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diff --git a/3055-h/3055-h.htm b/3055-h/3055-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..59c86e1 --- /dev/null +++ b/3055-h/3055-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,5072 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" /> +<title>The Wood Beyond the World</title> + <style type="text/css"> +/*<![CDATA[ XML blockout */ +<!-- + P { margin-top: .75em; + margin-bottom: .75em; + } + H1, H2 { + text-align: center; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + } + H3, H4 { + text-align: left; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-bottom: 1em; + } + BODY{margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; + } + TD { vertical-align: top; } + .blkquot {margin-left: 4em; margin-right: 4em;} /* block indent */ + + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + .pagenum {position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + color: gray;} + + .citation {vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: none;} + // --> + /* XML end ]]>*/ + </style> +</head> +<body> +<h2> +<a href="#startoftext">The Wood Beyond the World, by William Morris</a> +</h2> +<pre> +The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Wood Beyond the World, by William Morris + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: The Wood Beyond the World + + +Author: William Morris + + + +Release Date: May 1, 2007 [eBook #3055] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD*** +</pre> +<p><a name="startoftext"></a></p> +<p>Transcribed from the 1913 Longmans, Green, and Co. edition by +David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org</p> +<h1>THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD</h1> +<p style="text-align: center">BY WILLIAM MORRIS</p> +<p style="text-align: center"><span class="smcap">pocket +edition</span></p> +<p style="text-align: center">LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.<br /> +<span class="smcap">39 paternoster row</span>, <span +class="smcap">london</span><br /> +<span class="smcap">new york</span>, <span +class="smcap">bombay</span>, <span class="smcap">and +calcutta</span><br /> +1913</p> +<h2>CHAPTER I: OF GOLDEN WALTER AND HIS FATHER</h2> +<p>Awhile ago there was a young man dwelling in a great and +goodly city by the sea which had to name Langton on +Holm. He was but of five and twenty winters, a +fair-faced man, yellow-haired, tall and strong; rather wiser than +foolisher than young men are mostly wont; a valiant youth, and a +kind; not of many words but courteous of speech; no roisterer, +nought masterful, but peaceable and knowing how to forbear: in a +fray a perilous foe, and a trusty war-fellow. His +father, with whom he was dwelling when this tale begins, was a +great merchant, richer than a baron of the land, a head-man of +the greatest of the Lineages of Langton, and a captain of the +Porte; he was of the Lineage of the Goldings, therefore was he +called Bartholomew Golden, and his son Golden Walter.</p> +<p>Now ye may well deem that such a youngling as this was looked +upon by all as a lucky man without a lack; but there was this +flaw in his lot, whereas he had fallen into the toils of love of +a woman exceeding fair, and had taken her to wife, she nought +unwilling as it seemed. But when they had been wedded +some six months he found by manifest tokens, that his fairness +was not so much to her but that she must seek to the foulness of +one worser than he in all ways; wherefore his rest departed from +him, whereas he hated her for her untruth and her hatred of him; +yet would the sound of her voice, as she came and went in the +house, make his heart beat; and the sight of her stirred desire +within him, so that he longed for her to be sweet and kind with +him, and deemed that, might it be so, he should forget all the +evil gone by. But it was not so; for ever when she +saw him, her face changed, and her hatred of him became manifest, +and howsoever she were sweet with others, with him she was hard +and sour.</p> +<p>So this went on a while till the chambers of his +father’s house, yea the very streets of the city, became +loathsome to him; and yet he called to mind that the world was +wide and he but a young man. So on a day as he sat +with his father alone, he spake to him and said: “Father, I +was on the quays even now, and I looked on the ships that were +nigh boun, and thy sign I saw on a tall ship that seemed to me +nighest boun. Will it be long ere she +sail?”</p> +<p>“Nay,” said his father, “that ship, which +hight the Katherine, will they warp out of the haven in two +days’ time. But why askest thou of +her?”</p> +<p>“The shortest word is best, father,” said Walter, +“and this it is, that I would depart in the said ship and +see other lands.”</p> +<p>“Yea and whither, son?” said the merchant.</p> +<p>“Whither she goeth,” said Walter, “for I am +ill at ease at home, as thou wottest, father.”</p> +<p>The merchant held his peace awhile, and looked hard on his +son, for there was strong love between them; but at last he said: +“Well, son, maybe it were best for thee; but maybe also we +shall not meet again.”</p> +<p>“Yet if we do meet, father, then shalt thou see a new +man in me.”</p> +<p>“Well,” said Bartholomew, “at least I know +on whom to lay the loss of thee, and when thou art gone, for thou +shalt have thine own way herein, she shall no longer abide in my +house. Nay, but it were for the strife that should +arise thenceforth betwixt her kindred and ours, it should go +somewhat worse with her than that.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “I pray thee shame her not more than needs +must be, lest, so doing, thou shame both me and thyself +also.”</p> +<p>Bartholomew held his peace again for a while; then he said: +“Goeth she with child, my son?”</p> +<p>Walter reddened, and said: “I wot not; nor of whom the +child may be.” Then they both sat silent, till +Bartholomew spake, saying: “The end of it is, son, that +this is Monday, and that thou shalt go aboard in the small hours +of Wednesday; and meanwhile I shall look to it that thou go not +away empty-handed; the skipper of the Katherine is a good man and +true, and knows the seas well; and my servant Robert the Low, who +is clerk of the lading, is trustworthy and wise, and as myself in +all matters that look towards chaffer. The Katherine +is new and stout-builded, and should be lucky, whereas she is +under the ward of her who is the saint called upon in the church +where thou wert christened, and myself before thee; and thy +mother, and my father and mother all lie under the chancel +thereof, as thou wottest.”</p> +<p>Therewith the elder rose up and went his ways about his +business, and there was no more said betwixt him and his son on +this matter.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER II: GOLDEN WALTER TAKES SHIP TO SAIL THE SEAS</h2> +<p>When Walter went down to the Katherine next morning, there was +the skipper Geoffrey, who did him reverence, and made him all +cheer, and showed him his room aboard ship, and the plenteous +goods which his father had sent down to the quays already, such +haste as he had made. Walter thanked his father’s +love in his heart, but otherwise took little heed to his affairs, +but wore away the time about the haven, gazing listlessly on the +ships that were making them ready outward, or unlading, and the +mariners and aliens coming and going: and all these were to him +as the curious images woven on a tapestry.</p> +<p>At last when he had wellnigh come back again to the Katherine, +he saw there a tall ship, which he had scarce noted before, a +ship all-boun, which had her boats out, and men sitting to the +oars thereof ready to tow her outwards when the hawser should be +cast off, and by seeming her mariners were but abiding for some +one or other to come aboard.</p> +<p>So Walter stood idly watching the said ship, and as he looked, +lo! folk passing him toward the gangway. These were three; +first came a dwarf, dark-brown of hue and hideous, with long arms +and ears exceeding great and dog-teeth that stuck out like the +fangs of a wild beast. He was clad in a rich coat of yellow +silk, and bare in his hand a crooked bow, and was girt with a +broad sax.</p> +<p>After him came a maiden, young by seeming, of scarce twenty +summers; fair of face as a flower; grey-eyed, brown-haired, with +lips full and red, slim and gentle of body. Simple was her +array, of a short and strait green gown, so that on her right +ankle was clear to see an iron ring.</p> +<p>Last of the three was a lady, tall and stately, so radiant of +visage and glorious of raiment, that it were hard to say what +like she was; for scarce might the eye gaze steady upon her +exceeding beauty; yet must every son of Adam who found himself +anigh her, lift up his eyes again after he had dropped them, and +look again on her, and yet again and yet again. Even so did +Walter, and as the three passed by him, it seemed to him as if +all the other folk there about had vanished and were nought; nor +had he any vision before his eyes of any looking on them, save +himself alone. They went over the gangway into the ship, +and he saw them go along the deck till they came to the house on +the poop, and entered it and were gone from his sight.</p> +<p>There he stood staring, till little by little the thronging +people of the quays came into his eye-shot again; then he saw how +the hawser was cast off and the boats fell to tugging the big +ship toward the harbour-mouth with hale and how of men. +Then the sail fell down from the yard and was sheeted home and +filled with the fair wind as the ship’s bows ran up on the +first green wave outside the haven. Even therewith the +shipmen cast abroad a banner, whereon was done in a green field a +grim wolf ramping up against a maiden, and so went the ship upon +her way.</p> +<p>Walter stood awhile staring at her empty place where the waves +ran into the haven-mouth, and then turned aside and toward the +Katherine; and at first he was minded to go ask shipmaster +Geoffrey of what he knew concerning the said ship and her alien +wayfarers; but then it came into his mind, that all this was but +an imagination or dream of the day, and that he were best to +leave it untold to any. So therewith he went his way from +the water-side, and through the streets unto his father’s +house; but when he was but a little way thence, and the door was +before him, him-seemed for a moment of time that he beheld those +three coming out down the steps of stone and into the street; to +wit the dwarf, the maiden, and the stately lady: but when he +stood still to abide their coming, and looked toward them, lo! +there was nothing before him save the goodly house of Bartholomew +Golden, and three children and a cur dog playing about the steps +thereof, and about him were four or five passers-by going about +their business. Then was he all confused in his mind, and +knew not what to make of it, whether those whom he had seemed to +see pass aboard ship were but images of a dream, or children of +Adam in very flesh.</p> +<p>Howsoever, he entered the house, and found his father in the +chamber, and fell to speech with him about their matters; but for +all that he loved his father, and worshipped him as a wise and +valiant man, yet at that hour he might not hearken the words of +his mouth, so much was his mind entangled in the thought of those +three, and they were ever before his eyes, as if they had been +painted on a table by the best of limners. And of the two +women he thought exceeding much, and cast no wyte upon himself +for running after the desire of strange women. For he said +to himself that he desired not either of the twain; nay, he might +not tell which of the twain, the maiden or the stately queen, +were clearest to his eyes; but sore he desired to see both of +them again, and to know what they were.</p> +<p>So wore the hours till the Wednesday morning, and it was time +that he should bid farewell to his father and get aboard ship; +but his father led him down to the quays and on to the Katherine, +and there Walter embraced him, not without tears and forebodings; +for his heart was full. Then presently the old man went +aland; the gangway was unshipped, the hawsers cast off; the oars +of the towing-boats splashed in the dark water, the sail fell +down from the yard, and was sheeted home, and out plunged the +Katherine into the misty sea and rolled up the grey slopes, +casting abroad her ancient withal, whereon was beaten the token +of Bartholomew Golden, to wit a B and a G to the right and the +left, and thereabove a cross and a triangle rising from the +midst.</p> +<p>Walter stood on the stern and beheld, yet more with the mind +of him than with his eyes; for it all seemed but the double of +what the other ship had done; and the thought of it as if the +twain were as beads strung on one string and led away by it into +the same place, and thence to go in the like order, and so on +again and again, and never to draw nigher to each other.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER III: WALTER HEARETH TIDINGS OF THE DEATH OF HIS +FATHER</h2> +<p>Fast sailed the Katherine over the seas, and nought befell to +tell of, either to herself or her crew. She came to one +cheaping-town and then to another, and so on to a third and a +fourth; and at each was buying and selling after the manner of +chapmen; and Walter not only looked on the doings of his +father’s folk, but lent a hand, what he might, to help them +in all matters, whether it were in seaman’s craft, or in +chaffer. And the further he went and the longer the time +wore, the more he was eased of his old trouble wherein his wife +and her treason had to do.</p> +<p>But as for the other trouble, to wit his desire and longing to +come up with those three, it yet flickered before him; and though +he had not seen them again as one sees people in the streets, and +as if he might touch them if he would, yet were their images +often before his mind’s eye; and yet, as time wore, not so +often, nor so troublously; and forsooth both to those about him +and to himself, he seemed as a man well healed of his melancholy +mood.</p> +<p>Now they left that fourth stead, and sailed over the seas and +came to a fifth, a very great and fair city, which they had made +more than seven months from Langton on Holm; and by this time was +Walter taking heed and joyance in such things as were toward in +that fair city, so far from his kindred, and especially he looked +on the fair women there, and desired them, and loved them; but +lightly, as befalleth young men.</p> +<p>Now this was the last country whereto the Katherine was boun; +so there they abode some ten months in daily chaffer, and in +pleasuring them in beholding all that there was of rare and +goodly, and making merry with the merchants and the towns-folk, +and the country-folk beyond the gates, and Walter was grown as +busy and gay as a strong young man is like to be, and was as one +who would fain be of some account amongst his own folk.</p> +<p>But at the end of this while, it befell on a day, as he was +leaving his hostel for his booth in the market, and had the door +in his hand, there stood before him three mariners in the guise +of his own country, and with them was one of clerkly aspect, whom +he knew at once for his father’s scrivener, Arnold +Penstrong by name; and when Walter saw him his heart failed him +and he cried out: “Arnold, what tidings? Is all well +with the folk at Langton?”</p> +<p>Said Arnold: “Evil tidings are come with me; matters are +ill with thy folk; for I may not hide that thy father, +Bartholomew Golden, is dead, God rest his soul.”</p> +<p>At that word it was to Walter as if all that trouble which but +now had sat so light upon him, was once again fresh and heavy, +and that his past life of the last few months had never been; and +it was to him as if he saw his father lying dead on his bed, and +heard the folk lamenting about the house. He held his peace +awhile, and then he said in a voice as of an angry man:</p> +<p>“What, Arnold! and did he die in his bed, or how? for he +was neither old nor ailing when we parted.”</p> +<p>Said Arnold: “Yea, in his bed he died: but first he was +somewhat sword-bitten.”</p> +<p>“Yea, and how?” quoth Walter.</p> +<p>Said Arnold: “When thou wert gone, in a few days’ +wearing, thy father sent thy wife out of his house back to her +kindred of the Reddings with no honour, and yet with no such +shame as might have been, without blame to us of those who knew +the tale of thee and her; which, God-a-mercy, will be pretty much +the whole of the city.”</p> +<p>“Nevertheless, the Reddings took it amiss, and would +have a mote with us Goldings to talk of booting. By +ill-luck we yea-said that for the saving of the city’s +peace. But what betid? We met in our Gild-hall, and +there befell the talk between us; and in that talk certain words +could not be hidden, though they were none too seemly nor too +meek. And the said words once spoken drew forth the whetted +steel; and there then was the hewing and thrusting! Two of +ours were slain outright on the floor, and four of theirs, and +many were hurt on either side. Of these was thy father, for +as thou mayst well deem, he was nought backward in the fray; but +despite his hurts, two in the side and one on the arm, he went +home on his own feet, and we deemed that we had come to our +above. But well-a-way! it was an evil victory, whereas in +ten days he died of his hurts. God have his soul! But +now, my master, thou mayst well wot that I am not come to tell +thee this only, but moreover to bear the word of the kindred, to +wit that thou come back with me straightway in the swift cutter +which hath borne me and the tidings; and thou mayst look to it, +that though she be swift and light, she is a keel full +weatherly.”</p> +<p>Then said Walter: “This is a bidding of war. Come +back will I, and the Reddings shall wot of my coming. Are +ye all-boun?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said Arnold, “we may up anchor this +very day, or to-morrow morn at latest. But what aileth +thee, master, that thou starest so wild over my shoulder? I +pray thee take it not so much to heart! Ever it is the wont +of fathers to depart this world before their sons.”</p> +<p>But Walter’s visage from wrathful red had become pale, +and he pointed up street, and cried out: “Look! dost thou +see?”</p> +<p>“See what, master?” quoth Arnold: “what! +here cometh an ape in gay raiment; belike the beast of some +jongleur. Nay, by God’s wounds! ’tis a man, +though he be exceeding mis-shapen like a very devil. Yea +and now there cometh a pretty maid going as if she were of his +meney; and lo! here, a most goodly and noble lady! Yea, I +see; and doubtless she owneth both the two, and is of the +greatest of the folk of this fair city; for on the maiden’s +ankle I saw an iron ring, which betokeneth thralldom amongst +these aliens. But this is strange! for notest thou not how +the folk in the street heed not this quaint show; nay not even +the stately lady, though she be as lovely as a goddess of the +gentiles, and beareth on her gems that would buy Langton twice +over; surely they must be over-wont to strange and gallant +sights. But now, master, but now!”</p> +<p>“Yea, what is it?” said Walter.</p> +<p>“Why, master, they should not yet be gone out of +eye-shot, yet gone they are. What is become of them, are +they sunk into the earth?”</p> +<p>“Tush, man!” said Walter, looking not on Arnold, +but still staring down the street; “they have gone into +some house while thine eyes were turned from them a +moment.”</p> +<p>“Nay, master, nay,” said Arnold, “mine eyes +were not off them one instant of time.”</p> +<p>“Well,” said Walter, somewhat snappishly, +“they are gone now, and what have we to do to heed such +toys, we with all this grief and strife on our hands? Now +would I be alone to turn the matter of thine errand over in my +mind. Meantime do thou tell the shipmaster Geoffrey and our +other folk of these tidings, and thereafter get thee all ready; +and come hither to me before sunrise to-morrow, and I shall be +ready for my part; and so sail we back to Langton.”</p> +<p>Therewith he turned him back into the house, and the others +went their ways; but Walter sat alone in his chamber a long +while, and pondered these things in his mind. And whiles he +made up his mind that he would think no more of the vision of +those three, but would fare back to Langton, and enter into the +strife with the Reddings and quell them, or die else. But +lo, when he was quite steady in this doom, and his heart was +lightened thereby, he found that he thought no more of the +Reddings and their strife, but as matters that were passed and +done with, and that now he was thinking and devising if by any +means he might find out in what land dwelt those three. And +then again he strove to put that from him, saying that what he +had seen was but meet for one brainsick, and a dreamer of +dreams. But furthermore he thought, Yea, and was Arnold, +who this last time had seen the images of those three, a dreamer +of waking dreams? for he was nought wonted in such wise; then +thought he: At least I am well content that he spake to me of +their likeness, not I to him; for so I may tell that there was at +least something before my eyes which grew not out of mine own +brain. And yet again, why should I follow them; and what +should I get by it; and indeed how shall I set about it?</p> +<p>Thus he turned the matter over and over; and at last, seeing +that if he grew no foolisher over it, he grew no wiser, he became +weary thereof, and bestirred him, and saw to the trussing up of +his goods, and made all ready for his departure, and so wore the +day and slept at nightfall; and at daybreak comes Arnold to lead +him to their keel, which hight the Bartholomew. He tarried +nought, and with few farewells went aboard ship, and an hour +after they were in the open sea with the ship’s head turned +toward Langton on Holm.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER IV: STORM BEFALLS THE BARTHOLOMEW, AND SHE IS DRIVEN +OFF HER COURSE</h2> +<p>Now swift sailed the Bartholomew for four weeks toward the +north-west with a fair wind, and all was well with ship and +crew. Then the wind died out on even of a day, so that the +ship scarce made way at all, though she rolled in a great swell +of the sea, so great, that it seemed to ridge all the main +athwart. Moreover down in the west was a great bank of +cloud huddled up in haze, whereas for twenty days past the sky +had been clear, save for a few bright white clouds flying before +the wind. Now the shipmaster, a man right cunning in his +craft, looked long on sea and sky, and then turned and bade the +mariners take in sail and be right heedful. And when Walter +asked him what he looked for, and wherefore he spake not to him +thereof, he said surlily: “Why should I tell thee what any +fool can see without telling, to wit that there is weather to +hand?”</p> +<p>So they abode what should befall, and Walter went to his room +to sleep away the uneasy while, for the night was now fallen; and +he knew no more till he was waked up by great hubbub and clamour +of the shipmen, and the whipping of ropes, and thunder of +flapping sails, and the tossing and weltering of the ship +withal. But, being a very stout-hearted young man, he lay +still in his room, partly because he was a landsman, and had no +mind to tumble about amongst the shipmen and hinder them; and +withal he said to himself: What matter whether I go down to the +bottom of the sea, or come back to Langton, since either way my +life or my death will take away from me the fulfilment of +desire? Yet soothly if there hath been a shift of wind, +that is not so ill; for then shall we be driven to other lands, +and so at the least our home-coming shall be delayed, and other +tidings may hap amidst of our tarrying. So let all be as it +will.</p> +<p>So in a little while, in spite of the ship’s wallowing +and the tumult of the wind and waves, he fell asleep again, and +woke no more till it was full daylight, and there was the +shipmaster standing in the door of his room, the sea-water all +streaming from his wet-weather raiment. He said to Walter: +“Young master, the sele of the day to thee! For by +good hap we have gotten into another day. Now I shall tell +thee that we have striven to beat, so as not to be driven off our +course, but all would not avail, wherefore for these three hours +we have been running before the wind; but, fair sir, so big hath +been the sea that but for our ship being of the stoutest, and our +men all yare, we had all grown exceeding wise concerning the +ground of the mid-main. Praise be to St. Nicholas and all +Hallows! for though ye shall presently look upon a new sea, and +maybe a new land to boot, yet is that better than looking on the +ugly things down below.”</p> +<p>“Is all well with ship and crew then?” said +Walter.</p> +<p>“Yea forsooth,” said the shipmaster; “verily +the Bartholomew is the darling of Oak Woods; come up and look at +it, how she is dealing with wind and waves all free from +fear.”</p> +<p>So Walter did on his foul-weather raiment, and went up on to +the quarter-deck, and there indeed was a change of days; for the +sea was dark and tumbling mountain-high, and the white-horses +were running down the valleys thereof, and the clouds drave low +over all, and bore a scud of rain along with them; and though +there was but a rag of sail on her, the ship flew before the +wind, rolling a great wash of water from bulwark to bulwark.</p> +<p>Walter stood looking on it all awhile, holding on by a +stay-rope, and saying to himself that it was well that they were +driving so fast toward new things.</p> +<p>Then the shipmaster came up to him and clapped him on the +shoulder and said: “Well, shipmate, cheer up! and now come +below again and eat some meat, and drink a cup with +me.”</p> +<p>So Walter went down and ate and drank, and his heart was +lighter than it had been since he had heard of his father’s +death, and the feud awaiting him at home, which forsooth he had +deemed would stay his wanderings a weary while, and therewithal +his hopes. But now it seemed as if he needs must wander, +would he, would he not; and so it was that even this fed his +hope; so sore his heart clung to that desire of his to seek home +to those three that seemed to call him unto them.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER V: NOW THEY COME TO A NEW LAND</h2> +<p>Three days they drave before the wind, and on the fourth the +clouds lifted, the sun shone out and the offing was clear; the +wind had much abated, though it still blew a breeze, and was a +head wind for sailing toward the country of Langton. So +then the master said that, since they were bewildered, and the +wind so ill to deal with, it were best to go still before the +wind that they might make some land and get knowledge of their +whereabouts from the folk thereof. Withal he said that he +deemed the land not to be very far distant.</p> +<p>So did they, and sailed on pleasantly enough, for the weather +kept on mending, and the wind fell till it was but a light +breeze, yet still foul for Langton.</p> +<p>So wore three days, and on the eve of the third, the man from +the topmast cried out that he saw land ahead; and so did they all +before the sun was quite set, though it were but a cloud no +bigger than a man’s hand.</p> +<p>When night fell they struck not sail, but went forth toward +the land fair and softly; for it was early summer, so that the +nights were neither long nor dark.</p> +<p>But when it was broad daylight, they opened a land, a long +shore of rocks and mountains, and nought else that they could see +at first. Nevertheless as day wore and they drew nigher, +first they saw how the mountains fell away from the sea, and were +behind a long wall of sheer cliff; and coming nigher yet, they +beheld a green plain going up after a little in green bents and +slopes to the feet of the said cliff-wall.</p> +<p>No city nor haven did they see there, not even when they were +far nigher to the land; nevertheless, whereas they hankered for +the peace of the green earth after all the tossing and unrest of +the sea, and whereas also they doubted not to find at the least +good and fresh water, and belike other bait in the plain under +the mountains, they still sailed on not unmerrily; so that by +nightfall they cast anchor in five-fathom water hard by the +shore.</p> +<p>Next morning they found that they were lying a little way off +the mouth of a river not right great; so they put out their boats +and towed the ship up into the said river, and when they had gone +up it for a mile or thereabouts they found the sea water failed, +for little was the ebb and flow of the tide on that coast. +Then was the river deep and clear, running between smooth grassy +land like to meadows. Also on their left board they saw +presently three head of neat cattle going, as if in a meadow of a +homestead in their own land, and a few sheep; and thereafter, +about a bow-draught from the river, they saw a little house of +wood and straw-thatch under a wooded mound, and with orchard +trees about it. They wondered little thereat, for they knew +no cause why that land should not be builded, though it were in +the far outlands. However, they drew their ship up to the +bank, thinking that they would at least abide awhile and ask +tidings and have some refreshing of the green plain, which was so +lovely and pleasant.</p> +<p>But while they were busied herein they saw a man come out of +the house, and down to the river to meet them; and they soon saw +that he was tall and old, long-hoary of hair and beard, and clad +mostly in the skins of beasts.</p> +<p>He drew nigh without any fear or mistrust, and coming close to +them gave them the sele of the day in a kindly and pleasant +voice. The shipmaster greeted him in his turn, and said +withal: “Old man, art thou the king of this +country?”</p> +<p>The elder laughed; “It hath had none other a long +while,” said he; “and at least there is no other son +of Adam here to gainsay.”</p> +<p>“Thou art alone here then?” said the master.</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the old man; “save for the +beasts of the field and the wood, and the creeping things, and +fowl. Wherefore it is sweet to me to hear your +voices.”</p> +<p>Said the master: “Where be the other houses of the +town?”</p> +<p>The old man laughed. Said he: “When I said that I +was alone, I meant that I was alone in the land and not only +alone in this stead. There is no house save this betwixt +the sea and the dwellings of the Bears, over the cliff-wall +yonder, yea and a long way over it.”</p> +<p>“Yea,” quoth the shipmaster grinning, “and +be the bears of thy country so manlike, that they dwell in +builded houses?”</p> +<p>The old man shook his head. “Sir,” said he, +“as to their bodily fashion, it is altogether manlike, save +that they be one and all higher and bigger than most. For +they be bears only in name; they be a nation of half wild men; +for I have been told by them that there be many more than that +tribe whose folk I have seen, and that they spread wide about +behind these mountains from east to west. Now, sir, as to +their souls and understandings I warrant them not; for miscreants +they be, trowing neither in God nor his hallows.”</p> +<p>Said the master: “Trow they in Mahound then?”</p> +<p>“Nay,” said the elder, “I wot not for sure +that they have so much as a false God; though I have it from them +that they worship a certain woman with mickle worship.”</p> +<p>Then spake Walter: “Yea, good sir, and how knowest thou +that? dost thou deal with them at all?”</p> +<p>Said the old man: “Whiles some of that folk come hither +and have of me what I can spare; a calf or two, or a half-dozen +of lambs or hoggets; or a skin of wine or cyder of mine own +making: and they give me in return such things as I can use, as +skins of hart and bear and other peltries; for now I am old, I +can but little of the hunting hereabout. Whiles, also, they +bring little lumps of pure copper, and would give me gold also, +but it is of little use in this lonely land. Sooth to say, +to me they are not masterful or rough-handed; but glad am I that +they have been here but of late, and are not like to come again +this while; for terrible they are of aspect, and whereas ye be +aliens, belike they would not hold their hands from off you; and +moreover ye have weapons and other matters which they would covet +sorely.”</p> +<p>Quoth the master: “Since thou dealest with these wild +men, will ye not deal with us in chaffer? For whereas we +are come from long travel, we hanker after fresh victual, and +here aboard are many things which were for thine +avail.”