aprOcN H gEtwE v H /emarald /sitI H crAvalarz fQnd i gyrdd bF tM garlz v H /yrmI v /rivOlt, hM apOzd HEr encrAns bF JrYiN H nitN-nIdalz fram HEr hEr n TretanN t prod H farst Ht kEm nIr.
bat H /tin /wUdmAn waz not afrEd.
"At H warst HE kn bat skrAc mF bjMtifal nikal-plEt," hI sed. "bat HEr wil b nO 'warst,' f F TiNk F kn mAniJ t frFtan HIz absard sOlJarz vErI IzilI. folO mI klOslI, Yl v jM!"
Hn, swiNN hiz Aks in a grEt sarkal t rFt t rFt n left bifYr him, hI AdvAnsd apon H gEt, n H aHarz folOd him wiTQt hezitESn.
H garlz, hM hAd ekspektd nO rizistans watevar, war tErifFd bF H swIp v H glitarN Aks n fled skrImN intM H sitI; sO Ht Qr crAvalarz pAsd H gEts in sEftI n myrcd dQn H grIn myrbal pEvmnt v H wFd scrIt tYrd H rqal pAlis.
"At Hs rEt wI wil sMn hAv jYr /mAJestI apon H TrOn agen," sed H /tin /wUdmAn, lAfN At hiz IzI konkwest v H gyrdz.
"TANk jM, frend /nik," ritarnd H /skErkrO, grEtfalI. "naTiN kn rizist jYr kFnd hyrt n jYr Syrp Aks."
Az HE pAsd H rOz v hQzz HE sY TrM H Opan dYrz Ht men war swIpN n dastN n wYSN diSz, wFl H wimin sAt arQnd in grMps, gosipN n lAfN.
"wat hAz hApand?" H /skErkrO Askd a sAd-lUkN mAn wiT a bUSI bIrd, hM wYr an Epran n waz wIlN a bEbI-kEriJ aloN H sFdwYk.
"wF, wI'v hAd a revalMSn, jYr /mAJestI Az jM Yt t nO vErI wel," riplFd H mAn; "n sins jM went awE H wimin hAv bin ranN TiNz t sMt Hemselvz. F'm glAd jM hAv disFdd t kam bAk n ristYr Yrdar, f dMiN hQswark n mFndN H cildrin z wErN Qt H screNkT v evrI mAn in H /emarald /sitI."
"hm!" sed H /skErkrO, TYtfalI. "if i z sac hyrd wark Az jM sE, hQ did H wimin i sO IzilI?"
"F rIlI d not nO," riplFd H mAn, wiT a dIp sF. "parhAps H wimin r mEd v kAst Frn."
nO mMvmnt waz mEd, Az HE pAsd aloN H scrIt, t apOz HEr progres. sevaral v H wimin stopd HEr gosip loN Inaf t kAst kjarIas lUks apon Qr frendz, bat imIdIatlI HE wUd tarn awE wiT a lAf Yr a snIr n rizam HEr cAtar. n wen HE met wiT sevaral garlz biloNN t H /yrmI v /rivOlt, HOz sOlJarz, insted v bIiN alyrmd Yr apIrN sarprFzd, mIrlI stepd Qt v H wE n alQd Hem t AdvAns wiTQt prOtest.
Hs AkSn rrendard H /skErkrO anIzI.
"F'm afrEd wI r wYkN intM a crAp," sed hI.
"nonsens!" ritarnd /nik /copar, konfidantlI; "H silI krIcarz r koNkard YlredI!"
bat H /skErkrO SUk hiz hed in a wE Ht ekspresd dQt, n /tip sed:
"it's tM IzI, YltageHar. lUk Qt f crabal ahed."
"F wil," ritarnd hiz /mAjestI. anapOzd HE rIcd H rqal pAlis n myrcd ap H marbal steps, wic hAd wans bin TiklI krastd wiT emaraldz bat war nQ fild wiT tFnI hOlz wEr H JMalz hAd bin rMTlislI tYrn fram HEr setNz bF H /yrmI v /rivOlt. n sO fyr not a rebal byrd HEr wE.
