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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/61077-0.zip b/61077-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 04ce066..0000000 --- a/61077-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/61077-h.zip b/61077-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4a3f366..0000000 --- a/61077-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a06f315 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #61077 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61077) diff --git a/old/61077-8.txt b/old/61077-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 24a2fef..0000000 --- a/old/61077-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7140 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The King of Elfland's Daughter, by Lord Dunsany - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The King of Elfland's Daughter - -Author: Lord Dunsany - -Release Date: January 2, 2020 [EBook #61077] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Distributed -Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - - - The King of Elfland's Daughter - - Lord Dunsany - - - BALLANTINE BOOKS - NEW YORK - - First Ballantine Books edition: June, 1969 - - Printed in Canada - - BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC. - 101 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003 - - - TO - LADY DUNSANY - - - - - Preface - - -I hope that no suggestion of any strange land that may be conveyed by -the title will scare readers away from this book; for, though some -chapters do indeed tell of Elfland, in the greater part of them there is -no more to be shown than the face of the fields we know, and ordinary -English woods and a common village and valley, a good twenty or -twenty-five miles from the border of Elfland. - - LORD DUNSANY - - - - - _Contents_ - - - Preface - - I The Plan of the Parliament of Erl - - II Alveric Comes in Sight of the Elfin Mountains - - III The Magical Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland - - IV Alveric Comes Back to Earth After Many Years - - V The Wisdom of the Parliament of Erl - - VI The Rune of the Elf King - - VII The Coming of the Troll - - VIII The Arrival of the Rune - - IX Lirazel Blows Away - - X The Ebbing of Elfland - - XI The Deep of the Woods - - XII The Unenchanted Plain - - XIII The Reticence of the Leather-Worker - - XIV The Quest for the Elfin Mountains - - XV The Retreat of the Elf King - - XVI Orion Hunts the Stag - - XVII The Unicorn Comes in the Starlight - - XVIII The Grey Tent in the Evening - - XIX Twelve Old Men Without Magic - - XX A Historical Fact - - XXI On the Verge of Earth - - XXII Orion Appoints a Whip - - XXIII Lurulu Watches the Restlessness - - XXIV Lurulu Speaks of Earth and the Ways of Men - - XXV Lirazel Remembers the Fields We Know - - XXVI The Horn of Alveric - - XXVII The Return of Lurulu - - XXVIII A Chapter on Unicorn-Hunting - - XXIX The Luring of the People of the Marshes - - XXX The Coming of Too Much Magic - - XXXI The Cursing of Elfin Things - - XXXII Lirazel Yearns for Earth - - XXXIII The Shining Line - - XXXIV The Last Great Rune - - - - - CHAPTER I - - _The Plan of the Parliament of Erl_ - - -In their ruddy jackets of leather that reached to their knees the men of -Erl appeared before their lord, the stately white-haired man in his long -red room. He leaned in his carven chair and heard their spokesman. - -And thus their spokesman said. - -"For seven hundred years the chiefs of your race have ruled us well; and -their deeds are remembered by the minor minstrels, living on yet in -their little tinkling songs. And yet the generations stream away, and -there is no new thing." - -"What would you?" said the lord. - -"We would be ruled by a magic lord," they said. - -"So be it," said the lord. "It is five hundred years since my people -have spoken thus in parliament, and it shall always be as your -parliament saith. You have spoken. So be it." - -And he raised his hand and blessed them and they went. - -They went back to their ancient crafts, to the fitting of iron to the -hooves of horses, to working upon leather, to tending flowers, to -ministering to the rugged needs of Earth; they followed the ancient -ways, and looked for a new thing. But the old lord sent a word to his -eldest son, bidding him come before him. - -And very soon the young man stood before him, in that same carven chair -from which he had not moved, where light, growing late, from high -windows, showed the aged eyes looking far into the future beyond that -old lord's time. And seated there he gave his son his commandment. - -"Go forth," he said, "before these days of mine are over, and therefore -go in haste, and go from here eastwards and pass the fields we know, -till you see the lands that clearly pertain to faery; and cross their -boundary, which is made of twilight, and come to that palace that is -only told of in song." - -"It is far from here," said the young man Alveric. - -"Yes," answered he, "it is far." - -"And further still," the young man said, "to return. For distances in -those fields are not as here." - -"Even so," said his father. - -"What do you bid me do," said the son, "when I come to that palace?" - -And his father said: "To wed the King of Elfland's daughter." - -The young man thought of her beauty and crown of ice, and the sweetness -that fabulous runes had told was hers. Songs were sung of her on wild -hills where tiny strawberries grew, at dusk and by early starlight, and -if one sought the singer no man was there. Sometimes only her name was -sung softly over and over. Her name was Lirazel. - -She was a princess of the magic line. The gods had sent their shadows to -her christening, and the fairies too would have gone, but that they were -frightened to see on their dewy fields the long dark moving shadows of -the gods, so they stayed hidden in crowds of pale pink anemones, and -thence blessed Lirazel. - -"My people demand a magic lord to rule over them. They have chosen -foolishly," the old lord said, "and only the Dark Ones that show not -their faces know all that this will bring: but we, who see not, follow -the ancient custom and do what our people in their parliament say. It -may be some spirit of wisdom they have not known may save them even yet. -Go then with your face turned towards that light that beats from -fairyland, and that faintly illumines the dusk between sunset and early -stars, and this shall guide you till you come to the frontier and have -passed the fields we know." - -Then he unbuckled a strap and a girdle of leather and gave his huge -sword to his son, saying: "This that has brought our family down the -ages unto this day shall surely guard you always upon your journey, even -though you fare beyond the fields we know." - -And the young man took it though he knew that no such sword could avail -him. - -Near the Castle of Erl there lived a lonely witch, on high land near the -thunder, which used to roll in Summer along the hills. There she dwelt -by herself in a narrow cottage of thatch and roamed the high fields -alone to gather the thunderbolts. Of these thunderbolts, that had no -earthly forging, were made, with suitable runes, such weapons as had to -parry unearthly dangers. - -And alone would roam this witch at certain tides of Spring, taking the -form of a young girl in her beauty, singing among tall flowers in -gardens of Erl. She would go at the hour when hawk-moths first pass from -bell to bell. And of those few that had seen her was this son of the -Lord of Erl. And though it was calamity to love her, though it rapt -men's thoughts away from all things true, yet the beauty of the form -that was not hers had lured him to gaze at her with deep young eyes, -till--whether flattery or pity moved her, who knows that is mortal?--she -spared him whom her arts might well have destroyed and, changing -instantly in that garden there, showed him the rightful form of a deadly -witch. And even then his eyes did not at once forsake her, and in the -moments that his glance still lingered upon that withered shape that -haunted the hollyhocks he had her gratitude that may not be bought, nor -won by any charms that Christians know. And she had beckoned to him and -he had followed, and learned from her on her thunder-haunted hill that -on the day of need a sword might be made of metals not sprung from -Earth, with runes along it that would waft away, certainly any thrust of -earthly sword, and except for three master-runes could thwart the -weapons of Elfland. - -As he took his father's sword the young man thought of the witch. - -It was scarcely dark in the valley when he left the Castle of Erl, and -went so swiftly up the witch's hill that a dim light lingered yet on its -highest heaths when he came near the cottage of the one that he sought, -and found her burning bones at a fire in the open. To her he said that -the day of his need was come. And she bade him gather thunderbolts in -her garden, in the soft earth under her cabbages. - -And there with eyes that saw every minute more dimly, and fingers that -grew accustomed to the thunderbolts' curious surfaces, he found before -darkness came down on him seventeen: and these he heaped into a silken -kerchief and carried back to the witch. - -On the grass beside her he laid those strangers to Earth. From -wonderful spaces they came to her magical garden, shaken by thunder from -paths that we cannot tread; and though not in themselves containing -magic were well adapted to carry what magic her runes could give. She -laid the thigh-bone of a materialist down, and turned to those stormy -wanderers. She arranged them in one straight row by the side of her -fire. And over them then she toppled the burning logs and the embers, -prodding them down with the ebon stick that is the sceptre of witches, -until she had deeply covered those seventeen cousins of Earth that had -visited us from their etherial home. She stepped back then from her fire -and stretched out her hands, and suddenly blasted it with a frightful -rune. The flames leaped up in amazement. And what had been but a lonely -fire in the night, with no more mystery than pertains to all such fires, -flared suddenly into a thing that wanderers feared. - -As the green flames, stung by her runes, leaped up, and the heat of the -fire grew intenser, she stepped backwards further and further, and -merely uttered her runes a little louder the further she got from the -fire. She bade Alveric pile on logs, dark logs of oak that lay there -cumbering the heath; and at once, as he dropped them on, the heat licked -them up; and the witch went on pronouncing her louder runes, and the -flames danced wild and green; and down in the embers the seventeen, -whose paths had once crossed Earth's when they wandered free, knew heat -again as great as they had known, even on that desperate ride that had -brought them here. And when Alveric could no longer come near the fire, -and the witch was some yards from it shouting her runes, the magical -flames burned all the ashes away and that portent that flared on the -hill as suddenly ceased, leaving only a circle that sullenly glowed on -the ground, like the evil pool that glares where thermite has burst. -And flat in the glow, all liquid still, lay the sword. - -The witch approached it and pared its edges with a sword that she drew -from her thigh. Then she sat down beside it on the earth and sang to it -while it cooled. Not like the runes that enraged the flames was the song -she sang to the sword: she whose curses had blasted the fire till it -shrivelled big logs of oak crooned now a melody like a wind in summer -blowing from wild wood gardens that no man tended, down valleys loved -once by children, now lost to them but for dreams, a song of such -memories as lurk and hide along the edges of oblivion, now flashing from -beautiful years of glimpse of some golden moment, now passing swiftly -out of remembrance again, to go back to the shades of oblivion, and -leaving on the mind those faintest traces of little shining feet which -when dimly perceived by us are called regrets. She sang of old Summer -noons in the time of harebells: she sang on that high dark heath a song -that seemed so full of mornings and evenings preserved with all their -dews by her magical craft from days that had else been lost, that -Alveric wondered of each small wandering wing, that her fire had lured -from the dusk, if this were the ghost of some day lost to man, called up -by the force of her song from times that were fairer. And all the while -the unearthly metal grew harder. The white liquid stiffened and turned -red. The glow of the red dwindled. And as it cooled it narrowed: little -particles came together, little crevices closed: and as they closed they -seized the air about them, and with the air they caught the witch's -rune, and gripped it and held it forever. And so it was it became a -magical sword. And little magic there is in English woods, from the -time of anemones to the falling of leaves, that was not in the sword. -And little magic there is in southern downs, that only sheep roam over -and quiet shepherds, that the sword had not too. And there was scent of -thyme in it and sight of lilac, and the chorus of birds that sings -before dawn in April, and the deep proud splendour of rhododendrons, and -the litheness and laughter of streams, and miles and miles of may. And -by the time the sword was black it was all enchanted with magic. - -Nobody can tell you about that sword all that there is to be told of it; -for those that know of those paths of Space on which its metals once -floated, till Earth caught them one by one as she sailed past on her -orbit, have little time to waste on such things as magic, and so cannot -tell you how the sword was made, and those who know whence poetry is, -and the need that man has for song, or know any one of the fifty -branches of magic, have little time to waste on such things as science, -and so cannot tell you whence its ingredients came. Enough that it was -once beyond our Earth and was now here amongst our mundane stones; that -it was once but as those stones, and now had something in it such as -soft music has; let those that can define it. - -And now the witch drew the black blade forth by the hilt, which was -thick and on one side rounded, for she had cut a small groove in the -soil below the hilt for this purpose, and began to sharpen both sides of -the sword by rubbing them with a curious greenish stone, still singing -over the sword an eerie song. - -Alveric watched her in silence, wondering, not counting time; it may -have been for moments, it may have been while the stars went far on -their courses. Suddenly she was finished. She stood up with the sword -lying on both her hands. She stretched it out curtly to Alveric; he -took it, she turned away; and there was a look in her eyes as though she -would have kept that sword, or kept Alveric. He turned to pour out his -thanks, but she was gone. - -He rapped on the door of the dark house; he called "Witch, Witch" along -the lonely heath, till children heard on far farms and were terrified. -Then he turned home, and that was best for him. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - _Alveric Comes in Sight of the Elfin Mountains_ - - -To the long chamber, sparsely furnished, high in a tower, in which -Alveric slept, there came a ray direct from the rising sun. He awoke, -and remembered at once the magical sword, which made all his awaking -joyous. It is natural to feel glad at the thought of a recent gift, but -there was also a certain joy in the sword itself, which perhaps could -communicate with Alveric's thoughts all the more easily just as they -came from dreamland, which was pre-eminently the sword's own country; -but, however it be, all those that have come by a magical sword, have -always felt that joy while it still was new, clearly and unmistakably. - -He had no farewells to make, but thought it better instantly to obey his -father's command than to stay to explain why he took upon his adventure -a sword that he deemed to be better than the one his father loved. So he -stayed not even to eat, but put food in a wallet and slung over him by a -strap a bottle of good new leather, not waiting to fill it for he knew -he should meet with streams; and, wearing his father's sword as swords -are commonly worn, he slung the other over his back with its rough hilt -tied near his shoulder, and strode away from the Castle and Vale of Erl. -Of money he took but little, half a handful of copper only, for use in -the fields we know; for he knew not what coin or what means of exchange -were used on the other side of the frontier of twilight. - -Now the Vale of Erl is very near to the border beyond which there is -none of the fields we know. He climbed the hill and strode over the -fields and passed through woods of hazel; and the blue sky shone on him -merrily as he went by the way of the fields, and the blue was as bright -by his feet when he came to the woods, for it was the time of the -bluebells. He ate, and filled his water-bottle, and travelled all day -eastwards, and at evening the mountains of faery came floating into -view, the colour of pale forget-me-nots. - -As the sun set behind Alveric he looked at those pale-blue mountains to -see with what colour their peaks would astonish the evening; but never a -tint they took from the setting sun, whose splendour was gilding all the -fields we know, never a wrinkle faded upon their precipices, never a -shadow deepened, and Alveric learned that for nothing that happens here -is any change in the enchanted lands. - -He turned his eyes from their serene pale beauty back to the fields we -know. And there, with their gables lifting into the sunlight above deep -hedgerows beautiful with Spring, he saw the cottages of earthly men. -Past them he walked while the beauty of evening grew, with songs of -birds, and scents wandering from flowers, and odours that deepened and -deepened, and evening decked herself to receive the Evening Star. But -before that star appeared the young adventurer found the cottage he -sought; for, flapping above its doorway, he saw the sign of huge brown -hide with outlandish letters in gilt which proclaimed the dweller below -to be a worker in leather. - -An old man came to the door when Alveric knocked, little and bent with -age, and he bent more when Alveric named himself. And the young man -asked for a scabbard for his sword, yet said not what sword it was. And -they both went into the cottage where the old wife was, by her big fire, -and the couple did honour to Alveric. The old man then sat down near his -thick table, whose surface shone with smoothness wherever it was not -pitted by little tools that had drilled through pieces of leather all -that man's lifetime and in the times of his fathers. And then he laid -the sword upon his knees and wondered at the roughness of hilt and -guard, for they were raw unworked metal, and at the huge width of the -sword; and then he screwed up his eyes and began to think of his trade. -And in a while he thought out what must be done; and his wife brought -him a fine hide; and he marked out on it two pieces as wide as the -sword, and a bit wider than that. - -And any questions he asked concerning that wide bright sword Alveric -somewhat parried, for he wished not to perplex his mind by telling him -all that it was: he perplexed that old couple enough a little later when -he asked them for lodging for the night. And this they gave him with as -many apologies as if it were they that had asked a favour, and gave him -a great supper out of their cauldron, in which boiled everything that -the old man snared; but nothing that Alveric was able to say prevented -them giving up their bed to him and preparing a heap of skins for their -own night's rest by the fire. - -And after their supper the old man cut out the two wide pieces of -leather with a point at the end of each and began to stitch them -together on each side. And then Alveric began to ask him of the way, -and the old leather-worker spoke of North and South and West and even of -north-east, but of East or south-east he spoke never a word. He dwelt -near the very edge of the fields we know, yet of any hint of anything -lying beyond them he or his wife said nothing. Where Alveric's journey -lay upon the morrow they seemed to think the world ended. - -And pondering afterwards, in the bed they gave him, all that the old man -had said, Alveric sometimes marvelled at his ignorance, and yet -sometimes wondered if it might have been skill by which those two had -avoided all the evening any word of anything lying to the East or -south-east of their home. He wondered if in his early days the old man -might have gone there, but he was unable even to wonder what he had -found there if he had gone. Then Alveric fell asleep, and dreams gave -him hints and guesses of the old man's wanderings in Fairyland, but gave -him no better guides than he had already, and these were the pale-blue -peaks of the Elfin Mountains. - -The old man woke him after he had slept long. When he came to the -day-room a bright fire was burning there, his breakfast was ready for -him and the scabbard made, which fitted the sword exactly. The old -people waited on him silently and took payment for the scabbard, but -would not take aught for their hospitality. Silently they watched him -rise to go, and followed him without a word to the door, and outside it -watched him still, clearly hoping that he would turn to the North or -West; but when he turned and strode for the Elfin Mountains, they -watched him no more, for their faces never were turned that way. And -though they watched him no longer yet he waved his hand in farewell; -for he had a feeling for the cottages and fields of these simple folk, -such as they had not for the enchanted lands. He walked in the sparkling -morning through scenes familiar from infancy; he saw the ruddy orchis -flowering early, reminding the bluebells they were just past their -prime; the small young leaves of the oak were yet a brownish yellow; the -new beech-leaves shone like brass, where the cuckoo was calling clearly; -and a birch tree looked like a wild woodland creature that had draped -herself in green gauze; on favoured bushes there were buds of may. -Alveric said over and over to himself farewell to all these things: the -cuckoo went on calling, and not for him. And then, as he pushed through -a hedge into a field untended, there suddenly close before him in the -field was, as his father had told, the frontier of twilight. It -stretched across the fields in front of him, blue and dense like water; -and things seen through it seemed misshapen and shining. He looked back -once over the fields we know; the cuckoo went on calling unconcernedly; -a small bird sang about its own affairs; and, nothing seeming to answer -or heed his farewells, Alveric strode on boldly into those long masses -of twilight. - -A man in a field not far was calling to horses, there were folk talking -in a neighbouring lane, as Alveric stepped into the rampart of twilight; -at once all these sounds grew dim, humming faintly, as from great -distances: in a few strides he was through, and not a murmur at all came -then from the fields we know. The fields through which he had come had -suddenly ended; there was no trace of its hedges bright with new green; -he looked back, and the frontier seemed lowering, cloudy and smoky; he -looked all round and saw no familiar thing; in the place of the beauty -of May were the wonders and splendours of Elfland. - -The pale-blue mountains stood august in their glory, shimmering and -rippling in a golden light that seemed as though it rhythmically poured -from the peaks and flooded all those slopes with breezes of gold. And -below them, far off as yet, he saw going up all silver into the air the -spires of the palace only told of in song. He was on a plain on which -the flowers were queer and the shape of the trees monstrous. He started -at once toward the silver spires. - -To those who may have wisely kept their fancies within the boundary of -the fields we know it is difficult for me to tell of the land to which -Alveric had come, so that in their minds they can see that plain with -its scattered trees and far off the dark wood out of which the palace of -Elfland lifted those glittering spires, and above them and beyond them -that serene range of mountains whose pinnacles took no colour from any -light we see. Yet it is for this very purpose that our fancies travel -far, and if my reader through fault of mine fail to picture the peaks of -Elfland my fancy had better have stayed in the fields we know. Know then -that in Elfland are colours more deep than are in our fields, and the -very air there glows with so deep a lucency that all things seen there -have something of the look of our trees and flowers in June reflected in -water. And the colour of Elfland, of which I despaired to tell, may yet -be told, for we have hints of it here; the deep blue of the night in -Summer just as the gloaming has gone, the pale blue of Venus flooding -the evening with light, the deeps of lakes in the twilight, all these -are hints of that colour. And while our sunflowers carefully turned to -the sun, some forefather of the rhododendrons must have turned a little -towards Elfland, so that some of that glory dwells with them to this -day. And, above all, our painters have had many a glimpse of that -country, so that sometimes in pictures we see a glamour too wonderful -for our fields; it is a memory of theirs that intruded from some old -glimpse of the pale-blue mountains while they sat at easels painting the -fields we know. - -So Alveric strode on through the luminous air of that land whose -glimpses dimly remembered are inspirations here. And at once he felt -less lonely. For there is a barrier in the fields we know, drawn sharply -between men and all other life, so that if we be but a day away from our -kind we are lonely; but once across the boundary of twilight and Alveric -saw this barrier was down. Crows walking on the moor looked whimsically -at him, all manner of little creatures peered curiously to see who was -come from a quarter whence so few ever came; to see who went on a -journey whence so few ever returned; for the King of Elfland guarded his -daughter well, as Alveric knew although he knew not how. There was a -merry sparkle of interest in all those little eyes, and a look that -might mean warning. - -There was perhaps less mystery here than on our side of the boundary of -twilight; for nothing lurked or seemed to lurk behind great boles of -oak, as in certain lights and seasons things may lurk in the fields we -know; no strangeness hid on the far side of ridges; nothing haunted deep -woods; whatever might possibly lurk was clearly there to be seen, -whatever strangeness might be was spread in full sight of the traveller, -whatever might haunt deep woods lived there in the open day. - -And, so strong lay the enchantment deep over all that land, that not -only did beasts and men guess each other's meanings well, but there -seemed to be an understanding even, that reached from men to trees and -from trees to men. Lonely pine trees that Alveric passed now and then on -the moor, their trunks glowing always with the ruddy light that they had -got by magic from some old sunset, seemed to stand with their branches -akimbo and lean over a little to look at him. It seemed almost as though -they had not always been trees, before enchantment had overtaken them -there; it seemed they would tell him something. - -But Alveric heeded no warnings either from beasts or trees, and strode -away toward the enchanted wood. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - _The Magical Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland_ - - -When Alveric came to the enchanted wood the light in which Elfland -glowed had neither grown nor dwindled, and he saw that it came from no -radiance that shines on the fields we know, unless the wandering lights -of wonderful moments that sometimes astonish our fields, and are gone -the instant they come, are strayed over the border of Elfland by some -momentary disorder of magic. Neither sun nor moon made the light of that -enchanted day. - -A line of pine trees up which ivy climbed, as high as their lowering -black foliage, stood like sentinels at the edge of the wood. The silver -spires were shining as though it were they that made all this azure glow -in which Elfland swam. And Alveric having by now come far into Elfland, -and being now before its capital palace, and knowing that Elfland -guarded its mysteries well, drew his father's sword before he entered -the wood. The other still hung on his back, slung in its new scabbard -over his left shoulder. - -And the moment he passed by one of those guardian pine trees, the ivy -that lived on it unfastened its tendrils and, rapidly letting itself -down, came straight for Alveric and clutched at his throat. - -The long thin sword of his father was just in time; had it not been -drawn he would have scarcely got it out, so swift was the rush of the -ivy. He cut tendril after tendril that grasped his limbs as ivy grasps -old towers, and still more tendrils came for him, until he severed its -main stem between him and the tree. And as he was doing this he heard a -hissing rush behind him, and another had come down from another tree and -was rushing at him with all its leaves spread out. The green thing -looked wild and angry as it gripped his left shoulder as though it would -hold it forever. But Alveric severed those tendrils with a blow of his -sword and then fought with the rest, while the first one was still alive -but now too short to reach him, and was lashing its branches angrily on -the ground. And soon, as the surprise of the attack was over and he had -freed himself of the tendrils that had gripped him, Alveric stepped back -till the ivy could not reach him and he could still fight it with his -long sword. The ivy crawled back then to lure Alveric on, and sprang at -him when he followed it. But, terrible though the grip of ivy is, that -was a good sharp sword; and very soon Alveric, all bruised though he -was, had so lopped his assailant that it fled back up its tree. Then he -stepped back and looked at the wood in the light of his new experience, -choosing a way through. He saw at once that in the barrier of pine trees -the two in front of him had had their ivy so shortened in the fight that -if he went mid-way between the two the ivy of neither would be able to -reach him. He then stepped forward, but the moment he did so he noticed -one of the pine trees move closer to the other. He knew then that the -time was come to draw his magical sword. - -So he returned his father's sword to the scabbard by his side and drew -out the other over his shoulder and, going straight up to the tree that -had moved, swept at the ivy as it sprang at him: and the ivy fell all at -once to the ground, not lifeless but a heap of common ivy. And then he -gave one blow to the trunk of the tree, and a chip flew out not larger -than a common sword would have made, but the whole tree shuddered; and -with that shudder disappeared at once a certain ominous look that the -pine had had, and it stood there an ordinary unenchanted tree. Then he -stepped on through the wood with his sword drawn. - -He had not gone many paces when he heard behind him a sound like a faint -breeze in the tree-tops, yet no wind was blowing in that wood at all. He -looked round therefore, and saw that the pine trees were following him. -They were coming slowly after him, keeping well out of the way of his -sword, but to left and right they were gaining on him, so that he saw he -was being gradually shut in by a crescent that grew thicker and thicker -as it crowded amongst the trees that it met on the way, and would soon -crush him to death. Alveric saw at once that to turn back would be -fatal, and decided to push right on, relying chiefly on speed; for his -quick perception had already noticed something slow about the magic that -swayed the wood; as though whoever controlled it were old or weary of -magic, or interrupted by other things. So he went straight ahead, -hitting every tree in his way, whether enchanted or not, a blow with his -magical sword; and the runes that ran in that metal from the other side -of the sun were stronger than any spells that there were in the wood. -Great oak trees with sinister boles drooped and lost all their -enchantment as Alveric flashed past them with a flick of that magical -sword. He was marching faster than the clumsy pines. And soon he left in -that weird and eerie wood a wake of trees that were wholly unenchanted, -that stood there now without hint of romance or mystery even. - -And all of a sudden he came from the gloom of the wood to the emerald -glory of the Elf King's lawns. Again, we have hints of such things here. -Imagine lawns of ours just emerging from night, flashing early lights -from their dewdrops when all the stars have gone; bordered with flowers -that just begin to appear, their gentle colours all coming back after -night; untrodden by any feet except the tiniest and wildest; shut off -from the wind and the world by trees in whose fronds is still darkness: -picture these waiting for the birds to sing; there is almost a hint -there sometimes of the glow of the lawns of Elfland; but then it passes -so quickly that we can never be sure. More beautiful than aught our -wonder guesses, more than our hearts have hoped, were the dewdrop lights -and twilights in which these lawns glowed and shone. And we have another -thing by which to hint of them, those seaweeds or sea-mosses that drape -Mediterranean rocks and shine out of blue-green water for gazers from -dizzy cliffs: more like sea-floors were these lawns than like any land -of ours, for the air of Elfland is thus deep and blue. - -At the beauty of these lawns Alveric stood gazing as they shone through -twilight and dew, surrounded by the mauve and ruddy glory of the massed -flowers of Elfland, beside which our sunsets pale and our orchids droop; -and beyond them lay like night the magical wood. And jutting from that -wood, with glittering portals all open wide to the lawns, with windows -more blue than our sky on Summer's nights; as though built of starlight; -shone that palace that may be only told of in song. - -As Alveric stood there with his sword in his hand, at the wood's edge, -scarcely breathing, with his eyes looking over the lawns at the chiefest -glory of Elfland; through one of the portals alone came the King of -Elfland's daughter. She walked dazzling to the lawns without seeing -Alveric. Her feet brushed through the dew and the heavy air and gently -pressed for an instant the emerald grass, which bent and rose, as our -harebells when blue butterflies light and leave them, roaming care-free -along the hills of chalk. - -And as she passed he neither breathed nor moved, nor could have moved if -those pines had still pursued him, but they stayed in the forest not -daring to touch those lawns. - -She wore a crown that seemed to be carved of great pale sapphires; she -shone on those lawns and gardens like a dawn coming unaware, out of long -night, on some planet nearer than us to the sun. And as she passed near -Alveric she suddenly turned her head; and her eyes opened in a little -wonder. She had never before seen a man from the fields we know. - -And Alveric gazed in her eyes all speechless and powerless still: it was -indeed the Princess Lirazel in her beauty. And then he saw that her -crown was not of sapphires but ice. - -"Who are you?" she said. And her voice had the music that, of earthly -things, was most like ice in thousands of broken pieces rocked by a wind -of Spring upon lakes in some northern country. - -And he said: "I come from the fields that are mapped and known." - -And then she sighed for a moment for those fields, for she had heard how -life beautifully passes there, and how there are always in those fields -young generations, and she thought of the changing seasons and children -and age, of which elfin minstrels had sung when they told of Earth. - -And when he saw her sigh for the fields we know he told her somewhat of -that land whence he had come. And she questioned him further, and soon -he was telling her tales of his home and the Vale of Erl. And she -wondered to hear of it and asked him many questions more; and then he -told her all that he knew of Earth, not presuming to tell Earth's story -from what his own eyes had seen in his bare score of years, but telling -those tales and fables of the ways of beasts and men, that the folk of -Erl had drawn out of the ages, and which their elders told by the fire -at evening when children asked of what happened long ago. Thus on the -edge of those lawns whose miraculous glory was framed by flowers we have -never known, with the magical wood behind them, and that palace shining -near which may only be told of in song, they spoke of the simple wisdom -of old men and old women, telling of harvests and the blossoming of -roses and may, of when to plant in gardens, of what wild animals knew; -how to heal, how to sow, how to thatch, and of which of the winds in -what seasons blow over the fields we know. - -And then there appeared those knights who guard that palace lest any -should come through the enchanted wood. Four of them they came shining -over the lawns in armour, their faces not to be seen. In all the -enchanted centuries of their lives they had not dared to dream of the -princess: they had never bared their faces when they knelt armed before -her. Yet they had sworn an oath of dreadful words that no man else -should ever speak with her, if one should come through the enchanted -wood. With this oath now on their lips they marched towards Alveric. - -Lirazel looked at them sorrowfully yet could not halt them, for they -came by command of her father which she could not avert; and well she -knew that her father might not recall his command, for he had uttered it -ages ago at the bidding of Fate. Alveric looked at their armour, which -seemed to be brighter than any metal of ours, as though it came from one -of those buttresses near, which are only told of in song; then he went -towards them drawing his father's sword, for he thought to drive its -slender point through some joint of the armour. The other he put into -his left hand. - -As the first knight struck, Alveric parried, and stopped the blow, but -there came a shock like lightning into his arm and the sword flew from -his hand, and he knew that no earthly sword could meet the weapons of -Elfland, and took the magical sword in his right hand. With this he -parried the strokes of the Princess Lirazel's guard, for such these four -knights were, having waited for this occasion through all the ages of -Elfland. And no more shock came to him from any of those swords, but -only a vibration in his own sword's metal that passed through it like a -song, and a kind of a glow that arose in it, reaching to Alveric's heart -and cheering it. - -But as Alveric continued to parry the swift blows of the guard, that -sword that was kin to the lightning grew weary of these defences, for it -had in its essence speed and desperate journeys; and, lifting Alveric's -hand along with it, it swept blows at the elvish knights, and the -armour of Elfland could not hold it out. Thick and curious blood began -to pour through rifts in the armour, and soon of that glittering company -two were fallen; and Alveric, encouraged by the zeal of his sword fought -cheerily and soon overthrew another, so that only he and one of the -guard remained, who seemed to have some stronger magic about him than -had been given to his fallen comrades. And so it was, for when the Elf -King had first enchanted the guard he had charmed this elvish soldier -first of all, while all the wonder of his runes were new; and the -soldier and his armour and his sword had something still of this early -magic about them, more potent than any inspirations of wizardry that had -come later from his master's mind. Yet this knight, as Alveric soon was -able to feel along his arm and his sword, had none of those three master -runes of which the old witch had spoken when she made the sword on her -hill; for these were preserved unuttered by the King of Elfland himself, -with which to hedge his own presence. To have known of their existence -she must have flown by broom to Elfland and spoken secretly alone with -the King. - -And the sword that had visited Earth from so far away smote like the -falling of thunderbolts; and green sparks rose from the armour, and -crimson as sword met sword; and thick elvish blood moved slowly, from -wide slits, down the cuirass; and Lirazel gazed in awe and wonder and -love; and the combatants edged away fighting into the forest; and -branches fell on them hacked off by their fight; and the runes in -Alveric's far-travelled sword exulted, and roared at the elf-knight; -until in the dark of the wood, amongst branches severed from -disenchanted trees, with a blow like that of a thunderbolt riving an oak -tree, Alveric slew him. - -At that crash, and at that silence, Lirazel ran to his side. - -"Quick!" she said. "For my father has three runes ..." She durst not -speak of them. - -"Whither?" said Alveric. - -And she said: "To the fields you know." - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - _Alveric Comes Back to Earth After Many Years_ - - -Back through the guarding wood went Alveric and Lirazel, she only -looking once more at those flowers and lawns, seen only by the -furthest-travelling fancies of poets in deepest sleep, then urging -Alveric on; he choosing the way past trees he had disenchanted. - -And she would not let him delay even to choose his path, but kept urging -him away from the palace that is only told of in song. And the other -trees began to come lumbering towards them, from beyond the lustreless -unromantic line that Alveric's sword had smitten, looking queerly as -they came at their stricken comrades, whose listless branches drooped -without magic or mystery. And as the moving trees came nearer Lirazel -would hold up her hand, and they all halted and came on no more; and -still she urged upon Alveric to hasten. - -She knew her father would climb the brazen stairs of one of those silver -spires, she knew he would soon come out on to a high balcony, she knew -what rune he would chant. She heard the sound of his footsteps -ascending, ringing now through the wood. They fled over the plain beyond -the wood, all through the blue everlasting elfin day, and again and -again she looked over her shoulder and urged Alveric on. The Elf King's -feet boomed slow on the thousand brazen steps, and she hoped to reach -the barrier of twilight, which on that side was smoky and dull; when -suddenly, as she looked for the hundredth time at the distant balconies -of the glittering spires, she saw a door begin to open high up, above -the palace only told of in song. She cried "Alas!" to Alveric, but at -that moment the scent of briar roses came drifting to them from the -fields we know. - -Alveric knew not fatigue for he was young, nor she for she was ageless. -They rushed forward, he taking her hand; the Elf King lifted his beard, -and just as he began to intone a rune that only once may be uttered, -against which nothing from our fields can avail, they were through the -frontier of twilight, and the rune shook and troubled those lands in -which Lirazel walked no longer. - -When Lirazel looked upon the fields we know, as strange to her as once -they have been to us, their beauty delighted her. She laughed to see the -haystacks and loved their quaintness. A lark was singing and Lirazel -spoke to it, and the lark seemed not to understand, but she turned to -other glories of our fields, for all were new to her, and forgot the -lark. It was curiously no longer the season of bluebells, for all the -foxgloves were blooming and the may was gone and the wild roses were -there. Alveric never understood this. - -It was early morning and the sun was shining, giving soft colours to our -fields, and Lirazel rejoiced in those fields of ours at more common -things than one might believe there were amongst the familiar sights of -Earth's every day. So glad was she, so gay, with her cries of surprise -and her laughter, that there seemed thenceforth to Alveric a beauty -that he had never dreamed of in buttercups, and a humour in carts that -he never had thought of before. Each moment she found with a cry of -joyous discovery some treasure of Earth's that he had not known to be -fair. And then, as he watched her bringing a beauty to our fields more -delicate even than that the wild roses brought, he saw that her crown of -ice had melted away. - -And thus she came from the palace that may only be told of in song, over -the fields of which I need not tell, for they were the familiar fields -of Earth, that the ages change but little and only for a while, and came -at evening with Alveric to his home. - -All was changed in the Castle of Erl. In the gateway they met a guardian -whom Alveric knew: the man wondered to see them. In the hall and upon -the stairway they met some that tended the castle, who turned their -heads in surprise. Alveric knew them also, but all were older; and he -saw that quite ten years must have passed away during that one blue day -he had spent in Elfland. - -Who does not know that this is the way of Elfland? And yet who would not -be surprised if they saw it happen as Alveric saw it now? He turned to -Lirazel and told her how ten or twelve years were gone. But it was as -though a humble man who had wed an earthly princess should tell her he -had lost sixpence; time had had no value or meaning to Lirazel, and she -was untroubled to hear of the ten lost years. She did not dream what -time means to us here. - -They told Alveric that his father was long since dead. And one told him -how he died happy, without impatience, trusting to Alveric to accomplish -his bidding; for he had known somewhat of the ways of Elfland, and knew -that those that traffic twixt here and there must have something of that -calm in which Elfland forever dreams. - -Up the valley, ringing late, they heard the blacksmith's work. This -blacksmith was he who had been the spokesman of those who went once to -the long red room to the Lord of Erl. And all these men yet lived; for -time though it moved over the Vale of Erl, as over all fields we know, -moved gently, not as in our cities. - -Thence Alveric and Lirazel went to the holy place of the Freer. And when -they found him Alveric asked the Freer to wed them with Christom rites. -And when the Freer saw the beauty of Lirazel flash mid the common things -in his little holy place, for he had ornamented the walls of his house -with knick-knacks that he sometimes bought at the fairs, he feared at -once she was of no mortal line. And, when he asked her whence she came -and she happily answered "Elfland," the good man clasped his hands and -told her earnestly how all in that land dwelt beyond salvation. But she -smiled, for while in Elfland she had always been idly happy, and now she -only cared for Alveric. The Freer went then to his books to see what -should be done. - -For a long while he read in silence but for his breathing, while Alveric -and Lirazel stood before him. And at last he found in his book a form of -service for the wedding of a mermaid that had forsaken the sea, though -the good book told not of Elfland. And this he said would suffice, for -that the mermaids dwelt equally with the elf-folk beyond thought of -salvation. So he sent for his bell and such tapers as are necessary. -Then, turning to Lirazel, he bade her forsake and forswear and solemnly -to renounce all things pertaining to Elfland, reading slowly out of a -book the words to be used on this wholesome occasion. - -"Good Freer," Lirazel answered, "nought said in these fields can cross -the barrier of Elfland. And well that this is so, for my father has -three runes that could blast this book when he answered one of its -spells, were any word able to pass through the frontier of twilight. I -will spell no spells with my father." - -"But I cannot wed Christom man," the Freer replied, "with one of the -stubborn who dwell beyond salvation." - -Then Alveric implored her and she said the say in the book, "though my -father could blast this spell," she added, "if it ever crossed one of -his runes." And, the bell being now brought and the tapers, the good man -wedded them in his little house with the rites that are proper for the -wedding of a mermaid that hath forsaken the sea. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - _The Wisdom of the Parliament of Erl_ - - -In those bridal days the men of Erl came often to the castle, bringing -gifts and felicitations; and in the evenings they would talk in their -houses of the fair things that they hoped for the Vale of Erl on account -of the wisdom of the thing they had done when they spoke with the old -lord in his long red room. - -There was Narl the blacksmith, who had been their leader; there was -Guhic, who first had thought of it, after speaking with his wife, an -upland farmer of clover pastures near Erl; there was Nehic a driver of -horses; there were four vendors of beeves; and Oth, a hunter of deer; -and Vlel the master-ploughman: all these and three men more had gone to -the Lord of Erl and made that request that had set Alveric on his -wanderings. And now they spoke of all the good that would come of it. -They had all desired that the Vale of Erl should be known among men, as -was, they felt, its desert. They had looked in histories, they had read -books treating of pasture, yet seldom found mention at all of the vale -they loved. And one day Guhic had said "Let all us people be ruled in -the future by a magic lord, and he shall make the name of the valley -famous, and there shall be none that have heard not the name of Erl." - -And all had rejoiced and had made a parliament; and it had gone, twelve -men, to the Lord of Erl. And it had been as I have told. - -So now they spoke over their mead of the future of Erl, and its place -among other valleys, and of the reputation that it should have in the -world. They would meet and talk in the great forge of Narl, and Narl -would bring them mead from an inner room, and Threl would come in late -from his work in the woods. The mead was of clover honey, heavy and -sweet; and when they had sat awhile in the warm room, talking of daily -things of the valley and uplands, they would turn their minds to the -future, seeing as through a golden mist the glory of Erl. One praised -the beeves, another the horses, another the good soil, and all looked to -the time when other lands should know the great mastery among valleys -that was held by the valley of Erl. - -And Time that brought these evenings bore them away, moving over the -Vale of Erl as over all fields we know, and it was Spring again and the -season of bluebells. And one day in the prime of the wild anemones, it -was told that Alveric and Lirazel had a son. - -Then all the people of Erl lit a fire next night on the hill, and danced -about it and drank mead and rejoiced. All day they had dragged logs and -branches for it from a wild wood near, and the glow of the fire was seen -in other lands. Only on the pale-blue peaks of the mountains of Elfland -no gleam of it shone, for they are unchanged by ought that can happen -here. - -And when they rested from dancing round their fires they would sit on -the ground and foretell the fortune of Erl, when it should be ruled over -by this son of Alveric with all the magic he would have from his -mother. And some said he would lead them to war, and some said to deeper -ploughing; and all foretold a better price for their beeves. None slept -that night for dancing and foretelling a glorious future, and for -rejoicing at the things they foretold. And above all they rejoiced that -the name of Erl should be thenceforth known and honoured in other lands. - -Then Alveric sought for a nurse for his child, all through the valley -and uplands, and not easily found any worthy of having the care of one -that was of the royal line of Elfland; and those that he found were -frightened of the light, as though not of our Earth or sky, that seemed -to shine at times in the baby's eyes. And in the end he went one windy -morning up the hill of the lonely witch, and found her sitting idly in -her doorway, having nothing to curse or bless. - -"Well," said the witch, "did the sword bring you fortune?" - -"Who knows," said Alveric, "what brings fortune, since we cannot see the -end?" - -And he spoke wearily, for he was weary with age, and never knew how many -years had gone over him on the day he travelled to Elfland; far more it -seemed than had passed on that same day over Erl. - -"Aye," said the witch. "Who knows the end but we?" - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "I wedded the King of Elfland's daughter." - -"That was a great advancement," said the old witch. - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "we have a child. And who shall care for -him?" - -"No human task," said the witch. - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "will you come to the Vale of Erl and -care for him and be the nurse at the castle? For none but you in all -these fields knows ought of the things of Elfland, except the princess, -and she knows nothing of Earth." - -And the old witch answered: "For the sake of the King I will come." - -So the witch came down from the hill with a bundle of queer belongings. -And thus the child was nursed in the fields we know by one who knew -songs and tales of his mother's country. - -And often, as they bent together over the baby, that aged witch and the -Princess Lirazel would talk together, and afterwards through long -evenings, of things about which Alveric knew nothing: and for all the -age of the witch, and the wisdom that she had stored in her hundred -years, which is all hidden from man, it was nevertheless she who learned -when they talked together, and the Princess Lirazel who taught. But of -Earth and the ways of Earth Lirazel never knew anything. - -And this old witch that watched over the baby so tended him and so -soothed, that in all his infancy he never wept. For she had a charm for -brightening the morning, and a charm for cheering the day, and a charm -for calming a cough, and a charm for making the nursery warm and -pleasant and eerie, when the fire leaped up at the sound of it, from -logs that she had enchanted, and sent large shadows of the things about -the fire quivering dark and merry over the ceiling. - -And the child was cared for by Lirazel and the witch as children are -cared for whose mothers are merely human; but he knew tunes and runes -besides, that other children hear not in fields we know. - -So the old witch moved about the nursery with her black stick, guarding -the child with her runes. If a draught on windy nights shrilled in -through some crack she had a spell to calm it; and a spell to charm the -song that the kettle sang, till its melody brought hints of strange news -from mist-hidden places, and the child grew to know the mystery of far -valleys that his eyes had never seen. And at evening she would raise her -ebon stick and, standing before the fire amongst all the shadows, would -enchant them and make them dance for him. And they took all manner of -shapes of good and evil, dancing to please the baby; so that he came to -have knowledge not only of the things with which Earth is stored; pigs, -trees, camels, crocodiles, wolves, and ducks, good dogs and the gentle -cow; but of the darker things also that men have feared, and the things -they have hoped and guessed. Through those evenings the things that -happen, and the creatures that are, passed over those nursery walls, and -he grew familiar with the fields we know. And on warm afternoons the -witch would carry him through the village, and all the dogs would bark -at her eerie figure, but durst not come too close, for a page-boy behind -her carried the ebon stick. And dogs, that know so much, that know how -far a man can throw a stone, and if he would beat them, and if he durst -not, knew also that this was no ordinary stick. So they kept far away -from that queer black stick in the hand of the page, and snarled, and -the villagers came out to see. And all were glad when they saw how -magical a nurse the young heir had, "for here," they said, "is the witch -Ziroonderel," and they declared that she would bring him up amongst the -true principles of wizardry, and that in his time there would be magic -that would make all their valley famous. And they beat their dogs until -they slunk indoors, but the dogs clung to their suspicions still. So -that when the men were gone to the forge of Narl, and their houses were -quiet in the moonlight and Narl's windows glowed, and the mead had gone -round, and they talked of the future of Erl, more and more voices -joining in the tale of its coming glory, on soft feet the dogs would -come out to the sandy street and howl. - -And to the high sunny nursery Lirazel would come, bringing a brightness -that the learned witch had not in all her spells, and would sing to her -boy those songs that none can sing to us here, for they were learned the -other side of the frontier of twilight and were made by singers all -unvexed by Time. And for all the marvel that there was in those songs, -whose origin was so far from the fields we know, and in times remote -from those that historians use; and though men wondered at the -strangeness of them when from open casements through the Summer days -they drifted over Erl; yet none wondered even at those as she wondered -at the earthly ways of her child and all the little human things that he -did more and more as he grew. For all human ways were strange to her. -And yet she loved him more than her father's realm, or the glittering -centuries of her ageless youth, or the palace that may be told of only -in song. - -In those days Alveric learned that she would never now grow familiar -with earthly things, never understand the folk that dwelt in the valley, -never read wise books without laughter, never care for earthly ways, -never feel more at ease in the Castle of Erl than any woodland thing -that Threl might have snared and kept caged in a house. He had hoped -that soon she would learn the things that were strange to her, till the -little differences that there are between things in our fields and in -Elfland should not trouble her any more; but he saw at last that the -things that were strange would always so remain, and that all the -centuries of her timeless home had not so lightly shaped her thoughts -and fancies that they could be altered by our brief years here. When he -had learned this he had learned the truth. - -Between the spirits of Alveric and Lirazel lay all the distance there is -between Earth and Elfland; and love bridged the distance, which can -bridge further than that; yet when for a moment on the golden bridge he -would pause and let his thoughts look down at the gulf, all his mind -would grow giddy and Alveric trembled. What of the end, he thought? And -feared lest it should be stranger than the beginning. - -And she, she did not see that she should know anything. Was not her -beauty enough? Had not a lover come at last to those lawns that shone by -the palace only told of in song, and rescued her from her uncompanioned -fate and from that perpetual calm? Was it not enough that he had come? -Must she needs understand the curious things folk did? Must she never -dance in the road, never speak to goats, never laugh at funerals, never -sing at night? Why! What was joy for if it must be hidden? Must -merriment bow to dulness in these strange fields she had come to? And -then one day she saw how a woman of Erl looked less fair than she had -looked a year ago. Little enough was the change, but her swift eye saw -it surely. And she went to Alveric crying to be comforted, because she -feared that Time in the fields we know might have power to harm that -beauty that the long long ages of Elfland had never dared to dim. And -Alveric had said that Time must have his way, as all men know; and where -was the good of complaining? - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - _The Rune of the Elf King_ - - -On the high balcony of his gleaming tower the King of Elfland stood. -Below him echoed yet the thousand steps. He had lifted his head to chant -the rune that should hold his daughter in Elfland, and in that moment -had seen her pass the murky barrier; which on this side, facing toward -Elfland, is all lustrous with twilight, and on that side, facing towards -the fields we know, is smoky and angry and dull. And now he had dropped -his head till his beard lay mingled with his cape of ermine above his -cerulean cloak, and stood there silently sorrowful, while time passed -swift as ever over the fields we know. - -And standing there all blue and white against his silver tower, aged by -the passing of times of which we know nothing, before he imposed its -eternal calm upon Elfland, he thought of his daughter amongst our -pitiless years. For he knew, whose wisdom surpassed the confines of -Elfland and touched our rugged fields, knew well the harshness of -material things and all the turmoil of Time. Even as he stood there he -knew that the years that assail beauty, and the myriad harshnesses that -vex the spirit, were already about his daughter. And the days that -remained to her now seemed scarce more to him, dwelling beyond the fret -and ruin of Time, than to us might seem a briar rose's hours when -plucked and foolishly hawked in the streets of a city. He knew that -there hung over her now the doom of all mortal things. He thought of her -perishing soon, as mortal things must; to be buried amongst the rocks of -a land that scorned Elfland and that held its most treasured myths to be -of little account. And were he not the King of all that magical land, -which held its eternal calm from his own mysterious serenity, he had -wept to think of the grave in rocky Earth gripping that form that was so -fair forever. Or else, he thought, she would pass to some paradise far -from his knowledge, some heaven of which books told in the fields we -know, for he had heard even of this. He pictured her on some -apple-haunted hill, under blossoms of an everlasting April, through -which flickered the pale gold haloes of those that had cursed Elfland. -He saw, though dimly for all his magical wisdom, the glory that only the -blessed clearly see. He saw his daughter on those heavenly hills stretch -out both arms, as he knew well she would, towards the pale-blue peaks of -her elfin home, while never one of the blessed heeded her yearning. And -then, though he was king of all that land, that had its everlasting calm -from him, he wept and all Elfland shivered. It shivered as placid water -shivers here if something suddenly touches it from our fields. - -Then the King turned and left his balcony and went in great haste down -his brazen steps. - -He came clanging to the ivory doors that shut the tower below, and -through them came to the throne-room of which only song may tell. And -there he took a parchment out of a coffer and a plume from some -fabulous wing, and dipping the plume into no earthly ink, wrote out a -rune on the parchment. Then raising two fingers he made the minor -enchantment whereby he summoned his guard. And no guard came. - -I have said that no time passed at all in Elfland. Yet the happening of -events is in itself a manifestation of time, and no event can occur -unless time pass. Now it is thus with time in Elfland: in the eternal -beauty that dreams in that honied air nothing stirs or fades or dies, -nothing seeks its happiness in movement or change or a new thing, but -has its ecstasy in the perpetual contemplation of all the beauty that -has ever been, and which always glows over those enchanted lawns as -intense as when first created by incantation or song. Yet if the -energies of the wizard's mind arose to meet a new thing, then that power -that had laid its calm upon Elfland and held back time troubled the calm -awhile, and time for awhile shook Elfland. Cast anything into a deep -pool from a land strange to it, where some great fish dreams, and green -weeds dream, and heavy colours dream, and light sleeps; the great fish -stirs, the colours shift and change, the green weeds tremble, the light -wakes, a myriad things know slow movement and change; and soon the whole -pool is still again. It was the same when Alveric passed through the -border of twilight and right through the enchanted wood, and the King -was troubled and moved, and all Elfland trembled. - -When the King saw that no guard came he looked into the wood which he -knew to be troubled, through the deep mass of the trees, that were -quivering yet with the coming of Alveric; he looked through the deeps of -the wood and the silver walls of his palace, for he looked by -enchantment, and there he saw the four knights of his guard lying -stricken upon the ground with their thick elvish blood hanging out -through slits in their armour. And he thought of the early magic whereby -he had made the eldest, with a rune all newly inspired, before he had -conquered Time. He passed out through the splendour and glow of one of -his flashing portals, and over a gleaming lawn and came to the fallen -guard, and saw the trees still troubled. - -"There has been magic here," said the King of Elfland. - -And then though he only had three runes that could do such a thing, and -though they only could be uttered once, and one was already written upon -parchment to bring his daughter home, he uttered the second of his most -magical runes over that elder knight that his magic had made long ago. -And in the silence that followed the last words of the rune the rents in -the moon-bright armour all clicked shut at once, and the thick dark -blood was gone and the knight rose live to his feet. And the Elf King -now had only one rune left that was mightier than any magic we know. - -The other three knights lay dead; and, having no souls, their magic -returned again to the mind of their master. - -He went back then to his palace, while he sent the last of his guard to -fetch him a troll. - -Dark brown of skin and two or three feet high the trolls are a gnomish -tribe that inhabit Elfland. And soon there was a scamper in the -throne-room that may only be told of in song, and a troll lit by the -throne on its two bare feet and stood before its king. The King gave it -the parchment with the rune written thereon, saying: "Scamper hence, and -pass over the end of the Land, until you come to the fields that none -know here; and find the Princess Lirazel who is gone to the haunts of -men, and give her this rune and she shall read it and all shall be -well." - -And the troll scampered thence. - -And soon the troll was come with long leaps to the frontier of twilight. -Then nothing moved in Elfland any more; and motionless on that splendid -throne of which only song may speak sat the old King mourning in -silence. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - _The Coming of the Troll_ - - -When the troll came to the frontier of twilight he skipped nimbly -through; yet he emerged cautiously into the fields we know, for he was -afraid of dogs. Slipping quietly out of those dense masses of twilight -he came so softly into our fields that no eye had seen him unless it -were gazing already at the spot at which he appeared. There he paused -for some instants, looking to left and right; and, seeing no dogs, he -left the barrier of twilight. This troll had never before been in the -fields we know, yet he knew well to avoid dogs, for the fear of dogs is -so deep and universal amongst all that are less than Man, that it seems -to have passed even beyond our boundaries and to have been felt in -Elfland. - -In our fields it was now May, and the buttercups stretched away before -the troll, a world of yellow mingled with the brown of the budding -grasses. When he saw so many buttercups shining there the wealth of -Earth astonished him. And soon he was moving through them, yellowing his -shins as he went. - -He had not gone far from Elfland when he met with a hare, who was lying -in a comfortable arrangement of grass, in which he had intended to pass -the time till he should have things to see to. - -When the hare saw the troll he sat there without any movement whatever, -and without any expression in his eyes, and did nothing at all but -think. - -When the troll saw the hare he skipped nearer, and lay down before it in -the buttercups, and asked it the way to the haunts of men. And the hare -went on thinking. - -"Thing of these fields," repeated the troll, "where are the haunts of -men?" - -The hare got up then and walked towards the troll, which made the hare -look very ridiculous, for he had none of the grace while walking that he -has when he runs or gambols, and was much lower in front than behind. He -put his nose into the troll's face and twitched foolish whiskers. - -"Tell me the way," said the troll. - -When the hare perceived that the troll did not smell of anything like -dog he was content to let the troll question him. But he did not -understand the language of Elfland, so he lay still again and thought -while the troll talked. - -And at last the troll wearied of getting no answer, so he leaped up and -shouted "Dogs!" and left the hare and scampered away merrily over the -buttercups, taking any direction that led away from Elfland. And though -the hare could not quite understand elvish language, yet there was a -vehemence in the tone in which the troll had shouted Dogs which caused -apprehension to enter the thoughts of the hare, so that very soon he -forsook his arrangement of grass, and lollopped away through the meadow -with one scornful look after the troll; but he did not go very fast, -going mostly on three legs, with one hind leg all ready to let down if -there should really be dogs. And soon he paused and sat up and put up -his ears, and looked across the buttercups and thought deeply. And -before the hare had ceased to ponder the troll's meaning the troll was -far out of sight and had forgotten what he had said. - -And soon he saw the gables of a farm-house rise up beyond a hedge. They -seemed to look at him with little windows up under red tiles. "A haunt -of man," said the troll. And yet some elvish instinct seemed to tell him -that it was not here that Princess Lirazel had come. Still, he went -nearer the farm and began to gaze at its poultry. But just at that -moment a dog saw him, one that had never seen a troll before, and it -uttered one canine cry of astonished indignation, and keeping all the -rest of its breath for the chase, sped after the troll. - -The troll began at once to rise and dip over the buttercups as though he -had almost borrowed its speed from the swallow and were riding the lower -air. Such speed was new to the dog, and he went in a long curve after -the troll, leaning over as he went, his mouth open and silent, the wind -rippling all the way from his nose to his tail in one wavy current. The -curve was made by the dog's baffled hopes to catch the troll as he -slanted across. Soon he was straight behind; and the troll toyed with -speed; breathing the flowery air in long fresh draughts above the tops -of the buttercups. He thought no more of the dog, but he did not cease -in the flight that the dog had caused, because of the joy of the speed. -And this strange chase continued over those fields, the troll driven on -by joy and the dog by duty. For the sake of novelty then the troll put -his feet together as he leaped over the flowers and, alighting with -rigid knees, fell forwards on to his hands and so turned over; and, -straightening his elbows suddenly as he turned, shot himself into the -air still turning over and over. He did this several times, increasing -the indignation of the dog, who knew well enough that that was no way to -go over the fields we know. But for all his indignation the dog had seen -clear enough that he would never catch that troll, and presently he -returned to the farm, and found his master there and went up to him -wagging his tail. So hard he wagged it that the farmer was sure he had -done some useful thing, and patted him, and there the matter ended. - -And it was well enough for the farmer that his dog has chased that troll -from his farm; for had it communicated to his livestock any of the -wonder of Elfland they would have mocked at Man, and that farmer would -have lost the allegiance of all but his staunch dog. - -And the troll went on gaily over the tips of the buttercups. - -Presently he saw rising up all white over the flowers a fox that was -facing him with his white chest and chin, and watching the troll as it -went. The troll went near to him and took a look. And the fox went on -watching him, for the fox watches all things. - -He had come back lately to those dewy fields from slinking by night -along the boundary of twilight that lies between here and Elfland. He -even prowls inside the very boundary, walking amongst the twilight; and -it is in the mystery of that heavy twilight that lies between here and -there that there clings to him some of that glamour that he brings with -him to our fields. - -"Well, Noman's Dog," said the troll. For they know the fox in Elfland, -from seeing him often go dimly along their borders; and this is the name -they give him. - -"Well, Thing-over-the-Border," said the fox when he answered at all. For -he knew troll-talk. - -"Are the haunts of men near here?" said the troll. - -The fox moved his whiskers by slightly wrinkling his lip. Like all liars -he reflected before he spoke, and sometimes even let wise silences do -better than speech. - -"Men live here and men live there," said the fox. - -"I want their haunts," said the troll. - -"What for?" said the fox. - -"I have a message from the King of Elfland." - -The fox showed no respect or fear at the mention of that dread name, but -slightly moved his head and eyes to conceal the awe that he felt. - -"If it is a message," he said, "their haunts are over there." And he -pointed with his long thin nose towards Erl. - -"How shall I know when I get there?" said the troll. - -"By the smell," said the fox. "It is a big haunt of men, and the smell -is dreadful." - -"Thanks, Noman's Dog," said the troll. And he seldom thanked anyone. - -"I should never go near them," said the fox, "but for ..." And he paused -and reflected silently. - -"But for what?" said the troll. - -"But for their poultry." And he fell into a grave silence. - -"Good-bye, Noman's Dog," said the troll and turned head-over-heels, and -was off on his way to Erl. - -Passing over the buttercups all through the dewy morning the troll was -far on his way by the afternoon, and saw before evening the smoke and -the towers of Erl. It was all sunk in a hollow; and gables and chimneys -and towers peered over the lip of the valley, and smoke hung over them -on the dreamy air. "The haunts of men," said the troll. Then he sat -down amongst the grasses and looked at it. - -Presently he went nearer and looked at it again. He did not like the -look of the smoke and that crowd of gables: certainly it smelt -dreadfully. There had been some legend in Elfland of the wisdom of Man; -and whatever respect that legend had gained for us in the light mind of -the troll now all blew lightly away as he looked at the crowded houses. -And as he looked at them there passed a child of four, a small girl on a -footpath over the fields, going home in the evening to Erl. They looked -at each other with round eyes. - -"Hullo," said the child. - -"Hullo, Child of Men," said the troll. - -He was not speaking troll-talk now, but the language of Elfland, that -grander tongue that he had had to speak when he was before the King: for -he knew the language of Elfland although it was never used in the homes -of the trolls, who preferred troll-talk. This language was spoken in -those days also by men, for there were fewer languages then, and the -elves and the people of Erl both used the same. - -"What are you?" said the child. - -"A troll of Elfland," answered the troll. - -"So I thought," said the child. - -"Where are you going, child of men?" the troll asked. - -"To the houses," the child replied. - -"We don't want to go there," said the troll. - -"N-no," said the child. - -"Come to Elfland," the troll said. - -The child thought for awhile. Other children had gone, and the elves -always sent a changeling in their place, so that nobody quite missed -them and nobody really knew. She thought awhile of the wonder and -wildness of Elfland, and then of her own home. - -"N-no," said the child. - -"Why not?" said the troll. - -"Mother made a jam roll this morning," said the child. And she walked on -gravely home. Had it not been for that chance jam roll she had gone to -Elfland. - -"Jam!" said the troll contemptuously and thought of the tarns of -Elfland, the great lily-leaves lying flat upon their solemn waters, the -huge blue lilies towering into the elf-light above the green deep tarns: -for jam this child had forsaken them! - -Then he thought of his duty again, the roll of parchment and the Elf -King's rune for his daughter. He had carried the parchment in his left -hand when he ran, in his mouth when he somersaulted over the buttercups. -Was the Princess here he thought? Or were there other haunts of men? As -evening drew in he crept nearer and nearer the homes, to hear without -being seen. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - _The Arrival of the Rune_ - - -On a sunny May morning in Erl the witch Ziroonderel sat in the castle -nursery by the fire, cooking a meal for the baby. The boy was now three -years old, and still Lirazel had not named him; for she feared lest some -jealous spirit of Earth or air should hear the name, and if so she would -not say what she feared then. And Alveric had said he must be named. - -And the boy could bowl a hoop; for the witch had gone one misty night to -her hill and had brought him a moon-halo which she got by enchantment at -moonrise, and had hammered it into a hoop, and had made him a little rod -of thunderbolt-iron with which to beat it along. - -And now the boy was waiting for his breakfast; and there was a spell -across the threshold to keep the nursery snug, which Ziroonderel had put -there with a wave of her ebon stick, and it kept out rats and mice and -dogs, nor could bats sail across it, and the watchful nursery cat it -kept at home: no lock that blacksmiths made was any stronger. - -Suddenly over the threshold and over the spell the troll jumped -somersaulting through the air and came down sitting. The crude wooden -nursery-clock hanging over the fire stopped its loud tick as he came; -for he bore with him a little charm against time, with strange grass -round one of his fingers, that he might not be withered away in the -fields we know. For well the Elf King knew the flight of our hours: four -years had swept over these fields of ours while he had boomed down his -brazen steps and sent for his troll and given him that spell to bind -round one of his fingers. - -"What's this?" said Ziroonderel. - -That troll knew well when to be impudent, but looking in the witch's -eyes saw something to be afraid of; and well he might, for those eyes -had looked in the Elf King's own. Therefore he played, as we say in -these fields, his best card, and answered: "A message from the King of -Elfland." - -"Is that so?" said the old witch. "Yes, yes," she added more lowly to -herself, "that would be for my lady. Yes, that would come." - -The troll sat still on the floor fingering the roll of parchment inside -of which was written the rune of the King of Elfland. Then over the end -of his bed, as he waited for breakfast, the baby saw the troll, and -asked him who he was and where he came from and what he was able to do. -When the baby asked him what he was able to do the troll jumped up and -skipped about the room like a moth on a lamp-lit ceiling. From floor to -shelves and back and up again he went with leaps like flying; the baby -clapped his hands, the cat was furious; the witch raised her ebon stick -and made a charm against leaping, but it could not hold the troll. He -leaped and bounced and bounded, while the cat hissed all the curses that -the feline language knows, and Ziroonderel was wrath not only because -her magic was thwarted, but because with mere human alarm she feared for -her cups and saucers; and the baby shouted all the while for more. And -all at once the troll remembered his errand and the dread parchment he -bore. - -"Where is the Princess Lirazel?" he said to the witch. - -And the witch pointed the way to the princess's tower; for she knew that -there were no means nor power she had by which to hinder a rune from the -King of Elfland. And as the troll turned to go Lirazel entered the room. -He bowed all low before this great lady of Elfland and, with all his -impudence in a moment lost, kneeled on one knee before the blaze of her -beauty and presented the Elf King's rune. The boy was shouting to his -mother to demand more leaps from the troll, as she took the scroll in -her hand; the cat with her back to a box was watching alertly; -Ziroonderel was all silent. - -And then the troll thought of the weed-green tarns of Elfland in the -woods that the trolls knew; he thought of the wonder of the unwithering -flowers that time has never touched; the deep, deep colour and the -perpetual calm: his errand was over and he was weary of Earth. - -For a moment nothing moved there but the baby, shouting for new troll -antics and waving his arms: Lirazel stood with the elfin scroll in her -hand, the troll knelt before her, the witch never stirred, the cat stood -watching fiercely, even the clock was still. Then the Princess moved and -the troll rose to his feet, the witch sighed and the cat gave up her -watchfulness as the troll scampered away. And though the baby shouted -for the troll to return it never heeded, but twisted down the long -spiral stairs, and slipping out through a door was off towards Elfland. -As the troll passed over the threshold the wooden clock ticked again. - -Lirazel looked at the scroll and looked at her boy, and did not unroll -the parchment, but turned and carried it away, and came to her chamber -and locked the scroll in a casket, and left it there unread. For her -fears told her well the most potent rune of her father, that she had -dreaded so much as she fled from his silver tower and heard his feet go -booming up the brass, had crossed the frontier of twilight written upon -the scroll, and would meet her eyes the moment she unrolled it and waft -her thence. - -When the rune was safe in the casket she went to Alveric to tell him of -the peril that had come near her. But Alveric was troubled because she -would not name the baby, and asked her at once about this. And so she -suggested a name at last to him; and it was one that no one in these -fields could pronounce, an elvish name full of wonder, and made of -syllables like birds' cries at night: Alveric would have none of it. And -her whim in this came, as all the whims she had, from no customary thing -of these fields of ours, but sheer over the border from Elfland, sheer -over the border with all wild fancies that rarely visit our fields. And -Alveric was vexed with these whims, for there had been none like them of -old in the Castle of Erl: none could interpret them to him and none -advise him. He looked for her to be guided by old customs; she looked -only for some wild fancy to come from the south-east. He reasoned with -her with the human reason that folk set much store by here, but she did -not want reason. And so when they parted she had not after all told -anything of the peril that had sought her from Elfland, which she had -come to Alveric to tell. - -She went instead to her tower and looked at the casket, shining there in -the low late light; and turned from it and often looked again; while -the light went under the fields and the gloaming came, and all glimmered -away. She sat then by the casement open towards eastern hills, above -whose darkening curves she watched the stars. She watched so long that -she saw them change their places. For more than all things else that she -had seen since she came to these fields of ours she had wondered at the -stars. She loved their gentle beauty; and yet she was sad as she looked -wistfully to them, for Alveric had said that she must not worship them. - -How if she might not worship them could she give them their due, could -she thank them for their beauty, could she praise their joyful calm? And -then she thought of her baby: then she saw Orion: then she defied all -jealous spirits of air, and, looking toward Orion, whom she must never -worship, she offered her baby's days to that belted hunter, naming her -baby after those splendid stars. - -And when Alveric came to the tower she told him of her wish, and he was -willing the boy should be named Orion, for all in that valley set much -store by hunting. And the hope came back to Alveric, which he would not -put away, that being reasonable at last in this, she would now be -reasonable in all other things, and be guided by custom, and do what -others did, and forsake wild whims and fancies that came over the border -from Elfland. And he asked her to worship the holy things of the Freer. -For never had she given any of these things their due, and knew not -which was the holier, his candlestick or his bell, and never would learn -for ought that Alveric told her. - -And now she answered him pleasantly and her husband thought all was -well, but her thoughts were far with Orion; nor did they ever tarry with -grave things long, nor could tarry longer amongst them than butterflies -do in the shade. - -All that night the casket was locked on the rune of the King of Elfland. - -And next morning Lirazel gave little thought to the rune, for they went -with the boy to the holy place of the Freer; and Ziroonderel came with -them but waited without. And the folk of Erl came too, as many as could -leave the affairs of man with the fields; and all were there of those -that had made the parliament, when they went to Alveric's sire in the -long red room. And all of these were glad when they saw the boy and -marked his strength and growth; and, muttering low together as they -stood in the holy place, they foretold how all should be as they had -planned. And the Freer came forth and, standing amongst his holy things, -he gave to the boy before him the name of Orion, though he sooner had -given some name of those that he knew to be blessed. And he rejoiced to -see the boy and to name him there; for by the family that dwelt in the -Castle of Erl all these folk marked the generations, and watched the -ages pass, as sometimes we watch the seasons go over some old known -tree. And he bowed himself before Alveric, and was full courteous to -Lirazel, yet his courtesy to the princess came not from his heart, for -in his heart he held her in no more reverence than he held a mermaid -that had forsaken the sea. - -And the boy came even so by the name of Orion. And all the folk rejoiced -as he came out with his parents and rejoined Ziroonderel at the edge of -the holy garden. And Alveric, Lirazel, Ziroonderel and Orion all walked -back to the castle. - -And all that day Lirazel did nothing that caused anybody to wonder, but -let herself be governed by custom and the ways of the fields we know. -Only, when the stars came out and Orion shone, she knew that their -splendour had not received its due, and her gratitude to Orion yearned -to be said. She was grateful for his bright beauty that cheered our -fields, and grateful for his protection, of which she felt sure for her -boy, against jealous spirits of air. And all her unsaid thanks so burned -in her heart that all of a sudden she rose and left her tower and went -out to the open starlight, and lifted her face to the stars and the -place of Orion, and stood all dumb though her thanks were trembling upon -her lips; for Alveric had told her one must not pray to the stars. With -face upturned to all that wandering host she stood long silent, obedient -to Alveric: then she lowered her eyes, and there was a small pool -glimmering in the night, in which all the faces of the stars were -shining. "To pray to the stars," she said to herself in the night, "is -surely wrong. These images in the water are not the stars. I will pray -to their images, and the stars will know." - -And on her knees amongst the iris leaves she prayed at the edge of the -pool, and gave thanks to the images of the stars for the joy she had had -of the night, when the constellations shone in their myriad majesty, and -moved like an army dressed in silver mail, marching from unknown -victories to conquer in distant wars. She blessed and thanked and -praised those bright reflections shimmering down in the pool, and bade -them tell her thanks and her praise to Orion, to whom she might not -pray. It was thus that Alveric found her, kneeling, bent down in the -dark, and reproached her bitterly. She was worshipping the stars, he -said, which were there for no such purpose. And she said she was only -supplicating their images. - -We may understand his feelings easily: the strangeness of her, her -unexpected acts, her contrariness to all established things, her scorn -for custom, her wayward ignorance, jarred on some treasured tradition -every day. The more romantic she had been far away over the frontier, as -told of by legend and song, the more difficult it was for her to fill -any place once held by the ladies of that castle who were versed in all -the lore of the fields we know. And Alveric looked for her to fulfil -duties and follow customs which were all as new to her as the twinkling -stars. - -But Lirazel felt only that the stars had not their due, and that custom -or reason or whatever men set store by should demand that thanks be -given them for their beauty; and she had not thanked them even, but had -supplicated only their images in the pool. - -That night she thought of Elfland, where all things were matched with -her beauty, where nothing changed and there were no strange customs, and -no strange magnificences like these stars of ours to whom none gave -their due. She thought of the elfin lawns and the towering banks of the -flowers, and the palace that may not be told of but only in song. - -Still locked in the dark of the casket the rune bided its time. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - _Lirazel Blows Away_ - - -And the days went by, the Summer passed over Erl, the sun that had -travelled northward fared South again, it was near to the time when the -swallows left those eaves, and Lirazel had not learnt anything. She had -not prayed to the stars again, or supplicated their images, but she had -learned no human customs, and could not see why her love and gratitude -must remain unexpressed to the stars. And Alveric did not know that the -time must come when some simple trivial thing would divide them utterly. - -And then one day, hoping still, he took her with him to the house of the -Freer to teach her how to worship his holy things. And gladly the good -man brought his candle and bell, and the eagle of brass that held up his -book when he read, and a little symbolic bowl that had scented water, -and the silver snuffers that put his candle out. And he told her clearly -and simply, as he had told her before, the origin, meaning and mystery -of all these things, and why the bowl was of brass and the snuffer of -silver, and what the symbols were that were carved on the bowl. With -fitting courtesy he told her these things, even with kindness; and yet -there was something in his voice as he told, a little distant from her; -and she knew that he spoke as one that walked safe on shore calling far -to a mermaid amid dangerous seas. - -As they came back to the castle the swallows were grouped to go, sitting -in lines along the battlements. And Lirazel had promised to worship the -holy things of the Freer, like the simple bell-fearing folk of the -valley of Erl: and a late hope was shining in Alveric's mind that even -yet all was well. And for many days she remembered all that the Freer -had told her. - -And one day walking late from the nursery, past tall windows to her -tower, and looking out on the evening, remembering that she must not -worship the stars, she called to mind the holy things of the Freer, and -tried to remember all she was told of them. It seemed so hard to worship -them just as she should. She knew that before many hours the swallows -would all be gone; and often when they left her her mood would change; -and she feared that she might forget, and never remember more, how she -ought to worship the holy things of the Freer. - -So she went out into the night again over the grasses to where a thin -brook ran, and drew out some great flat pebbles that she knew where to -find, turning her face away from the images of the stars. By day the -stones shone beautifully in the water, all ruddy and mauve; now they -were all dark. She drew them out and laid them in the meadow: she loved -these smooth flat stones, for somehow they made her remember the rocks -of Elfland. - -She laid them all in a row, this for the candlestick, this for the bell, -that for the holy bowl. "If I can worship these lovely stones as things -ought to be worshipped," she said, "I can worship the things of the -Freer." - -Then she kneeled down before the big flat stones and prayed to them as -though they were Christom things. - -And Alveric seeking her in the wide night, wondering what wild fancy had -carried her whither, heard her voice in the meadow, crooning such -prayers as are offered to holy things. - -When he saw the four flat stones to which she prayed, bowed down before -them in the grass, he said that no worse than this were the darkest ways -of the heathen. And she said "I am learning to worship the holy things -of the Freer." - -"It is the art of the heathen," he said. - -Now of all things that men feared in the valley of Erl they feared most -the arts of the heathen, of whom they knew nothing but that their ways -were dark. And he spoke with the anger which men always used when they -spoke there of the heathen. And his anger went to her heart, for she was -but learning to worship his holy things to please him, and yet he had -spoken like this. - -And Alveric would not speak the words that should have been said, to -turn aside anger and soothe her; for no man, he foolishly thought, -should compromise in matters touching on heathenesse. So Lirazel went -alone all sadly back to her tower. And Alveric stayed to cast the four -flat stones afar. - -And the swallows left, and unhappy days went by. And one day Alveric -bade her worship the holy things of the Freer, and she had quite -forgotten how. And he spoke again of the arts of heathenesse. The day -was shining and the poplars golden and all the aspens red. - -Then Lirazel went to her tower and opened the casket, that shone in the -morning with the clear autumnal light, and took in her hand the rune of -the King of Elfland, and carried it with her across the high vaulted -hall, and came to another tower and climbed its steps to the nursery. - -And there all day she stayed and played with her child, with the scroll -still tight in her hand: and, merrily though she played at whiles, yet -there were strange calms in her eyes, which Ziroonderel watched while -she wondered. And when the sun was low and she had put the child to bed -she sat beside him all solemn as she told him childish tales. And -Ziroonderel, the wise witch, watched; and for all her wisdom only -guessed how it would be, and knew not how to make it otherwise. - -And before sunset Lirazel kissed the boy and unrolled the Elf King's -scroll. It was but a petulance that had made her take it from the coffer -in which it lay, and the petulance might have passed and she might not -have unrolled the scroll, only that it was there in her hand. Partly -petulance, partly wonder, partly whims too idle to name, drew her eyes -to the Elf King's words in their coal-black curious characters. - -And whatever magic there was in the rune of which I cannot tell (and -dreadful magic there was), the rune was written with love that was -stronger than magic, till those mystical characters glowed with the love -that the Elf King had for his daughter, and there were blended in that -mighty rune two powers, magic and love, the greatest power there is -beyond the boundary of twilight with the greatest power there is in the -fields we know. And if Alveric's love could have held her he should have -trusted alone to that love, for the Elf King's rune was mightier than -the holy things of the Freer. - -No sooner had Lirazel read the rune on the scroll than fancies from -Elfland began to pour over the border. Some came that would make a -clerk in the City to-day leave his desk at once to dance on the -sea-shore; and some would have driven all the men in a bank to leave -doors and coffers open and wander away till they came to green open land -and the heathery hills; and some would have made a poet of a man, all of -a sudden as he sat at his business. They were mighty fancies that the -Elf King summoned by the force of his magical rune. And Lirazel sat -there with the rune in her hand, helpless amongst this mass of -tumultuous fancies from Elfland. And as the fancies raged and sang and -called, more and more over the border, all crowding on one poor mind, -her body grew lighter and lighter. Her feet half rested half floated, -upon the floor; Earth scarcely held her down, so fast was she becoming a -thing of dreams. No love of hers for Earth, or of the children of Earth -for her, had any longer power to hold her there. - -And now came memories of her ageless childhood beside the tarns of -Elfland, by the deep forest's border, by those delirious lawns, or in -the palace that may not be told of except only in song. She saw those -things as clearly as we see small shells in water, looking through clear -ice down to the floor of some sleeping lake, a little dimmed in that -other region across the barrier of ice; so too her memories shone a -little dimly from across the frontier of Elfland. Little queer sounds of -elfin creatures came to her, scents swam from those miraculous flowers -that glowed by the lawns she knew, faint sounds of enchanted songs blew -over the border and reached her seated there, voices and melodies and -memories came floating through the twilight, all Elfland was calling. -Then measured and resonant, and strangely near, she heard her father's -voice. - -She rose at once, and now Earth had lost on her the grip that it only -has on material things, and a thing of dreams and fancy and fable and -phantasy she drifted from the room; and Ziroonderel had no power to hold -her with any spell, nor had she herself the power even to turn, even to -look at her boy as she drifted away. - -And at that moment a wind came out of the north-west, and entered the -woods and bared the golden branches, and danced on over the downs, and -led a company of scarlet and golden leaves, that had dreaded this day -but danced now it had come; and away with a riot of dancing and glory of -colour, high in the light of the sun that had set from the sight of the -fields, went wind and leaves together. With them went Lirazel. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - _The Ebbing of Elfland_ - - -Next morning Alveric came up the tower to the witch Ziroonderel, weary -and frantic from searching all night long in strange places for Lirazel. -All night he had tried to guess what fancy had beckoned her out and -whither it might have led her; he had searched by the stream by which -she had prayed to the stones, and the pool where she prayed to the -stars; he had called her name up every tower, and had called it wide in -the dark, and had had no answer but echo; and so he had come at last to -the witch Ziroonderel. - -"Whither?" he said, saying no more than that, that the boy might not -know his fears. Yet Orion knew. - -And Ziroonderel all mournfully shook her head. "The way of the leaves," -she said. "The way of all beauty." - -But Alveric did not stay to hear her say more than her first five words; -for he went with the restlessness with which he had come, straight from -the room and hastily down the stair, and out at once into the windy -morning, to see which way those glorious leaves were gone. - -And a few leaves that had clung to cold branches longer, when the gay -company of their comrades had gone, were now too on the air, going -lonely and last: and Alveric saw they were going south-east towards -Elfland. - -Hurriedly then he donned his magical sword in its wide scabbard of -leather; and with scanty provisions hastened over the fields, after the -last of the leaves, whose autumnal glory led him, as many a cause in its -latter days, all splendid and fallen, leads all manner of men. - -And so he came to the upland fields with their grass all grey with dew; -and the air was all sparkling with sunlight, and gay with the last of -the leaves, but a melancholy seemed to dwell with the sound of the -lowing of cattle. - -In the calm bright morning with the north-west wind roaming through it -Alveric came by no calm, and never gave up the haste of one who has lost -something suddenly: he had the swift movements of such, and the frantic -air. He watched all day over clear wide horizons, south-east where the -leaves were leading; and at evening he looked to see the Elfin -Mountains, severe and changeless, unlit by any light we know, the colour -of pale forget-me-nots. He held on restlessly to see their summits, but -never they came to view. - -And then he saw the house of the old leather-worker who had made the -scabbard for his sword; and the sight of it brought back to him the -years that were gone since the evening when first he had seen it, -although he never knew how many they were, and could not know, for no -one has ever devised any exact calculation whereby to estimate the -action of time in Elfland. Then he looked once more for the pale-blue -Elfin Mountains, remembering well where they lay, in their long grave -row past a point of one of the leather-worker's gables, but he saw never -a line of them. Then he entered the house and the old man still was -there. - -The leather-worker was wonderfully aged; even the table on which he -worked was much older. He greeted Alveric, remembering who he was, and -Alveric enquired for the old man's wife. "She died long ago," he said. -And again Alveric felt the baffling flight of those years, which added a -fear to Elfland whither he went, yet he neither thought to turn back nor -reined for a moment his impatient haste. He said a few formal things of -the old man's loss that had happened so long ago. Then "Where are the -Elfin Mountains," he asked, "the pale-blue peaks?" - -A look came slowly over the old man's face as though he had never seen -them, as though Alveric being learned spoke of something that the old -leather-worker could not know. No, he did not know, he said. And Alveric -found that to-day as all those years ago, this old man still refused to -speak of Elfland. Well, the boundary was only a few yards away; he would -cross it and ask the way of elfin creatures, if he could not see the -mountains to guide him then. The old man offered him food, and he had -not eaten all day; but Alveric in his haste only asked him once more of -Elfland, and the old man humbly said that of such things he knew -nothing. Then Alveric strode away and came to the field he knew, which -he remembered to be divided by the nebulous border of twilight. And -indeed he had no sooner come to the field than he saw all the toadstools -leaning over one way, and that the way he was going; for just as thorn -trees all lean away from the sea, so toadstools and every plant that has -any touch of mystery, such as foxgloves, mulleins and certain kinds of -orchis, when growing anywhere near it, all lean towards Elfland. By this -one may know before one has heard a murmur of waves, or before one has -guessed an influence of magical things, that one comes, as the case may -be, to the sea or the border of Elfland. And in the air above him -Alveric saw golden birds, and guessed that there had been a storm in -Elfland blowing them over the border from the south-east, though a -north-west wind blew over the fields we know. And he went on but the -boundary was not there, and he crossed the field as any field we know, -and still he had not come to the fells of Elfland. - -Then Alveric pressed on with a new impatience, with the north-west wind -behind him. And the Earth began to grow bare and shingly and dull, -without flowers, without shade, without colour, with none of those -things that there are in remembered lands, by which we build pictures of -them when we are there no more; it was all disenchanted now. Alveric saw -a golden bird high up, rushing away to the south-east; and he followed -his flight hoping soon to see the mountains of Elfland, which he -supposed to be merely concealed by some magical mist. - -But still the autumnal sky was bright and clear, and all the horizon -plain, and still there came never a gleam of the Elfin Mountains. And -not from this did he learn that Elfland had ebbed. But when he saw on -that desolate shingly plain, untorn by the north-west wind but blooming -fair in the Autumn, a may tree that he remembered a long while since, -all white with blossom that once rejoiced a Spring day far in his -childhood, then he knew that Elfland had been there and must have -receded, although he knew not how far. For it is true, and Alveric -knew, that just as the glamour that brightens much of our lives, -especially in early years, comes from rumours that reach us from Elfland -by various messengers (on whom be blessings and peace), so there returns -from our fields to Elfland again, to become a part of its mystery, all -manner of little memories that we have lost and little devoted toys that -were treasured once. And this is part of the law of ebb and flow that -science may trace in all things; thus light grew the forest of coal, and -the coal gives back light; thus rivers fill the sea, and the sea sends -back to the rivers; thus all things give that receive; even Death. - -Next Alveric saw lying there on the flat dry ground a toy that he yet -remembered, which years and years ago (how could he say how many?) had -been a childish joy to him, crudely carved out of wood; and one unlucky -day it had been broken, and one unhappy day it had been thrown away. And -now he saw it lying there not merely new and unbroken, but with a wonder -about it, a splendour and a romance, the radiant transfigured thing that -his young fancy had known. It lay there forsaken of Elfland as wonderful -things of the sea lie sometimes desolate on wastes of sand, when the sea -is a far blue bulk with a border of foam. - -Dreary with lost romance was the plain from which Elfland had gone, -though here and there Alveric saw again and again those little forsaken -things that had been lost from his childhood, dropping through time to -the ageless and hourless region of Elfland to be a part of its glory, -and now left forlorn by this immense withdrawal. Old tunes, old songs, -old voices, hummed there too, growing fainter and fainter, as though -they could not live long in the fields we know. - -And, when the sun set, a mauve-rose glow in the East, that Alveric -fancied a little too gorgeous for Earth, led him onward still; for he -deemed it to be the reflection cast on the sky by the glow of the -splendour of Elfland. So he went on hoping to find it, horizon after -horizon; and night came on with all Earth's comrade stars. And only then -Alveric put aside at last that frantic restlessness that had driven him -since the morning; and, wrapping himself in a loose cloak that he wore, -ate such food as he had in a satchel, and slept a troubled sleep alone -with other forsaken things. - -At the earliest moment of dawn his impatience awoke him, although one of -October's mists hid all glimpses of light. He ate the last of his food -and then pushed on through the greyness. - -No sound from the things of our fields came to him now; for men never -went that way when Elfland was there, and none but Alveric went now to -that desolate plain. He had travelled beyond the sound of cock-crow from -the comfortable houses of men and was now marching through a curious -silence, broken only now and then by the small dim cries of the lost -songs that had been left by the ebb of Elfland and were fainter now than -they had been the day before. And when dawn shone Alveric saw again so -great a splendour in the sky, glowing all green low down in the -south-east, that he thought once more he saw a reflection from Elfland, -and pressed on hoping to find it over the next horizon. And he passed -the next horizon; and still that shingly plain, and never a peak of the -pale-blue Elfin Mountains. - -Whether Elfland always lay over the next horizon, brightening the clouds -with its glow, and moved away just as he came, or whether it had gone -days or years before, he did not know but still kept on and on. And he -came at last to a dry and grassless ridge on which his eyes and his -hopes had been set for long, and from it he looked far over the desolate -flatness that stretched to the rim of the sky, and saw never a sign of -Elfland, never a slope of the mountains: even the little treasures of -memory that had been left behind by the ebb were withering into things -of our every day. Then Alveric drew his magical sword from its sheath. -But though that sword had power against enchantment it had not been -given the power to bring again an enchantment that was gone; and the -desolate land remained the same, for all that he waved his sword, stony, -deserted, unromantic and wide. - -For a little while he went on; but in that flat land the horizon moved -imperceptibly with him, and never a peak appeared of the Elfin -Mountains; and on that dreary plain he soon discovered, as sooner or -later many a man must, that he had lost Elfland. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - _The Deep of the Woods_ - - -In those days Ziroonderel would amuse the boy by charms and by little -wonders, and he was content for a while. And then he began to guess for -himself, all in silence, where his mother was. He listened to all things -said, and thought long about them. And days passed thus and he only knew -she had gone, and still he said never a word of the thing with which his -thoughts were busy. And then he came to know from things said or unsaid, -or from looks or glances or wagging of heads, that there was a wonder -about his mother's going. But what the wonder was he could not find, for -all the marvels that crossed his mind when he guessed. And at last one -day he asked Ziroonderel. - -And stored though her old mind was with ages and ages of wisdom, and -though she had feared this question, yet she did not know it had dwelt -in his mind for days, and could find no better answer out of her wisdom -than that his mother had gone to the woods. When the boy heard this he -determined to go to the woods to find her. - -Now in his walks abroad with Ziroonderel through the little hamlet of -Erl, Orion would see the villagers walking by and the smith at his open -forge, and folk in their doorways, and men that came in to the market -from distant fields; and he knew them all. And most of all he knew Threl -with his quiet feet, and Oth with his lithe limbs; for both of these -would tell him tales when they met of the uplands, and the deep woods -over the hill; and Orion on little journeys with his nurse loved to hear -tales of far places. - -There was an ancient myrtle tree by a well, where Ziroonderel would sit -in the Summer evenings while Orion played on the grass; and Oth would -cross the grass with his curious bow, going out in the evening, and -sometimes Threl would come; and every time that one of them came Orion -would stop him and ask for a tale of the woods. And if it were Oth he -would bow to Ziroonderel with a look of awe as he bowed, and would tell -some tale of what the deer did, and Orion would ask him why. Then a look -would come over Oth's face as though he were carefully remembering -things that had happened very long ago, and after some moments of -silence he would give the ancient cause of whatever the deer did, which -explained how they came by the custom. - -If it were Threl that came across the grass he would appear not to see -Ziroonderel and would tell his tale of the woods more hastily in a low -voice and pass on, leaving the evening, as Orion felt, full of mystery -behind him. He would tell tales of all manner of creatures; and the -tales were so strange that he told them only to young Orion, because, as -he explained, there were many folk that were unable to believe the -truth, and he did not wish his tales to come to the ears of such. Once -Orion had gone to his house, a dark hut full of skins: all kinds of -skins hung on the wall, foxes, badgers, and martens; and there were -smaller ones in heaps in the corners. To Orion Threl's dark hut was more -full of wonder than any other house he had ever seen. - -But now it was Autumn and the boy and his nurse saw Oth and Threl more -seldom; for in the misty evenings with the threat of frost in the air -they sat no longer by the myrtle tree. Yet Orion watched on their short -walks; and one day he saw Threl going away from the village with his -face to the uplands. And he called to Threl, and Threl stood still with -a certain air of confusion, for he deemed himself of too little account -to be clearly seen and noticed by the nurse at the castle, be she witch -or woman. And Orion ran up to him and said "Show me the woods." And -Ziroonderel perceived that the time had come when his thoughts were -roaming beyond the lip of the valley, and knew that no spell of hers -would hold him long from following after them. And Threl said, "No, my -Master," and looked uneasily at Ziroonderel, who came after the boy and -led him away from Threl. And Threl went on alone to his work in the deep -of the woods. - -And it was not otherwise than the witch had foreseen. For first Orion -wept, and then he dreamed of the woods, and next day he slipped away -alone to the house of Oth and asked him to take him with him when he -went to hunt the deer. And Oth, standing on a wide deer-skin in front of -blazing logs, spoke much of the woods, but did not take him then. -Instead he brought Orion back to the Castle. And Ziroonderel regretted -too late that she had idly said his mother was gone to the woods, for -those words of hers had called up too soon that spirit of roving which -was bound to come to him, and she saw that her spells could bring -content no more. So in the end she let him go to the woods. But not -until by lifting of wand and saying of incantation she had called the -glamour of the woods down to the nursery hearth, and had made it haunt -the shadows that went from the fire and creep with them all about the -room, till the nursery was all as mysterious as the forest. When this -spell would not soothe him and keep his longing at home she let him go -to the woods. - -He stole away once more to the house of Oth, over crisp grass one -morning; and the old witch knew he had gone but did not call him back, -for she had no spell to curb the love of roving in man, whether it came -early or late. And she would not hold back his limbs when his heart was -gone to the woods, for it is ever the way of witches with any two things -to care for the more mysterious of the two. So the boy came alone to the -house of Oth, through his garden where dead flowers hung on brown -stalks, and the petals turned to slime if he fingered them, for November -was come and the frosts were abroad all night. And this time Orion just -met with a mood in Oth, which in less than an hour would have gone, that -was favourable to the boy's longing. Oth was taking down his bow from -the wall as Orion went in, and Oth's heart was gone to the woods; and -when the boy came yearning to go to the woods too the hunter in that -mood could not refuse him. - -So Oth took Orion on his shoulder and went up out of the valley. Folk -saw them go thus, Oth with his bow and his soft noiseless sandals, and -his brown garments of leather, Orion on his shoulder, wrapped in the -skin of a fawn which Oth had thrown round him. And as the village fell -behind them Orion rejoiced to see the houses further and further away, -for he had never been so far from them before. And when the uplands -opened their distances to his eyes he felt that he was now upon no mere -walk, but a journey. And then he saw the solemn gloom of the wintry -woods far off, and that filled him at once with a delighted awe. To -their darkness, their mystery and their shelter Oth brought him. - -So softly Oth entered the wood that the blackbirds that guarded it, -sitting watchful on branches, did not flee at his coming, but only -uttered slowly their warning notes, and listened suspiciously till he -passed, and were never sure if a man had broken the charm of the wood. -Into that charm and the gloom and the deep silence Oth moved gravely; -and a solemness came on his face as he entered the wood; for to go on -quiet feet through the wood was the work of his life, and he came to it -as men come to their heart's desire. And soon he put the boy down on the -brown bracken and went on for a while alone. Orion watched him go with -his bow in his left hand, till he disappeared in the wood, like a shadow -going to a gathering of shadows and merging amongst its fellows. And -although Orion might not go with him now, he had great joy from this, -for he knew by the way Oth went and the air he had that this was serious -hunting and no mere amusement made to please a child; and it pleased him -more than all the toys he had had. And quiet and lonely the great wood -loomed round him while he waited for Oth to return. - -And after a long while he heard a sound, all in the wonder of the wood, -that was less loud than the sound that a blackbird made scattering dead -leaves to find insects, and Oth had come back again. - -He had not found a deer; and for a while he sat by Orion and shot arrows -into a tree; but soon he gathered his arrows and took the boy on his -shoulder again and turned homewards. And there were tears in Orion's -eyes when they left the great wood; for he loved the mystery of the huge -grey oaks, which we may pass by unnoticed or with but a momentary -feeling of something forgotten, some message not quite given; but to him -their spirits were playmates. So he came back to Erl as from new -companions with his mind full of hints that he had from the wise old -trunks, for to him each bole had a meaning. And Ziroonderel was waiting -at the gateway when Oth brought Orion back; and she asked little of his -time in the woods, and answered little when he told her of it, for she -was jealous of them whose spell had lured him from hers. And all that -night his dreams hunted deer in the deeps of the wood. - -Next day he stole away again to the house of Oth. But Oth was away -hunting, for he was in need of meat. So he went to the house of Threl. -And there was Threl in his dark house amongst manifold skins. "Take me -to the woods," said Orion. And Threl sat down in a wide wooden chair by -his fire to think about it and to talk of the woods. He was not like -Oth, speaking of a few simple things which he knew, of the deer, of the -ways of the deer, and of the approach of the seasons; but he spoke of -the things that he guessed in the deep of the wood and in the dark of -time, the fables of men and of beasts; and especially he cared to tell -the fables of the foxes and badgers, which he had come by from watching -their ways at the falling of dusk. And as he sat there gazing into the -fire, telling reminiscently of the ancient ways of the dwellers in -bracken and bramble, Orion forgot his longing to go to the woods, and -sat there on a small chair warm with skins, content. And to Threl he -told what he had not said to Oth, how he thought that his mother might -come one day round the trunk of one of the oak-trees, for she had gone -for a while to the woods. And Threl thought that that might be; for -there was nothing wonderful told of the woods that Threl thought -unlikely. - -And then Ziroonderel came for Orion and took him back to the Castle. And -the next day she let him go to Oth again; and this time Oth took him -once more to the wood. And a few days later he went again to Threl's -dark house, in whose cobwebs and corners seemed to lurk the mystery of -the forest, and heard Threl's curious tales. - -And the branches of the forest grew black and still against the blaze of -fierce sunsets, and Winter began to lay its spell on the uplands, and -the wiser ones of the village prophesied snow. And one day Orion out in -the woods with Oth saw the hunter shoot a stag. He watched him prepare -it and skin it and cut it into two pieces and tie them up in the skin, -with the head and horns hanging down. Then Oth fastened up the horns to -the rest of the bundle and heaved it on to his shoulder, and with his -great strength carried it home. And the boy rejoiced more than the -hunter. - -And that evening Orion went to tell the story to Threl, but Threl had -more wonderful stories. - -And so the days went by, while Orion drew from the forest and from the -tales of Threl a love of all things that pertain to a hunter's calling, -and a spirit grew in him that was well-matched with the name he bore; -and nothing showed in him, yet, of the magical part of his lineage. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - _The Unenchanted Plain_ - - -When Alveric understood that he had lost Elfland it was already evening -and he had been gone two days and a night from Erl. For the second time -he lay down for the night on that shingly plain whence Elfland had ebbed -away: and at sunset the eastern horizon showed clear against turquoise -sky, all black and jagged with rocks, without any sign of Elfland. And -the twilight glimmered, but it was Earth's twilight, and not that dense -barrier for which Alveric looked, which lies between Elfland and Earth. -And the stars came out and were the stars we know, and Alveric slept -below their familiar constellations. - -He awoke in the birdless dawn very cold, hearing old voices crying -faintly far off, as they slowly drifted away, like dreams going back to -dreamland. He wondered if they would come to Elfland again, or if -Elfland had ebbed too far. He searched all the horizon eastwards, and -still saw nothing but the rocks of that desolate land. So he turned -again toward the fields we know. - -He walked back through the cold with all his impatience gone; and -gradually some warmth came to him from walking, and later a little from -the autumnal sun. He walked all day, and the sun was growing huge and -red when he came again to the leather-worker's cottage. He asked for -food, and the old man made him welcome: his pot was already simmering -for his own evening meal: and it was not long before Alveric was sitting -at the old table before a dish full of squirrels' legs, hedge-hogs and -rabbit's meat. The old man would not eat till Alveric had eaten, but -waited on him with such solicitude that Alveric felt that the moment of -his opportunity was come, and turned to the old man as he offered him a -piece of the back of a rabbit, and approached the subject of Elfland. - -"The twilight is further away," said Alveric. - -"Yes, yes," said the old man without any meaning in his voice, whatever -he had in his mind. - -"When did it go?" said Alveric. - -"The twilight, master?" said his host. - -"Yes," said Alveric. - -"Ah, the twilight," the old man said. - -"The barrier," said Alveric, and he lowered his voice, although he knew -not why, "between here and Elfland." - -At the word Elfland all comprehension faded out of the old man's eyes. - -"Ah," he said. - -"Old man," said Alveric, "you know where Elfland has gone." - -"Gone?" said the old man. - -That innocent surprise, thought Alveric, must be real; but at least he -knew where it had been; it used to be only two fields away from his -door. - -"Elfland was in the next field once," said Alveric. - -And the old man's eyes roved back into the past, and he gazed as it -were on old days awhile, then he shook his head. And Alveric fixed him -with his eye. - -"You knew Elfland," he exclaimed. - -Still the old man did not answer. - -"You knew where the border was," said Alveric. - -"I am old," said the leather-worker, "and I have no one to ask." - -When he said that, Alveric knew that he was thinking of his old wife, -and he knew too that had she been alive and standing there at that -moment yet he would have had no news of Elfland: there seemed little -more to say. But a certain petulance held him to the subject after he -knew it to be hopeless. - -"Who lives to the East of here?" he said. - -"To the East?" the old man replied. "Master, are there not North and -South and West that you needs must look to the East?" - -There was a look of entreaty in his face but Alveric did not heed it. -"Who lives to the East?" he said. - -"Master, no one lives to the East," he answered. And that indeed was -true. - -"What used to be there?" said Alveric. - -And the old man turned away to see to the stewing of his pot, and -muttered as he turned, so that one hardly heard him. - -"The past," he said. - -No more would the old man say, nor explain what he had said. So Alveric -asked him if he could have a bed for the night, and his host showed him -the old bed he remembered across that vague number of years. And Alveric -accepted the bed without more ado so as to let the old man go to his own -supper. And very soon Alveric was deep asleep, warm and resting at last, -while his host turned over slowly in his mind many things of which -Alveric had supposed he knew nothing. - -When the birds of our fields woke Alveric, singing late in the last of -October, on a morning that reminded them of Spring, he rose and went out -of doors, and went to the highest part of the little field that lay on -the windowless side of the old man's house toward Elfland. There he -looked eastward and saw all the way to the curved line of the sky the -same barren, desolate, rocky plain that had been there yesterday and the -day before. Then the leather-worker gave him breakfast, and afterwards -he went out and looked again at the plain. And over his dinner, which -his host timidly shared, Alveric neared once more the subject of -Elfland. And something in the old man's sayings or silences made Alveric -hopeful that even yet he would have some news of the whereabouts of the -pale-blue Elfin Mountains. So he brought the old man out and turned to -the East, to which his companion looked with reluctant eyes; and -pointing to one particular rock, the most noticeable and near, said, -hoping for definite news of a definite thing, "How long has that rock -been there?" - -And the answer came to his hopes like hail to apple-blossom: "It is -there and we must make the best of it." - -The unexpectedness of the answer dazed Alveric; and when he saw that -reasonable questions about definite things brought him no logical answer -he despaired of getting practical information to guide his fantastic -journey. So he walked on the eastward side of the cottage all the -afternoon, watching the dreary plain, and it never changed or moved: no -pale-blue mountains appeared, no Elfland came flooding back: and evening -came and the rocks glowed dully with the low rays of the sun, and -darkened when it set, changing with all Earth's changes, but with no -enchantment of Elfland. Then Alveric decided on a great journey. - -He returned to the cottage and told the leather-worker that he needed to -buy much provisions, as much as he could carry. And over supper they -planned what he should have. And the old man promised to go next day -amongst the neighbours; telling of all the things he would get from -each, and somewhat more if God should prosper his snaring. For Alveric -had determined to travel eastward till he found the lost land. - -And Alveric slept early, and slept long, till the last of his fatigue -was gone which came from his pursuit of Elfland: the old man woke him as -he came back from his snaring. And the creatures that he had snared the -old man put in his pot and hung it over his fire, while Alveric ate his -breakfast. And all the morning the leather-worker went from house to -house amongst his neighbours, dwelling on little farms at the edge of -the fields we know; and he got salted meats from some, bread from one, a -cheese from another, and came back burdened to his house in time to -prepare dinner. - -And all the provender that burdened the old man Alveric shouldered in a -sack, and some he put in his wallet; and he filled his water-bottle and -two more besides that his host had made from large skins, for he had -seen no streams at all in the desolate land; and thus equipped he walked -some way from the cottage, and looked again at the land from which -Elfland had ebbed. He came back satisfied that he could carry provisions -for a fortnight. - -And in the evening while the old man prepared pieces of squirrels' meat -Alveric stood again on the windowless side of the cottage, gazing still -across the lonely land, hoping always to see emerge from the clouds -that were colouring at sunset, those serene pale-blue mountains; and -seeing never a peak. And the sun set, and that was the last of October. - -Next morning Alveric made a good meal in the cottage; then took his -heavy burden of provisions, and paid his host and started. The door of -the cottage opened toward the West and the old man cordially saw him -away from his door with godspeed and farewells, but he would not move -round his house to watch him going eastward; nor would he speak of that -journey: it was as though to him there were only three points of the -compass. - -The bright autumnal sun was not yet high when Alveric went from the -fields we know to the land that Elfland had left and that nothing else -went near, with his big sack over his shoulder and his sword at his -side. The may trees of memory that he had seen were all withered now, -and the old songs and voices that had haunted that land were all now -faint as sighs; and there seemed to be fewer of them, as though some had -already died or had struggled back to Elfland. - -All that day Alveric travelled, with the vigour that waits at the -beginning of journeys, which helped him on though he was burdened with -so much provisions, and a big blanket that he wore like a heavy cloak -round his shoulders; and he carried besides a bundle of firewood, and a -stave in his right hand. He was an incongruous figure with his stave and -his sack and his sword; but he followed one idea, one inspiration, one -hope; and so shared something of the strangeness that all men have who -do this. - -Halting at noon to eat and rest he went slowly on again and walked till -evening: even then he did not rest as he had intended, for when twilight -fell and lay heavy along the eastern sky he continually rose from his -resting and went a little further to see if it might not be that dense -deep twilight that made the frontier of the fields we know, shutting -them off from Elfland. But it was always earthly twilight, until the -stars came out, and they were all the familiar stars that look on Earth. -Then he lay down among those unrounded and mossless rocks, and ate bread -and cheese and drank water; and as the cold of night began to come over -the plain he lit a small fire with his scanty bundle of wood and lay -close to it with his cloak and his blanket round him; and before the -embers were black he was sound asleep. - -Dawn came without sound of bird or whisper of leaves or grasses, dawn -came in dead silence and cold; and nothing on all that plain gave a -welcome back to the light. - -If darkness had lain forever upon those angular rocks it were better, -Alveric thought, as he saw their shapeless companies sullenly glowing; -darkness were better now that Elfland was gone. And though the misery of -that disenchanted place entered his spirit with the chill of the dawn, -yet his fiery hope still shone, and gave him little time to eat by the -cold black circle of his lonely fire before it hurried him onward -easterly over the rocks. And all that morning he travelled on without -the comradeship of a blade of grass. The golden birds that he had seen -before had long since fled back to Elfland, and the birds of our fields -and all living things we know shunned all that empty waste. Alveric -travelled as much alone as a man who goes back in memory to revisit -remembered scenes, and instead of remembered scenes he was in a place -from which every glamour had gone. He travelled somewhat lighter than on -the day before, but he went more wearily, for he felt more heavily now -the fatigue of the previous day. He rested long at mid-day and then went -on. The myriad rocks stretched on and slightly jagged the horizon, and -all day there came no glimpse of the pale-blue mountains. That evening -from his dwindling provision of wood Alveric made another fire; its -little flame going up alone in that waste seemed somehow to reveal the -monstrous loneliness. He sat by his fire and thought of Lirazel and -would not give up hope, though a glance at those rocks might have warned -him not to hope, for something in their chaotic look partook of the -plain that bred them, and they hinted it to be infinite. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - _The Reticence of the Leather-Worker_ - - -It was many days before Alveric learned from the monotony of the rocks -that one day's journey was the same as another, and that by no number of -journeys would he bring any change to his rugged horizons, which were -all drearily like the ones they replaced and never brought a view of the -pale-blue mountains. He had gone, while his fortnight's provisions grew -lighter and lighter, for ten days over the rocks: it was now evening and -Alveric understood at last that if he travelled further and failed soon -to see the peaks of the Elfin Mountains he would starve. So he ate his -supper sparingly in the darkness, his bundle of firewood having long -since been used, and abandoned the hope that had led him. And as soon as -there was any light at all to show him where the East was he ate a -little of what he had saved from his supper, and started his long tramp -back to the fields of men, over rocks that seemed all the harsher -because his back was to Elfland. All that day he ate and drank little, -and by nightfall he still had left full provisions for four more days. - -He had hoped to travel faster during these last days, if he should have -to turn back, because he would travel lighter: he had given no thought -to the power of those monotonous rocks to weary and to depress with -their desolation when the hope that had somewhat illumined their -grimness was gone: he had thought little of turning back at all, till -the tenth evening came and no pale-blue mountains, and he suddenly -looked at his provisions. And all the monotony of his homeward journey -was broken only by occasional fears that he might not be able to come to -the fields we know. - -The myriad rocks lay larger and thicker than tombstones and not so -carefully shaped, yet the waste had the look of a graveyard stretching -over the world with unrecording stones above nameless heads. Chilled by -the bitter nights, guided by blazing sunsets, he went on through the -morning mists and the empty noons and weary birdless evenings. More than -a week went by since he had turned, and the last of his water was gone, -and still he saw no sign of the fields we know, or anything more -familiar than rocks that he seemed to remember and which would have -misled him northward, southward, or eastward, were it not for the red -November sun that he followed and sometimes some friendly star. And then -at last, just as the darkness fell blackening that rocky multitude, -there showed westward over the rocks, pale at first against remnants of -sunset, but growing more and more orange, a window under one of the -gables of man. Alveric rose and walked towards it till the rocks in the -darkness and weariness overcame him and he lay down and slept; and the -little yellow window shone into his dreams and made forms of hope as -fair as any that came from Elfland. - -The house that he saw in the morning when he woke seemed impossible to -be the one whose tiny light had held out hope and help to him in the -loneliness; it seemed now too plain and common. He recognized it for a -house not far from the one of the leather-worker. Soon he came to a pool -and drank. He came to a garden in which a woman was working early, and -she asked him whence he had come. "From the East," he said, and pointed, -and she did not understand. And so he came again to the cottage from -which he had started, to ask once more for hospitality from the old man -who had housed him twice. - -He was standing in his doorway as Alveric came, walking wearily, and -again he made him welcome. He gave him milk and then food. And Alveric -ate, and then rested all the day: it was not till evening he spoke. But -when he had eaten and rested and he was at the table again, and supper -was now before him and there was light and warmth, he felt all at once -the need of human speech. And then he poured out the story of that great -journey over the land where the things of man ceased, and where yet no -birds or little beasts had come, or even flowers, a chronicle of -desolation. And the old man listened to the vivid words and said -nothing, making some comments of his own only when Alveric spoke of the -fields we know. He heard with politeness but said never a word of the -land from which Elfland had ebbed. It was indeed as though all the land -to the East were delusion, and as though Alveric had been restored from -it or had awoken from dream, and were now among reasonably daily things, -and there was nothing to say of the things of dream. Certainly never a -word would the old man say in recognition of Elfland, or of anything -eighty yards East of his cottage door. Then Alveric went to his bed and -the old man sat alone till his fire was low, thinking of what he had -heard and shaking his head. And all the next day Alveric rested there -or walked in the old man's autumn-smitten garden, and sometimes he tried -again to speak with his host of his great journey in the desolate land, -but got from him no admission that such lands were, checked always by -his avoidance of the topic, as though to speak of these lands might -bring them nearer. - -And Alveric pondered on many reasons for this. Had the old man been to -Elfland in his youth and seen something he greatly feared, perhaps -barely escaping from death or an age-long love? Was Elfland a mystery -too great to be troubled by human voices? Did these folk dwelling there -at the edge of our world know well the unearthly beauty of all the -glories of Elfland, and fear that even to speak of them might be a lure -to draw them whither their resolution, barely perhaps, held them back? -Or might a word said of the magical land bring it nearer, to make -fantastic and elvish the fields we know? To all these ponderings of -Alveric there was no answer. - -And yet one more day Alveric rested, and after that he set out to return -to Erl. He set out in the morning, and his host came with him out of his -doorway, saying farewell and speaking of his journey home and of the -affairs of Erl, which were food for gossip over many farmlands. And -great was the contrast between the good man's approval that he showed -thus for the fields we know, over which Alveric journeyed now, and his -disapproval for those other lands whither Alveric's hopes still turned. -And they parted, and the old man's farewells dwindled, and then he -turned back into his house, rubbing his hands contentedly as he slowly -went, for he was glad to see one who had looked toward the fantastic -lands turn now to a journey across the fields we know. - -In those fields the frost was master, and Alveric walked over the crisp -grey grass and breathed the clear fresh air thinking little of his home -or his son, but planning how even yet he might come to Elfland; for he -thought that further North there might be a way, coming round perhaps -behind the pale-blue mountains. That Elfland had ebbed too far for him -to overtake it there he felt despairingly sure, but scarcely believed it -had gone along the entire frontier of twilight, where Elfland touches -Earth as far as poet has sung. Further North he might find the frontier, -unmoved, lying sleepy with twilight, and come under the pale-blue -mountains and see his wife again: full of these thoughts he went over -the misty mellow fields. - -And full of his dreams and plans about that phantasmal land he came in -the afternoon to the woods that brood above Erl. He entered the wood, -and deep though he was amongst thoughts that were far from there, he -soon saw the smoke of a fire a little way off, rising grey among the -dark oak-boles. He went towards it to see who was there, and there were -his son and Ziroonderel warming their hands at the fire. - -"Where have you been?" called Orion as soon as he saw him. - -"Upon a journey," said Alveric. - -"Oth is hunting," Orion said, and he pointed in the direction whence the -wind was fanning the smoke. And Ziroonderel said nothing, for she saw -more in Alveric's eyes than any questions of hers would have drawn from -his tongue. Then Orion showed him a deer-skin on which he was sitting. -"Oth shot it," he said. - -There seemed to be a magic all round that fire of big logs quietly -smouldering in the woods upon Autumn's discarded robe that lay brilliant -there; and it was not the magic of Elfland, nor had Ziroonderel called -it up with her wand: it was only a magic of the wood's very own. - -And Alveric stood there for a while in silence, watching the boy and the -witch by their fire in the woods, and understanding that the time was -come when he must tell Orion things that were not clear to himself and -that were puzzling him even now. Yet he did not speak of them then, but -saying something of the affairs of Erl, turned and walked on toward his -castle, while Ziroonderel and the boy came back later with Oth. - -And Alveric commanded supper when he came to his gateway, and ate it -alone in the great hall that there was in the Castle of Erl, and all the -while he was pondering words to say. And then he went in the evening up -to the nursery and told the boy how his mother was gone for a while to -Elfland, to her father's palace (which may only be told of in song). -And, unheeding any words of Orion then, he held on with the brief tale -that he had come to tell, and told how Elfland was gone. - -"But that cannot be," said Orion, "for I hear the horns of Elfland every -day." - -"You can hear them?" Alveric said. - -And the boy replied, "I hear them blowing at evening." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - _The Quest for the Elfin Mountains_ - - -Winter descended on Erl and gripped the forest, holding the small twigs -stiff and still: in the valley it silenced the stream; and in the fields -of the oxen the grass was brittle as earthenware, and the breath of the -beasts went up like the smoke of encampments. And Orion still went to -the woods whenever Oth would take him, and sometimes he went with Threl. -When he went with Oth the wood was full of the glamour of the beasts -that Oth hunted, and the splendour of the great stags seemed to haunt -the gloom of far hollows; but when he went with Threl a mystery haunted -the wood, so that one could not say what creature might not appear, nor -what haunted and hid by every enormous bole. What beasts there were in -the wood even Threl did not know: many kinds fell to his subtlety, but -who knew if these were all? - -And when the boy was late in the wood, on happy evenings, he would -always hear as the sun went blazing down, rank on rank of the elfin -horns blowing far away eastwards in the chill of the coming dusk, very -far and faint, like reveillé heard in dreams. From beyond the woods -they sounded, all those ringing horns, from beyond the downs, far over -the furthest curve of them; and he knew them for the silver horns of -Elfland. In all other ways he was human, and but for his power to hear -those horns of Elfland, whose music rings but a yard beyond human -hearing, and his knowledge of what they were; but for these two things -he was as yet not more than a human child. - -And how the horns of Elfland blew over the barrier of twilight, to be -heard by any ear in the fields we know, I cannot understand; yet -Tennyson speaks of them as heard "faintly blowing" even in these fields -of ours, and I believe that by accepting all that the poets say while -duly inspired our errors will be fewest. So, though Science may deny or -confirm it, Tennyson's line shall guide me here. - -Alveric in those days went through the village of Erl, with his thoughts -far from there, moodily; and he stopped at many doors, and spoke and -planned, with his eyes always fixed as it seemed on things no one else -could see. He was brooding on far horizons, and the last, over which was -Elfland. And from house to house he gathered a little band of men. - -It was Alveric's dream to find the frontier further North, to travel on -over the fields we know, always searching new horizons, till he came to -some place from which Elfland had not ebbed; to this he determined to -dedicate his days. - -When Lirazel was with him amongst the fields we know, his thoughts had -ever been to make her more earthly; but now that she was gone the -thoughts of his own mind were becoming daily more elvish, and folk began -to look sideways at his fantastic mien. Dreaming always of Elfland and -of elvish things he gathered horses and provender and made for his -little band so huge a store of provisions that those who saw it -wondered. Many men he asked to be of that curious band, and few would go -with him to haunt horizons, when they heard whither he went. And the -first that he found to be of that band was a lad that was crossed in -love; and then a young shepherd, well used to lonely spaces; then one -that had heard a curious song that someone sang one evening: it had set -his thoughts roving away to impossible lands, and so he was well content -to follow his fancies. One huge full moon one summer had shone all a -warm night long on a lad as he lay in the hay, and after that he had -guessed or seen things that he said the moon showed him: whatever they -were none else saw any such things in Erl: he also joined Alveric's band -as soon as he asked him. It was many days before Alveric found these -four; and more he could not find but a lad that was quite witless, and -he took him to tend the horses, for he understood horses well, and they -understood him, though no human man or woman could make him out at all, -except his mother, who wept when Alveric had his promise to go; for she -said that he was the prop and support of her age, and knew what storms -would come and when the swallows would fly, and what colours the flowers -would come up from seeds she sowed in her garden, and where the spiders -would build their webs, and the ancient fables of flies: she wept and -said that there would be more things lost by his going than ever folk -guessed in Erl. But Alveric took him away: many go thus. - -And one morning six horses heaped and hung with provisions all round -their saddles waited at Alveric's gateway, with the five men that were -to roam with him as far as the world's edge. He had taken long counsel -with Ziroonderel, but she said that no magic of hers had power to charm -Elfland or to cross the dread will of its King; he therefore commended -Orion to her care, knowing well that though hers was but simple or -earthly magic, yet no magic likely to cross the fields we know, nor -curse nor rune directed against his boy, would be able to thwart her -spell; and for himself he trusted to the fortune that waits at the end -of long weary journeys. To Orion he spoke long, not knowing how long -that journey might be before he again found Elfland, nor how easily he -might return across the frontier of twilight. He asked the boy what he -desired of life. - -"To be a hunter," said he. - -"What will you hunt while I am over the hills?" said his father. - -"Stags, like Oth," said Orion. - -Alveric commended that sport, for he himself loved it. - -"And some day I will go a long way over the hills and hunt stranger -things," said the boy. - -"What kind of things," asked Alveric. But the boy did not know. - -His father suggested different kinds of beasts. - -"No, stranger than them," said Orion. "Stranger even than bears." - -"But what will they be?" asked his father. - -"Magic things," said the boy. - -But the horses moved restlessly down below in the cold, so that there -was no time for more idle talk, and Alveric said farewell to the witch -and his son and strode away thinking little of the future, for all was -too vague for thought. - -Alveric mounted his horse over the heaps of provisions, and all the -band of six men rode away. The villagers stood in the street to see them -go. All knew their curious quest; and when all had saluted Alveric and -all had called their farewells to the last of the riders, a hum of talk -arose. And in the talk was contempt of Alveric's quest, and pity, and -ridicule; and sometimes affection spoke and sometimes scorn; yet in the -hearts of all there was envy; for their reason mocked the lonely roving -of that outlandish adventure, but their hearts would have gone. - -And away rode Alveric out of the village of Erl with his company of -adventurers behind him; a moonstruck man, a madman, a lovesick lad, a -shepherd boy and a poet. And Alveric made Vand, the young shepherd, the -master of his encampment, for he deemed him to be the sanest amongst his -following; but there were disputes at once as they rode, before they -came to make any encampment; and Alveric, hearing or feeling the -discontent of his men, learned that on such a quest as his it was not -the sanest but the maddest that should be given authority. So he named -Niv, the witless lad, the master of his encampment; and Niv served him -well till a day that was far thence, and the moonstruck man stood by -Niv, and all were content to do the bidding of Niv, and all honoured -Alveric's quest. And many men in numerous lands do saner things with -less harmony. - -They came to the uplands and rode over the fields, and rode till they -came to the furthest hedges of men, and to the houses that they have -built at the verge, beyond which even their thoughts refuse to fare. -Through this line of houses at the edge of those fields, four or five in -every mile, Alveric went with his queer company. The leather-worker's -hut was far to the South. Now he turned northward to ride past the -backs of the houses, over fields through which once the barrier of -twilight had run, till he should find some place where Elfland might -seem not to have ebbed so far. He explained this to his men, and the -leading spirits, Niv, and Zend who was moonstruck, applauded at once; -and Thyl, the young dreamer of songs, said the scheme was a wise one -too; and Vand was carried away by the keen zeal of these three; and it -was all one to Rannok the lover. And they had not gone far along the -backs of the houses when the red sun touched the horizon, and they -hastened to make an encampment by what remained of the light of that -short winter's day. And Niv said they would build a palace like those of -kings, and the idea fired Zend to work like three men, and Thyl helped -eagerly; and they set up stakes and stretched blankets upon them and -made a wall of brushwood, for they were but just outside the hedgerows, -and Vand helped too with rough hurdles and Rannok toiled on wearily; and -when all was finished Niv said that it was a palace. And Alveric went in -and rested, while they lit a fire outside. And Vand cooked a meal for -them all, which he did every day for himself upon lonely downs; and none -could have cared for the horses better than Niv. - -And as the gloaming faded away the cold of winter grew; and by the time -that the first star shone there seemed nothing in all the night but -bitter cold, yet Alveric's men lay down by their fire in their leathers -and furs and slept, all but Rannok the lover. - -To Alveric lying on furs in his shelter, watching red embers glowing -beyond dark shapes of his men, the quest promised well: he would go far -North watching every horizon for any sign of Elfland: he would go by the -border of the fields we know, and always be near provisions: and if he -got no glimpse of the pale-blue mountains he would go on till he found -some field from which Elfland had not ebbed, and so come round behind -them. And Niv and Zend and Thyl had all sworn to him that evening that -before many days were gone they would surely all find Elfland. Upon this -thought he slept. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - _The Retreat of the Elf King_ - - -When Lirazel blew away with the splendid leaves they dropped one by one -from their dance in the gleaming air, and ran on over fields for a -while, and then gathered by hedgerows and rested; but Earth that pulls -all things down had no hold on her, for the rune of the King of Elfland -had crossed its borders, calling her home. So she rode carelessly the -great north-west wind, looking down idly on the fields we know, as she -swept over them homewards. No grip had Earth on her any longer at all; -for with her weight (which is where Earth holds us) were gone all her -earthly cares. She saw without grief old fields wherein she and Alveric -walked once: they drifted by; she saw the houses of men: these also -passed; and deep and dense and heavy with colour, she saw the border of -Elfland. - -A last cry Earth called to her with many voices, a child shouting, rooks -cawing, the dull lowing of cows, a slow cart heaving home; then she was -into the dense barrier of twilight, and all Earth's sounds dimmed -suddenly: she was through it and they ceased. Like a tired horse falling -dead our north-west wind dropped at the frontier; for no winds blow in -Elfland that roam over the fields we know. And Lirazel slanted slowly -onward and down, till her feet were back again on the magical soil of -her home. She saw full fair the peaks of the Elfin Mountains, and dark -underneath them the forest that guarded the Elf King's throne. Above -this forest were glimmering even now great spires in the elfin morning, -which glows with more sparkling splendour than do our most dewy dawns, -and never passes away. - -Over the elfin land the elfin lady passed with her light feet, touching -the grasses as thistledown touches them when it comes down to them and -brushes their crests while a languid wind rolls it slowly over the -fields we know. And all the elvish and fantastic things, and the curious -aspect of the land, and the odd flowers and the haunted trees, and the -ominous boding of magic that hung in the air, were all so full of -memories of her home that she flung her arms about the first gnarled -gnome-like trunk and kissed its wrinkled bark. - -And so she came to the enchanted wood; and the sinister pines that -guarded it, with the watchful ivy leaning over their branches, bowed to -Lirazel as she passed. Not a wonder in that wood, not a grim hint of -magic, but brought back the past to her as though it had scarcely gone. -It was, she felt, but yesterday morning that she had gone away; and it -was yesterday morning still. As she passed through the wood the gashes -of Alveric's sword were yet fresh and white on the trees. - -And now a light began to glow through the wood, then flash upon flash of -colours, and she knew they shone from the glory and splendour of flowers -that girdled the lawns of her father. To these she came again; and her -faint footprints that she had made as she left her father's palace, and -wondered to see Alveric there, were not yet gone from the bended grass -and the spiders' webs and the dew. There the great flowers glowed in the -elfin light; while beyond them there twinkled and flashed, with the -portal through which she had left it still open wide to the lawns, the -palace that may not be told of but only in song. Thither Lirazel -returned. And the Elf King, who heard by magic the tread of her -soundless feet, was before his door to meet her. - -His great beard almost hid her as they embraced: he had sorrowed for her -long through that elfin morning. He had wondered, despite his wisdom; he -had feared, for all his runes; he had yearned for her as human hearts -may yearn, for all that he was of magic stock dwelling beyond our -fields. And now she was home again and the elfin morning brightened over -leagues of Elfland with the old Elf King's joy, and even a glow was seen -upon slopes of the Elfin Mountains. - -And through the flash and glimmer of the vast doorway they passed into -the palace once more; the knight of the Elf King's guard saluted with -his sword as they went, but dared not turn his head after Lirazel's -beauty; they came again to the hall of the Elf King's throne, which is -made of rainbows and ice; and the great King seated himself and took -Lirazel on his knee; and a calm came down upon Elfland. - -And for long through the endless elfin morning nothing troubled that -calm; Lirazel rested after the cares of Earth, the Elf King sat there -keeping the deep content in his heart, the knight of the guard remained -at the salute, his sword's point downwards still, the palace glowed and -shone: it was like a scene in some deep pool beyond the sound of a city, -with green reeds and gleaming fishes and myriads of tiny shells all -shining in the twilight on deep water, which nothing has disturbed -through all the long summer's day. And thus they rested beyond the fret -of time, and the hours rested around them, as the little leaping waves -of a cataract rest when the ice calms the stream: the serene blue peaks -of the Elfin Mountains above them stood like unchanging dreams. - -Then like the noise of some city heard amongst birds in woods, like a -sob heard amongst children that are all met to rejoice, like laughter -amongst a company that weep, like a shrill wind in orchards amongst the -early blossom, like a wolf coming over the downs where the sheep are -asleep, there came a feeling into the Elf King's mood that one was -coming towards them across the fields of Earth. It was Alveric with his -sword of thunderbolt-iron, which somehow the old King sensed by its -flavour of magic. - -Then the Elf King rose, and put his left arm about his daughter, and -raised his right to make a mighty enchantment, standing up before his -shining throne which is the very centre of Elfland. And with clear -resonance deep down in his throat he chaunted a rhythmic spell, all made -of words that Lirazel never had heard before, some age-old incantation, -calling Elfland away, drawing it further from Earth. And the marvellous -flowers heard as their petals drank in the music, and the deep notes -flooded the lawns; and all the palace thrilled, and quivered with -brighter colours; and a charm went over the plain as far as the frontier -of twilight, and a trembling went through the enchanted wood. Still the -Elf King chaunted on. The ringing ominous notes came now to the Elfin -Mountains, and all their line of peaks quivered as hills in haze, when -the heat of summer beats up from the moors and visibly dances in air. -All Elfland heard, all Elfland obeyed that spell. And now the King and -his daughter drifted away, as the smoke of the nomads drifts over Sahara -away from their camel's-hair tents, as dreams drift away at dawn, as -clouds over the sunset; and like the wind with the smoke, night with the -dreams, warmth with the sunset, all Elfland drifted with them. All -Elfland drifted with them and left the desolate plain, the dreary -deserted region, the unenchanted land. So swiftly that spell was -uttered, so suddenly Elfland obeyed, that many a little song, old -memory, garden or may tree of remembered years, was swept but a little -way by the drift and heave of Elfland, swaying too slowly eastwards till -the elfin lawns were gone, and the barrier of twilight heaved over them -and left them among the rocks. - -And whither Elfland went I cannot say, nor even whether it followed the -curve of the Earth or drifted beyond our rocks out into twilight: there -had been an enchantment near to our fields and now there was none: -wherever it went it was far. - -Then the Elf King ceased to chaunt and all was accomplished. As silently -as, in a moment that none can determine, the long layers over the sunset -turn from gold to pink, or from a glowing pink to a listless unlit -colour, all Elfland left the edges of those fields by which its wonder -had lurked for long ages of men, and was away now whither I know not. -And the Elf King seated himself again on his throne of mist and ice, in -which charmed rainbows were, and took Lirazel his daughter again on his -knee, and the calm that his chaunting had broken came back heavy and -deep over Elfland. Heavy and deep it fell on the lawns, heavy and deep -on the flowers; each dazzling blade of grass was still in its little -curve as though Nature in a moment of mourning said "Hush" at the -sudden end of the world; and the flowers dreamed on in their beauty, -immune from Autumn or wind. Far over the moors of the trolls slept the -calm of the King of Elfland, where the smoke from their queer -habitations hung stilled in the air; and in a forest wherein it quieted -the trembling of myriads of petals on roses, it stilled the pools where -the great lilies towered, till they and their reflections slept on in -one gorgeous dream. And there below motionless fronds of dream-gripped -trees, on the still water dreaming of the still air, where the huge -lily-leaves floated green in the calm, was the troll Lurulu, sitting -upon a leaf. For thus they named in Elfland the troll that had gone to -Erl. He sat there gazing into the water at a certain impudent look that -he had on. He gazed and gazed and gazed. - -Nothing stirred, nothing changed. All things were still, reposing in the -deep content of the King. The Knight of the Guard brought his sword back -to the carry, and afterwards stood as still at his perpetual post as -some suit of armour whose owner is centuries dead. And still the King -sat silent with his daughter upon his knee, his blue eyes unmoving as -the pale-blue peaks, which through wide windows shone from the Elfin -Mountains. - -And the Elf King stirred not, nor changed; but held to that moment in -which he had found content; and laid its influence over all his -dominions, for the good and welfare of Elfland; for he had what all our -troubled world with all its changes seeks, and finds so rarely and must -at once cast it away. He had found content and held it. - -And in that calm that settled down upon Elfland there passed ten years -over the fields we know. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - _Orion Hunts the Stag_ - - -There passed ten years over the fields we know; and Orion grew and -learned the art of Oth, and had the cunning of Threl, and knew the woods -and the slopes and vales of the downs, as many another boy knows how to -multiply figures by other figures or to draw the thoughts from a -language not his own and to set them down again in words of his own -tongue. And little he knew of the things that ink may do, how it can -mark a dead man's thought for the wonder of later years, and tell of -happenings that are gone clean away, and be a voice for us out of the -dark of time, and save many a fragile thing from the pounding of heavy -ages; or carry to us, over the rolling centuries, even a song from lips -long dead on forgotten hills. Little knew he of ink; but the touch of a -roe deer's feet on dry ground, gone three hours, was a clear path to -him, and nothing went through the woods but Orion read its story. And -all the sounds of the wood were as full of clear meaning to him as are -to the mathematician the signs and figures he makes when he divides his -millions by tens and elevens and twelves. He knew by sun and moon and -wind what birds would enter the wood, he knew of the coming seasons -whether they would be mild or severe, only a little later than the -beasts of the wood themselves, which have not human reason or soul and -that know so much more than we. - -And so he grew to know the very mood of the woods, and could enter their -shadowy shelter like one of the woodland beasts. And this he could do -when he was barely fourteen years; and many a man lives all his years -and can never enter a wood without changing the whole mood of its -shadowy ways. For men enter a wood perhaps with the wind behind them, -they brush against branches, step on twigs; speak, smoke, or tread -heavily; and jays cry out against them, pigeons leave the trees, rabbits -pad off to safety, and far more beasts than they know slip on soft feet -away from their coming. But Orion moved like Threl, in shoes of -deer-skin with the tread of a hunter. And none of the beasts of the wood -knew when he was come. - -And he came to have a pile of skins like Oth, that he won with his bow -in the wood; and he hung great horns of stags in the hall of the castle, -high up among old horns where the spider had lived for ages. And this -was one of the signs whereby the people of Erl came to know him now for -their lord, for no news came of Alveric, and all the old lords of Erl -had been hunters of deer. And another sign was the departing of the -witch Ziroonderel when she went back to her hill; and Orion lived in the -castle now by himself, and she dwelt in her cottage again where her -cabbages grew on the high land near to the thunder. - -And all that Winter Orion hunted the stags in the wood, but when Spring -came he put his bow away. Yet all through the season of song and flowers -his thoughts were still with the chase; and he went from house to house -wherever a man had one of the long thin dogs that hunt. And sometimes he -bought the dog, and sometimes the man would promise to lend it on days -of hunting. Thus Orion formed a pack of brown long-haired hounds and -yearned for the Spring and Summer to go by. And one Spring evening when -Orion was tending his hounds, when villagers were mostly at their doors -to notice the length of the evening, there came a man up the street whom -nobody knew. He came from the uplands, wrapped in the most aged of -clothes, which clung to him as though they had clung forever, and were -somehow a part of him and yet part of the Earth, for they were mellowed -by the clay of the high fields to its own deep brown. And folk noticed -the easy stride of a mighty walker, and a weariness in his eyes: and -none knew who he was. - -And then a woman said "It is Vand that was only a lad." And they all -crowded about him then, for it was indeed Vand who had left the sheep -more than ten years ago to ride with Alveric no one in Erl knew whither. -"How fares our master?" they said. And a look of weariness came in the -eyes of Vand. - -"He follows the quest," he said. - -"Whither?" they asked. - -"To the North," he said. "He seeks for Elfland still." - -"Why have you left him?" they asked. - -"I lost the hope," he said. - -They questioned him no more then, for all men knew that to seek for -Elfland one needed a strong hope, and without it one saw no gleam of the -Elfin Mountains, serene with unchanging blue. And then the mother of Niv -came running up. "Is it indeed Vand?" she said. And they all said "Yes, -it is Vand." - -And while they murmured together about Vand, and of how years and -wandering had changed him, she said to him, "Tell me of my son." And -Vand replied "He leads the quest. There is none whom my master trusts -more." And they all wondered, and yet they had no cause for wonder, for -it was a mad quest. - -But Niv's mother alone did not wonder. "I knew he would," she said. "I -knew he would." And she was filled with a great content. - -There are events and seasons to suit the mood of every man, though few -indeed could have suited the crazed mood of Niv, yet there came -Alveric's quest of Elfland, and so Niv found his work. - -And talking in the late evening with Vand the folk of Erl heard tales of -many camps, many marches, a tale of profitless wandering where Alveric -haunted horizons year after year like a ghost. And sometimes out of -Vand's sadness that had come from those profitless years a smile would -shine as he told of some foolish happening that had taken place in the -camp. But all was told by one that had lost hope in the quest. This was -not the way to tell of it, not with doubts, not with smiles. For such a -quest may only be told of by those who are fired by its glory: from the -mad brain of Niv or the moonstruck wits of Zend we might have news of -that quest which could light our minds with some gleam of its meaning; -but never from the story, be it made out of facts or scoffs, told by one -whom the quest itself was able to lure no longer. The stars stole out -and still Vand was telling his stories, and one by one the people went -back to their houses, caring to hear no more of the hopeless quest. Had -the tale been told by one who clung yet to the faith that still was -leading Alveric's wanderers on, the stars would have weakened before -those folk left the teller, the sky would have brightened so widely -before they left him that one would have said at last "Why! It is -morning." Not till then would they have gone. - -And the next day Vand went back to the downs and the sheep and troubled -himself with romantic quests no more. - -And during that Spring men spoke of Alveric again, wondering awhile at -his quest, speaking awhile of Lirazel, and guessing where she had gone, -and guessing why; and where they could not guess telling some tale to -explain all, which went from mouth to mouth till they came to believe -it. And Spring went by and they forgot Alveric and obeyed the will of -Orion. - -And then one day as Orion was waiting for the Summer to go by, with his -heart on frosty days and his dreams with his hounds on the uplands, -Rannok the lover came over the downs by the path by which Vand had come, -and walked down into Erl. Rannok with his heart free at last, with all -his melancholy gone, Rannok without woe, careless, care-free, content, -looking only for rest after his long wandering, sighing no more. And -nothing but this would have made Vyria care to have him, the girl he had -sought once. So the end of this was that she married him, and he too -went roaming no more on fantastic quests. - -And though some looked to the uplands through many an evening, till the -long days wore away and a strange wind touched the leaves, and some -peered over the further curves of the downs, yet they saw none more of -the followers of Alveric's quest coming back by the path that Vand and -Rannok had trod. And by the time that the leaves were a wonder of -scarlet and gold men spoke no more of Alveric but obeyed Orion his son. - -And in this season Orion arose one day before dawn and took his horn and -his bow and went to his hounds, who wondered to hear his step before -light was come: they heard it all in their sleep and awoke and clamoured -to him. And he loosed them and calmed them and led them away to the -downs. And to the lonely magnificence of the downs they came when the -stags are feeding on dewy grasses, before men are awake. All in the wild -wet morning they ran over the gleaming slopes, Orion and his hounds, all -rejoicing together. And the scent of the thyme came heavy with the air -that Orion breathed, as he trod its wide patches blooming late in the -year. To the hounds there came all the wandering scents of the morning. -And what wild creatures had met on the hill in the dark and what had -crossed it going upon their journeys, and whither all had gone when the -day grew bright, bringing the threat of man, Orion guessed and wondered; -but to the hounds all was clear. And some of the scents they noted with -careful noses, and some they scorned, and for one they sought in vain, -for the great red deer were not on the downs that morning. - -And Orion led them far from the Vale of Erl but saw no stag that day, -and never a wind brought the scent that the anxious hounds were seeking, -nor could they find it hidden in any grass or leaves. And evening came -on him bringing his hounds home, calling on stragglers with his horn, -while the sun turned huge and scarlet; and fainter than echoes of his -horn, and far beyond downs and mist, but clear each silver note, he -heard the elfin horns that called to him always at evening. - -With the great comradeship of a common weariness he and his hounds came -home dark in the starlight. The windows of Erl at last flashed to them -the glow of their welcome. Hounds came to their kennels and ate, and -lay down to contented sleep: Orion went to his castle. He too ate, and -afterwards sat thinking of the downs and his hounds and the day, his -mind lulled by fatigue to that point at which it rests beyond care. - -And many a day passed thus. And then one dewy morning, coming over a -ridge of the downs, they saw a stag below them feeding late when all the -rest were gone. The hounds all broke into one joyous cry, the heavy stag -moved nimbly over the grass, Orion shot an arrow and missed; all these -things happened in a moment. And then the hounds streamed away, and the -wind went over the backs of them with a ripple, and the stag went away -as though every one of his feet were on little dancing springs. And at -first the hounds were swifter than Orion, but he was as tireless as -they, and by taking sometimes shorter ways than theirs he stayed near -them till they came to a stream and faltered and began to need the help -of human reason. And such help as human reason can give in such a matter -Orion gave them, and soon they were on again. And the morning passed as -they went from hill to hill, and they had not seen the stag a second -time; and the afternoon wore away, and still the hounds followed every -step of the stag with a skill as strange as magic. And towards evening -Orion saw him, going slowly, along the slope of a hill, over coarse -grass that was shining in the rays of the low sun. He cheered on his -hounds and they ran him over three more small valleys, but down at the -bottom of the third he turned round amongst the pebbles of a stream and -waited there for the hounds. And they came baying round him, watching -his brow antlers. And there they tore him down and killed him at sunset. -And Orion wound his horn with a great joy in his heart: he wanted no -more than this. And with a note like that of joy, as though they also -rejoiced, or mocked his rejoicing, over hills that he knew not, perhaps -from the far side of the sunset, the horns of Elfland answered. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - _The Unicorn Comes in the Starlight_ - - -And winter came, and whitened the roofs of Erl, and all the forest and -uplands. And when Orion took his hounds afield in the morning the world -lay like a book that was newly written by Life; for all the story of the -night before lay in long lines in the snow. Here the fox had gone and -there the badger, and here the red deer had gone out of the wood; the -tracks led over the downs and disappeared from sight, as the deeds of -statesmen, soldiers, courtiers and politicians appear and disappear on -the pages of history. Even the birds had their record on those white -downs, where the eye could follow each step of their treble claws, till -suddenly on each side of the track would appear three little scars where -the tips of their longest feathers had flicked the snow, and there the -track faded utterly. They were like some popular cry, some vehement -fancy, that comes down on a page of history for a day, and passes, -leaving no other record at all except those lines on one page. - -And amongst all these records left of the story of night Orion would -choose the track of some great stag not too long gone, and would follow -it with his hounds away over the downs until even the sound of his horn -could be heard no longer in Erl. And over a ridge with his hounds, he -and they all black against red remnants of sunset, the folk of Erl would -see him coming home; and often it was not until all the stars were -glowing through the frost. Often the skin of a red deer hung over his -shoulders and the huge horns bobbed and nodded above his head. - -And at this time there met one day in the forge of Narl, all unknown to -Orion, the men of the parliament of Erl. They met after sunset when all -were home from their work. And gravely Narl handed to each the mead that -was brewed from the clover honey; and when all were come they sat -silent. And then Narl broke the silence, saying that Alveric ruled over -Erl no more and his son was Lord of Erl, and telling again how once they -had hoped for a magic lord to rule over the valley and to make it -famous, and saying that this should be he. "And where now," he said, "is -the magic for which we hoped? For he hunts the deer as all his -forefathers hunted, and nothing of magic has touched him from over -there; and there is no new thing." - -And Oth stood up to defend him. "He is as fleet as his hounds," he said, -"and hunts from dawn to sunset, and crosses the furthest downs and comes -home untired." - -"It is but youth," said Guhic. And so said all but Threl. - -And Threl stood up and said: "He has a knowledge of the ways of the -woods, and the lore of the beasts, beyond the learning of man." - -"You taught him," said Guhic. "There is no magic here." - -"Nothing of this," said Narl, "is from over there." - -Thus they argued awhile lamenting the loss of the magic for which they -had hoped: for never a valley but history touches it once, never a -village but once its name is awhile on the lips of men; only the village -of Erl was utterly unrecorded; never a century knew it beyond the round -of its downs. And now all their plans seemed lost which they made so -long ago, and they saw no hope except in the mead that was brewed from -the clover honey. To this they turned in silence. Now it was a goodly -brew. - -And in a while new plans flashed clear in their minds, new schemes, new -devices; and debates in the parliament of Erl flowed proudly on. And -they would have made a plan and a policy; but Oth arose from his seat. -There was in a flint-built house in the village of Erl an ancient -Chronicle, a volume bound in leather, and in it at certain seasons folk -wrote all manner of things, the wisdom of farmers concerning the time to -sow, the wisdom of hunters concerning the tracking of stags, and the -wisdom of prophets that told of the way of Earth. From this Oth quoted -now, two lines that he remembered on one of the aged pages; and all the -rest of that page told of hoeing; these lines he said to the parliament -of Erl as they sat with the mead before them at their table: - - "Hooded, and veiled with their night-like tresses, - The Fates shall bring what no prophet guesses." - -And then they planned no more, for either their minds were calmed by a -certain awe that they seemed to find in the lines, or it may be the mead -was stronger than anything written in books. However it be they sat -silent over their mead. And in early starlight while the West still -glowed they passed away from Narl's house back to their own homes -grumbling as they went that they had no magic lord to rule over Erl, and -yearning for magic, to save from oblivion the village and valley they -loved. They parted one by one as they came to their houses. And three or -four that dwelt near the end of the village on the side that was under -the downs were not yet come to their doors, when, white and clear in the -starlight and what remained of the gloaming, they saw hard-pressed and -wearied a hunted unicorn coming across the downs. They stopped and gazed -and shaded their eyes and stroked their beards and wondered. And still -it was a white unicorn galloping wearily. And then they heard drawing -nearer the cry of Orion's hounds. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - _The Grey Tent in the Evening_ - - -On the day that the hunted unicorn crossed the valley of Erl Alveric had -wandered for over eleven years. For more than ten years, a company of -six, they went by the backs of the houses by the edge of the fields we -know, and camped at evenings with their queer material hung greyly on -poles. And whether or not the strange romance of their quest mirrored -itself in all the things about them, those camps of theirs seemed always -the strangest thing in the landscape; and as evening grew greyer around -them their romance and mystery grew. - -And for all the vehemence of Alveric's ambition they travelled leisurely -and lazily: sometimes in a pleasant camp they stayed for three days; -then they went strolling on. Nine or ten miles they would march and then -they would camp again. Someday, Alveric felt sure in his heart, they -would see that border of twilight, someday they would enter Elfland. And -in Elfland he knew that time was not as here: he would meet Lirazel -unaged in Elfland, with never one smile lost to the raging years, never -a furrow worn by the ruin of time. This was his hope; and it led his -queer company on from camp to camp, and cheered them round the fire in -the lonely evenings, and brought them far to the North, travelling all -along the edge of the fields we know, where all men's faces turned the -other way, and the six wanderers went unseen and unheeded. Only the mind -of Vand hung back from their hope, and more and more every year his -reason denied the lure that was leading the rest. And then one day he -lost his faith in Elfland. After that he only followed until a day when -the wind was full of rain, and all were cold and wet and the horses -weary; he left them then. - -And Rannok followed because he had no hope in his heart and wished to -wander from sorrow; until one day when all the blackbirds were singing -in trees of the fields we know, and his hopelessness left him in the -glittering sunshine, and he thought of the cosy homes and the haunts of -men. And soon he too passed out of the camp one evening and set off for -the pleasant lands. - -And now the four that were left were all of one mind, and under the wet -coarse cloth that they hung on poles there was deep content in the -evenings. For Alveric clung to his hope with all the strength of his -race, that had once won Erl in old battles and held it for centuries -long, and in the vacant minds of Niv and Zend this idea grew strong and -big, like some rare flower that a gardener may plant by chance in a wild -untended place. And Thyl sung of the hope; and all his wild fancies that -roamed after song decked Alveric's quest with more and more of glamour. -So all were of one mind. And greater quests whether mad or sane have -prospered when this was so, and greater quests have failed when it was -otherwise. - -They had gone northwards for years along the backs of those houses; and -then one day they would turn eastwards, wherever a certain look in the -sky or a touch of weirdness at evening, or a mere prophecy of Niv's, -seemed to suggest a proximity of Elfland. Upon such occasions they would -travel over the rocks, that for all those years lay bordering the fields -we know, until Alveric saw that provisions for men and horses would -barely bring them back to the houses of men. Then he would turn again, -but Niv would have led them still onward over the rocks, for his -enthusiasm grew as they went; and Thyl sang to them prophesying success; -and Zend would say that he saw the peaks and the spires of Elfland; only -Alveric was wise. And so they would come to the houses of men again, and -buy more provisions. And Niv and Zend and Thyl would babble of the -quest, pouring out the enthusiasm that burned in their hearts; but -Alveric did not speak of it, for he had learned that men in those fields -neither speak of nor look towards Elfland, although he had not learned -why. - -Soon they were on again, and the folk that had sold them the produce of -fields we know gazed curiously after them as they went, as though they -thought that from madness alone or from dreams inspired by the moon came -all the talk they had heard from Niv and Zend and Thyl. - -Thus they always travelled on, always seeking new points from which to -discover Elfland; and on the left of them blew scents from the fields we -know, the scent of lilac from cottage gardens in May, and then the scent -of the white-thorn and then of roses, till all the air was heavy with -new-mown hay. They heard the low of cattle away on their left, heard -human voices, heard partridges calling; heard all the sounds that go up -from happy farms; and on their right was always the desolate land, -always the rocks and never grass nor a flower. They had the -companionship of men no more, and yet they could not find Elfland. In -such a case they needed the songs of Thyl and the sure hope of Niv. - -And the talk of Alveric's quest spread through the land and overtook his -wanderings, till all men that he passed by knew his story; and from some -he had the contempt that some men give to those who dedicate all their -days to a quest, and from others he had honour; but all he asked for was -provender, and this he bought when they brought it. So they went on. -Like legendary things they passed along the backs of the houses, putting -up their grey shapeless tent in the grey evenings. They came as quietly -as rain, and went away like mists drifting. There were jests about them -and songs. And the songs outlasted the jests. At last they became a -legend, which haunted those farms for ever: they were spoken of when men -told of hopeless quests, and held up to laughter or glory, whichever men -had to give. - -And all the while the King of Elfland watched; for he knew by magic when -Alveric's sword drew near: it had troubled his kingdom once, and the -King of Elfland knew well the flavour of thunderbolt iron when he felt -it loom on the air. From this he had withdrawn his frontiers far, -leaving all that ragged land deserted of Elfland; and though he knew not -the length of human journeys, he had left a space that to cross would -weary the comet, and rightly deemed himself safe. - -But when Alveric with his sword was far to the North the Elf King -loosened the grip with which he had withdrawn Elfland, as the Moon that -withdraws the tide lets it flow back again, and Elfland came racing back -as the tide over flat sands. With a long ribbon of twilight at its edge -it floated back over the waste of rocks; with old songs it came, with -old dreams, and with old voices. And in a while the frontier of -twilight lay flashing and glimmering near the fields we know, like an -endless Summer evening that lingered on out of the golden age. But bleak -and far to the North where Alveric wandered the limitless rocks still -heaped the desolate land; only to fields from which he and his sword and -his adventurous band were remotely gone that mighty inlet of Elfland -came lapping back. So that close again to the leather-worker's cottage -and to the farms of his neighbours, a bare three fields away, lay the -land that was heaped and piled with all the wonder for which poets seek -so hard, the very treasury of all romantic things; and the Elfin -Mountains gazed over the border serenely, as though their pale-blue -peaks had never moved. And here the unicorns fed along the border as it -was their custom to do, feeding sometimes in Elfland, which is the home -of all fabulous things, cropping lilies below the slopes of the Elfin -Mountains, and sometimes slipping through the border of twilight at -evening when all our fields are still, to feed upon earthly grass. It is -because of this craving for earthly grass that comes on them now and -then, as the red deer in Highland mountains crave once a year for the -sea, that, fabulous though they are on account of their birth in -Elfland, their existence is nevertheless known among men. The fox, which -is born in our fields, also crosses the frontier, going into the border -of twilight at certain seasons; it is thence that he gets the romance -with which he comes back to our fields. He also is fabulous, but only in -Elfland, as the unicorns are fabulous here. - -And seldom the folk on those farms saw the unicorns, even dim in the -gloaming, for their faces were turned forever away from Elfland. The -wonder, the beauty, the glamour, the story of Elfland were for minds -that had leisure to care for such things as these; but the crops needed -these men, and the beasts that were not fabulous, and the thatch, and -the hedges and a thousand things: barely at the end of each year they -won their fight against Winter: they knew well that if they let a -thought of theirs turn but for a moment towards Elfland, its glory would -grip them soon and take all their leisure away, and there would be no -time left to mend thatch or hedge or to plough the fields we know. But -Orion lured by the sound of the horns that blew from Elfland at evening, -and that some elvish attuning of his ears to magical things caused him -alone in all those fields to hear, came with his hounds to a field -across which ran the frontier of twilight, and found the unicorns there -late on an evening. And, slipping along a hedge of the little field with -his hounds padding behind him, he came between a unicorn and the -frontier and cut it off from Elfland. This was the unicorn that with -flashing neck, covered with flecks of foam that shone silvery in the -starlight, panting, harried and weary, came across the valley of Erl, -like an inspiration, like a new dynasty to a custom-weary land, like -news of a happier continent found far-off by suddenly returned -sea-faring men. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - _Twelve Old Men Without Magic_ - - -Now few things pass by a village and leave no talk behind them. Nor did -this unicorn. For the three that saw it going by in the starlight -immediately told their families, and many of these ran from their houses -to tell the good news to others, for all strange news was accounted good -in Erl, because of the talk that it made; and talk was held to be -needful when work was over to pass the evenings away. So they talked -long of the unicorn. - -And, after a day or two, in the forge of Narl the parliament of Erl was -met again, seated by mugs of mead, discussing the unicorn. And some -rejoiced and said that Orion was magic, because unicorns were of magic -stock and came from beyond our fields. - -"Therefore," said one, "he has been to lands of which it does not become -us to speak, and is magic, as all things are which dwell over there." - -And some agreed and held that their plans had come to fruition. - -But others said that the beast went by in the starlight, if beast it -were, and who could say it was a unicorn? And one said that in the -starlight it was hard to see it at all, and another said unicorns were -hard to recognize. And then they began to discuss the size and shape of -these beasts, and all the known legends that told of them, and came no -nearer to agreeing together whether or not their lord had hunted a -unicorn. Till at last Narl seeing that they would not thus come by the -truth, and deeming it necessary that the fact should be established one -way or the other forever, rose up and told them that the time had come -for the vote. So by a method they had of casting shells of various -colours into a horn that was passed from man to man, they voted about -the unicorn as Narl had commanded. And a hush fell, and Narl counted. -And it was seen to have been established by vote that there had been no -unicorn. - -Sorrowfully then that parliament of Erl saw that their plans to have a -magic lord had failed; they were all old men, and the hope that they had -had for so long being gone they turned less easily to newer plans than -they had to the plan that they made so long ago. What should they do -now, they said? How come by magic? What could they do that the world -should remember Erl? Twelve old men without magic. They sat there over -their mead, and it could not lighten their sadness. - -But Orion was away with his hounds near that great inlet of Elfland -where it lay as it were at high tide, touching the very grass of the -fields we know. He went there at evening when the horns blew clear to -guide him, and waited there all quiet at the edge of those fields for -the unicorns to steal across the border. For he hunted stags no more. - -And as he went over those fields in the late afternoon folk working on -the farms would greet him cheerily; but when still he went eastwards -they spoke to him less and less, till at last when he neared the border -and still kept on they looked his way no more, but left him and his -hounds to their own devices. - -And by the time the sun set he would be standing quiet by a hedge that -ran right down into the frontier of twilight, with his hounds all -gathered close in under the hedge, with his eye on them all lest one of -them dared to move. And the pigeons would come home to trees of the -fields we know, and twittering starlings; and the elfin horns would -blow, clear silver magical music thrilling the chilled air, and all the -colours of clouds would go suddenly changing; it was then in the failing -light, in the darkening of colours, that Orion would watch for a dim -white shape stepping out of the border of twilight. And this evening -just as he hushed a hound with his hand, just as all our fields went -dim, there slipped a great white unicorn out of the border, still -munching lilies such as never grew in any fields of ours. He came, a -whiteness on perfectly silent feet, four or five yards into the fields -we know, and stood there still as moonlight, and listened and listened -and listened. Orion never moved, and he kept his hounds silent by some -power he had or by some wisdom of theirs. And in five minutes the -unicorn made a step or two forward, and began to crop the long sweet -earthly grasses. And as soon as he moved there came others through the -deep blue border of twilight, and all at once there were five of them -feeding there. And still Orion stood with his hounds and waited. - -Little by little the unicorns moved further away from the border, lured -further and further into the fields we know by the deep rich earthly -grasses, on which all five of them browsed in the silent evening. If a -dog barked, even if a late cock crew, up went all their ears at once -and they stood watchful, not trusting anything in the fields of men, or -venturing into them far. - -But at last the one that had come first through the twilight got so far -from his magical home that Orion was able to run between him and the -frontier, and his hounds came behind him. And then had Orion been toying -with the chase, then had he hunted but for an idle whim, and not for -that deep love of the huntsman's craft that only huntsmen know, then had -he lost everything: for his hounds would have chased the nearest -unicorns, and they would have been in a moment across the frontier and -lost, and if the hounds had followed they would have been lost too, and -all that day's work would have gone for nothing. But Orion led his -hounds to chase the furthest, watching all the while to see if any hound -would try to pursue the others; and only one began to, but Orion's whip -was ready. And so he cut his quarry off from its home, and his hounds -for the second time were in full cry after a unicorn. - -As soon as the unicorn heard the feet of the hounds, and saw with one -flash of his eye that he could not get to his enchanted home, he shot -forward with a sudden spring of his limbs and went like an arrow over -the fields we know. When he came to hedges he did not seem to gather his -limbs to leap but seemed to glide over them with motionless muscles, -galloping again when he touched the grass once more. - -In that first rush the hounds drew far ahead of Orion, and this enabled -him to head the unicorn off whenever it tried to turn to the magical -land; and at such turnings he came near his hounds again. And the third -time that Orion turned the unicorn it galloped straight away, and so -continued over the fields of men. The cry of the hounds went through the -calm of the evening like a long ripple across a sleeping lake following -the unseen way of some strange diver. In that straight gallop the -unicorn gained so much on the hounds that soon Orion only saw him far -off, a white spot moving along a slope in the gloaming. Then it reached -the top of a valley and passed from view. But that strong queer scent -that led the hounds like a song remained clear on the grass, and they -never checked or faltered except for a moment at streams. Even there -their ranging noses picked up the magical scent before Orion came up to -give them his aid. - -And as the hunt went on the daylight faded away, till the sky was all -prepared for the coming of stars. And one or two stars appeared, and a -mist came up from streams and spread all white over fields, till they -could not have seen the unicorn if he had been close before them. The -very trees seemed sleeping. They passed by little houses, lonely, -sheltered by elms; shut off by high hedges of yew from those that roamed -the fields; houses that Orion had never seen or known till the chance -course of this unicorn brought him suddenly past their doors. Dogs -barked as they passed, and continued barking long, for that magical -scent on the air and the rush and the voice of the pack told them -something strange was afoot; and at first they barked because they would -have shared in what was afoot, and afterwards to warn their masters -about the strangeness. They barked long through the evening. - -And once, as they passed a little house in a cluster of old thorns, a -door suddenly opened, and a woman stood gazing to see them go by: she -could have seen no more than grey shapes, but Orion in the moment as he -passed saw all the glow of the house, and the yellow light streaming out -into the cold. The merry warmth cheered him, and he would have rested -awhile in that little oasis of man in the lonely fields, but the hounds -went on and he followed; and those in the houses heard their cry go past -like the sound of a trumpet whose echoes go fading away amongst the -furthest hills. - -A fox heard them coming, and stood quite still and listened: at first he -was puzzled. Then he caught the scent of the unicorn, and all was clear -to him, for he knew by the magic flavour that it was something coming -from Elfland. - -But when sheep caught the scent they were terrified, and ran all huddled -together until they could run no more. - -Cattle leaped up from their sleep, gazed dreamily, and wondered; but the -unicorn went through them and away, as some rose-scented breeze that has -strayed from valley gardens into the streets of a city slips through the -noisy traffic and is gone. - -Soon all the stars were looking on those quiet fields through which the -hunt went with its exultation, a line of vehement life cleaving through -sleep and silence. And now the unicorn, far out of sight though he was, -no longer gained a little at every hedge. For at first he lost no more -pace at any hedge than a bird loses passing clear of a cloud, while the -great hounds struggled through what gaps they could find, or lay on -their sides and wriggled between the stems of the bushes. But now he -gathered his strength with more effort at every hedge, and sometimes hit -the top of the hedge and stumbled. He was galloping slower too; for this -was a journey such as no unicorn made through the deep calm of Elfland. -And something told the tired hounds they were drawing nearer. And a new -joy entered their voices. - -They crossed a few more black hedges, and then there loomed before them -the dark of a wood. When the unicorn entered the wood the voices of the -hounds were clear in his ears. A pair of foxes saw him going slowly, and -they ran along beside him to see what would befall the magic creature -coming weary to them from Elfland. One on each side they ran, keeping -his slow pace and watching him, and they had no fear of the hounds -though they heard their cry, for they knew that nothing that followed -that magical scent would turn aside after any earthly thing. So he went -labouring through the wood, and the foxes watched him curiously all the -way. - -The hounds entered the wood and the great oaks rang with the sound of -them, and Orion followed with an enduring speed that he may have got -from our fields or that may have come to him over the border from -Elfland. The dark of the wood was intense but he followed his hounds' -cry, and they did not need to see with that wonderful scent to guide -them. They never wavered as they followed that scent, but went on -through gloaming and starlight. It was not like any hunt of fox or stag; -for another fox will cross the line of a fox, or a stag may pass through -a herd of stags and hinds; even a flock of sheep will bewilder hounds by -crossing the line they follow; but this unicorn was the only magical -thing in all our fields that night, and his scent lay unmistakable over -the earthly grass, a burning pungent flavour of enchantment among the -things of every day. They hunted him clear through the wood and down to -a valley, the two foxes keeping with him and watching still: he picked -his feet carefully as he went down the hill, as though his weight hurt -them while he descended the slope, yet his pace was as fast as that of -the hounds going down: then he went a little way along the trough of the -valley, turning to his left as soon as he came down the hill, but the -hounds gained on him then and he turned for the opposite slope. And then -his weariness could be concealed no longer, the thing that all wild -creatures conceal to the last; he toiled over every step as though his -legs dragged his body heavily. Orion saw him from the opposite slope. - -And when the unicorn got to the top the hounds were close behind him, so -that he suddenly whipped round his great single horn and stood before -them threatening. Then the hounds bayed about him, but the horn waved -and bowed with such swift grace that no hound got a grip; they knew -death when they saw it, and eager though they were to fasten upon him -they leaped back from that flashing horn. Then Orion came up with his -bow, but he would not shoot, perhaps because it was hard to put an arrow -safely past his pack of hounds, perhaps because of a feeling such as we -have to-day, and which is no new thing among us, that it was unfair to -the unicorn. Instead he drew an old sword that he was wearing, and -advanced through his hounds and engaged that deadly horn. And the -unicorn arched his neck, and the horn flashed at Orion; and, weary -though the unicorn was, yet a mighty force remained in that muscular -neck to drive the blow that he aimed, and Orion barely parried. He -thrust at the unicorn's throat, but the great horn tossed the sword -aside from its aim and again lunged at Orion. Again he parried with the -whole weight of his arm, and had but an inch to spare. He thrust again -at the throat, and the unicorn parried the sword-thrust almost -contemptuously. Again and again the unicorn aimed fair at Orion's heart; -the huge white beast stepped forward pressing Orion back. That graceful -bowing neck, with its white arch of hard muscle driving the deadly horn, -was wearying Orion's arm. Once more he thrust and failed; he saw the -unicorn's eye flash wickedly in the starlight, he saw all white before -him the fearful arch of its neck, he knew he could turn aside its heavy -blows no more; and then a hound got a grip in front of the right -shoulder. No moments passed before many another hound leaped on to the -unicorn, each with a chosen grip, for all that they looked like a rabble -rolling and heaving by chance. Orion thrust no more, for many hounds all -at once were between him and his enemy's throat. Awful groans came from -the unicorn, such sounds as are not heard in the fields we know; and -then there was no sound but the deep growl of the hounds that roared -over the wonderful carcase as they wallowed in fabulous blood. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - _A Historical Fact_ - - -Amongst the weary hounds refreshed with fury and triumph, Orion stepped -with his whip and drove them away from the monstrous dead body, and sent -the lash quivering round in a wide circle, while in his other hand he -took his sword and cut off the unicorn's head. He also took the skin of -the long white neck and brought it away dangling empty from the head. -All the while the hounds bayed and made eager rushes one by one at that -magical carcase whenever one saw a chance of eluding the whip; so that -it was long before Orion got his trophy, for he had to work as hard with -his whip as with his sword. But at last he had it slung by a leather -thong over his shoulders, the great horn pointing upwards past the right -side of his head, and the smeared skin hanging down along his back. And -while he arranged it thus he allowed his hounds to worry the body again -and taste that wonderful blood. Then he called to them and blew a note -on his horn and turned slowly home towards Erl, and they all followed -behind him. And the two foxes stole up to taste the curious blood, for -they had sat and waited for this. - -While the unicorn was climbing his last hill Orion felt such fatigue -that he could have gone little further, but now that the heavy head hung -from his shoulders all his fatigue was gone and he trod with a lightness -such as he had in the mornings, for it was his first unicorn. And his -hounds seemed refreshed as though the blood they had lapped had some -strange power in it, and they came home riotously, gambolling and -rushing ahead as when newly loosed from their kennels. - -Thus Orion came home over the downs in the night, till he saw the valley -before him full of the smoke of Erl, where one late light was burning in -a window of one of his towers. And, coming down the slopes by familiar -ways, he brought his hounds to their kennels; and just before dawn had -touched the heights of the downs he blew his horn before his postern -door. And the aged guardian of the door when he opened it to Orion saw -the great horn of the unicorn bobbing over his head. - -This was the horn that was sent in later years as a gift from the Pope -to King Francis. Benvenuto Cellini tells of it in his memoirs. He tells -how Pope Clement sent for him and a certain Tobbia, and ordered them to -make designs for the setting of a unicorn's horn, the finest ever seen. -Judge then of Orion's delight when the horn of the first unicorn he ever -took was such as to be esteemed generations later the finest ever seen, -and in no less a city than Rome, with all her opportunities to acquire -and compare such things. For a number of these curious horns must have -been available for the Pope to have selected for the gift the finest -ever seen; but in the simpler days of my story the rarity of the horn -was so great that unicorns were still considered fabulous. The year of -the gift to King Francis would be about 1530, the horn being mounted in -gold; and the contract went to Tobbia and not to Benvenuto Cellini. I -mention the date because there are those who care little for a tale if -it be not here and there supported by history, and who even in history -care more for fact than philosophy. If any such reader have followed the -fortunes of Orion so far he will be hungry by now for a date or a -historical fact. As for the date, I give him 1530. While for the -historical fact I select that generous gift recorded by Benvenuto -Cellini, because it may well be that just where he came to unicorns such -a reader may have felt furthest away from history and have felt -loneliest just at this point for want of historical things. How the -unicorn's horn found its way from the Castle of Erl, and in what hands -it wandered, and how it came at last to the City of Rome, would of -course make another book. - -But all that I need say now about that horn is that Orion took the whole -head to Threl, who took off the skin and washed it and boiled the skull -for hours, and replaced the skin and stuffed the neck with straw; and -Orion set it in the midmost place among all the heads that hung in the -high hall. And the rumour went all through Erl, as swift as unicorns -gallop, telling of this fine horn that Orion had won. So that the -parliament of Erl met again in the forge of Narl. They sat at the table -there debating the rumour; and others besides Threl had seen the head. -And at first, for the sake of old divisions, some held to their opinion -that there had been no unicorn. They drank Narl's goodly mead and argued -against the monster. But after a while, whether Threl's argument -convinced them, or whether as is more likely, they yielded from -generosity, which arose like a beautiful flower out of the mellow mead, -whatever it was the debate of those that opposed the unicorn -languished, and when the vote was put it was declared that Orion had -killed a unicorn, which he had hunted hither from beyond the fields we -know. - -And at this they all rejoiced; for they saw at last the magic for which -they had longed, and for which they had planned so many years ago, when -all were younger and had had more hope in their plans. And as soon as -the vote was taken Narl brought out more mead, and they drank again to -mark the happy occasion: for magic at last, said they, had come on -Orion, and a glorious future surely awaited Erl. And the long room and -the candles and the friendly men and the deep comfort of mead made it -easy to look a little way forward into time and to see a year or so that -had not yet come, and to see coming glories glowing a little way off. -And they told again of the days, but nearer now, when the distant lands -should hear of the vale they loved: they told again of the fame of the -fields of Erl going from city to city. One praised its castle, another -its huge high downs, another the vale itself all hidden from every land, -another the dear quaint houses built by an olden folk, another the deep -of the woods that lay over the sky-line; and all spoke of the time when -the wide world should hear of it all, because of the magic that there -was in Orion; for they knew that the world has a quick ear for magic, -and always turns toward the wonderful even though it be nearly asleep. -Their voices were high, praising magic, telling again of the unicorn, -glorying in the future of Erl, when suddenly in the doorway stood the -Freer. He was there in his long white robe with its trimming of mauve, -in the door with the night behind him. As they looked, in the light of -their candles, they could see he was wearing an emblem, on a chain of -gold round his neck. Narl bade him welcome, some moved a chair to the -table; but he had heard them speak of the unicorn. He lifted his voice -from where he stood, and addressed them. "Cursed be unicorns," he said, -"and all their ways, and all things that be magic." - -In the awe that suddenly changed the mellow room one cried: "Master! -Curse not us!" - -"Good Freer," said Narl, "we hunted no unicorn." - -But the Freer raised up his hand against unicorns and cursed them yet. -"Curst be their horn," he cried, "and the place where they dwell, and -the lilies whereon they feed, curst be all songs that tell of them. -Curst be they utterly with everything that dwelleth beyond salvation." - -He paused to allow them to renounce the unicorns, standing still in the -doorway, looking sternly into the room. - -And they thought of the sleekness of the unicorn's hide, his swiftness, -the grace of his neck, and his dim beauty cantering by when he came past -Erl in the evening. They thought of his stalwart and redoubtable horn; -they remembered old songs that told of him. They sat in uneasy silence -and would not renounce the unicorn. - -And the Freer knew what they thought and he raised his hand again, clear -in the candle-light with the night behind him. "Curst be their speed," -he said, "and their sleek white hide; curst be their beauty and all that -they have of magic, and everything that walks by enchanted streams." - -And still he saw in their eyes a lingering love for those things that he -forbade, and therefore he ceased not yet. He lifted his voice yet louder -and continued, with his eye sternly upon those troubled faces: "And -curst be trolls, elves, goblins and fairies upon the Earth, and -hypogriffs and Pegasus in the air, and all the tribes of the mer-folk -under the sea. Our holy rites forbid them. And curst be all doubts, all -singular dreams, all fancies. And from magic may all true folk be turned -away. Amen." - -He turned round suddenly and was into the night. A wind loitered about -the door, then flapped it to. And the large room in the forge of Narl -was as it had been but a few moments before, yet the mellow mood of it -seemed dulled and dim. And then Narl spoke, rising up at the table's end -and breaking the gloom of the silence. "Did we plan our plans," he said, -"so long ago, and put our faith in magic, that we should now renounce -magical things and curse our neighbours, the harmless folk beyond the -fields we know, and the beautiful things of the air, and dead mariners' -lovers dwelling beneath the sea?" - -"No, no," said some. And they quaffed their mead again. - -And then one rose with his horn of mead held high, then another and then -another, till all were standing upright all round the light of the -candles. "Magic!" one cried. And the rest with one accord took up his -cry till all were shouting "Magic." - -The Freer on his homeward way heard that cry of Magic, he gathered his -sacred robe more closely around him and clutched his holy things, and -said a spell that kept him from sudden demons and the doubtful things of -the mist. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - _On the Verge of Earth_ - - -And on that day Orion rested his hounds. But the next day he rose early -and went to his kennels and loosened the joyous hounds in the shining -morning, and led them out of the valley and over the downs towards the -frontier of twilight again. And he took his bow with him no more, but -only his sword and his whip; for he had come to love the joy of his -fifteen hounds when they hunted the one-horned monster, and felt that he -shared the joy of every hound; while to shoot one with an arrow would be -but a single joy. - -All day he went over the fields, greeting some farmer here and there, or -worker in the field, and gaining greetings in return, and good wishes -for sport. But when evening came and he was near the frontier, fewer and -fewer greeted him as he passed, for he was manifestly travelling where -none went, whence even their thoughts held back. So he went lonely, yet -cheered by his eager thoughts, and happy in the comradeship of his -hounds; and both his thoughts and his hounds were all for the chase. - -And so he came to the barrier of twilight again, where the hedges ran -down to it from the fields of men and turned strange and dim in a glow -that is not of our Earth and disappeared in the twilight. He stood with -his hounds close in against one of these hedges just where it touched -the barrier. The light just there on the hedge, if like anything of our -Earth, was like the misty dimness that flashes upon a hedge, seen only -across one field, when touched by the rainbow: in the sky the rainbow is -clear, but close across one wide field the rainbow's end scarcely shows, -yet a heavenly strangeness has touched and altered the hedge. In some -such light as that glowed the last of the hawthorns that grew in the -fields of men. And just beyond it, like a liquid opal, all full of -wandering lights, lay the barrier through which no man can see, and no -sound come but the sound of the elfin horns, and only that to the ears -of very few. The horns were blowing now, piercing that barrier of dim -light and silence with the magical resonance of their silver note, that -seemed to beat past all things intervening to come to Orion's ear, as -the sunlight beats through ether to illumine the vales of the moon. - -The horns died down, and nothing whispered from Elfland; and all the -sounds thenceforth were the sounds of an earthly evening. Even these -grew few, and still no unicorns came. - -A dog barked far away: a cart, the sole sound on an empty road, went -homeward wearily: someone spoke in a lane, and then left the silence -unbroken, for words seemed to offend the hush that was over all our -fields. And in the hush Orion gazed at the frontier, watching for the -unicorns that never came, expecting each moment to see one step through -the twilight. But he had done unwisely in coming to the same spot at -which he had found the five unicorns only two days before. For of all -creatures the unicorns are the wariest, guarding their beauty from the -eye of man with never ceasing watchfulness; dwelling all day beyond the -fields we know, and only entering them rarely at evening, when all is -still, and with the utmost vigilance, and venturing even then scarcely -beyond the edges. To come on such animals twice at the same spot within -two days with hounds, after hunting and killing one of them, was more -unlikely than Orion thought. But his heart was full of the triumph of -his hunt, and the scene of it lured him back to it in the way that such -scenes have. And now he gazed at the frontier, waiting for one of these -great creatures to come proudly through, a great tangible shape out of -the dim opalescence. And no unicorn came. - -And standing gazing there so long, that curious boundary began to lure -him till his thoughts went roaming with its wandering lights and he -desired the peaks of Elfland. And well they knew that lure who dwelt on -those farms lying all along the edge of the fields we know, and wisely -kept their eyes turned ever away from that wonder that lay with its -marvel of colours so near to the backs of their houses. For there was a -beauty in it such as is not in all our fields; and it is told those -farmers in youth how, if they gaze upon those wandering lights, there -will remain no joy for them in the goodly fields, the fine, brown -furrows or the waves of wheat, or in any things of ours; but their -hearts will be far from here with elfin things, yearning always for -unknown mountains and for folk not blessed by the Freer. - -And standing now, while our earthly evening waned, upon the very edge of -that magical twilight, the things of Earth rushed swiftly from his -remembrance, and suddenly all his care was for elfin things. Of all the -folk that trod the paths of men he remembered only his mother, and -suddenly knew, as though the twilight had told him, that she was -enchanted and he of a magical line. And none had told him this, but he -knew it now. - -For years he had wondered through many an evening and guessed where his -mother was gone: he had guessed in lonely silence; none knew what the -child was guessing: and now an answer seemed to hang in the air; it -seemed as though she were only a little way off across the enchanted -twilight that divided those farms from Elfland. He moved three steps and -came to the frontier itself; his foot was the furthest that stood in the -fields we know: against his face the frontier lay like a mist, in which -all the colours of pearls were dancing gravely. A hound stirred as he -moved, the pack turned their heads and eyed him; he stood, and they -rested again. He tried to see through the barrier, but saw nothing but -wandering lights that were made by the massing of twilights from the -ending of thousands of days, which had been preserved by magic to build -that barrier there. Then he called to his mother across that mighty gap, -those few preserved by magic to build that barrier there. Then he upon -one side Earth and the haunts of men, and the time that we measure by -minutes and hours and years, and upon the other Elfland and another way -of time. He called to her twice and listened, and called again; and -never a cry or a whisper came out of Elfland. He felt then the magnitude -of the gulf that divided him from her, and knew it to be vast and dark -and strong, like the gulfs that set apart our times from a bygone day, -or that stand between daily life and the things of dream, or between -folk tilling the Earth and the heroes of song, or between those living -yet and those they mourn. And the barrier twinkled and sparkled as -though so airy a thing never divided lost years from that fleeing hour -called Now. - -He stood there with the cries of Earth faint in the late evening, behind -him, and the mellow glow of the soft earthly twilight; and before him, -close to his face, the utter silence of Elfland, and the barrier that -made that silence, gleaming with its strange beauty. And now he thought -no more of earthly things, but only gazed into that wall of twilight, as -prophets tampering with forbidden lore gaze into cloudy crystals. And to -all that was elvish in Orion's blood, to all that he had of magic from -his mother, the little lights of the twilight-builded boundary lured and -tempted and beckoned. He thought of his mother dwelling in lonely ease -beyond the rage of Time, he thought of the glories of Elfland, dimly -known by magical memories that he had had from his mother. The little -cries of the earthly evening behind him he heeded no more nor heard. And -with all these little cries were lost to him also the ways and the needs -of men, the things they plan, the things they toil for and hope for, and -all the little things their patience achieves. In the new knowledge that -had come to him beside this glittering boundary that he was of magical -blood he desired at once to cast off his allegiance to Time, and to -leave the lands that lay under Time's dominion and were ever scourged by -his tyranny, to leave them with no more than five short paces, and to -enter the ageless land where his mother sat with her father while he -reigned on his misty throne in that hall of bewildering beauty at which -only song has guessed. No more was Erl his home, no more were the ways -of man his ways: their fields to his feet no more! But the peaks of the -Elfin Mountains were to him now what welcoming eaves of straw are to -earthly labourers at evening; the fabulous, the unearthly, were to Orion -home. Thus had that barrier of twilight, too long seen, enchanted him; -so much more magical was it than any earthly evening. - -And there are those that might have gazed long at it and even yet turned -away; but not easily Orion; for though magic has power to charm worldly -things they respond to enchantment heavily and slowly, while all that -was magic in Orion's blood flashed answer to the magic that shown in the -rampart of Elfland. It was made of the rarest lights that wander in air, -and the fairest flashes of sunlight that astonish our fields through -storm, and the mists of little streams, and the glow of flowers in -moonlight, and all the ends of our rainbows with all their beauty and -magic, and scraps of the gloaming of evenings long treasured in aged -minds. Into this enchantment he stepped to have done with mundane -things; but as his foot touched the twilight a hound that had sat behind -him under the hedge, held back from the chase so long, stretched its -body a little and uttered one of those low cries of impatience that -amongst the ways of man most nearly resembles a yawn. And old habit, at -that sound made Orion turn his head, and he saw the hound and went up to -him for a moment, and patted him and would have said farewell; but all -the hounds were around him then, nosing his hands and looking up at his -face. And standing there amongst his eager hounds, Orion, who but a -moment before was dreaming of fabulous things with thoughts that floated -over the magical lands and scaled the enchanted peaks of the Elfin -Mountains, was suddenly at the call of his earthly lineage. It was not -that he cared more to hunt than to be with his mother beyond the fret of -time, in the lands of her father lovelier than anything song hath said; -it was not that he loved his hounds so much that he could not leave -them; but his fathers had followed the chase age after age, as his -mother's line had timelessly followed magic; and the call towards magic -was strong while he looked on magical things, and the old earthly line -was as strong to beckon him to the chase. The beautiful boundary of -twilight had drawn his desires towards Elfland, next moment his hounds -had turned him another way: it is hard for any of us to avoid the grip -of external things. - -For some moments Orion stood thinking among his hounds, trying to decide -which way to turn, trying to weigh the easy lazy ages, that hung over -untroubled lawns and the listless glories of Elfland, with the good -brown plough and the pasture and the little hedges of Earth. But the -hounds were around him, nosing, crying, looking into his eyes, speaking -to him if tails and paws and large brown eyes can speak, saying "Away! -Away!" To think amongst all that tumult was impossible; he could not -decide, and the hounds had it their way, and he and they went, together, -home over the fields we know. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - _Orion Appoints a Whip_ - - -And many times again, while the winter wore away, Orion went back again -with his hounds to that wonderful boundary, and waited there while the -earthly twilight faded; and sometimes saw the unicorns come through, -craftily, silently, when our fields were still, great beautiful shapes -of white. But he brought back no more horns to the castle of Erl, nor -hunted again across the fields we know; for the unicorns when they came -moved into our fields no more than a few bare paces, and Orion was not -able to cut one off again. Once when he tried he nearly lost all his -hounds, some being already within the boundary when he beat them back -with his whip; another two yards and the sound of his earthly horn could -never more have reached them. It was this that taught him that for all -the power that he had over his hounds, and even though in that power was -something of magic, yet one man without help could not hunt hounds, so -near to that edge over which if one should stray it would be lost -forever. - -After this Orion watched the lads at their games in evenings at Erl, -till he had marked three that in speed and strength seemed to excel the -rest; and two of these he chose to be whippers-in. He went to the -cottage of one of them when the games were over, just as the lights were -lit, a tall lad with great speed of limb; the lad and his mother were -there and both rose from the table as the father opened the door and -Orion came in. And cheerily Orion asked the lad if he would come with -the hounds and carry a whip and prevent any from straying. And a silence -fell. All knew that Orion hunted strange beasts and took his hounds to -strange places. None there had ever stepped beyond the fields we know. -The lad feared to pass beyond them. His parents were full loth to let -him go. At length the silence was broken by excuses and muttered -sentences and unfinished things, and Orion saw that the lad would not -come. - -He went then to the house of the other. There too the candles were lit -and a table spread. There were two old women there and the lad at their -supper. And to them Orion told how he needed a whipper-in, and asked the -lad to come. Their fear in that house was more marked. The old women -cried out together that the lad was too young, that he could not run so -well as he used to, that he was not worthy of so great an honour, that -dogs never would trust him. And much more than this they said, till they -became incoherent. Orion left them and went to the house of the third. -It was the same here. The elders had desired magic for Erl, but the -actual touch of it, or the mere thought of it, perturbed the folk in -their cottages. None would spare their sons to go whither they knew not, -to have dealings with things that rumour, like a large and sinister -shadow, had so grimly magnified in the hamlet of Erl. So Orion went -alone with his hounds when he took them up from the valley and went -eastwards over our fields where Earth's folk would not go. - -It was late in the month of March, and Orion slept in his tower, when -there came up to him from far below, shrill and clear in the early -morning, the sound of his peacocks calling. The bleat of sheep far up on -the downs came to wake him too, and cocks were crowing clamourously, for -Spring was singing through the sunny air. He rose and went to his -hounds; and soon early labourers saw him go up the steep side of the -valley with all his hounds behind him, tan patches against the green. -And so he passed over the fields we know. And so he was come, before the -sun had set, to that strip of land from which all men turned away, where -westward stood men's houses among fields of fat brown clay and eastward -the Elfin Mountains shone over the boundary of twilight. - -He went with his hounds along the last hedge, down to the boundary. And -no sooner had he come there than he saw a fox quite close slip out of -the twilight between Earth and Elfland, and run a few yards along the -edge of our fields and then slip back again. And of this Orion thought -nothing, for it is the way of the fox thus to haunt the edge of Elfland -and to return again to our fields: it is thus that he brings us -something of which none of our cities guess. But soon the fox appeared -again out of the twilight and ran a little way and was back in the -luminous barrier once more. Then Orion watched to see what the fox was -doing. And yet again it appeared in the field we know, and dodged back -into the twilight. And the hounds watched too, and showed no longing to -hunt it, for they had tasted fabulous blood. - -Orion walked along beside the twilight in the direction in which the -fox was going, with his curiosity growing the more that the fox dodged -in and out of our fields. The hounds followed him slowly and soon lost -their interest in what the fox was doing. And all at once the curious -thing was explained, for Lurulu all of a sudden skipped through the -twilight, and that troll appeared in our fields: it was with him that -the fox was playing. - -"A man," said Lurulu aloud to himself, or to his comrade the fox, -speaking in troll-talk. And all at once Orion remembered the troll that -had come into his nursery with his little charm against time, and had -leaped from shelf to shelf and across the ceiling and enraged -Ziroonderel who had feared for her crockery. - -"The troll!" he said, also in troll-talk; for his mother had murmured it -to him as a child when she told him tales of the trolls and their -age-old songs. - -"Who is this that knows troll-talk?" said Lurulu. - -And Orion told his name, and this meant nothing to Lurulu. But he -squatted down and rummaged a little while in what answers in trolls to -our memory; and during his ransacking of much trivial remembrance that -had eluded the destruction of time in the fields we know, and the -listless apathy of unchanging ages in Elfland, he came all at once on -his remembrance of Erl; and looked at Orion again and began to cogitate. -And at this same moment Orion told to the troll the august name of his -mother. At once Lurulu made what is known amongst the trolls of Elfland -as the abasement of the five points; that is to say he bowed himself to -the ground on his two knees, his two hands and his forehead. Then he -sprang up again with a high leap into the air; for reverence rested not -on his spirit long. - -"What are you doing in men's fields?" said Orion. - -"Playing" said Lurulu. - -"What do you do in Elfland?" - -"Watch time," said Lurulu. - -"That would not amuse me," said Orion. - -"You've never done it," said Lurulu. "You cannot watch time in the -fields of men." - -"Why not?" asked Orion. - -"It moves too fast." - -Orion pondered awhile on this but could make nothing of it; because, -never having gone from the fields we know, he knew only one pace of -time, and so had no means of comparison. - -"How many years have gone over you," asked the troll, "since we spoke in -Erl?" - -"Years?" said Orion. - -"A hundred?" guessed the troll. - -"Nearly twelve," said Orion. "And you?" - -"It is still to-day" said the troll. - -And Orion would not speak any more of time, for he cared not for the -discussion of a subject of which he appeared to know less than a common -troll. - -"Will you carry a whip," he said, "and run with my hounds when we hunt -the unicorn over the fields we know." - -Lurulu looked searchingly at the hounds, watching their brown eyes: the -hounds turned doubtful noses towards the troll and sniffed enquiringly. - -"They are dogs," said the troll, as though that were against them. "Yet -they have pleasant thoughts." - -"You will carry the whip then," said Orion. - -"M, yes. Yes," said the troll. - -So Orion gave him his own whip there and then, and blew his horn and -went away from the twilight, and told Lurulu to keep the hounds -together and to bring them on behind him. - -And the hounds were uneasy at the sight of the troll, and sniffed and -sniffed again, but could not make him human, and were loth to obey a -creature no larger than them. They ran up to him through curiosity, and -ran away in disgust, and straggled through disobedience. But the -boundless resources of that nimble troll were not thus easily thwarted, -and the whip went suddenly up, looking three times as large in that tiny -hand, and the lash flew forward and cracked on the tip of a hound's -nose. The hound yelped, then looked astonished, and the rest were uneasy -still: they must have thought it an accident. But again the lash shot -forward and cracked on another nose-tip; and the hounds saw then that it -was not chance that guided those stinging shots, but a deadly unerring -eye. And from that time on they reverenced Lurulu, although he never -smelt human. - -So went Orion and his pack of hounds in the late evening homewards, and -no sheep-dog kept the flock on wolf-haunted wold safer or closer than -Lurulu kept the pack: he was on each flank or behind them, wherever a -straggler was, and could leap right over the pack from side to side. And -the pale-blue Elfin Mountains faded from view before Orion had gone from -the frontier as much as a hundred paces, for their gloomless peaks were -hid by the earthly darkness that was deepening wide over the fields we -know. - -Homeward they went, and soon there appeared above them the wandering -multitude of our earth-seen stars. Lurulu now and then looked up to -marvel at them, as we have all done at some time; but for the most part -he fixed his attention on the hounds, for now that he was in earthly -fields he was concerned with the things of Earth. And never one hound -loitered but that Lurulu's whip would touch him, with its tiny -explosion, perhaps on the tip of its tail, scattering a little dust of -fragments of hair and whipcord; and the hound would yelp and run in to -the others, and all the pack would know that another of those unerring -shots had gone home. - -A certain grace with a whip, a certain sureness of aim, comes when a -life is devoted to the carrying of a whip amongst hounds; comes, say, in -twenty years. And sometimes it runs in families; and that is better than -years of practice. But neither years of practice nor the wont of the -whip in the blood can give the certain aim that one thing can; and that -one thing is magic. The hurl of the lash, as immediate as the sudden -turn of an eye, its flash to a chosen spot as direct as sight, were not -of this Earth. And though the cracks of that whip might have seemed to -passing men to be no more than the work of an earthly huntsman, yet not -a hound but knew that there was in it more than this, a thing from -beyond our fields. - -There was a touch of dawn in the sky when Orion saw again the village of -Erl, sending up pillars of smoke from early fires below him, and came -with his hounds and his new whipper-in down the side of the valley. -Early windows winked at him as he went down the street and came in the -silence and chill to the empty kennels. And when the hounds were all -curled up on their straw he found a place for Lurulu, a mouldering loft -in which were sacks and a few heaps of hay: from a pigeon-loft just -beyond it some of the pigeons had strayed, and dwelt all along the -rafters. There Orion left Lurulu, and went to his tower, cold with the -want of sleep and food; and weary as he would not have been if he had -found a unicorn, but the noise of the troll's chatter when he had found -him on the frontier had made it useless to watch for those wary beasts -that evening. Orion slept. But the troll in the mouldering loft sat long -on his bundle of hay observing the ways of time. He saw through cracks -in old shutters the stars go moving by; he saw them pale: he saw the -other light spread; he saw the wonder of sunrise: he felt the gloom of -the loft all full of the coo of the pigeons; he watched their restless -ways: he heard wild birds stir in near elms, and men abroad in the -morning, and horses and carts and cows; and everything changing as the -morning grew. A land of change! The decay of the boards in the loft, and -the moss outside in the mortar, and old lumber mouldering away, all -seemed to tell the same story. Change and nothing abiding. He thought of -the age-old calm that held the beauty of Elfland. And then he thought of -the tribe of trolls he had left, wondering what they would think of the -ways of Earth. And the pigeons were suddenly terrified by wild peals of -Lurulu's laughter. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - _Lurulu Watches the Restlessness of Earth_ - - -As the day wore on and still Orion slept heavily, and even the hounds -lay silent in their kennels a little way off, and the coming and going -of men and carts below had nothing to do with the troll, Lurulu began to -feel lonely. So thick are the brown trolls in the dells they inhabit -that none feels lonely there. They sit there silent, enjoying the beauty -of Elfland or their own impudent thoughts, or at rare moments when -Elfland is stirred from its deep natural calm their laughter floods the -dells. They were no more lonely there than rabbits are. But in all the -fields of Earth there was only one troll; and that troll felt lonely. -The door of the pigeon loft was open some ten feet from the door of the -hayloft, and some six feet higher. A ladder led to the hayloft, clamped -to the wall with iron; but nothing at all communicated with the -pigeon-loft lest cats should go that way. From it came the murmur of -abundant life, which attracted the lonely troll. The jump from door to -door was nothing to him, and he landed in the pigeon-loft in his usual -attitude, with a look of impudent welcome upon his face. But the pigeons -poured away on a roar of wings through their windows, and the troll was -still lonely. - -He liked the pigeon-loft as soon as he looked at it. He liked the signs -that he saw of teeming life, the hundred little houses of slate and -plaster, the myriad feathers, and the musty smell. He liked the age-old -ease of the sleepy loft, and the huge spiders-webs that draped the -corners, holding years and years of dust. He did not know what cobwebs -were, never having seen them in Elfland, but he admired their -workmanship. - -The age of the pigeon-loft that had filled the corners with cobwebs, and -broken patches of plaster away from the wall, shewing ruddy bricks -beneath, and laid bare the laths in the roof and even the slates beyond, -gave to the dreamy place an air not unlike to the calm of Elfland; but -below it and all around Lurulu noted the restlessness of Earth. Even the -sunlight through the little ventilation-holes that shone on the wall -moved. - -Presently there came the roar of the pigeons' returning wings and the -crash of their feet on the slate roof above him, but they did not yet -come in again to their homes. He saw the shadow of this roof cast on -another roof below him, and the restless shadows of the pigeons along -the edge. He observed the grey lichen covering most of the lower roof, -and the neat round patches of newer yellow lichen on the shapeless mass -of the grey. He heard a duck call out slowly six or seven times. He -heard a man come into a stable below him and lead a horse away. A hound -woke and cried out. Some jackdaws, disturbed from some tower, passed -over high in the air with boisterous voices. He saw big clouds go -hurrying along the tops of far hills. He heard a wild pigeon call from a -neighbouring tree. Some men went by talking. And after a while he -perceived to his astonishment what he had had no leisure to notice on -his previous visit to Erl, that even the shadows of houses moved; for he -saw that the shadow of the roof under which he sat had moved a little on -the roof below, over the grey and yellow lichen. Perpetual movement and -perpetual change! He contrasted it, in wonder, with the deep calm of his -home, where the moment moved more slowly than the shadows of houses -here, and did not pass until all the content with which a moment is -stored had been drawn from it by every creature in Elfland. - -And then with a whirring and whining of wings the pigeons began to come -back. They came from the tops of the battlements of the highest tower of -Erl, on which they had sheltered awhile, feeling guarded by its great -height and its hoary age from this strange new thing that they feared. -They came back and sat on the sills of their little windows and looked -in with one eye at the troll. Some were all white, but the grey ones had -rainbow-coloured necks that were scarce less lovely than those colours -that made the splendour of Elfland; and Lurulu as they watched him -suspiciously where he sat still in a corner longed for their dainty -companionship. And, when these restless children of a restless air and -Earth still would not enter, he tried to soothe them with the -restlessness to which they were accustomed and in which he believed all -folk that dwelt in our fields delighted. He leaped up suddenly; he -sprang on to a slate-built house for a pigeon high on a wall; he darted -across to the next wall and back to the floor; but there was an outcry -of wings and the pigeons were gone. And gradually he learned that the -pigeons preferred stillness. - -Their wings roared back soon to the roof; their feet thumped and clicked -on the slates again; but not for long did they return to their homes. -And the lonely troll looked out of their windows observing the ways of -Earth. He saw a water-wagtail light on the roof below him: he watched it -until it went. And then two sparrows came to some corn that had been -dropped on the ground: he noted them too. Each was an entirely new genus -to the troll, and he showed no more interest as he watched every -movement of the sparrows than should we if we met with an utterly -unknown bird. When the sparrows were gone the duck quacked again, so -deliberately that another ten minutes passed while Lurulu tried to -interpret what it was saying, and although he desisted then because -other interests attracted him he felt sure it was something important. -Then the jackdaws tumbled by again, but their voices sounded frivolous, -and Lurulu did not give them much attention. To the pigeons on the roof -that would not come home he listened long, not trying to interpret what -they were saying, yet satisfied with the case as the pigeons put it; -feeling that they told the story of life, and that all was well. And he -felt as he listened to the low talk of the pigeons that Earth must have -been going on for a long time. - -Beyond the roofs the tall trees rose up, leafless except for evergreen -oaks and some laurels and pines and yews, and the ivy that climbed up -trunks, but the buds of the beech were getting ready to burst: and the -sunlight glittered and flashed on the buds and leaves, and the ivy and -laurel shone. A breeze passed by and some smoke drifted from some near -chimney. Far away Lurulu saw a huge grey wall of stone that circled a -garden all asleep in the sun; and clear in the sunlight he saw a -butterfly sail by, and swoop when it came to the garden. And then he saw -two peacocks go slowly past. He saw the shadow of the roofs darkening -the lower part of the shining trees. He heard a cock crow somewhere, -and a hound spoke out again. And then a sudden shower rained on the -roofs, and at once the pigeons wanted to come home. They alighted -outside their little windows again and all looked sideways at the troll; -Lurulu kept very still this time; and after a while the pigeons, though -they saw that he was by no means one of themselves, agreed that he did -not belong to the tribe of cat, and returned at last to the street of -their tiny houses and there continued their curious age-old tale. And -Lurulu longed to repay them with curious tales of the trolls, the -treasured legends of Elfland, but found that he could not make them -understand troll-talk. So he sat and listened to them talking, till it -seemed to him they were trying to lull the restlessness of Earth, and -thought that they might by drowsy incantation be putting some spell -against time, through which it could not come to harm their nests; for -the power of time was not made clear to him yet and he knew not yet that -nothing in our fields has the strength to hold out against time. The -very nests of the pigeons were built on the ruins of old nests, on a -solid layer of crumbled things that time had made in that pigeon-loft, -as outside it the strata are made from the ruins of hills. So vast and -ceaseless a ruin was not yet clear to the troll, for his sharp -understanding had only been meant to guide him through the lull and the -calm of Elfland, and he busied himself with a tinier consideration. For -seeing that the pigeons seemed now amicable he leapt back to his hayloft -and returned with a bundle of hay, which he put down in a corner to make -himself comfortable there. When the pigeons saw all this movement they -looked at him sideways again, jerking their necks queerly, but in the -end decided to accept the troll as a lodger; and he curled up on his hay -and listened to the history of Earth, which he believed the tale of the -pigeons to be, though he did not know their language. - -But the day wore on and hunger came on the troll, far sooner than ever -it did in Elfland, where even when he was hungry he had no more to do -than to reach up and take the berries that hung low from the trees, that -grew in the forest that bordered the dells of the trolls. And it is -because the trolls eat them whenever hunger comes on them, which it -rarely does, that these curious fruits are called trollberries. He -leaped now from the pigeon-loft and scampered abroad, looking all round -for trollberries. And there were no berries at all, for there is but one -season for berries, as we know well; it is one of the tricks of time. -But that all the berries on Earth should pass away for a period was to -the troll too astounding to be comprehended at all. He was all among -farm-buildings, and presently he saw a rat humping himself slowly along -through a dark shed. He knew nothing of rat-talk; but it is a curious -thing that when any two folk are after the same thing, each somehow -knows what the other is after, at once, as soon as he sees him. We are -all partially blind to other folks' occupations, but when we meet anyone -engaged in our own pursuit then somehow we soon seem to know without -being told. And the moment that Lurulu saw the rat in the shed he seemed -to know that it was looking for food. So he followed the rat quietly. -And soon the rat came up to a sack of oats, and to open that took him no -longer than it does to shell a row of peas, and soon he was eating the -oats. - -"Are they good?" said the troll in troll-talk. - -The rat looked at him dubiously, noting his resemblance to man, and on -the other hand his unlikeness to dogs. But on the whole the rat was -dissatisfied, and after a long look turned away in silence and went out -of the shed. Then Lurulu ate the oats and found they were good. - -When he had had enough oats the troll returned to the pigeon-loft, and -sat a long while there at one of the little windows looking out across -the roofs at the strange new ways of time. And the shadow upon the trees -went higher, and the glitter was gone from the laurels and all the lower -leaves. And then the light of the ivy-leaves and the holm-oaks turned -from silvery to pale gold. And the shadow went higher still. All the -world full of change. - -An old man with a narrow long white beard came slowly to the kennels, -and opened the door and went in and fed the hounds with meat that he -brought from a shed. All the evening rang with the hounds' outcry. And -presently the old man came out again, and his slow departure seemed to -the watchful troll yet more of the restlessness of Earth. - -And then a man came slowly leading a horse to the stable below the -pigeon-loft; and went away again and left the horse eating. The shadows -were higher now on walls and roofs and trees. Only the tree-tops and the -tip of a high belfry had the light any longer. The ruddy buds on high -beeches were glowing now like dull rubies. And a great serenity came in -the pale blue sky, and small clouds leisurely floating there turned to a -flaming orange, past which the rooks went homewards to some clump of -trees under the downs. It was a peaceful scene. And yet to the troll, as -he watched in the musty loft amongst generations of feathers, the noise -of the rooks and their multitude thronging the sky, the dull continual -sound of the horse eating, the leisurely sound now and then of homeward -feet, and the slow shutting of gates, seemed to be proof that nothing -ever rested in all the fields we know; and the sleepy lazy village that -dreamed in the Vale of Erl, and that knew no more of other lands than -their folk knew of its story, seemed to that simple troll to be a vortex -of restlessness. - -And now the sunlight was gone from the highest places, and a moon a few -days old was shining over the pigeon-loft, out of sight of Lurulu's -window, but filling the air with a strange new tint. And all these -changes bewildered him, so that he thought awhile of returning to -Elfland, but the whim came again to his mind to astonish the other -trolls; and while this whim was on him he slipped down from the loft, -and went to find Orion. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - _Lurulu Speaks of Earth and the Ways of Men_ - - -The troll had found Orion in his castle and had laid his plan before -him. Briefly the plan was to have more whips for the pack. For one alone -could not always guard every hound from straying when they went to the -boundary of twilight, where but a few yards away lay spaces from which -if a hound ever came home, as lost hounds do at evening, it would come -home all worn and bedraggled with age for its half hour of straying. -Each hound, said Lurulu, should have its troll to guide it, and to run -with it when it hunted, and be its servant when it came home hungry and -muddy. And Orion had seen at once the unequalled advantage of having -each hound controlled by an alert if tiny intelligence, and had told -Lurulu to go for the trolls. So now, while the hounds were sleeping on -boards in a doggy mass in each of their kennels, for the dogs and the -bitches dwelt each in a separate house, the troll was scurrying over the -fields we know through twilight trembling on the verge of moonlight, -with his face turned toward Elfland. - -He passed a white farm-house with a little window towards him that shone -bright yellow out of a wall pale blue with a tint that it had from the -moon. Two dogs barked at him and rushed out to chase him, and this troll -would have tricked them and mocked them on any other day, but now his -mind was full to the brim with his mission, and he heeded them no more -than a thistledown would have heeded them on a windy day of September, -and went on bouncing over the tips of the grasses till the pursuing dogs -were far behind and panting. - -And long before the stars had paled from any touch of the dawn he came -to the barrier that divides our fields from the home of such things as -him, and leaping forward out of the earthly night, and high through the -barrier of twilight, he arrived on all fours on his natal soil in the -ageless day of Elfland. Through the gorgeous beauty of that heavy air -that outshines our lakes at sunrise, and leaves all our colours pale, he -scampered full of the news he had with which to astonish his kith. He -came to the moors of the trolls where they dwell in their queer -habitations, and uttered the squeaks as he went whereby the trolls -summon their folk; and he came to the forest in which the trolls have -made dwellings in boles of enormous trees; for there be trolls of the -forest and trolls of the moor, two tribes that are friendly and kin; and -there he uttered again the squeaks of the trolls' summons. And soon -there was a rustling of flowers throughout the deeps of the forest, as -though all four winds were blowing, and the rustling grew and grew, and -the trolls appeared, and sat down one by one near Lurulu. And still the -rustling grew, troubling the whole wood, and the brown trolls poured on -and sat down round Lurulu. From many a tree-bole, and hollows thick with -fern, they came tumbling in; and from the high thin gomaks afar on the -moors, to name as are named in Elfland those queer habitations for -which there is no earthly name, the odd grey cloth-like material draped -tent-wise about a pole. They gathered about him in the dim but -glittering light that floated amongst the fronds of those magical trees, -whose soaring trunks out-distanced our eldest pines, and shone on the -spikes of cacti of which our world little dreams. And when the brown -mass of the trolls was all gathered there, till the floor of the forest -looked as though an Autumn had come to Elfland, strayed out of the -fields we know, and when all the rustling had ceased and the silence was -heavy again as it had been for ages, Lurulu spoke to them telling them -tales of time. - -Never before had such tales been heard in Elfland. Trolls had appeared -before in the fields we know, and had come back wondering: but Lurulu -amongst the houses of Erl had been in the midst of men; and time, as he -told the trolls, moved in the village with more wonderful speed than -ever it did in the grass of the fields of Earth. He told how the light -moved, he told of shadows, he told how the air was white and bright and -pale; he told how for a little while Earth began to grow like Elfland, -with a kinder light and the beginning of colours, and then just as one -thought of home the light would blink away and the colours be gone. He -told of stars. He told of cows and goats and the moon, three horned -creatures that he found curious. He had found more wonder in Earth than -we remember, though we also saw these things once for the first time; -and out of the wonder he felt at the ways of the fields we know, he made -many a tale that held the inquisitive trolls and gripped them silent -upon the floor of the forest, as though they were indeed a fall of brown -leaves in October that a frost had suddenly bound. They heard of -chimneys and carts for the first time: with a thrill they heard of -windmills. They listened spell-bound to the ways of men; and every now -and then, as when he told of hats, there ran through the forest a wave -of little yelps of laughter. - -Then he said that they should see hats and spades and dog-kennels, and -look through casements and get to know the windmill; and a curiosity -arose in the forest amongst that brown mass of trolls, for their race is -profoundly inquisitive. And Lurulu stopped not here, relying on -curiosity alone to draw them from Elfland into the fields we know; but -he drew them also with another emotion. For he spoke of the haughty, -reserved, high, glittering unicorns, who tarry to speak to trolls no -more than cattle when they drink in pools of ours trouble to speak to -frogs. They all knew their haunts, they should watch their ways and tell -of these things to man, and the outcome of it would be that they should -hunt the unicorns with nothing less than dogs. Now however slight their -knowledge of dogs, the fear of dogs is--as I have said--universal -amongst all creatures that run; and they laughed gustily to think of the -unicorns being hunted with dogs. Thus Lurulu lured them toward Earth -with spite and curiosity; and knew that he was succeeding; and inwardly -chuckled till he was well warmed within. For amongst the trolls none -goes in higher repute than one that is able to astound the others, or -even to show them any whimsical thing, or to trick or perplex them -humorously. Lurulu had Earth to show, whose ways are considered, amongst -those able to judge, to be fully as quaint and whimsical as the curious -observer could wish. - -Then up spake a grizzled troll; one that had crossed too often Earth's -border of twilight to watch the ways of men; and, while watching their -ways too long, time had grizzled him. - -"Shall we go," he said, "from the woods that all folk know, and the -pleasant ways of the Land, to see a new thing, and be swept away by -time?" And there was a murmur among the trolls, that hummed away through -the forest and died out, as on Earth the sound of beetles going home. -"Is it not to-day?" he said. "But there they call it to-day, yet none -knows what it is: come back through the border again to look at it and -it is gone. Time is raging there, like the dogs that stray over our -frontier, barking, frightened and angry and wild to be home." - -"It is even so," said the trolls, though they did not know; but this was -a troll whose words carried weight in the forest. "Let us keep to-day," -said that weighty troll, "while we have it, and not be lured where -to-day is too easily lost. For every time men lose it their hair grows -whiter, their limbs grow weaker and their faces sadder, and they are -nearer still to to-morrow." - -So gravely he spoke when he uttered that word "to-morrow" that the brown -trolls were frightened. - -"What happens to-morrow?" one said. - -"They die," said the grizzled troll. "And the others dig in their earth -and put them in, as I have seen them do, and then they go to Heaven, as -I have heard them tell." And a shudder went through the trolls far over -the floor of the forest. - -And Lurulu who had sat angry all this while to hear that weighty troll -speak ill of Earth, where he would have them come, to astonish them with -its quaintness, spoke now in defence of Heaven. - -"Heaven is a good place," he blurted hotly, though any tales he had -heard of it were few. - -"All the blessed are there," the grizzled troll replied, "and it is full -of angels. What chance would a troll have there? The angels would catch -him, for they say on Earth that the angels all have wings; they would -catch a troll and smack him forever and ever." - -And all the brown trolls in the forest wept. - -"We are not so easily caught," Lurulu said. - -"They have wings," said the grizzled troll. - -And all were sorrowful and shook their heads, for they knew the speed of -wings. - -The birds of Elfland mostly soared on the heavy air and eyed -everlastingly that fabulous beauty which to them was food and nest, and -of which they sometimes sang; but trolls playing along the border, -peering into the fields we know, had seen the dart and the swoop of -earthly birds, wondering at them as we wonder at heavenly things, and -knew that if wings were after him a poor troll would scarcely escape. -"Welladay," said the trolls. - -The grizzled troll said no more, and had no need to, for the forest was -full of their sadness as they sat thinking of Heaven and feared that -they soon might come there if they dared to inhabit Earth. - -And Lurulu argued no more. It was not a time for argument, for the -trolls were too sad for reason. So he spoke gravely to them of solemn -things, uttering learned words and standing in reverend attitude. Now -nothing rejoices the trolls as learning does and solemnity, and they -will laugh for hours at a reverend attitude or any semblance of gravity. -Thus he won them back again to the levity that is their natural mood. -And when this was accomplished he spoke again of Earth, telling -whimsical stories of the ways of man. - -I do not wish to write the things that Lurulu said of man, lest I -should hurt my reader's self-esteem, and thereby injure him or her whom -I seek only to entertain; but all the forest rippled and squealed with -laughter. And the grizzled troll was able to say no more to check the -curiosity which was growing in all that multitude to see who it was that -lived in houses and had a hat immediately above him and a chimney higher -up, and spoke to dogs and would not speak to pigs, and whose gravity was -funnier than anything trolls could do. And the whim was on all those -trolls to go at once to Earth, and see pigs and carts and windmills and -laugh at man. And Lurulu who had told Orion that he would bring a score -of trolls, was hard set to keep the whole brown mass from coming, so -quickly change the moods and whims of the trolls: had he let them all -have their way there were no trolls left in Elfland, for even the -grizzled troll had changed his mind with the rest. Fifty he chose and -led them towards Earth's perilous frontier; and away they scurried out -of the gloom of the forest, as a whirl of brown oak-leaves scurries on -days of November's worst. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - _Lirazel Remembers the Fields We Know_ - - -As the trolls scurried earthwards to laugh at the ways of man, Lirazel -stirred where she sat on her father's knee, who grave and calm on his -throne of mist and ice had hardly moved for twelve of our earthly years. -She sighed and the sigh rippled over the fells of dream and lightly -troubled Elfland. And the dawns and the sunsets and twilight and the -pale blue glow of stars, that are blended together forever to be the -light of Elfland, felt a faint touch of sorrow and all their radiance -shook. For the magic that caught these lights and the spells that bound -them together, to illumine forever the land that owes no allegiance to -Time, were not so strong as a sorrow rising dark from a royal mood of a -princess of the elvish line. She sighed, for through her long content -and across the calm of Elfland there had floated a thought of Earth; so -that in the midmost splendours of Elfland, of which song can barely -tell, she called to mind common cowslips, and many a trivial weed of the -fields we know. And walking in those fields she saw in fancy Orion, upon -the other side of the boundary of twilight, remote from her by she knew -not what waste of years. And the magical glories of Elfland and its -beauty beyond our dreaming, and the deep deep calm in which ages slept, -unhurt unhurried by time, and the art of her father that guarded the -least of the lilies from fading, and the spells by which he made -day-dreams and yearnings true, held her fancy no longer from roving nor -contented her any more. And so her sigh blew over the magical land and -slightly troubled the flowers. - -And her father felt her sorrow and knew that it troubled the flowers and -knew that it shook the calm that lay upon Elfland, though no more than a -bird would shake a regal curtain, fluttering against its folds, when -wandering lost upon a Summer's night. And though he knew too it was but -for Earth that she sorrowed, preferring some mundane way to the midmost -glories of Elfland, as she sat with him on the throne that may only be -told of in song, yet even this moved nothing in his magical heart but -compassion; as we might pity a child who in fanes that to us seemed -sacred might be found to be sighing for some trivial thing. And the more -that Earth seemed to him unworthy of sorrow, being soon come soon gone, -the helpless prey of time, an evanescent appearance seen off the coasts -of Elfland, too brief for the graver care of a mind weighted with magic, -the more he pitied his child for her errant whim that had rashly -wandered here, and become entangled--alas--with the things that pass -away. Ah, well! she was not content. He felt no wrath against Earth that -had lured her fancies away: she was not content with the innermost -splendours of Elfland, but she sighed for something more: his tremendous -art should give it. So he raised his right arm up from the thing whereon -it rested, a part of his mystical throne that was made of music and -mirage; he raised his right arm up and a hush fell over Elfland. - -The great leaves ceased from their murmur through the green deeps of the -forest; silent as carven marble were fabulous bird and monster; and the -brown trolls scampering earthwards all halted suddenly hushed. Then out -of the hush rose little murmurs of yearning, little sounds as of longing -for things that no songs can say, sounds like the voices of tears if -each little salt drop could live, and be given a voice to tell of the -ways of grief. Then all these little rumours danced gravely into a -melody that the master of Elfland called up with his magical hand. And -the melody told of dawn coming up over infinite marshes, far away upon -Earth or some planet that Elfland did not know; growing slowly out of -deep darkness and starlight and bitter cold; powerless, chilly and -cheerless, scarce overcoming the stars; obscured by shadows of thunder -and hated by all things dark; enduring, growing and glowing; until -through the gloom of the marshes and across the chill of the air came -all in a glorious moment the splendour of colour; and dawn went onward -with this triumphant thing, and the blackest clouds turned slowly rose -and rode in a sea of lilac, and the darkest rocks that had guarded night -shone now with a golden glow. And when his melody could say no more of -this wonder, that had forever been foreign to all the elvish dominions, -then the King moved his hand where he held it high, as one might beckon -to birds, and called up a dawn over Elfland, luring it from some planet -of those that are nearest the sun. And fresh and fair though it came -from beyond the bourn of geography, and out of an age long lost and -beyond history's ken, a dawn glowed upon Elfland that had known no dawn -before. And the dewdrops of Elfland slung from the bended tips of the -grasses gathered in that dawn to their tiny spheres and held there -shining and wonderful that glory of skies such as ours, the first they -had ever seen. - -And the dawn grew strangely and slowly over those unwonted lands, -pouring upon them the colours that day after day our daffodils, and day -after day our wild roses, through all the weeks of their season, drink -deep with voluptuous assemblies in utterly silent riot. And a gleam that -was new to the forest appeared on the long strange leaves, and shadows -unknown to Elfland slipped out from the monstrous tree-boles, and stole -over grasses that had not dreamed of their advent; and the spires of -that palace perceiving a wonder, less lovely indeed than they, yet knew -that the stranger was magic, and uttered an answering gleam from their -sacred windows, that flashed over elvish fells like an inspiration and -mingled a flush of rose with the blue of the Elfin Mountains. And -watchers on wonderful peaks that gazed from their crags for ages, lest -from Earth or from any star should come a stranger to Elfland, saw the -first blush of the sky as it felt the coming of dawn, and raised their -horns and blew that call that warned Elfland against a stranger. And the -guardians of savage valleys lifted horns of fabulous bulls and blew the -call again in the dark of their awful precipices, and echo carried it on -from the monstrous marble faces of rocks that repeated the call to all -their barbarous company; so Elfland rang with the warning that a strange -thing troubled her coasts. And to the land thus expectant, thus -watchful, with magical sabres elate along lonely crags, summoned from -blackened scabbards by those horns to repel an enemy, dawn came now wide -now golden, the old old wonder we know. And the palace with every -marvel and with all its charms and enchantments flashed out of its -ice-blue radiance a glory of welcome or rivalry, adding to Elfland a -splendour of which only song may say. - -It was then that the elfin King moved his hand again, where he held it -high by the crystal spires of his crown, and waved a way through the -walls of his magical palace, and showed to Lirazel the unmeasured -leagues of his kingdom. And she saw by magic, for so long as his fingers -made that spell; the dark green forests and all the fells of Elfland, -and the solemn pale-blue mountains and the valleys that weird folk -guarded, and all the creatures of fable that crept in the dark of huge -leaves, and the riotous trolls as they scampered away towards Earth: she -saw the watchers lift their horns to their lips, while there flashed a -light on the horns that was the proudest triumph of the hidden art of -her father, the light of a dawn lured over unthinkable spaces to appease -his daughter and comfort her whims and recall her fancies from Earth. -She saw the lawns whereon Time had idled for centuries, withering not -one bloom of all the boundary of flowers; and the new light coming upon -the lawns she loved, through the heavy colour of Elfland, gave them a -beauty that they had never known until dawn made this boundless journey -to meet the enchanted twilight; and all the while there glowed and -flashed and glittered those palace spires of which only song may tell. -From that bewildering beauty he turned his eyes away, and looked in his -daughter's face to see the wonder with which she would welcome her -glorious home as her fancies came back from the fields of age and death, -whither--alas--they had wandered. And though her eyes were turned to the -Elfin Mountains, whose mystery and whose blue they strangely matched, -yet as the Elf King looked in those eyes for which alone he had lured -the dawn so far from its natural courses, he saw in their magical deeps -a thought of Earth! A thought of Earth, though he had lifted his arm and -made a mystical sign with all his might to bring a wonder to Elfland -that should content her with home. And all his dominions had exulted in -this, and the watchers on awful crags had blown strange calls, and -monster and insect and bird and flower had rejoiced with a new joy, and -there in the centre of Elfland his daughter thought of Earth. - -Had he shown her any wonder but dawn he might have lured home that -fancy, but in bringing this exotic beauty to Elfland to blend with its -ancient wonders, he awoke memories of morning coming over fields that he -knew not, and Lirazel played in fancy in fields once more with Orion, -where grew the unenchanted earthly flowers amongst the English grasses. - -"Is it not enough?" he said in his strange rich magical voice, and -pointed across his wide lands with the fingers that summoned wonder. - -She sighed: it was not enough. - -And sorrow came upon that enchanted King: he had only his daughter, and -she sighed for Earth. There had been once a queen that had reigned with -him over Elfland; but she was mortal, and being mortal died. For she -would often stray to the hills of Earth to see the may again, or to see -the beechwoods in Autumn; and though she stayed but a day when she came -to the fields we know, and was back in the palace beyond the twilight -before our sun had set, yet Time found her whenever she came; and so she -wore away, and soon she died in Elfland; for she was only a mortal. And -wondering elves had buried her, as one buries the daughters of men. And -now the King was all alone with his daughter, and she had just sighed -for Earth. Sorrow was on him, but out of the dark of that sorrow arose, -as often with men, and went up singing out of his mourning mind, an -inspiration gleaming with laughter and joy. He stood up then and raised -up both his arms and his inspiration broke over Elfland in music. And -with the tide of that music there went like the strength of the sea an -impulse to rise and dance which none in Elfland resisted. Gravely he -waved his arms and the music floated from them; and all that stalked -through the forest and all that crept upon leaves, all that leaped among -craggy heights or browsed upon acres of lilies, all things in all manner -of places, yea the sentinel guarding his presence, the lonely -mountain-watchers and the trolls as they scampered towards Earth, all -danced to a tune that was made of the spirit of Spring, arrived on an -earthly morning amongst happy herds of goats. - -And the trolls were very near to the frontier now, their faces already -puckered to laugh at the ways of men; they were hurrying with all the -eagerness of small vain things to be over the twilight that lies between -Elfland and Earth: now they went forward no longer, but only glided in -circles and intricate spirals, dancing some such dance as the gnats in -Summer evenings dance over the fields we know. And grave monsters of -fable in deeps of the ferny forest danced minuets that witches had made -of their whims and their laughter, long ago long ago in their youth -before cities had come to the world. And the trees of the forest heavily -lifted slow roots out of the ground and swayed upon them uncouthly and -then danced as on monstrous claws, and the insects danced on the huge -waving leaves. And in the dark of long caverns weird things in -enchanted seclusion rose out of their age-long sleep and danced in the -damp. - -And beside the wizard King stood, swaying slightly to the rhythm that -had set dancing all magical things, the Princess Lirazel with that faint -gleam on her face that shone from a hidden smile; for she secretly -smiled forever at the power of her great beauty. And all in a sudden -moment the Elf King raised one hand higher and held it high and stilled -all that danced in Elfland, and gripped by a sudden awe all magical -things, and sent over Elfland a melody all made of notes he had caught -from wandering inspirations that sing and stray through limpid blue -beyond our earthly coasts: and all the land lay deep in the magic of -that strange music. And the wild things that Earth has guessed at and -the things hidden even from legend were moved to sing age-old songs that -their memories had forgotten. And fabulous things of the air were lured -downwards out of great heights. And emotions unknown and unthought of -troubled the calm of Elfland. The flood of music beat with wonderful -waves against the slopes of the grave blue Elfin Mountains, till their -precipices uttered strange bronze-like echoes. On Earth no noise was -heard of music or echo: not a note came through the narrow border of -twilight, not a sound, not a murmur. Elsewhere those notes ascended, and -passed like rare strange moths through all the fields of Heaven, and -hummed like untraceable memories about the souls of the blessed; and the -angels heard that music but were forbidden to envy it. And though it -came not to Earth, and though never our fields have heard the music of -Elfland, yet there were then as there have been in every age, lest -despair should overtake the peoples of Earth, those that make songs for -the need of our grief and our laughter: and even they heard never a note -from Elfland across the border of twilight that kills their sound, but -they felt in their minds the dance of those magical notes, and wrote -them down and earthly instruments played them; then and never till then -have we heard the music of Elfland. - -For a while the Elf King held all things that owed him allegiance, and -all their desires and wonders and fears and dreams, floating drowsy on -tides of music that was made of no sounds of Earth, but rather of that -dim substance in which the planets swim, with many another marvel that -only magic knows. And then as all Elfland was drinking the music in, as -our Earth drinks in soft rain, he turned again to his daughter with that -in his eyes that said "What land is so fair as ours?" And she turned -towards him to say "Here is my home forever." Her lips were parted to -say it and love was shining in the blue of her elfin eyes; she was -stretching her fair hands out towards her father; when they heard the -sound of the horn of a tired hunter, wearily blowing by the border of -Earth. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - _The Horn of Alveric_ - - -Northward to lonely lands through wearying years Alveric wandered, where -windy fragments of his grey gaunt tent added a gloom to chill evenings. -And the folk upon lonely farms, as they lit the lights in their houses, -and the ricks began to darken against the pale green of the sky, would -sometimes hear the rap of the mallets of Niv and Zend coming clear -through the hush from the land that no others trod. And their children -peering from casements to see if a star was come would see perhaps the -queer grey shape of that tent flapping its tatters above the last of the -hedgerows, where a moment before was only the grey of the gloaming. On -the next morning there would be guesses and wonderings, and the joy and -fear of the children, and the tales that their elders told them, and the -explorations by stealth to the edge of the fields of men, shy peerings -through dim green gaps in the last of the hedgerows (though to look -toward the East was forbidden), and rumours and expectations; and all -these things were blended together by this wonder that came from the -East, and so passed into legend, which lived for many a year beyond -that morning; but Alveric and his tent would be gone. - -So day by day and season after season that company wandered on, the -lonely mateless man, the moonstruck lad and the madman, and that old -grey tent with its long twisted pole. And all the stars became known to -them, and all the four winds familiar, and rain and mist and hail, but -the flow of yellow windows all warm and welcome at night they knew only -to say farewell to: with the earliest light in the first chill of dawn -Alveric would awake from impatient dreams, and Niv would arise shouting, -and away they would go upon their crazed crusade before any sign of -awakening appeared on the quiet dim gables. And every morning Niv -prophesied that they would surely find Elfland; and the days wore away -and the years. - -Thyl had long left them; Thyl who prophesied victory to them in burning -song, whose inspirations cheered Alveric on coldest nights and led him -through rockiest ways, Thyl sang one evening suddenly songs of some -young girl's hair, Thyl who should have led their wanderings. And then -one day in the gloaming, a blackbird singing, the may in bloom for -miles, he turned for the houses of men, and married the maiden and was -one no more with any band of wanderers. - -The horses were dead; Niv and Zend carried all they had on the pole. -Many years had gone. One Autumn morning Alveric left the camp to go to -the houses of men. Niv and Zend eyed each other. Why should Alveric seek -to ask the way of others? For somehow or other their mad minds knew his -purpose more swiftly than sane intuitions. Had he not Niv's prophecies -to guide him, and the things that Zend had been told on oath by the full -moon? - -Alveric came to the houses of men, and of the folk he questioned few -would speak at all of things that lay to the East, and if he spoke of -the lands through which he had wandered for years they gave as little -heed as if he were telling them that he had pitched his tent on the -coloured layers of air that glowed and drifted and darkened in the low -sky over the sunset. And the few that answered him said one thing only: -that only the wizards knew. - -When he had learned this Alveric went back from the fields and hedgerows -and came again to his old grey tent in the lands of which none thought; -and Niv and Zend sat there silent, eying him sideways, for they knew he -mistrusted madness and things said by the moon. And next day when they -moved their camp in the chill of dawn Niv led the way without shouting. - -They had not gone for many more weeks upon their curious journey when -Alveric met one morning, at the edge of the fields men tended, one -filling his bucket at a well, whose thin high conical hat and mystical -air proclaimed him surely a wizard. "Master," said Alveric, "of those -arts men dread, I have a question that I would ask of the future." - -And the wizard turned from his bucket to look at Alveric with doubtful -eyes, for the traveller's tattered figure seemed scarce to promise such -fees as are given by those that justly question the future. And, such as -those fees are, the wizard named them. And Alveric's wallet held that -which banished the doubts of the wizard. So that he pointed to where the -tip of his tower peered over a cluster of myrtles, and prayed Alveric to -come to his door when the evening star should appear; and in that -propitious hour he would make the future clear to him. - -And again Niv and Zend knew well that their leader followed after dreams -and mysteries that came not from madness nor from the moon. And he left -them sitting still and saying nothing, but with minds full of fierce -visions. - -Through pale air waiting for the evening star Alveric walked over the -fields men tended, and came to the dark oak door of the wizard's tower -which myrtles brushed against with every breeze. A young apprentice in -wizardry opened the door and, by ancient wooden steps that the rats knew -better than men, led Alveric to the wizard's upper room. - -The wizard had on a silken cloak of black, which he held to be due to -the future; without it he would not question the years to be. And when -the young apprentice had gone away he moved to a volume he had on a high -desk, and turned from the volume to Alveric to ask what he sought of the -future. And Alveric asked him how he should come to Elfland. Then the -wizard opened the great book's darkened cover and turned the pages -therein, and for a long while all the pages he turned were blank, but -further on in the book much writing appeared, although of no kind that -Alveric had ever seen. And the wizard explained that such books as these -told of all things; but that he, being only concerned with the years to -be, had no need to read of the past, and had therefore acquired a book -that told of the future only; though he might have had more than this -from the College of Wizardry, had he cared to study the follies already -committed by man. - -Then he read for a while in his book, and Alveric heard the rats -returning softly to the streets and houses that they had made in the -stairs. And then the wizard found what he sought of the future, and told -Alveric that it was written in his book how he never should come to -Elfland while he carried a magical sword. - -When Alveric heard this he paid the wizard's fees and went away doleful. -For he knew the perils of Elfland, which no common sabre forged on the -anvils of men could ever avail to parry. He did not know that the magic -that was in his sword left a flavour or taste on the air like that of -lightning, which passed through the border of twilight and spread over -Elfland, nor knew that the Elf King learned of his presence thus and -drew his frontier away from him, so that Alveric should trouble his -realm no more; but he believed what the wizard had read to him out of -his book, and so went doleful away. And, leaving the stairs of oak to -time and the rats, he passed out of the grove of myrtles and over the -fields of men, and came again to that melancholy spot where his grey -tent brooded mournfully in the wilderness, dull and silent as Niv and -Zend sitting beside it. And after that they turned and wandered -southwards, for all journeys now seemed equally hopeless to Alveric, who -would not give up his sword to meet magical perils without magical aid; -and Niv and Zend obeyed him silently, no longer guiding him with raving -prophesies or with things said by the moon, for they knew he had taken -counsel with another. - -By weary ways with lonely wanderings they came far to the South, and -never the border of Elfland appeared with its heavy layers of twilight; -yet Alveric would never give up his sword, for well he guessed that -Elfland dreaded its magic, and had poor hope of recapturing Lirazel with -any blade that was dreadful only to men. And after a while Niv -prophesied again, and Zend would come late on nights of the full moon to -wake Alveric with his tales. And for all the mystery that was in Zend -when he spoke, and for all the exultation of Niv when he prophesied, -Alveric knew by now that the tales and the prophecies were empty and -vain and that neither of these would ever bring him to Elfland. With -this mournful knowledge in a desolate land he still struck camp at dawn, -still marched, still sought for the frontier, and so the months went by. - -And one day where the edge of Earth was a wild untended heath, running -down to the rocky waste in which Alveric had camped, he saw at evening a -woman in the hat and cloak of a witch sweeping the heath with a broom. -And each stroke as she swept the heath was away from the fields we know, -away to the rocky waste, eastwards towards Elfland. Big gusts of black -dried earth and puffs of sand were blowing towards Alveric from every -powerful stroke. He walked towards her from his sorry encampment and -stood near and watched her sweeping; but still she laboured at her -vigorous work, striding away behind dust from the fields we know, and -sweeping as she strode. And after a while she lifted her face as she -swept and looked at Alveric, and he saw that it was the witch -Ziroonderel. After all these years he saw that witch again, and she saw -beneath the flapping rags of his cloak that sword that she had made for -him once on her hill. Its scabbard of leather could not hide from the -witch that it was that very sword, for she knew the flavour of magic -that rose from it faintly and floated wide through the evening. - -"Mother Witch!" said Alveric. - -And she curtsied low to him, magical though she was and aged by the -passing of years that had been before Alveric's father, and though many -in Erl had forgotten their lord by now; yet she had not forgotten. - -He asked her what she was doing there, on the heath with her broom in -the evening. - -"Sweeping the world," she said. - -And Alveric wondered what rejected things she was sweeping away from the -world, with grey dust mournfully turning over and over as it drifted -across our fields, going slowly into the darkness that was gathering -beyond our coasts. - -"Why are you sweeping the world, Mother Witch?" he said. - -"There's things in the world that ought not to be here," said she. - -He looked wistfully then at the rolling grey clouds from her broom that -were all drifting towards Elfland. - -"Mother Witch," he said, "can I go too? I have looked for twelve years -for Elfland, and have not found a glimpse of the Elfin Mountains." - -And the old witch looked kindly at him, and then she glanced at his -sword. - -"He's afraid of my magic," she said; and thought or mystery dawned in -her eyes as she spoke. - -"Who?" said Alveric. - -And Ziroonderel lowered her eyes. - -"The King," she said. - -And then she told him how that enchanted monarch would draw away from -whatever had worsted him once, and with him draw all that he had, never -supporting the presence of any magic that was the equal of his. - -And Alveric could not believe that such a king cared so much for the -magic he had in his old black scabbard. - -"It is his way," she said. - -And then he would not believe that he had waved away Elfland. - -"He has the power," said she. - -And still Alveric would face this terrible king and all the powers he -had; but wizard and witch had warned him that he could not go with his -sword, and how go unarmed through the grizzly wood against the palace of -wonder? For to go there with any sword from the anvils of men was but to -go unarmed. - -"Mother Witch," he cried. "May I come no more to Elfland?" - -And the longing and grief in his voice touched the witch's heart and -moved it to magical pity. - -"You shall go," she said. - -He stood there half despair in the mournful evening, half dreams of -Lirazel. While the witch from under her cloak drew forth a small false -weight which once she had taken away from a seller of bread. - -"Draw this along the edge of your sword," she said, "all the way from -hilt to point, and it will disenchant the blade, and the King will never -know what sword is there." - -"Will it still fight for me?" said Alveric. - -"No," said the witch. "But once you are over the frontier take this -script and wipe the blade with it on every spot that the false weight -has touched." And she fumbled under her cloak again and drew forth a -poem on parchment. "It will enchant it again," she said. - -And Alveric took the weight and the written thing. - -"Let not the two touch," warned the witch. - -And Alveric set them apart. - -"Once over the frontier," she said, "and he may move Elfland where he -will, but you and the sword will be within his borders." - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "will he be wroth with you if I do this?" - -"Wroth!" said Ziroonderel. "Wroth? He will rage with a most exceeding -fury, beyond the power of tigers." - -"I would not bring that on you, Mother Witch," said Alveric. - -"Ha!" said Ziroonderel. "What care I?" - -Night was advancing now, and the moor and the air growing black like the -witch's cloak. She was laughing now and merging into the darkness. And -soon the night was all blackness and laughter; but he could see no -witch. - -Then Alveric made his way back to his rocky camp by the light of its -lonely fire. - -And as soon as morning appeared on the desolation, and all the useless -rocks began to glow, he took the false weight and softly rubbed it along -both sides of his sword until all its magical edge was disenchanted. And -he did this in his tent while his followers slept, for he would not let -them know that he sought for help that came not from the ravings of Niv, -nor from any sayings that Zend had had from the moon. - -Yet the troubled sleep of madness is not so deep that Niv did not watch -him out of one wild sly eye when he heard the false weight softly -rasping the sword. - -And when this was secretly done and secretly watched, Alveric called to -his two men, and they came and folded up his tattered tent, and took the -long pole and hung their sorry belongings upon it; and on went Alveric -along the edge of the fields we know, impatient to come at last to the -land that so long eluded him. And Niv and Zend came behind with the pole -between them, with bundles swinging from it and tatters flying. - -They moved inland a little towards the houses of men to purchase the -food they needed; and this they bought in the afternoon from a farmer -who dwelt in a lonely house, so near to the very edge of the fields we -know that it must have been the last house in the visible world. And -here they bought bread and oatmeal, and cheese and a cured ham, and -other such things, and put them in sacks and slung them over their pole; -then they left the farmer and turned away from his fields and from all -the fields of men. And as evening fell they saw just over a hedge, -lighting up the land with a soft strange glow that they knew to be not -of this Earth, that barrier of twilight that is the frontier of Elfland. - -"Lirazel!" shouted Alveric, and drew his sword and strode into the -twilight. And behind him went Niv and Zend, with all their suspicions -flaming now into jealousy of inspirations or magic that were not theirs. - -Once he called Lirazel; then, little trusting his voice in that wide -weird land, he lifted his hunter's horn that hung by his side on a -strap, he lifted it to his lips and sounded a call weary with so much -wandering. He was standing within the edge of the boundary; the horn -shone in the light of Elfland. - -Then Niv and Zend dropped their pole in that unearthly twilight, where -it lay like the wreckage of some uncharted sea, and suddenly seized -their master. - -"A land of dreams!" said Niv. "Have I not dreams enough?" - -"There is no moon there!" cried Zend. - -Alveric struck Zend on the shoulder with his sword, but the sword was -disenchanted and blunt and only harmed him slightly. Then the two seized -the sword and dragged Alveric back. And the strength of the madman was -beyond what one could believe. They dragged him back again to the fields -we know, where they two were strange and were jealous of other -strangeness, and led him far from the sight of the pale-blue mountains. -He had not entered Elfland. - -But his horn had passed the boundary's edge and troubled the air of -Elfland, uttering across its dreamy calm one long sad earthly note: it -was the horn that Lirazel heard as she spoke with her father. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - _The Return of Lurulu_ - - -Over hamlet and Castle of Erl, and through every nook and crevice of it, -Spring passed; a mild benediction that blessed the very air and sought -out all living things; not missing even the tiny plants that had their -dwelling in most secluded places, under eaves, in the cracks of old -barrels, or along the lines of mortar that held ancient rows of stones. -And in this season Orion hunted no unicorns; not that he knew in what -season the unicorns bred in Elfland, where time is not as here; but -because of a feeling he had from all his earthly forefathers against -hunting any creature in this season of song and flowers. So he tended -his hounds and often watched the hills, expecting on any day the return -of Lurulu. - -And Spring passed by and the Summer flowers grew, and still there was no -sign of the troll returning, for time moves through the dells of Elfland -as over no field of man. And long Orion watched through fading evenings -till the line of the hills was black, yet never saw the small round -heads of trolls bobbing across the downs. - -And the long autumnal winds came sighing out of cold lands, and found -Orion still watching for Lurulu; and the mist and the turning leaves -spoke to his heart of hunting. And the hounds were whining for the open -spaces and the line of scent like a mysterious path crossing the wide -world, but Orion would hunt nothing less than unicorns, and waited yet -for his trolls. - -And one of these earthly days, with a menace of frost in the air and a -scarlet sunset, Lurulu's talk to the trolls in the wood being finished, -and their scamper swifter than hares having brought them soon to the -frontier, those in our fields who looked (as they seldom did) towards -that mysterious border where Earth ended might have seen the unwonted -shapes of the nimble trolls coming all grey through the evening. They -came dropping, troll after troll, from the soaring leaps they took high -through the boundary of twilight; and, landing thus unceremoniously in -our fields, came capering, somersaulting and running, with gusts of -impudent laughter, as though this were a proper manner in which to -approach by no means the least of the planets. - -They rustled by the small houses like the wind passing through straw, -and none that heard the light rushing sound of their passing knew how -outlandish they were, except the dogs, whose work it is to watch, and -who know of all things that pass, their degree of remoteness to man. At -gipsies, tramps, and all that go without houses, dogs bark whenever they -pass; at the wild things of the woods they bark with greater abhorrence, -knowing well the rebellious contempt in which they hold man; at the fox, -for his touch of mystery and his far wanderings, they bark more -furiously: but to-night the barking of dogs was beyond all abhorrence -and fury; many a farmer this night believed that his dog was choking. - -And passing over these fields, staying not to laugh at the clumsy scared -running of sheep, for they kept their laughter for man, they came soon -to the downs above Erl; and there below them was night and the smoke of -men, all grey together. And not knowing from what slight causes the -smoke arose, here from a woman boiling a kettle of water, or there -because one dried the frock of a child, or that a few old men might warm -their hands in the evening, the trolls forbore to laugh as they had -planned to do as soon as they should meet with the things of man. -Perhaps even they, whose gravest thoughts were just under the surface of -laughter, even they were a little awed by the strangeness and nearness -of man sleeping there in his hamlet with all his smoke about him. Though -awe in these light minds rested no longer than does the squirrel on the -thin extremest twigs. - -In a while they lifted their eyes up from the valley, and there was the -western sky still shining above the last of the gloaming, a little strip -of colour and dying light, so lovely that they believed that another -elfland lay the other side of the valley, two dim diaphonous magical -elfin lands hemming in this valley and few fields of men close upon -either side. And, sitting there on the hillside peering westward, the -next thing they saw was a star: it was Venus low in the West brimming -with blueness. And they all bowed their heads many times to this -pale-blue beautiful stranger; for though politeness was rare with them -they saw that the Evening Star was nothing of Earth and no affair of -man's, and believed it came out of that elfland they did not know on the -western side of the world. And more and more stars appeared, till the -trolls were frightened, for they knew nothing of these glittering -wanderers that could steal out of the darkness and shine: at first they -said "There are more trolls than stars," and were comforted, for they -trusted greatly in numbers. Then there were soon more stars than trolls; -and the trolls were ill at ease as they sat in the dark underneath all -that multitude. But presently they forgot the fancy that troubled them, -for no thought remained with them long. They turned their light -attention instead to the yellow lights that glowed here and there on the -hither side of the greyness, where a few of the houses of men stood warm -and snug near the trolls. A beetle went by, and they hushed their -chatter to hear what he would say; but he droned by, going home, and -they did not know his language. A dog far off was ceaselessly crying -out, and filling all the still night with a note of warning. And the -trolls were angry at the sound of his voice, for they felt that he -interfered between them and man. Then a soft whiteness came out of the -night and lit on the branch of a tree, and bowed its head to the left -and looked at the trolls, and then bowed over to the right and looked at -them again from there, and then back to the left again for it was not -yet sure about them. "An owl," said Lurulu; and many besides Lurulu had -seen his kind before, for he flies much along the edge of Elfland. Soon -he was gone and they heard him hunting across the hills and the hollows; -and then no sound was left but the voices of men, or the shrill shouts -of children, and the bay of the dog that warned men against the trolls. -"A sensible fellow," they said of the owl, for they liked the sound of -his voice; but the voices of men and their dog sounded confused and -tiresome. - -They saw sometimes the lights of late wayfarers crossing the downs -towards Erl, or heard men that cheered themselves in the lonely night by -singing, instead of by lantern's light. And all the while the Evening -Star grew bigger, and great trees grew blacker and blacker. - -Then from underneath the smoke and the mist of the stream there boomed -all of a sudden the brazen bell of the Freer out of deep night in the -valley. Night and the slopes of Erl and the dark downs echoed with it; -and the echoes rode up to the trolls and seemed to challenge them, with -all accursed things and wandering spirits and bodies unblessed of the -Freer. - -And the solemn sound of those echoes going alone through the night from -every heavy swing of the holy bell cheered that band of trolls among all -the strangeness of Earth, for whatever is solemn always moves trolls to -levity. They turned merrier now and tittered among themselves. - -And while they still watched all that host of stars, wondering if they -were friendly, the sky grew steely blue and the eastern stars dwindled, -and the mist and the smoke of men turned white, and a radiance touched -the further edge of the valley; and the moon came up over the downs -behind the trolls. Then voices sang from the holy place of the Freer, -chaunting moon matins; which it was their wont to sing on nights of the -full moon while the moon was yet low. And this rite they named -moon's-morning. The bell had ceased, chance voices spoke no more, they -had hushed their dog in the valley and silenced his warning, and lonely -and grave and solemn that people's song floated up from before the -candles in their small square sacred place, built of grey stone by men -that were dead for ages and ages; all solemn the song welled up in the -time of the moon's rising, grave as the night, mysterious as the full -moon, and fraught with a meaning that was far beyond the highest -thoughts of the trolls. Then the trolls leaped up with one accord from -the frosted grass of the downs and all poured down the valley to laugh -at the ways of men, to mock at their sacred things and to dare their -singing with levity. - -Many a rabbit rose up and fled from their onrush, and thrills of -laughter arose from the trolls at their fear. A meteor flashed -westwards, racing after the sun; either as a portent to warn the hamlet -of Erl that folk from beyond Earth's borders approached them now, or -else in fulfilment of some natural law. To the trolls it seemed that one -of the proud stars fell, and they rejoiced with elvish levity. - -Thus they came giggling through the night, and ran down the street of -the village, unseen as any wild creature that roams late through the -darkness; and Lurulu led them to the pigeon-loft, and they all poured -clambering in. Some rumour arose in the village that a fox had jumped -into the pigeon-loft, but it ceased almost as soon as the pigeons -returned to their homes, and the folk of Erl had no more hint till the -morning that something had entered their village from beyond the borders -of Earth. - -In a brown mass thicker than young pigs are along the edge of a trough -the trolls encumbered the floor of the pigeons' home. And time went over -them as over all earthly things. And well they knew, though tiny was -their intelligence, that by crossing the border of twilight they -incurred the wasting of time; for nothing dwells by the brink of any -danger and lives ignorant of its menace: as conies in rocky altitudes -know the peril of the sheer cliff, so they that dwell near Earth's -border knew well the danger of time. And yet they came. The wonder and -lure of Earth had been overstrong for them. Does not many a young man -squander youth as they squandered immortality? - -And Lurulu showed them how to hold off time for a while, which otherwise -would make them older and older each moment and whirl them on with -Earth's restlessness all night long. Then he curled up his knees and -shut his eyes and lay still. This, he told them, was sleep; and, -cautioning them to continue to breathe, though being still in other -respects, he then slept in earnest: and after some vain attempts the -brown trolls did the same. - -When sunrise came, awaking all earthly things, long rays came through -the thirty little windows and awoke both birds and trolls. And the mass -of trolls went to the windows to look at Earth, and the pigeons -fluttered to rafters and jerked sidelong looks at the trolls. And there -that heap of trolls would have stayed, crowded high on each other's -shoulders, blocking the windows while they studied the variety and -restlessness of Earth, finding them equal to the strangest fables that -wayfarers had brought to them out of our fields; and, though Lurulu -often reminded them, they had forgotten the haughty white unicorns that -they were to hunt with dogs. - -But Lurulu after a while led them down from the loft and brought them to -the kennels. And they climbed up the high palings and peered over the -top at the hounds. - -When the hounds saw those strange heads peering over the palings they -made a great uproar. And presently folk came to see what troubled the -hounds. And when they saw that mass of trolls all round the top of the -palings they said to each other, and so said all that heard of it: -"There is magic in Erl now." - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - _A Chapter on Unicorn-Hunting_ - - -None in Erl was so busy but that he came that morning to see the magic -that was newly come out of Elfland, and to compare the trolls with all -that the neighbours said of them. And the folk of Erl gazed much at the -trolls and the trolls at the folk of Erl, and there was great merriment; -for, as often happens with minds of unequal weight, each laughed at the -other. And the villagers found the impudent ways of the bare brown -nimble trolls no funnier, no more meet for derision, than the trolls -found the grave high hats, the curious clothes, and the solemn air of -the villagers. - -And Orion soon came too, and the folk of the village doffed their long -thin hats; and, though the trolls would have laughed at him also, Lurulu -had found his whip, and by means of it made the mob of his impudent -brethren give that salutation that is given in Elfland to those of its -royal line. - -When noonday came, which was the hour of dinner, and the folk turned -from the kennels, they went back to their houses all praising the magic -that was come at last to Erl. - -During the days that followed Orion's hounds learned that it was vain to -chase a troll and unwise to snarl at one; for, apart from their elvish -speed, the trolls were able to leap into the air far over the heads of -the hounds, and when each had been given a whip they could repay -snarling with an aim that none on Earth was able to equal, except those -whose sires had carried a whip with hounds for generations. - -And one morning Orion came to the pigeon-loft and called to Lurulu -early, and he brought out the trolls and they went to the kennels and -Orion opened the doors, and he led them all away eastwards over the -downs. The hounds moved all together and the trolls with their whips ran -beside them, like a flock of sheep surrounded by numbers of collies. -They were away to the border of Elfland to wait for the unicorns where -they come through the twilight to eat the earthly grasses at evening. -And as our evening began to mellow the fields we know, they were come to -the opal border that shut those fields from Elfland. And there they -lurked as Earth's darkness grew, and waited for the great unicorns. Each -hound had its troll beside it with the troll's right hand along its -shoulder or neck, soothing it, calming it, and holding it still, while -the left hand held the whip: the strange group lingered there -motionless, and darkened there with the evening. And when Earth was as -dim and quiet as the unicorns desired the great creatures came softly -through, and were far into Earth before any troll would allow his hound -to move. Thus when Orion gave the signal they easily cut one off from -its elfin home and hunted it snorting over those fields that are the -portion of men. And night came down on the proud beast's magical gallop, -and the hounds intoxicate with that marvellous scent, and the leaping -soaring trolls. - -And, when jackdaws on the highest towers of Erl saw the rim of the sun -all red above frosted fields, Orion came back from the downs with his -hounds and his trolls, carrying as fine a head as a unicorn-hunter could -wish. The hounds weary but glad were soon curled up in their kennels, -and Orion in his bed; while the trolls in their pigeon-loft began to -feel, as none but Lurulu had felt ever before, the weight and the -weariness of the passing of time. - -All day Orion slept and all his hounds, none of them caring how it slept -or why; while the trolls slept anxiously, falling asleep as fast as ever -they could, in the hope of escaping some of the fury of time, which they -feared had begun to attack them. And that evening while still they -slept, hounds, trolls and Orion, there met again in the forge of Narl -the parliament of Erl. - -From the forge to the inner room came the twelve old men, rubbing their -hands and smiling, ruddy with health and the keen North wind and the -cheerfulness of their forebodings; for they were well content at last -that their lord was surely magic, and foresaw great doings in Erl. - -"Folklings," said Narl to them all, naming them thus after an ancient -wont, "is it not well with us and our valley at last? See how it is as -we planned so long ago. For our lord is a magic lord as we all desired, -and magical things have sought him from over there, and they all obey -his hests." - -"It is so," said all but Gazic, a vendor of beeves. - -Little and old and out-of-the-way was Erl, secluded in its deep valley, -unnoticed in history; and the twelve men loved the place and would have -it famous. And now they rejoiced as they heard the words of Narl, "What -other village," he said, "has traffic with over there?" - -And Gazic, though he rejoiced with the rest, rose up in a pause of their -gladness. "Many strange things," he said, "have entered our village, -coming from over there. And it may be that human folk are best, and the -ways of the fields we know." - -Oth scorned him, and Threl. "Magic is best," said all. - -And Gazic was silent again, and raised his voice no more against the -many; and the mead went round, and all spoke of the fame of Erl; and -Gazic forgot his mood and the fear that was in it. - -Far into the night they rejoiced, quaffing the mead, and by its homely -aid gazing into the years of the future, so far as that may be done by -the eyes of men. Yet all their rejoicing was hushed and their voices -low, lest the ears of the Freer should hear them; for their gladness -came to them from lands that lay beyond thought of salvation, and they -had set their trust in magic, against which, as well they knew, boomed -every note that rang from the bell of the Freer whenever it tolled at -evening. And they parted late, praising magic in no loud tones, and went -secretly back to their houses, for they feared the curse that the Freer -had called down upon unicorns, and knew not if their own names might -become involved in one of the curses called upon magical things. - -All the next day Orion rested his hounds, and the trolls and the people -of Erl gazed at each other. But on the day that followed Orion took his -sword and gathered his band of trolls and his pack of hounds, and all -were away once more far over the downs, to come again to the border of -nebulous opal and to lurk for the unicorns coming through in the -evening. - -They came to a part of the border far from the spot which they had -disturbed only three evenings before; and Orion was guided by the -chattering trolls, for well they knew the haunts of the lonely unicorns. -And Earth's evening came huge and hushed, till all was dim as the -twilight; and never a footfall did they hear of the unicorns, never a -glimpse of their whiteness. And yet the trolls had guided Orion well, -for just as he would have despaired of a hunt that night, just when the -evening seemed wholly and utterly empty, a unicorn stood on the -earthward edge of the twilight where nothing had stood only a moment -before: soon he moved slowly across the terrestrial grasses a few yards -forward into the fields of men. - -Another followed, moving a few yards also; and then they stood for -fifteen of our earthly minutes moving nothing at all except their ears. -And all that while the trolls hushed every hound, motionless under a -hedge of the fields we know. Darkness had all but hidden them when at -last the unicorns moved. And, as soon as the largest was far enough from -the frontier, the trolls let loose every hound, and ran with them after -the unicorn with shrill yells of derision, all sure of his haughty head. - -But the quick small minds of the trolls, though they had learned much of -Earth, had not yet understood the irregularity of the moon. Darkness was -new to them, and they soon lost hounds. Orion in his eagerness to hunt -had made no choice of a suitable night: there was no moon at all, and -would be none till near morning. Soon he also fell behind. - -Orion easily collected the trolls, the night was full of their -frivolous noises, and the trolls came to his horn, but not a hound would -leave that pungent magical scent for any horn of man. They straggled -back next day, tired, having lost their unicorn. - -And while each troll cleaned and fed his hound on the evening after the -hunt, and laid a little bunch of straw for it on which to lie down, and -smoothed its hair and looked for thorns in its feet, and unravelled -burrs from its ears, Lurulu sat alone fastening his small sharp -intelligence, like the little white light of a burning glass, for hours -upon one question. The question that Lurulu pondered far into the night -was how to hunt unicorns with dogs in the darkness. And by midnight a -plan was clear in his elvish mind. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - _The Luring of the People of the Marshes_ - - -As the evening that followed was beginning to fade a traveller might -have been seen approaching the marshes, which some way south-eastwards -of Erl lay along the edge of the farmsteads and stretched their terrible -waste as far as the sky-line, and even over the border and into the -region of Elfland. They glimmered now as the light was leaving the land. - -So black were the solemn clothes and the high grave hat of the traveller -that he could have been seen from far against the dim green of the -fields, going down to the edge of the marsh through the grey evening. -But none were there to see at such an hour beside that desolate place, -for the threat of darkness was already felt in the fields, and all the -cows were home and the farmers warm in their houses; so the traveller -walked alone. And soon he was come by unsure paths to the reeds and the -thin rushes, to which a wind was telling tales that have no meaning to -man, long histories of bleakness and ancient legends of rain; while on -the high darkening land far off behind him he saw lights begin to blink -where the houses were. He walked with the gravity and the solemn air of -one who has important business with men; yet his back was turned to -their houses and he went where no man wandered, travelling towards no -hamlet or lonely cottage of man, for the marsh ran right into Elfland. -Between him and the nebulous border that divides Earth from Elfland -there was no man whatever, and yet the traveller walked on as one that -has a grave errand. With every venerable step that he took bright mosses -shook and the marsh seemed about to engulf him, while his worthy staff -sank deep into slime, giving him no support; and yet the traveller -seemed only to care for the solemnity of his pacing. Thus he went on -over the deadly marsh with a deportment suitable to the slow procession -when the elders open the market on special days, and the gravest blesses -the bargaining, and all the farmers come to the booths and barter. - -And up and down, up and down, song-birds went wavering home, skirting -the marsh's edge on their way to their native hedges; pigeons passed -landward to roost in high dark trees; the last of a multitude of rooks -was gone; and all the air was empty. - -And now the great marsh thrilled to the news of the coming of a -stranger; for, no sooner had the traveller gravely set a foot on one of -those brilliant mosses that bloom in the pools, than a thrill shot under -their roots and below the stems of the bulrushes, and ran like a light -beneath the surface of the water, or like the sound of a song, and -passed far over the marshes, and came quivering to the border of magical -twilight that divides Elfland from Earth; and stayed not there, but -troubled the very border and passed beyond it and was felt in Elfland: -for where the great marshes run down to the border of Earth the -frontier is thinner and more uncertain than elsewhere. - -And as soon as they felt that thrill in the deep of the marshes the -will-o'-the-wisps soared up from their fathomless homes, and waved their -lights to beckon the traveller on, over the quaking mosses at the hour -when the duck were flighting. And under that whirr and rush and -rejoicing of wings that the ducks make in that hour the traveller -followed after the waving lights, further and further into the marshes. -Yet sometimes he turned from them, so that for a while they followed -him, instead of leading as they were accustomed to do, till they could -get round in front of him and lead him once more. A watcher, if there -had been one in such bad light and in such a perilous place, had noticed -after a while in the venerable traveller's movements a queer resemblance -to those of the hen green plover when she lures the stranger after her -in Spring, away from the mossy bank where her eggs lie bare. Or perhaps -such a resemblance is merely fanciful, and a watcher might have noticed -no such thing. At any rate on that night in that desolate place there -was no watcher whatever. - -And the traveller followed his curious course, sometimes towards the -dangerous mosses, sometimes towards the safe green land, always with -grave demeanour and reverent gait; and the will-o'-the-wisps in -multitudes gathered about him. And still that deep thrill that warned -the marsh of a stranger throbbed on through the ooze below the roots of -the rushes; and did not cease, as it should as soon as the stranger was -dead, but haunted the marsh like some echo of music that magic has made -everlasting, and troubled the will-o'-the-wisps even over the border in -Elfland. - -Now it is far from my intention to write anything detrimental to -will-o'-the-wisps, or anything that may be construed as being a slight -upon them: no such construction should be put upon my writings. But it -is well known that the people of the marshes lure travellers to their -doom, and have delighted to follow that avocation for centuries, and I -may be permitted to mention this in no spirit of disapproval. - -The will-o'-the-wisps then that were about this traveller redoubled -their efforts with fury; and when still he eluded their last enticements -only on the very edge of the deadliest pools, and still lived and still -travelled, and the whole marsh knew of it, then the greater -will-o'-the-wisps that dwell in Elfland rose up from their magical mire -and rushed over the border. And the whole marsh was troubled. - -Almost like little moons grown nimbly impudent the people of the marshes -glowed before that solemn traveller, leading his reverend steps to the -edge of death only to retrace their steps again to beckon him back once -more. And then in spite of the great height of his hat and the dark -length of his coat that frivolous people began to perceive that mosses -were bearing his weight which never before had supported any traveller. -At this their fury increased and they all leaped nearer to him; and -nearer and nearer they flocked wherever he went; and in their fury their -enticements were losing their craftiness. - -And now a watcher in the marshes, if such there had been, had seen -something more than a traveller surrounded by will-o'-the-wisps; for he -might have noticed that the traveller was almost leading them, instead -of the will-o'-the-wisps leading the traveller. And in their impatience -to have him dead the people of the marshes had never thought that they -were all coming nearer and nearer to the dry land. - -And when all was dark but the water they suddenly found themselves in a -field of grass with their feet rasping against the rough pasture, while -the traveller was seated with his knees gathered up to his chin and was -eyeing them from under the brim of his high black hat. Never before had -any of them been lured to dry land by traveller, and there were amongst -them that night those eldest and greatest among them who had come with -their moon-like lights right over the border from Elfland. They looked -at each other in uneasy astonishment as they dropped limply onto the -grass, for the roughness and heaviness of the solid land oppressed them -after the marshes. And then they began to perceive that that venerable -traveller whose bright eyes watched them so keenly out of that black -mass of clothes was little larger than they were themselves, in spite of -his reverend airs. Indeed, though stouter and rounder he was not quite -so tall. Who was this, they began to mutter, who had lured -will-o'-the-wisps? And some of those elders from Elfland went up to him -that they might ask him with what audacity he had dared to lure such as -them. And then the traveller spoke. Without rising or turning his head -he spoke where he sat. - -"People of the marshes," he said, "do you love unicorns?" - -And at the word unicorns scorn and laughter filled every tiny heart in -all that frivolous multitude, excluding all other emotions, so that they -forgot their petulance at having been lured; although to lure -will-o'-the-wisps is held by them to be the gravest of insults, and -never would they have forgiven it if they had had longer memories. At -the word unicorns they all giggled in silence. And this they did by -flickering up and down like the light of a little mirror flashed by an -impudent hand. Unicorns! Little love had they for the haughty creatures. -Let them learn to speak to the people of the marshes when they came to -drink at their pools. Let them learn to give their due to the great -lights of Elfland, and the lesser lights that illumined the marshes of -Earth! - -"No," said an elder of the will-o'-the-wisps, "none loves the proud -unicorns." - -"Come then," said the traveller, "and we will hunt them. And you shall -light us in the night with your lights, when we hunt them with dogs over -the fields of men." - -"Venerable traveller," said that elder will-o'-the-wisp: but at those -words the traveller flung up his hat and leaped from his long black -coat, and stood before the will-o'-the-wisps stark naked. And the people -of the marshes saw that it was a troll that had tricked them. - -Their anger at this was slight; for the people of the marshes have -tricked the trolls, and the trolls have tricked the people of the -marshes, each of them so many times for ages and ages, that only the -wisest among them can say which has tricked the other most and is how -many tricks ahead. They consoled themselves now by thinking of times -when trolls had been made to look ludicrous, and consented to come with -their lights to help to hunt unicorns, for their wills were weak when -they stood on the dry land and they easily acquiesced in any suggestion -or followed anyone's whim. - -It was Lurulu who had thus tricked the will-o'-the-wisps, knowing well -how they love to lure travellers; and, having obtained the highest hat -and gravest coat he could steal, he had set out with a bait that he -knew would bring them from great distances. Now that he had gathered -them all on the solid land and had their promise of light and help -against unicorns, which such creatures will give easily on account of -the unicorns' pride, he began to lead them away to the village of Erl, -slowly at first while their feet grew accustomed to the hard land; and -over the fields he brought them limping to Erl. - -And now there was nothing in all the marshes that at all resembled man, -and the geese came down on a huge tumult of wings. The little swift teal -shot home; and all the dark air twanged with the flight of the duck. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - _The Coming of Too Much Magic_ - - -In Erl that had sighed for magic there was indeed magic now. The -pigeon-loft and old lumber-lofts over stables were all full of trolls, -the ways were full of their antics, and lights bobbed up and down the -street at night long after traffic was home. For the will-o'-the-wisps -would go dancing along the gutters, and had made their homes round the -soft edges of duck-ponds and in green-black patches of moss that grew -upon oldest thatch. And nothing seemed the same in the old village. - -And amongst all these magical folk the magical half of Orion's blood, -that had slept while he went amongst earthly men, hearing mundane talk -each day, stirred out of its sleep and awakened long-sleeping thoughts -in his brain. And the elfin horns that he often heard blowing at evening -blew with a meaning now, and blew stronger as though they were nearer. - -The folk of the village watching their lord by day saw his eyes turned -away towards Elfland, saw him neglecting the wholesome earthly cares, -and at night there came the queer lights and the gibbering of the -trolls. A fear settled on Erl. - -At this time the parliament took counsel again, twelve grey-beard -quaking men that had come to the house of Narl when their work was ended -at evening; and all the evening was weird with the new magic of Elfland. -Every man of them as he ran from his own warm house on his way to the -forge of Narl had seen lights leaping, or heard voices gibbering, which -were of no Christom land. And some had seen shapes prowling which were -of no earthly growing, and they feared that all manner of things had -slipped through the border of Elfland to come and visit the trolls. - -They spoke low in their parliament: all told the same tale, a tale of -children terrified, a tale of women demanding the old ways again; and as -they spoke they eyed window and crevice, none knowing what might come. - -And Oth said: "Let us folk go to the Lord Orion as we went to his -grandfather in his long red room. Let us say how we sought for magic, -and lo we have magic enough; and let him follow no more after witchery -nor the things that are hidden from man." - -He listened acutely, standing there amongst his hushed comrade -neighbours. Was it goblin voices that mocked him, or was it only echo? -Who could say? And almost at once the night all round was hushed again. - -And Threl said: "Nay. It is too late for that." Threl had seen their -lord one evening standing alone on the downs, all motionless and -listening to something sounding from Elfland, with his eyes to the East -as he listened: and nothing was sounding, not a noise was astir; yet -Orion stood there called by things beyond mortal hearing. "It is too -late now," said Threl. - -And that was the fear of all. - -Then Guhic rose slowly up and stood by that table. And trolls were -gibbering like bats away in their loft, and the pale marsh-lights were -flickering, and shapes prowled in the dark: the pit-pat of their feet -came now and then to the ears of the twelve that were there in that -inner room. And Guhic said: "We wished for a little magic." And a gust -of gibbering came clear from the trolls. And then they disputed awhile -as to how much magic they had wished in the olden time, when the -grandfather of Orion was lord in Erl. But when they came to a plan this -was the plan of Guhic. - -"If we may not turn our lord Orion," he said, "and his eyes be turned to -Elfland, let all our parliament go up the hill to the witch Ziroonderel, -and put our case to her, and ask for a spell which shall be put against -too much magic." - -And at the name of Ziroonderel the twelve took heart again; for they -knew that her magic was greater than the magic of flickering lights, and -knew there was not a troll or thing of the night but went in fear of her -broom. They took heart again and quaffed Narl's heavy mead, and -re-filled their mugs and praised Guhic. - -And late in the night they all rose up together to go back to their -homes, and all kept close together as they went, and sang grave old -songs to affright the things that they feared; though little the light -trolls care, or the will-o'-the-wisps, for the things that are grave to -man. And when only one was left he ran to his house, and the -will-o'-the-wisps chased him. - -When the next day came they ended their work early, for the parliament -of Erl cared not to be left on the witch's hill when night came, or even -the gloaming. They met outside Narl's forge in the early afternoon, -eleven of the parliament, and they called out Narl. And all were wearing -the clothes they were wont to wear when they went with the rest to the -holy place of the Freer, though there was scarcely a soul he had ever -cursed that was not blessed by her. And away they went with their old -stout staves up the hill. - -And as soon as they could they came to the witch's house. And there they -found her sitting outside her door gazing over the valley away, and -looking neither older nor younger, nor concerned one way or the other -with the coming and going of years. - -"We be the parliament of Erl," they said, standing before her all in -their graver clothes. - -"Aye," she said. "You desired magic. Has it come to you yet?" - -"Truly," they said, "and to spare." - -"There is more to come," she said. - -"Mother Witch," said Narl, "we are met here to pray you that you will -give us a goodly spell which shall be a charm against magic, so that -there be no more of it in the valley, for overmuch has come." - -"Overmuch?" she said. "Overmuch magic! As though magic were not the -spice and essence of life, its ornament and its splendour. By my broom," -said she, "I give you no spell against magic." - -And they thought of the wandering lights and the scarce-seen gibbering -things, and all the strangeness and evil that was come to their valley -of Erl, and they besought her again, speaking suavely to her. - -"Oh, Mother Witch," said Guhic, "there is overmuch magic indeed, and the -folk that should tarry in Elfland are all over the border." - -"It is even so," said Narl. "The border is broken and there will be no -end to it. Will-o'-the-wisps should stay in the marshes, and trolls and -goblins in Elfland, and we folk should keep to our own folk. This is the -thought of us all. For magic, if we desired it somewhat, years ago when -we were young, pertains to matters that are not for man." - -She eyed him silently with a cat-like glow increasing in her eyes. And -when she neither spoke nor moved, Narl besought her again. - -"O Mother Witch," he said, "will you give us no spell to guard our homes -against magic?" - -"No spell indeed!" she hissed. "No spell indeed! By broom and stars and -night-riding! Would you rob Earth of her heirloom that has come from the -olden time? Would you take her treasure and leave her bare to the scorn -of her comrade planets? Poor indeed were we without magic, whereof we -are well stored to the envy of darkness and Space." She leaned forward -from where she sat and stamped her stick, looking up in Narl's face with -her fierce unwavering eyes. "I would sooner," she said, "give you a -spell against water, that all the world should thirst, than give you a -spell against the song of streams that evening hears faintly over the -ridge of a hill, too dim for wakeful ears, a song threading through -dreams, whereby we learn of old wars and lost loves of the Spirits of -rivers. I would sooner give you a spell against bread, that all the -world should starve, than give you a spell against the magic of wheat -that haunts the golden hollows in moonlight in July, through which in -the warm short nights wander how many of whom man knows nothing. I would -make you spells against comfort and clothing, food, shelter and warmth, -aye and will do it, sooner than tear from these poor fields of Earth -that magic that is to them an ample cloak against the chill of Space, -and a gay raiment against the sneers of nothingness. - -"Go hence. To your village go. And you that sought for magic in your -youth but desire it not in your age, know that there is a blindness of -spirit which comes from age, more black than the blindness of eye, -making a darkness about you across which nothing may be seen, or felt, -or known, or in any way apprehended. And no voice out of that darkness -shall conjure me to grant a spell against magic. Hence!" - -And as she said "Hence" she put her weight on her stick and was -evidently preparing to rise from her seat. And at this great terror came -upon all the parliament. And they noticed at the same moment that -evening was drawing in and all the valley darkening. On this high field -where the witch's cabbages grew some light yet lingered, and listening -to her fierce words they had not thought of the hour. But now it was -manifestly growing late, and a wind roamed past them that seemed to come -over the ridges a little way off, from night; and chilled them as it -passed; and all the air seemed given over to that very thing against -which they sought for a spell. - -And here they were at this hour with the witch before them, and she was -evidently about to rise. Her eyes were fixed on them. Already she was -partly up from her chair. There could be no doubt that before three -moments were passed she would be hobbling amongst them with her -glittering eyes peering in each one's face. They turned and ran down the -hill. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - _The Cursing of Elfin Things_ - - -As the parliament of Erl ran down the hill they ran into the dusk of -evening. Greyly it lay in the valley above the mist from the stream. But -with more than the mystery of dusk the air was heavy. Lights blinking -early from houses showed that all the folk were home, and the street was -deserted by everything that was human; save when with hushed air and -almost furtive step they saw their lord Orion like a tall shadow go by, -with will-o'-the-wisps behind him, towards the house of the trolls, -thinking no earthly thoughts. And the strangeness that had been growing -day by day made all the village eerie. So that with short and troubled -breath the twelve old men hurried on. - -And so they came to the holy place of the Freer, which lay on the side -of the village that was towards the witch's hill. And it was the hour at -which he was wont to celebrate after-bird-song, as they named the -singing that they sang in the holy place when all the birds were home. -But the Freer was not within his holy place; he stood in the cold night -air on the upper step without it, his face turned towards Elfland. He -had on his sacred robe with its border of purple, and the emblem of -gold round his neck; but the door of his holy place was shut and his -back was towards it. They wondered to see him stand thus. - -And as they wondered the Freer began to intone, clear in the evening -with his eyes away to the East, where already a few of the earliest -stars were showing. With his head held high he spoke as though his voice -might pass over the frontier of twilight and be heard by the people of -Elfland. - -"Curst be all wandering things," he said, "whose place is not upon -Earth. Curst be all lights that dwell in fens and in marish places. -Their homes are in deeps of the marshes. Let them by no means stir from -there until the Last Day. Let them abide in their place and there await -damnation. - -"Cursed be gnomes, trolls, elves and goblins on land, and all sprites of -the water. And fauns be accursed and such as follow Pan. And all that -dwell on the heath, being other than beasts or men. Cursed be fairies -and all tales told of them, and whatever enchants the meadows before the -sun is up, and all fables of doubtful authority, and the legends that -men hand down from unhallowed times. - -"Cursed be brooms that leave their place by the hearth. Cursed be -witches and all manner of witcheries. - -"Cursed be toadstool rings and whatever dances within them. And all -strange lights, strange songs, strange shadows, or rumours that hint of -them, and all doubtful things of the dusk, and the things that -ill-instructed children fear, and old wives' tales and things done o' -midsummer nights; all these be accursed with all that leaneth toward -Elfland and all that cometh thence." - -Never a lane of that village, never a barn, but a will-o'-the-wisp was -dancing nimbly above it; the night was gilded with them. But as the good -Freer spoke they backed away from his curses, floating further off as -though a light wind blew them, and danced again after drifting a little -way. This they did both before and behind him and upon either hand, as -he stood there upon the steps of his holy place. So that there was a -circle of darkness all round him, and beyond that circle shone the -lights of the marshes and Elfland. - -And within the dark circle in which the Freer stood making his curses -were no unhallowed things, nor were there strangenesses such as come of -night, nor whispers from unknown voices, nor sounds of any music blowing -here from no haunts of men; but all was orderly and seemly there and no -mysteries troubled the quiet except such as have been justly allowed to -man. - -And beyond that circle whence so much was beaten back by the bright -vehemence of the good man's curses, the will-o'-the-wisps rioted, and -many a strangeness that poured in that night from Elfland, and goblins -held high holiday. For word was gone forth in Elfland that pleasant folk -had now their dwelling in Erl; and many a thing of fable, many a monster -of myth, had crept through that border of twilight and had come into Erl -to see. And the light and false but friendly will-o'-the-wisps danced in -the haunted air and made them welcome. - -And not only the trolls and the will-o'-the-wisps had lured these folk -from their fabled land through the seldom-traversed border, but the -longings and thoughts of Orion, which by half his lineage were akin to -the things of myth and of one race with the monsters of Elfland, were -calling to them now. Ever since that day by the frontier when he had -hovered between Earth and Elfland he had yearned more and more for his -mother; and now, whether he willed it or no, his elfin thoughts were -calling their kin that dwelt in the elvish fells; and at that hour when -the sound of the horns blew through the frontier of twilight they had -come tumbling after it. For elfin thoughts are as much akin to the -creatures that dwell in Elfland as goblins are to trolls. - -Within the calm and the dark of the good man's curses the twelve old men -stood silent listening to every word. And the words seemed good to them -and soothing and right, for they were over-weary of magic. - -But beyond the circle of darkness, amidst the glare of the -will-o'-the-wisps with which all the night flickered, amidst goblin -laughter and the unbridled mirth of the trolls, where old legends seemed -alive and the fearfullest fables true; amongst all manner of mysteries, -queer sounds, queer shapes, and queer shadows; Orion passed with his -hounds, eastwards towards Elfland. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - _Lirazel Yearns for Earth_ - - -In the hall that was built of moonlight, dreams, music and mirage -Lirazel knelt on the sparkling floor before her father's throne. And the -light of the magical throne shone blue in her eyes, and her eyes flashed -back a light that deepened its magic. And kneeling there she besought a -rune of her father. - -Old days would not let her be, sweet memories thronged about her: the -lawns of Elfland had her love, lawns upon which she had played by the -old miraculous flowers before any histories were written here; she loved -the sweet soft creatures of myth that moved like magical shadows out of -the guardian wood and over enchanted grasses; she loved every fable and -song and spell that had made her elfin home; and yet the bells of Earth, -that could not pass the frontier of silence and twilight, beat note by -note in her brain, and her heart felt the growth of the little earthly -flowers as they bloomed or faded or slept in seasons that came not to -Elfland. And in those seasons, wasting away as every one went by, she -knew that Alveric wandered, knew that Orion lived and grew and changed, -and that both, if Earth's legend were true, would soon be lost to her -forever and ever, when the gates of Heaven would shut on both with a -golden thud. For between Elfland and Heaven is no path, no flight, no -way; and neither sends ambassador to the other. She yearned to the bells -of Earth and the English cowslips, but would not forsake again her -mighty father nor the world that his mind had made. And Alveric came -not, nor her boy Orion; only the sound of Alveric's horn came once, and -often strange longings seemed to float in air, beating vainly back and -forth between Orion and her. And the gleaming pillars that held the dome -of the roof, or above which it floated, quivered a little with her -grief; and shadows of her sorrow flickered and faded in the crystal deep -of the walls, for a moment dimming many a colour that is unknown in our -fields, but making them no less lovely. What could she do who would not -cast away magic and leave the home that an ageless day had endeared to -her while centuries were withering like leaves upon earthly shores, -whose heart was yet held by those little tendrils of Earth, which are -strong enough, strong enough? - -And some, translating her bitter need into pitiless earthly words, may -say that she wished to be in two places at once. And that was true, and -the impossible wish lies on the verge of laughter, and for her was only -and wholly a matter for tears. Impossible? Was it impossible? We have to -do with magic. - -She besought a rune of her father, kneeling upon the magic floor in the -midmost centre of Elfland; and around her arose the pillars, of which -only song may say, whose misty bulk was disturbed and troubled by -Lirazel's sorrow. She besought a rune that, wherever they roamed through -whatever fields of Earth, should restore to her Alveric and Orion, -bringing them over the border and into the elfin lands to live in that -timeless age that is one long day in Elfland. And with them she prayed -might come, (for the mighty runes of her father had such power even as -this) some garden of Earth, or bank where violets lay, or hollow where -cowslips waved, to shine in Elfland for ever. - -Like no music heard in any cities of men or dreamed upon earthly hills, -with his elfin voice her father answered her. And the ringing words were -such as had power to change the shape of the hills of dreams, or to -enchant new flowers to blow in fields of faery. "I have no rune," he -said, "that has power to pass the frontier, or to lure anything from the -mundane fields, be it violets, cowslips or men, to come through our -bulwark of twilight that I have set to guard us against material things. -No rune but one, and that the last of the potencies of our realm." - -And kneeling yet upon the glittering floor, of whose profound -translucence song alone shall speak, she prayed him for that one rune, -last potency though it be of the awful wonders of Elfland. - -And he would not squander that rune that lay locked in his treasury, -most magical of his powers and last of the three, but held it against -the peril of a distant and unknown day, whose light shone just beyond a -curve of the ages, too far for the eerie vision even of his -foreknowledge. - -She knew that he had moved Elfland far afield and swung it back as tides -are swung by the moon, till it lapped at the very edge of the fields of -men once more, with its glimmering border touching the tips of the -earthly hedges. And she knew that no more than the moon had he used a -rare wonder, merely wafting his regions away by a magical gesture. -Might he not, she thought, bring Elfland and Earth yet nearer, using no -rarer magic than is used by the moon at the neap? And so she supplicated -him once again, recalling wonders to him that he had wrought and yet -used no rarer spell than a certain wave of his arm. She spoke of the -magical orchids that came down once over cliffs like a sudden roseate -foam breaking over the Elfin Mountains. She spoke of the downy clusters -of queer mauve flowers which bloomed in the grass of the dells, and of -that glory of blossom that forever guarded the lawns. For all these -wonders were his: bird-song and blooming of flower alike were his -inspirations. If such wonders as song and bloom were wrought by a wave -of his hand, surely he might by beckoning bring but a short way from -Earth some few fields that lay so near to the earthly border. Or surely -he might move Elfland a little earthward again, who had lately moved it -as far as the turn in the path of the comet, and had brought it again to -the edge of the fields of men. - -"Never," he said, "can any rune but one, or spell or wonder or any -magical thing, move our realm one wing's width over the earthly border -or bring anything thence here. And little they know in those fields that -even one rune can do it." - -And still she would scarce believe that those accustomed powers of her -wizard sire could not easily bring the things of Earth and the wonders -of Elfland together. - -"From those fields," he said, "my spells are all beaten back, my -incantations are mute, and my right arm powerless." - -And when he spoke thus to her of that dread right arm, at last perforce -she believed him. And she prayed him again for that ultimate rune, that -long-hoarded treasure of Elfland, that potency that had strength to -work against the harsh weight of Earth. - -And his thoughts went into the future all alone, peering far down the -years. More gladly had a traveller at night in lonely ways given up his -lantern than had this elvish king now used his last great spell, and so -cast it away, and gone without it into those dubious years; whose dim -forms he saw and many of their events, but not to the end. Easily had -she asked for that dread spell, which should appease the only need she -had, easily might he have granted it were he but human; but his vast -wisdom saw so much of the years to be that he feared to face them -without this last great potency. - -"Beyond our border," he said, "material things stand fierce and strong -and many, and have the power to darken and to increase, for they have -wonders too. And when this last potency be used and gone there remains -in all our realm no rune that they dread; and material things will -multiply and put the powers in bondage, and we without any rune of which -they go in awe shall become no more than a fable. We must yet store this -rune." - -Thus he reasoned with her rather than commanded, though he was the -founder and King of all those lands, and all that wandered in them and -of the light in which they shone. And reason in Elfland was no daily -thing, but an exotic wonder. With this he sought to soothe her earthward -fancies. - -And Lirazel made no answer but only wept, weeping tears of enchanted -dew. And all the line of the Elfin Mountains quivered, as wandering -winds will tremble to notes of a violin that have strayed beyond hearing -down the ways of the air; and all the creatures of fable that dwelt in -the realm of Elfland felt something strange in their hearts like the -dying away of a song. - -"Is it not best for Elfland that I do this?" said the King. - -And still she only wept. - -And then he sighed and considered the welfare of Elfland again. For -Elfland drew its happiness from the calm of that palace, which was its -centre, and of which only song may tell; and now its spires were -troubled and the light of its walls was dim, and a sorrow was floating -from its vaulted doorway all over the fields of faery and over the dells -of dream. If she were happy Elfland might bask again in that untroubled -light and eternal calm whose radiance blesses all but material things; -and though his treasury were open and empty yet what more were needed -then? - -So he commanded, and a coffer was brought before him by elfin things, -and the knight of his guard who had watched over it forever came -marching behind them. - -He opened the coffer with a spell, for it opened to no key, and taking -from it an ancient parchment scroll he rose and read from it while his -daughter wept. And the words of the rune as he read were like the notes -of a band of violins, all played by masters chosen from many ages, -hidden on midsummer's midnight in a wood, with a strange moon shining, -the air all full of madness and mystery; and, lurking close but -invisible, things beyond the wisdom of man. - -Thus he read that rune, and powers heard and obeyed it, not alone in -Elfland but over the border of Earth. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - _The Shining Line_ - - -Alveric wandered on, alone of that small company of three without a hope -to guide him. For Niv and Zend, who were lately led by the hope of their -fantastic quest, no longer yearned for Elfland but were guided now by -their plan to hold Alveric back from it. They vacillated more slowly -than sane folk, but clung with far more than sane fervour to each -vacillation. And Zend that had wandered through so many years with the -hope of Elfland before him looked on it, now that he had seen its -frontier, as one of the rivals of the moon. Niv who had endured as much -for Alveric's quest saw in that magical land something more fabulous -than was in all his dreams. And now when Alveric attempted lame -cajoleries with those swift and ferocious minds he received no more -answers from Zend than the curt statement "It is not the will of the -moon": while Niv would only reiterate "Have I not dreams enough?" - -They were wandering back again past farms that had known them years -before. With their old grey tent more tattered they appeared in the -twilight, adding a shade to the evening, in fields wherein they and -their tent had become a legend. And never was Alveric unwatched by some -mad eye, lest he should slip from the camp and come to Elfland and be -where dreams were stranger than Niv's and under a power more magical -than the moon. - -Often he tried, creeping silently from his place in the dead of night. -One moonlight night he tried first, waiting awake till all the world -seemed sleeping. He knew that the frontier was not far away as he crept -from the tent into the brightness and black shadows and passed Niv -sleeping heavily. A little way he went, and there was Zend sitting still -on a rock, gazing into the face of the moon. Round came Zend's face and, -newly inspired by the moon, he shouted and leapt at Alveric. They had -taken away his sword. And Niv woke and came towards them with immense -fury, united to Zend by one jealousy; for each of them knew well that -the wonders of Elfland were greater than any fancy that their minds -would ever know. - -And again he tried, on a night when no moon shone. But on that night Niv -was sitting outside the camp, relishing in a strange and joyless way a -certain comradeship that there was between his ravings and the -interstellar darkness. And there in the night he saw Alveric slipping -away towards the land whose wonders far transcended all Niv's poor -dreams; and all the fury the lesser can feel for the greater awoke at -once in his mind; and, creeping up behind him, without any help from -Zend he smote Alveric insensible to the ground. - -And never did Alveric plan any escape after that but that the busy -thoughts of madness anticipated it. - -And so they came, watchers and watched, over the fields of men. And -Alveric sought help of the folk of the farms; but the cunning of Niv -knew too well the tricks of sanity. So that when the folk came running -over their fields to that queer grey tent from which they heard -Alveric's cries, they found Niv and Zend posed in a calm that they had -much practised, while Alveric told of his thwarted quest of Elfland. Now -by many men all quests are considered mad, as the cunning of Niv knew. -Alveric found no help here. - -As they went back by the way by which they had marched for years Niv led -that band of three, stepping ahead of Alveric and Zend with his lean -face held high, made all the leaner by the long thin points to which he -had trained his beard and his moustaches, and wearing Alveric's sword -that stuck out long behind him and its hilt high in front. And he -stepped and perked his head with a certain air that revealed to the rare -travellers who saw him that this sparse and ragged figure esteemed -itself the leader of a greater band than were visible. Indeed if one had -just seen him at the end of the evening with the dusk and the mist of -the fenlands close behind him he might have believed that in the dusk -and the mist was an army that followed this gay worn confident man. Had -the army been there Niv was sane. Had the world accepted that an army -was there, even though only Alveric and Zend followed his curious steps, -still he was sane. But the lonely fancy that had not fact to feed on, -nor the fancy of any other for fellowship, was for its loneliness mad. - -Zend watched Alveric all the while, as they marched behind Niv; for -their mutual jealousy of the wonders of Elfland bound Niv and Zend -together to work as with one wild whim. - -And now one morning Niv stretched himself up to the fullest possible -height of his lean inches and extended his right arm high and addressed -his army, "We are come near again to Erl," he said. "And we shall bring -new fancies in place of outworn things and things that are stale; and -its customs shall be henceforth the way of the moon." - -Now Niv cared nothing for the moon, but he had great cunning, and he -knew that Zend would aid his new plan against Erl if only for the sake -of the moon. And Zend cheered till the echoes came back from a lonely -hill, and Niv smiled to them like a leader confident of his hosts. And -Alveric rose against them then, and struggled with Niv and Zend for the -last time, and learned that age or wandering or loss of hope had left -him unable to strive against the maniacal strength of these two. And -after that he went with them more meekly, with resignation, caring no -longer what befell him, living only in memory and only for days that had -been; and in November evenings in this dim camp in the chill he saw, -looking only backwards through the years, Spring mornings shine again on -the towers of Erl. In the light of these mornings he saw Orion again, -playing again with old toys that the witch had made with a spell; he saw -Lirazel move once more through the gracious gardens. Yet no light that -memory is able to kindle was strong enough to illumine much that camp in -those sombre evenings, when the damp rose up from the ground and the -chill swooped out of the air, and Niv and Zend as darkness came stealing -nearer began to chatter in low eager voices schemes inspired by such -whims as throve at dusk in the waste. Only when the sad day drifted -wholly thence and Alveric slept by flapping tatters that streamed from -the tent in the night, then only was memory, unhindered by the busy -changes of day, able to bring back Erl to him, bright, happy and vernal; -so that while his body lay still, in far fields, in the dark and the -Winter, all that was most active and live in him was back over the wolds -in Erl, back over the years in Spring with Lirazel and Orion. - -How far he was bodily, in sheer miles from his home, for which his happy -thoughts each night forsook his weary frame, Alveric knew not. It was -many years since their tent had stood one evening a grey shape in that -landscape in which it now waved its tatters. But Niv knew that of late -they had come nearer to Erl, for his dreams of it came to him now soon -after he fell asleep, and they used to come to him further on in the -night, on the other side of midnight and even towards morning: and from -this he argued that they used to have further to come, and were now but -a little way off. When he told this secretly one evening to Zend, Zend -listened gravely but gave no opinion, merely saying "The moon knows." -Nevertheless he followed Niv, who led this curious caravan always in -that direction from which his dreams of the valley of Erl came soonest. -And this queer leadership brought them nearer to Erl, as often happens -where men follow leaders that are crazy or blind or deceived; they reach -some port or other though they stray down the years with little -foresight enough: were it otherwise what would become of us? - -And one day the upper parts of the towers of Erl looked at them out of -blue distance, shining in early sunlight above a curve of the downs. And -towards them Niv turned at once and led directly, for the line of their -wandering march had not pointed straight to Erl, and marched on as a -conqueror that sees some new city's gates. What his plans were Alveric -did not know, but kept to his apathy; and Zend did not know, for Niv had -merely said that his plans must be secret; nor did Niv know, for his -fancies poured through his brain and rushed away; what fancies made what -plans in a mood that was yesterday's how could he tell to-day? - -Then as they went they soon came to a shepherd, standing amongst his -grazing sheep and leaning upon his crook, who watched and seemed to have -no other care but only to watch all things going by, or, when nothing -passed, to gaze and gaze at the downs till all his memories were -fashioned out of their huge grass curves. He stood, a bearded man, and -watched them with never a word as they passed. And one of Niv's mad -memories suddenly knew him, and Niv hailed him by his name and the -shepherd answered. And who should he be but Vand! - -Then they fell talking; and Niv spoke suavely, as he always did with -sane folk, aping with clever mimicry the ways and the tricks of sanity, -lest Alveric should ask for help against him. But Alveric sought no -help. Silent he stood and heard the others talking, but his thoughts -were far in the past and their voices were only sounds to him. And Vand -enquired of them if they had found Elfland. But he spoke as one asks of -children if their toy boat has been to the Happy Isles. He had had for -many years to do with sheep, and had come to know their needs and their -price, and the need men have of them; and these things had risen -imperceptibly up all round his imagination, and were at last a wall over -which he saw no further. When he was young, yes once, he had sought for -Elfland; but now, why now he was older; such things were for the young. - -"But we saw its border," said Zend, "the border of twilight." - -"A mist," said Vand, "of the evening." - -"I have stood," said Zend, "upon the edge of Elfland." - -But Vand smiled and shook his bearded head as he leaned on his long -crook, and every wave of his beard as he shook it slowly denied Zend's -tales of that border, and his lips smiled it away, and his tolerant eyes -were grave with the lore of the fields we know. - -"No, not Elfland," he said. - -And Niv agreed with Vand, for he watched his mood, studying the ways of -sanity. And they spoke of Elfland lightly, as one tells of some dream -that came at dawn and went away before waking. And Alveric heard with -despair, for Lirazel dwelt not only over the border but even, as he saw -now, beyond human belief; so that all at once she seemed remoter than -ever, and he still lonelier. - -"I sought for it once," said Vand, "but no, there's no Elfland." - -"No," said Niv, and only Zend wondered. - -"No," replied Vand and shook his head and lifted his eyes to his sheep. - -And just beyond his sheep and coming towards them he saw a shining line. -So long his eyes stayed fixed on that shining line coming over the downs -from the eastward that the others turned and looked. - -They saw it too, a shimmering line of silver, or a little blue like -steel, flickering and changing with the reflection of strange passing -colours. And before it, very faint like threatening breezes breathing -before a storm, came the soft sound of very old songs. It caught, as -they all stood gazing, one of Vand's furthest sheep; and instantly its -fleece was that pure gold that is told of in old romance; and the -shining line came on and the sheep disappeared altogether. They saw now -that it was about the height of the mist from a small stream; and still -Vand stood gazing at it, neither moving nor thinking. But Niv turned -very soon and beckoned curtly to Zend and seized Alveric by the arm and -hastened away towards Erl. The gleaming line, that seemed to bump and -stumble over every unevenness of the rough fields, came not so fast as -they hastened; yet it never stopped when they rested, never wearied when -they were tired, but came on over all the hills and hedges of Earth; nor -did sunset change its appearance or check its pace. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - _The Last Great Rune_ - - -As Alveric hastened back, led by two madmen, to those lands over which -he had long ago been lord, the horns of Elfland had sounded in Erl all -day. And though only Orion heard them, they no less thrilled the air, -flooding it deep with their curious golden music, and filling the day -with a wonder that others felt; so that many a young girl leaned from -her window to see what was enchanting the morning. But as the day wore -on the enchantment of the unheard music dwindled, giving place to a -feeling that weighed on all minds in Erl and seemed to bode the -imminence of some unknown region of wonder. All his life Orion had heard -these horns blowing at evening except upon days on which he had done -ill: if he heard the horns at evening he knew that it was well with him. -But now they had blown in the morning, and blew all day, like a fanfare -in front of a march; and Orion looked out of his window and saw nothing, -and the horns rang on, proclaiming he knew not what. Far away they -called his thoughts from the things of Earth that are the concern of -men, far away from all that casts shadows. He spoke to no man that day, -but went among his trolls and such elfin things as had followed them -over the border. And all men that saw him perceived such a look in his -eyes as showed his thoughts to be far in realms that they dreaded. And -his thoughts were indeed far thence, once more with his mother. And hers -were with him, lavishing tendernesses that the years had denied her, in -their swift passage over our fields that she never had understood. And -somehow he knew she was nearer. - -And all that strange morning the will-o'-the-wisps were restless and the -trolls leaped wildly all about their lofts, for the horns of Elfland -tinged all the air with magic and excited their blood although they -could not hear them. But towards evening they felt impending some great -change and all grew silent and moody. And something brought to them -yearnings for their far magical home, as though a breeze had blown -suddenly into their faces straight off the tarns of Elfland; and they -ran up and down the street looking for something magical, to ease their -loneliness amongst mundane things. But found nothing resembling the -spell-born lilies that grew in their glory above the elfin tarns. And -the folk of the village perceived them everywhere and longed for the -wholesome earthly days again that there were before the coming of magic -to Erl. And some of them hurried off to the house of the Freer and took -refuge with him amongst his holy things from all the unhallowed shapes -that there were in their streets and all the magic that tingled and -loomed in the air. And he guarded them with his curses which floated -away the light and almost aimless will-o'-the-wisps, and even, at a -short distance, awed the trolls, but they ran and capered only a little -way off. And while the little group clustered about the Freer, seeking -solace from him against whatever impended, with which the air was -growing tenser and grimmer as the short day wore on, there went others -to Narl and the busy elders of Erl to say "See what your plans have -done. See what you have brought on the village." - -And none of the elders made immediate answer, but said that they must -take counsel one with another, for they trusted greatly in the words -said in their parliament. And to this intent they gathered again at the -forge of Narl. It was evening now, but the sun had not yet set nor Narl -gone from his work, but his fire was beginning to glow with a deeper -colour among the shadows that had entered his forge. And the elders came -in there walking slowly with grave faces, partly because of the mystery -that they needed to cover their folly from the sight of the villagers, -partly because magic hung now so gross in the air that they feared the -imminence of some portentous thing. They sat in their parliament in that -inner room, while the sun went low and the elfin horns, had they but -known it, blew clear and triumphantly. And there they sat in silence, -for what could they say? They had wished for magic, and now it had come. -Trolls were in all the streets, goblins had entered houses, and now the -nights were mad with will-o'-the-wisps; and all the air was heavy with -unknown magic. What could they say? And after a while Narl said they -must make a new plan; for they had been plain bell-fearing folk, but now -there were magical things all over Erl, and more came every night from -Elfland to join them, and what would become of the old ways unless they -made a plan? - -And Narl's words emboldened them all, though they felt the ominous -menace of the horns that they could not hear; but the talk of a plan -emboldened them, for they deemed they could plan against magic. And one -by one they rose to speak of a plan. - -But at sunset the talk died down. And their dread that something -impended grew now to a certain knowledge. Oth and Threl knew it first, -who had lived familiar with mystery in the woods. All knew that -something was coming. No one knew what. And they all sat silent -wondering in the gloaming. - -Lurulu saw it first. He had dreamed all day of the weed-green tarns of -Elfland, and growing weary of Earth, had gone all lonely to the top of a -tower that rose from the Castle of Erl and perched himself on a -battlement and gazed wistfully homewards. And looking out over the -fields we know, he saw the shining line coming down on Erl. And from it -he heard rise faint, as it rippled over the furrows, a murmur of many -old songs; for it came with all manner of memories, old music and lost -voices, sweeping back again to our old fields what time had driven from -Earth. It was coming towards him bright as the Evening Star, and -flashing with sudden colours, some common on Earth, and some unknown to -our rainbow; so that Lurulu knew it at once for the frontier of Elfland. -And all his impudence returned to him at sight of his fabulous home, and -he uttered shrill gusts of laughter from his high perch, that rang over -the roofs below like the chatter of building birds. And the little -homesick trolls in the lofts were cheered by the sound of his merriment -though they knew not from what it came. And now Orion heard the horns -blowing so loud and near, and there was such triumph in their blowing, -and pomp, and withal so wistful a crooning, that he knew now why they -blew, knew that they proclaimed the approach of a princess of the elfin -line, knew that his mother came back to him. - -High on her hill Ziroonderel knew this, being forwarned by magic; and -looking downward at evening she saw that star-like line of blended -twilights of old lost Summer evenings sweeping over the fields towards -Erl. Almost she wondered as she saw this glittering thing flowing over -the earthly pastures, although her wisdom had told her that it must -come. And on the one side she saw the fields we know, full of accustomed -things, and on the other, looking down from her height, she saw, behind -the myriad-tinted border, the deep green elfin foliage and Elfland's -magical flowers, and things that delirium sees not, nor inspiration, on -Earth; and the fabulous creatures of Elfland prancing forward; and, -stepping across our fields and bringing Elfland with her, the twilight -flowing from both her hands, which she stretched out a little from her, -was her own lady the Princess Lirazel coming back to her home. And at -this sight, and at all the strangeness coming across our fields, or -because of old memories that came with the twilight or bygone songs that -sang in it, a strange joy came shivering upon Ziroonderel, and if -witches weep she wept. - -And now from upper windows of the houses the folk began to see that -glittering line which was no earthly twilight: they saw it flash at them -with its starry gleam and then flow on towards them. Slowly it came as -though it rippled with difficulty over Earth's rugged bulk, though -moving lately over the rightful lands of the Elf King it had outspeeded -the comet. And hardly had they wondered at its strangeness, when they -found themselves amongst most familiar things, for the old memories that -floated before it, as a wind before the thunder, beat in a sudden gust -on their hearts and their houses, and lo! they were living once more -amongst things long past and lost. And as that line of no earthly light -came nearer there rustled before it a sound as of rain on leaves, old -sighs, breathed over again, old lovers' whispers repeated. And there -fell on these folk as they all leaned hushed from their windows a mood -that looked gently, wistfully backward through time, such a mood as -might lurk by huge dock-leaves in ancient gardens when everyone is gone -that has tended their roses or ever loved the bowers. - -Not yet had that line of starlight and bygone loves lapped at the walls -of Erl or foamed on the houses, but it was so near now that already -there slipped away the daily cares that held folk down to the present, -and they felt the balm of past days and blessings from hands long -withered. Now elders ran out to children that skipped with a rope in the -street, to bring them into the houses, not telling them why, for fear of -frightening their daughters. And the alarm in their mothers' faces for a -moment startled the children; then some of them looked to the eastward -and saw that shining line. "It is Elfland coming," they said, and went -on with their skipping. - -And the hounds knew, though what they knew I cannot say; but some -influence reached them from Elfland such as comes from the full moon, -and they bayed as they bay on clear nights when the fields are flooded -with moonlight. And the dogs in the streets that always watched lest -anything strange should come, knew how great a strangeness was near them -now and proclaimed it to all the valley. - -Already the old leather-worker in his cottage across the fields, looking -out of his window to see if his well were frozen, saw a May morning of -fifty years ago and his wife gathering lilac, for Elfland had beaten -Time away from his garden. - -And now the jackdaws had left the towers of Erl and flew away westward; -and the baying of the hounds filled all the air, and the barking of -lesser dogs. This suddenly ceased and a great hush fell on the village, -as though snow had suddenly fallen inches deep. And through the hush -came softly a strange old music; and no one spoke at all. - -Then where Ziroonderel sat by her door with her chin on her hand gazing, -she saw the bright line touch the houses and stop, flowing past them on -either side but held by the houses, as though it had met with something -too strong for its magic; but for only a moment the houses held back -that wonderful tide, for it broke over them with a burst of unearthly -foam, like a meteor of unknown metal burning in heaven, and passed on -and the houses stood all quaint and queer and enchanted, like homes -remembered out of a long-past age by the sudden waking of an inherited -memory. - -And then she saw the boy she had nursed step forward into the twilight, -drawn by a power no less than that which was moving Elfland: she saw him -and his mother meet again in all that light that was flooding the valley -with splendour. And Alveric was with her, he and she together a little -apart from attendant fabulous things, that escorted her all the way from -the vales of the Elfin Mountains. And from Alveric had fallen away that -heavy burden of years, and all the sorrow of wandering: he too was back -again in the days that were, with old songs and lost voices. And -Ziroonderel could not see the princess's tears when she met Orion again -after all that separation of space and time, for, though they flashed -like stars, she stood in the border in all that radiance of starlight -that shone about her like the broad face of a planet. But though the -witch saw not this there came to her old ears clearly the sounds of -songs returning again to our fields out of the glens of Elfland, wherein -they had lain so long, which were all the old songs lost from the -nurseries of the Earth. They crooned now about the meeting of Lirazel -and Orion. - -And Niv and Zend had ease at last from their fierce fancies, for their -wild thoughts sank to rest in the calm of Elfland and slept as hawks -sleep in their trees when evening has lulled the world. Ziroonderel saw -them standing together where the edge of the downs had been, a little -way off from Alveric. And there was Vand amongst his golden sheep, that -were munching the strange sweet juices of wonderful flowers. - -With all these wonders Lirazel came for her son, and brought Elfland -with her that never had moved before the width of a harebell over the -earthly border. And where they met was an old garden of roses under the -towers of Erl, where once she had walked, and none had cared for it -since. Great weeds were now in its walks, and even they were withered -with the rigour of late November: their dry stalks hissed about his feet -as Orion walked through them, and they swung back brown behind him over -untended paths. But before him bloomed in all their glory and beauty the -great voluptuous roses gorgeous with Summer. Between November that she -was driving before her and that old season of roses that she brought -back to her garden Lirazel and Orion met. For a moment the withered -garden lay brown behind him, then it all flashed into bloom, and the -wild glad song of birds from a hundred arbours welcomed back the old -roses. And Orion was back again in the beauty and brightness of days -whose dim fair shades his memory cherished, such as are the chief of all -the treasures of man; but the treasury in which they lie is locked, and -we have not the key. Then Elfland poured over Erl. - -Only the holy place of the Freer and the garden that was about it -remained still of our Earth, a little island all surrounded by wonder, -like a mountain peak all rocky, alone in air, when a mist wells up in -the gloaming from highland valleys, and leaves only one pinnacle darkly -to gaze at the stars. For the sound of his bell beat back the rune and -the twilight for a little distance all round. There he lived happy, -contented, not quite alone, amongst his holy things, for a few that had -been cut off by that magical tide lived on the holy island and served -him there. And he lived beyond the age of ordinary men, but not to the -years of magic. - -None ever crossed the boundary but one, the witch Ziroonderel, who from -her hill that was just on the earthward border would go by broom on -starry nights to see her lady again, where she dwelt unvexed by years, -with Alveric and Orion. Thence she comes sometimes, high in the night on -her broom, unseen by any down on the earthly fields, unless you chance -to notice star after star blink out for an instant as she passes by -them, and sits beside cottage doors and tells queer tales, to such as -care to have news of the wonders of Elfland. May I hear her again! - -And with the last of his world-disturbing runes sent forth, and his -daughter happy once more, the elfin King on his tremendous throne -breathed and drew in the calm in which Elfland basks; and all his realms -dreamed on in that ageless repose, of which deep green pools in summer -can barely guess; and Erl dreamed too with all the rest of Elfland and -so passed out of all remembrance of men. For the twelve that were of the -parliament of Erl looked through the window of that inner room, wherein -they planned their plans by the forge of Narl, and, gazing over their -familiar lands, perceived that they were no longer the fields we know. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The King of Elfland's Daughter, by Lord Dunsany - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER *** - -***** This file should be named 61077-8.txt or 61077-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/1/0/7/61077/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Distributed -Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The King of Elfland's Daughter - -Author: Lord Dunsany - -Release Date: January 2, 2020 [EBook #61077] -[Most recently updated: May 13, 2022] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 with BOM - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Distributed -Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER -*** - - - - - The King of Elfland's Daughter - - Lord Dunsany - - - BALLANTINE BOOKS - NEW YORK - - First Ballantine Books edition: June, 1969 - - Printed in Canada - - BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC. - 101 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003 - - - TO - LADY DUNSANY - - - - - Preface - - -I hope that no suggestion of any strange land that may be conveyed by -the title will scare readers away from this book; for, though some -chapters do indeed tell of Elfland, in the greater part of them there is -no more to be shown than the face of the fields we know, and ordinary -English woods and a common village and valley, a good twenty or -twenty-five miles from the border of Elfland. - - LORD DUNSANY - - - - - _Contents_ - - - Preface - - I The Plan of the Parliament of Erl - - II Alveric Comes in Sight of the Elfin Mountains - - III The Magical Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland - - IV Alveric Comes Back to Earth After Many Years - - V The Wisdom of the Parliament of Erl - - VI The Rune of the Elf King - - VII The Coming of the Troll - - VIII The Arrival of the Rune - - IX Lirazel Blows Away - - X The Ebbing of Elfland - - XI The Deep of the Woods - - XII The Unenchanted Plain - - XIII The Reticence of the Leather-Worker - - XIV The Quest for the Elfin Mountains - - XV The Retreat of the Elf King - - XVI Orion Hunts the Stag - - XVII The Unicorn Comes in the Starlight - - XVIII The Grey Tent in the Evening - - XIX Twelve Old Men Without Magic - - XX A Historical Fact - - XXI On the Verge of Earth - - XXII Orion Appoints a Whip - - XXIII Lurulu Watches the Restlessness - - XXIV Lurulu Speaks of Earth and the Ways of Men - - XXV Lirazel Remembers the Fields We Know - - XXVI The Horn of Alveric - - XXVII The Return of Lurulu - - XXVIII A Chapter on Unicorn-Hunting - - XXIX The Luring of the People of the Marshes - - XXX The Coming of Too Much Magic - - XXXI The Cursing of Elfin Things - - XXXII Lirazel Yearns for Earth - - XXXIII The Shining Line - - XXXIV The Last Great Rune - - - - - CHAPTER I - - _The Plan of the Parliament of Erl_ - - -In their ruddy jackets of leather that reached to their knees the men of -Erl appeared before their lord, the stately white-haired man in his long -red room. He leaned in his carven chair and heard their spokesman. - -And thus their spokesman said. - -"For seven hundred years the chiefs of your race have ruled us well; and -their deeds are remembered by the minor minstrels, living on yet in -their little tinkling songs. And yet the generations stream away, and -there is no new thing." - -"What would you?" said the lord. - -"We would be ruled by a magic lord," they said. - -"So be it," said the lord. "It is five hundred years since my people -have spoken thus in parliament, and it shall always be as your -parliament saith. You have spoken. So be it." - -And he raised his hand and blessed them and they went. - -They went back to their ancient crafts, to the fitting of iron to the -hooves of horses, to working upon leather, to tending flowers, to -ministering to the rugged needs of Earth; they followed the ancient -ways, and looked for a new thing. But the old lord sent a word to his -eldest son, bidding him come before him. - -And very soon the young man stood before him, in that same carven chair -from which he had not moved, where light, growing late, from high -windows, showed the aged eyes looking far into the future beyond that -old lord's time. And seated there he gave his son his commandment. - -"Go forth," he said, "before these days of mine are over, and therefore -go in haste, and go from here eastwards and pass the fields we know, -till you see the lands that clearly pertain to faery; and cross their -boundary, which is made of twilight, and come to that palace that is -only told of in song." - -"It is far from here," said the young man Alveric. - -"Yes," answered he, "it is far." - -"And further still," the young man said, "to return. For distances in -those fields are not as here." - -"Even so," said his father. - -"What do you bid me do," said the son, "when I come to that palace?" - -And his father said: "To wed the King of Elfland's daughter." - -The young man thought of her beauty and crown of ice, and the sweetness -that fabulous runes had told was hers. Songs were sung of her on wild -hills where tiny strawberries grew, at dusk and by early starlight, and -if one sought the singer no man was there. Sometimes only her name was -sung softly over and over. Her name was Lirazel. - -She was a princess of the magic line. The gods had sent their shadows to -her christening, and the fairies too would have gone, but that they were -frightened to see on their dewy fields the long dark moving shadows of -the gods, so they stayed hidden in crowds of pale pink anemones, and -thence blessed Lirazel. - -"My people demand a magic lord to rule over them. They have chosen -foolishly," the old lord said, "and only the Dark Ones that show not -their faces know all that this will bring: but we, who see not, follow -the ancient custom and do what our people in their parliament say. It -may be some spirit of wisdom they have not known may save them even yet. -Go then with your face turned towards that light that beats from -fairyland, and that faintly illumines the dusk between sunset and early -stars, and this shall guide you till you come to the frontier and have -passed the fields we know." - -Then he unbuckled a strap and a girdle of leather and gave his huge -sword to his son, saying: "This that has brought our family down the -ages unto this day shall surely guard you always upon your journey, even -though you fare beyond the fields we know." - -And the young man took it though he knew that no such sword could avail -him. - -Near the Castle of Erl there lived a lonely witch, on high land near the -thunder, which used to roll in Summer along the hills. There she dwelt -by herself in a narrow cottage of thatch and roamed the high fields -alone to gather the thunderbolts. Of these thunderbolts, that had no -earthly forging, were made, with suitable runes, such weapons as had to -parry unearthly dangers. - -And alone would roam this witch at certain tides of Spring, taking the -form of a young girl in her beauty, singing among tall flowers in -gardens of Erl. She would go at the hour when hawk-moths first pass from -bell to bell. And of those few that had seen her was this son of the -Lord of Erl. And though it was calamity to love her, though it rapt -men's thoughts away from all things true, yet the beauty of the form -that was not hers had lured him to gaze at her with deep young eyes, -till--whether flattery or pity moved her, who knows that is mortal?