</p> +<p>Said the old man: “All that I have is yours, so that ye +do but leave me enough till my next ingathering: of wine and +cyder, such as it is, I have plenty for your service; ye may +drink it till it is all gone, if ye will: a little corn and meal +I have, but not much; yet are ye welcome thereto, since the +standing corn in my garth is done blossoming, and I have other +meat. Cheeses have I and dried fish; take what ye will +thereof. But as to my neat and sheep, if ye have sore need +of any, and will have them, I may not say you nay: but I pray you +if ye may do without them, not to take my milch-beasts or their +engenderers; for, as ye have heard me say, the Bear-folk have +been here but of late, and they have had of me all I might spare: +but now let me tell you, if ye long after flesh-meat, that there +is venison of hart and hind, yea, and of buck and doe, to be had +on this plain, and about the little woods at the feet of the +rock-wall yonder: neither are they exceeding wild; for since I +may not take them, I scare them not, and no other man do they see +to hurt them; for the Bear-folk come straight to my house, and +fare straight home thence. But I will lead you the nighest +way to where the venison is easiest to be gotten. As to the +wares in your ship, if ye will give me aught I will take it with +a good will; and chiefly if ye have a fair knife or two and a +roll of linen cloth, that were a good refreshment to me. +But in any case what I have to give is free to you and +welcome.”</p> +<p>The shipmaster laughed: “Friend,” said he, +“we can thee mickle thanks for all that thou biddest +us. And wot well that we be no lifters or sea-thieves to +take thy livelihood from thee. So to-morrow, if thou wilt, +we will go with thee and upraise the hunt, and meanwhile we will +come aland, and walk on the green grass, and water our ship with +thy good fresh water.”</p> +<p>So the old carle went back to his house to make them ready +what cheer he might, and the shipmen, who were twenty and one, +all told, what with the mariners and Arnold and Walter’s +servants, went ashore, all but two who watched the ship and abode +their turn. They went well-weaponed, for both the master +and Walter deemed wariness wisdom, lest all might not be so good +as it seemed. They took of their sail-cloths ashore and +tilted them in on the meadow betwixt the house and the ship, and +the carle brought them what he had for their avail, of fresh +fruits, and cheeses, and milk, and wine, and cyder, and honey, +and there they feasted nowise ill, and were right fain.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER VI: THE OLD MAN TELLS WALTER OF HIMSELF. WALTER +SEES A SHARD IN THE CLIFF-WALL</h2> +<p>But when they had done their meat and drink the master and the +shipmen went about the watering of the ship, and the others +strayed off along the meadow, so that presently Walter was left +alone with the carle, and fell to speech with him and said: +“Father, meseemeth thou shouldest have some strange tale to +tell, and as yet we have asked thee of nought save meat for our +bellies: now if I ask thee concerning thy life, and how thou +camest hither, and abided here, wilt thou tell me +aught?”</p> +<p>The old man smiled on him and said: “Son, my tale were +long to tell; and mayhappen concerning much thereof my memory +should fail me; and withal there is grief therein, which I were +loth to awaken: nevertheless if thou ask, I will answer as I may, +and in any case will tell thee nought save the truth.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Well then, hast thou been long +here?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the carle, “since I was a young +man, and a stalwarth knight.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “This house, didst thou build it, and raise +these garths, and plant orchard and vineyard, and gather together +the neat and the sheep, or did some other do all this for +thee?”</p> +<p>Said the carle: “I did none of all this; there was one +here before me, and I entered into his inheritance, as though +this were a lordly manor, with a fair castle thereon, and all +well stocked and plenished.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Didst thou find thy foregoer alive +here?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the elder, “yet he lived but for +a little while after I came to him.”</p> +<p>He was silent a while, and then he said: “I slew him: +even so would he have it, though I bade him a better +lot.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Didst thou come hither of thine own +will?”</p> +<p>“Mayhappen,” said the carle; “who +knoweth? Now have I no will to do either this or +that. It is wont that maketh me do, or refrain.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Tell me this; why didst thou slay the man? +did he any scathe to thee?”</p> +<p>Said the elder: “When I slew him, I deemed that he was +doing me all scathe: but now I know that it was not so. +Thus it was: I would needs go where he had been before, and he +stood in the path against me; and I overthrew him, and went on +the way I would.”</p> +<p>“What came thereof?” said Walter.</p> +<p>“Evil came of it,” said the carle.</p> +<p>Then was Walter silent a while, and the old man spake nothing; +but there came a smile in his face that was both sly and somewhat +sad. Walter looked on him and said: “Was it from +hence that thou wouldst go that road?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the carle.</p> +<p>Said Walter: “And now wilt thou tell me what that road +was; whither it went and whereto it led, that thou must needs +wend it, though thy first stride were over a dead man?”</p> +<p>“I will not tell thee,” said the carle.</p> +<p>Then they held their peace, both of them, and thereafter got +on to other talk of no import.</p> +<p>So wore the day till night came; and they slept safely, and on +the morrow after they had broken their fast, the more part of +them set off with the carle to the hunting, and they went, all of +them, a three hours’ faring towards the foot of the cliffs, +which was all grown over with coppice, hazel and thorn, with here +and there a big oak or ash-tree; there it was, said the old man, +where the venison was most and best.</p> +<p>Of their hunting need nought be said, saving that when the +carle had put them on the track of the deer and shown them what +to do, he came back again with Walter, who had no great lust for +the hunting, and sorely longed to have some more talk with the +said carle. He for his part seemed nought loth thereto, and +so led Walter to a mound or hillock amidst the clear of the +plain, whence all was to be seen save where the wood covered it; +but just before where they now lay down there was no wood, save +low bushes, betwixt them and the rock-wall; and Walter noted that +whereas otherwhere, save in one place whereto their eyes were +turned, the cliffs seemed wellnigh or quite sheer, or indeed in +some places beetling over, in that said place they fell away from +each other on either side; and before this sinking was a slope or +scree, that went gently up toward the sinking of the wall. +Walter looked long and earnestly at this place, and spake nought, +till the carle said: “What! thou hast found something +before thee to look on. What is it then?”</p> +<p>Quoth Walter: “Some would say that where yonder slopes +run together up towards that sinking in the cliff-wall there will +be a pass into the country beyond.”</p> +<p>The carle smiled and said: “Yea, son; nor, so saying, +would they err; for that is the pass into the Bear-country, +whereby those huge men come down to chaffer with me.”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said Walter; and therewith he turned him a +little, and scanned the rock-wall, and saw how a few miles from +that pass it turned somewhat sharply toward the sea, narrowing +the plain much there, till it made a bight, the face whereof +looked wellnigh north, instead of west, as did the more part of +the wall. And in the midst of that northern-looking bight +was a dark place which seemed to Walter like a downright shard in +the cliff. For the face of the wall was of a bleak grey, +and it was but little furrowed.</p> +<p>So then Walter spake: “Lo, old friend, there yonder is +again a place that meseemeth is a pass; whereunto doth that one +lead?” And he pointed to it: but the old man did not +follow the pointing of his finger, but, looking down on the +ground, answered confusedly, and said:</p> +<p>“Maybe: I wot not. I deem that it also leadeth +into the Bear-country by a roundabout road. It leadeth into +the far land.”</p> +<p>Walter answered nought: for a strange thought had come +uppermost in his mind, that the carle knew far more than he would +say of that pass, and that he himself might be led thereby to +find the wondrous three. He caught his breath hardly, and +his heart knocked against his ribs; but he refrained from +speaking for a long while; but at last he spake in a sharp hard +voice, which he scarce knew for his own: “Father, tell me, +I adjure thee by God and All-hallows, was it through yonder shard +that the road lay, when thou must needs make thy first stride +over a dead man?”</p> +<p>The old man spake not a while, then he raised his head, and +looked Walter full in the eyes, and said in a steady voice: +“<span class="smcap">No</span>, <span class="smcap">it was +not</span>.” Thereafter they sat looking at each +other a while; but at last Walter turned his eyes away, but knew +not what they beheld nor where he was, but he was as one in a +swoon. For he knew full well that the carle had lied to +him, and that he might as well have said aye as no, and told him, +that it verily was by that same shard that he had stridden over a +dead man. Nevertheless he made as little semblance thereof +as he might, and presently came to himself, and fell to talking +of other matters, that had nought to do with the adventures of +the land. But after a while he spake suddenly, and said: +“My master, I was thinking of a thing.”</p> +<p>“Yea, of what?” said the carle.</p> +<p>“Of this,” said Walter; “that here in this +land be strange adventures toward, and that if we, and I in +especial, were to turn our backs on them, and go home with +nothing done, it were pity of our lives: for all will be dull and +deedless there. I was deeming it were good if we tried the +adventure.”</p> +<p>“What adventure?” said the old man, rising up on +his elbow and staring sternly on him.</p> +<p>Said Walter: “The wending yonder pass to the eastward, +whereby the huge men come to thee from out of the Bear-country; +that we might see what should come thereof.”</p> +<p>The carle leaned back again, and smiled and shook his head, +and spake: “That adventure were speedily proven: death +would come of it, my son.”</p> +<p>“Yea, and how?” said Walter.</p> +<p>The carle said: “The big men would take thee, and offer +thee up as a blood-offering to that woman, who is their +Mawmet. And if ye go all, then shall they do the like with +all of you.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Is that sure?”</p> +<p>“Dead sure,” said the carle.</p> +<p>“How knowest thou this?” said Walter.</p> +<p>“I have been there myself,” said the carle.</p> +<p>“Yea,” said Walter, “but thou camest away +whole.”</p> +<p>“Art thou sure thereof?” said the carle.</p> +<p>“Thou art alive yet, old man,” said Walter, +“for I have seen thee eat thy meat, which ghosts use not to +do.” And he laughed.</p> +<p>But the old man answered soberly: “If I escaped, it was +by this, that another woman saved me, and not often shall that +befall. Nor wholly was I saved; my body escaped +forsooth. But where is my soul? Where is my heart, +and my life? Young man, I rede thee, try no such adventure; +but go home to thy kindred if thou canst. Moreover, wouldst +thou fare alone? The others shall hinder thee.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “I am the master; they shall do as I bid +them: besides, they will be well pleased to share my goods +amongst them if I give them a writing to clear them of all +charges which might be brought against them.”</p> +<p>“My son! my son!” said the carle, “I pray +thee go not to thy death!”</p> +<p>Walter heard him silently, but as if he were persuaded to +refrain; and then the old man fell to, and told him much +concerning this Bear-folk and their customs, speaking very freely +of them; but Walter’s ears were scarce open to this talk: +whereas he deemed that he should have nought to do with those +wild men; and he durst not ask again concerning the country +whereto led the pass on the northward.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER VII: WALTER COMES TO THE SHARD IN THE ROCK-WALL</h2> +<p>As they were in converse thus, they heard the hunters blowing +on their horns all together; whereon the old man arose, and said: +“I deem by the blowing that the hunt will be over and done, +and that they be blowing on their fellows who have gone +scatter-meal about the wood. It is now some five hours +after noon, and thy men will be getting back with their venison, +and will be fainest of the victuals they have caught; therefore +will I hasten on before, and get ready fire and water and other +matters for the cooking. Wilt thou come with me, young +master, or abide thy men here?”</p> +<p>Walter said lightly: “I will rest and abide them here; +since I cannot fail to see them hence as they go on their ways to +thine house. And it may be well that I be at hand to +command them and forbid, and put some order amongst them, for +rough playmates they be, some of them, and now all heated with +the hunting and the joy of the green earth.” Thus he +spoke, as if nought were toward save supper and bed; but inwardly +hope and fear were contending in him, and again his heart beat so +hard, that he deemed that the carle must surely hear it. +But the old man took him but according to his outward seeming, +and nodded his head, and went away quietly toward his house.</p> +<p>When he had been gone a little, Walter rose up heedfully; he +had with him a scrip wherein was some cheese and hard-fish, and a +little flasket of wine; a short bow he had with him, and a quiver +of arrows; and he was girt with a strong and good sword, and a +wood-knife withal. He looked to all this gear that it was +nought amiss, and then speedily went down off the mound, and when +he was come down, he found that it covered him from men coming +out of the wood, if he went straight thence to that shard of the +rock-wall where was the pass that led southward.</p> +<p>Now it is no nay that thitherward he turned, and went wisely, +lest the carle should make a backward cast, and see him, or lest +any straggler of his own folk might happen upon him.</p> +<p>For to say sooth, he deemed that did they wind him, they would +be like to let him of his journey. He had noted the +bearings of the cliffs nigh the shard, and whereas he could see +their heads everywhere except from the depths of the thicket, he +was not like to go astray.</p> +<p>He had made no great way ere he heard the horns blowing all +together again in one place, and looking thitherward through the +leafy boughs (for he was now amidst of a thicket) he saw his men +thronging the mound, and had no doubt therefore that they were +blowing on him; but being well under cover he heeded it nought, +and lying still a little, saw them go down off the mound and go +all of them toward the carle’s house, still blowing as they +went, but not faring scatter-meal. Wherefore it was clear +that they were nought troubled about him.</p> +<p>So he went on his way to the shard; and there is nothing to +say of his journey till he got before it with the last of the +clear day, and entered it straightway. It was in sooth a +downright breach or cleft in the rock-wall, and there was no hill +or bent leading up to it, nothing but a tumble of stones before +it, which was somewhat uneasy going, yet needed nought but labour +to overcome it, and when he had got over this, and was in the +very pass itself, he found it no ill going: forsooth at first it +was little worse than a rough road betwixt two great stony +slopes, though a little trickle of water ran down amidst of +it. So, though it was so nigh nightfall, yet Walter pressed +on, yea, and long after the very night was come. For the +moon rose wide and bright a little after nightfall. But at +last he had gone so long, and was so wearied, that he deemed it +nought but wisdom to rest him, and so lay down on a piece of +greensward betwixt the stones, when he had eaten a morsel out of +his satchel, and drunk of the water out of the stream. +There as he lay, if he had any doubt of peril, his weariness soon +made it all one to him, for presently he was sleeping as soundly +as any man in Langton on Holm.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER VIII: WALTER WENDS THE WASTE</h2> +<p>Day was yet young when he awoke: he leapt to his feet, and +went down to the stream and drank of its waters, and washed the +night off him in a pool thereof, and then set forth on his way +again. When he had gone some three hours, the road, which +had been going up all the way, but somewhat gently, grew steeper, +and the bent on either side lowered, and lowered, till it sank at +last altogether, and then was he on a rough mountain-neck with +little grass, and no water; save that now and again was a soft +place with a flow amidst of it, and such places he must needs +fetch a compass about, lest he be mired. He gave himself +but little rest, eating what he needs must as he went. The +day was bright and calm, so that the sun was never hidden, and he +steered by it due south. All that day he went, and found no +more change in that huge neck, save that whiles it was more and +whiles less steep. A little before nightfall he happened on +a shallow pool some twenty yards over; and he deemed it good to +rest there, since there was water for his avail, though he might +have made somewhat more out of the tail end of the day.</p> +<p>When dawn came again he awoke and arose, nor spent much time +over his breakfast; but pressed on all he might; and now he said +to himself, that whatsoever other peril were athwart his way, he +was out of the danger of the chase of his own folk.</p> +<p>All this while he had seen no four-footed beast, save now and +again a hill-fox, and once some outlandish kind of hare; and of +fowl but very few: a crow or two, a long-winged hawk, and twice +an eagle high up aloft.</p> +<p>Again, the third night, he slept in the stony wilderness, +which still led him up and up. Only toward the end of the +day, himseemed that it had been less steep for a long while: +otherwise nought was changed, on all sides it was nought but the +endless neck, wherefrom nought could be seen, but some other part +of itself. This fourth night withal he found no water +whereby he might rest, so that he awoke parched, and longing to +drink just when the dawn was at its coldest.</p> +<p>But on the fifth morrow the ground rose but little, and at +last, when he had been going wearily a long while, and now, hard +on noontide, his thirst grieved him sorely, he came on a spring +welling out from under a high rock, the water wherefrom trickled +feebly away. So eager was he to drink, that at first he +heeded nought else; but when his thirst was fully quenched his +eyes caught sight of the stream which flowed from the well, and +he gave a shout, for lo! it was running south. Wherefore it +was with a merry heart that he went on, and as he went, came on +more streams, all running south or thereabouts. He hastened +on all he might, but in despite of all the speed he made, and +that he felt the land now going down southward, night overtook +him in that same wilderness. Yet when he stayed at last for +sheer weariness, he lay down in what he deemed by the moonlight +to be a shallow valley, with a ridge at the southern end +thereof.</p> +<p>He slept long, and when he awoke the sun was high in the +heavens, and never was brighter or clearer morning on the earth +than was that. He arose and ate of what little was yet left +him, and drank of the water of a stream which he had followed the +evening before, and beside which he had laid him down; and then +set forth again with no great hope to come on new tidings that +day. But yet when he was fairly afoot, himseemed that there +was something new in the air which he breathed, that was soft and +bore sweet scents home to him; whereas heretofore, and that +especially for the last three or four days, it had been harsh and +void, like the face of the desert itself.</p> +<p>So on he went, and presently was mounting the ridge aforesaid, +and, as oft happens when one climbs a steep place, he kept his +eyes on the ground, till he felt he was on the top of the +ridge. Then he stopped to take breath, and raised his head +and looked, and lo! he was verily on the brow of the great +mountain-neck, and down below him was the hanging of the great +hill-slopes, which fell down, not slowly, as those he had been +those days a-mounting, but speedily enough, though with little of +broken places or sheer cliffs. But beyond this last of the +desert there was before him a lovely land of wooded hills, green +plains, and little valleys, stretching out far and wide, till it +ended at last in great blue mountains and white snowy peaks +beyond them.</p> +<p>Then for very surprise of joy his spirit wavered, and he felt +faint and dizzy, so that he was fain to sit down a while and +cover his face with his hands. Presently he came to his +sober mind again, and stood up and looked forth keenly, and saw +no sign of any dwelling of man. But he said to himself that +that might well be because the good and well-grassed land was +still so far off, and that he might yet look to find men and +their dwellings when he had left the mountain wilderness quite +behind him: So therewith he fell to going his ways down the +mountain, and lost little time therein, whereas he now had his +livelihood to look to.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER IX: WALTER HAPPENETH ON THE FIRST OF THOSE THREE +CREATURES</h2> +<p>What with one thing, what with another, as his having to turn +out of his way for sheer rocks, or for slopes so steep that he +might not try the peril of them, and again for bogs impassable, +he was fully three days more before he had quite come out of the +stony waste, and by that time, though he had never lacked water, +his scanty victual was quite done, for all his careful husbandry +thereof. But this troubled him little, whereas he looked to +find wild fruits here and there and to shoot some small deer, as +hare or coney, and make a shift to cook the same, since he had +with him flint and fire-steel. Moreover the further he +went, the surer he was that he should soon come across a +dwelling, so smooth and fair as everything looked before +him. And he had scant fear, save that he might happen on +men who should enthrall him.</p> +<p>But when he was come down past the first green slopes, he was +so worn, that he said to himself that rest was better than meat, +so little as he had slept for the last three days; so he laid him +down under an ash-tree by a stream-side, nor asked what was +o’clock, but had his fill of sleep, and even when he awoke +in the fresh morning was little fain of rising, but lay betwixt +sleeping and waking for some three hours more; then he arose, and +went further down the next green bent, yet somewhat slowly +because of his hunger-weakness. And the scent of that fair +land came up to him like the odour of one great nosegay.</p> +<p>So he came to where the land was level, and there were many +trees, as oak and ash, and sweet-chestnut and wych-elm, and +hornbeam and quicken-tree, not growing in a close wood or tangled +thicket, but set as though in order on the flowery greensward, +even as it might be in a great king’s park.</p> +<p>So came he to a big bird-cherry, whereof many boughs hung low +down laden with fruit: his belly rejoiced at the sight, and he +caught hold of a bough, and fell to plucking and eating. +But whiles he was amidst of this, he heard suddenly, close anigh +him, a strange noise of roaring and braying, not very great, but +exceeding fierce and terrible, and not like to the voice of any +beast that he knew. As has been aforesaid, Walter was no +faint-heart; but what with the weakness of his travail and +hunger, what with the strangeness of his adventure and his +loneliness, his spirit failed him; he turned round towards the +noise, his knees shook and he trembled: this way and that he +looked, and then gave a great cry and tumbled down in a swoon; +for close before him, at his very feet, was the dwarf whose image +he had seen before, clad in his yellow coat, and grinning up at +him from his hideous hairy countenance.</p> +<p>How long he lay there as one dead, he knew not, but when he +woke again there was the dwarf sitting on his hams close by +him. And when he lifted up his head, the dwarf sent out +that fearful harsh voice again; but this time Walter could make +out words therein, and knew that the creature spoke and said:</p> +<p>“How now! What art thou? Whence +comest? What wantest?”</p> +<p>Walter sat up and said: “I am a man; I hight Golden +Walter; I come from Langton; I want victual.”</p> +<p>Said the dwarf, writhing his face grievously, and laughing +forsooth: “I know it all: I asked thee to see what wise +thou wouldst lie. I was sent forth to look for thee; and I +have brought thee loathsome bread with me, such as ye aliens must +needs eat: take it!”</p> +<p>Therewith he drew a loaf from a satchel which he bore, and +thrust it towards Walter, who took it somewhat doubtfully for all +his hunger.</p> +<p>The dwarf yelled at him: “Art thou dainty, alien? +Wouldst thou have flesh? Well, give me thy bow and an arrow +or two, since thou art lazy-sick, and I will get thee a coney or +a hare, or a quail maybe. Ah, I forgot; thou art dainty, +and wilt not eat flesh as I do, blood and all together, but must +needs half burn it in the fire, or mar it with hot water; as they +say my Lady does: or as the Wretch, the Thing does; I know that, +for I have seen It eating.”</p> +<p>“Nay,” said Walter, “this sufficeth;” +and he fell to eating the bread, which was sweet between his +teeth. Then when he had eaten a while, for hunger compelled +him, he said to the dwarf: “But what meanest thou by the +Wretch and the Thing? And what Lady is thy Lady?”</p> +<p>The creature let out another wordless roar as of furious +anger; and then the words came: “It hath a face white and +red, like to thine; and hands white as thine, yea, but whiter; +and the like it is underneath its raiment, only whiter still: for +I have seen It—yes, I have seen It; ah yes and yes and +yes.”</p> +<p>And therewith his words ran into gibber and yelling, and he +rolled about and smote at the grass: but in a while he grew quiet +again and sat still, and then fell to laughing horribly again, +and then said: “But thou, fool, wilt think It fair if thou +fallest into Its hands, and wilt repent it thereafter, as I +did. Oh, the mocking and gibes of It, and the tears and +shrieks of It; and the knife! What! sayest thou of my +Lady?—What Lady? O alien, what other Lady is +there? And what shall I tell thee of her? it is like that +she made me, as she made the Bear men. But she made not the +Wretch, the Thing; and she hateth It sorely, as I do. And +some day to come—”</p> +<p>Thereat he brake off and fell to wordless yelling a long +while, and thereafter spake all panting: “Now I have told +thee overmuch, and O if my Lady come to hear thereof. Now I +will go.”</p> +<p>And therewith he took out two more loaves from his wallet, and +tossed them to Walter, and so turned and went his ways; whiles +walking upright, as Walter had seen his image on the quay of +Langton; whiles bounding and rolling like a ball thrown by a lad; +whiles scuttling along on all-fours like an evil beast, and ever +and anon giving forth that harsh and evil cry.</p> +<p>Walter sat a while after he was out of sight, so stricken with +horror and loathing and a fear of he knew not what, that he might +not move. Then he plucked up a heart, and looked to his +weapons and put the other loaves into his scrip.</p> +<p>Then he arose and went his ways wondering, yea and dreading, +what kind of creature he should next fall in with. For +soothly it seemed to him that it would be worse than death if +they were all such as this one; and that if it were so, he must +needs slay and be slain.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER X: WALTER HAPPENETH ON ANOTHER CREATURE IN THE +STRANGE LAND</h2> +<p>But as he went on through the fair and sweet land so bright +and sun-litten, and he now rested and fed, the horror and fear +ran off from him, and he wandered on merrily, neither did aught +befall him save the coming of night, when he laid him down under +a great spreading oak with his drawn sword ready to hand, and +fell asleep at once, and woke not till the sun was high.</p> +<p>Then he arose and went on his way again; and the land was no +worser than yesterday; but even better, it might be; the +greensward more flowery, the oaks and chestnuts greater. +Deer of diverse kinds he saw, and might easily have got his meat +thereof; but he meddled not with them since he had his bread, and +was timorous of lighting a fire. Withal he doubted little +of having some entertainment; and that, might be, nought evil; +since even that fearful dwarf had been courteous to him after his +kind, and had done him good and not harm. But of the +happening on the Wretch and the Thing, whereof the dwarf spake, +he was yet somewhat afeard.</p> +<p>After he had gone a while and whenas the summer morn was at +its brightest, he saw a little way ahead a grey rock rising up +from amidst of a ring of oak-trees; so he turned thither +straightway; for in this plain-land he had seen no rocks +heretofore; and as he went he saw that there was a fountain +gushing out from under the rock, which ran thence in a fair +little stream. And when he had the rock and the fountain +and the stream clear before him, lo! a child of Adam sitting +beside the fountain under the shadow of the rock. He drew a +little nigher, and then he saw that it was a woman, clad in green +like the sward whereon she lay. She was playing with the +welling out of the water, and she had trussed up her sleeves to +the shoulder that she might thrust her bare arms therein. +Her shoes of black leather lay on the grass beside her, and her +feet and legs yet shone with the brook.</p> +<p>Belike amidst the splashing and clatter of the water she did +not hear him drawing nigh, so that he was close to her before she +lifted up her face and saw him, and he beheld her, that it was +the maiden of the thrice-seen pageant. She reddened when +she saw him, and hastily covered up her legs with her gown-skirt, +and drew down the sleeves over her arms, but otherwise stirred +not. As for him, he stood still, striving to speak to her; +but no word might he bring out, and his heart beat sorely.</p> +<p>But the maiden spake to him in a clear sweet voice, wherein +was now no trouble: “Thou art an alien, art thou not? +For I have not seen thee before.”</p> +<p>“Yea,” he said, “I am an alien; wilt thou be +good to me?”</p> +<p>She said: “And why not? I was afraid at first, for +I thought it had been the King’s Son. I looked to see +none other; for of goodly men he has been the only one here in +the land this long while, till thy coming.”</p> +<p>He said: “Didst thou look for my coming at about this +time?”</p> +<p>“O nay,” she said; “how might I?”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “I wot not; but the other man seemed to be +looking for me, and knew of me, and he brought me bread to +eat.”</p> +<p>She looked on him anxiously, and grew somewhat pale, as she +said: “What other one?”</p> +<p>Now Walter did not know what the dwarf might be to her, +fellow-servant or what not, so he would not show his loathing of +him; but answered wisely: “The little man in the yellow +raiment.”</p> +<p>But when she heard that word, she went suddenly very pale, and +leaned her head aback, and beat the air with her hands; but said +presently in a faint voice: “I pray thee talk not of that +one while I am by, nor even think of him, if thou mayest +forbear.”</p> +<p>He spake not, and she was a little while before she came to +herself again; then she opened her eyes, and looked upon Walter +and smiled kindly on him, as though to ask his pardon for having +scared him. Then she rose up in her place, and stood before +him; and they were nigh together, for the stream betwixt them was +little.</p> +<p>But he still looked anxiously upon her and said: “Have I +hurt thee? I pray thy pardon.”</p> +<p>She looked on him more sweetly still, and said: “O nay; +thou wouldst not hurt me, thou!”</p> +<p>Then she blushed very red, and he in like wise; but afterwards +she turned pale, and laid a hand on her breast, and Walter cried +out hastily: “O me! I have hurt thee again. +Wherein have I done amiss?”</p> +<p>“In nought, in nought,” she said; “but I am +troubled, I wot not wherefore; some thought hath taken hold of +me, and I know it not. Mayhappen in a little while I shall +know what troubles me. Now I bid thee depart from me a +little, and I will abide here; and when thou comest back, it will +either be that I have found it out or not; and in either case I +will tell thee.”</p> +<p>She spoke earnestly to him; but he said: “How long shall +I abide away?”</p> +<p>Her face was troubled as she answered him: “For no long +while.”