《The Rented Swan》作者： - Joan Aiken 【EPUB】

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The Rented Swan By Joan Aiken * * * * “This, you know, will not do,” said Edwin Luffington. “It will not do at all.” He gazed distastefully at the arched brick roof, from which a greenish drip occasionally fell to the floor. “My dear David (I may call you David?), we must get you out of here.” “Why? I’ve been here for a year. It’s handy.” “It is quite unsuitable for a man in your position.” David Glendower looked at Edwin vaguely and then, a good phrase suddenly occurring to him, returned to his writing. There was nothing particularly striking about his immediate position; he was seated on two orange crates and making use of two more as a desk. His room, an enclosed arch under a viaduct in Kentish town, was neatly furnished with a series of shelves piled high with manuscripts, and a bed, all constructed from more orange crates; at two shillings a box they must have represented some five pounds’ worth of outlay. The floor was muddy. “Do you live here all the time? ” pursued Luffington. “Oh, no. I go to the castle in Wales for the summer months.” “Castle?” Luffington’s expression perceptibly brightened. “Pwllafftheniog. My ancestral home. I don’t stay there in the winter because it’s rather inaccessible; people won’t deliver groceries.” Reminded of food, he took another spoonful from a packet of mixed raw rice and currants which stood on his desk. “It’s a day’s ride from the nearest village.” “On what?” “Donkey.” “Could you be photographed at the castle?” “I could, I suppose. If it was a fine day. There are only two rooms with ceilings, and they leak a bit.... That’s why I like this place. It reminds me of home.” “What’s the rent?” “The castle belongs to me. Oh, you mean here? Five shillings a month.” “You can afford more, now. How long has A Nice Drop of Rain been running?” David glanced at a grubby theatrical poster and calculated on his finger. “Ten months.” “And The Night Sky in May opens next week?” “I believe so. Really I must hurry up and finish Chips in Coromandel. ” “And we’ve only just found out where you live,” said Luffington, who represented an impressive firm of literary and theatrical agents. “Really, Mr. Glendower—David—you keep yourself rather too well hidden away. Weren’t you even interested to discover the amount of your bank balance?” “I don’t seem to need money much