Great Britain -- History -- Fiction; Space and time -- Fiction
‘The farmer wouldn’t tell him at first, because the priests never liked
their people to have any dealings with the Old Things. At last he
confessed that the Smith had done it. “What did you pay him?” said the
novice. “Penny,” said the farmer, very sulkily. “That’s less than a
Christian would have charged,” said the novice. “I hope you threw a ‘Thank
you’ into the bargain.” “No,” said the farmer; “Wayland-Smith’s a
heathen.” “Heathen or no heathen,” said the novice, “you took his help,
and where you get help there you must give thanks.” “What?” said the
farmer—he was in a furious temper because I was walking the old horse in
circles all this time—“What, you young jackanapes?” said he. “Then by your
reasoning I ought to say ‘Thank you’ to Satan if he helped me?” “Don’t
roll about up there splitting reasons with me,” said the novice. “Come
back to the Ford and thank the Smith, or you’ll be sorry.”
‘Back the farmer had to go! I led the horse, though no one saw me, and the
novice walked beside us, his gown swishing through the shiny dew and his
fishing-rod across his shoulders spearwise. When we reached the Ford
again—it was five o’clock and misty still under the oaks—the farmer simply
wouldn’t say “Thank you.” He said he’d tell the Abbot that the novice
wanted him to worship heathen gods. Then Hugh the novice lost his temper.
He just cried, “Out!” put his arm under the farmer’s fat leg, and heaved
him from his saddle on to the turf, and before he could rise he caught him
by the back of the neck and shook him like a rat till the farmer growled,
“Thank you, Wayland-Smith.”’
‘Did Weland see all this?’ said Dan.
‘Oh, yes, and he shouted his old war-cry when the farmer thudded on to the
ground. He was delighted. Then the novice turned to the oak and said, “Ho!
Smith of the Gods, I am ashamed of this rude farmer; but for all you have
done in kindness and charity to him and to others of our people, I thank
you and wish you well.” Then he picked up his fishing-rod—it looked more
like a tall spear than ever—and tramped off down your valley.’
‘And what did poor Weland do?’ said Una.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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