</p> +<p>He smiled on her and turned away, and went a space to the +other side of the oak-trees, whence she was still within +eyeshot. There he abode until the time seemed long to him; +but he schooled himself and forbore; for he said: Lest she send +me away again. So he abided until again the time seemed +long to him, and she called not to him: but once again he forbore +to go; then at last he arose, and his heart beat and he trembled, +and he walked back again speedily, and came to the maiden, who +was still standing by the rock of the spring, her arms hanging +down, her eyes downcast. She looked up at him as he drew +nigh, and her face changed with eagerness as she said: “I +am glad thou art come back, though it be no long while since thy +departure” (sooth to say it was scarce half an hour in +all). “Nevertheless I have been thinking many things, +and thereof will I now tell thee.”</p> +<p>He said: “Maiden, there is a river betwixt us, though it +be no big one. Shall I not stride over, and come to thee, +that we may sit down together side by side on the green +grass?”</p> +<p>“Nay,” she said, “not yet; tarry a while +till I have told thee of matters. I must now tell thee of +my thoughts in order.”</p> +<p>Her colour went and came now, and she plaited the folds of her +gown with restless fingers. At last she said: “Now +the first thing is this; that though thou hast seen me first only +within this hour, thou hast set thine heart upon me to have me +for thy speech-friend and thy darling. And if this be not +so, then is all my speech, yea and all my hope, come to an end at +once.”</p> +<p>“O yea!” said Walter, “even so it is: but +how thou hast found this out I wot not; since now for the first +time I say it, that thou art indeed my love, and my dear and my +darling.”</p> +<p>“Hush,” she said, “hush! lest the wood have +ears, and thy speech is loud: abide, and I shall tell thee how I +know it. Whether this thy love shall outlast the first time +that thou holdest my body in thine arms, I wot not, nor dost +thou. But sore is my hope that it may be so; for I also, +though it be but scarce an hour since I set eyes on thee, have +cast mine eyes on thee to have thee for my love and my darling, +and my speech-friend. And this is how I wot that thou +lovest me, my friend. Now is all this dear and joyful, and +overflows my heart with sweetness. But now must I tell thee +of the fear and the evil which lieth behind it.”</p> +<p>Then Walter stretched out his hands to her, and cried out: +“Yea, yea! But whatever evil entangle us, now we both +know these two things, to wit, that thou lovest me, and I thee, +wilt thou not come hither, that I may cast mine arms about thee, +and kiss thee, if not thy kind lips or thy friendly face at all, +yet at least thy dear hand: yea, that I may touch thy body in +some wise?”</p> +<p>She looked on him steadily, and said softly: “Nay, this +above all things must not be; and that it may not be is a part of +the evil which entangles us. But hearken, friend, once +again I tell thee that thy voice is over loud in this wilderness +fruitful of evil. Now I have told thee, indeed, of two +things whereof we both wot; but next I must needs tell thee of +things whereof I wot, and thou wottest not. Yet this were +better, that thou pledge thy word not to touch so much as one of +my hands, and that we go together a little way hence away from +these tumbled stones, and sit down upon the open greensward; +whereas here is cover if there be spying abroad.”</p> +<p>Again, as she spoke, she turned very pale; but Walter said: +“Since it must be so, I pledge thee my word to thee as I +love thee.”</p> +<p>And therewith she knelt down, and did on her foot-gear, and +then sprang lightly over the rivulet; and then the twain of them +went side by side some half a furlong thence, and sat down, +shadowed by the boughs of a slim quicken-tree growing up out of +the greensward, whereon for a good space around was neither bush +nor brake.</p> +<p>There began the maiden to talk soberly, and said: “This +is what I must needs say to thee now, that thou art come into a +land perilous for any one that loveth aught of good; from which, +forsooth, I were fain that thou wert gotten away safely, even +though I should die of longing for thee. As for myself, my +peril is, in a measure, less than thine; I mean the peril of +death. But lo, thou, this iron on my foot is token that I +am a thrall, and thou knowest in what wise thralls must pay for +transgressions. Furthermore, of what I am, and how I came +hither, time would fail me to tell; but somewhile, maybe, I shall +tell thee. I serve an evil mistress, of whom I may say that +scarce I wot if she be a woman or not; but by some creatures is +she accounted for a god, and as a god is heried; and surely never +god was crueller nor colder than she. Me she hateth sorely; +yet if she hated me little or nought, small were the gain to me +if it were her pleasure to deal hardly by me. But as things +now are, and are like to be, it would not be for her pleasure, +but for her pain and loss, to make an end of me, therefore, as I +said e’en now, my mere life is not in peril with her; +unless, perchance, some sudden passion get the better of her, and +she slay me, and repent of it thereafter. For so it is, +that if it be the least evil of her conditions that she is +wanton, at least wanton she is to the letter. Many a time +hath she cast the net for the catching of some goodly young man; +and her latest prey (save it be thou) is the young man whom I +named, when first I saw thee, by the name of the King’s +Son. He is with us yet, and I fear him; for of late hath he +wearied of her, though it is but plain truth to say of her, that +she is the wonder of all Beauties of the World. He hath +wearied of her, I say, and hath cast his eyes upon me, and if I +were heedless, he would betray me to the uttermost of the wrath +of my mistress. For needs must I say of him, though he be a +goodly man, and now fallen into thralldom, that he hath no bowels +of compassion; but is a dastard, who for an hour’s pleasure +would undo me, and thereafter would stand by smiling and taking +my mistress’s pardon with good cheer, while for me would be +no pardon. Seest thou, therefore, how it is with me between +these two cruel fools? And moreover there are others of +whom I will not even speak to thee.”</p> +<p>And therewith she put her hands before her face, and wept, and +murmured: “Who shall deliver me from this death in +life?”</p> +<p>But Walter cried out: “For what else am I come hither, +I, I?”</p> +<p>And it was a near thing that he did not take her in his arms, +but he remembered his pledged word, and drew aback from her in +terror, whereas he had an inkling of why she would not suffer it; +and he wept with her.</p> +<p>But suddenly the Maid left weeping, and said in a changed +voice: “Friend, whereas thou speakest of delivering me, it +is more like that I shall deliver thee. And now I pray thy +pardon for thus grieving thee with my grief, and that more +especially because thou mayst not solace thy grief with kisses +and caresses; but so it was, that for once I was smitten by the +thought of the anguish of this land, and the joy of all the world +besides.”</p> +<p>Therewith she caught her breath in a half-sob, but refrained +her and went on: “Now dear friend and darling, take good +heed to all that I shall say to thee, whereas thou must do after +the teaching of my words. And first, I deem by the monster +having met thee at the gates of the land, and refreshed thee, +that the Mistress hath looked for thy coming; nay, by thy coming +hither at all, that she hath cast her net and caught thee. +Hast thou noted aught that might seem to make this more +like?”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Three times in full daylight have I seen +go past me the images of the monster and thee and a glorious +lady, even as if ye were alive.”</p> +<p>And therewith he told her in few words how it had gone with +him since that day on the quay at Langton.</p> +<p>She said: “Then it is no longer perhaps, but certain, +that thou art her latest catch; and even so I deemed from the +first: and, dear friend, this is why I have not suffered thee to +kiss or caress me, so sore as I longed for thee. For the +Mistress will have thee for her only, and hath lured thee hither +for nought else; and she is wise in wizardry (even as some deal +am I), and wert thou to touch me with hand or mouth on my naked +flesh, yea, or were it even my raiment, then would she scent the +savour of thy love upon me, and then, though it may be she would +spare thee, she would not spare me.”</p> +<p>Then was she silent a little, and seemed very downcast, and +Walter held his peace from grief and confusion and helplessness; +for of wizardry he knew nought.</p> +<p>At last the Maid spake again, and said: “Nevertheless we +will not die redeless. Now thou must look to this, that +from henceforward it is thee, and not the King’s Son, whom +she desireth, and that so much the more that she hath not set +eyes on thee. Remember this, whatsoever her seeming may be +to thee. Now, therefore, shall the King’s Son be +free, though he know it not, to cast his love on whomso he will; +and, in a way, I also shall be free to yeasay him. Though, +forsooth, so fulfilled is she with malice and spite, that even +then she may turn round on me to punish me for doing that which +she would have me do. Now let me think of it.”</p> +<p>Then was she silent a good while, and spoke at last: +“Yea, all things are perilous, and a perilous rede I have +thought of, whereof I will not tell thee as yet; so waste not the +short while by asking me. At least the worst will be no +worse than what shall come if we strive not against it. And +now, my friend, amongst perils it is growing more and more +perilous that we twain should be longer together. But I +would say one thing yet; and maybe another thereafter. Thou +hast cast thy love upon one who will be true to thee, whatsoever +may befall; yet is she a guileful creature, and might not help it +her life long, and now for thy very sake must needs be more +guileful now than ever before. And as for me, the guileful, +my love have I cast upon a lovely man, and one true and simple, +and a stout-heart; but at such a pinch is he, that if he +withstand all temptation, his withstanding may belike undo both +him and me. Therefore swear we both of us, that by both of +us shall all guile and all falling away be forgiven on the day +when we shall be free to love each the other as our hearts +will.”</p> +<p>Walter cried out: “O love, I swear it indeed! thou art +my Hallow, and I will swear it as on the relics of a Hallow; on +thy hands and thy feet I swear it.”</p> +<p>The words seemed to her a dear caress; and she laughed, and +blushed, and looked full kindly on him; and then her face grew +solemn, and she said: “On thy life I swear it!”</p> +<p>Then she said: “Now is there nought for thee to do but +to go hence straight to the Golden House, which is my +Mistress’s house, and the only house in this land (save one +which I may not see), and lieth southward no long way. How +she will deal with thee, I wot not; but all I have said of her +and thee and the King’s Son is true. Therefore I say +to thee, be wary and cold at heart, whatsoever outward semblance +thou mayst make. If thou have to yield thee to her, then +yield rather late than early, so as to gain time. Yet not +so late as to seem shamed in yielding for fear’s +sake. Hold fast to thy life, my friend, for in warding +that, thou wardest me from grief without remedy. Thou wilt +see me ere long; it may be to-morrow, it may be some days +hence. But forget not, that what I may do, that I am +doing. Take heed also that thou pay no more heed to me, or +rather less, than if thou wert meeting a maiden of no account in +the streets of thine own town. O my love! barren is this +first farewell, as was our first meeting; but surely shall there +be another meeting better than the first, and the last farewell +may be long and long yet.”</p> +<p>Therewith she stood up, and he knelt before her a little while +without any word, and then arose and went his ways; but when he +had gone a space he turned about, and saw her still standing in +the same place; she stayed a moment when she saw him turn, and +then herself turned about.</p> +<p>So he departed through the fair land, and his heart was full +with hope and fear as he went.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XI: WALTER HAPPENETH ON THE MISTRESS</h2> +<p>It was but a little after noon when Walter left the Maid +behind: he steered south by the sun, as the Maid had bidden him, +and went swiftly; for, as a good knight wending to battle, the +time seemed long to him till he should meet the foe.</p> +<p>So an hour before sunset he saw something white and gay +gleaming through the boles of the oak-trees, and presently there +was clear before him a most goodly house builded of white marble, +carved all about with knots and imagery, and the carven folk were +all painted of their lively colours, whether it were their +raiment or their flesh, and the housings wherein they stood all +done with gold and fair hues. Gay were the windows of the +house; and there was a pillared porch before the great door, with +images betwixt the pillars both of men and beasts: and when +Walter looked up to the roof of the house, he saw that it gleamed +and shone; for all the tiles were of yellow metal, which he +deemed to be of very gold.</p> +<p>All this he saw as he went, and tarried not to gaze upon it; +for he said, Belike there will be time for me to look on all this +before I die. But he said also, that, though the house was +not of the greatest, it was beyond compare of all houses of the +world.</p> +<p>Now he entered it by the porch, and came into a hall +many-pillared, and vaulted over, the walls painted with gold and +ultramarine, the floor dark, and spangled with many colours, and +the windows glazed with knots and pictures. Midmost thereof +was a fountain of gold, whence the water ran two ways in +gold-lined runnels, spanned twice with little bridges of +silver. Long was that hall, and now not very light, so that +Walter was come past the fountain before he saw any folk therein: +then he looked up toward the high-seat, and himseemed that a +great light shone thence, and dazzled his eyes; and he went on a +little way, and then fell on his knees; for there before him on +the high-seat sat that wondrous Lady, whose lively image had been +shown to him thrice before; and she was clad in gold and jewels, +as he had erst seen her. But now she was not alone; for by +her side sat a young man, goodly enough, so far as Walter might +see him, and most richly clad, with a jewelled sword by his side, +and a chaplet of gems on his head. They held each other by +the hand, and seemed to be in dear converse together; but they +spake softly, so that Walter might not hear what they said, till +at last the man spake aloud to the Lady: “Seest thou not +that there is a man in the hall?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” she said, “I see him yonder, kneeling +on his knees; let him come nigher and give some account of +himself.”</p> +<p>So Walter stood up and drew nigh, and stood there, all +shamefaced and confused, looking on those twain, and wondering at +the beauty of the Lady. As for the man, who was slim, and +black-haired, and straight-featured, for all his goodliness +Walter accounted him little, and nowise deemed him to look +chieftain-like.</p> +<p>Now the Lady spake not to Walter any more than erst; but at +last the man said: “Why doest thou not kneel as thou didst +erewhile?”</p> +<p>Walter was on the point of giving him back a fierce answer; +but the Lady spake and said: “Nay, friend, it matters not +whether he kneel or stand; but he may say, if he will, what he +would have of me, and wherefore he is come hither.”</p> +<p>Then spake Walter, for as wroth and ashamed as he was: +“Lady, I have strayed into this land, and have come to +thine house as I suppose, and if I be not welcome, I may well +depart straightway, and seek a way out of thy land, if thou +wouldst drive me thence, as well as out of thine +house.”</p> +<p>Thereat the Lady turned and looked on him, and when her eyes +met his, he felt a pang of fear and desire mingled shoot through +his heart. This time she spoke to him; but coldly, without +either wrath or any thought of him: “Newcomer,” she +said, “I have not bidden thee hither; but here mayst thou +abide a while if thou wilt; nevertheless, take heed that here is +no King’s Court. There is, forsooth, a folk that +serveth me (or, it may be, more than one), of whom thou wert best +to know nought. Of others I have but two servants, whom +thou wilt see; and the one is a strange creature, who should +scare thee or scathe thee with a good will, but of a good will +shall serve nought save me; the other is a woman, a thrall, of +little avail, save that, being compelled, she will work +woman’s service for me, but whom none else shall compel . . +. Yea, but what is all this to thee; or to me that I should tell +it to thee? I will not drive thee away; but if thine +entertainment please thee not, make no plaint thereof to me, but +depart at thy will. Now is this talk betwixt us overlong, +since, as thou seest, I and this King’s Son are in converse +together. Art thou a King’s Son?”</p> +<p>“Nay, Lady,” said Walter, “I am but of the +sons of the merchants.”</p> +<p>“It matters not,” she said; “go thy ways +into one of the chambers.”</p> +<p>And straightway she fell a-talking to the man who sat beside +her concerning the singing of the birds beneath her window in the +morning; and of how she had bathed her that day in a pool of the +woodlands, when she had been heated with hunting, and so forth; +and all as if there had been none there save her and the +King’s Son.</p> +<p>But Walter departed all ashamed, as though he had been a poor +man thrust away from a rich kinsman’s door; and he said to +himself that this woman was hateful, and nought love-worthy, and +that she was little like to tempt him, despite all the fairness +of her body.</p> +<p>No one else he saw in the house that even; he found meat and +drink duly served on a fair table, and thereafter he came on a +goodly bed, and all things needful, but no child of Adam to do +him service, or bid him welcome or warning. Nevertheless he +ate, and drank, and slept, and put off thought of all these +things till the morrow, all the more as he hoped to see the kind +maiden some time betwixt sunrise and sunset on that new day.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XII: THE WEARING OF FOUR DAYS IN THE WOOD BEYOND THE +WORLD</h2> +<p>He arose betimes, but found no one to greet him, neither was +there any sound of folk moving within the fair house; so he but +broke his fast, and then went forth and wandered amongst the +trees, till he found him a stream to bathe in, and after he had +washed the night off him he lay down under a tree thereby for a +while, but soon turned back toward the house, lest perchance the +Maid should come thither and he should miss her.</p> +<p>It should be said that half a bow-shot from the house on that +side (i.e. due north thereof) was a little hazel-brake, and round +about it the trees were smaller of kind than the oaks and +chestnuts he had passed through before, being mostly of birch and +quicken-beam and young ash, with small wood betwixt them; so now +he passed through the thicket, and, coming to the edge thereof, +beheld the Lady and the King’s Son walking together hand in +hand, full lovingly by seeming.</p> +<p>He deemed it unmeet to draw back and hide him, so he went +forth past them toward the house. The King’s Son +scowled on him as he passed, but the Lady, over whose beauteous +face flickered the joyous morning smiles, took no more heed of +him than if he had been one of the trees of the wood. But +she had been so high and disdainful with him the evening before, +that he thought little of that. The twain went on, skirting +the hazel-copse, and he could not choose but turn his eyes on +them, so sorely did the Lady’s beauty draw them. Then +befell another thing; for behind them the boughs of the hazels +parted, and there stood that little evil thing, he or another of +his kind; for he was quite unclad, save by his fell of +yellowy-brown hair, and that he was girt with a leathern girdle, +wherein was stuck an ugly two-edged knife: he stood upright a +moment, and cast his eyes at Walter and grinned, but not as if he +knew him; and scarce could Walter say whether it were the one he +had seen, or another: then he cast himself down on his belly, and +fell to creeping through the long grass like a serpent, following +the footsteps of the Lady and her lover; and now, as he crept, +Walter deemed, in his loathing, that the creature was liker to a +ferret than aught else. He crept on marvellous swiftly, and +was soon clean out of sight. But Walter stood staring after +him for a while, and then lay down by the copse-side, that he +might watch the house and the entry thereof; for he thought, now +perchance presently will the kind maiden come hither to comfort +me with a word or two. But hour passed by hour, and still +she came not; and still he lay there, and thought of the Maid, +and longed for her kindness and wisdom, till he could not refrain +his tears, and wept for the lack of her. Then he arose, and +went and sat in the porch, and was very downcast of mood.</p> +<p>But as he sat there, back comes the Lady again, the +King’s Son leading her by the hand; they entered the porch, +and she passed by him so close that the odour of her raiment +filled all the air about him, and the sleekness of her side nigh +touched him, so that he could not fail to note that her garments +were somewhat disarrayed, and that she kept her right hand (for +her left the King’s Son held) to her bosom to hold the +cloth together there, whereas the rich raiment had been torn off +from her right shoulder. As they passed by him, the +King’s Son once more scowled on him, wordless, but even +more fiercely than before; and again the Lady heeded him +nought.</p> +<p>After they had gone on a while, he entered the hall, and found +it empty from end to end, and no sound in it save the tinkling of +the fountain; but there was victual set on the board. He +ate and drank thereof to keep life lusty within him, and then +went out again to the wood-side to watch and to long; and the +time hung heavy on his hands because of the lack of the fair +Maiden.</p> +<p>He was of mind not to go into the house to his rest that +night, but to sleep under the boughs of the forest. But a +little after sunset he saw a bright-clad image moving amidst the +carven images of the porch, and the King’s Son came forth +and went straight to him, and said: “Thou art to enter the +house, and go into thy chamber forthwith, and by no means to go +forth of it betwixt sunset and sunrise. My Lady will not +away with thy prowling round the house in the +night-tide.”</p> +<p>Therewith he turned away, and went into the house again; and +Walter followed him soberly, remembering how the Maid had bidden +him forbear. So he went to his chamber, and slept.</p> +<p>But amidst of the night he awoke and deemed that he heard a +voice not far off, so he crept out of his bed and peered around, +lest, perchance, the Maid had come to speak with him; but his +chamber was dusk and empty: then he went to the window and looked +out, and saw the moon shining bright and white upon the +greensward. And lo! the Lady walking with the King’s +Son, and he clad in thin and wanton raiment, but she in nought +else save what God had given her of long, crispy yellow +hair. Then was Walter ashamed to look on her, seeing that +there was a man with her, and gat him back to his bed; but yet a +long while ere he slept again he had the image before his eyes of +the fair woman on the dewy moonlit grass.</p> +<p>The next day matters went much the same way, and the next +also, save that his sorrow was increased, and he sickened sorely +of hope deferred. On the fourth day also the forenoon wore +as erst; but in the heat of the afternoon Walter sought to the +hazel-copse, and laid him down there hard by a little clearing +thereof, and slept from very weariness of grief. There, +after a while, he woke with words still hanging in his ears, and +he knew at once that it was they twain talking together.</p> +<p>The King’s Son had just done his say, and now it was the +Lady beginning in her honey-sweet voice, low but strong, wherein +even was a little of huskiness; she said: “Otto, belike it +were well to have a little patience, till we find out what the +man is, and whence he cometh; it will always be easy to rid us of +him; it is but a word to our Dwarf-king, and it will be done in a +few minutes.”</p> +<p>“Patience!” said the King’s Son, angrily; +“I wot not how to have patience with him; for I can see of +him that he is rude and violent and headstrong, and a low-born +wily one. Forsooth, he had patience enough with me the +other even, when I rated him in, like the dog that he is, and he +had no manhood to say one word to me. Soothly, as he +followed after me, I had a mind to turn about and deal him a +buffet on the face, to see if I could but draw one angry word +from him.”</p> +<p>The Lady laughed, and said: “Well, Otto, I know not; +that which thou deemest dastardy in him may be but prudence and +wisdom, and he an alien, far from his friends and nigh to his +foes. Perchance we shall yet try him what he is. +Meanwhile, I rede thee try him not with buffets, save he be +weaponless and with bounden hands; or else I deem that but a +little while shalt thou be fain of thy blow.”</p> +<p>Now when Walter heard her words and the voice wherein they +were said, he might not forbear being stirred by them, and to +him, all lonely there, they seemed friendly.</p> +<p>But he lay still, and the King’s Son answered the Lady +and said: “I know not what is in thine heart concerning +this runagate, that thou shouldst bemock me with his valiancy, +whereof thou knowest nought. If thou deem me unworthy of +thee, send me back safe to my father’s country; I may look +to have worship there; yea, and the love of fair women +belike.”</p> +<p>Therewith it seemed as if he had put forth his hand to the +Lady to caress her, for she said: “Nay, lay not thine hand +on my shoulder, for to-day and now it is not the hand of love, +but of pride and folly, and would-be mastery. Nay, neither +shalt thou rise up and leave me until thy mood is softer and +kinder to me.”</p> +<p>Then was there silence betwixt them a while, and thereafter +the King’s Son spake in a wheedling voice: “My +goddess, I pray thee pardon me! But canst thou wonder that +I fear thy wearying of me, and am therefore peevish and jealous? +thou so far above the Queens of the World, and I a poor youth +that without thee were nothing!”</p> +<p>She answered nought, and he went on again: “Was it not +so, O goddess, that this man of the sons of the merchants was +little heedful of thee, and thy loveliness and thy +majesty?”</p> +<p>She laughed and said: “Maybe he deemed not that he had +much to gain of us, seeing thee sitting by our side, and whereas +we spake to him coldly and sternly and disdainfully. +Withal, the poor youth was dazzled and shamefaced before us; that +we could see in the eyes and the mien of him.”</p> +<p>Now this she spoke so kindly and sweetly, that again was +Walter all stirred thereat; and it came into his mind that it +might be she knew he was anigh and hearing her, and that she +spake as much for him as for the King’s Son: but that one +answered: “Lady, didst thou not see somewhat else in his +eyes, to wit, that they had but of late looked on some fair woman +other than thee? As for me, I deem it not so unlike that on +the way to thine hall he may have fallen in with thy +Maid.”</p> +<p>He spoke in a faltering voice, as if shrinking from some storm +that might come. And forsooth the Lady’s voice was +changed as she answered, though there was no outward heat in it; +rather it was sharp and eager and cold at once. She said: +“Yea, that is not ill thought of; but we may not always +keep our thrall in mind. If it be so as thou deemest, we +shall come to know it most like when we next fall in with her; or +if she hath been shy this time, then shall she pay the heavier +for it; for we will question her by the Fountain in the Hall as +to what betid by the Fountain of the Rock.”</p> +<p>Spake the King’s Son, faltering yet more: “Lady, +were it not better to question the man himself? the Maid is +stout-hearted, and will not be speedily quelled into a true tale; +whereas the man I deem of no account.”</p> +<p>“No, no,” said the Lady sharply, “it shall +not be.”</p> +<p>Then was she silent a while; and then she said: “How if +the man should prove to be our master?”</p> +<p>“Nay, our Lady,” said the King’s Son, +“thou art jesting with me; thou and thy might and thy +wisdom, and all that thy wisdom may command, to be over-mastered +by a gangrel churl!”</p> +<p>“But how if I will not have it command, King’s +Son?” said the Lady. “I tell thee I know thine +heart, but thou knowest not mine. But be at peace! +For since thou hast prayed for this woman—nay, not with thy +words, I wot, but with thy trembling hands, and thine anxious +eyes, and knitted brow—I say, since thou hast prayed for +her so earnestly, she shall escape this time. But whether +it will be to her gain in the long run, I misdoubt me. See +thou to that, Otto! thou who hast held me in thine arms so +oft. And now thou mayest depart if thou wilt.”</p> +<p>It seemed to Walter as if the King’s Son were +dumbfoundered at her words: he answered nought, and presently he +rose from the ground, and went his ways slowly toward the +house. The Lady lay there a little while, and then went her +ways also; but turned away from the house toward the wood at the +other end thereof, whereby Walter had first come thither.</p> +<p>As for Walter, he was confused in mind and shaken in spirit; +and withal he seemed to see guile and cruel deeds under the talk +of those two, and waxed wrathful thereat. Yet he said to +himself, that nought might he do, but was as one bound hand and +foot, till he had seen the Maid again.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XIII: NOW IS THE HUNT UP</h2> +<p>Next morning was he up betimes, but he was cast down and heavy +of heart, not looking for aught else to betide than had betid +those last four days. But otherwise it fell out; for when +he came down into the hall, there was the lady sitting on the +high-seat all alone, clad but in a coat of white linen; and she +turned her head when she heard his footsteps, and looked on him, +and greeted him, and said: “Come hither, guest.”</p> +<p>So he went and stood before her, and she said: “Though +as yet thou hast had no welcome here, and no honour, it hath not +entered into thine heart to flee from us; and to say sooth, that +is well for thee, for flee away from our hand thou mightest not, +nor mightest thou depart without our furtherance. But for +this we can thee thank, that thou hast abided here our bidding +and eaten thine heart through the heavy wearing of four days, and +made no plaint. Yet I cannot deem thee a dastard; thou so +well knit and shapely of body, so clear-eyed and bold of +visage. Wherefore now I ask thee, art thou willing to do me +service, thereby to earn thy guesting?”</p> +<p>Walter answered her, somewhat faltering at first, for he was +astonished at the change which had come over her; for now she +spoke to him in friendly wise, though indeed as a great lady +would speak to a young man ready to serve her in all +honour. Said he: “Lady, I can thank thee humbly and +heartily in that thou biddest me do thee service; for these days +past I have loathed the emptiness of the hours, and nought better +could I ask for than to serve so glorious a Mistress in all +honour.”</p> +<p>She frowned somewhat, and said: “Thou shalt not call me +Mistress; there is but one who so calleth me, that is my thrall; +and thou art none such. Thou shalt call me Lady, and I +shall be well pleased that thou be my squire, and for this +present thou shalt serve me in the hunting. So get thy +gear; take thy bow and arrows, and gird thee to thy sword. +For in this fair land may one find beasts more perilous than be +buck or hart. I go now to array me; we will depart while +the day is yet young; for so make we the summer day the +fairest.”</p> +<p>He made obeisance to her, and she arose and went to her +chamber, and Walter dight himself, and then abode her in the +porch; and in less than an hour she came out of the hall, and +Walter’s heart beat when he saw that the Maid followed her +hard at heel, and scarce might he school his eyes not to gaze +over-eagerly at his dear friend. She was clad even as she +was before, and was changed in no wise, save that love troubled +her face when she first beheld him, and she had much ado to +master it: howbeit the Mistress heeded not the trouble of her, or +made no semblance of heeding it, till the Maiden’s face was +all according to its wont.</p> +<p>But this Walter found strange, that after all that disdain of +the Maid’s thralldom which he had heard of the Mistress, +and after all the threats against her, now was the Mistress +become mild and debonaire to her, as a good lady to her good +maiden. When Walter bowed the knee to her, she turned unto +the Maid, and said: “Look thou, my Maid, at this fair new +Squire that I have gotten! Will not he be valiant in the +greenwood? And see whether he be well shapen or not. +Doth he not touch thine heart, when thou thinkest of all the woe, +and fear, and trouble of the World beyond the Wood, which he hath +escaped, to dwell in this little land peaceably, and well-beloved +both by the Mistress and the Maid? And thou, my Squire, +look a little at this fair slim Maiden, and say if she pleaseth +thee not: didst thou deem that we had any thing so fair in this +lonely place?”