第18章 The Ferry at Night

Nyke Kestrelby came back to the yard at two in the morning on the forty-second day, and he came with his hat on and his pack on his back and his card in his hand, and he stood in the yard and said, "I have watched the ferry." "I have a hall," said Kessin, from the yard. "And the hall has the ferry." "I have watched the ferry," said Nyke. "The hall has the ferry," said Kessin. "I will give you the coin," said Nyke. "The hall will have the coin," said Kessin. He took the coin from his pocket and he put it in her hand, and the coin was small and flat and silver and had no face on it, and she took the coin and she put it on the table, and he took his hat off and he put it on the wheel, and he sat down on the wheel, and he did not say anything, and Kessin sat across from him and she did not say anything, and the donkey looked at him and he looked at the donkey, and the ferry was at the crossing and the road was the road. "The hall has the ferry," said Kessin. "The hall has the ferry," said Nyke. "The hall has paid for the ferry," said Kessin. "The hall has paid for the ferry," said Nyke. "Where did you walk last night," said Kessin. "I walked the road," said Nyke. "I walked from the hall to the crossing, and I walked from the crossing to the ferry, and I walked from the ferry to the bridge, and I walked from the bridge back to the crossing, and I watched the ferry, and I watched the crossing, and I watched the bridge, and I watched the road." "The road is the road," said Kessin. "The road is the road," said Nyke. "Did you see anything on the road," said Kessin. "I saw the road," said Nyke. "I saw the road and nothing else, and the road is the road." "The road is the road," said Kessin. "Where did you come from before," said Kessin. "Before you came to the hall." "I came from the road," said Nyke. "The road is the road," said Kessin. "I came from the road," said Nyke. "And I came to the hall." "Where are you going," said Kessin. "I am going to the road," said Nyke. "The road is long and the road is dead in winter and the road is the road." "The road is the road," said Kessin. "I am going to the road," said Nyke. "And I will come back." "You will come back," said Kessin. "I will come back," said Nyke. He took his hat and he put it on and he took his pack and he put it on his back, and he stood at the gate and he looked at her, and she looked at him, and he did not go, and she did not ask him to go, and the yard was the yard, and the road was the road. "I have walked a long road," said Nyke. "I have walked from the north, and I have walked from the south, and I have walked from the east, and I have walked from the west, and I have walked to the hall." "I have a hall," said Kessin. "The hall is the hall," said Nyke. "The hall is the hall," said Kessin. "I will come back to the hall," said Nyke. "You will come back to the hall," said Kessin. "I will come back to the hall," said Nyke. "And the hall will have the ferry, and the hall will have the road, and the hall will have the yard, and the hall will have the board, and the hall will have the seventh card." "The hall will have the seventh card," said Kessin. "And the seventh card is blank," said Nyke. "The seventh card is blank," said Kessin. "Then the seventh card will be blank," said Nyke. "And the hall will give out the seventh name, and the seventh name will come, and the seventh name will be filled, and the hall will have the seventh card, and the hall will be the hall." "The hall will be the hall," said Kessin. He went out through the gate, and the gate opened and closed behind him, and the sound of it went out into the road and the road went on, and Kessin sat at the table with the pen and the ledger and the coin, and she wrote the fare on the page, and the page was almost full, and she took a new page and she wrote the fare on the new page, and the fare was one crown, and the debt was eleven pounds and nine shillings and nine pence, and she put the pen down. "The hall has eight fares and seven cards," said Kessin. "The hall has eight fares and seven cards," said Turrel. "Then the hall will pay the debt," said Turrel. "Then the hall will pay the debt," said Kessin. "And the hall will be the hall." "Then the hall will be the hall," said Turrel. Kessin looked at the coin on the table and she took it, and she put it in the chest of drawers, and she put the pen in the cup, and she went to the window, and she looked out at the yard, and the yard was quiet, and the road was dark, and the lamp was out, and the donkey slept at the gate, and the board had seven cards on it, and the seventh card was blank. "I will not ask him," said Kessin, to no one. "I have not asked him," said Turrel, from the kitchen. "I have not asked him," said Kessin. "And I will not ask him." "I have not asked him," said Turrel. "And the hall has not asked him." "The hall has not asked him," said Kessin. "Then the hall has given out the seventh card," said Turrel. "Then the hall has given out the seventh card," said Kessin. "The seventh card is still at the gate," said Turrel. "Then the hall has given out the seventh name," said Kessin. "Then the hall will be the hall," said Turrel. "Then the hall will be the hall," said Kessin. ---