TrM H yrcd hYlwEz n intM H mAgnifisant TrOn rMm myrcd H /tin /wUdmAn n hiz folOarz, n hIr, wen H grIn silkan kartanz fel bihFnd Hem, HE sY a kjarIas sFt.
sItd wiHin H glitarN TrOn waz /Jenaral /JinJar, wiT H /skErkrO'z sekand-best krQn apon har hed, n H rqal septar in har rFt hAnd. a boks v kEramelz, fram wic SI waz ItN, restd in har lAp, n H garl sImd entFrlI At Iz in har rqal sarQndNz.
H /skErkrO stepd fYrward n knfrantd har, wFl H /tin /wUdmAn lInd apon hiz Aks n H aHarz fYrmd a hAf-sarkal bAk v hiz /mAJestI'z parsan.
"hQ dEr jM sit in mF TrOn?" dimAndd H /skErkrO, starnlI FiN H incrMdar. "dOn't jM nO jM r giltI v crIzan, n Ht HEr z a lY agenst crIzan?"
"H TrOn biloNz t hMevar z Ebal t tEk i," Ansard /JinJar, Az SI slOlI Et anaHar kEramel. "F hAv tEkan i, Az jM sI; sO Jast nQ F Am H /kwIn, n Yl hM apOz mI r giltI v crIzan, n mast b paniSd bF H lY jM hAv Jast mencand."
Hs vjM v H kEs pazald H /skErkrO.
"hQ z i, frend /nik?" hI Askd, tarnN t H /tin /wUdmAn.
"wF, wen i kamz t /lY, F hAv naTiN t sE," Ansard Ht paraniJ, "f lYz war nevar ment t b andarstUd, n i z fMliS t mEk H atempt."
"Hn wat SAl wI d?" Askd H /skErkrO, in dismE.
"wF dOn't jM mErI H /kwIn? n Hn jM kn bOT rMl," saJestd H /wogal-/bag.
/JinJar glErd At H insekt fIrslI. "wF dOn't jM send har bAk t har maHarm wEr SI biloNz?" Askd /JAk /pampkinhed.
/JinJar frQnd.
"wF dOn't jM Sat har ap in a klozit antil SI bIhEvz harself, n promisz t b gUd?" enkwFrd /tip. JinJar'z lip karld skYrnfalI.
"Yr giv har a gUd SEkN!" Add H /sY-/hYrs.
"nO," sed H /tin /wUdmAn, "wI mast crIt H pYr garl wiT Jentalnis. let as giv har Yl H /JMalz SI kn kErI, n send har awE hApI n kntentd."
At Hs /kwIn /JinJar lAfd alQd, n H nekst minit klApd har pritI hAndz tageHar TrFs, Az if f a signal.
"jM r vErI absard krIcarz," sed SI; "bat F Am tFrd v jYr nonsens n hAv nO tFm t boHar wiT jM loNgar."
wFl H monyrk n hiz frendz lisand in amEzmnt t Hs impjMdnt spIc, a styrtlN TiN hApand. H /tin /wUdmAn'z Aks waz snAcd fram hiz grAsp bF sam parsan bihFnd him, n hI fQnd himself disyrmd n helplis. At H sEm instant a SQt v lAftar rAN in H Irz v H divOtd bAnd, n tarnN t sI wens Hs kEm HE fQnd Hemselvz sarQndd bF H /yrmI v /rivOlt, H garlz bErN in IHar hAnd HEr glisanN nitN-nIdalz. H entFr TrOn rMm sImd t b fild wiT H rebalz, n H /skErkrO n hiz komrAdz rIlFzd Ht HE war prizanarz.