</p> +<p>Frank and kind was the smile on her radiant visage, nor did +she seem to note any whit the trouble on Walter’s face, nor +how he strove to keep his eyes from the Maid. As for her, +she had so wholly mastered her countenance, that belike she used +her face guilefully, for she stood as one humble but happy, with +a smile on her face, blushing, and with her head hung down as if +shamefaced before a goodly young man, a stranger.</p> +<p>But the Lady looked upon her kindly and said: “Come +hither, child, and fear not this frank and free young man, who +belike feareth thee a little, and full certainly feareth me; and +yet only after the manner of men.”</p> +<p>And therewith she took the Maid by the hand and drew her to +her, and pressed her to her bosom, and kissed her cheeks and her +lips, and undid the lacing of her gown and bared a shoulder of +her, and swept away her skirt from her feet; and then turned to +Walter and said: “Lo thou, Squire! is not this a lovely +thing to have grown up amongst our rough oak-boles? What! +art thou looking at the iron ring there? It is nought, save +a token that she is mine, and that I may not be without +her.”</p> +<p>Then she took the Maid by the shoulders and turned her about +as in sport, and said: “Go thou now, and bring hither the +good grey ones; for needs must we bring home some venison to-day, +whereas this stout warrior may not feed on nought save manchets +and honey.”</p> +<p>So the Maid went her way, taking care, as Walter deemed, to +give no side glance to him. But he stood there shamefaced, +so confused with all this openhearted kindness of the great Lady +and with the fresh sight of the darling beauty of the Maid, that +he went nigh to thinking that all he had heard since he had come +to the porch of the house that first time was but a dream of +evil.</p> +<p>But while he stood pondering these matters, and staring before +him as one mazed, the Lady laughed out in his face, and touched +him on the arm and said: “Ah, our Squire, is it so that now +thou hast seen my Maid thou wouldst with a good will abide behind +to talk with her? But call to mind thy word pledged to me +e’en now! And moreover I tell thee this for thy +behoof now she is out of ear-shot, that I will above all things +take thee away to-day: for there be other eyes, and they nought +uncomely, that look at whiles on my fair-ankled thrall; and who +knows but the swords might be out if I take not the better heed, +and give thee not every whit of thy will.”</p> +<p>As she spoke and moved forward, he turned a little, so that +now the edge of that hazel-coppice was within his eye-shot, and +he deemed that once more he saw the yellow-brown evil thing +crawling forth from the thicket; then, turning suddenly on the +Lady, he met her eyes, and seemed in one moment of time to find a +far other look in them than that of frankness and kindness; +though in a flash they changed back again, and she said merrily +and sweetly: “So, so, Sir Squire, now art thou awake again, +and mayest for a little while look on me.”</p> +<p>Now it came into his head, with that look of hers, all that +might befall him and the Maid if he mastered not his passion, nor +did what he might to dissemble; so he bent the knee to her, and +spoke boldly to her in her own vein, and said: “Nay, most +gracious of ladies, never would I abide behind to-day since thou +farest afield. But if my speech be hampered, or mine eyes +stray, is it not because my mind is confused by thy beauty, and +the honey of kind words which floweth from thy mouth?”</p> +<p>She laughed outright at his word, but not disdainfully, and +said: “This is well spoken, Squire, and even what a squire +should say to his liege lady, when the sun is up on a fair +morning, and she and he and all the world are glad.”</p> +<p>She stood quite near him as she spoke, her hand was on his +shoulder, and her eyes shone and sparkled. Sooth to say, +that excusing of his confusion was like enough in seeming to the +truth; for sure never creature was fashioned fairer than she: +clad she was for the greenwood as the hunting-goddess of the +Gentiles, with her green gown gathered unto her girdle, and +sandals on her feet; a bow in her hand and a quiver at her back: +she was taller and bigger of fashion than the dear Maiden, whiter +of flesh, and more glorious, and brighter of hair; as a flower of +flowers for fairness and fragrance.</p> +<p>She said: “Thou art verily a fair squire before the hunt +is up, and if thou be as good in the hunting, all will be better +than well, and the guest will be welcome. But lo! here +cometh our Maid with the good grey ones. Go meet her, and +we will tarry no longer than for thy taking the leash in +hand.”</p> +<p>So Walter looked, and saw the Maid coming with two couple of +great hounds in the leash straining against her as she came +along. He ran lightly to meet her, wondering if he should +have a look, or a half-whisper from her; but she let him take the +white thongs from her hand, with the same half-smile of +shamefacedness still set on her face, and, going past him, came +softly up to the Lady, swaying like a willow-branch in the wind, +and stood before her, with her arms hanging down by her +sides. Then the Lady turned to her, and said: “Look +to thyself, our Maid, while we are away. This fair young +man thou needest not to fear indeed, for he is good and leal; but +what thou shalt do with the King’s Son I wot not. He +is a hot lover forsooth, but a hard man; and whiles evil is his +mood, and perilous both to thee and me. And if thou do his +will, it shall be ill for thee; and if thou do it not, take heed +of him, and let me, and me only, come between his wrath and +thee. I may do somewhat for thee. Even yesterday he +was instant with me to have thee chastised after the manner of +thralls; but I bade him keep silence of such words, and jeered +him and mocked him, till he went away from me peevish and in +anger. So look to it that thou fall not into any trap of +his contrivance.”</p> +<p>Then the Maid cast herself at the Mistress’s feet, and +kissed and embraced them; and as she rose up, the Lady laid her +hand lightly on her head, and then, turning to Walter, cried out: +“Now, Squire, let us leave all these troubles and wiles and +desires behind us, and flit through the merry greenwood like the +Gentiles of old days.”</p> +<p>And therewith she drew up the laps of her gown till the +whiteness of her knees was seen, and set off swiftly toward the +wood that lay south of the house, and Walter followed, marvelling +at her goodliness; nor durst he cast a look backward to the +Maiden, for he knew that she desired him, and it was her only +that he looked to for his deliverance from this house of guile +and lies.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XIV: THE HUNTING OF THE HART</h2> +<p>As they went, they found a change in the land, which grew +emptier of big and wide-spreading trees, and more beset with +thickets. From one of these they roused a hart, and Walter +let slip his hounds thereafter and he and the Lady followed +running. Exceeding swift was she, and well-breathed withal, +so that Walter wondered at her; and eager she was in the chase as +the very hounds, heeding nothing the scratching of briars or the +whipping of stiff twigs as she sped on. But for all their +eager hunting, the quarry outran both dogs and folk, and gat him +into a great thicket, amidmost whereof was a wide plash of +water. Into the thicket they followed him, but he took to +the water under their eyes and made land on the other side; and +because of the tangle of underwood, he swam across much faster +than they might have any hope to come round on him; and so were +the hunters left undone for that time.</p> +<p>So the Lady cast herself down on the green grass anigh the +water, while Walter blew the hounds in and coupled them up; then +he turned round to her, and lo! she was weeping for despite that +they had lost the quarry; and again did Walter wonder that so +little a matter should raise a passion of tears in her. He +durst not ask what ailed her, or proffer her solace, but was not +ill apaid by beholding her loveliness as she lay.</p> +<p>Presently she raised up her head and turned to Walter, and +spake to him angrily and said: “Squire, why dost thou stand +staring at me like a fool?”</p> +<p>“Yea, Lady,” he said; “but the sight of thee +maketh me foolish to do aught else but to look on +thee.”</p> +<p>She said, in a peevish voice: “Tush, Squire, the day is +too far spent for soft and courtly speeches; what was good there +is nought so good here. Withal, I know more of thine heart +than thou deemest.”</p> +<p>Walter hung down his head and reddened, and she looked on him, +and her face changed, and she smiled and said, kindly this time: +“Look ye, Squire, I am hot and weary, and ill-content; but +presently it will be better with me; for my knees have been +telling my shoulders that the cold water of this little lake will +be sweet and pleasant this summer noonday, and that I shall +forget my foil when I have taken my pleasure therein. +Wherefore, go thou with thine hounds without the thicket and +there abide my coming. And I bid thee look not aback as +thou goest, for therein were peril to thee: I shall not keep thee +tarrying long alone.”</p> +<p>He bowed his head to her, and turned and went his ways. +And now, when he was a little space away from her, he deemed her +indeed a marvel of women, and wellnigh forgat all his doubts and +fears concerning her, whether she were a fair image fashioned out +of lies and guile, or it might be but an evil thing in the shape +of a goodly woman. Forsooth, when he saw her caressing the +dear and friendly Maid, his heart all turned against her, despite +what his eyes and his ears told his mind, and she seemed like as +it were a serpent enfolding the simplicity of the body which he +loved.</p> +<p>But now it was all changed, and he lay on the grass and longed +for her coming; which was delayed for somewhat more than an +hour. Then she came back to him, smiling and fresh and +cheerful, her green gown let down to her heels.</p> +<p>He sprang up to meet her, and she came close to him, and spake +from a laughing face: “Squire, hast thou no meat in thy +wallet? For, meseemeth, I fed thee when thou wert hungry +the other day; do thou now the same by me.”</p> +<p>He smiled, and louted to her, and took his wallet and brought +out thence bread and flesh and wine, and spread them all out +before her on the green grass, and then stood by humbly before +her. But she said: “Nay, my Squire, sit down by me +and eat with me, for to-day are we both hunters +together.”</p> +<p>So he sat down by her trembling, but neither for awe of her +greatness, nor for fear and horror of her guile and sorcery.</p> +<p>A while they sat there together after they had done their +meat, and the Lady fell a-talking with Walter concerning the +parts of the earth, and the manners of men, and of his +journeyings to and fro.</p> +<p>At last she said: “Thou hast told me much and answered +all my questions wisely, and as my good Squire should, and that +pleaseth me. But now tell me of the city wherein thou wert +born and bred; a city whereof thou hast hitherto told me +nought.”</p> +<p>“Lady,” he said, “it is a fair and a great +city, and to many it seemeth lovely. But I have left it, +and now it is nothing to me.”</p> +<p>“Hast thou not kindred there?” said she.</p> +<p>“Yea,” said he, “and foemen withal; and a +false woman waylayeth my life there.”</p> +<p>“And what was she?” said the Lady.</p> +<p>Said Walter: “She was but my wife.”</p> +<p>“Was she fair?” said the Lady.</p> +<p>Walter looked on her a while, and then said: “I was +going to say that she was wellnigh as fair as thou; but that may +scarce be. Yet was she very fair. But now, kind and +gracious Lady, I will say this word to thee: I marvel that thou +askest so many things concerning the city of Langton on Holm, +where I was born, and where are my kindred yet; for meseemeth +that thou knowest it thyself.”</p> +<p>“I know it, I?” said the Lady.</p> +<p>“What, then! thou knowest it not?” said +Walter.</p> +<p>Spake the Lady, and some of her old disdain was in her words: +“Dost thou deem that I wander about the world and its +cheaping-steads like one of the chap-men? Nay, I dwell in +the Wood beyond the World, and nowhere else. What hath put +this word into thy mouth?”</p> +<p>He said: “Pardon me, Lady, if I have misdone; but thus +it was: Mine own eyes beheld thee going down the quays of our +city, and thence a ship-board, and the ship sailed out of the +haven. And first of all went a strange dwarf, whom I have +seen here, and then thy Maid; and then went thy gracious and +lovely body.”</p> +<p>The Lady’s face changed as he spoke, and she turned red +and then pale, and set her teeth; but she refrained her, and +said: “Squire, I see of thee that thou art no liar, nor +light of wit, therefore I suppose that thou hast verily seen some +appearance of me; but never have I been in Langton, nor thought +thereof, nor known that such a stead there was until thou namedst +it e’en now. Wherefore, I deem that an enemy hath +cast the shadow of me on the air of that land.”</p> +<p>“Yea, my Lady,” said Walter; “and what enemy +mightest thou have to have done this?”</p> +<p>She was slow of answer, but spake at last from a quivering +mouth of anger: “Knowest thou not the saw, that a +man’s foes are they of his own house? If I find out +for a truth who hath done this, the said enemy shall have an evil +hour with me.”</p> +<p>Again she was silent, and she clenched her hands and strained +her limbs in the heat of her anger; so that Walter was afraid of +her, and all his misgivings came back to his heart again, and he +repented that he had told her so much. But in a little +while all that trouble and wrath seemed to flow off her, and +again was she of good cheer, and kind and sweet to him and she +said: “But in sooth, however it may be, I thank thee, my +Squire and friend, for telling me hereof. And surely no +wyte do I lay on thee. And, moreover, is it not this vision +which hath brought thee hither?”</p> +<p>“So it is, Lady,” said he.</p> +<p>“Then have we to thank it,” said the Lady, +“and thou art welcome to our land.”</p> +<p>And therewith she held out her hand to him, and he took it on +his knees and kissed it: and then it was as if a red-hot iron had +run through his heart, and he felt faint, and bowed down his +head. But he held her hand yet, and kissed it many times, +and the wrist and the arm, and knew not where he was.</p> +<p>But she drew a little away from him, and arose and said: +“Now is the day wearing, and if we are to bear back any +venison we must buckle to the work. So arise, Squire, and +take the hounds and come with me; for not far off is a little +thicket which mostly harbours foison of deer, great and +small. Let us come our ways.”</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XV: THE SLAYING OF THE QUARRY</h2> +<p>So they walked on quietly thence some half a mile, and ever +the Lady would have Walter to walk by her side, and not follow a +little behind her, as was meet for a servant to do; and she +touched his hand at whiles as she showed him beast and fowl and +tree, and the sweetness of her body overcame him, so that for a +while he thought of nothing save her.</p> +<p>Now when they were come to the thicket-side, she turned to him +and said: “Squire, I am no ill woodman, so that thou mayst +trust me that we shall not be brought to shame the second time; +and I shall do sagely; so nock an arrow to thy bow, and abide me +here, and stir not hence; for I shall enter this thicket without +the hounds, and arouse the quarry for thee; and see that thou be +brisk and clean-shooting, and then shalt thou have a reward of +me.”</p> +<p>Therewith she drew up her skirts through her girdle again, +took her bent bow in her hand, and drew an arrow out of the +quiver, and stepped lightly into the thicket, leaving him longing +for the sight of her, as he hearkened to the tread of her feet on +the dry leaves, and the rustling of the brake as she thrust +through it.</p> +<p>Thus he stood for a few minutes, and then he heard a kind of +gibbering cry without words, yet as of a woman, coming from the +thicket, and while his heart was yet gathering the thought that +something had gone amiss, he glided swiftly, but with little +stir, into the brake.</p> +<p>He had gone but a little way ere he saw the Lady standing +there in a narrow clearing, her face pale as death, her knees +cleaving together, her body swaying and tottering, her hands +hanging down, and the bow and arrow fallen to the ground; and ten +yards before her a great-headed yellow creature crouching flat to +the earth and slowly drawing nigher.</p> +<p>He stopped short; one arrow was already notched to the string, +and another hung loose to the lesser fingers of his +string-hand. He raised his right hand, and drew and loosed +in a twinkling; the shaft flew close to the Lady’s side, +and straightway all the wood rung with a huge roar, as the yellow +lion turned about to bite at the shaft which had sunk deep into +him behind the shoulder, as if a bolt out of the heavens had +smitten him. But straightway had Walter loosed again, and +then, throwing down his bow, he ran forward with his drawn sword +gleaming in his hand, while the lion weltered and rolled, but had +no might to move forward. Then Walter went up to him warily +and thrust him through to the heart, and leapt aback, lest the +beast might yet have life in him to smite; but he left his +struggling, his huge voice died out, and he lay there moveless +before the hunter.</p> +<p>Walter abode a little, facing him, and then turned about to +the Lady, and she had fallen down in a heap whereas she stood, +and lay there all huddled up and voiceless. So he knelt +down by her, and lifted up her head, and bade her arise, for the +foe was slain. And after a little she stretched out her +limbs, and turned about on the grass, and seemed to sleep, and +the colour came into her face again, and it grew soft and a +little smiling. Thus she lay awhile, and Walter sat by her +watching her, till at last she opened her eyes and sat up, and +knew him, and smiling on him said: “What hath befallen, +Squire, that I have slept and dreamed?”</p> +<p>He answered nothing, till her memory came back to her, and +then she arose, trembling and pale, and said: “Let us leave +this wood, for the Enemy is therein.”</p> +<p>And she hastened away before him till they came out at the +thicket-side whereas the hounds had been left, and they were +standing there uneasy and whining; so Walter coupled them, while +the Lady stayed not, but went away swiftly homeward, and Walter +followed.</p> +<p>At last she stayed her swift feet, and turned round on Walter, +and said: “Squire, come hither.”</p> +<p>So did he, and she said: “I am weary again; let us sit +under this quicken-tree, and rest us.”</p> +<p>So they sat down, and she sat looking between her knees a +while; and at last she said: “Why didst thou not bring the +lion’s hide?”</p> +<p>He said: “Lady, I will go back and flay the beast, and +bring on the hide.”</p> +<p>And he arose therewith, but she caught him by the skirts and +drew him down, and said: “Nay, thou shalt not go; abide +with me. Sit down again.”</p> +<p>He did so, and she said: “Thou shalt not go from me; for +I am afraid: I am not used to looking on the face of +death.”</p> +<p>She grew pale as she spoke, and set a hand to her breast, and +sat so a while without speaking. At last she turned to him +smiling, and said: “How was it with the aspect of me when I +stood before the peril of the Enemy?” And she laid a +hand upon his.</p> +<p>“O gracious one,” quoth he, “thou wert, as +ever, full lovely, but I feared for thee.”</p> +<p>She moved not her hand from his, and she said: “Good and +true Squire, I said ere I entered the thicket e’en now that +I would reward thee if thou slewest the quarry. He is dead, +though thou hast left the skin behind upon the carcase. Ask +now thy reward, but take time to think what it shall +be.”</p> +<p>He felt her hand warm upon his, and drew in the sweet odour of +her mingled with the woodland scents under the hot sun of the +afternoon, and his heart was clouded with manlike desire of +her. And it was a near thing but he had spoken, and craved +of her the reward of the freedom of her Maid, and that he might +depart with her into other lands; but as his mind wavered betwixt +this and that, the Lady, who had been eyeing him keenly, drew her +hand away from him; and therewith doubt and fear flowed into his +mind, and he refrained him of speech.</p> +<p>Then she laughed merrily and said: “The good Squire is +shamefaced; he feareth a lady more than a lion. Will it be +a reward to thee if I bid thee to kiss my cheek?”</p> +<p>Therewith she leaned her face toward him, and he kissed her +well-favouredly, and then sat gazing on her, wondering what +should betide to him on the morrow.</p> +<p>Then she arose and said: “Come, Squire, and let us home; +be not abashed, there shall be other rewards +hereafter.”</p> +<p>So they went their ways quietly; and it was nigh sunset +against they entered the house again. Walter looked round +for the Maid, but beheld her not; and the Lady said to him: +“I go to my chamber, and now is thy service over for this +day.”</p> +<p>Then she nodded to him friendly and went her ways.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XVI: OF THE KING’S SON AND THE MAID</h2> +<p>But as for Walter, he went out of the house again, and fared +slowly over the woodlawns till he came to another close thicket +or brake; he entered from mere wantonness, or that he might be +the more apart and hidden, so as to think over his case. +There he lay down under the thick boughs, but could not so herd +his thoughts that they would dwell steady in looking into what +might come to him within the next days; rather visions of those +two women and the monster did but float before him, and fear and +desire and the hope of life ran to and fro in his mind.</p> +<p>As he lay thus he heard footsteps drawing near, and he looked +between the boughs, and though the sun had just set, he could see +close by him a man and a woman going slowly, and they hand in +hand; at first he deemed it would be the King’s Son and the +Lady, but presently he saw that it was the King’s Son +indeed, but that it was the Maid whom he was holding by the +hand. And now he saw of him that his eyes were bright with +desire, and of her that she was very pale. Yet when he +heard her begin to speak, it was in a steady voice that she said: +“King’s Son, thou hast threatened me oft and +unkindly, and now thou threatenest me again, and no less +unkindly. But whatever were thy need herein before, now is +there no more need; for my Mistress, of whom thou wert weary, is +now grown weary of thee, and belike will not now reward me for +drawing thy love to me, as once she would have done; to wit, +before the coming of this stranger. Therefore I say, since +I am but a thrall, poor and helpless, betwixt you two mighty +ones, I have no choice but to do thy will.”</p> +<p>As she spoke she looked all round about her, as one distraught +by the anguish of fear. Walter, amidst of his wrath and +grief, had wellnigh drawn his sword and rushed out of his lair +upon the King’s Son. But he deemed it sure that, so +doing, he should undo the Maid altogether, and himself also +belike, so he refrained him, though it were a hard matter.</p> +<p>The Maid had stayed her feet now close to where Walter lay, +some five yards from him only, and he doubted whether she saw him +not from where she stood. As to the King’s Son, he +was so intent upon the Maid, and so greedy of her beauty, that it +was not like that he saw anything.</p> +<p>Now moreover Walter looked, and deemed that he beheld +something through the grass and bracken on the other side of +those two, an ugly brown and yellow body, which, if it were not +some beast of the foumart kind, must needs be the monstrous +dwarf, or one of his kin; and the flesh crept upon Walter’s +bones with the horror of him. But the King’s Son +spoke unto the Maid: “Sweetling, I shall take the gift thou +givest me, neither shall I threaten thee any more, howbeit thou +givest it not very gladly or graciously.”</p> +<p>She smiled on him with her lips alone, for her eyes were +wandering and haggard. “My lord,” she said, +“is not this the manner of women?”</p> +<p>“Well,” he said, “I say that I will take thy +love even so given. Yet let me hear again that thou lovest +not that vile newcomer, and that thou hast not seen him, save +this morning along with my Lady. Nay now, thou shalt swear +it.”</p> +<p>“What shall I swear by?” she said.</p> +<p>Quoth he, “Thou shalt swear by my body;” and +therewith he thrust himself close up against her; but she drew +her hand from his, and laid it on his breast, and said: “I +swear it by thy body.”</p> +<p>He smiled on her licorously, and took her by the shoulders, +and kissed her face many times, and then stood aloof from her, +and said: “Now have I had hansel: but tell me, when shall I +come to thee?”</p> +<p>She spoke out clearly: “Within three days at furthest; I +will do thee to wit of the day and the hour to-morrow, or the day +after.”</p> +<p>He kissed her once more, and said: “Forget it not, or +the threat holds good.”</p> +<p>And therewith he turned about and went his ways toward the +house; and Walter saw the yellow-brown thing creeping after him +in the gathering dusk.</p> +<p>As for the Maid, she stood for a while without moving, and +looking after the King’s Son and the creature that followed +him. Then she turned about to where Walter lay and lightly +put aside the boughs, and Walter leapt up, and they stood face to +face. She said softly but eagerly: “Friend, touch me +not yet!”</p> +<p>He spake not, but looked on her sternly. She said: +“Thou art angry with me?”</p> +<p>Still he spake not; but she said: “Friend, this at least +I will pray thee; not to play with life and death; with happiness +and misery. Dost thou not remember the oath which we swore +each to each but a little while ago? And dost thou deem +that I have changed in these few days? Is thy mind +concerning thee and me the same as it was? If it be not so, +now tell me. For now have I the mind to do as if neither +thou nor I are changed to each other, whoever may have kissed +mine unwilling lips, or whomsoever thy lips may have +kissed. But if thou hast changed, and wilt no longer give +me thy love, nor crave mine, then shall this steel” (and +she drew a sharp knife from her girdle) “be for the fool +and the dastard who hath made thee wroth with me, my friend, and +my friend that I deemed I had won. And then let come what +will come! But if thou be nought changed, and the oath yet +holds, then, when a little while hath passed, may we thrust all +evil and guile and grief behind us, and long joy shall lie before +us, and long life, and all honour in death: if only thou wilt do +as I bid thee, O my dear, and my friend, and my first +friend!”</p> +<p>He looked on her, and his breast heaved up as all the +sweetness of her kind love took hold on him, and his face +changed, and the tears filled his eyes and ran over, and rained +down before her, and he stretched out his hand toward her.</p> +<p>Then she said exceeding sweetly: “Now indeed I see that +it is well with me, yea, and with thee also. A sore pain it +is to me, that not even now may I take thine hand, and cast mine +arms about thee, and kiss the lips that love me. But so it +has to be. My dear, even so I were fain to stand here long +before thee, even if we spake no more word to each other; but +abiding here is perilous; for there is ever an evil spy upon my +doings, who has now as I deem followed the King’s Son to +the house, but who will return when he has tracked him home +thither: so we must sunder. But belike there is yet time +for a word or two: first, the rede which I had thought on for our +deliverance is now afoot, though I durst not tell thee thereof, +nor have time thereto. But this much shall I tell thee, +that whereas great is the craft of my Mistress in wizardry, yet I +also have some little craft therein, and this, which she hath +not, to change the aspect of folk so utterly that they seem other +than they verily are; yea, so that one may have the aspect of +another. Now the next thing is this: whatsoever my Mistress +may bid thee, do her will therein with no more nay-saying than +thou deemest may please her. And the next thing: +wheresoever thou mayst meet me, speak not to me, make no sign to +me, even when I seem to be all alone, till I stoop down and touch +the ring on my ankle with my right hand; but if I do so, then +stay thee, without fail, till I speak. The last thing I +will say to thee, dear friend, ere we both go our ways, this it +is. When we are free, and thou knowest all that I have +done, I pray thee deem me not evil and wicked, and be not wroth +with me for my deed; whereas thou wottest well that I am not in +like plight with other women. I have heard tell that when +the knight goeth to the war, and hath overcome his foes by the +shearing of swords and guileful tricks, and hath come back home +to his own folk, they praise him and bless him, and crown him +with flowers, and boast of him before God in the minster for his +deliverance of friend and folk and city. Why shouldst thou +be worse to me than this? Now is all said, my dear and my +friend; farewell, farewell!”</p> +<p>Therewith she turned and went her ways toward the house in all +speed, but making somewhat of a compass. And when she was +gone, Walter knelt down and kissed the place where her feet had +been, and arose thereafter, and made his way toward the house, he +also, but slowly, and staying oft on his way.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XVII: OF THE HOUSE AND THE PLEASANCE IN THE WOOD</h2> +<p>On the morrow morning Walter loitered a while about the house +till the morn was grown old, and then about noon he took his bow +and arrows and went into the woods to the northward, to get him +some venison. He went somewhat far ere he shot him a fawn, +and then he sat him down to rest under the shade of a great +chestnut-tree, for it was not far past the hottest of the +day. He looked around thence and saw below him a little +dale with a pleasant stream running through it, and he bethought +him of bathing therein, so he went down and had his pleasure of +the water and the willowy banks; for he lay naked a while on the +grass by the lip of the water, for joy of the flickering shade, +and the little breeze that ran over the down-long ripples of the +stream.</p> +<p>Then he did on his raiment, and began to come his ways up the +bent, but had scarce gone three steps ere he saw a woman coming +towards him from downstream. His heart came into his mouth +when he saw her, for she stooped and reached down her arm, as if +she would lay her hand on her ankle, so that at first he deemed +it had been the Maid, but at the second eye-shot he saw that it +was the Mistress. She stood still and looked on him, so +that he deemed she would have him come to her. So he went +to meet her, and grew somewhat shamefaced as he drew nigher, and +wondered at her, for now was she clad but in one garment of some +dark grey silky stuff, embroidered with, as it were, a garland of +flowers about the middle, but which was so thin that, as the wind +drifted it from side and limb, it hid her no more, but for the +said garland, than if water were running over her: her face was +full of smiling joy and content as she spake to him in a kind, +caressing voice, and said: “I give thee good day, good +Squire, and well art thou met.” And she held out her +hand to him. He knelt down before her and kissed it, and +abode still upon his knees, and hanging down his head.</p> +<p>But she laughed outright, and stooped down to him, and put her +hand to his arms, and raised him up, and said to him: “What +is this, my Squire, that thou kneelest to me as to an +idol?”</p> +<p>He said faltering: “I wot not; but perchance thou art an +idol; and I fear thee.”</p> +<p>“What!” she said, “more than yesterday, +whenas thou sawest me afraid?”</p> +<p>Said he: “Yea, for that now I see thee unhidden, and +meseemeth there hath been none such since the old days of the +Gentiles.”</p> +<p>She said: “Hast thou not yet bethought thee of a gift to +crave of me, a reward for the slaying of mine enemy, and the +saving of me from death?”</p> +<p>“O my Lady,” he said, “even so much would I +have done for any other lady, or, forsooth, for any poor man; for +so my manhood would have bidden me. Speak not of gifts to +me then. Moreover” (and he reddened therewith, and +his voice faltered), “didst thou not give me my sweet +reward yesterday? What more durst I ask?”