Читать книгу St. George and the Witches - J. W. Dunne - Страница 1

There was a clatter of racing feet on the ancient, oaken stairs. There followed, apparently, a wrestling match outside my door. Then the two entered, paused, advanced and greeted me sedately.

“Well, what shall we play tonight?” I asked.

“St. George and the Dragon,” said Rosemary.

“But we did that yesterday,” I objected.

“Well, go on with it,” said Christopher.

“But we finished St. George and the Dragon. You killed the Dragon, and you married the Princess [which is not in the real story]. There isn’t any more to go on with.”

“Well, they can have adventures after they are married, can’t they?” said Christopher.

“Oh!” said I, and paused to take this in. “Oh, very well.”

That was how it all began; but, when the story came to be written out, the children were old enough to render advisable a change of diction and an amplification of the plot.

The joyous liberties we took with history; the geography we molded to our desire; the demonology we modified to suit our needs: these, of necessity, remain. All said and done, the tale’s the thing.

J. W. Dunne