"jM sI hQ fMliS i z t apOz a wUman'z wit," sed /JinJar, gElI; "n Hs Ivent OnlI prMvz Ht F Am mYr fit t rMl H /emarald /sitI Hn a skErkrO. F bEr jM nO il wil, F aSMr jM; bat lest jM SUd prMv crabalsam t mI in H fjMcar F SAl Yrdar jM Yl t b discrqd. Ht z, Yl eksept H bq, hM biloNz t Old /mombI n mast b ristYrd t har kIpN. H rest v jM r not hjMman, n HErfYr i wil not b wikid t dimoliS jM. H /sY-/hYrs n H /pampkinhed'z bodI F wil hAv copd ap f kindlN-wUd; n H pampkin SAl b mEd intM tyrts. H /skErkrO wil d nFslI t styrt a bonfFr, n H tin mAn kn b kat intM smYl pIsz n fed t H gOts. Az f Hs imens /wogal-/bag --"
"/hFlI /mAgnifFd, if jM plIz!" intaraptd H insekt.
"F TiNk F wil Ask H kUk t mEk grIn-tartal sMp v jM," kntinjMd H /kwIn, riflektivlI.
H /wogal-/bag Sadard.
"Yr, if Ht wOn't d, wI mFt jMz jM f a /haNgErIan gMloS, stMd n hFlI spFsd," SI Add, krMlI.
Hs prOgrAm v ekstarminESn waz sO tErabal Ht H prizanarz lUkd apon wan anaHar in a pAnik v fIr. H /skErkrO alOn did not giv wE t despEr. hI stUd kwFitlI bifYr H /kwIn n hiz brQ waz riNkald in dIp TYt Az hI scrOv t fFnd sam mInz t eskEp.
wFl Has engEJd hI felt H scrY wiHin hiz brest mMv JentlI. At wans hiz ekspreSn cEnJd fram sAdnis t Jq, n rEzN hiz hAnd hI kwiklI anbatand H frant v hiz JAkit.
Hs AkSn did not pAs annOtisd bF H krQd v garlz klastarN abQt him, bat nan v Hem saspektd wat hI waz dMiN antil a tFnI grE mQs lept fram hiz bMzam t H flYr n skAmpard awE bitwIn H fIt v H /yrmI v H /rivOlt. anaHar mQs kwiklI folOd; Hn anaHar n anaHar, in rApid sakseSn, n sadanlI sac a skrIm v tErar went ap fram H /yrmI Ht i mFt IzilI hAv fild H stQtist hyrt wiT konstarnESn. H flFt Ht ensMd tarnd t a stAmpId t a pAnik.
f wFl H styrtald mFs raSd wFldlI abQt H rMm H /skErkrO hAd OnlI tFm t nOt a warl v skarts n a twiNkalN v fIt Az H garlz disapIrd fram H pAlis -- pUSN n krQdN wan anaHar in HEr mAd efarts t eskEp.
H /kwIn, At H farst alyrm, stUd on H kUSanz v H TrOn n bigAn t dAns frAntiklI apon har tiptOz. Hn a mQs rAn ap H kUSanz, n wiT a tErifFd lIp pYr /JinJar Sot klIr Ovar H hed v H /skErkrO n eskEpd TrM an yrcwE -- nevar pYzN in har wFld karIr antil SI hAd rIcd H sitI gEts.
sO, in les tFm Hn F kn eksplEn, H TrOn rMm waz dezartd bF Yl sEv H /skErkrO n hiz frendz, n H /wogal-/bag hIvd a dIp sF v rilIf Az hI eksklEmd:
"TANk gUdnis, wI r sEvd!"
"f a tFm, jes;" Ansard H /tin /wUdmAn. "bat H enamI wil sMn ritarn, F fIr."
"let as byr Yl H encrAnsz t H pAlis!" sed H /skErkrO. "Hn wI SAl hAv tFm t TiNk wat z best t b dan."
sO Yl eksept /JAk /pampkinhed, hM waz stil tFd fAst t H /sY-/hYrs, rAn t H vErIas encransz v H rqal pAlis n klOzd H hevI dYrz, bOltN n lokN Hem sekjarlI. Hn, nOiN Ht H /yrmI v /rivOlt kUd not bAtar dQn H bErIarz in sevaral dEz, H Advencararz gAHard wans mYr in H TrOn rMm f a kQnsal v wYr.