</p> +<p>She held her peace awhile, and looked on him keenly; and he +reddened under her gaze. Then wrath came into her face, and +she reddened and knit her brows, and spake to him in a voice of +anger, and said: “Nay, what is this? It is growing in +my mind that thou deemest the gift of me unworthy! Thou, an +alien, an outcast; one endowed with the little wisdom of the +World without the Wood! And here I stand before thee, all +glorious in my nakedness, and so fulfilled of wisdom, that I can +make this wilderness to any whom I love more full of joy than the +kingdoms and cities of the world—and thou!—Ah, but it +is the Enemy that hath done this, and made the guileless +guileful! Yet will I have the upper hand at least, though +thou suffer for it, and I suffer for thee.”</p> +<p>Walter stood before her with hanging head, and he put forth +his hands as if praying off her anger, and pondered what answer +he should make; for now he feared for himself and the Maid; so at +last he looked up to her, and said boldly: “Nay, Lady, I +know what thy words mean, whereas I remember thy first welcome of +me. I wot, forsooth, that thou wouldst call me base-born, +and of no account, and unworthy to touch the hem of thy raiment; +and that I have been over-bold, and guilty towards thee; and +doubtless this is sooth, and I have deserved thine anger: but I +will not ask thee to pardon me, for I have done but what I must +needs.”</p> +<p>She looked on him calmly now, and without any wrath, but +rather as if she would read what was written in his inmost +heart. Then her face changed into joyousness again, and she +smote her palms together, and cried out: “This is but +foolish talk; for yesterday did I see thy valiancy, and to-day I +have seen thy goodliness; and I say, that though thou mightest +not be good enough for a fool woman of the earthly baronage, yet +art thou good enough for me, the wise and the mighty, and the +lovely. And whereas thou sayest that I gave thee but +disdain when first thou camest to us, grudge not against me +therefor, because it was done but to prove thee; and now thou art +proven.”</p> +<p>Then again he knelt down before her, and embraced her knees, +and again she raised him up, and let her arm hang down over his +shoulder, and her cheek brush his cheek; and she kissed his mouth +and said: “Hereby is all forgiven, both thine offence and +mine; and now cometh joy and merry days.”</p> +<p>Therewith her smiling face grew grave, and she stood before +him looking stately and gracious and kind at once, and she took +his hand and said: “Thou mightest deem my chamber in the +Golden House of the Wood over-queenly, since thou art no +masterful man. So now hast thou chosen well the place +wherein to meet me to-day, for hard by on the other side of the +stream is a bower of pleasance, which, forsooth, not every one +who cometh to this land may find; there shall I be to thee as one +of the up-country damsels of thine own land, and thou shalt not +be abashed.”</p> +<p>She sidled up to him as she spoke, and would he, would he not, +her sweet voice tickled his very soul with pleasure, and she +looked aside on him happy and well-content.</p> +<p>So they crossed the stream by the shallow below the pool +wherein Walter had bathed, and within a little they came upon a +tall fence of flake-hurdles, and a simple gate therein. The +Lady opened the same, and they entered thereby into a close all +planted as a most fair garden, with hedges of rose and woodbine, +and with linden-trees a-blossom, and long ways of green grass +betwixt borders of lilies and clove-gilliflowers, and other sweet +garland-flowers. And a branch of the stream which they had +crossed erewhile wandered through that garden; and in the midst +was a little house built of post and pan, and thatched with +yellow straw, as if it were new done.</p> +<p>Then Walter looked this way and that, and wondered at first, +and tried to think in his mind what should come next, and how +matters would go with him; but his thought would not dwell steady +on any other matter than the beauty of the Lady amidst the beauty +of the garden; and withal she was now grown so sweet and kind, +and even somewhat timid and shy with him, that scarce did he know +whose hand he held, or whose fragrant bosom and sleek side went +so close to him.</p> +<p>So they wandered here and there through the waning of the day, +and when they entered at last into the cool dusk house, then they +loved and played together, as if they were a pair of lovers +guileless, with no fear for the morrow, and no seeds of enmity +and death sown betwixt them.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XVIII: THE MAID GIVES WALTER TRYST</h2> +<p>Now, on the morrow, when Walter was awake, he found there was +no one lying beside him, and the day was no longer very young; so +he arose, and went through the garden from end to end, and all +about, and there was none there; and albeit that he dreaded to +meet the Lady there, yet was he sad at heart and fearful of what +might betide. Howsoever, he found the gate whereby they had +entered yesterday, and he went out into the little dale; but when +he had gone a step or two he turned about, and could see neither +garden nor fence, nor any sign of what he had seen thereof but +lately. He knit his brow and stood still to think of it, +and his heart grew the heavier thereby; but presently he went his +ways and crossed the stream, but had scarce come up on to the +grass on the further side, ere he saw a woman coming to meet him, +and at first, full as he was of the tide of yesterday and the +wondrous garden, deemed that it would be the Lady; but the woman +stayed her feet, and, stooping, laid a hand on her right ankle, +and he saw that it was the Maid. He drew anigh to her, and +saw that she was nought so sad of countenance as the last time +she had met him, but flushed of cheek and bright-eyed.</p> +<p>As he came up to her she made a step or two to meet him, +holding out her two hands, and then refrained her, and said +smiling: “Ah, friend, belike this shall be the last time +that I shall say to thee, touch me not, nay, not so much as my +hand, or if it were but the hem of my raiment.”</p> +<p>The joy grew up in his heart, and he gazed on her fondly, and +said: “Why, what hath befallen of late?”</p> +<p>“O friend,” she began, “this hath +befallen.”</p> +<p>But as he looked on her, the smile died from her face, and she +became deadly pale to the very lips; she looked askance to her +left side, whereas ran the stream; and Walter followed her eyes, +and deemed for one instant that he saw the misshapen yellow +visage of the dwarf peering round from a grey rock, but the next +there was nothing. Then the Maid, though she were as pale +as death, went on in a clear, steady, hard voice, wherein was no +joy or kindness, keeping her face to Walter and her back to the +stream: “This hath befallen, friend, that there is no +longer any need to refrain thy love nor mine; therefore I say to +thee, come to my chamber (and it is the red chamber over against +thine, though thou knewest it not) an hour before this next +midnight, and then thy sorrow and mine shall be at an end: and +now I must needs depart. Follow me not, but +remember!”</p> +<p>And therewith she turned about and fled like the wind down the +stream.</p> +<p>But Walter stood wondering, and knew not what to make of it, +whether it were for good or ill: for he knew now that she had +paled and been seized with terror because of the upheaving of the +ugly head; and yet she had seemed to speak out the very thing she +had to say. Howsoever it were, he spake aloud to himself: +Whatever comes, I will keep tryst with her.</p> +<p>Then he drew his sword, and turned this way and that, looking +all about if he might see any sign of the Evil Thing; but nought +might his eyes behold, save the grass, and the stream, and the +bushes of the dale. So then, still holding his naked sword +in his hand, he clomb the bent out of the dale; for that was the +only way he knew to the Golden House; and when he came to the +top, and the summer breeze blew in his face, and he looked down a +fair green slope beset with goodly oaks and chestnuts, he was +refreshed with the life of the earth, and he felt the good sword +in his fist, and knew that there was might and longing in him, +and the world seemed open unto him.</p> +<p>So he smiled, if it were somewhat grimly, and sheathed his +sword and went on toward the house.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XIX: WALTER GOES TO FETCH HOME THE LION’S +HIDE</h2> +<p>He entered the cool dusk through the porch, and, looking down +the pillared hall, saw beyond the fountain a gleam of gold, and +when he came past the said fountain he looked up to the +high-seat, and lo! the Lady sitting there clad in her queenly +raiment. She called to him, and he came; and she hailed +him, and spake graciously and calmly, yet as if she knew nought +of him save as the leal servant of her, a high Lady. +“Squire,” she said, “we have deemed it meet to +have the hide of the servant of the Enemy, the lion to wit, whom +thou slewest yesterday, for a carpet to our feet; wherefore go +now, take thy wood-knife, and flay the beast, and bring me home +his skin. This shall be all thy service for this day, so +mayst thou do it at thine own leisure, and not weary +thyself. May good go with thee.”</p> +<p>He bent the knee before her, and she smiled on him graciously, +but reached out no hand for him to kiss, and heeded him but +little. Wherefore, in spite of himself, and though he knew +somewhat of her guile, he could not help marvelling that this +should be she who had lain in his arms night-long but of +late.</p> +<p>Howso that might be, he took his way toward the thicket where +he had slain the lion, and came thither by then it was afternoon, +at the hottest of the day. So he entered therein, and came +to the very place whereas the Lady had lain, when she fell down +before the terror of the lion; and there was the mark of her body +on the grass where she had lain that while, like as it were the +form of a hare. But when Walter went on to where he had +slain that great beast, lo! he was gone, and there was no sign of +him; but there were Walter’s own footprints, and the two +shafts which he had shot, one feathered red, and one blue. +He said at first: Belike someone hath been here, and hath had the +carcase away. Then he laughed in very despite, and said: +How may that be, since there are no signs of dragging away of so +huge a body, and no blood or fur on the grass if they had cut him +up, and moreover no trampling of feet, as if there had been many +men at the deed. Then was he all abashed, and again laughed +in scorn of himself, and said: Forsooth I deemed I had done +manly; but now forsooth I shot nought, and nought there was +before the sword of my father’s son. And what may I +deem now, but that this is a land of mere lies, and that there is +nought real and alive therein save me. Yea, belike even +these trees and the green grass will presently depart from me, +and leave me falling down through the clouds.</p> +<p>Therewith he turned away, and gat him to the road that led to +the Golden House, wondering what next should befall him, and +going slowly as he pondered his case. So came he to that +first thicket where they had lost their quarry by water; so he +entered the same, musing, and bathed him in the pool that was +therein, after he had wandered about it awhile, and found nothing +new.</p> +<p>So again he set him to the homeward road, when the day was now +waning, and it was near sunset that he was come nigh unto the +house, though it was hidden from him as then by a low bent that +rose before him; and there he abode and looked about him.</p> +<p>Now as he looked, over the said bent came the figure of a +woman, who stayed on the brow thereof and looked all about her, +and then ran swiftly down to meet Walter, who saw at once that it +was the Maid.</p> +<p>She made no stay then till she was but three paces from him, +and then she stooped down and made the sign to him, and then +spake to him breathlessly, and said: “Hearken! but speak +not till I have done: I bade thee to-night’s meeting +because I saw that there was one anigh whom I must needs +beguile. But by thine oath, and thy love, and all that thou +art, I adjure thee come not unto me this night as I bade thee! +but be hidden in the hazel-copse outside the house, as it draws +toward midnight, and abide me there. Dost thou hearken, and +wilt thou? Say yes or no in haste, for I may not tarry a +moment of time. Who knoweth what is behind me?”</p> +<p>“Yes,” said Walter hastily; “but friend and +love—”</p> +<p>“No more,” she said; “hope the best;” +and turning from him she ran away swiftly, not by the way she had +come, but sideways, as though to reach the house by fetching a +compass.</p> +<p>But Walter went slowly on his way, thinking within himself +that now at that present moment there was nought for it but to +refrain him from doing, and to let others do; yet deemed he that +it was little manly to be as the pawn upon the board, pushed +about by the will of others.</p> +<p>Then, as he went, he bethought him of the Maiden’s face +and aspect, as she came running to him, and stood before him for +that minute; and all eagerness he saw in her, and sore love of +him, and distress of soul, all blent together.</p> +<p>So came he to the brow of the bent whence he could see lying +before him, scarce more than a bow-shot away, the Golden House +now gilded again and reddened by the setting sun. And even +therewith came a gay image toward him, flashing back the level +rays from gold and steel and silver; and lo! there was come the +King’s Son. They met presently, and the King’s +Son turned to go beside him, and said merrily: “I give thee +good even, my Lady’s Squire! I owe thee something of +courtesy, whereas it is by thy means that I shall be made happy, +both to-night, and to-morrow, and many to-morrows; and sooth it +is, that but little courtesy have I done thee +hitherto.”</p> +<p>His face was full of joy, and the eyes of him shone with +gladness. He was a goodly man, but to Walter he seemed an +ill one; and he hated him so much, that he found it no easy +matter to answer him; but he refrained himself, and said: +“I can thee thank, King’s Son; and good it is that +someone is happy in this strange land.”</p> +<p>“Art thou not happy then, Squire of my Lady?” said +the other.</p> +<p>Walter had no mind to show this man his heart, nay, nor even a +corner thereof; for he deemed him an enemy. So he smiled +sweetly and somewhat foolishly, as a man luckily in love, and +said: “O yea, yea, why should I not be so? How might +I be otherwise?”</p> +<p>“Yea then,” said the King’s Son, “why +didst thou say that thou wert glad someone is happy? Who is +unhappy, deemest thou?” and he looked on him keenly.</p> +<p>Walter answered slowly: “Said I so? I suppose then +that I was thinking of thee; for when first I saw thee, yea, and +afterwards, thou didst seem heavy-hearted and +ill-content.”</p> +<p>The face of the King’s Son cleared at this word, and he +said: “Yea, so it was; for look you, both ways it was: I +was unfree, and I had sown the true desire of my heart whereas it +waxed not. But now I am on the brink and verge of freedom, +and presently shall my desire be blossomed. Nay now, +Squire, I deem thee a good fellow, though it may be somewhat of a +fool; so I will no more speak riddles to thee. Thus it is: +the Maid hath promised me all mine asking, and is mine; and in +two or three days, by her helping also, I shall see the world +again.”</p> +<p>Quoth Walter, smiling askance on him: “And the Lady? +what shall she say to this matter?”</p> +<p>The King’s Son reddened, but smiled falsely enough, and +said: “Sir Squire, thou knowest enough not to need to ask +this. Why should I tell thee that she accounteth more of +thy little finger than of my whole body? Now I tell thee +hereof freely; first, because this my fruition of love, and my +freeing from thralldom, is, in a way, of thy doing. For +thou art become my supplanter, and hast taken thy place with +yonder lovely tyrant. Fear not for me! she will let me +go. As for thyself, see thou to it! But again I tell +thee hereof because my heart is light and full of joy, and +telling thee will pleasure me, and cannot do me any harm. +For if thou say: How if I carry the tale to my Lady? I +answer, thou wilt not. For I know that thine heart hath +been somewhat set on the jewel that my hand holdeth; and thou +knowest well on whose head the Lady’s wrath would fall, and +that would be neither thine nor mine.”</p> +<p>“Thou sayest sooth,” said Walter; “neither +is treason my wont.”</p> +<p>So they walked on silently a while, and then Walter said: +“But how if the Maiden had nay-said thee; what hadst thou +done then?”</p> +<p>“By the heavens!” said the King’s Son +fiercely, “she should have paid for her nay-say; then would +I—” But he broke off, and said quietly, yet +somewhat doggedly: “Why talk of what might have been? +She gave me her yea-say pleasantly and sweetly.”</p> +<p>Now Walter knew that the man lied, so he held his peace +thereon; but presently he said: “When thou art free wilt +thou go to thine own land again?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the King’s Son; “she will +lead me thither.”</p> +<p>“And wilt thou make her thy lady and queen when thou +comest to thy father’s land?” said Walter.</p> +<p>The King’s Son knit his brow, and said: “When I am +in mine own land I may do with her what I will; but I look for it +that I shall do no otherwise with her than that she shall be +well-content.”</p> +<p>Then the talk between them dropped, and the King’s Son +turned off toward the wood, singing and joyous; but Walter went +soberly toward the house. Forsooth he was not greatly cast +down, for besides that he knew that the King’s Son was +false, he deemed that under this double tryst lay something which +was a-doing in his own behalf. Yet was he eager and +troubled, if not down-hearted, and his soul was cast about +betwixt hope and fear.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XX: WALTER IS BIDDEN TO ANOTHER TRYST</h2> +<p>So came he into the pillared hall, and there he found the Lady +walking to and fro by the high-seat; and when he drew nigh she +turned on him, and said in a voice rather eager than angry: +“What hast thou done, Squire? Why art thou come +before me?”</p> +<p>He was abashed, and bowed before her and said: “O +gracious Lady, thou badest me service, and I have been about +it.”</p> +<p>She said: “Tell me then, tell me, what hath +betided?”</p> +<p>“Lady,” said he, “when I entered the thicket +of thy swooning I found there no carcase of the lion, nor any +sign of the dragging away of him.”</p> +<p>She looked full in his face for a little, and then went to her +chair, and sat down therein; and in a little while spake to him +in a softer voice, and said: “Did I not tell thee that some +enemy had done that unto me? and lo! now thou seest that so it +is.”</p> +<p>Then was she silent again, and knit her brows and set her +teeth; and thereafter she spake harshly and fiercely: “But +I will overcome her, and make her days evil, but keep death away +from her, that she may die many times over; and know all the +sickness of the heart, when foes be nigh, and friends afar, and +there is none to deliver!”</p> +<p>Her eyes flashed, and her face was dark with anger; but she +turned and caught Walter’s eyes, and the sternness of his +face, and she softened at once, and said: “But thou! this +hath little to do with thee; and now to thee I speak: Now cometh +even and night. Go thou to thy chamber, and there shalt +thou find raiment worthy of thee, what thou now art, and what +thou shalt be; do on the same, and make thyself most goodly, and +then come thou hither and eat and drink with me, and afterwards +depart whither thou wilt, till the night has worn to its midmost; +and then come thou to my chamber, to wit, through the ivory door +in the gallery above; and then and there shall I tell thee a +thing, and it shall be for the weal both of thee and of me, but +for the grief and woe of the Enemy.”</p> +<p>Therewith she reached her hand to him, and he kissed it, and +departed and came to his chamber, and found raiment therebefore +rich beyond measure; and he wondered if any new snare lay +therein: yet if there were, he saw no way whereby he might escape +it, so he did it on, and became as the most glorious of kings, +and yet lovelier than any king of the world.</p> +<p>Sithence he went his way into the pillared hall, when it was +now night, and without the moon was up, and the trees of the wood +as still as images. But within the hall shone bright with +many candles, and the fountain glittered in the light of them, as +it ran tinkling sweetly into the little stream; and the silvern +bridges gleamed, and the pillars shone all round about.</p> +<p>And there on the dais was a table dight most royally, and the +Lady sitting thereat, clad in her most glorious array, and behind +her the Maid standing humbly, yet clad in precious web of +shimmering gold, but with feet unshod, and the iron ring upon her +ankle.</p> +<p>So Walter came his ways to the high-seat, and the Lady rose +and greeted him, and took him by the hands, and kissed him on +either cheek, and sat him down beside her. So they fell to +their meat, and the Maid served them; but the Lady took no more +heed of her than if she were one of the pillars of the hall; but +Walter she caressed oft with sweet words, and the touch of her +hand, making him drink out of her cup and eat out of her +dish. As to him, he was bashful by seeming, but verily +fearful; he took the Lady’s caresses with what grace he +might, and durst not so much as glance at her Maid. Long +indeed seemed that banquet to him, and longer yet endured the +weariness of his abiding there, kind to his foe and unkind to his +friend; for after the banquet they still sat a while, and the +Lady talked much to Walter about many things of the ways of the +world, and he answered what he might, distraught as he was with +the thought of those two trysts which he had to deal with.</p> +<p>At last spake the Lady and said: “Now must I leave thee +for a little, and thou wottest where and how we shall meet next; +and meanwhile disport thee as thou wilt, so that thou weary not +thyself, for I love to see thee joyous.”</p> +<p>Then she arose stately and grand; but she kissed Walter on the +mouth ere she turned to go out of the hall. The Maid +followed her; but or ever she was quite gone, she stooped and +made that sign, and looked over her shoulder at Walter, as if in +entreaty to him, and there was fear and anguish in her face; but +he nodded his head to her in yea-say of the tryst in the +hazel-copse, and in a trice she was gone.</p> +<p>Walter went down the hall, and forth into the early night; but +in the jaws of the porch he came up against the King’s Son, +who, gazing at his attire glittering with all its gems in the +moonlight, laughed out, and said: “Now may it be seen how +thou art risen in degree above me, whereas I am but a +king’s son, and that a king of a far country; whereas thou +art a king of kings, or shalt be this night, yea, and of this +very country wherein we both are.”</p> +<p>Now Walter saw the mock which lay under his words; but he kept +back his wrath, and answered: “Fair sir, art thou as well +contented with thy lot as when the sun went down? Hast thou +no doubt or fear? Will the Maid verily keep tryst with +thee, or hath she given thee yea-say but to escape thee this +time? Or, again, may she not turn to the Lady and appeal to +her against thee?”</p> +<p>Now when he had spoken these words, he repented thereof, and +feared for himself and the Maid, lest he had stirred some +misgiving in that young man’s foolish heart. But the +King’s Son did but laugh, and answered nought but to +Walter’s last words, and said: “Yea, yea! this word +of thine showeth how little thou wottest of that which lieth +betwixt my darling and thine. Doth the lamb appeal from the +shepherd to the wolf? Even so shall the Maid appeal from me +to thy Lady. What! ask thy Lady at thy leisure what her +wont hath been with her thrall; she shall think it a fair tale to +tell thee thereof. But thereof is my Maid all whole now by +reason of her wisdom in leechcraft, or somewhat more. And +now I tell thee again, that the beforesaid Maid must needs do my +will; for if I be the deep sea, and I deem not so ill of myself, +that other one is the devil; as belike thou shalt find out for +thyself later on. Yea, all is well with me, and more than +well.”</p> +<p>And therewith he swung merrily into the litten hall. But +Walter went out into the moonlit night, and wandered about for an +hour or more, and stole warily into the hall and thence into his +own chamber. There he did off that royal array, and did his +own raiment upon him; he girt him with sword and knife, took his +bow and quiver, and stole down and out again, even as he had come +in. Then he fetched a compass, and came down into the +hazel-coppice from the north, and lay hidden there while the +night wore, till he deemed it would lack but little of +midnight.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXI: WALTER AND THE MAID FLEE FROM THE GOLDEN +HOUSE</h2> +<p>There he abode amidst the hazels, hearkening every littlest +sound; and the sounds were nought but the night voices of the +wood, till suddenly there burst forth from the house a great +wailing cry. Walter’s heart came up into his mouth, +but he had no time to do aught, for following hard on the cry +came the sound of light feet close to him, the boughs were thrust +aside, and there was come the Maid, and she but in her white +coat, and barefoot. And then first he felt the sweetness of +her flesh on his, for she caught him by the hand and said +breathlessly: “Now, now! there may yet be time, or even too +much, it may be. For the saving of breath ask me no +questions, but come!”</p> +<p>He dallied not, but went as she led, and they were lightfoot, +both of them.</p> +<p>They went the same way, due south to wit, whereby he had gone +a-hunting with the Lady; and whiles they ran and whiles they +walked; but so fast they went, that by grey of the dawn they were +come as far as that coppice or thicket of the Lion; and still +they hastened onward, and but little had the Maid spoken, save +here and there a word to hearten up Walter, and here and there a +shy word of endearment. At last the dawn grew into early +day, and as they came over the brow of a bent, they looked down +over a plain land whereas the trees grew scatter-meal, and beyond +the plain rose up the land into long green hills, and over those +again were blue mountains great and far away.</p> +<p>Then spake the Maid: “Over yonder lie the outlying +mountains of the Bears, and through them we needs must pass, to +our great peril. Nay, friend,” she said, as he +handled his sword-hilt, “it must be patience and wisdom to +bring us through, and not the fallow blade of one man, though he +be a good one. But look! below there runs a stream through +the first of the plain, and I see nought for it but we must now +rest our bodies. Moreover I have a tale to tell thee which +is burning my heart; for maybe there will be a pardon to ask of +thee moreover; wherefore I fear thee.”</p> +<p>Quoth Walter: “How may that be?”</p> +<p>She answered him not, but took his hand and led him down the +bent. But he said: “Thou sayest, rest; but are we now +out of all peril of the chase?”</p> +<p>She said: “I cannot tell till I know what hath befallen +her. If she be not to hand to set on her trackers, they +will scarce happen on us now; if it be not for that +one.”</p> +<p>And she shuddered, and he felt her hand change as he held +it.</p> +<p>Then she said: “But peril or no peril, needs must we +rest; for I tell thee again, what I have to say to thee burneth +my bosom for fear of thee, so that I can go no further until I +have told thee.”</p> +<p>Then he said: “I wot not of this Queen and her +mightiness and her servants. I will ask thereof +later. But besides the others, is there not the +King’s Son, he who loves thee so unworthily?”</p> +<p>She paled somewhat, and said: “As for him, there had +been nought for thee to fear in him, save his treason: but now +shall he neither love nor hate any more; he died last +midnight.”</p> +<p>“Yea, and how?” said Walter.</p> +<p>“Nay,” she said, “let me tell my tale all +together once for all, lest thou blame me overmuch. But +first we will wash us and comfort us as best we may, and then +amidst our resting shall the word be said.”</p> +<p>By then were they come down to the stream-side, which ran fair +in pools and stickles amidst rocks and sandy banks. She +said: “There behind the great grey rock is my bath, friend; +and here is thine; and lo! the uprising of the sun!”</p> +<p>So she went her ways to the said rock, and he bathed him, and +washed the night off him, and by then he was clad again she came +back fresh and sweet from the water, and with her lap full of +cherries from a wilding which overhung her bath. So they +sat down together on the green grass above the sand, and ate the +breakfast of the wilderness: and Walter was full of content as he +watched her, and beheld her sweetness and her loveliness; yet +were they, either of them, somewhat shy and shamefaced each with +the other; so that he did but kiss her hands once and again, and +though she shrank not from him, yet had she no boldness to cast +herself into his arms.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXII: OF THE DWARF AND THE PARDON</h2> +<p>Now she began to say: “My friend, now shall I tell thee +what I have done for thee and me; and if thou have a mind to +blame me, and punish me, yet remember first, that what I have +done has been for thee and our hope of happy life. Well, I +shall tell thee—”</p> +<p>But therewithal her speech failed her; and, springing up, she +faced the bent and pointed with her finger, and she all deadly +pale, and shaking so that she might scarce stand, and might speak +no word, though a feeble gibbering came from her mouth.</p> +<p>Walter leapt up and put his arm about her, and looked +whitherward she pointed, and at first saw nought; and then nought +but a brown and yellow rock rolling down the bent: and then at +last he saw that it was the Evil Thing which had met him when +first he came into that land; and now it stood upright, and he +could see that it was clad in a coat of yellow samite.</p> +<p>Then Walter stooped down and gat his bow into his hand, and +stood before the Maid, while he nocked an arrow. But the +monster made ready his tackle while Walter was stooping down, and +or ever he could loose, his bow-string twanged, and an arrow flew +forth and grazed the Maid’s arm above the elbow, so that +the blood ran, and the Dwarf gave forth a harsh and horrible +cry. Then flew Walter’s shaft, and true was it aimed, +so that it smote the monster full on the breast, but fell down +from him as if he were made of stone. Then the creature set +up his horrible cry again, and loosed withal, and Walter deemed +that he had smitten the Maid, for she fell down in a heap behind +him. Then waxed Walter wood-wroth, and cast down his bow +and drew his sword, and strode forward towards the bent against +the Dwarf. But he roared out again, and there were words in +his roar, and he said “Fool! thou shalt go free if thou +wilt give up the Enemy.”</p> +<p>“And who,” said Walter, “is the +Enemy?”</p> +<p>Yelled the Dwarf: “She, the pink and white thing lying +there; she is not dead yet; she is but dying for fear of +me. Yea, she hath reason! I could have set the shaft +in her heart as easily as scratching her arm; but I need her body +alive, that I may wreak me on her.”</p> +<p>“What wilt thou do with her?” said Walter; for now +he had heard that the Maid was not slain he had waxed wary again, +and stood watching his chance.</p> +<p>The Dwarf yelled so at his last word, that no word came from +the noise a while, and then he said: “What will I with +her? Let me at her, and stand by and look on, and then +shalt thou have a strange tale to carry off with thee. For +I will let thee go this while.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “But what need to wreak thee? What +hath she done to thee?”</p> +<p>“What need! what need!” roared the Dwarf; +“have I not told thee that she is the Enemy? And thou +askest of what she hath done! of what! Fool, she is the +murderer! she hath slain the Lady that was our Lady, and that +made us; she whom all we worshipped and adored. O impudent +fool!”</p> +<p>Therewith he nocked and loosed another arrow, which would have +smitten Walter in the face, but that he lowered his head in the +very nick of time; then with a great shout he rushed up the bent, +and was on the Dwarf before he could get his sword out, and +leaping aloft dealt the creature a stroke amidmost of the crown; +and so mightily be smote, that he drave the heavy sword right +through to the teeth, so that he fell dead straightway.</p> +<p>Walter stood over him a minute, and when be saw that he moved +not, he went slowly down to the stream, whereby the Maid yet lay +cowering down and quivering all over, and covering her face with +her hands. Then he took her by the wrist and said: +“Up, Maiden, up! and tell me this tale of the +slaying.”</p> +<p>But she shrunk away from him, and looked at him with wild +eyes, and said: “What hast thou done with him? Is he +gone?”