towers

762 the two towers
unmoved. ‘No, that was not thrown by Saruman,’ he said;
‘nor even at his bidding, I think. It came from a window far
above. A parting shot from Master Wormtongue, I fancy,
but ill aimed.’
‘The aim was poor, maybe, because he could not make
up his mind which he hated more, you or Saruman,’ said
Aragorn.
‘That may be so,’ said Gandalf. ‘Small comfort will those
two have in their companionship: they will gnaw one another
with words. But the punishment is just. If Wormtongue
ever comes out of Orthanc alive, it will be more than he
deserves.
‘Here, my lad, I’ll take that! I did not ask you to handle it,’
he cried, turning sharply and seeing Pippin coming up the
steps, slowly, as if he were bearing a great weight. He went
down to meet him and hastily took the dark globe from the
hobbit, wrapping it in the folds of his cloak. ‘I will take care
of this,’ he said. ‘It is not a thing, I guess, that Saruman would
have chosen to cast away.’
‘But he may have other things to cast,’ said Gimli. ‘If that
is the end of the debate, let us go out of stone’s throw, at
least!’
‘It is the end,’ said Gandalf. ‘Let us go.’
They turned their backs on the doors of Orthanc, and
went down. The riders hailed the king with joy, and saluted
Gandalf. The spell of Saruman was broken: they had seen
him come at call, and crawl away, dismissed.
‘Well, that is done,’ said Gandalf. ‘Now I must find Treebeard
and tell him how things have gone.’
‘He will have guessed, surely?’ said Merry. ‘Were they
likely to end any other way?’
‘Not likely,’ answered Gandalf, ‘though they came to the
balance of a hair. But I had reasons for trying; some merciful
and some less so. First Saruman was shown that the power
of his voice was waning. He cannot be both tyrant and counsellor.
When the plot is ripe it remains no longer secret.