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diff --git a/3055.txt b/3055.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e475916 --- /dev/null +++ b/3055.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5146 @@ +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*** + + + + +Transcribed from the 1913 Longmans, Green, and Co. edition by David +Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org + + + + + +THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD + + +BY WILLIAM MORRIS + +POCKET EDITION + +LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO. +39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON +NEW YORK, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA +1913 + + + + +CHAPTER I: OF GOLDEN WALTER AND HIS FATHER + + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +"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?" + +"The shortest word is best, father," said Walter, "and this it is, that I +would depart in the said ship and see other lands." + +"Yea and whither, son?" said the merchant. + +"Whither she goeth," said Walter, "for I am ill at ease at home, as thou +wottest, father." + +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." + +"Yet if we do meet, father, then shalt thou see a new man in me." + +"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." + +Said Walter: "I pray thee shame her not more than needs must be, lest, so +doing, thou shame both me and thyself also." + +Bartholomew held his peace again for a while; then he said: "Goeth she +with child, my son?" + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER II: GOLDEN WALTER TAKES SHIP TO SAIL THE SEAS + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER III: WALTER HEARETH TIDINGS OF THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +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." + +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: + +"What, Arnold! and did he die in his bed, or how? for he was neither old +nor ailing when we parted." + +Said Arnold: "Yea, in his bed he died: but first he was somewhat sword- +bitten." + +"Yea, and how?" quoth Walter. + +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." + +"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." + +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?" + +"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." + +But Walter's visage from wrathful red had become pale, and he pointed up +street, and cried out: "Look! dost thou see?" + +"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!" + +"Yea, what is it?" said Walter. + +"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?" + +"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." + +"Nay, master, nay," said Arnold, "mine eyes were not off them one instant +of time." + +"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." + +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? + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER IV: STORM BEFALLS THE BARTHOLOMEW, AND SHE IS DRIVEN OFF HER +COURSE + + +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?" + +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. + +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." + +"Is all well with ship and crew then?" said Walter. + +"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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER V: NOW THEY COME TO A NEW LAND + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +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." + +"Thou art alone here then?" said the master. + +"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." + +Said the master: "Where be the other houses of the town?" + +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." + +"Yea," quoth the shipmaster grinning, "and be the bears of thy country so +manlike, that they dwell in builded houses?" + +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." + +Said the master: "Trow they in Mahound then?" + +"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." + +Then spake Walter: "Yea, good sir, and how knowest thou that? dost thou +deal with them at all?" + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER VI: THE OLD MAN TELLS WALTER OF HIMSELF. WALTER SEES A SHARD IN +THE CLIFF-WALL + + +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?" + +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." + +Said Walter: "Well then, hast thou been long here?" + +"Yea," said the carle, "since I was a young man, and a stalwarth knight." + +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?" + +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." + +Said Walter: "Didst thou find thy foregoer alive here?" + +"Yea," said the elder, "yet he lived but for a little while after I came +to him." + +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." + +Said Walter: "Didst thou come hither of thine own will?" + +"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." + +Said Walter: "Tell me this; why didst thou slay the man? did he any +scathe to thee?" + +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." + +"What came thereof?" said Walter. + +"Evil came of it," said the carle. + +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?" + +"Yea," said the carle. + +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?" + +"I will not tell thee," said the carle. + +Then they held their peace, both of them, and thereafter got on to other +talk of no import. + +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. + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +"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. + +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: + +"Maybe: I wot not. I deem that it also leadeth into the Bear-country by +a roundabout road. It leadeth into the far land." + +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?" + +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: "NO, IT WAS NOT." +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." + +"Yea, of what?" said the carle. + +"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." + +"What adventure?" said the old man, rising up on his elbow and staring +sternly on him. + +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." + +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." + +"Yea, and how?" said Walter. + +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." + +Said Walter: "Is that sure?" + +"Dead sure," said the carle. + +"How knowest thou this?" said Walter. + +"I have been there myself," said the carle. + +"Yea," said Walter, "but thou camest away whole." + +"Art thou sure thereof?" said the carle. + +"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. + +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." + +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." + +"My son! my son!" said the carle, "I pray thee go not to thy death!" + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER VII: WALTER COMES TO THE SHARD IN THE ROCK-WALL + + +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?" + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII: WALTER WENDS THE WASTE + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER IX: WALTER HAPPENETH ON THE FIRST OF THOSE THREE CREATURES + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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: + +"How now! What art thou? Whence comest? What wantest?" + +Walter sat up and said: "I am a man; I hight Golden Walter; I come from +Langton; I want victual." + +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!" + +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. + +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." + +"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?" + +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." + +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--" + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER X: WALTER HAPPENETH ON ANOTHER CREATURE IN THE STRANGE LAND + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +"Yea," he said, "I am an alien; wilt thou be good to me?" + +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." + +He said: "Didst thou look for my coming at about this time?" + +"O nay," she said; "how might I?" + +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." + +She looked on him anxiously, and grew somewhat pale, as she said: "What +other one?" + +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." + +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." + +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. + +But he still looked anxiously upon her and said: "Have I hurt thee? I +pray thy pardon." + +She looked on him more sweetly still, and said: "O nay; thou wouldst not +hurt me, thou!" + +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?" + +"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." + +She spoke earnestly to him; but he said: "How long shall I abide away?" + +Her face was troubled as she answered him: "For no long while." + +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." + +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?" + +"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." + +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." + +"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." + +"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." + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +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. + +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." + +And therewith she put her hands before her face, and wept, and murmured: +"Who shall deliver me from this death in life?" + +But Walter cried out: "For what else am I come hither, I, I?" + +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. + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +And therewith he told her in few words how it had gone with him since +that day on the quay at Langton. + +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." + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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!" + +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." + +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. + +So he departed through the fair land, and his heart was full with hope +and fear as he went. + + + + +CHAPTER XI: WALTER HAPPENETH ON THE MISTRESS + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +"Yea," she said, "I see him yonder, kneeling on his knees; let him come +nigher and give some account of himself." + +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. + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +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?" + +"Nay, Lady," said Walter, "I am but of the sons of the merchants." + +"It matters not," she said; "go thy ways into one of the chambers." + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XII: THE WEARING OF FOUR DAYS IN THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +"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." + +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." + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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!" + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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." + +"No, no," said the Lady sharply, "it shall not be." + +Then was she silent a while; and then she said: "How if the man should +prove to be our master?" + +"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!" + +"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." + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII: NOW IS THE HUNT UP + + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +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. + +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?" + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV: THE HUNTING OF THE HART + + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +"Yea, Lady," he said; "but the sight of thee maketh me foolish to do +aught else but to look on thee." + +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." + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +So he sat down by her trembling, but neither for awe of her greatness, +nor for fear and horror of her guile and sorcery. + +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. + +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." + +"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." + +"Hast thou not kindred there?" said she. + +"Yea," said he, "and foemen withal; and a false woman waylayeth my life +there." + +"And what was she?" said the Lady. + +Said Walter: "She was but my wife." + +"Was she fair?" said the Lady. + +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." + +"I know it, I?" said the Lady. + +"What, then! thou knowest it not?" said Walter. + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +"Yea, my Lady," said Walter; "and what enemy mightest thou have to have +done this?" + +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." + +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?" + +"So it is, Lady," said he. + +"Then have we to thank it," said the Lady, "and thou art welcome to our +land." + +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. + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER XV: THE SLAYING OF THE QUARRY + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +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." + +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. + +At last she stayed her swift feet, and turned round on Walter, and said: +"Squire, come hither." + +So did he, and she said: "I am weary again; let us sit under this quicken- +tree, and rest us." + +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?" + +He said: "Lady, I will go back and flay the beast, and bring on the +hide." + +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." + +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." + +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. + +"O gracious one," quoth he, "thou wert, as ever, full lovely, but I +feared for thee." + +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." + +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. + +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?" + +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. + +Then she arose and said: "Come, Squire, and let us home; be not abashed, +there shall be other rewards hereafter." + +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." + +Then she nodded to him friendly and went her ways. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI: OF THE KING'S SON AND THE MAID + + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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?" + +"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." + +"What shall I swear by?" she said. + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +He kissed her once more, and said: "Forget it not, or the threat holds +good." + +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. + +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!" + +He spake not, but looked on her sternly. She said: "Thou art angry with +me?" + +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!" + +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. + +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!" + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII: OF THE HOUSE AND THE PLEASANCE IN THE WOOD + + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +He said faltering: "I wot not; but perchance thou art an idol; and I fear +thee." + +"What!" she said, "more than yesterday, whenas thou sawest me afraid?" + +Said he: "Yea, for that now I see thee unhidden, and meseemeth there hath +been none such since the old days of the Gentiles." + +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?" + +"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?" + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII: THE MAID GIVES WALTER TRYST + + +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. + +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." + +The joy grew up in his heart, and he gazed on her fondly, and said: "Why, +what hath befallen of late?" + +"O friend," she began, "this hath befallen." + +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!" + +And therewith she turned about and fled like the wind down the stream. + +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. + +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. + +So he smiled, if it were somewhat grimly, and sheathed his sword and went +on toward the house. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX: WALTER GOES TO FETCH HOME THE LION'S HIDE + + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +"Yes," said Walter hastily; "but friend and love--" + +"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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +"Art thou not happy then, Squire of my Lady?" said the other. + +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?" + +"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. + +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." + +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." + +Quoth Walter, smiling askance on him: "And the Lady? what shall she say +to this matter?" + +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." + +"Thou sayest sooth," said Walter; "neither is treason my wont." + +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?" + +"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." + +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?" + +"Yea," said the King's Son; "she will lead me thither." + +"And wilt thou make her thy lady and queen when thou comest to thy +father's land?" said Walter. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XX: WALTER IS BIDDEN TO ANOTHER TRYST + + +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?" + +He was abashed, and bowed before her and said: "O gracious Lady, thou +badest me service, and I have been about it." + +She said: "Tell me then, tell me, what hath betided?" + +"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." + +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." + +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!" + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXI: WALTER AND THE MAID FLEE FROM THE GOLDEN HOUSE + + +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!" + +He dallied not, but went as she led, and they were lightfoot, both of +them. + +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. + +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." + +Quoth Walter: "How may that be?" + +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?" + +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." + +And she shuddered, and he felt her hand change as he held it. + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +"Yea, and how?" said Walter. + +"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." + +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!" + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII: OF THE DWARF AND THE PARDON + + +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--" + +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. + +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. + +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." + +"And who," said Walter, "is the Enemy?" + +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." + +"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. + +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." + +Said Walter: "But what need to wreak thee? What hath she done to thee?" + +"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!" + +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. + +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." + +But she shrunk away from him, and looked at him with wild eyes, and said: +"What hast thou done with him? Is he gone?" + +"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." + +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!" + +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." + +"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." + +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?" + +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." + +"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." + +"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. + +She said: "I must needs go with thee; terror hath so filled my soul, that +I durst not abide here without thee." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII: OF THE PEACEFUL ENDING OF THAT WILD DAY + + +Thereafter Walter led the Maid down again, and said to her: "Now, +sweetling, shall the story be told." + +"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." + +"But," said he, "thou hast been hurt by the Dwarf's arrow." + +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." + +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." + +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." + +And she looked piteously on him, so that he might not gainsay her. + +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." + +"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." + +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." + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV: THE MAID TELLS OF WHAT HAD BEFALLEN HER + + +"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." + +"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." + +"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." + +"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." + +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." + +"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." + +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." + +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." + +"Maiden," said Walter, "one question I would ask thee; to wit, didst thou +see me on the quay by the ships?" + +"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." + +"Yea, yea," quoth Walter; "and, forsooth, one of them was who but I." + +"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." + +"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!" + +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?" + +She laughed amidst of her tears, and said: "O, nay, poor lad, if thou +wilt be but wise." + +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. + +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!" + +"Fear nothing, sweetling," said he; "for indeed I deem that already I +know partly what thou hast done." + +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." + +Said Walter: "Was the lion of her making or of thine then?" + +She said: "Of hers: why should I deal with such a matter?" + +"Yea," said Walter, "but she verily swooned, and she was verily wroth +with the Enemy." + +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." + +"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." + +"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." + +"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?" + +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.'" + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV: OF THE TRIUMPHANT SUMMER ARRAY OF THE MAID + + +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. + +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." + +"What is the peril?" said Walter; "I mean, what is the worst of it?" + +Said the Maid: "To be offered up in sacrifice to their God." + +"But if we escape death at their hands, what then?" said Walter. + +"One of two things," said she; "the first that they shall take us into +their tribe." + +"And will they sunder us in that case?" said Walter. + +"Nay," said she. + +Walter laughed and said: "Therein is little harm then. But what is the +other chance?" + +Said she: "That we leave them with their goodwill, and come back to one +of the lands of