</p> +<p>“He is dead,” said Walter; “I have slain +him; there lies he with cloven skull on the bent-side: unless, +forsooth, he vanish away like the lion I slew! or else, +perchance, he will come to life again! And art thou a lie +like to the rest of them? let me hear of this slaying.”</p> +<p>She rose up, and stood before him trembling, and said: +“O, thou art angry with me, and thine anger I cannot +bear. Ah, what have I done? Thou hast slain one, and +I, maybe, the other; and never had we escaped till both these +twain were dead. Ah! thou dost not know! thou dost not +know! O me! what shall I do to appease thy +wrath!”</p> +<p>He looked on her, and his heart rose to his mouth at the +thought of sundering from her. Still he looked on her, and +her piteous friendly face melted all his heart; he threw down his +sword, and took her by the shoulders, and kissed her face over +and over, and strained her to him, so that he felt the sweetness +of her bosom. Then he lifted her up like a child, and set +her down on the green grass, and went down to the water, and +filled his hat therefrom, and came back to her; then he gave her +to drink, and bathed her face and her hands, so that the colour +came aback to the cheeks and lips of her: and she smiled on him +and kissed his hands, and said: “O now thou art kind to +me.”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said he, “and true it is that if thou +hast slain, I have done no less, and if thou hast lied, even so +have I; and if thou hast played the wanton, as I deem not that +thou hast, I full surely have so done. So now thou shalt +pardon me, and when thy spirit has come back to thee, thou shalt +tell me thy tale in all friendship, and in all loving-kindness +will I hearken the same.”</p> +<p>Therewith he knelt before her and kissed her feet. But +she said: “Yea, yea; what thou willest, that will I +do. But first tell me one thing. Hast thou buried +this horror and hidden him in the earth?”</p> +<p>He deemed that fear had bewildered her, and that she scarcely +yet knew how things had gone. But he said: “Fair +sweet friend, I have not done it as yet; but now will I go and do +it, if it seem good to thee.”</p> +<p>“Yea,” she said, “but first must thou smite +off his head, and lie it by his buttocks when he is in the earth; +or evil things will happen else. This of the burying is no +idle matter, I bid thee believe.”</p> +<p>“I doubt it not,” said he; “surely such +malice as was in this one will be hard to slay.” And +he picked up his sword, and turned to go to the field of +deed.</p> +<p>She said: “I must needs go with thee; terror hath so +filled my soul, that I durst not abide here without +thee.”</p> +<p>So they went both together to where the creature lay. +The Maid durst not look on the dead monster, but Walter noted +that he was girt with a big ungainly sax; so he drew it from the +sheath, and there smote off the hideous head of the fiend with +his own weapon. Then they twain together laboured the +earth, she with Walter’s sword, he with the ugly sax, till +they had made a grave deep and wide enough; and therein they +thrust the creature, and covered him up, weapons and all +together.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXIII: OF THE PEACEFUL ENDING OF THAT WILD DAY</h2> +<p>Thereafter Walter led the Maid down again, and said to her: +“Now, sweetling, shall the story be told.”</p> +<p>“Nay, friend,” she said, “not here. +This place hath been polluted by my craven fear, and the horror +of the vile wretch, of whom no words may tell his vileness. +Let us hence and onward. Thou seest I have once more come +to life again.”</p> +<p>“But,” said he, “thou hast been hurt by the +Dwarf’s arrow.”</p> +<p>She laughed, and said: “Had I never had greater hurt +from them than that, little had been the tale thereof: yet +whereas thou lookest dolorous about it, we will speedily heal +it.”</p> +<p>Therewith she sought about, and found nigh the stream-side +certain herbs; and she spake words over them, and bade Walter lay +them on the wound, which, forsooth, was of the least, and he did +so, and bound a strip of his shirt about her arm; and then would +she set forth. But he said: “Thou art all unshod; and +but if that be seen to, our journey shall be stayed by thy +foot-soreness: I may make a shift to fashion thee +brogues.”</p> +<p>She said: “I may well go barefoot. And in any +case, I entreat thee that we tarry here no longer, but go away +hence, if it be but for a mile.”</p> +<p>And she looked piteously on him, so that he might not gainsay +her.</p> +<p>So then they crossed the stream, and set forward, when amidst +all these haps the day was worn to midmorning. But after +they had gone a mile, they sat them down on a knoll under the +shadow of a big thorn-tree, within sight of the mountains. +Then said Walter: “Now will I cut thee the brogues from the +skirt of my buff-coat, which shall be well meet for such work; +and meanwhile shalt thou tell me thy tale.”</p> +<p>“Thou art kind,” she said; “but be kinder +yet, and abide my tale till we have done our day’s +work. For we were best to make no long delay here; because, +though thou hast slain the King-dwarf, yet there be others of his +kindred, who swarm in some parts of the wood as the rabbits in a +warren. Now true it is that they have but little +understanding, less, it may be, than the very brute beasts; and +that, as I said afore, unless they be set on our slot like to +hounds, they shall have no inkling of where to seek us, yet might +they happen upon us by mere misadventure. And moreover, +friend,” quoth she, blushing, “I would beg of thee +some little respite; for though I scarce fear thy wrath any more, +since thou hast been so kind to me, yet is there shame in that +which I have to tell thee. Wherefore, since the fairest of +the day is before us, let us use it all we may, and, when thou +hast done me my new foot-gear, get us gone forward +again.”</p> +<p>He kissed her kindly and yea-said her asking: he had already +fallen to work on the leather, and in a while had fashioned her +the brogues; so she tied them to her feet, and arose with a smile +and said: “Now am I hale and strong again, what with the +rest, and what with thy loving-kindness, and thou shalt see how +nimble I shall be to leave this land, for as fair as it is. +Since forsooth a land of lies it is, and of grief to the children +of Adam.”</p> +<p>So they went their ways thence, and fared nimbly indeed, and +made no stay till some three hours after noon, when they rested +by a thicket-side, where the strawberries grew plenty; they ate +thereof what they would: and from a great oak hard by Walter shot +him first one culver, and then another, and hung them to his +girdle to be for their evening’s meal; sithence they went +forward again, and nought befell them to tell of, till they were +come, whenas it lacked scarce an hour of sunset, to the banks of +another river, not right great, but bigger than the last +one. There the Maid cast herself down and said: +“Friend, no further will thy friend go this even; nay, to +say sooth, she cannot. So now we will eat of thy venison, +and then shall my tale be, since I may no longer delay it; and +thereafter shall our slumber be sweet and safe as I +deem.”</p> +<p>She spake merrily now, and as one who feared nothing, and +Walter was much heartened by her words and her voice, and he fell +to and made a fire, and a woodland oven in the earth, and +sithence dighted his fowl, and baked them after the manner of +wood-men. And they ate, both of them, in all love, and in +good-liking of life, and were much strengthened by their +supper. And when they were done, Walter eked his fire, both +against the chill of the midnight and dawning, and for a guard +against wild beasts, and by that time night was come, and the +moon arisen. Then the Maiden drew up to the fire, and +turned to Walter and spake.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXIV: THE MAID TELLS OF WHAT HAD BEFALLEN HER</h2> +<p>“Now, friend, by the clear of the moon and this +firelight will I tell what I may and can of my tale. Thus +it is: If I be wholly of the race of Adam I wot not nor can I +tell thee how many years old I may be. For there are, as it +were, shards or gaps in my life, wherein are but a few things +dimly remembered, and doubtless many things forgotten. I +remember well when I was a little child, and right happy, and +there were people about me whom I loved, and who loved me. +It was not in this land; but all things were lovely there; the +year’s beginning, the happy mid-year, the year’s +waning, the year’s ending, and then again its +beginning. That passed away, and then for a while is more +than dimness, for nought I remember save that I was. +Thereafter I remember again, and am a young maiden, and I know +some things, and long to know more. I am nowise happy; I am +amongst people who bid me go, and I go; and do this, and I do it: +none loveth me, none tormenteth me; but I wear my heart in +longing for I scarce know what. Neither then am I in this +land, but in a land that I love not, and a house that is big and +stately, but nought lovely. Then is a dim time again, and +sithence a time not right clear; an evil time, wherein I am +older, wellnigh grown to womanhood. There are a many folk +about me, and they foul, and greedy, and hard; and my spirit is +fierce, and my body feeble; and I am set to tasks that I would +not do, by them that are unwiser than I; and smitten I am by them +that are less valiant than I; and I know lack, and stripes, and +divers misery. But all that is now become but a dim picture +to me, save that amongst all these unfriends is a friend to me; +an old woman, who telleth me sweet tales of other life, wherein +all is high and goodly, or at the least valiant and doughty, and +she setteth hope in my heart and learneth me, and maketh me to +know much . . . O much . . . so that at last I am grown wise, and +wise to be mighty if I durst. Yet am I nought in this land +all this while, but, as meseemeth, in a great and a foul +city.”</p> +<p>“And then, as it were, I fall asleep; and in my sleep is +nought, save here and there a wild dream, somedeal lovely, +somedeal hideous: but of this dream is my Mistress a part, and +the monster, withal, whose head thou didst cleave to-day. +But when I am awaken from it, then am I verily in this land, and +myself, as thou seest me to-day. And the first part of my +life here is this, that I am in the pillared ball yonder, +half-clad and with bound hands; and the Dwarf leadeth me to the +Lady, and I hear his horrible croak as he sayeth: ‘Lady, +will this one do?’ and then the sweet voice of the Lady +saying: ‘This one will do; thou shalt have thy reward: now, +set thou the token upon her.’ Then I remember the +Dwarf dragging me away, and my heart sinking for fear of him: but +for that time he did me no more harm than the rivetting upon my +leg this iron ring which here thou seest.”</p> +<p>“So from that time forward I have lived in this land, +and been the thrall of the Lady; and I remember my life here day +by day, and no part of it has fallen into the dimness of +dreams. Thereof will I tell thee but little: but this I +will tell thee, that in spite of my past dreams, or it may be +because of them, I had not lost the wisdom which the old woman +had erst learned me, and for more wisdom I longed. Maybe +this longing shall now make both thee and me happy, but for the +passing time it brought me grief. For at first my Mistress +was indeed wayward with me, but as any great lady might be with +her bought thrall, whiles caressing me, and whiles chastising me, +as her mood went; but she seemed not to be cruel of malice, or +with any set purpose. But so it was (rather little by +little than by any great sudden uncovering of my intent), that +she came to know that I also had some of the wisdom whereby she +lived her queenly life. That was about two years after I +was first her thrall, and three weary years have gone by since +she began to see in me the enemy of her days. Now why or +wherefore I know not, but it seemeth that it would not avail her +to slay me outright, or suffer me to die; but nought withheld her +from piling up griefs and miseries on my head. At last she +set her servant, the Dwarf, upon me, even he whose head thou +clavest to-day. Many things I bore from him whereof it were +unseemly for my tongue to tell before thee; but the time came +when he exceeded, and I could bear no more; and then I showed him +this sharp knife (wherewith I would have thrust me through to the +heart if thou hadst not pardoned me e’en now), and I told +him that if he forbore me not, I would slay, not him, but myself; +and this he might not away with because of the commandment of the +Lady, who had given him the word that in any case I must be kept +living. And her hand, withal, fear held somewhat +hereafter. Yet was there need to me of all my wisdom; for +with all this her hatred grew, and whiles raged within her so +furiously that it overmastered her fear, and at such times she +would have put me to death if I had not escaped her by some turn +of my lore.”</p> +<p>“Now further, I shall tell thee that somewhat more than +a year ago hither to this land came the King’s Son, the +second goodly man, as thou art the third, whom her sorceries have +drawn hither since I have dwelt here. Forsooth, when he +first came, he seemed to us, to me, and yet more to my Lady, to +be as beautiful as an angel, and sorely she loved him; and he +her, after his fashion: but he was light-minded, and +cold-hearted, and in a while he must needs turn his eyes upon me, +and offer me his love, which was but foul and unkind as it turned +out; for when I nay-said him, as maybe I had not done save for +fear of my Mistress, he had no pity upon me, but spared not to +lead me into the trap of her wrath, and leave me without help, or +a good word. But, O friend, in spite of all grief and +anguish, I learned still, and waxed wise, and wiser, abiding the +day of my deliverance, which has come, and thou art +come.”</p> +<p>Therewith she took Walter’s hands and kissed them; but +he kissed her face, and her tears wet her lips. Then she +went on: “But sithence, months ago, the Lady began to weary +of this dastard, despite of his beauty; and then it was thy turn +to be swept into her net; I partly guess how. For on a day +in broad daylight, as I was serving my Mistress in the hall, and +the Evil Thing, whose head is now cloven, was lying across the +threshold of the door, as it were a dream fell upon me, though I +strove to cast it off for fear of chastisement; for the pillared +hall wavered, and vanished from my sight, and my feet were +treading a rough stone pavement instead of the marble wonder of +the hall, and there was the scent of the salt sea and of the +tackle of ships, and behind me were tall houses, and before me +the ships indeed, with their ropes beating and their sails +flapping and their masts wavering; and in mine ears was the hale +and how of mariners; things that I had seen and heard in the +dimness of my life gone by.”</p> +<p>“And there was I, and the Dwarf before me, and the Lady +after me, going over the gangway aboard of a tall ship, and she +gathered way and was gotten out of the haven, and straightway I +saw the mariners cast abroad their ancient.”</p> +<p>Quoth Walter: “What then! Sawest thou the blazon +thereon, of a wolf-like beast ramping up against a maiden? +And that might well have been thou.”</p> +<p>She said: “Yea, so it was; but refrain thee, that I may +tell on my tale! The ship and the sea vanished away, but I +was not back in the hall of the Golden House; and again were we +three in the street of the self-same town which we had but just +left; but somewhat dim was my vision thereof, and I saw little +save the door of a goodly house before me, and speedily it died +out, and we were again in the pillared hall, wherein my thralldom +was made manifest.”</p> +<p>“Maiden,” said Walter, “one question I would +ask thee; to wit, didst thou see me on the quay by the +ships?”</p> +<p>“Nay,” she said, “there were many folk +about, but they were all as images of the aliens to me. Now +hearken further: three months thereafter came the dream upon me +again, when we were all three together in the Pillared Hall; and +again was the vision somewhat dim. Once more we were in the +street of a busy town, but all unlike to that other one, and +there were men standing together on our right hands by the door +of a house.”</p> +<p>“Yea, yea,” quoth Walter; “and, forsooth, +one of them was who but I.”</p> +<p>“Refrain thee, beloved!” she said; “for my +tale draweth to its ending, and I would have thee hearken +heedfully: for maybe thou shalt once again deem my deed past +pardon. Some twenty days after this last dream, I had some +leisure from my Mistress’s service, so I went to disport me +by the Well of the Oak-tree (or forsooth she might have set in my +mind the thought of going there, that I might meet thee and give +her some occasion against me); and I sat thereby, nowise loving +the earth, but sick at heart, because of late the King’s +Son had been more than ever instant with me to yield him my body, +threatening me else with casting me into all that the worst could +do to me of torments and shames day by day. I say my heart +failed me, and I was wellnigh brought to the point of yea-saying +his desires, that I might take the chance of something befalling +me that were less bad than the worst. But here must I tell +thee a thing, and pray thee to take it to heart. This, more +than aught else, had given me strength to nay-say that dastard, +that my wisdom both hath been, and now is, the wisdom of a wise +maid, and not of a woman, and all the might thereof shall I lose +with my maidenhead. Evil wilt thou think of me then, for +all I was tried so sore, that I was at point to cast it all away, +so wretchedly as I shrank from the horror of the Lady’s +wrath.”</p> +<p>“But there as I sat pondering these things, I saw a man +coming, and thought no otherwise thereof but that it was the +King’s Son, till I saw the stranger drawing near, and his +golden hair, and his grey eyes; and then I heard his voice, and +his kindness pierced my heart, and I knew that my friend had come +to see me; and O, friend, these tears are for the sweetness of +that past hour!”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “I came to see my friend, I also. Now +have I noted what thou badest me; and I will forbear all as thou +commandest me, till we be safe out of the desert and far away +from all evil things; but wilt thou ban me from all +caresses?”</p> +<p>She laughed amidst of her tears, and said: “O, nay, poor +lad, if thou wilt be but wise.”</p> +<p>Then she leaned toward him, and took his face betwixt her +hands and kissed him oft, and the tears started in his eyes for +love and pity of her.</p> +<p>Then she said: “Alas, friend! even yet mayst thou doom +me guilty, and all thy love may turn away from me, when I have +told thee all that I have done for the sake of thee and me. +O, if then there might be some chastisement for the guilty woman, +and not mere sundering!”</p> +<p>“Fear nothing, sweetling,” said he; “for +indeed I deem that already I know partly what thou hast +done.”</p> +<p>She sighed, and said: “I will tell thee next, that I +banned thy kissing and caressing of me till to-day because I knew +that my Mistress would surely know if a man, if thou, hadst so +much as touched a finger of mine in love, it was to try me herein +that on the morning of the hunting she kissed and embraced me, +till I almost died thereof, and showed thee my shoulder and my +limbs; and to try thee withal, if thine eye should glister or thy +cheek flush thereat; for indeed she was raging in jealousy of +thee. Next, my friend, even whiles we were talking together +at the Well of the Rock, I was pondering on what we should do to +escape from this land of lies. Maybe thou wilt say: Why +didst thou not take my hand and flee with me as we fled +to-day? Friend, it is most true, that were she not dead we +had not escaped thus far. For her trackers would have +followed us, set on by her, and brought us back to an evil +fate. Therefore I tell thee that from the first I did plot +the death of those two, the Dwarf and the Mistress. For no +otherwise mightest thou live, or I escape from death in +life. But as to the dastard who threatened me with a +thrall’s pains, I heeded him nought to live or die, for +well I knew that thy valiant sword, yea, or thy bare hands, would +speedily tame him. Now first I knew that I must make a show +of yielding to the King’s Son; and somewhat how I did +therein, thou knowest. But no night and no time did I give +him to bed me, till after I had met thee as thou wentest to the +Golden House, before the adventure of fetching the lion’s +skin; and up to that time I had scarce known what to do, save +ever to bid thee, with sore grief and pain, to yield thee to the +wicked woman’s desire. But as we spake together there +by the stream, and I saw that the Evil Thing (whose head thou +clavest e’en now) was spying on us, then amidst the +sickness of terror which ever came over me whensoever I thought +of him, and much more when I saw him (ah! he is dead now!), it +came flashing into my mind how I might destroy my enemy. +Therefore I made the Dwarf my messenger to her, by bidding thee +to my bed in such wise that he might hear it. And wot thou +well, that he speedily carried her the tidings. Meanwhile I +hastened to lie to the King’s Son, and all privily bade him +come to me and not thee. And thereafter, by dint of waiting +and watching, and taking the only chance that there was, I met +thee as thou camest back from fetching the skin of the lion that +never was, and gave thee that warning, or else had we been undone +indeed.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Was the lion of her making or of thine +then?”</p> +<p>She said: “Of hers: why should I deal with such a +matter?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said Walter, “but she verily swooned, +and she was verily wroth with the Enemy.”</p> +<p>The Maid smiled, and said: “If her lie was not like very +sooth, then had she not been the crafts-master that I knew her: +one may lie otherwise than with the tongue alone: yet indeed her +wrath against the Enemy was nought feigned; for the Enemy was +even I, and in these latter days never did her wrath leave +me. But to go on with my tale.”</p> +<p>“Now doubt thou not, that, when thou camest into the +hall yester eve, the Mistress knew of thy counterfeit tryst with +me, and meant nought but death for thee; yet first would she have +thee in her arms again, therefore did she make much of thee at +table (and that was partly for my torment also), and therefore +did she make that tryst with thee, and deemed doubtless that thou +wouldst not dare to forgo it, even if thou shouldst go to me +thereafter.”</p> +<p>“Now I had trained that dastard to me as I have told +thee, but I gave him a sleepy draught, so that when I came to the +bed he might not move toward me nor open his eyes: but I lay down +beside him, so that the Lady might know that my body had been +there; for well had she wotted if it had not. Then as there +I lay I cast over him thy shape, so that none might have known +but that thou wert lying by my side, and there, trembling, I +abode what should befall. Thus I passed through the hour +whenas thou shouldest have been at her chamber, and the time of +my tryst with thee was come as the Mistress would be deeming; so +that I looked for her speedily, and my heart wellnigh failed me +for fear of her cruelty.”</p> +<p>“Presently then I heard a stirring in her chamber, and I +slipped from out the bed, and hid me behind the hangings, and was +like to die for fear of her; and lo, presently she came stealing +in softly, holding a lamp in one hand and a knife in the +other. And I tell thee of a sooth that I also had a sharp +knife in my hand to defend my life if need were. She held +the lamp up above her head before she drew near to the bed-side, +and I heard her mutter: ‘She is not there then! but she +shall be taken.’ Then she went up to the bed and +stooped over it, and laid her hand on the place where I had lain; +and therewith her eyes turned to that false image of thee lying +there, and she fell a-trembling and shaking, and the lamp fell to +the ground and was quenched (but there was bright moonlight in +the room, and still I could see what betid). But she +uttered a noise like the low roar of a wild beast, and I saw her +arm and hand rise up, and the flashing of the steel beneath the +hand, and then down came the hand and the steel, and I went nigh +to swooning lest perchance I had wrought over well, and thine +image were thy very self. The dastard died without a groan: +why should I lament him? I cannot. But the Lady drew +him toward her, and snatched the clothes from off his shoulders +and breast, and fell a-gibbering sounds mostly without meaning, +but broken here and there with words. Then I heard her say: +‘I shall forget; I shall forget; and the new days shall +come.’ Then was there silence of her a little, and +thereafter she cried out in a terrible voice: ‘O no, no, +no! I cannot forget; I cannot forget;’ and she raised +a great wailing cry that filled all the night with horror (didst +thou not hear it?), and caught up the knife from the bed and +thrust it into her breast, and fell down a dead heap over the bed +and on to the man whom she had slain. And then I thought of +thee, and joy smote across my terror; how shall I gainsay +it? And I fled away to thee, and I took thine hands in +mine, thy dear hands, and we fled away together. Shall we +be still together?”</p> +<p>He spoke slowly, and touched her not, and she, forbearing all +sobbing and weeping, sat looking wistfully on him. He said: +“I think thou hast told me all; and whether thy guile slew +her, or her own evil heart, she was slain last night who lay in +mine arms the night before. It was ill, and ill done of me, +for I loved not her, but thee, and I wished for her death that I +might be with thee. Thou wottest this, and still thou +lovest me, it may be overweeningly. What have I to say +then? If there be any guilt of guile, I also was in the +guile; and if there be any guilt of murder, I also was in the +murder. Thus we say to each other; and to God and his +Hallows we say: ‘We two have conspired to slay the woman +who tormented one of us, and would have slain the other; and if +we have done amiss therein, then shall we two together pay the +penalty; for in this have we done as one body and one +soul.’”</p> +<p>Therewith he put his arms about her and kissed her, but +soberly and friendly, as if he would comfort her. And +thereafter he said to her: “Maybe to-morrow, in the +sunlight, I will ask thee of this woman, what she verily was; but +now let her be. And thou, thou art over-wearied, and I bid +thee sleep.”</p> +<p>So he went about and gathered of bracken a great heap for her +bed, and did his coat thereover, and led her thereto, and she lay +down meekly, and smiled and crossed her arms over her bosom, and +presently fell asleep. But as for him, he watched by the +fire-side till dawn began to glimmer, and then he also laid him +down and slept.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXV: OF THE TRIUMPHANT SUMMER ARRAY OF THE MAID</h2> +<p>When the day was bright Walter arose, and met the Maid coming +from the river-bank, fresh and rosy from the water. She +paled a little when they met face to face, and she shrank from +him shyly. But he took her hand and kissed her frankly; and +the two were glad, and had no need to tell each other of their +joy, though much else they deemed they had to say, could they +have found words thereto.</p> +<p>So they came to their fire and sat down, and fell to +breakfast; and ere they were done, the Maid said: “My +Master, thou seest we be come nigh unto the hill-country, and +to-day about sunset, belike, we shall come into the Land of the +Bear-folk; and both it is, that there is peril if we fall into +their hands, and that we may scarce escape them. Yet I deem +that we may deal with the peril by wisdom.”</p> +<p>“What is the peril?” said Walter; “I mean, +what is the worst of it?”</p> +<p>Said the Maid: “To be offered up in sacrifice to their +God.”</p> +<p>“But if we escape death at their hands, what +then?” said Walter.</p> +<p>“One of two things,” said she; “the first +that they shall take us into their tribe.”</p> +<p>“And will they sunder us in that case?” said +Walter.</p> +<p>“Nay,” said she.</p> +<p>Walter laughed and said: “Therein is little harm +then. But what is the other chance?”</p> +<p>Said she: “That we leave them with their goodwill, and +come back to one of the lands of Christendom.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “I am not all so sure that this is the +better of the two choices, though, forsooth, thou seemest to +think so. But tell me now, what like is their God, that +they should offer up new-comers to him?”</p> +<p>“Their God is a woman,” she said, “and the +Mother of their nation and tribes (or so they deem) before the +days when they had chieftains and Lords of Battle.”</p> +<p>“That will be long ago,” said he; “how then +may she be living now?”</p> +<p>Said the Maid: “Doubtless that woman of yore agone is +dead this many and many a year; but they take to them still a new +woman, one after other, as they may happen on them, to be in the +stead of the Ancient Mother. And to tell thee the very +truth right out, she that lieth dead in the Pillared Hall was +even the last of these; and now, if they knew it, they lack a +God. This shall we tell them.”</p> +<p>“Yea, yea!” said Walter, “a goodly welcome +shall we have of them then, if we come amongst them with our +hands red with the blood of their God!”</p> +<p>She smiled on him and said: “If I come amongst them with +the tidings that I have slain her, and they trow therein, without +doubt they shall make me Lady and Goddess in her +stead.”</p> +<p>“This is a strange word,” said Walter “but +if so they do, how shall that further us in reaching the kindreds +of the world, and the folk of Holy Church?”</p> +<p>She laughed outright, so joyous was she grown, now that she +knew that his life was yet to be a part of hers. +“Sweetheart,” she said, “now I see that thou +desirest wholly what I desire; yet in any case, abiding with them +would be living and not dying, even as thou hadst it e’en +now. But, forsooth, they will not hinder our departure if +they deem me their God; they do not look for it, nor desire it, +that their God should dwell with them daily. Have no +fear.” Then she laughed again, and said: “What! +thou lookest on me and deemest me to be but a sorry image of a +goddess; and me with my scanty coat and bare arms and naked +feet! But wait! I know well how to array me when the +time cometh. Thou shalt see it! And now, my Master, +were it not meet that we took to the road?”</p> +<p>So they arose, and found a ford of the river that took the +Maid but to the knee, and so set forth up the greensward of the +slopes whereas there were but few trees; so went they faring +toward the hill-country.</p> +<p>At the last they were come to the feet of the very hills, and +in the hollows betwixt the buttresses of them grew nut and berry +trees, and the greensward round about them was both thick and +much flowery. There they stayed them and dined, whereas +Walter had shot a hare by the way, and they had found a bubbling +spring under a grey stone in a bight of the coppice, wherein now +the birds were singing their best.</p> +<p>When they had eaten and had rested somewhat, the Maid arose +and said: “Now shall the Queen array herself, and seem like +a very goddess.”</p> +<p>Then she fell to work, while Walter looked on; and she made a +garland for her head of eglantine where the roses were the +fairest; and with mingled flowers of the summer she wreathed her +middle about, and let the garland of them hang down to below her +knees; and knots of the flowers she made fast to the skirts of +her coat, and did them for arm-rings about her arms, and for +anklets and sandals for her feet. Then she set a garland +about Walter’s head, and then stood a little off from him +and set her feet together, and lifted up her arms, and said: +“Lo now! am I not as like to the Mother of Summer as if I +were clad in silk and gold? and even so shall I be deemed by the +folk of the Bear. Come now, thou shalt see how all shall be +well.”</p> +<p>She laughed joyously; but he might scarce laugh for pity of +his love. Then they set forth again, and began to climb the +hills, and the hours wore as they went in sweet converse; till at +last Walter looked on the Maid, and smiled on her, and said: +“One thing I would say to thee, lovely friend, to wit: wert +thou clad in silk and gold, thy stately raiment might well suffer +a few stains, or here and there a rent maybe; but stately would +it be still when the folk of the Bear should come up against +thee. But as to this flowery array of thine, in a few hours +it shall be all faded and nought. Nay, even now, as I look +on thee, the meadow-sweet that hangeth from thy girdle-stead has +waxen dull, and welted; and the blossoming eyebright that is for +a hem to the little white coat of thee is already forgetting how +to be bright and blue. What sayest thou then?”