Fantasy fiction; 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, spear-wise. 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 tree
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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