Christendom." + +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?" + +"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." + +"That will be long ago," said he; "how then may she be living now?" + +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." + +"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!" + +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." + +"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?" + +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?" + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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?" + +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!" + +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. + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI: THEY COME TO THE FOLK OF THE BEARS + + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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." + +"So it is, Maiden," said the elder, "that many more children hath the +Bear." + +"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." + +"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." + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII: MORNING AMONGST THE BEARS + + +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?" + +And he gazed ruefully on her. + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +"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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII: OF THE NEW GOD OF THE BEARS + + +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." + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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." + +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!" + +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." + +Then she said again: "Did ye rejoice at her coming, and would ye rejoice +if once more she came amongst you?" + +"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." + +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." + +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." + +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." + +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. + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX: WALTER STRAYS IN THE PASS AND IS SUNDERED FROM THE MAID + + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX: NOW THEY MEET AGAIN + + +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. + +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." + +"Ill, ill," said he. + +"What ails thee?" she said. + +"Hunger," he said, "and longing for thee." + +"Well," she said, "me thou hast; there is one ill quenched; take my hand, +and we will see to the other one." + +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?" + +"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. + +"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." + +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. + +But when they were done with their meat, Walter said to the Maid: "And +how didst thou know that thou shouldst see me presently?" + +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." + +Said he, "Why didst thou not come to me then, since thou heardest me +bemoaning thee?" + +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." + +Then she reddened sorely, and said: "I knew not that aught of me had such +beauty as thou didst bewail." + +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." + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +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." + +"Yea, beloved," he said, "let us on straightway then, and shorten the +while that sundereth us." + +"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." + +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. + +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!" + +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." + +"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." + +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." + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI: THEY COME UPON NEW FOLK + + +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. + +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!" + +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." + +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. + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXII: OF THE NEW KING OF THE CITY AND LAND OF STARK-WALL + + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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?" + +Then all they cried out with one voice: "All hail to the King, the King +of Battle!" + +Spake Walter: "If I be king, will ye do my will as I bid you?" + +Answered the elder: "Nought have we will to do, lord, save as thou +biddest." + +Said Walter: "Thou then, wilt thou answer a question in all truth?" + +"Yea, lord," said the elder, "if I may live afterward." + +Then said Walter: "The woman that came with me into your Camp of the +Mountain, what hath befallen her?" + +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?" + +"That ye bring her hither to me straightway," said Walter. + +"Yea," said the elder; "and in what guise shall we bring her hither? +shall she be arrayed as a servant, or a great lady?" + +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." + +So the elder spake to three of the most honourable of the lords, and they +went their ways to bring in the Maid. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXIII: CONCERNING THE FASHION OF KING-MAKING IN STARK-WALL + + +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." + +"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." + + + + +CHAPTER XXXIV: NOW COMETH THE MAID TO THE KING + + +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." + +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?" + +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." + +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." + +Then all they that were in the chamber cried out aloud: "The Queen, the +Lady! The beloved of our lord!" + +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!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXXV: OF THE KING OF STARK-WALL AND HIS QUEEN + + +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?" + +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." + +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. + +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!" + +But Walter spake nothing, but stood as one in a dream; and yet, if that +might be, his longing toward her increased manifold. + +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." + +"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?" + +"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?" + +"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." + +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." + +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!" + +Said the first man: "Forsooth, it is well; but knowest thou at all whence +she cometh, and of what lineage she may be?" + +"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." + +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. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXVI: OF WALTER AND THE MAID IN THE DAYS OF THE KINGSHIP + + +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?" + +She said: "And where is the city now? is not this the wilderness again, +and thou and I alone together therein?" + +He gazed at her eagerly, and she reddened, so that her eyes shone light +amidst the darkness of the flush of her cheeks. + +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?" + +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." + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + +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. + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD*** + + +******* This file should be named 3055.txt or 3055.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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