</p> +<p>She laughed at his word, and stood still, and looked back over +her shoulder, while with her fingers she dealt with the flowers +about her side like to a bird preening his feathers. Then +she said: “Is it verily so as thou sayest? Look +again!”</p> +<p>So he looked, and wondered; for lo! beneath his eyes the +spires of the meadow-sweet grew crisp and clear again, the +eyebright blossoms shone once more over the whiteness of her +legs; the eglantine roses opened, and all was as fresh and bright +as if it were still growing on its own roots.</p> +<p>He wondered, and was even somedeal aghast; but she said: +“Dear friend, be not troubled! did I not tell thee that I +am wise in hidden lore? But in my wisdom shall be no longer +any scathe to any man. And again, this my wisdom, as I told +thee erst, shall end on the day whereon I am made all +happy. And it is thou that shall wield it all, my +Master. Yet must my wisdom needs endure for a little season +yet. Let us on then, boldly and happily.”</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXVI: THEY COME TO THE FOLK OF THE BEARS</h2> +<p>On they went, and before long they were come up on to the +down-country, where was scarce a tree, save gnarled and knotty +thorn-bushes here and there, but nought else higher than the +whin. And here on these upper lands they saw that the +pastures were much burned with the drought, albeit summer was not +worn old. Now they went making due south toward the +mountains, whose heads they saw from time to time rising deep +blue over the bleak greyness of the down-land ridges. And +so they went, till at last, hard on sunset, after they had +climbed long over a high bent, they came to the brow thereof, +and, looking down, beheld new tidings.</p> +<p>There was a wide valley below them, greener than the downs +which they had come over, and greener yet amidmost, from the +watering of a stream which, all beset with willows, wound about +the bottom. Sheep and neat were pasturing about the dale, +and moreover a long line of smoke was going up straight into the +windless heavens from the midst of a ring of little round houses +built of turfs, and thatched with reed. And beyond that, +toward an eastward-lying bight of the dale, they could see what +looked like to a doom-ring of big stones, though there were no +rocky places in that land. About the cooking-fire amidst of +the houses, and here and there otherwhere, they saw, standing or +going to and fro, huge figures of men and women, with children +playing about betwixt them.</p> +<p>They stood and gazed down at it for a minute or two, and +though all were at peace there, yet to Walter, at least, it +seemed strange and awful. He spake softly, as though he +would not have his voice reach those men, though they were, +forsooth, out of earshot of anything save a shout: “Are +these then the children of the Bear? What shall we do +now?”</p> +<p>She said: “Yea, of the Bear they be, though there be +other folks of them far and far away to the northward and +eastward, near to the borders of the sea. And as to what we +shall do, let us go down at once, and peacefully. Indeed, +by now there will be no escape from them; for lo you! they have +seen us.”</p> +<p>Forsooth, some three or four of the big men had turned them +toward the bent whereon stood the twain, and were hailing them in +huge, rough voices, wherein, howsoever, seemed to be no anger or +threat. So the Maid took Walter by the hand, and thus they +went down quietly, and the Bear-folk, seeing them, stood all +together, facing them, to abide their coming. Walter saw of +them, that though they were very tall and bigly made, they were +not so far above the stature of men as to be marvels. The +carles were long-haired, and shaggy of beard, and their hair all +red or tawny; their skins, where their naked flesh showed, were +burned brown with sun and weather, but to a fair and pleasant +brown, nought like to blackamoors. The queans were comely +and well-eyed; nor was there anything of fierce or evil-looking +about either the carles or the queans, but somewhat grave and +solemn of aspect were they. Clad were they all, saving the +young men-children, but somewhat scantily, and in nought save +sheep-skins or deer-skins.</p> +<p>For weapons they saw amongst them clubs, and spears headed +with bone or flint, and ugly axes of big flints set in wooden +handles; nor was there, as far as they could see, either now or +afterward, any bow amongst them. But some of the young men +seemed to have slings done about their shoulders.</p> +<p>Now when they were come but three fathom from them, the Maid +lifted up her voice, and spake clearly and sweetly: “Hail, +ye folk of the Bears! we have come amongst you, and that for your +good and not for your hurt: wherefore we would know if we be +welcome.”</p> +<p>There was an old man who stood foremost in the midst, clad in +a mantle of deer-skins worked very goodly, and with a gold ring +on his arm, and a chaplet of blue stones on his head, and he +spake: “Little are ye, but so goodly, that if ye were but +bigger, we should deem that ye were come from the Gods’ +House. Yet have I heard, that how mighty soever may the +Gods be, and chiefly our God, they be at whiles nought so bigly +made as we of the Bears. How this may be, I wot not. +But if ye be not of the Gods or their kindred, then are ye mere +aliens; and we know not what to do with aliens, save we meet them +in battle, or give them to the God, or save we make them children +of the Bear. But yet again, ye may be messengers of some +folk who would bind friendship and alliance with us: in which +case ye shall at the least depart in peace, and whiles ye are +with us shall be our guests in all good cheer. Now, +therefore, we bid you declare the matter unto us.”</p> +<p>Then spake the Maid: “Father, it were easy for us to +declare what we be unto you here present. But, meseemeth, +ye who be gathered round the fire here this evening are less than +the whole tale of the children of the Bear.”</p> +<p>“So it is, Maiden,” said the elder, “that +many more children hath the Bear.”</p> +<p>“This then we bid you,” said the Maid, “that +ye send the tokens round and gather your people to you, and when +they be assembled in the Doom-ring, then shall we put our errand +before you; and according to that, shall ye deal with +us.”</p> +<p>“Thou hast spoken well,” said the elder; +“and even so had we bidden you ourselves. To-morrow, +before noon, shall ye stand in the Doom-ring in this Dale, and +speak with the children of the Bear.”</p> +<p>Therewith he turned to his own folk and called out something, +whereof those twain knew not the meaning; and there came to him, +one after another, six young men, unto each of whom he gave a +thing from out his pouch, but what it was Walter might not see, +save that it was little and of small account: to each, also, he +spake a word or two, and straight they set off running, one after +the other, turning toward the bent which was over against that +whereby the twain had come into the Dale, and were soon out of +sight in the gathering dusk.</p> +<p>Then the elder turned him again to Walter and the Maid, and +spake: “Man and woman, whatsoever ye may be, or whatsoever +may abide you to-morrow, to-night, ye are welcome guests to us; +so we bid you come eat and drink at our fire.”</p> +<p>So they sat all together upon the grass round about the embers +of the fire, and ate curds and cheese, and drank milk in +abundance; and as the night grew on them they quickened the fire, +that they might have light. This wild folk talked merrily +amongst themselves, with laughter enough and friendly jests, but +to the new-comers they were few-spoken, though, as the twain +deemed, for no enmity that they bore them. But this found +Walter, that the younger ones, both men and women, seemed to find +it a hard matter to keep their eyes off them; and seemed, withal, +to gaze on them with somewhat of doubt, or, it might be, of +fear.</p> +<p>So when the night was wearing a little, the elder arose and +bade the twain to come with him, and led them to a small house or +booth, which was amidmost of all, and somewhat bigger than the +others, and he did them to wit that they should rest there that +night, and bade them sleep in peace and without fear till the +morrow. So they entered, and found beds thereon of heather +and ling, and they laid them down sweetly, like brother and +sister, when they had kissed each other. But they noted +that four brisk men lay without the booth, and across the door, +with their weapons beside them, so that they must needs look upon +themselves as captives.</p> +<p>Then Walter might not refrain him, but spake: “Sweet and +dear friend, I have come a long way from the quay at Langton, and +the vision of the Dwarf, the Maid, and the Lady; and for this +kiss wherewith I have kissed thee e’en now, and the +kindness of thine eyes, it was worth the time and the +travail. But to-morrow, meseemeth, I shall go no further in +this world, though my journey be far longer than from Langton +hither. And now may God and All Hallows keep thee amongst +this wild folk, whenas I shall be gone from thee.”</p> +<p>She laughed low and sweetly, and said: “Dear friend, +dost thou speak to me thus mournfully to move me to love thee +better? Then is thy labour lost; for no better may I love +thee than now I do; and that is with mine whole heart. But +keep a good courage, I bid thee; for we be not sundered yet, nor +shall we be. Nor do I deem that we shall die here, or +to-morrow; but many years hence, after we have known all the +sweetness of life. Meanwhile, I bid thee good-night, fair +friend!”</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXVII: MORNING AMONGST THE BEARS</h2> +<p>So Walter laid him down and fell asleep, and knew no more till +he awoke in bright daylight with the Maid standing over +him. She was fresh from the water, for she had been to the +river to bathe her, and the sun through the open door fell +streaming on her feet close to Walter’s pillow. He +turned about and cast his arm about them, and caressed them, +while she stood smiling upon him; then he arose and looked on +her, and said: “How thou art fair and bright this +morning! And yet . . . and yet . . . were it not well that +thou do off thee all this faded and drooping bravery of leaves +and blossoms, that maketh thee look like to a jongleur’s +damsel on a morrow of May-day?”</p> +<p>And he gazed ruefully on her.</p> +<p>She laughed on him merrily, and said: “Yea, and belike +these others think no better of my attire, or not much better; +for yonder they are gathering small wood for the burnt-offering; +which, forsooth, shall be thou and I, unless I better it all by +means of the wisdom I learned of the old woman, and perfected +betwixt the stripes of my Mistress, whom a little while ago thou +lovedst somewhat.”</p> +<p>And as she spake her eyes sparkled, her cheek flushed, and her +limbs and her feet seemed as if they could scarce refrain from +dancing for joy. Then Walter knit his brow, and for a +moment a thought half-framed was in his mind: Is it so, that she +will bewray me and live without me? and he cast his eyes on to +the ground. But she said: “Look up, and into mine +eyes, friend, and see if there be in them any falseness toward +thee! For I know thy thought; I know thy thought. +Dost thou not see that my joy and gladness is for the love of +thee, and the thought of the rest from trouble that is at +hand?”</p> +<p>He looked up, and his eyes met the eyes of her love, and he +would have cast his arms about her; but she drew aback and said: +“Nay, thou must refrain thee awhile, dear friend, lest +these folk cast eyes on us, and deem us over lover-like for what +I am to bid them deem me. Abide a while, and then shall all +be in me according to thy will. But now I must tell thee +that it is not very far from noon, and that the Bears are +streaming into the Dale, and already there is an host of men at +the Doom-ring, and, as I said, the bale for the burnt-offering is +wellnigh dight, whether it be for us, or for some other +creature. And now I have to bid thee this, and it will be a +thing easy for thee to do, to wit, that thou look as if thou wert +of the race of the Gods, and not to blench, or show sign of +blenching, whatever betide: to yea-say both my yea-say and my +nay-say: and lastly this, which is the only hard thing for thee +(but thou hast already done it before somewhat), to look upon me +with no masterful eyes of love, nor as if thou wert at once +praying me and commanding me; rather thou shalt so demean thee as +if thou wert my man all simply, and nowise my master.”</p> +<p>“O friend beloved,” said Walter, “here at +least art thou the master, and I will do all thy bidding, in +certain hope of this, that either we shall live together or die +together.”</p> +<p>But as they spoke, in came the elder, and with him a young +maiden, bearing with them their breakfast of curds arid cream and +strawberries, and he bade them eat. So they ate, and were +not unmerry; and the while of their eating the elder talked with +them soberly, but not hardly, or with any seeming enmity: and +ever his talk gat on to the drought, which was now burning up the +down-pastures; and how the grass in the watered dales, which was +no wide spread of land, would not hold out much longer unless the +God sent them rain. And Walter noted that those two, the +elder and the Maid, eyed each other curiously amidst of this +talk; the elder intent on what she might say, and if she gave +heed to his words; while on her side the Maid answered his speech +graciously and pleasantly, but said little that was of any +import: nor would she have him fix her eyes, which wandered +lightly from this thing to that; nor would her lips grow stern +and stable, but ever smiled in answer to the light of her eyes, +as she sat there with her face as the very face of the gladness +of the summer day.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXVIII: OF THE NEW GOD OF THE BEARS</h2> +<p>At last the old man said: “My children, ye shall now +come with me unto the Doom-ring of our folk, the Bears of the +Southern Dales, and deliver to them your errand; and I beseech +you to have pity upon your own bodies, as I have pity on them; on +thine especially, Maiden, so fair and bright a creature as thou +art; for so it is, that if ye deal us out light and lying words +after the manner of dastards, ye shall miss the worship and glory +of wending away amidst of the flames, a gift to the God and a +hope to the people, and shall be passed by the rods of the folk, +until ye faint and fail amongst them, and then shall ye be thrust +down into the flow at the Dale’s End, and a stone-laden +hurdle cast upon you, that we may thenceforth forget your +folly.”</p> +<p>The Maid now looked full into his eyes, and Walter deemed that +the old man shrank before her; but she said: “Thou art old +and wise, O great man of the Bears, yet nought I need to learn of +thee. Now lead us on our way to the Stead of the +Errands.”</p> +<p>So the elder brought them along to the Doom-ring at the +eastern end of the Dale; and it was now all peopled with those +huge men, weaponed after their fashion, and standing up, so that +the grey stones thereof but showed a little over their +heads. But amidmost of the said Ring was a big stone, +fashioned as a chair, whereon sat a very old man, long-hoary and +white-bearded, and on either side of him stood a great-limbed +woman clad in war-gear, holding, each of them, a long spear, and +with a flint-bladed knife in the girdle; and there were no other +women in all the Mote.</p> +<p>Then the elder led those twain into the midst of the Mote, and +there bade them go up on to a wide, flat-topped stone, six feet +above the ground, just over against the ancient chieftain; and +they mounted it by a rough stair, and stood there before that +folk; Walter in his array of the outward world, which had been +fair enough, of crimson cloth and silk, and white linen, but was +now travel-stained and worn; and the Maid with nought upon her, +save the smock wherein she had fled from the Golden House of the +Wood beyond the World, decked with the faded flowers which she +had wreathed about her yesterday. Nevertheless, so it was, +that those big men eyed her intently, and with somewhat of +worship.</p> +<p>Now did Walter, according to her bidding, sink down on his +knees beside her, and drawing his sword, hold it before him, as +if to keep all interlopers aloof from the Maid. And there +was silence in the Mote, and all eyes were fixed on those +twain.</p> +<p>At last the old chief arose and spake: “Ye men, here are +come a man and a woman, we know not whence; whereas they have +given word to our folk who first met them, that they would tell +their errand to none save the Mote of the People; which it was +their due to do, if they were minded to risk it. For either +they be aliens without an errand hither, save, it may be, to +beguile us, in which case they shall presently die an evil death; +or they have come amongst us that we may give them to the God +with flint-edge and fire; or they have a message to us from some +folk or other, on the issue of which lieth life or death. +Now shall ye hear what they have to say concerning themselves and +their faring hither. But, meseemeth, it shall be the woman +who is the chief and hath the word in her mouth; for, lo you! the +man kneeleth at her feet, as one who would serve and worship +her. Speak out then, woman, and let our warriors hear +thee.”</p> +<p>Then the Maid lifted up her voice, and spake out clear and +shrilling, like to a flute of the best of the minstrels: +“Ye men of the Children of the Bear, I would ask you a +question, and let the chieftain who sitteth before me answer +it.”</p> +<p>The old man nodded his head, and she went on: “Tell me, +Children of the Bear, how long a time is worn since ye saw the +God of your worship made manifest in the body of a +woman!”</p> +<p>Said the elder: “Many winters have worn since my +father’s father was a child, and saw the very God in the +bodily form of a woman.”</p> +<p>Then she said again: “Did ye rejoice at her coming, and +would ye rejoice if once more she came amongst you?”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the old chieftain, “for she gave +us gifts, and learned us lore, and came to us in no terrible +shape, but as a young woman as goodly as thou.”</p> +<p>Then said the Maid: “Now, then, is the day of your +gladness come; for the old body is dead, and I am the new body of +your God, come amongst you for your welfare.”</p> +<p>Then fell a great silence on the Mote, till the old man spake +and said: “What shall I say and live? For if thou be +verily the God, and I threaten thee, wilt thou not destroy +me? But thou hast spoken a great word with a sweet mouth, +and hast taken the burden of blood on thy lily hands; and if the +Children of the Bear be befooled of light liars, how shall they +put the shame off them? Therefore I say, show to us a +token; and if thou be the God, this shall be easy to thee; and if +thou show it not, then is thy falsehood manifest, and thou shalt +dree the weird. For we shall deliver thee into the hands of +these women here, who shall thrust thee down into the flow which +is hereby, after they have wearied themselves with whipping +thee. But thy man that kneeleth at thy feet shall we give +to the true God, and he shall go to her by the road of the flint +and the fire. Hast thou heard? Then give to us the +sign and the token.”</p> +<p>She changed countenance no whit at his word; but her eyes were +the brighter, and her cheek the fresher and her feet moved a +little, as if they were growing glad before the dance; and she +looked out over the Mote, and spake in her clear voice: +“Old man, thou needest not to fear for thy words. +Forsooth it is not me whom thou threatenest with stripes and a +foul death, but some light fool and liar, who is not here. +Now hearken! I wot well that ye would have somewhat of me, +to wit, that I should send you rain to end this drought, which +otherwise seemeth like to lie long upon you: but this rain, I +must go into the mountains of the south to fetch it you; +therefore shall certain of your warriors bring me on my way, with +this my man, up to the great pass of the said mountains, and we +shall set out thitherward this very day.”</p> +<p>She was silent a while, and all looked on her, but none spake +or moved, so that they seemed as images of stone amongst the +stones.</p> +<p>Then she spake again and said: “Some would say, men of +the Bear, that this were a sign and a token great enough; but I +know you, and how stubborn and perverse of heart ye be; and how +that the gift not yet within your hand is no gift to you; and the +wonder ye see not, your hearts trow not. Therefore look ye +upon me as here I stand, I who have come from the fairer country +and the greenwood of the lands, and see if I bear not the summer +with me, and the heart that maketh increase and the hand that +giveth.”</p> +<p>Lo then! as she spake, the faded flowers that hung about her +gathered life and grew fresh again; the woodbine round her neck +and her sleek shoulders knit itself together and embraced her +freshly, and cast its scent about her face. The lilies that +girded her loins lifted up their heads, and the gold of their +tassels fell upon her; the eyebright grew clean blue again upon +her smock; the eglantine found its blooms again, and then began +to shed the leaves thereof upon her feet; the meadow-sweet +wreathed amongst it made clear the sweetness of her legs, and the +mouse-ear studded her raiment as with gems. There she stood +amidst of the blossoms, like a great orient pearl against the +fretwork of the goldsmiths, and the breeze that came up the +valley from behind bore the sweetness of her fragrance all over +the Man-mote.</p> +<p>Then, indeed, the Bears stood up, and shouted and cried, and +smote on their shields, and tossed their spears aloft. Then +the elder rose from his seat, and came up humbly to where she +stood, and prayed her to say what she would have done; while the +others drew about in knots, but durst not come very nigh to +her. She answered the ancient chief, and said, that she +would depart presently toward the mountains, whereby she might +send them the rain which they lacked, and that thence she would +away to the southward for a while; but that they should hear of +her, or, it might be, see her, before they who were now of middle +age should be gone to their fathers.</p> +<p>Then the old man besought her that they might make her a +litter of fragrant green boughs, and so bear her away toward the +mountain pass amidst a triumph of the whole folk. But she +leapt lightly down from the stone, and walked to and fro on the +greensward, while it seemed of her that her feet scarce touched +the grass; and she spake to the ancient chief where he still +kneeled in worship of her, and said “Nay; deemest thou of +me that I need bearing by men’s hands, or that I shall tire +at all when I am doing my will, and I, the very heart of the +year’s increase? So it is, that the going of my feet +over your pastures shall make them to thrive, both this year and +the coming years: surely will I go afoot.”</p> +<p>So they worshipped her the more, and blessed her; and then +first of all they brought meat, the daintiest they might, both +for her and for Walter. But they would not look on the Maid +whiles she ate, or suffer Walter to behold her the while. +Afterwards, when they had eaten, some twenty men, weaponed after +their fashion, made them ready to wend with the Maiden up into +the mountains, and anon they set out thitherward all +together. Howbeit, the huge men held them ever somewhat +aloof from the Maid; and when they came to the resting-place for +that night, where was no house, for it was up amongst the +foot-hills before the mountains, then it was a wonder to see how +carefully they built up a sleeping-place for her, and tilted it +over with their skin-cloaks, and how they watched nightlong about +her. But Walter they let sleep peacefully on the grass, a +little way aloof from the watchers round the Maid.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXIX: WALTER STRAYS IN THE PASS AND IS SUNDERED FROM +THE MAID</h2> +<p>Morning came, and they arose and went on their ways, and went +all day till the sun was nigh set, and they were come up into the +very pass; and in the jaws thereof was an earthen howe. +There the Maid bade them stay, and she went up on to the howe, +and stood there and spake to them, and said: “O men of the +Bear, I give you thanks for your following, and I bless you, and +promise you the increase of the earth. But now ye shall +turn aback, and leave me to go my ways; and my man with the iron +sword shall follow me. Now, maybe, I shall come amongst the +Bear-folk again before long, and yet again, and learn them +wisdom; but for this time it is enough. And I shall tell +you that ye were best to hasten home straightway to your houses +in the downland dales, for the weather which I have bidden for +you is even now coming forth from the forge of storms in the +heart of the mountains. Now this last word I give you, that +times are changed since I wore the last shape of God that ye have +seen, wherefore a change I command you. If so be aliens +come amongst you, I will not that ye send them to me by the flint +and the fire; rather, unless they be baleful unto you, and worthy +of an evil death, ye shall suffer them to abide with you; ye +shall make them become children of the Bears, if they be goodly +enough and worthy, and they shall be my children as ye be; +otherwise, if they be ill-favoured and weakling, let them live +and be thralls to you, but not join with you, man to woman. +Now depart ye with my blessing.”</p> +<p>Therewith she came down from the mound, and went her ways up +the pass so lightly, that it was to Walter, standing amongst the +Bears, as if she had vanished away. But the men of that +folk abode standing and worshipping their God for a little while, +and that while he durst not sunder him from their company. +But when they had blessed him and gone on their way backward, he +betook him in haste to following the Maid, thinking to find her +abiding him in some nook of the pass.</p> +<p>Howsoever, it was now twilight or more, and, for all his +haste, dark night overtook him, so that perforce he was stayed +amidst the tangle of the mountain ways. And, moreover, ere +the night was grown old, the weather came upon him on the back of +a great south wind, so that the mountain nooks rattled and +roared, and there was the rain and the hail, with thunder and +lightning, monstrous and terrible, and all the huge array of a +summer storm. So he was driven at last to crouch under a +big rock and abide the day.</p> +<p>But not so were his troubles at an end. For under the +said rock he fell asleep, and when he awoke it was day indeed; +but as to the pass, the way thereby was blind with the driving +rain and the lowering lift; so that, though he struggled as well +as he might against the storm and the tangle, he made but little +way.</p> +<p>And now once more the thought came on him, that the Maid was +of the fays, or of some race even mightier; and it came on him +now not as erst, with half fear and whole desire, but with a +bitter oppression of dread, of loss and misery; so that he began +to fear that she had but won his love to leave him and forget him +for a new-comer, after the wont of fay-women, as old tales +tell.</p> +<p>Two days he battled thus with storm and blindness, and wanhope +of his life; for he was growing weak and fordone. But the +third morning the storm abated, though the rain yet fell heavily, +and he could see his way somewhat as well as feel it: withal he +found that now his path was leading him downwards. As it +grew dusk, he came down into a grassy valley with a stream +running through it to the southward, and the rain was now but +little, coming down but in dashes from time to time. So he +crept down to the stream-side, and lay amongst the bushes there; +and said to himself, that on the morrow he would get him victual, +so that he might live to seek his Maiden through the wide +world. He was of somewhat better heart: but now that he was +laid quiet, and had no more for that present to trouble him about +the way, the anguish of his loss fell upon him the keener, and he +might not refrain him from lamenting his dear Maiden aloud, as +one who deemed himself in the empty wilderness: and thus he +lamented for her sweetness and her loveliness, and the kindness +of her voice and her speech, and her mirth. Then he fell to +crying out concerning the beauty of her shaping, praising the +parts of her body, as her face, and her hands, and her shoulders, +and her feet, and cursing the evil fate which had sundered him +from the friendliness of her, and the peerless fashion of +her.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXX: NOW THEY MEET AGAIN</h2> +<p>Complaining thus-wise, he fell asleep from sheer weariness, +and when he awoke it was broad day, calm and bright and +cloudless, with the scent of the earth refreshed going up into +the heavens, and the birds singing sweetly in the bushes about +him: for the dale whereunto he was now come was a fair and lovely +place amidst the shelving slopes of the mountains, a paradise of +the wilderness, and nought but pleasant and sweet things were to +be seen there, now that the morn was so clear and sunny.</p> +<p>He arose and looked about him, and saw where, a hundred yards +aloof, was a thicket of small wood, as thorn and elder and +whitebeam, all wreathed about with the bines of wayfaring tree; +it hid a bight of the stream, which turned round about it, and +betwixt it and Walter was the grass short and thick, and sweet, +and all beset with flowers; and he said to himself that it was +even such a place as wherein the angels were leading the Blessed +in the great painted paradise in the choir of the big church at +Langton on Holm. But lo! as he looked he cried aloud for +joy, for forth from the thicket on to the flowery grass came one +like to an angel from out of the said picture, white-clad and +bare-foot, sweet of flesh, with bright eyes and ruddy cheeks; for +it was the Maid herself. So he ran to her, and she abode +him, holding forth kind hands to him, and smiling, while she wept +for joy of the meeting. He threw himself upon her, and +spared not to kiss her, her cheeks and her mouth, and her arms +and her shoulders, and wheresoever she would suffer it. +Till at last she drew aback a little, laughing on him for love, +and said: “Forbear now, friend, for it is enough for this +time, and tell me how thou hast sped.”</p> +<p>“Ill, ill,” said he.</p> +<p>“What ails thee?” she said.</p> +<p>“Hunger,” he said, “and longing for +thee.”</p> +<p>“Well,” she said, “me thou hast; there is +one ill quenched; take my hand, and we will see to the other +one.”</p> +<p>So he took her hand, and to hold it seemed to him sweet beyond +measure. But he looked up, and saw a little blue smoke +going up into the air from beyond the thicket; and he laughed, +for he was weak with hunger, and he said: “Who is at the +cooking yonder?”</p> +<p>“Thou shalt see,” she said; and led him therewith +into the said thicket and through it, and lo! a fair little +grassy place, full of flowers, betwixt the bushes and the bight +of the stream; and on the little sandy ere, just off the +greensward, was a fire of sticks, and beside it two trouts lying, +fat and red-flecked.</p> +<p>“Here is the breakfast,” said she; “when it +was time to wash the night off me e’en now, I went down the +strand here into the rippling shallow, and saw the bank below it, +where the water draws together yonder, and deepens, that it +seemed like to hold fish; and whereas I looked to meet thee +presently, I groped the bank for them, going softly; and lo +thou! Help me now, that we cook them.”</p> +<p>So they roasted them on the red embers, and fell to and ate +well, both of them, and drank of the water of the stream out of +each other’s hollow hands; and that feast seemed glorious +to them, such gladness went with it.</p> +<p>But when they were done with their meat, Walter said to the +Maid: “And how didst thou know that thou shouldst see me +presently?”</p> +<p>She said, looking on him wistfully: “This needed no +wizardry. I lay not so far from thee last night, but that I +heard thy voice and knew it.”</p> +<p>Said he, “Why didst thou not come to me then, since thou +heardest me bemoaning thee?”</p> +<p>She cast her eyes down, and plucked at the flowers and grass, +and said: “It was dear to hear thee praising me; I knew not +before that I was so sore desired, or that thou hadst taken such +note of my body, and found it so dear.”</p> +<p>Then she reddened sorely, and said: “I knew not that +aught of me had such beauty as thou didst bewail.”</p> +<p>And she wept for joy. Then she looked on him and smiled, +and said: “Wilt thou have the very truth of it? I +went close up to thee, and stood there hidden by the bushes and +the night. And amidst thy bewailing, I knew that thou +wouldst soon fall asleep, and in sooth I out-waked +thee.”