（外文电子版资料）GL1.DOC

I THE COTTAGE OF LOST PLAY On the cover of one of the now very battered High School Exercise Books in which some of the Lost Tales were com- posed my father wrote: The Cottage of Lost Play, which in- troduceth [the] Book of Lost Tales; and on the cover is also written, in my mothers hand, her initials, E.M.T., and a date, Feb. 12th 1917. In this book the tale was written out by my mother; and it is a fair copy of a very rough pencilled manuscript of my fathers on loose sheets, which were placed inside the cover. Thus the date of the actual composition of this tale could have been, but probably was not, earlier than the winter of 1916-17. The fair copy follows the original text precisely; some further changes, mostly slight (other than in the matter of names), were then made to the fair copy. The text follows here in its final form. Now it happened on a certain time that a traveller from far countries, a man of great curiosity, was by desire of strange lands and the ways and dwellings of unaccustomed folk brought in a ship as far west even as the Lonely Is- land, Tol Eressea in the fairy speech, but which the Gnomes call Dor Faidwen, the Land of Release, and a great tale hangs thereto. Now one day after much journeying he came as the lights of evening were being kindled in many a window to the feet of a hill in a broad and woody plain. He was now near the centre of this great island and for many days had wandered its roads, stopping each night at what dwelling of folk he might chance upon, were it hamlet or good town, about the hour of eve at the kindling of candles. Now at that time the desire of new sights is least, even in one whose heart is that of an explorer; and then even such a son of Earendel as was this wayfarer turns his thoughts rather to supper and to rest and the telling of tales before the time of bed and sleep is come. Now as he stood at the foot of the little hill there came a faint breeze and then a flight of rooks above his head in the clear even l