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minas tirith 993
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 at