</p> +<p>Then was she silent again; and he spake not, but looked on her +shyly; and she said, reddening yet more: “Furthermore, I +must needs tell thee that I feared to go to thee in the dark +night, and my heart so yearning towards thee.”</p> +<p>And she hung her head adown; but he said: “Is it so +indeed, that thou fearest me? Then doth that make me +afraid—afraid of thy nay-say. For I was going to +entreat thee, and say to thee: Beloved, we have now gone through +many troubles; let us now take a good reward at once, and wed +together, here amidst this sweet and pleasant house of the +mountains, ere we go further on our way; if indeed we go further +at all. For where shall we find any place sweeter or +happier than this?”</p> +<p>But she sprang up to her feet, and stood there trembling +before him, because of her love; and she said: “Beloved, I +have deemed that it were good for us to go seek mankind as they +live in the world, and to live amongst them. And as for me, +I will tell thee the sooth, to wit, that I long for this +sorely. For I feel afraid in the wilderness, and as if I +needed help and protection against my Mistress, though she be +dead; and I need the comfort of many people, and the throngs of +the cities. I cannot forget her: it was but last night that +I dreamed (I suppose as the dawn grew a-cold) that I was yet +under her hand, and she was stripping me for the torment; so that +I woke up panting and crying out. I pray thee be not angry +with me for telling thee of my desires; for if thou wouldst not +have it so, then here will I abide with thee as thy mate, and +strive to gather courage.”</p> +<p>He rose up and kissed her face, and said: “Nay, I had in +sooth no mind to abide here for ever; I meant but that we should +feast a while here, and then depart: sooth it is, that if thou +dreadest the wilderness, somewhat I dread the city.”</p> +<p>She turned pale, and said: “Thou shalt have thy will, my +friend, if it must be so. But bethink thee we be not yet at +our journey’s end, and may have many things and much strife +to endure, before we be at peace and in welfare. Now shall +I tell thee—did I not before?—that while I am a maid +untouched, my wisdom, and somedeal of might, abideth with me, and +only so long. Therefore I entreat thee, let us go now, side +by side, out of this fair valley, even as we are, so that my +wisdom and might may help thee at need. For, my friend, I +would not that our lives be short, so much of joy as hath now +come into them.”</p> +<p>“Yea, beloved,” he said, “let us on +straightway then, and shorten the while that sundereth +us.”</p> +<p>“Love,” she said, “thou shalt pardon me one +time for all. But this is to be said, that I know somewhat +of the haps that lie a little way ahead of us; partly by my lore, +and partly by what I learned of this land of the wild folk whiles +thou wert lying asleep that morning.”</p> +<p>So they left that pleasant place by the water, and came into +the open valley, and went their ways through the pass; and it +soon became stony again, as they mounted the bent which went up +from out the dale. And when they came to the brow of the +said bent, they had a sight of the open country lying fair and +joyous in the sunshine, and amidst of it, against the blue hills, +the walls and towers of a great city.</p> +<p>Then said the Maid: “O, dear friend, lo you! is not that +our abode that lieth yonder, and is so beauteous? Dwell not +our friends there, and our protection against uncouth wights, and +mere evil things in guileful shapes? O city, I bid thee +hail!”</p> +<p>But Walter looked on her, and smiled somewhat; and said: +“I rejoice in thy joy. But there be evil things in +yonder city also, though they be not fays nor devils, or it is +like to no city that I wot of. And in every city shall foes +grow up to us without rhyme or reason, and life therein shall be +tangled unto us.”</p> +<p>“Yea,” she said; “but in the wilderness +amongst the devils, what was to be done by manly might or +valiancy? There hadst thou to fall back upon the guile and +wizardry which I had filched from my very foes. But when we +come down yonder, then shall thy valiancy prevail to cleave the +tangle for us. Or at the least, it shall leave a tale of +thee behind, and I shall worship thee.”</p> +<p>He laughed, and his face grew brighter: “Mastery mows +the meadow,” quoth he, “and one man is of little +might against many. But I promise thee I shall not be +slothful before thee.”</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXXI: THEY COME UPON NEW FOLK</h2> +<p>With that they went down from the bent again, and came to +where the pass narrowed so much, that they went betwixt a steep +wall of rock on either side; but after an hour’s going, the +said wall gave back suddenly, and, or they were ware almost, they +came on another dale like to that which they had left, but not so +fair, though it was grassy and well watered, and not so big +either. But here indeed befell a change to them; for lo! +tents and pavilions pitched in the said valley, and amidst of it +a throng of men, mostly weaponed, and with horses ready saddled +at hand. So they stayed their feet, and Walter’s +heart failed him, for he said to himself: Who wotteth what these +men may be, save that they be aliens? It is most like that +we shall be taken as thralls; and then, at the best, we shall be +sundered; and that is all one with the worst.</p> +<p>But the Maid, when she saw the horses, and the gay tents, and +the pennons fluttering, and the glitter of spears, and gleaming +of white armour, smote her palms together for joy, and cried out: +“Here now are come the folk of the city for our welcoming, +and fair and lovely are they, and of many things shall they be +thinking, and a many things shall they do, and we shall be +partakers thereof. Come then, and let us meet them, fair +friend!”</p> +<p>But Walter said: “Alas! thou knowest not: would that we +might flee! But now is it over late; so put we a good face +on it, and go to them quietly, as erewhile we did in the +Bear-country.”</p> +<p>So did they; and there sundered six from the men-at-arms and +came to those twain, and made humble obeisance to Walter, but +spake no word. Then they made as they would lead them to +the others, and the twain went with them wondering, and came into +the ring of men-at-arms, and stood before an old hoar knight, +armed all, save his head, with most goodly armour, and he also +bowed before Walter, but spake no word. Then they took them +to the master pavilion, and made signs to them to sit, and they +brought them dainty meat and good wine. And the while of +their eating arose up a stir about them; and when they were done +with their meat, the ancient knight came to them, still bowing in +courteous wise, and did them to wit by signs that they should +depart: and when they were without, they saw all the other tents +struck, and men beginning to busy them with striking the +pavilion, and the others mounted and ranked in good order for the +road; and there were two horse-litters before them, wherein they +were bidden to mount, Walter in one, and the Maid in the other, +and no otherwise might they do. Then presently was a horn +blown, and all took to the road together; and Walter saw betwixt +the curtains of the litter that men-at-arms rode on either side +of him, albeit they had left him his sword by his side.</p> +<p>So they went down the mountain-passes, and before sunset were +gotten into the plain; but they made no stay for nightfall, save +to eat a morsel and drink a draught, going through the night as +men who knew their way well. As they went, Walter wondered +what would betide, and if peradventure they also would be for +offering them up to their Gods; whereas they were aliens for +certain, and belike also Saracens. Moreover there was a +cold fear at his heart that he should be sundered from the Maid, +whereas their masters now were mighty men of war, holding in +their hands that which all men desire, to wit, the manifest +beauty of a woman. Yet he strove to think the best of it +that he might. And so at last, when the night was far +spent, and dawn was at hand, they stayed at a great and mighty +gate in a huge wall. There they blew loudly on the horn +thrice, and thereafter the gates were opened, and they all passed +through into a street, which seemed to Walter in the glimmer to +be both great and goodly amongst the abodes of men. Then it +was but a little ere they came into a square, wide-spreading, one +side whereof Walter took to be the front of a most goodly +house. There the doors of the court opened to them or ever +the horn might blow, though, forsooth, blow it did loudly three +times; all they entered therein, and men came to Walter and +signed to him to alight. So did he, and would have tarried +to look about for the Maid, but they suffered it not, but led him +up a huge stair into a chamber, very great, and but dimly lighted +because of its greatness. Then they brought him to a bed +dight as fair as might be, and made signs to him to strip and lie +therein. Perforce he did so, and then they bore away his +raiment, and left him lying there. So he lay there quietly, +deeming it no avail for him, a mother-naked man, to seek escape +thence; but it was long ere he might sleep, because of his +trouble of mind. At last, pure weariness got the better of +his hopes and fears, and he fell into slumber just as the dawn +was passing into day.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXXII: OF THE NEW KING OF THE CITY AND LAND OF +STARK-WALL</h2> +<p>When he awoke again the sun was shining brightly into that +chamber, and he looked, and beheld that it was peerless of beauty +and riches, amongst all that he had ever seen: the ceiling done +with gold and over-sea blue; the walls hung with arras of the +fairest, though he might not tell what was the history done +therein. The chairs and stools were of carven work well +be-painted, and amidmost was a great ivory chair under a cloth of +estate, of bawdekin of gold and green, much be-pearled; and all +the floor was of fine work alexandrine.</p> +<p>He looked on all this, wondering what had befallen him, when +lo! there came folk into the chamber, to wit, two serving-men +well-bedight, and three old men clad in rich gowns of silk. +These came to him and (still by signs, without speech) bade him +arise and come with them; and when he bade them look to it that +he was naked, and laughed doubtfully, they neither laughed in +answer, nor offered him any raiment, but still would have him +arise, and he did so perforce. They brought him with them +out of the chamber, and through certain passages pillared and +goodly, till they came to a bath as fair as any might be; and +there the serving-men washed him carefully and tenderly, the old +men looking on the while. When it was done, still they +offered not to clothe him, but led him out, and through the +passages again, back to the chamber. Only this time he must +pass between a double hedge of men, some weaponed, some in +peaceful array, but all clad gloriously, and full chieftain-like +of aspect, either for valiancy or wisdom.</p> +<p>In the chamber itself was now a concourse of men, of great +estate by deeming of their array; but all these were standing +orderly in a ring about the ivory chair aforesaid. Now said +Walter to himself: Surely all this looks toward the knife and the +altar for me; but he kept a stout countenance despite of all.</p> +<p>So they led him up to the ivory chair, and he beheld on either +side thereof a bench, and on each was laid a set of raiment from +the shirt upwards; but there was much diversity betwixt these +arrays. For one was all of robes of peace, glorious and +be-gemmed, unmeet for any save a great king; while the other was +war-weed, seemly, well-fashioned, but little adorned; nay rather, +worn and bestained with weather, and the pelting of the +spear-storm.</p> +<p>Now those old men signed to Walter to take which of those +raiments he would, and do it on. He looked to the right and +the left, and when he had looked on the war-gear, the heart arose +in him, and he called to mind the array of the Goldings in the +forefront of battle, and he made one step toward the weapons, and +laid his hand thereon. Then ran a glad murmur through that +concourse, and the old men drew up to him smiling and joyous, and +helped him to do them on; and as he took up the helm, he noted +that over its broad brown iron sat a golden crown.</p> +<p>So when he was clad and weaponed, girt with a sword, and a +steel axe in his hand, the elders showed him to the ivory throne, +and he laid the axe on the arm of the chair, and drew forth the +sword from the scabbard, and sat him down, and laid the ancient +blade across his knees; then he looked about on those great men, +and spake: “How long shall we speak no word to each other, +or is it so that God hath stricken you dumb?”</p> +<p>Then all they cried out with one voice: “All hail to the +King, the King of Battle!”</p> +<p>Spake Walter: “If I be king, will ye do my will as I bid +you?”</p> +<p>Answered the elder: “Nought have we will to do, lord, +save as thou biddest.”</p> +<p>Said Walter: “Thou then, wilt thou answer a question in +all truth?”</p> +<p>“Yea, lord,” said the elder, “if I may live +afterward.”</p> +<p>Then said Walter: “The woman that came with me into your +Camp of the Mountain, what hath befallen her?”</p> +<p>The elder answered: “Nought hath befallen her, either of +good or evil, save that she hath slept and eaten and bathed +her. What, then, is the King’s pleasure concerning +her?”</p> +<p>“That ye bring her hither to me straightway,” said +Walter.</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the elder; “and in what guise +shall we bring her hither? shall she be arrayed as a servant, or +a great lady?”</p> +<p>Then Walter pondered a while, and spake at last: “Ask +her what is her will herein, and as she will have it, so let it +be. But set ye another chair beside mine, and lead her +thereto. Thou wise old man, send one or two to bring her in +hither, but abide thou, for I have a question or two to ask of +thee yet. And ye, lords, abide here the coming of my +she-fellow, if it weary you not.”</p> +<p>So the elder spake to three of the most honourable of the +lords, and they went their ways to bring in the Maid.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXXIII: CONCERNING THE FASHION OF KING-MAKING IN +STARK-WALL</h2> +<p>Meanwhile the King spake to the elder, and said: “Now +tell me whereof I am become king, and what is the fashion and +cause of the king-making; for wondrous it is to me, whereas I am +but an alien amidst of mighty men.”</p> +<p>“Lord,” said the old man, “thou art become +king of a mighty city, which hath under it many other cities and +wide lands, and havens by the sea-side, and which lacketh no +wealth which men desire. Many wise men dwell therein, and +of fools not more than in other lands. A valiant host shall +follow thee to battle when needs must thou wend afield; an host +not to be withstood, save by the ancient God-folk, if any of them +were left upon the earth, as belike none are. And as to the +name of our said city, it hight the City of the Stark-wall, or +more shortly, Stark-wall. Now as to the fashion of our +king-making: If our king dieth and leaveth an heir male, begotten +of his body, then is he king after him; but if he die and leave +no heir, then send we out a great lord, with knights and +sergeants, to that pass of the mountain whereto ye came +yesterday; and the first man that cometh unto them, they take and +lead to the city, as they did with thee, lord. For we +believe and trow that of old time our forefathers came down from +the mountains by that same pass, poor and rude, but full of +valiancy, before they conquered these lands, and builded the +Stark-wall. But now furthermore, when we have gotten the +said wanderer, and brought him home to our city, we behold him +mother-naked, all the great men of us, both sages and warriors; +then if we find him ill-fashioned and counterfeit of his body, we +roll him in a great carpet till he dies; or whiles, if he be but +a simple man, and without guile, we deliver him for thrall to +some artificer amongst us, as a shoemaker, a wright, or what not, +and so forget him. But in either case we make as if no such +man had come to us, and we send again the lord and his knights to +watch the pass; for we say that such an one the Fathers of old +time have not sent us. But again, when we have seen to the +new-comer that he is well-fashioned of his body, all is not done; +for we deem that never would the Fathers send us a dolt or a +craven to be our king. Therefore we bid the naked one take +to him which he will of these raiments, either the ancient +armour, which now thou bearest, lord, or this golden raiment +here; and if he take the war-gear, as thou takedst it, King, it +is well; but if he take the raiment of peace, then hath he the +choice either to be thrall of some goodman of the city, or to be +proven how wise he may be, and so fare the narrow edge betwixt +death and kingship; for if he fall short of his wisdom, then +shall he die the death. Thus is thy question answered, +King, and praise be to the Fathers that they have sent us one +whom none may doubt, either for wisdom or valiancy.”</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXXIV: NOW COMETH THE MAID TO THE KING</h2> +<p>Then all they bowed before the King, and he spake again: +“What is that noise that I hear without, as if it were the +rising of the sea on a sandy shore, when the south-west wind is +blowing.”</p> +<p>Then the elder opened his mouth to answer; but before he might +get out the word, there was a stir without the chamber door, and +the throng parted, and lo! amidst of them came the Maid, and she +yet clad in nought save the white coat wherewith she had won +through the wilderness, save that on her head was a garland of +red roses, and her middle was wreathed with the same. Fresh +and fair she was as the dawn of June; her face bright, +red-lipped, and clear-eyed, and her cheeks flushed with hope and +love. She went straight to Walter where he sat, and lightly +put away with her hand the elder who would lead her to the ivory +throne beside the King; but she knelt down before him, and laid +her hand on his steel-clad knee, and said: “O my lord, now +I see that thou hast beguiled me, and that thou wert all along a +king-born man coming home to thy realm. But so dear thou +hast been to me; and so fair and clear, and so kind withal do +thine eyes shine on me from under the grey war-helm, that I will +beseech thee not to cast me out utterly, but suffer me to be thy +servant and handmaid for a while. Wilt thou not?”</p> +<p>But the King stooped down to her and raised her up, and stood +on his feet, and took her hands and kissed them, and set her down +beside him, and said to her: “Sweetheart, this is now thy +place till the night cometh, even by my side.”</p> +<p>So she sat down there meek and valiant, her hands laid in her +lap, and her feet one over the other; while the King said: +“Lords, this is my beloved, and my spouse. Now, +therefore, if ye will have me for King, ye must worship this one +for Queen and Lady; or else suffer us both to go our ways in +peace.”</p> +<p>Then all they that were in the chamber cried out aloud: +“The Queen, the Lady! The beloved of our +lord!”</p> +<p>And this cry came from their hearts, and not their lips only; +for as they looked on her, and the brightness of her beauty, they +saw also the meekness of her demeanour, and the high heart of +her, and they all fell to loving her. But the young men of +them, their cheeks flushed as they beheld her, and their hearts +went out to her, and they drew their swords and brandished them +aloft, and cried out for her as men made suddenly drunk with +love: “The Queen, the Lady, the lovely one!”</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXXV: OF THE KING OF STARK-WALL AND HIS QUEEN</h2> +<p>But while this betid, that murmur without, which is aforesaid, +grew louder; and it smote on the King’s ear, and he said +again to the elder: “Tell us now of that noise withoutward, +what is it?”</p> +<p>Said the elder: “If thou, King, and the Queen, wilt but +arise and stand in the window, and go forth into the hanging +gallery thereof, then shall ye know at once what is this rumour, +and therewithal shall ye see a sight meet to rejoice the heart of +a king new come into kingship.”</p> +<p>So the King arose and took the Maid by the hand, and went to +the window and looked forth; and lo! the great square of the +place all thronged with folk as thick as they could stand, and +the more part of the carles with a weapon in hand, and many armed +right gallantly. Then he went out into the gallery with his +Queen, still holding her hand, and his lords and wise men stood +behind him. Straightway then arose a cry, and a shout of +joy and welcome that rent the very heavens, and the great place +was all glittering and strange with the tossing up of spears and +the brandishing of swords, and the stretching forth of hands.</p> +<p>But the Maid spake softly to King Walter and said: “Here +then is the wilderness left behind a long way, and here is +warding and protection against the foes of our life and +soul. O blessed be thou and thy valiant heart!”</p> +<p>But Walter spake nothing, but stood as one in a dream; and +yet, if that might be, his longing toward her increased +manifold.</p> +<p>But down below, amidst of the throng, stood two neighbours +somewhat anigh to the window; and quoth one to the other: +“See thou! the new man in the ancient armour of the Battle +of the Waters, bearing the sword that slew the foeman king on the +Day of the Doubtful Onset! Surely this is a sign of +good-luck to us all.”</p> +<p>“Yea,” said the second, “he beareth his +armour well, and the eyes are bright in the head of him: but hast +thou beheld well his she-fellow, and what the like of her +is?”</p> +<p>“I see her,” said the other, “that she is a +fair woman; yet somewhat worse clad than simply. She is in +her smock, man, and were it not for the balusters I deem ye +should see her barefoot. What is amiss with her?”</p> +<p>“Dost thou not see her,” said the second +neighbour, “that she is not only a fair woman, but yet +more, one of those lovely ones that draw the heart out of a +man’s body, one may scarce say for why? Surely +Stark-wall hath cast a lucky net this time. And as to her +raiment, I see of her that she is clad in white and wreathed with +roses, but that the flesh of her is so wholly pure and sweet that +it maketh all her attire but a part of her body, and halloweth +it, so that it hath the semblance of gems. Alas, my friend! +let us hope that this Queen will fare abroad unseldom amongst the +people.”</p> +<p>Thus, then, they spake; but after a while the King and his +mate went back into the chamber, and he gave command that the +women of the Queen should come and fetch her away, to attire her +in royal array. And thither came the fairest of the +honourable damsels, and were fain of being her +waiting-women. Therewithal the King was unarmed, and dight +most gloriously, but still he bore the Sword of the King’s +Slaying: and sithence were the King and the Queen brought into +the great hall of the palace, and they met on the dais, and +kissed before the lords and other folk that thronged the +hall. There they ate a morsel and drank a cup together +while all beheld them; and then they were brought forth, and a +white horse of the goodliest, well bedight, brought for each of +them, and thereon they mounted and went their ways together, by +the lane which the huge throng made for them, to the great +church, for the hallowing and the crowning; and they were led by +one squire alone, and he unarmed; for such was the custom of +Stark-wall when a new king should be hallowed: so came they to +the great church (for that folk was not miscreant, so to say), +and they entered it, they two alone, and went into the choir: and +when they had stood there a little while wondering at their lot, +they heard how the bells fell a-ringing tunefully over their +heads; and then drew near the sound of many trumpets blowing +together, and thereafter the voices of many folk singing; and +then were the great doors thrown open, and the bishop and his +priests came into the church with singing and minstrelsy, and +thereafter came the whole throng of the folk, and presently the +nave of the church was filled by it, as when the water follows +the cutting of the dam, and fills up the dyke. Thereafter +came the bishop and his mates into the choir, and came up to the +King, and gave him and the Queen the kiss of peace. This +was mass sung gloriously; and thereafter was the King anointed +and crowned, and great joy was made throughout the church. +Afterwards they went back afoot to the palace, they two alone +together, with none but the esquire going before to show them the +way. And as they went, they passed close beside those two +neighbours, whose talk has been told of afore, and the first one, +he who had praised the King’s war-array, spake and said: +“Truly, neighbour, thou art in the right of it; and now the +Queen has been dight duly, and hath a crown on her head, and is +clad in white samite done all over with pearls, I see her to be +of exceeding goodliness; as goodly, maybe, as the Lord +King.”</p> +<p>Quoth the other: “Unto me she seemeth as she did +e’en now; she is clad in white, as then she was, and it is +by reason of the pure and sweet flesh of her that the pearls +shine out and glow, and by the holiness of her body is her rich +attire hallowed; but, forsooth, it seemed to me as she went past +as though paradise had come anigh to our city, and that all the +air breathed of it. So I say, praise be to God and His +Hallows who hath suffered her to dwell amongst us!”</p> +<p>Said the first man: “Forsooth, it is well; but knowest +thou at all whence she cometh, and of what lineage she may +be?”</p> +<p>“Nay,” said the other, “I wot not whence she +is; but this I wot full surely, that when she goeth away, they +whom she leadeth with her shall be well bestead. Again, of +her lineage nought know I; but this I know, that they that come +of her, to the twentieth generation, shall bless and praise the +memory of her, and hallow her name little less than they hallow +the name of the Mother of God.”</p> +<p>So spake those two; but the King and Queen came back to the +palace, and sat among the lords and at the banquet which was held +thereafter, and long was the time of their glory, till the night +was far spent and all men must seek to their beds.</p> +<h2>CHAPTER XXXVI: OF WALTER AND THE MAID IN THE DAYS OF THE +KINGSHIP</h2> +<p>Long it was, indeed, till the women, by the King’s +command, had brought the Maid to the King’s chamber; and he +met her, and took her by the shoulders and kissed her, and said: +“Art thou not weary, sweetheart? Doth not the city, +and the thronging folk, and the watching eyes of the great ones . +. . doth it not all lie heavy on thee, as it doth upon +me?”</p> +<p>She said: “And where is the city now? is not this the +wilderness again, and thou and I alone together +therein?”</p> +<p>He gazed at her eagerly, and she reddened, so that her eyes +shone light amidst the darkness of the flush of her cheeks.</p> +<p>He spake trembling and softly, and said: “Is it not in +one matter better than the wilderness? is not the fear gone, yea, +every whit thereof?”</p> +<p>The dark flush had left her face, and she looked on him +exceeding sweetly, and spoke steadily and clearly: “Even so +it is, beloved.” Therewith she set her hand to the +girdle that girt her loins, and did it off, and held it out +toward him, and said: “Here is the token; this is a +maid’s girdle, and the woman is ungirt.”</p> +<p>So he took the girdle and her hand withal, and cast his arms +about her: and amidst the sweetness of their love and their +safety, and assured hope of many days of joy, they spake together +of the hours when they fared the razor-edge betwixt guile and +misery and death, and the sweeter yet it grew to them because of +it; and many things she told him ere the dawn, of the evil days +bygone, and the dealings of the Mistress with her, till the grey +day stole into the chamber to make manifest her loveliness; +which, forsooth, was better even than the deeming of that man +amidst the throng whose heart had been so drawn towards +her. So they rejoiced together in the new day.</p> +<p>But when the full day was, and Walter arose, he called his +thanes and wise men to the council; and first he bade open the +prison-doors, and feed the needy and clothe them, and make good +cheer to all men, high and low, rich and unrich; and thereafter +he took counsel with them on many matters, and they marvelled at +his wisdom and the keenness of his wit; and so it was, that some +were but half pleased thereat, whereas they saw that their will +was like to give way before his in all matters. But the +wiser of them rejoiced in him, and looked for good days while his +life lasted.</p> +<p>Now of the deeds that he did, and his joys and his griefs, the +tale shall tell no more; nor of how he saw Langton again, and his +dealings there.</p> +<p>In Stark-wall he dwelt, and reigned a King, well beloved of +his folk, sorely feared of their foemen. Strife he had to +deal with, at home and abroad; but therein he was not quelled, +till he fell asleep fair and softly, when this world had no more +of deeds for him to do. Nor may it be said that the needy +lamented him; for no needy had he left in his own land. And +few foes he left behind to hate him.</p> +<p>As to the Maid, she so waxed in loveliness and kindness, that +it was a year’s joy for any to have cast eyes upon her in +street or on field. All wizardry left her since the day of +her wedding; yet of wit and wisdom she had enough left, and to +spare; for she needed no going about, and no guile, any more than +hard commands, to have her will done. So loved she was by +all folk, forsooth, that it was a mere joy for any to go about +her errands. To be short, she was the land’s +increase, and the city’s safeguard, and the bliss of the +folk.</p> +<p>Somewhat, as the days passed, it misgave her that she had +beguiled the Bear-folk to deem her their God; and she considered +and thought how she might atone it.</p> +<p>So the second year after they had come to Stark-wall, she went +with certain folk to the head of the pass that led down to the +Bears; and there she stayed the men-at-arms, and went on further +with a two score of husbandmen whom she had redeemed from +thralldom in Stark-wall; and when they were hard on the dales of +the Bears, she left them there in a certain little dale, with +their wains and horses, and seed-corn, and iron tools, and went +down all bird-alone to the dwelling of those huge men, unguarded +now by sorcery, and trusting in nought but her loveliness and +kindness. Clad she was now, as when she fled from the Wood +beyond the World, in a short white coat alone, with bare feet and +naked arms; but the said coat was now embroidered with the +imagery of blossoms in silk and gold, and gems, whereas now her +wizardry had departed from her.</p> +<p>So she came to the Bears, and they knew her at once, and +worshipped and blessed her, and feared her. But she told +them that she had a gift for them, and was come to give it; and +therewith she told them of the art of tillage, and bade them +learn it; and when they asked her how they should do so, she told +them of the men who were abiding them in the mountain dale, and +bade the Bears take them for their brothers and sons of the +ancient Fathers, and then they should be taught of them. +This they behight her to do, and so she led them to where her +freedmen lay, whom the Bears received with all joy and +loving-kindness, and took them into their folk.</p> +<p>So they went back to their dales together; but the Maid went +her ways back to her men-at-arms and the city of Stark-wall.</p> +<p>Thereafter she sent more gifts and messages to the Bears, but +never again went herself to see them; for as good a face as she +put on it that last time, yet her heart waxed cold with fear, and +it almost seemed to her that her Mistress was alive again, and +that she was escaping from her and plotting against her once +more.</p> +<p>As for the Bears, they throve and multiplied; till at last +strife arose great and grim betwixt them and other peoples; for +they had become mighty in battle: yea, once and again they met +the host of Stark-wall in fight, and overthrew and were +overthrown. But that was a long while after the Maid had +passed away.</p> +<p>Now of Walter and the Maid is no more to be told, saving that +they begat between them goodly sons and fair daughters; whereof +came a great lineage in Stark-wall; which lineage was so strong, +and endured so long a while, that by then it had died out, folk +had clean forgotten their ancient Custom of king-making, so that +after Walter of Langton there was never another king that came +down to them poor and lonely from out of the Mountains of the +Bears.</p> +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD***</p> +<pre> + + +***** This file should be named 3055-h.htm or 3055-h.zip****** + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/3/0/5/3055 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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