The Return of the King Read Online Free PDF Page A

with vessels and basins for washing. There were
three high narrow windows that looked northward over the great curve of Anduin, still shrouded in mists,towards the Emyn Muil and Rauros far away. Pippin had to climb on the bench to look out over the deep stone sill.
    ‘Are you angry with me, Gandalf?’ he said, as their guide went out and closed the door. ‘I did the best I could.’
    ‘You did indeed!’ said Gandalf, laughing suddenly; and he came and stood beside Pippin, putting his arm about the hobbit’s
shoulders, and gazing out of the window. Pippin glanced in some wonder at the face now close beside his own, for the sound
of that laugh had been gay and merry. Yet in the wizard’s face he saw at first only lines of care and sorrow; though as he
looked more intently he perceived that under all there was a great joy: a fountain of mirth enough to set a kingdom laughing,
were it to gush forth.
    ‘Indeed you did your best,’ said the wizard; ‘and I hope that it may be long before you find yourself in such a tight corner
again between two such terrible old men. Still the Lord of Gondor learned more from you than you may have guessed, Pippin.
You could not hide the fact that Boromir did not lead the Company from Moria, and that there was one among you of high honour
who was coming to Minas Tirith; and that he had a famous sword. Men think much about the stories of old days in Gondor; and
Denethor has given long thought to the rhyme and to the words
Isildur’s Bane
, since Boromir went away.
    ‘He is not as other men of this time, Pippin, and whatever be his descent from father to son, by some chance the blood of
Westernesse runs nearly true in him; as it does in his other son, Faramir, and yet did not in Boromir whom he loved best.
He has long sight. He can perceive, if he bends his will thither, much of what is passing in the minds of men, even of those
that dwell far off. It is difficult to deceive him, and dangerous to try.
    ‘Remember that! For you are now sworn to his service. I do not know what put it into your head, or your heart, to do that.
But it was well done. I did not hinder it, for generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel. It touched his heart,
as well (may I say it) as pleasing his humour. And atleast you are free now to move about as you will in Minas Tirith – when you are not on duty. For there is another side to
it. You are at his command; and he will not forget. Be wary still!’
    He fell silent and sighed. ‘Well, no need to brood on what tomorrow may bring. For one thing, tomorrow will be certain to
bring worse than today, for many days to come. And there is nothing more that I can do to help it. The board is set, and the
pieces are moving. One piece that I greatly desire to find is Faramir, now the heir of Denethor. I do not think that he is
in the City; but I have had no time to gather news. I must go, Pippin. I must go to this lords’ council and learn what I can.
But the Enemy has the move, and he is about to open his full game. And pawns are likely to see as much of it as any, Peregrin
son of Paladin, soldier of Gondor. Sharpen your blade!’
    Gandalf went to the door, and there he turned. ‘I am in haste, Pippin,’ he said. ‘Do me a favour when you go out. Even before
you rest, if you are not too weary. Go and find Shadowfax and see how he is housed. These people are kindly to beasts, for
they are a good and wise folk, but they have less skill with horses than some.’
    With that Gandalf went out; and as he did so, there came the note of a clear sweet bell ringing in a tower of the citadel.
Three strokes it rang, like silver in the air, and ceased: the third hour from the rising of the sun.
    After a minute Pippin went to the door and down the stair and looked about the street. The sun was now shining warm and bright,
and the towers and tall houses cast long clear-cut shadows westward. High in the blue air Mount Mindolluin lifted its white
helm