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thousand years. Agatha Falon had been worming her way into the King of
England's attention for some time all these things were coming together at the
Earl's Christmas Party you understand?"
He looked hard at both Jim and Angie.
"We understand," said Angie.
"I knew you would," said Carolinus. "Now you, Jim, encountered the situation,
and the problems, one by one; and to your credit, my boy, you found that
taking the easy way out of each particular problem was one that did not suit
your taste. For example, it would have solved the destruction, alone the
eventual destruction of the Earl's castle if the twins had simply been allowed
to destroy Mnrogar. They would have never had the courage to take over
Mnrogar's den; and somewhere along the line they would have been attacked by a
group of trolls fighting together, now that they had set the example of
several on one. They would have been killed, eaten, and there would be anarchy
in trolldom. Likewise, it would have been simple, merely to lead Agatha Falon
to her own destruction."
"I didn't think of any such things," said Jim.
"No, you didn't," said Carolinus, leaning forward. "And it's to your credit,
Jim. You have something that I cannot put my tongue to at the moment a feeling
for other people and other creatures that is seldom found in this time and
place. At any rate, your way of solving matters not only made Mnrogar's life
happier, and incidentally made Agatha Falon more admirable; but dealt with the
Earl, the gathering of trolls, the fact that the dragons had completely
misread the whole matter of Christmas; and that the general misunderstanding
caused by all this could have caused real trouble between them and the human
race."
"Thank you," said Jim.
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"I'm glad to hear you say that," said Carolinus. "Since now you know why I
left you on your own so much to handle things. But it paid to do it why, you
even deserve all the credit for rousing thePhoenix . That much happiness and
the prospect of a bright future you ensured, welling up from the earth below,
would rouse several Phoenixes, let alone a slugabed like our current one.
Would you be interested to know that our presentPhoenix was very happy, once
he got up and moving?"
"It's about time," said Angie.
"I agree with you, Angie," said Carolinus. But then he paused and his face
lost its cheerfulness.
"But," he said, "now we come to an unfortunate matter, Jim. While you did
excellently with all the problems that were wished upon you, in an entirely
separate other small area you made an unforgivable mistake. You must set that
right at once. I'm sorry to tell you so, but this is the case."
There was silence in the solar. Jim and Angie stared at Carolinus.
"Well," said Jim after a moment, "tell me what I'm supposed to have done,
then."
Carolinus did.
"Hob-One?" asked Jim, peering as far as he could see into the chimney above
the low fire that was barely alit in the serving room fireplace.
There was a pause; and then a familiar little voice answered.
"Yes, m'Lord?"
"Hob no, you needn't come down," said Jim hastily, as a small face peered,
upside down, from under the top edge of the fireplace.
"Very well, m'Lord." The face vanished.
"The fact of the matter is, I have some rather unhappy news for you," Jim
said. "I'm afraid an authority higher than mine has corrected me on a certain
point; and it affects you. Otherwise, believe me, nothing would be changed for
you."
"Changed, m'Lord?"
"I'm afraid so, yes," said Jim. "It seems in short, I've been told that when
I renamed you Hob-One of Malencontri, I violated a certain law that applies to
magicians and their dealings with beings belonging to another kingdom. You
hobgoblins belong to a different kingdom, of course; and therefore I'm sorry I
had no right to rename you."
There was a moment's pause, then a little choked sound.
"Wrong, m'Lord?"
"Yes," said Jim grimly. "To make a long story short, you're going to have to
be known to all the world, even here in the castle, not as Hob-One de
Malencontri, but simply as Hob. Also, I'm afraid, you're going to have to tell
any other hobgoblins you spoke to, including the one at the Earl's castle,
that you were mistaken about being named something else."
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There was a long pause this time.
"Not Hob-One de Malencontri?" choked the little voice.
"No," said Jim. "I'm sorry, but that's how it has to be."
There was a definite sob from the chimney.
"Now, Lady Angela and myself will go on calling you Hob-One," said Jim
hastily. "That's our privilege; and as individuals nobody can take it from us.
But it will be just between us and you, unfortunately. It will not be an
official name for the world at large."
Another sob.
"If there was any way of avoiding this, Hob-One," said Jim, "believe me, I'd
have done it. But there are some times you have to go by the rules. I broke
one, and now I must mend it."
"I I understand, m'Lord."
"I I'm glad you do," said Jim. "And again, I'm very, very sorry."
"That's all right m'Lord."
"Maybe some time in the future things can be changed. Anything's possible in
the long run."
"Yes yes, I suppose so, m'Lord. Don't don't you give it another thought,
m'Lord."
"I most certainly will, Hob-One," said Jim. "I will never cease thinking of
ways to get you your name back." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]