middle of the Circle.
1) on
2) in
3) of
4) till
5) off
4. Подберите синоним к выделенному слову:
It is not a tale for the bairns.
1) fools
2) children
3) dogs
4) peasants
5) readers
5. Come hither = ____________________
1) come here
2) go away
3) stop
4) lie down
5) shut up
Ответы:
elves and goblins, cup, till, children, come here
The Brownie of Ferne-Den
People like to write and tell stories about Brownies in Scotland. There are many famous Brownies there, for example, the Brownie of Bodsbeck or the Brownie of Blednock. But I'll tell you about the Brownie of Ferne-Den.
Ferne-Den was a farmhouse. It got its name from the glen, or “den,” on the edge of which it stood. Anyone who looked for a place to sleep stayed there. This glen was the abode of a Brownie. That Brownie never appeared to anyone in the daytime. Sometimes people saw him at night. He jumped from tree to tree. And he never did harm to anybody.
Indeed, he always helped those who needed his assistance. The farmer often said that he could not live without him. Any work at the farm the farmer and his wife left to the Brownie. When they went to bed, they put down a bowl of new milk on the doorstep for the Brownie's supper. And when they woke the next morning the bowl was empty. And the job was finished, of course.
In spite of all this, however, everyone was afraid of the Brownie. People preferred to go a couple of miles round about in the dark, when they came home from Kirk or Market. They did not want to pass through the glen and see him.
The farmer's wife was good and gentle. She was not afraid of anything on the earth. When she left the Brownie's supper outside, she always filled his bowl with the milk. Moreover, she added a good spoonful of cream to it. She said,
Matin Bell – звон к заутрене
