"Lord Dunsany - Why The Milkman Shudders" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dunsany Lord)

warmthof the fire before which his knotted hands would
chanceto be; not a thing learned by rote, but told
differentlyby each teller, and differently according to his
mood, yet never has one of them dared to alter its salient
points, there is none so base among the Company of Milkmen.
The Company of Powderers for the Face know of this story and
haveenvied it, the Worthy Company of Chin-Barbers, and the
Company of Whiskerers; but none have heard it in the
Milkmen's Hall, through whose wall no rumour of the secret
goes, and though they have invented tales of their own
Antiquity mocks them.
This mellow story was ripe with honourable years when
milkmenwore beaver hats, its origin was still mysterious
whensmocks were the vogue, men asked one another when
Stuarts were on the throne (and only the Ancient Company
knewthe answer) why the milkman shudders when he perceives
thedawn. It is all for envy of this tale's reputation that
theCompany of Powderers for the Face have invented the tale
thatthey too tell of an evening, "Why the Dog Barks when he
hearsthe step of the Baker"; and because probably all men
knowthat tale the Company of the Powderers for the Face
havedared to consider it famous. Yet it lacks mystery and
isnot ancient, is not fortified with classical allusion,
hasno secret lore, is common to all who care for an idle
tale, and shares with "The Wars of the Elves," the
Calf-butcher's tale, and "The Story of the Unicorn and the
Rose," which is the tale of the Company of Horse-drivers,
theirobvious inferiority.
But unlike all these tales so new to time, and many
anotherthat the last two centuries tell, the tale that the
milkmentell ripples wisely on, so full of quotation from
theprofoundest writers, so full of recondite allusion, so
deeplytinged with all the wisdom of man and instructive
withthe experience of all times that they that hear it in
theMilkmen's Hall as they interpret allusion after allusion
andtrace obscure quotation lose idle curiosity and forget
toquestion why the milkman shudders when he perceives the
dawn.
You also, O my reader,give not yourself up to
curiosity. Consider of how many it is the bane. Would you
togratify this tear away the mystery from the Milkmen's
Hall and wrong the Ancient Company of Milkmen? Would they
ifall the world knew it and it became a common thing to
tellthat tale any more that they have told for the last
fourhundred years? Rather a silence would settle upon
theirhall and a universal regret for the ancient tale and
theancient winter evenings. And though curiosity were a
properconsideration yet even then this is not the proper
placenor this the proper occasion for the Tale. For the
properplace is only the Milkmen's Hall and the proper