--she -spared him whom her arts might well have destroyed and, changing -instantly in that garden there, showed him the rightful form of a deadly -witch. And even then his eyes did not at once forsake her, and in the -moments that his glance still lingered upon that withered shape that -haunted the hollyhocks he had her gratitude that may not be bought, nor -won by any charms that Christians know. And she had beckoned to him and -he had followed, and learned from her on her thunder-haunted hill that -on the day of need a sword might be made of metals not sprung from -Earth, with runes along it that would waft away, certainly any thrust of -earthly sword, and except for three master-runes could thwart the -weapons of Elfland. - -As he took his father's sword the young man thought of the witch. - -It was scarcely dark in the valley when he left the Castle of Erl, and -went so swiftly up the witch's hill that a dim light lingered yet on its -highest heaths when he came near the cottage of the one that he sought, -and found her burning bones at a fire in the open. To her he said that -the day of his need was come. And she bade him gather thunderbolts in -her garden, in the soft earth under her cabbages. - -And there with eyes that saw every minute more dimly, and fingers that -grew accustomed to the thunderbolts' curious surfaces, he found before -darkness came down on him seventeen: and these he heaped into a silken -kerchief and carried back to the witch. - -On the grass beside her he laid those strangers to Earth. From -wonderful spaces they came to her magical garden, shaken by thunder from -paths that we cannot tread; and though not in themselves containing -magic were well adapted to carry what magic her runes could give. She -laid the thigh-bone of a materialist down, and turned to those stormy -wanderers. She arranged them in one straight row by the side of her -fire. And over them then she toppled the burning logs and the embers, -prodding them down with the ebon stick that is the sceptre of witches, -until she had deeply covered those seventeen cousins of Earth that had -visited us from their etherial home. She stepped back then from her fire -and stretched out her hands, and suddenly blasted it with a frightful -rune. The flames leaped up in amazement. And what had been but a lonely -fire in the night, with no more mystery than pertains to all such fires, -flared suddenly into a thing that wanderers feared. - -As the green flames, stung by her runes, leaped up, and the heat of the -fire grew intenser, she stepped backwards further and further, and -merely uttered her runes a little louder the further she got from the -fire. She bade Alveric pile on logs, dark logs of oak that lay there -cumbering the heath; and at once, as he dropped them on, the heat licked -them up; and the witch went on pronouncing her louder runes, and the -flames danced wild and green; and down in the embers the seventeen, -whose paths had once crossed Earth's when they wandered free, knew heat -again as great as they had known, even on that desperate ride that had -brought them here. And when Alveric could no longer come near the fire, -and the witch was some yards from it shouting her runes, the magical -flames burned all the ashes away and that portent that flared on the -hill as suddenly ceased, leaving only a circle that sullenly glowed on -the ground, like the evil pool that glares where thermite has burst. -And flat in the glow, all liquid still, lay the sword. - -The witch approached it and pared its edges with a sword that she drew -from her thigh. Then she sat down beside it on the earth and sang to it -while it cooled. Not like the runes that enraged the flames was the song -she sang to the sword: she whose curses had blasted the fire till it -shrivelled big logs of oak crooned now a melody like a wind in summer -blowing from wild wood gardens that no man tended, down valleys loved -once by children, now lost to them but for dreams, a song of such -memories as lurk and hide along the edges of oblivion, now flashing from -beautiful years a glimpse of some golden moment, now passing swiftly -out of remembrance again, to go back to the shades of oblivion, and -leaving on the mind those faintest traces of little shining feet which -when dimly perceived by us are called regrets. She sang of old Summer -noons in the time of harebells: she sang on that high dark heath a song -that seemed so full of mornings and evenings preserved with all their -dews by her magical craft from days that had else been lost, that -Alveric wondered of each small wandering wing, that her fire had lured -from the dusk, if this were the ghost of some day lost to man, called up -by the force of her song from times that were fairer. And all the while -the unearthly metal grew harder. The white liquid stiffened and turned -red. The glow of the red dwindled. And as it cooled it narrowed: little -particles came together, little crevices closed: and as they closed they -seized the air about them, and with the air they caught the witch's -rune, and gripped it and held it forever. And so it was it became a -magical sword. And little magic there is in English woods, from the -time of anemones to the falling of leaves, that was not in the sword. -And little magic there is in southern downs, that only sheep roam over -and quiet shepherds, that the sword had not too. And there was scent of -thyme in it and sight of lilac, and the chorus of birds that sings -before dawn in April, and the deep proud splendour of rhododendrons, and -the litheness and laughter of streams, and miles and miles of may. And -by the time the sword was black it was all enchanted with magic. - -Nobody can tell you about that sword all that there is to be told of it; -for those that know of those paths of Space on which its metals once -floated, till Earth caught them one by one as she sailed past on her -orbit, have little time to waste on such things as magic, and so cannot -tell you how the sword was made, and those who know whence poetry is, -and the need that man has for song, or know any one of the fifty -branches of magic, have little time to waste on such things as science, -and so cannot tell you whence its ingredients came. Enough that it was -once beyond our Earth and was now here amongst our mundane stones; that -it was once but as those stones, and now had something in it such as -soft music has; let those that can define it. - -And now the witch drew the black blade forth by the hilt, which was -thick and on one side rounded, for she had cut a small groove in the -soil below the hilt for this purpose, and began to sharpen both sides of -the sword by rubbing them with a curious greenish stone, still singing -over the sword an eerie song. - -Alveric watched her in silence, wondering, not counting time; it may -have been for moments, it may have been while the stars went far on -their courses. Suddenly she was finished. She stood up with the sword -lying on both her hands. She stretched it out curtly to Alveric; he -took it, she turned away; and there was a look in her eyes as though she -would have kept that sword, or kept Alveric. He turned to pour out his -thanks, but she was gone. - -He rapped on the door of the dark house; he called "Witch, Witch" along -the lonely heath, till children heard on far farms and were terrified. -Then he turned home, and that was best for him. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - _Alveric Comes in Sight of the Elfin Mountains_ - - -To the long chamber, sparsely furnished, high in a tower, in which -Alveric slept, there came a ray direct from the rising sun. He awoke, -and remembered at once the magical sword, which made all his awaking -joyous. It is natural to feel glad at the thought of a recent gift, but -there was also a certain joy in the sword itself, which perhaps could -communicate with Alveric's thoughts all the more easily just as they -came from dreamland, which was pre-eminently the sword's own country; -but, however it be, all those that have come by a magical sword, have -always felt that joy while it still was new, clearly and unmistakably. - -He had no farewells to make, but thought it better instantly to obey his -father's command than to stay to explain why he took upon his adventure -a sword that he deemed to be better than the one his father loved. So he -stayed not even to eat, but put food in a wallet and slung over him by a -strap a bottle of good new leather, not waiting to fill it for he knew -he should meet with streams; and, wearing his father's sword as swords -are commonly worn, he slung the other over his back with its rough hilt -tied near his shoulder, and strode away from the Castle and Vale of Erl. -Of money he took but little, half a handful of copper only, for use in -the fields we know; for he knew not what coin or what means of exchange -were used on the other side of the frontier of twilight. - -Now the Vale of Erl is very near to the border beyond which there is -none of the fields we know. He climbed the hill and strode over the -fields and passed through woods of hazel; and the blue sky shone on him -merrily as he went by the way of the fields, and the blue was as bright -by his feet when he came to the woods, for it was the time of the -bluebells. He ate, and filled his water-bottle, and travelled all day -eastwards, and at evening the mountains of faery came floating into -view, the colour of pale forget-me-nots. - -As the sun set behind Alveric he looked at those pale-blue mountains to -see with what colour their peaks would astonish the evening; but never a -tint they took from the setting sun, whose splendour was gilding all the -fields we know, never a wrinkle faded upon their precipices, never a -shadow deepened, and Alveric learned that for nothing that happens here -is any change in the enchanted lands. - -He turned his eyes from their serene pale beauty back to the fields we -know. And there, with their gables lifting into the sunlight above deep -hedgerows beautiful with Spring, he saw the cottages of earthly men. -Past them he walked while the beauty of evening grew, with songs of -birds, and scents wandering from flowers, and odours that deepened and -deepened, and evening decked herself to receive the Evening Star. But -before that star appeared the young adventurer found the cottage he -sought; for, flapping above its doorway, he saw the sign of huge brown -hide with outlandish letters in gilt which proclaimed the dweller below -to be a worker in leather. - -An old man came to the door when Alveric knocked, little and bent with -age, and he bent more when Alveric named himself. And the young man -asked for a scabbard for his sword, yet said not what sword it was. And -they both went into the cottage where the old wife was, by her big fire, -and the couple did honour to Alveric. The old man then sat down near his -thick table, whose surface shone with smoothness wherever it was not -pitted by little tools that had drilled through pieces of leather all -that man's lifetime and in the times of his fathers. And then he laid -the sword upon his knees and wondered at the roughness of hilt and -guard, for they were raw unworked metal, and at the huge width of the -sword; and then he screwed up his eyes and began to think of his trade. -And in a while he thought out what must be done; and his wife brought -him a fine hide; and he marked out on it two pieces as wide as the -sword, and a bit wider than that. - -And any questions he asked concerning that wide bright sword Alveric -somewhat parried, for he wished not to perplex his mind by telling him -all that it was: he perplexed that old couple enough a little later when -he asked them for lodging for the night. And this they gave him with as -many apologies as if it were they that had asked a favour, and gave him -a great supper out of their cauldron, in which boiled everything that -the old man snared; but nothing that Alveric was able to say prevented -them giving up their bed to him and preparing a heap of skins for their -own night's rest by the fire. - -And after their supper the old man cut out the two wide pieces of -leather with a point at the end of each and began to stitch them -together on each side. And then Alveric began to ask him of the way, -and the old leather-worker spoke of North and South and West and even of -north-east, but of East or south-east he spoke never a word. He dwelt -near the very edge of the fields we know, yet of any hint of anything -lying beyond them he or his wife said nothing. Where Alveric's journey -lay upon the morrow they seemed to think the world ended. - -And pondering afterwards, in the bed they gave him, all that the old man -had said, Alveric sometimes marvelled at his ignorance, and yet -sometimes wondered if it might have been skill by which those two had -avoided all the evening any word of anything lying to the East or -south-east of their home. He wondered if in his early days the old man -might have gone there, but he was unable even to wonder what he had -found there if he had gone. Then Alveric fell asleep, and dreams gave -him hints and guesses of the old man's wanderings in Fairyland, but gave -him no better guides than he had already, and these were the pale-blue -peaks of the Elfin Mountains. - -The old man woke him after he had slept long. When he came to the -day-room a bright fire was burning there, his breakfast was ready for -him and the scabbard made, which fitted the sword exactly. The old -people waited on him silently and took payment for the scabbard, but -would not take aught for their hospitality. Silently they watched him -rise to go, and followed him without a word to the door, and outside it -watched him still, clearly hoping that he would turn to the North or -West; but when he turned and strode for the Elfin Mountains, they -watched him no more, for their faces never were turned that way. And -though they watched him no longer yet he waved his hand in farewell; -for he had a feeling for the cottages and fields of these simple folk, -such as they had not for the enchanted lands. He walked in the sparkling -morning through scenes familiar from infancy; he saw the ruddy orchis -flowering early, reminding the bluebells they were just past their -prime; the small young leaves of the oak were yet a brownish yellow; the -new beech-leaves shone like brass, where the cuckoo was calling clearly; -and a birch tree looked like a wild woodland creature that had draped -herself in green gauze; on favoured bushes there were buds of may. -Alveric said over and over to himself farewell to all these things: the -cuckoo went on calling, and not for him. And then, as he pushed through -a hedge into a field untended, there suddenly close before him in the -field was, as his father had told, the frontier of twilight. It -stretched across the fields in front of him, blue and dense like water; -and things seen through it seemed misshapen and shining. He looked back -once over the fields we know; the cuckoo went on calling unconcernedly; -a small bird sang about its own affairs; and, nothing seeming to answer -or heed his farewells, Alveric strode on boldly into those long masses -of twilight. - -A man in a field not far was calling to horses, there were folk talking -in a neighbouring lane, as Alveric stepped into the rampart of twilight; -at once all these sounds grew dim, humming faintly, as from great -distances: in a few strides he was through, and not a murmur at all came -then from the fields we know. The fields through which he had come had -suddenly ended; there was no trace of its hedges bright with new green; -he looked back, and the frontier seemed lowering, cloudy and smoky; he -looked all round and saw no familiar thing; in the place of the beauty -of May were the wonders and splendours of Elfland. - -The pale-blue mountains stood august in their glory, shimmering and -rippling in a golden light that seemed as though it rhythmically poured -from the peaks and flooded all those slopes with breezes of gold. And -below them, far off as yet, he saw going up all silver into the air the -spires of the palace only told of in song. He was on a plain on which -the flowers were queer and the shape of the trees monstrous. He started -at once toward the silver spires. - -To those who may have wisely kept their fancies within the boundary of -the fields we know it is difficult for me to tell of the land to which -Alveric had come, so that in their minds they can see that plain with -its scattered trees and far off the dark wood out of which the palace of -Elfland lifted those glittering spires, and above them and beyond them -that serene range of mountains whose pinnacles took no colour from any -light we see. Yet it is for this very purpose that our fancies travel -far, and if my reader through fault of mine fail to picture the peaks of -Elfland my fancy had better have stayed in the fields we know. Know then -that in Elfland are colours more deep than are in our fields, and the -very air there glows with so deep a lucency that all things seen there -have something of the look of our trees and flowers in June reflected in -water. And the colour of Elfland, of which I despaired to tell, may yet -be told, for we have hints of it here; the deep blue of the night in -Summer just as the gloaming has gone, the pale blue of Venus flooding -the evening with light, the deeps of lakes in the twilight, all these -are hints of that colour. And while our sunflowers carefully turned to -the sun, some forefather of the rhododendrons must have turned a little -towards Elfland, so that some of that glory dwells with them to this -day. And, above all, our painters have had many a glimpse of that -country, so that sometimes in pictures we see a glamour too wonderful -for our fields; it is a memory of theirs that intruded from some old -glimpse of the pale-blue mountains while they sat at easels painting the -fields we know. - -So Alveric strode on through the luminous air of that land whose -glimpses dimly remembered are inspirations here. And at once he felt -less lonely. For there is a barrier in the fields we know, drawn sharply -between men and all other life, so that if we be but a day away from our -kind we are lonely; but once across the boundary of twilight and Alveric -saw this barrier was down. Crows walking on the moor looked whimsically -at him, all manner of little creatures peered curiously to see who was -come from a quarter whence so few ever came; to see who went on a -journey whence so few ever returned; for the King of Elfland guarded his -daughter well, as Alveric knew although he knew not how. There was a -merry sparkle of interest in all those little eyes, and a look that -might mean warning. - -There was perhaps less mystery here than on our side of the boundary of -twilight; for nothing lurked or seemed to lurk behind great boles of -oak, as in certain lights and seasons things may lurk in the fields we -know; no strangeness hid on the far side of ridges; nothing haunted deep -woods; whatever might possibly lurk was clearly there to be seen, -whatever strangeness might be was spread in full sight of the traveller, -whatever might haunt deep woods lived there in the open day. - -And, so strong lay the enchantment deep over all that land, that not -only did beasts and men guess each other's meanings well, but there -seemed to be an understanding even, that reached from men to trees and -from trees to men. Lonely pine trees that Alveric passed now and then on -the moor, their trunks glowing always with the ruddy light that they had -got by magic from some old sunset, seemed to stand with their branches -akimbo and lean over a little to look at him. It seemed almost as though -they had not always been trees, before enchantment had overtaken them -there; it seemed they would tell him something. - -But Alveric heeded no warnings either from beasts or trees, and strode -away toward the enchanted wood. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - _The Magical Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland_ - - -When Alveric came to the enchanted wood the light in which Elfland -glowed had neither grown nor dwindled, and he saw that it came from no -radiance that shines on the fields we know, unless the wandering lights -of wonderful moments that sometimes astonish our fields, and are gone -the instant they come, are strayed over the border of Elfland by some -momentary disorder of magic. Neither sun nor moon made the light of that -enchanted day. - -A line of pine trees up which ivy climbed, as high as their lowering -black foliage, stood like sentinels at the edge of the wood. The silver -spires were shining as though it were they that made all this azure glow -in which Elfland swam. And Alveric having by now come far into Elfland, -and being now before its capital palace, and knowing that Elfland -guarded its mysteries well, drew his father's sword before he entered -the wood. The other still hung on his back, slung in its new scabbard -over his left shoulder. - -And the moment he passed by one of those guardian pine trees, the ivy -that lived on it unfastened its tendrils and, rapidly letting itself -down, came straight for Alveric and clutched at his throat. - -The long thin sword of his father was just in time; had it not been -drawn he would have scarcely got it out, so swift was the rush of the -ivy. He cut tendril after tendril that grasped his limbs as ivy grasps -old towers, and still more tendrils came for him, until he severed its -main stem between him and the tree. And as he was doing this he heard a -hissing rush behind him, and another had come down from another tree and -was rushing at him with all its leaves spread out. The green thing -looked wild and angry as it gripped his left shoulder as though it would -hold it forever. But Alveric severed those tendrils with a blow of his -sword and then fought with the rest, while the first one was still alive -but now too short to reach him, and was lashing its branches angrily on -the ground. And soon, as the surprise of the attack was over and he had -freed himself of the tendrils that had gripped him, Alveric stepped back -till the ivy could not reach him and he could still fight it with his -long sword. The ivy crawled back then to lure Alveric on, and sprang at -him when he followed it. But, terrible though the grip of ivy is, that -was a good sharp sword; and very soon Alveric, all bruised though he -was, had so lopped his assailant that it fled back up its tree. Then he -stepped back and looked at the wood in the light of his new experience, -choosing a way through. He saw at once that in the barrier of pine trees -the two in front of him had had their ivy so shortened in the fight that -if he went mid-way between the two the ivy of neither would be able to -reach him. He then stepped forward, but the moment he did so he noticed -one of the pine trees move closer to the other. He knew then that the -time was come to draw his magical sword. - -So he returned his father's sword to the scabbard by his side and drew -out the other over his shoulder and, going straight up to the tree that -had moved, swept at the ivy as it sprang at him: and the ivy fell all at -once to the ground, not lifeless but a heap of common ivy. And then he -gave one blow to the trunk of the tree, and a chip flew out not larger -than a common sword would have made, but the whole tree shuddered; and -with that shudder disappeared at once a certain ominous look that the -pine had had, and it stood there an ordinary unenchanted tree. Then he -stepped on through the wood with his sword drawn. - -He had not gone many paces when he heard behind him a sound like a faint -breeze in the tree-tops, yet no wind was blowing in that wood at all. He -looked round therefore, and saw that the pine trees were following him. -They were coming slowly after him, keeping well out of the way of his -sword, but to left and right they were gaining on him, so that he saw he -was being gradually shut in by a crescent that grew thicker and thicker -as it crowded amongst the trees that it met on the way, and would soon -crush him to death. Alveric saw at once that to turn back would be -fatal, and decided to push right on, relying chiefly on speed; for his -quick perception had already noticed something slow about the magic that -swayed the wood; as though whoever controlled it were old or weary of -magic, or interrupted by other things. So he went straight ahead, -hitting every tree in his way, whether enchanted or not, a blow with his -magical sword; and the runes that ran in that metal from the other side -of the sun were stronger than any spells that there were in the wood. -Great oak trees with sinister boles drooped and lost all their -enchantment as Alveric flashed past them with a flick of that magical -sword. He was marching faster than the clumsy pines. And soon he left in -that weird and eerie wood a wake of trees that were wholly unenchanted, -that stood there now without hint of romance or mystery even. - -And all of a sudden he came from the gloom of the wood to the emerald -glory of the Elf King's lawns. Again, we have hints of such things here. -Imagine lawns of ours just emerging from night, flashing early lights -from their dewdrops when all the stars have gone; bordered with flowers -that just begin to appear, their gentle colours all coming back after -night; untrodden by any feet except the tiniest and wildest; shut off -from the wind and the world by trees in whose fronds is still darkness: -picture these waiting for the birds to sing; there is almost a hint -there sometimes of the glow of the lawns of Elfland; but then it passes -so quickly that we can never be sure. More beautiful than aught our -wonder guesses, more than our hearts have hoped, were the dewdrop lights -and twilights in which these lawns glowed and shone. And we have another -thing by which to hint of them, those seaweeds or sea-mosses that drape -Mediterranean rocks and shine out of blue-green water for gazers from -dizzy cliffs: more like sea-floors were these lawns than like any land -of ours, for the air of Elfland is thus deep and blue. - -At the beauty of these lawns Alveric stood gazing as they shone through -twilight and dew, surrounded by the mauve and ruddy glory of the massed -flowers of Elfland, beside which our sunsets pale and our orchids droop; -and beyond them lay like night the magical wood. And jutting from that -wood, with glittering portals all open wide to the lawns, with windows -more blue than our sky on Summer's nights; as though built of starlight; -shone that palace that may be only told of in song. - -As Alveric stood there with his sword in his hand, at the wood's edge, -scarcely breathing, with his eyes looking over the lawns at the chiefest -glory of Elfland; through one of the portals alone came the King of -Elfland's daughter. She walked dazzling to the lawns without seeing -Alveric. Her feet brushed through the dew and the heavy air and gently -pressed for an instant the emerald grass, which bent and rose, as our -harebells when blue butterflies light and leave them, roaming care-free -along the hills of chalk. - -And as she passed he neither breathed nor moved, nor could have moved if -those pines had still pursued him, but they stayed in the forest not -daring to touch those lawns. - -She wore a crown that seemed to be carved of great pale sapphires; she -shone on those lawns and gardens like a dawn coming unaware, out of long -night, on some planet nearer than us to the sun. And as she passed near -Alveric she suddenly turned her head; and her eyes opened in a little -wonder. She had never before seen a man from the fields we know. - -And Alveric gazed in her eyes all speechless and powerless still: it was -indeed the Princess Lirazel in her beauty. And then he saw that her -crown was not of sapphires but ice. - -"Who are you?" she said. And her voice had the music that, of earthly -things, was most like ice in thousands of broken pieces rocked by a wind -of Spring upon lakes in some northern country. - -And he said: "I come from the fields that are mapped and known." - -And then she sighed for a moment for those fields, for she had heard how -life beautifully passes there, and how there are always in those fields -young generations, and she thought of the changing seasons and children -and age, of which elfin minstrels had sung when they told of Earth. - -And when he saw her sigh for the fields we know he told her somewhat of -that land whence he had come. And she questioned him further, and soon -he was telling her tales of his home and the Vale of Erl. And she -wondered to hear of it and asked him many questions more; and then he -told her all that he knew of Earth, not presuming to tell Earth's story -from what his own eyes had seen in his bare score of years, but telling -those tales and fables of the ways of beasts and men, that the folk of -Erl had drawn out of the ages, and which their elders told by the fire -at evening when children asked of what happened long ago. Thus on the -edge of those lawns whose miraculous glory was framed by flowers we have -never known, with the magical wood behind them, and that palace shining -near which may only be told of in song, they spoke of the simple wisdom -of old men and old women, telling of harvests and the blossoming of -roses and may, of when to plant in gardens, of what wild animals knew; -how to heal, how to sow, how to thatch, and of which of the winds in -what seasons blow over the fields we know. - -And then there appeared those knights who guard that palace lest any -should come through the enchanted wood. Four of them they came shining -over the lawns in armour, their faces not to be seen. In all the -enchanted centuries of their lives they had not dared to dream of the -princess: they had never bared their faces when they knelt armed before -her. Yet they had sworn an oath of dreadful words that no man else -should ever speak with her, if one should come through the enchanted -wood. With this oath now on their lips they marched towards Alveric. - -Lirazel looked at them sorrowfully yet could not halt them, for they -came by command of her father which she could not avert; and well she -knew that her father might not recall his command, for he had uttered it -ages ago at the bidding of Fate. Alveric looked at their armour, which -seemed to be brighter than any metal of ours, as though it came from one -of those buttresses near, which are only told of in song; then he went -towards them drawing his father's sword, for he thought to drive its -slender point through some joint of the armour. The other he put into -his left hand. - -As the first knight struck, Alveric parried, and stopped the blow, but -there came a shock like lightning into his arm and the sword flew from -his hand, and he knew that no earthly sword could meet the weapons of -Elfland, and took the magical sword in his right hand. With this he -parried the strokes of the Princess Lirazel's guard, for such these four -knights were, having waited for this occasion through all the ages of -Elfland. And no more shock came to him from any of those swords, but -only a vibration in his own sword's metal that passed through it like a -song, and a kind of a glow that arose in it, reaching to Alveric's heart -and cheering it. - -But as Alveric continued to parry the swift blows of the guard, that -sword that was kin to the lightning grew weary of these defences, for it -had in its essence speed and desperate journeys; and, lifting Alveric's -hand along with it, it swept blows at the elvish knights, and the -armour of Elfland could not hold it out. Thick and curious blood began -to pour through rifts in the armour, and soon of that glittering company -two were fallen; and Alveric, encouraged by the zeal of his sword fought -cheerily and soon overthrew another, so that only he and one of the -guard remained, who seemed to have some stronger magic about him than -had been given to his fallen comrades. And so it was, for when the Elf -King had first enchanted the guard he had charmed this elvish soldier -first of all, while all the wonder of his runes were new; and the -soldier and his armour and his sword had something still of this early -magic about them, more potent than any inspirations of wizardry that had -come later from his master's mind. Yet this knight, as Alveric soon was -able to feel along his arm and his sword, had none of those three master -runes of which the old witch had spoken when she made the sword on her -hill; for these were preserved unuttered by the King of Elfland himself, -with which to hedge his own presence. To have known of their existence -she must have flown by broom to Elfland and spoken secretly alone with -the King. - -And the sword that had visited Earth from so far away smote like the -falling of thunderbolts; and green sparks rose from the armour, and -crimson as sword met sword; and thick elvish blood moved slowly, from -wide slits, down the cuirass; and Lirazel gazed in awe and wonder and -love; and the combatants edged away fighting into the forest; and -branches fell on them hacked off by their fight; and the runes in -Alveric's far-travelled sword exulted, and roared at the elf-knight; -until in the dark of the wood, amongst branches severed from -disenchanted trees, with a blow like that of a thunderbolt riving an oak -tree, Alveric slew him. - -At that crash, and at that silence, Lirazel ran to his side. - -"Quick!" she said. "For my father has three runes ..." She durst not -speak of them. - -"Whither?" said Alveric. - -And she said: "To the fields you know." - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - _Alveric Comes Back to Earth After Many Years_ - - -Back through the guarding wood went Alveric and Lirazel, she only -looking once more at those flowers and lawns, seen only by the -furthest-travelling fancies of poets in deepest sleep, then urging -Alveric on; he choosing the way past trees he had disenchanted. - -And she would not let him delay even to choose his path, but kept urging -him away from the palace that is only told of in song. And the other -trees began to come lumbering towards them, from beyond the lustreless -unromantic line that Alveric's sword had smitten, looking queerly as -they came at their stricken comrades, whose listless branches drooped -without magic or mystery. And as the moving trees came nearer Lirazel -would hold up her hand, and they all halted and came on no more; and -still she urged upon Alveric to hasten. - -She knew her father would climb the brazen stairs of one of those silver -spires, she knew he would soon come out on to a high balcony, she knew -what rune he would chant. She heard the sound of his footsteps -ascending, ringing now through the wood. They fled over the plain beyond -the wood, all through the blue everlasting elfin day, and again and -again she looked over her shoulder and urged Alveric on. The Elf King's -feet boomed slow on the thousand brazen steps, and she hoped to reach -the barrier of twilight, which on that side was smoky and dull; when -suddenly, as she looked for the hundredth time at the distant balconies -of the glittering spires, she saw a door begin to open high up, above -the palace only told of in song. She cried "Alas!" to Alveric, but at -that moment the scent of briar roses came drifting to them from the -fields we know. - -Alveric knew not fatigue for he was young, nor she for she was ageless. -They rushed forward, he taking her hand; the Elf King lifted his beard, -and just as he began to intone a rune that only once may be uttered, -against which nothing from our fields can avail, they were through the -frontier of twilight, and the rune shook and troubled those lands in -which Lirazel walked no longer. - -When Lirazel looked upon the fields we know, as strange to her as once -they have been to us, their beauty delighted her. She laughed to see the -haystacks and loved their quaintness. A lark was singing and Lirazel -spoke to it, and the lark seemed not to understand, but she turned to -other glories of our fields, for all were new to her, and forgot the -lark. It was curiously no longer the season of bluebells, for all the -foxgloves were blooming and the may was gone and the wild roses were -there. Alveric never understood this. - -It was early morning and the sun was shining, giving soft colours to our -fields, and Lirazel rejoiced in those fields of ours at more common -things than one might believe there were amongst the familiar sights of -Earth's every day. So glad was she, so gay, with her cries of surprise -and her laughter, that there seemed thenceforth to Alveric a beauty -that he had never dreamed of in buttercups, and a humour in carts that -he never had thought of before. Each moment she found with a cry of -joyous discovery some treasure of Earth's that he had not known to be -fair. And then, as he watched her bringing a beauty to our fields more -delicate even than that the wild roses brought, he saw that her crown of -ice had melted away. - -And thus she came from the palace that may only be told of in song, over -the fields of which I need not tell, for they were the familiar fields -of Earth, that the ages change but little and only for a while, and came -at evening with Alveric to his home. - -All was changed in the Castle of Erl. In the gateway they met a guardian -whom Alveric knew: the man wondered to see them. In the hall and upon -the stairway they met some that tended the castle, who turned their -heads in surprise. Alveric knew them also, but all were older; and he -saw that quite ten years must have passed away during that one blue day -he had spent in Elfland. - -Who does not know that this is the way of Elfland? And yet who would not -be surprised if they saw it happen as Alveric saw it now? He turned to -Lirazel and told her how ten or twelve years were gone. But it was as -though a humble man who had wed an earthly princess should tell her he -had lost sixpence; time had had no value or meaning to Lirazel, and she -was untroubled to hear of the ten lost years. She did not dream what -time means to us here. - -They told Alveric that his father was long since dead. And one told him -how he died happy, without impatience, trusting to Alveric to accomplish -his bidding; for he had known somewhat of the ways of Elfland, and knew -that those that traffic twixt here and there must have something of that -calm in which Elfland forever dreams. - -Up the valley, ringing late, they heard the blacksmith's work. This -blacksmith was he who had been the spokesman of those who went once to -the long red room to the Lord of Erl. And all these men yet lived; for -time though it moved over the Vale of Erl, as over all fields we know, -moved gently, not as in our cities. - -Thence Alveric and Lirazel went to the holy place of the Freer. And when -they found him Alveric asked the Freer to wed them with Christom rites. -And when the Freer saw the beauty of Lirazel flash mid the common things -in his little holy place, for he had ornamented the walls of his house -with knick-knacks that he sometimes bought at the fairs, he feared at -once she was of no mortal line. And, when he asked her whence she came -and she happily answered "Elfland," the good man clasped his hands and -told her earnestly how all in that land dwelt beyond salvation. But she -smiled, for while in Elfland she had always been idly happy, and now she -only cared for Alveric. The Freer went then to his books to see what -should be done. - -For a long while he read in silence but for his breathing, while Alveric -and Lirazel stood before him. And at last he found in his book a form of -service for the wedding of a mermaid that had forsaken the sea, though -the good book told not of Elfland. And this he said would suffice, for -that the mermaids dwelt equally with the elf-folk beyond thought of -salvation. So he sent for his bell and such tapers as are necessary. -Then, turning to Lirazel, he bade her forsake and forswear and solemnly -to renounce all things pertaining to Elfland, reading slowly out of a -book the words to be used on this wholesome occasion. - -"Good Freer," Lirazel answered, "nought said in these fields can cross -the barrier of Elfland. And well that this is so, for my father has -three runes that could blast this book when he answered one of its -spells, were any word able to pass through the frontier of twilight. I -will spell no spells with my father." - -"But I cannot wed Christom man," the Freer replied, "with one of the -stubborn who dwell beyond salvation." - -Then Alveric implored her and she said the say in the book, "though my -father could blast this spell," she added, "if it ever crossed one of -his runes." And, the bell being now brought and the tapers, the good man -wedded them in his little house with the rites that are proper for the -wedding of a mermaid that hath forsaken the sea. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - _The Wisdom of the Parliament of Erl_ - - -In those bridal days the men of Erl came often to the castle, bringing -gifts and felicitations; and in the evenings they would talk in their -houses of the fair things that they hoped for the Vale of Erl on account -of the wisdom of the thing they had done when they spoke with the old -lord in his long red room. - -There was Narl the blacksmith, who had been their leader; there was -Guhic, who first had thought of it, after speaking with his wife, an -upland farmer of clover pastures near Erl; there was Nehic a driver of -horses; there were four vendors of beeves; and Oth, a hunter of deer; -and Vlel the master-ploughman: all these and three men more had gone to -the Lord of Erl and made that request that had set Alveric on his -wanderings. And now they spoke of all the good that would come of it. -They had all desired that the Vale of Erl should be known among men, as -was, they felt, its desert. They had looked in histories, they had read -books treating of pasture, yet seldom found mention at all of the vale -they loved. And one day Guhic had said "Let all us people be ruled in -the future by a magic lord, and he shall make the name of the valley -famous, and there shall be none that have heard not the name of Erl." - -And all had rejoiced and had made a parliament; and it had gone, twelve -men, to the Lord of Erl. And it had been as I have told. - -So now they spoke over their mead of the future of Erl, and its place -among other valleys, and of the reputation that it should have in the -world. They would meet and talk in the great forge of Narl, and Narl -would bring them mead from an inner room, and Threl would come in late -from his work in the woods. The mead was of clover honey, heavy and -sweet; and when they had sat awhile in the warm room, talking of daily -things of the valley and uplands, they would turn their minds to the -future, seeing as through a golden mist the glory of Erl. One praised -the beeves, another the horses, another the good soil, and all looked to -the time when other lands should know the great mastery among valleys -that was held by the valley of Erl. - -And Time that brought these evenings bore them away, moving over the -Vale of Erl as over all fields we know, and it was Spring again and the -season of bluebells. And one day in the prime of the wild anemones, it -was told that Alveric and Lirazel had a son. - -Then all the people of Erl lit a fire next night on the hill, and danced -about it and drank mead and rejoiced. All day they had dragged logs and -branches for it from a wild wood near, and the glow of the fire was seen -in other lands. Only on the pale-blue peaks of the mountains of Elfland -no gleam of it shone, for they are unchanged by ought that can happen -here. - -And when they rested from dancing round their fires they would sit on -the ground and foretell the fortune of Erl, when it should be ruled over -by this son of Alveric with all the magic he would have from his -mother. And some said he would lead them to war, and some said to deeper -ploughing; and all foretold a better price for their beeves. None slept -that night for dancing and foretelling a glorious future, and for -rejoicing at the things they foretold. And above all they rejoiced that -the name of Erl should be thenceforth known and honoured in other lands. - -Then Alveric sought for a nurse for his child, all through the valley -and uplands, and not easily found any worthy of having the care of one -that was of the royal line of Elfland; and those that he found were -frightened of the light, as though not of our Earth or sky, that seemed -to shine at times in the baby's eyes. And in the end he went one windy -morning up the hill of the lonely witch, and found her sitting idly in -her doorway, having nothing to curse or bless. - -"Well," said the witch, "did the sword bring you fortune?" - -"Who knows," said Alveric, "what brings fortune, since we cannot see the -end?" - -And he spoke wearily, for he was weary with age, and never knew how many -years had gone over him on the day he travelled to Elfland; far more it -seemed than had passed on that same day over Erl. - -"Aye," said the witch. "Who knows the end but we?" - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "I wedded the King of Elfland's daughter." - -"That was a great advancement," said the old witch. - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "we have a child. And who shall care for -him?" - -"No human task," said the witch. - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "will you come to the Vale of Erl and -care for him and be the nurse at the castle? For none but you in all -these fields knows ought of the things of Elfland, except the princess, -and she knows nothing of Earth." - -And the old witch answered: "For the sake of the King I will come." - -So the witch came down from the hill with a bundle of queer belongings. -And thus the child was nursed in the fields we know by one who knew -songs and tales of his mother's country. - -And often, as they bent together over the baby, that aged witch and the -Princess Lirazel would talk together, and afterwards through long -evenings, of things about which Alveric knew nothing: and for all the -age of the witch, and the wisdom that she had stored in her hundred -years, which is all hidden from man, it was nevertheless she who learned -when they talked together, and the Princess Lirazel who taught. But of -Earth and the ways of Earth Lirazel never knew anything. - -And this old witch that watched over the baby so tended him and so -soothed, that in all his infancy he never wept. For she had a charm for -brightening the morning, and a charm for cheering the day, and a charm -for calming a cough, and a charm for making the nursery warm and -pleasant and eerie, when the fire leaped up at the sound of it, from -logs that she had enchanted, and sent large shadows of the things about -the fire quivering dark and merry over the ceiling. - -And the child was cared for by Lirazel and the witch as children are -cared for whose mothers are merely human; but he knew tunes and runes -besides, that other children hear not in fields we know. - -So the old witch moved about the nursery with her black stick, guarding -the child with her runes. If a draught on windy nights shrilled in -through some crack she had a spell to calm it; and a spell to charm the -song that the kettle sang, till its melody brought hints of strange news -from mist-hidden places, and the child grew to know the mystery of far -valleys that his eyes had never seen. And at evening she would raise her -ebon stick and, standing before the fire amongst all the shadows, would -enchant them and make them dance for him. And they took all manner of -shapes of good and evil, dancing to please the baby; so that he came to -have knowledge not only of the things with which Earth is stored; pigs, -trees, camels, crocodiles, wolves, and ducks, good dogs and the gentle -cow; but of the darker things also that men have feared, and the things -they have hoped and guessed. Through those evenings the things that -happen, and the creatures that are, passed over those nursery walls, and -he grew familiar with the fields we know. And on warm afternoons the -witch would carry him through the village, and all the dogs would bark -at her eerie figure, but durst not come too close, for a page-boy behind -her carried the ebon stick. And dogs, that know so much, that know how -far a man can throw a stone, and if he would beat them, and if he durst -not, knew also that this was no ordinary stick. So they kept far away -from that queer black stick in the hand of the page, and snarled, and -the villagers came out to see. And all were glad when they saw how -magical a nurse the young heir had, "for here," they said, "is the witch -Ziroonderel," and they declared that she would bring him up amongst the -true principles of wizardry, and that in his time there would be magic -that would make all their valley famous. And they beat their dogs until -they slunk indoors, but the dogs clung to their suspicions still. So -that when the men were gone to the forge of Narl, and their houses were -quiet in the moonlight and Narl's windows glowed, and the mead had gone -round, and they talked of the future of Erl, more and more voices -joining in the tale of its coming glory, on soft feet the dogs would -come out to the sandy street and howl. - -And to the high sunny nursery Lirazel would come, bringing a brightness -that the learned witch had not in all her spells, and would sing to her -boy those songs that none can sing to us here, for they were learned the -other side of the frontier of twilight and were made by singers all -unvexed by Time. And for all the marvel that there was in those songs, -whose origin was so far from the fields we know, and in times remote -from those that historians use; and though men wondered at the -strangeness of them when from open casements through the Summer days -they drifted over Erl; yet none wondered even at those as she wondered -at the earthly ways of her child and all the little human things that he -did more and more as he grew. For all human ways were strange to her. -And yet she loved him more than her father's realm, or the glittering -centuries of her ageless youth, or the palace that may be told of only -in song. - -In those days Alveric learned that she would never now grow familiar -with earthly things, never understand the folk that dwelt in the valley, -never read wise books without laughter, never care for earthly ways, -never feel more at ease in the Castle of Erl than any woodland thing -that Threl might have snared and kept caged in a house. He had hoped -that soon she would learn the things that were strange to her, till the -little differences that there are between things in our fields and in -Elfland should not trouble her any more; but he saw at last that the -things that were strange would always so remain, and that all the -centuries of her timeless home had not so lightly shaped her thoughts -and fancies that they could be altered by our brief years here. When he -had learned this he had learned the truth. - -Between the spirits of Alveric and Lirazel lay all the distance there is -between Earth and Elfland; and love bridged the distance, which can -bridge further than that; yet when for a moment on the golden bridge he -would pause and let his thoughts look down at the gulf, all his mind -would grow giddy and Alveric trembled. What of the end, he thought? And -feared lest it should be stranger than the beginning. - -And she, she did not see that she should know anything. Was not her -beauty enough? Had not a lover come at last to those lawns that shone by -the palace only told of in song, and rescued her from her uncompanioned -fate and from that perpetual calm? Was it not enough that he had come? -Must she needs understand the curious things folk did? Must she never -dance in the road, never speak to goats, never laugh at funerals, never -sing at night? Why! What was joy for if it must be hidden? Must -merriment bow to dulness in these strange fields she had come to? And -then one day she saw how a woman of Erl looked less fair than she had -looked a year ago. Little enough was the change, but her swift eye saw -it surely. And she went to Alveric crying to be comforted, because she -feared that Time in the fields we know might have power to harm that -beauty that the long long ages of Elfland had never dared to dim. And -Alveric had said that Time must have his way, as all men know; and where -was the good of complaining? - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - _The Rune of the Elf King_ - - -On the high balcony of his gleaming tower the King of Elfland stood. -Below him echoed yet the thousand steps. He had lifted his head to chant -the rune that should hold his daughter in Elfland, and in that moment -had seen her pass the murky barrier; which on this side, facing toward -Elfland, is all lustrous with twilight, and on that side, facing towards -the fields we know, is smoky and angry and dull. And now he had dropped -his head till his beard lay mingled with his cape of ermine above his -cerulean cloak, and stood there silently sorrowful, while time passed -swift as ever over the fields we know. - -And standing there all blue and white against his silver tower, aged by -the passing of times of which we know nothing, before he imposed its -eternal calm upon Elfland, he thought of his daughter amongst our -pitiless years. For he knew, whose wisdom surpassed the confines of -Elfland and touched our rugged fields, knew well the harshness of -material things and all the turmoil of Time. Even as he stood there he -knew that the years that assail beauty, and the myriad harshnesses that -vex the spirit, were already about his daughter. And the days that -remained to her now seemed scarce more to him, dwelling beyond the fret -and ruin of Time, than to us might seem a briar rose's hours when -plucked and foolishly hawked in the streets of a city. He knew that -there hung over her now the doom of all mortal things. He thought of her -perishing soon, as mortal things must; to be buried amongst the rocks of -a land that scorned Elfland and that held its most treasured myths to be -of little account. And were he not the King of all that magical land, -which held its eternal calm from his own mysterious serenity, he had -wept to think of the grave in rocky Earth gripping that form that was so -fair forever. Or else, he thought, she would pass to some paradise far -from his knowledge, some heaven of which books told in the fields we -know, for he had heard even of this. He pictured her on some -apple-haunted hill, under blossoms of an everlasting April, through -which flickered the pale gold haloes of those that had cursed Elfland. -He saw, though dimly for all his magical wisdom, the glory that only the -blessed clearly see. He saw his daughter on those heavenly hills stretch -out both arms, as he knew well she would, towards the pale-blue peaks of -her elfin home, while never one of the blessed heeded her yearning. And -then, though he was king of all that land, that had its everlasting calm -from him, he wept and all Elfland shivered. It shivered as placid water -shivers here if something suddenly touches it from our fields. - -Then the King turned and left his balcony and went in great haste down -his brazen steps. - -He came clanging to the ivory doors that shut the tower below, and -through them came to the throne-room of which only song may tell. And -there he took a parchment out of a coffer and a plume from some -fabulous wing, and dipping the plume into no earthly ink, wrote out a -rune on the parchment. Then raising two fingers he made the minor -enchantment whereby he summoned his guard. And no guard came. - -I have said that no time passed at all in Elfland. Yet the happening of -events is in itself a manifestation of time, and no event can occur -unless time pass. Now it is thus with time in Elfland: in the eternal -beauty that dreams in that honied air nothing stirs or fades or dies, -nothing seeks its happiness in movement or change or a new thing, but -has its ecstasy in the perpetual contemplation of all the beauty that -has ever been, and which always glows over those enchanted lawns as -intense as when first created by incantation or song. Yet if the -energies of the wizard's mind arose to meet a new thing, then that power -that had laid its calm upon Elfland and held back time troubled the calm -awhile, and time for awhile shook Elfland. Cast anything into a deep -pool from a land strange to it, where some great fish dreams, and green -weeds dream, and heavy colours dream, and light sleeps; the great fish -stirs, the colours shift and change, the green weeds tremble, the light -wakes, a myriad things know slow movement and change; and soon the whole -pool is still again. It was the same when Alveric passed through the -border of twilight and right through the enchanted wood, and the King -was troubled and moved, and all Elfland trembled. - -When the King saw that no guard came he looked into the wood which he -knew to be troubled, through the deep mass of the trees, that were -quivering yet with the coming of Alveric; he looked through the deeps of -the wood and the silver walls of his palace, for he looked by -enchantment, and there he saw the four knights of his guard lying -stricken upon the ground with their thick elvish blood hanging out -through slits in their armour. And he thought of the early magic whereby -he had made the eldest, with a rune all newly inspired, before he had -conquered Time. He passed out through the splendour and glow of one of -his flashing portals, and over a gleaming lawn and came to the fallen -guard, and saw the trees still troubled. - -"There has been magic here," said the King of Elfland. - -And then though he only had three runes that could do such a thing, and -though they only could be uttered once, and one was already written upon -parchment to bring his daughter home, he uttered the second of his most -magical runes over that elder knight that his magic had made long ago. -And in the silence that followed the last words of the rune the rents in -the moon-bright armour all clicked shut at once, and the thick dark -blood was gone and the knight rose live to his feet. And the Elf King -now had only one rune left that was mightier than any magic we know. - -The other three knights lay dead; and, having no souls, their magic -returned again to the mind of their master. - -He went back then to his palace, while he sent the last of his guard to -fetch him a troll. - -Dark brown of skin and two or three feet high the trolls are a gnomish -tribe that inhabit Elfland. And soon there was a scamper in the -throne-room that may only be told of in song, and a troll lit by the -throne on its two bare feet and stood before its king. The King gave it -the parchment with the rune written thereon, saying: "Scamper hence, and -pass over the end of the Land, until you come to the fields that none -know here; and find the Princess Lirazel who is gone to the haunts of -men, and give her this rune and she shall read it and all shall be -well." - -And the troll scampered thence. - -And soon the troll was come with long leaps to the frontier of twilight. -Then nothing moved in Elfland any more; and motionless on that splendid -throne of which only song may speak sat the old King mourning in -silence. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - _The Coming of the Troll_ - - -When the troll came to the frontier of twilight he skipped nimbly -through; yet he emerged cautiously into the fields we know, for he was -afraid of dogs. Slipping quietly out of those dense masses of twilight -he came so softly into our fields that no eye had seen him unless it -were gazing already at the spot at which he appeared. There he paused -for some instants, looking to left and right; and, seeing no dogs, he -left the barrier of twilight. This troll had never before been in the -fields we know, yet he knew well to avoid dogs, for the fear of dogs is -so deep and universal amongst all that are less than Man, that it seems -to have passed even beyond our boundaries and to have been felt in -Elfland. - -In our fields it was now May, and the buttercups stretched away before -the troll, a world of yellow mingled with the brown of the budding -grasses. When he saw so many buttercups shining there the wealth of -Earth astonished him. And soon he was moving through them, yellowing his -shins as he went. - -He had not gone far from Elfland when he met with a hare, who was lying -in a comfortable arrangement of grass, in which he had intended to pass -the time till he should have things to see to. - -When the hare saw the troll he sat there without any movement whatever, -and without any expression in his eyes, and did nothing at all but -think. - -When the troll saw the hare he skipped nearer, and lay down before it in -the buttercups, and asked it the way to the haunts of men. And the hare -went on thinking. - -"Thing of these fields," repeated the troll, "where are the haunts of -men?" - -The hare got up then and walked towards the troll, which made the hare -look very ridiculous, for he had none of the grace while walking that he -has when he runs or gambols, and was much lower in front than behind. He -put his nose into the troll's face and twitched foolish whiskers. - -"Tell me the way," said the troll. - -When the hare perceived that the troll did not smell of anything like -dog he was content to let the troll question him. But he did not -understand the language of Elfland, so he lay still again and thought -while the troll talked. - -And at last the troll wearied of getting no answer, so he leaped up and -shouted "Dogs!" and left the hare and scampered away merrily over the -buttercups, taking any direction that led away from Elfland. And though -the hare could not quite understand elvish language, yet there was a -vehemence in the tone in which the troll had shouted Dogs which caused -apprehension to enter the thoughts of the hare, so that very soon he -forsook his arrangement of grass, and lollopped away through the meadow -with one scornful look after the troll; but he did not go very fast, -going mostly on three legs, with one hind leg all ready to let down if -there should really be dogs. And soon he paused and sat up and put up -his ears, and looked across the buttercups and thought deeply. And -before the hare had ceased to ponder the troll's meaning the troll was -far out of sight and had forgotten what he had said. - -And soon he saw the gables of a farm-house rise up beyond a hedge. They -seemed to look at him with little windows up under red tiles. "A haunt -of man," said the troll. And yet some elvish instinct seemed to tell him -that it was not here that Princess Lirazel had come. Still, he went -nearer the farm and began to gaze at its poultry. But just at that -moment a dog saw him, one that had never seen a troll before, and it -uttered one canine cry of astonished indignation, and keeping all the -rest of its breath for the chase, sped after the troll. - -The troll began at once to rise and dip over the buttercups as though he -had almost borrowed its speed from the swallow and were riding the lower -air. Such speed was new to the dog, and he went in a long curve after -the troll, leaning over as he went, his mouth open and silent, the wind -rippling all the way from his nose to his tail in one wavy current. The -curve was made by the dog's baffled hopes to catch the troll as he -slanted across. Soon he was straight behind; and the troll toyed with -speed; breathing the flowery air in long fresh draughts above the tops -of the buttercups. He thought no more of the dog, but he did not cease -in the flight that the dog had caused, because of the joy of the speed. -And this strange chase continued over those fields, the troll driven on -by joy and the dog by duty. For the sake of novelty then the troll put -his feet together as he leaped over the flowers and, alighting with -rigid knees, fell forwards on to his hands and so turned over; and, -straightening his elbows suddenly as he turned, shot himself into the -air still turning over and over. He did this several times, increasing -the indignation of the dog, who knew well enough that that was no way to -go over the fields we know. But for all his indignation the dog had seen -clear enough that he would never catch that troll, and presently he -returned to the farm, and found his master there and went up to him -wagging his tail. So hard he wagged it that the farmer was sure he had -done some useful thing, and patted him, and there the matter ended. - -And it was well enough for the farmer that his dog has chased that troll -from his farm; for had it communicated to his livestock any of the -wonder of Elfland they would have mocked at Man, and that farmer would -have lost the allegiance of all but his staunch dog. - -And the troll went on gaily over the tips of the buttercups. - -Presently he saw rising up all white over the flowers a fox that was -facing him with his white chest and chin, and watching the troll as it -went. The troll went near to him and took a look. And the fox went on -watching him, for the fox watches all things. - -He had come back lately to those dewy fields from slinking by night -along the boundary of twilight that lies between here and Elfland. He -even prowls inside the very boundary, walking amongst the twilight; and -it is in the mystery of that heavy twilight that lies between here and -there that there clings to him some of that glamour that he brings with -him to our fields. - -"Well, Noman's Dog," said the troll. For they know the fox in Elfland, -from seeing him often go dimly along their borders; and this is the name -they give him. - -"Well, Thing-over-the-Border," said the fox when he answered at all. For -he knew troll-talk. - -"Are the haunts of men near here?" said the troll. - -The fox moved his whiskers by slightly wrinkling his lip. Like all liars -he reflected before he spoke, and sometimes even let wise silences do -better than speech. - -"Men live here and men live there," said the fox. - -"I want their haunts," said the troll. - -"What for?" said the fox. - -"I have a message from the King of Elfland." - -The fox showed no respect or fear at the mention of that dread name, but -slightly moved his head and eyes to conceal the awe that he felt. - -"If it is a message," he said, "their haunts are over there." And he -pointed with his long thin nose towards Erl. - -"How shall I know when I get there?" said the troll. - -"By the smell," said the fox. "It is a big haunt of men, and the smell -is dreadful." - -"Thanks, Noman's Dog," said the troll. And he seldom thanked anyone. - -"I should never go near them," said the fox, "but for ..." And he paused -and reflected silently. - -"But for what?" said the troll. - -"But for their poultry." And he fell into a grave silence. - -"Good-bye, Noman's Dog," said the troll and turned head-over-heels, and -was off on his way to Erl. - -Passing over the buttercups all through the dewy morning the troll was -far on his way by the afternoon, and saw before evening the smoke and -the towers of Erl. It was all sunk in a hollow; and gables and chimneys -and towers peered over the lip of the valley, and smoke hung over them -on the dreamy air. "The haunts of men," said the troll. Then he sat -down amongst the grasses and looked at it. - -Presently he went nearer and looked at it again. He did not like the -look of the smoke and that crowd of gables: certainly it smelt -dreadfully. There had been some legend in Elfland of the wisdom of Man; -and whatever respect that legend had gained for us in the light mind of -the troll now all blew lightly away as he looked at the crowded houses. -And as he looked at them there passed a child of four, a small girl on a -footpath over the fields, going home in the evening to Erl. They looked -at each other with round eyes. - -"Hullo," said the child. - -"Hullo, Child of Men," said the troll. - -He was not speaking troll-talk now, but the language of Elfland, that -grander tongue that he had had to speak when he was before the King: for -he knew the language of Elfland although it was never used in the homes -of the trolls, who preferred troll-talk. This language was spoken in -those days also by men, for there were fewer languages then, and the -elves and the people of Erl both used the same. - -"What are you?" said the child. - -"A troll of Elfland," answered the troll. - -"So I thought," said the child. - -"Where are you going, child of men?" the troll asked. - -"To the houses," the child replied. - -"We don't want to go there," said the troll. - -"N-no," said the child. - -"Come to Elfland," the troll said. - -The child thought for awhile. Other children had gone, and the elves -always sent a changeling in their place, so that nobody quite missed -them and nobody really knew. She thought awhile of the wonder and -wildness of Elfland, and then of her own home. - -"N-no," said the child. - -"Why not?" said the troll. - -"Mother made a jam roll this morning," said the child. And she walked on -gravely home. Had it not been for that chance jam roll she had gone to -Elfland. - -"Jam!" said the troll contemptuously and thought of the tarns of -Elfland, the great lily-leaves lying flat upon their solemn waters, the -huge blue lilies towering into the elf-light above the green deep tarns: -for jam this child had forsaken them! - -Then he thought of his duty again, the roll of parchment and the Elf -King's rune for his daughter. He had carried the parchment in his left -hand when he ran, in his mouth when he somersaulted over the buttercups. -Was the Princess here he thought? Or were there other haunts of men? As -evening drew in he crept nearer and nearer the homes, to hear without -being seen. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - _The Arrival of the Rune_ - - -On a sunny May morning in Erl the witch Ziroonderel sat in the castle -nursery by the fire, cooking a meal for the baby. The boy was now three -years old, and still Lirazel had not named him; for she feared lest some -jealous spirit of Earth or air should hear the name, and if so she would -not say what she feared then. And Alveric had said he must be named. - -And the boy could bowl a hoop; for the witch had gone one misty night to -her hill and had brought him a moon-halo which she got by enchantment at -moonrise, and had hammered it into a hoop, and had made him a little rod -of thunderbolt-iron with which to beat it along. - -And now the boy was waiting for his breakfast; and there was a spell -across the threshold to keep the nursery snug, which Ziroonderel had put -there with a wave of her ebon stick, and it kept out rats and mice and -dogs, nor could bats sail across it, and the watchful nursery cat it -kept at home: no lock that blacksmiths made was any stronger. - -Suddenly over the threshold and over the spell the troll jumped -somersaulting through the air and came down sitting. The crude wooden -nursery-clock hanging over the fire stopped its loud tick as he came; -for he bore with him a little charm against time, with strange grass -round one of his fingers, that he might not be withered away in the -fields we know. For well the Elf King knew the flight of our hours: four -years had swept over these fields of ours while he had boomed down his -brazen steps and sent for his troll and given him that spell to bind -round one of his fingers. - -"What's this?" said Ziroonderel. - -That troll knew well when to be impudent, but looking in the witch's -eyes saw something to be afraid of; and well he might, for those eyes -had looked in the Elf King's own. Therefore he played, as we say in -these fields, his best card, and answered: "A message from the King of -Elfland." - -"Is that so?" said the old witch. "Yes, yes," she added more lowly to -herself, "that would be for my lady. Yes, that would come." - -The troll sat still on the floor fingering the roll of parchment inside -of which was written the rune of the King of Elfland. Then over the end -of his bed, as he waited for breakfast, the baby saw the troll, and -asked him who he was and where he came from and what he was able to do. -When the baby asked him what he was able to do the troll jumped up and -skipped about the room like a moth on a lamp-lit ceiling. From floor to -shelves and back and up again he went with leaps like flying; the baby -clapped his hands, the cat was furious; the witch raised her ebon stick -and made a charm against leaping, but it could not hold the troll. He -leaped and bounced and bounded, while the cat hissed all the curses that -the feline language knows, and Ziroonderel was wrath not only because -her magic was thwarted, but because with mere human alarm she feared for -her cups and saucers; and the baby shouted all the while for more. And -all at once the troll remembered his errand and the dread parchment he -bore. - -"Where is the Princess Lirazel?" he said to the witch. - -And the witch pointed the way to the princess's tower; for she knew that -there were no means nor power she had by which to hinder a rune from the -King of Elfland. And as the troll turned to go Lirazel entered the room. -He bowed all low before this great lady of Elfland and, with all his -impudence in a moment lost, kneeled on one knee before the blaze of her -beauty and presented the Elf King's rune. The boy was shouting to his -mother to demand more leaps from the troll, as she took the scroll in -her hand; the cat with her back to a box was watching alertly; -Ziroonderel was all silent. - -And then the troll thought of the weed-green tarns of Elfland in the -woods that the trolls knew; he thought of the wonder of the unwithering -flowers that time has never touched; the deep, deep colour and the -perpetual calm: his errand was over and he was weary of Earth. - -For a moment nothing moved there but the baby, shouting for new troll -antics and waving his arms: Lirazel stood with the elfin scroll in her -hand, the troll knelt before her, the witch never stirred, the cat stood -watching fiercely, even the clock was still. Then the Princess moved and -the troll rose to his feet, the witch sighed and the cat gave up her -watchfulness as the troll scampered away. And though the baby shouted -for the troll to return it never heeded, but twisted down the long -spiral stairs, and slipping out through a door was off towards Elfland. -As the troll passed over the threshold the wooden clock ticked again. - -Lirazel looked at the scroll and looked at her boy, and did not unroll -the parchment, but turned and carried it away, and came to her chamber -and locked the scroll in a casket, and left it there unread. For her -fears told her well the most potent rune of her father, that she had -dreaded so much as she fled from his silver tower and heard his feet go -booming up the brass, had crossed the frontier of twilight written upon -the scroll, and would meet her eyes the moment she unrolled it and waft -her thence. - -When the rune was safe in the casket she went to Alveric to tell him of -the peril that had come near her. But Alveric was troubled because she -would not name the baby, and asked her at once about this. And so she -suggested a name at last to him; and it was one that no one in these -fields could pronounce, an elvish name full of wonder, and made of -syllables like birds' cries at night: Alveric would have none of it. And -her whim in this came, as all the whims she had, from no customary thing -of these fields of ours, but sheer over the border from Elfland, sheer -over the border with all wild fancies that rarely visit our fields. And -Alveric was vexed with these whims, for there had been none like them of -old in the Castle of Erl: none could interpret them to him and none -advise him. He looked for her to be guided by old customs; she looked -only for some wild fancy to come from the south-east. He reasoned with -her with the human reason that folk set much store by here, but she did -not want reason. And so when they parted she had not after all told -anything of the peril that had sought her from Elfland, which she had -come to Alveric to tell. - -She went instead to her tower and looked at the casket, shining there in -the low late light; and turned from it and often looked again; while -the light went under the fields and the gloaming came, and all glimmered -away. She sat then by the casement open towards eastern hills, above -whose darkening curves she watched the stars. She watched so long that -she saw them change their places. For more than all things else that she -had seen since she came to these fields of ours she had wondered at the -stars. She loved their gentle beauty; and yet she was sad as she looked -wistfully to them, for Alveric had said that she must not worship them. - -How if she might not worship them could she give them their due, could -she thank them for their beauty, could she praise their joyful calm? And -then she thought of her baby: then she saw Orion: then she defied all -jealous spirits of air, and, looking toward Orion, whom she must never -worship, she offered her baby's days to that belted hunter, naming her -baby after those splendid stars. - -And when Alveric came to the tower she told him of her wish, and he was -willing the boy should be named Orion, for all in that valley set much -store by hunting. And the hope came back to Alveric, which he would not -put away, that being reasonable at last in this, she would now be -reasonable in all other things, and be guided by custom, and do what -others did, and forsake wild whims and fancies that came over the border -from Elfland. And he asked her to worship the holy things of the Freer. -For never had she given any of these things their due, and knew not -which was the holier, his candlestick or his bell, and never would learn -for ought that Alveric told her. - -And now she answered him pleasantly and her husband thought all was -well, but her thoughts were far with Orion; nor did they ever tarry with -grave things long, nor could tarry longer amongst them than butterflies -do in the shade. - -All that night the casket was locked on the rune of the King of Elfland. - -And next morning Lirazel gave little thought to the rune, for they went -with the boy to the holy place of the Freer; and Ziroonderel came with -them but waited without. And the folk of Erl came too, as many as could -leave the affairs of man with the fields; and all were there of those -that had made the parliament, when they went to Alveric's sire in the -long red room. And all of these were glad when they saw the boy and -marked his strength and growth; and, muttering low together as they -stood in the holy place, they foretold how all should be as they had -planned. And the Freer came forth and, standing amongst his holy things, -he gave to the boy before him the name of Orion, though he sooner had -given some name of those that he knew to be blessed. And he rejoiced to -see the boy and to name him there; for by the family that dwelt in the -Castle of Erl all these folk marked the generations, and watched the -ages pass, as sometimes we watch the seasons go over some old known -tree. And he bowed himself before Alveric, and was full courteous to -Lirazel, yet his courtesy to the princess came not from his heart, for -in his heart he held her in no more reverence than he held a mermaid -that had forsaken the sea. - -And the boy came even so by the name of Orion. And all the folk rejoiced -as he came out with his parents and rejoined Ziroonderel at the edge of -the holy garden. And Alveric, Lirazel, Ziroonderel and Orion all walked -back to the castle. - -And all that day Lirazel did nothing that caused anybody to wonder, but -let herself be governed by custom and the ways of the fields we know. -Only, when the stars came out and Orion shone, she knew that their -splendour had not received its due, and her gratitude to Orion yearned -to be said. She was grateful for his bright beauty that cheered our -fields, and grateful for his protection, of which she felt sure for her -boy, against jealous spirits of air. And all her unsaid thanks so burned -in her heart that all of a sudden she rose and left her tower and went -out to the open starlight, and lifted her face to the stars and the -place of Orion, and stood all dumb though her thanks were trembling upon -her lips; for Alveric had told her one must not pray to the stars. With -face upturned to all that wandering host she stood long silent, obedient -to Alveric: then she lowered her eyes, and there was a small pool -glimmering in the night, in which all the faces of the stars were -shining. "To pray to the stars," she said to herself in the night, "is -surely wrong. These images in the water are not the stars. I will pray -to their images, and the stars will know." - -And on her knees amongst the iris leaves she prayed at the edge of the -pool, and gave thanks to the images of the stars for the joy she had had -of the night, when the constellations shone in their myriad majesty, and -moved like an army dressed in silver mail, marching from unknown -victories to conquer in distant wars. She blessed and thanked and -praised those bright reflections shimmering down in the pool, and bade -them tell her thanks and her praise to Orion, to whom she might not -pray. It was thus that Alveric found her, kneeling, bent down in the -dark, and reproached her bitterly. She was worshipping the stars, he -said, which were there for no such purpose. And she said she was only -supplicating their images. - -We may understand his feelings easily: the strangeness of her, her -unexpected acts, her contrariness to all established things, her scorn -for custom, her wayward ignorance, jarred on some treasured tradition -every day. The more romantic she had been far away over the frontier, as -told of by legend and song, the more difficult it was for her to fill -any place once held by the ladies of that castle who were versed in all -the lore of the fields we know. And Alveric looked for her to fulfil -duties and follow customs which were all as new to her as the twinkling -stars. - -But Lirazel felt only that the stars had not their due, and that custom -or reason or whatever men set store by should demand that thanks be -given them for their beauty; and she had not thanked them even, but had -supplicated only their images in the pool. - -That night she thought of Elfland, where all things were matched with -her beauty, where nothing changed and there were no strange customs, and -no strange magnificences like these stars of ours to whom none gave -their due. She thought of the elfin lawns and the towering banks of the -flowers, and the palace that may not be told of but only in song. - -Still locked in the dark of the casket the rune bided its time. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - _Lirazel Blows Away_ - - -And the days went by, the Summer passed over Erl, the sun that had -travelled northward fared South again, it was near to the time when the -swallows left those eaves, and Lirazel had not learnt anything. She had -not prayed to the stars again, or supplicated their images, but she had -learned no human customs, and could not see why her love and gratitude -must remain unexpressed to the stars. And Alveric did not know that the -time must come when some simple trivial thing would divide them utterly. - -And then one day, hoping still, he took her with him to the house of the -Freer to teach her how to worship his holy things. And gladly the good -man brought his candle and bell, and the eagle of brass that held up his -book when he read, and a little symbolic bowl that had scented water, -and the silver snuffers that put his candle out. And he told her clearly -and simply, as he had told her before, the origin, meaning and mystery -of all these things, and why the bowl was of brass and the snuffer of -silver, and what the symbols were that were carved on the bowl. With -fitting courtesy he told her these things, even with kindness; and yet -there was something in his voice as he told, a little distant from her; -and she knew that he spoke as one that walked safe on shore calling far -to a mermaid amid dangerous seas. - -As they came back to the castle the swallows were grouped to go, sitting -in lines along the battlements. And Lirazel had promised to worship the -holy things of the Freer, like the simple bell-fearing folk of the -valley of Erl: and a late hope was shining in Alveric's mind that even -yet all was well. And for many days she remembered all that the Freer -had told her. - -And one day walking late from the nursery, past tall windows to her -tower, and looking out on the evening, remembering that she must not -worship the stars, she called to mind the holy things of the Freer, and -tried to remember all she was told of them. It seemed so hard to worship -them just as she should. She knew that before many hours the swallows -would all be gone; and often when they left her her mood would change; -and she feared that she might forget, and never remember more, how she -ought to worship the holy things of the Freer. - -So she went out into the night again over the grasses to where a thin -brook ran, and drew out some great flat pebbles that she knew where to -find, turning her face away from the images of the stars. By day the -stones shone beautifully in the water, all ruddy and mauve; now they -were all dark. She drew them out and laid them in the meadow: she loved -these smooth flat stones, for somehow they made her remember the rocks -of Elfland. - -She laid them all in a row, this for the candlestick, this for the bell, -that for the holy bowl. "If I can worship these lovely stones as things -ought to be worshipped," she said, "I can worship the things of the -Freer." - -Then she kneeled down before the big flat stones and prayed to them as -though they were Christom things. - -And Alveric seeking her in the wide night, wondering what wild fancy had -carried her whither, heard her voice in the meadow, crooning such -prayers as are offered to holy things. - -When he saw the four flat stones to which she prayed, bowed down before -them in the grass, he said that no worse than this were the darkest ways -of the heathen. And she said "I am learning to worship the holy things -of the Freer." - -"It is the art of the heathen," he said. - -Now of all things that men feared in the valley of Erl they feared most -the arts of the heathen, of whom they knew nothing but that their ways -were dark. And he spoke with the anger which men always used when they -spoke there of the heathen. And his anger went to her heart, for she was -but learning to worship his holy things to please him, and yet he had -spoken like this. - -And Alveric would not speak the words that should have been said, to -turn aside anger and soothe her; for no man, he foolishly thought, -should compromise in matters touching on heathenesse. So Lirazel went -alone all sadly back to her tower. And Alveric stayed to cast the four -flat stones afar. - -And the swallows left, and unhappy days went by. And one day Alveric -bade her worship the holy things of the Freer, and she had quite -forgotten how. And he spoke again of the arts of heathenesse. The day -was shining and the poplars golden and all the aspens red. - -Then Lirazel went to her tower and opened the casket, that shone in the -morning with the clear autumnal light, and took in her hand the rune of -the King of Elfland, and carried it with her across the high vaulted -hall, and came to another tower and climbed its steps to the nursery. - -And there all day she stayed and played with her child, with the scroll -still tight in her hand: and, merrily though she played at whiles, yet -there were strange calms in her eyes, which Ziroonderel watched while -she wondered. And when the sun was low and she had put the child to bed -she sat beside him all solemn as she told him childish tales. And -Ziroonderel, the wise witch, watched; and for all her wisdom only -guessed how it would be, and knew not how to make it otherwise. - -And before sunset Lirazel kissed the boy and unrolled the Elf King's -scroll. It was but a petulance that had made her take it from the coffer -in which it lay, and the petulance might have passed and she might not -have unrolled the scroll, only that it was there in her hand. Partly -petulance, partly wonder, partly whims too idle to name, drew her eyes -to the Elf King's words in their coal-black curious characters. - -And whatever magic there was in the rune of which I cannot tell (and -dreadful magic there was), the rune was written with love that was -stronger than magic, till those mystical characters glowed with the love -that the Elf King had for his daughter, and there were blended in that -mighty rune two powers, magic and love, the greatest power there is -beyond the boundary of twilight with the greatest power there is in the -fields we know. And if Alveric's love could have held her he should have -trusted alone to that love, for the Elf King's rune was mightier than -the holy things of the Freer. - -No sooner had Lirazel read the rune on the scroll than fancies from -Elfland began to pour over the border. Some came that would make a -clerk in the City to-day leave his desk at once to dance on the -sea-shore; and some would have driven all the men in a bank to leave -doors and coffers open and wander away till they came to green open land -and the heathery hills; and some would have made a poet of a man, all of -a sudden as he sat at his business. They were mighty fancies that the -Elf King summoned by the force of his magical rune. And Lirazel sat -there with the rune in her hand, helpless amongst this mass of -tumultuous fancies from Elfland. And as the fancies raged and sang and -called, more and more over the border, all crowding on one poor mind, -her body grew lighter and lighter. Her feet half rested half floated, -upon the floor; Earth scarcely held her down, so fast was she becoming a -thing of dreams. No love of hers for Earth, or of the children of Earth -for her, had any longer power to hold her there. - -And now came memories of her ageless childhood beside the tarns of -Elfland, by the deep forest's border, by those delirious lawns, or in -the palace that may not be told of except only in song. She saw those -things as clearly as we see small shells in water, looking through clear -ice down to the floor of some sleeping lake, a little dimmed in that -other region across the barrier of ice; so too her memories shone a -little dimly from across the frontier of Elfland. Little queer sounds of -elfin creatures came to her, scents swam from those miraculous flowers -that glowed by the lawns she knew, faint sounds of enchanted songs blew -over the border and reached her seated there, voices and melodies and -memories came floating through the twilight, all Elfland was calling. -Then measured and resonant, and strangely near, she heard her father's -voice. - -She rose at once, and now Earth had lost on her the grip that it only -has on material things, and a thing of dreams and fancy and fable and -phantasy she drifted from the room; and Ziroonderel had no power to hold -her with any spell, nor had she herself the power even to turn, even to -look at her boy as she drifted away. - -And at that moment a wind came out of the north-west, and entered the -woods and bared the golden branches, and danced on over the downs, and -led a company of scarlet and golden leaves, that had dreaded this day -but danced now it had come; and away with a riot of dancing and glory of -colour, high in the light of the sun that had set from the sight of the -fields, went wind and leaves together. With them went Lirazel. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - _The Ebbing of Elfland_ - - -Next morning Alveric came up the tower to the witch Ziroonderel, weary -and frantic from searching all night long in strange places for Lirazel. -All night he had tried to guess what fancy had beckoned her out and -whither it might have led her; he had searched by the stream by which -she had prayed to the stones, and the pool where she prayed to the -stars; he had called her name up every tower, and had called it wide in -the dark, and had had no answer but echo; and so he had come at last to -the witch Ziroonderel. - -"Whither?" he said, saying no more than that, that the boy might not -know his fears. Yet Orion knew. - -And Ziroonderel all mournfully shook her head. "The way of the leaves," -she said. "The way of all beauty." - -But Alveric did not stay to hear her say more than her first five words; -for he went with the restlessness with which he had come, straight from -the room and hastily down the stair, and out at once into the windy -morning, to see which way those glorious leaves were gone. - -And a few leaves that had clung to cold branches longer, when the gay -company of their comrades had gone, were now too on the air, going -lonely and last: and Alveric saw they were going south-east towards -Elfland. - -Hurriedly then he donned his magical sword in its wide scabbard of -leather; and with scanty provisions hastened over the fields, after the -last of the leaves, whose autumnal glory led him, as many a cause in its -latter days, all splendid and fallen, leads all manner of men. - -And so he came to the upland fields with their grass all grey with dew; -and the air was all sparkling with sunlight, and gay with the last of -the leaves, but a melancholy seemed to dwell with the sound of the -lowing of cattle. - -In the calm bright morning with the north-west wind roaming through it -Alveric came by no calm, and never gave up the haste of one who has lost -something suddenly: he had the swift movements of such, and the frantic -air. He watched all day over clear wide horizons, south-east where the -leaves were leading; and at evening he looked to see the Elfin -Mountains, severe and changeless, unlit by any light we know, the colour -of pale forget-me-nots. He held on restlessly to see their summits, but -never they came to view. - -And then he saw the house of the old leather-worker who had made the -scabbard for his sword; and the sight of it brought back to him the -years that were gone since the evening when first he had seen it, -although he never knew how many they were, and could not know, for no -one has ever devised any exact calculation whereby to estimate the -action of time in Elfland. Then he looked once more for the pale-blue -Elfin Mountains, remembering well where they lay, in their long grave -row past a point of one of the leather-worker's gables, but he saw never -a line of them. Then he entered the house and the old man still was -there. - -The leather-worker was wonderfully aged; even the table on which he -worked was much older. He greeted Alveric, remembering who he was, and -Alveric enquired for the old man's wife. "She died long ago," he said. -And again Alveric felt the baffling flight of those years, which added a -fear to Elfland whither he went, yet he neither thought to turn back nor -reined for a moment his impatient haste. He said a few formal things of -the old man's loss that had happened so long ago. Then "Where are the -Elfin Mountains," he asked, "the pale-blue peaks?" - -A look came slowly over the old man's face as though he had never seen -them, as though Alveric being learned spoke of something that the old -leather-worker could not know. No, he did not know, he said. And Alveric -found that to-day as all those years ago, this old man still refused to -speak of Elfland. Well, the boundary was only a few yards away; he would -cross it and ask the way of elfin creatures, if he could not see the -mountains to guide him then. The old man offered him food, and he had -not eaten all day; but Alveric in his haste only asked him once more of -Elfland, and the old man humbly said that of such things he knew -nothing. Then Alveric strode away and came to the field he knew, which -he remembered to be divided by the nebulous border of twilight. And -indeed he had no sooner come to the field than he saw all the toadstools -leaning over one way, and that the way he was going; for just as thorn -trees all lean away from the sea, so toadstools and every plant that has -any touch of mystery, such as foxgloves, mulleins and certain kinds of -orchis, when growing anywhere near it, all lean towards Elfland. By this -one may know before one has heard a murmur of waves, or before one has -guessed an influence of magical things, that one comes, as the case may -be, to the sea or the border of Elfland. And in the air above him -Alveric saw golden birds, and guessed that there had been a storm in -Elfland blowing them over the border from the south-east, though a -north-west wind blew over the fields we know. And he went on but the -boundary was not there, and he crossed the field as any field we know, -and still he had not come to the fells of Elfland. - -Then Alveric pressed on with a new impatience, with the north-west wind -behind him. And the Earth began to grow bare and shingly and dull, -without flowers, without shade, without colour, with none of those -things that there are in remembered lands, by which we build pictures of -them when we are there no more; it was all disenchanted now. Alveric saw -a golden bird high up, rushing away to the south-east; and he followed -his flight hoping soon to see the mountains of Elfland, which he -supposed to be merely concealed by some magical mist. - -But still the autumnal sky was bright and clear, and all the horizon -plain, and still there came never a gleam of the Elfin Mountains. And -not from this did he learn that Elfland had ebbed. But when he saw on -that desolate shingly plain, untorn by the north-west wind but blooming -fair in the Autumn, a may tree that he remembered a long while since, -all white with blossom that once rejoiced a Spring day far in his -childhood, then he knew that Elfland had been there and must have -receded, although he knew not how far. For it is true, and Alveric -knew, that just as the glamour that brightens much of our lives, -especially in early years, comes from rumours that reach us from Elfland -by various messengers (on whom be blessings and peace), so there returns -from our fields to Elfland again, to become a part of its mystery, all -manner of little memories that we have lost and little devoted toys that -were treasured once. And this is part of the law of ebb and flow that -science may trace in all things; thus light grew the forest of coal, and -the coal gives back light; thus rivers fill the sea, and the sea sends -back to the rivers; thus all things give that receive; even Death. - -Next Alveric saw lying there on the flat dry ground a toy that he yet -remembered, which years and years ago (how could he say how many?) had -been a childish joy to him, crudely carved out of wood; and one unlucky -day it had been broken, and one unhappy day it had been thrown away. And -now he saw it lying there not merely new and unbroken, but with a wonder -about it, a splendour and a romance, the radiant transfigured thing that -his young fancy had known. It lay there forsaken of Elfland as wonderful -things of the sea lie sometimes desolate on wastes of sand, when the sea -is a far blue bulk with a border of foam. - -Dreary with lost romance was the plain from which Elfland had gone, -though here and there Alveric saw again and again those little forsaken -things that had been lost from his childhood, dropping through time to -the ageless and hourless region of Elfland to be a part of its glory, -and now left forlorn by this immense withdrawal. Old tunes, old songs, -old voices, hummed there too, growing fainter and fainter, as though -they could not live long in the fields we know. - -And, when the sun set, a mauve-rose glow in the East, that Alveric -fancied a little too gorgeous for Earth, led him onward still; for he -deemed it to be the reflection cast on the sky by the glow of the -splendour of Elfland. So he went on hoping to find it, horizon after -horizon; and night came on with all Earth's comrade stars. And only then -Alveric put aside at last that frantic restlessness that had driven him -since the morning; and, wrapping himself in a loose cloak that he wore, -ate such food as he had in a satchel, and slept a troubled sleep alone -with other forsaken things. - -At the earliest moment of dawn his impatience awoke him, although one of -October's mists hid all glimpses of light. He ate the last of his food -and then pushed on through the greyness. - -No sound from the things of our fields came to him now; for men never -went that way when Elfland was there, and none but Alveric went now to -that desolate plain. He had travelled beyond the sound of cock-crow from -the comfortable houses of men and was now marching through a curious -silence, broken only now and then by the small dim cries of the lost -songs that had been left by the ebb of Elfland and were fainter now than -they had been the day before. And when dawn shone Alveric saw again so -great a splendour in the sky, glowing all green low down in the -south-east, that he thought once more he saw a reflection from Elfland, -and pressed on hoping to find it over the next horizon. And he passed -the next horizon; and still that shingly plain, and never a peak of the -pale-blue Elfin Mountains. - -Whether Elfland always lay over the next horizon, brightening the clouds -with its glow, and moved away just as he came, or whether it had gone -days or years before, he did not know but still kept on and on. And he -came at last to a dry and grassless ridge on which his eyes and his -hopes had been set for long, and from it he looked far over the desolate -flatness that stretched to the rim of the sky, and saw never a sign of -Elfland, never a slope of the mountains: even the little treasures of -memory that had been left behind by the ebb were withering into things -of our every day. Then Alveric drew his magical sword from its sheath. -But though that sword had power against enchantment it had not been -given the power to bring again an enchantment that was gone; and the -desolate land remained the same, for all that he waved his sword, stony, -deserted, unromantic and wide. - -For a little while he went on; but in that flat land the horizon moved -imperceptibly with him, and never a peak appeared of the Elfin -Mountains; and on that dreary plain he soon discovered, as sooner or -later many a man must, that he had lost Elfland. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - _The Deep of the Woods_ - - -In those days Ziroonderel would amuse the boy by charms and by little -wonders, and he was content for a while. And then he began to guess for -himself, all in silence, where his mother was. He listened to all things -said, and thought long about them. And days passed thus and he only knew -she had gone, and still he said never a word of the thing with which his -thoughts were busy. And then he came to know from things said or unsaid, -or from looks or glances or wagging of heads, that there was a wonder -about his mother's going. But what the wonder was he could not find, for -all the marvels that crossed his mind when he guessed. And at last one -day he asked Ziroonderel. - -And stored though her old mind was with ages and ages of wisdom, and -though she had feared this question, yet she did not know it had dwelt -in his mind for days, and could find no better answer out of her wisdom -than that his mother had gone to the woods. When the boy heard this he -determined to go to the woods to find her. - -Now in his walks abroad with Ziroonderel through the little hamlet of -Erl, Orion would see the villagers walking by and the smith at his open -forge, and folk in their doorways, and men that came in to the market -from distant fields; and he knew them all. And most of all he knew Threl -with his quiet feet, and Oth with his lithe limbs; for both of these -would tell him tales when they met of the uplands, and the deep woods -over the hill; and Orion on little journeys with his nurse loved to hear -tales of far places. - -There was an ancient myrtle tree by a well, where Ziroonderel would sit -in the Summer evenings while Orion played on the grass; and Oth would -cross the grass with his curious bow, going out in the evening, and -sometimes Threl would come; and every time that one of them came Orion -would stop him and ask for a tale of the woods. And if it were Oth he -would bow to Ziroonderel with a look of awe as he bowed, and would tell -some tale of what the deer did, and Orion would ask him why. Then a look -would come over Oth's face as though he were carefully remembering -things that had happened very long ago, and after some moments of -silence he would give the ancient cause of whatever the deer did, which -explained how they came by the custom. - -If it were Threl that came across the grass he would appear not to see -Ziroonderel and would tell his tale of the woods more hastily in a low -voice and pass on, leaving the evening, as Orion felt, full of mystery -behind him. He would tell tales of all manner of creatures; and the -tales were so strange that he told them only to young Orion, because, as -he explained, there were many folk that were unable to believe the -truth, and he did not wish his tales to come to the ears of such. Once -Orion had gone to his house, a dark hut full of skins: all kinds of -skins hung on the wall, foxes, badgers, and martens; and there were -smaller ones in heaps in the corners. To Orion Threl's dark hut was more -full of wonder than any other house he had ever seen. - -But now it was Autumn and the boy and his nurse saw Oth and Threl more -seldom; for in the misty evenings with the threat of frost in the air -they sat no longer by the myrtle tree. Yet Orion watched on their short -walks; and one day he saw Threl going away from the village with his -face to the uplands. And he called to Threl, and Threl stood still with -a certain air of confusion, for he deemed himself of too little account -to be clearly seen and noticed by the nurse at the castle, be she witch -or woman. And Orion ran up to him and said "Show me the woods." And -Ziroonderel perceived that the time had come when his thoughts were -roaming beyond the lip of the valley, and knew that no spell of hers -would hold him long from following after them. And Threl said, "No, my -Master," and looked uneasily at Ziroonderel, who came after the boy and -led him away from Threl. And Threl went on alone to his work in the deep -of the woods. - -And it was not otherwise than the witch had foreseen. For first Orion -wept, and then he dreamed of the woods, and next day he slipped away -alone to the house of Oth and asked him to take him with him when he -went to hunt the deer. And Oth, standing on a wide deer-skin in front of -blazing logs, spoke much of the woods, but did not take him then. -Instead he brought Orion back to the Castle. And Ziroonderel regretted -too late that she had idly said his mother was gone to the woods, for -those words of hers had called up too soon that spirit of roving which -was bound to come to him, and she saw that her spells could bring -content no more. So in the end she let him go to the woods. But not -until by lifting of wand and saying of incantation she had called the -glamour of the woods down to the nursery hearth, and had made it haunt -the shadows that went from the fire and creep with them all about the -room, till the nursery was all as mysterious as the forest. When this -spell would not soothe him and keep his longing at home she let him go -to the woods. - -He stole away once more to the house of Oth, over crisp grass one -morning; and the old witch knew he had gone but did not call him back, -for she had no spell to curb the love of roving in man, whether it came -early or late. And she would not hold back his limbs when his heart was -gone to the woods, for it is ever the way of witches with any two things -to care for the more mysterious of the two. So the boy came alone to the -house of Oth, through his garden where dead flowers hung on brown -stalks, and the petals turned to slime if he fingered them, for November -was come and the frosts were abroad all night. And this time Orion just -met with a mood in Oth, which in less than an hour would have gone, that -was favourable to the boy's longing. Oth was taking down his bow from -the wall as Orion went in, and Oth's heart was gone to the woods; and -when the boy came yearning to go to the woods too the hunter in that -mood could not refuse him. - -So Oth took Orion on his shoulder and went up out of the valley. Folk -saw them go thus, Oth with his bow and his soft noiseless sandals, and -his brown garments of leather, Orion on his shoulder, wrapped in the -skin of a fawn which Oth had thrown round him. And as the village fell -behind them Orion rejoiced to see the houses further and further away, -for he had never been so far from them before. And when the uplands -opened their distances to his eyes he felt that he was now upon no mere -walk, but a journey. And then he saw the solemn gloom of the wintry -woods far off, and that filled him at once with a delighted awe. To -their darkness, their mystery and their shelter Oth brought him. - -So softly Oth entered the wood that the blackbirds that guarded it, -sitting watchful on branches, did not flee at his coming, but only -uttered slowly their warning notes, and listened suspiciously till he -passed, and were never sure if a man had broken the charm of the wood. -Into that charm and the gloom and the deep silence Oth moved gravely; -and a solemness came on his face as he entered the wood; for to go on -quiet feet through the wood was the work of his life, and he came to it -as men come to their heart's desire. And soon he put the boy down on the -brown bracken and went on for a while alone. Orion watched him go with -his bow in his left hand, till he disappeared in the wood, like a shadow -going to a gathering of shadows and merging amongst its fellows. And -although Orion might not go with him now, he had great joy from this, -for he knew by the way Oth went and the air he had that this was serious -hunting and no mere amusement made to please a child; and it pleased him -more than all the toys he had had. And quiet and lonely the great wood -loomed round him while he waited for Oth to return. - -And after a long while he heard a sound, all in the wonder of the wood, -that was less loud than the sound that a blackbird made scattering dead -leaves to find insects, and Oth had come back again. - -He had not found a deer; and for a while he sat by Orion and shot arrows -into a tree; but soon he gathered his arrows and took the boy on his -shoulder again and turned homewards. And there were tears in Orion's -eyes when they left the great wood; for he loved the mystery of the huge -grey oaks, which we may pass by unnoticed or with but a momentary -feeling of something forgotten, some message not quite given; but to him -their spirits were playmates. So he came back to Erl as from new -companions with his mind full of hints that he had from the wise old -trunks, for to him each bole had a meaning. And Ziroonderel was waiting -at the gateway when Oth brought Orion back; and she asked little of his -time in the woods, and answered little when he told her of it, for she -was jealous of them whose spell had lured him from hers. And all that -night his dreams hunted deer in the deeps of the wood. - -Next day he stole away again to the house of Oth. But Oth was away -hunting, for he was in need of meat. So he went to the house of Threl. -And there was Threl in his dark house amongst manifold skins. "Take me -to the woods," said Orion. And Threl sat down in a wide wooden chair by -his fire to think about it and to talk of the woods. He was not like -Oth, speaking of a few simple things which he knew, of the deer, of the -ways of the deer, and of the approach of the seasons; but he spoke of -the things that he guessed in the deep of the wood and in the dark of -time, the fables of men and of beasts; and especially he cared to tell -the fables of the foxes and badgers, which he had come by from watching -their ways at the falling of dusk. And as he sat there gazing into the -fire, telling reminiscently of the ancient ways of the dwellers in -bracken and bramble, Orion forgot his longing to go to the woods, and -sat there on a small chair warm with skins, content. And to Threl he -told what he had not said to Oth, how he thought that his mother might -come one day round the trunk of one of the oak-trees, for she had gone -for a while to the woods. And Threl thought that that might be; for -there was nothing wonderful told of the woods that Threl thought -unlikely. - -And then Ziroonderel came for Orion and took him back to the Castle. And -the next day she let him go to Oth again; and this time Oth took him -once more to the wood. And a few days later he went again to Threl's -dark house, in whose cobwebs and corners seemed to lurk the mystery of -the forest, and heard Threl's curious tales. - -And the branches of the forest grew black and still against the blaze of -fierce sunsets, and Winter began to lay its spell on the uplands, and -the wiser ones of the village prophesied snow. And one day Orion out in -the woods with Oth saw the hunter shoot a stag. He watched him prepare -it and skin it and cut it into two pieces and tie them up in the skin, -with the head and horns hanging down. Then Oth fastened up the horns to -the rest of the bundle and heaved it on to his shoulder, and with his -great strength carried it home. And the boy rejoiced more than the -hunter. - -And that evening Orion went to tell the story to Threl, but Threl had -more wonderful stories. - -And so the days went by, while Orion drew from the forest and from the -tales of Threl a love of all things that pertain to a hunter's calling, -and a spirit grew in him that was well-matched with the name he bore; -and nothing showed in him, yet, of the magical part of his lineage. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - _The Unenchanted Plain_ - - -When Alveric understood that he had lost Elfland it was already evening -and he had been gone two days and a night from Erl. For the second time -he lay down for the night on that shingly plain whence Elfland had ebbed -away: and at sunset the eastern horizon showed clear against turquoise -sky, all black and jagged with rocks, without any sign of Elfland. And -the twilight glimmered, but it was Earth's twilight, and not that dense -barrier for which Alveric looked, which lies between Elfland and Earth. -And the stars came out and were the stars we know, and Alveric slept -below their familiar constellations. - -He awoke in the birdless dawn very cold, hearing old voices crying -faintly far off, as they slowly drifted away, like dreams going back to -dreamland. He wondered if they would come to Elfland again, or if -Elfland had ebbed too far. He searched all the horizon eastwards, and -still saw nothing but the rocks of that desolate land. So he turned -again toward the fields we know. - -He walked back through the cold with all his impatience gone; and -gradually some warmth came to him from walking, and later a little from -the autumnal sun. He walked all day, and the sun was growing huge and -red when he came again to the leather-worker's cottage. He asked for -food, and the old man made him welcome: his pot was already simmering -for his own evening meal: and it was not long before Alveric was sitting -at the old table before a dish full of squirrels' legs, hedge-hogs and -rabbit's meat. The old man would not eat till Alveric had eaten, but -waited on him with such solicitude that Alveric felt that the moment of -his opportunity was come, and turned to the old man as he offered him a -piece of the back of a rabbit, and approached the subject of Elfland. - -"The twilight is further away," said Alveric. - -"Yes, yes," said the old man without any meaning in his voice, whatever -he had in his mind. - -"When did it go?" said Alveric. - -"The twilight, master?" said his host. - -"Yes," said Alveric. - -"Ah, the twilight," the old man said. - -"The barrier," said Alveric, and he lowered his voice, although he knew -not why, "between here and Elfland." - -At the word Elfland all comprehension faded out of the old man's eyes. - -"Ah," he said. - -"Old man," said Alveric, "you know where Elfland has gone." - -"Gone?" said the old man. - -That innocent surprise, thought Alveric, must be real; but at least he -knew where it had been; it used to be only two fields away from his -door. - -"Elfland was in the next field once," said Alveric. - -And the old man's eyes roved back into the past, and he gazed as it -were on old days awhile, then he shook his head. And Alveric fixed him -with his eye. - -"You knew Elfland," he exclaimed. - -Still the old man did not answer. - -"You knew where the border was," said Alveric. - -"I am old," said the leather-worker, "and I have no one to ask." - -When he said that, Alveric knew that he was thinking of his old wife, -and he knew too that had she been alive and standing there at that -moment yet he would have had no news of Elfland: there seemed little -more to say. But a certain petulance held him to the subject after he -knew it to be hopeless. - -"Who lives to the East of here?" he said. - -"To the East?" the old man replied. "Master, are there not North and -South and West that you needs must look to the East?" - -There was a look of entreaty in his face but Alveric did not heed it. -"Who lives to the East?" he said. - -"Master, no one lives to the East," he answered. And that indeed was -true. - -"What used to be there?" said Alveric. - -And the old man turned away to see to the stewing of his pot, and -muttered as he turned, so that one hardly heard him. - -"The past," he said. - -No more would the old man say, nor explain what he had said. So Alveric -asked him if he could have a bed for the night, and his host showed him -the old bed he remembered across that vague number of years. And Alveric -accepted the bed without more ado so as to let the old man go to his own -supper. And very soon Alveric was deep asleep, warm and resting at last, -while his host turned over slowly in his mind many things of which -Alveric had supposed he knew nothing. - -When the birds of our fields woke Alveric, singing late in the last of -October, on a morning that reminded them of Spring, he rose and went out -of doors, and went to the highest part of the little field that lay on -the windowless side of the old man's house toward Elfland. There he -looked eastward and saw all the way to the curved line of the sky the -same barren, desolate, rocky plain that had been there yesterday and the -day before. Then the leather-worker gave him breakfast, and afterwards -he went out and looked again at the plain. And over his dinner, which -his host timidly shared, Alveric neared once more the subject of -Elfland. And something in the old man's sayings or silences made Alveric -hopeful that even yet he would have some news of the whereabouts of the -pale-blue Elfin Mountains. So he brought the old man out and turned to -the East, to which his companion looked with reluctant eyes; and -pointing to one particular rock, the most noticeable and near, said, -hoping for definite news of a definite thing, "How long has that rock -been there?" - -And the answer came to his hopes like hail to apple-blossom: "It is -there and we must make the best of it." - -The unexpectedness of the answer dazed Alveric; and when he saw that -reasonable questions about definite things brought him no logical answer -he despaired of getting practical information to guide his fantastic -journey. So he walked on the eastward side of the cottage all the -afternoon, watching the dreary plain, and it never changed or moved: no -pale-blue mountains appeared, no Elfland came flooding back: and evening -came and the rocks glowed dully with the low rays of the sun, and -darkened when it set, changing with all Earth's changes, but with no -enchantment of Elfland. Then Alveric decided on a great journey. - -He returned to the cottage and told the leather-worker that he needed to -buy much provisions, as much as he could carry. And over supper they -planned what he should have. And the old man promised to go next day -amongst the neighbours; telling of all the things he would get from -each, and somewhat more if God should prosper his snaring. For Alveric -had determined to travel eastward till he found the lost land. - -And Alveric slept early, and slept long, till the last of his fatigue -was gone which came from his pursuit of Elfland: the old man woke him as -he came back from his snaring. And the creatures that he had snared the -old man put in his pot and hung it over his fire, while Alveric ate his -breakfast. And all the morning the leather-worker went from house to -house amongst his neighbours, dwelling on little farms at the edge of -the fields we know; and he got salted meats from some, bread from one, a -cheese from another, and came back burdened to his house in time to -prepare dinner. - -And all the provender that burdened the old man Alveric shouldered in a -sack, and some he put in his wallet; and he filled his water-bottle and -two more besides that his host had made from large skins, for he had -seen no streams at all in the desolate land; and thus equipped he walked -some way from the cottage, and looked again at the land from which -Elfland had ebbed. He came back satisfied that he could carry provisions -for a fortnight. - -And in the evening while the old man prepared pieces of squirrels' meat -Alveric stood again on the windowless side of the cottage, gazing still -across the lonely land, hoping always to see emerge from the clouds -that were colouring at sunset, those serene pale-blue mountains; and -seeing never a peak. And the sun set, and that was the last of October. - -Next morning Alveric made a good meal in the cottage; then took his -heavy burden of provisions, and paid his host and started. The door of -the cottage opened toward the West and the old man cordially saw him -away from his door with godspeed and farewells, but he would not move -round his house to watch him going eastward; nor would he speak of that -journey: it was as though to him there were only three points of the -compass. - -The bright autumnal sun was not yet high when Alveric went from the -fields we know to the land that Elfland had left and that nothing else -went near, with his big sack over his shoulder and his sword at his -side. The may trees of memory that he had seen were all withered now, -and the old songs and voices that had haunted that land were all now -faint as sighs; and there seemed to be fewer of them, as though some had -already died or had struggled back to Elfland. - -All that day Alveric travelled, with the vigour that waits at the -beginning of journeys, which helped him on though he was burdened with -so much provisions, and a big blanket that he wore like a heavy cloak -round his shoulders; and he carried besides a bundle of firewood, and a -stave in his right hand. He was an incongruous figure with his stave and -his sack and his sword; but he followed one idea, one inspiration, one -hope; and so shared something of the strangeness that all men have who -do this. - -Halting at noon to eat and rest he went slowly on again and walked till -evening: even then he did not rest as he had intended, for when twilight -fell and lay heavy along the eastern sky he continually rose from his -resting and went a little further to see if it might not be that dense -deep twilight that made the frontier of the fields we know, shutting -them off from Elfland. But it was always earthly twilight, until the -stars came out, and they were all the familiar stars that look on Earth. -Then he lay down among those unrounded and mossless rocks, and ate bread -and cheese and drank water; and as the cold of night began to come over -the plain he lit a small fire with his scanty bundle of wood and lay -close to it with his cloak and his blanket round him; and before the -embers were black he was sound asleep. - -Dawn came without sound of bird or whisper of leaves or grasses, dawn -came in dead silence and cold; and nothing on all that plain gave a -welcome back to the light. - -If darkness had lain forever upon those angular rocks it were better, -Alveric thought, as he saw their shapeless companies sullenly glowing; -darkness were better now that Elfland was gone. And though the misery of -that disenchanted place entered his spirit with the chill of the dawn, -yet his fiery hope still shone, and gave him little time to eat by the -cold black circle of his lonely fire before it hurried him onward -easterly over the rocks. And all that morning he travelled on without -the comradeship of a blade of grass. The golden birds that he had seen -before had long since fled back to Elfland, and the birds of our fields -and all living things we know shunned all that empty waste. Alveric -travelled as much alone as a man who goes back in memory to revisit -remembered scenes, and instead of remembered scenes he was in a place -from which every glamour had gone. He travelled somewhat lighter than on -the day before, but he went more wearily, for he felt more heavily now -the fatigue of the previous day. He rested long at mid-day and then went -on. The myriad rocks stretched on and slightly jagged the horizon, and -all day there came no glimpse of the pale-blue mountains. That evening -from his dwindling provision of wood Alveric made another fire; its -little flame going up alone in that waste seemed somehow to reveal the -monstrous loneliness. He sat by his fire and thought of Lirazel and -would not give up hope, though a glance at those rocks might have warned -him not to hope, for something in their chaotic look partook of the -plain that bred them, and they hinted it to be infinite. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - _The Reticence of the Leather-Worker_ - - -It was many days before Alveric learned from the monotony of the rocks -that one day's journey was the same as another, and that by no number of -journeys would he bring any change to his rugged horizons, which were -all drearily like the ones they replaced and never brought a view of the -pale-blue mountains. He had gone, while his fortnight's provisions grew -lighter and lighter, for ten days over the rocks: it was now evening and -Alveric understood at last that if he travelled further and failed soon -to see the peaks of the Elfin Mountains he would starve. So he ate his -supper sparingly in the darkness, his bundle of firewood having long -since been used, and abandoned the hope that had led him. And as soon as -there was any light at all to show him where the East was he ate a -little of what he had saved from his supper, and started his long tramp -back to the fields of men, over rocks that seemed all the harsher -because his back was to Elfland. All that day he ate and drank little, -and by nightfall he still had left full provisions for four more days. - -He had hoped to travel faster during these last days, if he should have -to turn back, because he would travel lighter: he had given no thought -to the power of those monotonous rocks to weary and to depress with -their desolation when the hope that had somewhat illumined their -grimness was gone: he had thought little of turning back at all, till -the tenth evening came and no pale-blue mountains, and he suddenly -looked at his provisions. And all the monotony of his homeward journey -was broken only by occasional fears that he might not be able to come to -the fields we know. - -The myriad rocks lay larger and thicker than tombstones and not so -carefully shaped, yet the waste had the look of a graveyard stretching -over the world with unrecording stones above nameless heads. Chilled by -the bitter nights, guided by blazing sunsets, he went on through the -morning mists and the empty noons and weary birdless evenings. More than -a week went by since he had turned, and the last of his water was gone, -and still he saw no sign of the fields we know, or anything more -familiar than rocks that he seemed to remember and which would have -misled him northward, southward, or eastward, were it not for the red -November sun that he followed and sometimes some friendly star. And then -at last, just as the darkness fell blackening that rocky multitude, -there showed westward over the rocks, pale at first against remnants of -sunset, but growing more and more orange, a window under one of the -gables of man. Alveric rose and walked towards it till the rocks in the -darkness and weariness overcame him and he lay down and slept; and the -little yellow window shone into his dreams and made forms of hope as -fair as any that came from Elfland. - -The house that he saw in the morning when he woke seemed impossible to -be the one whose tiny light had held out hope and help to him in the -loneliness; it seemed now too plain and common. He recognized it for a -house not far from the one of the leather-worker. Soon he came to a pool -and drank. He came to a garden in which a woman was working early, and -she asked him whence he had come. "From the East," he said, and pointed, -and she did not understand. And so he came again to the cottage from -which he had started, to ask once more for hospitality from the old man -who had housed him twice. - -He was standing in his doorway as Alveric came, walking wearily, and -again he made him welcome. He gave him milk and then food. And Alveric -ate, and then rested all the day: it was not till evening he spoke. But -when he had eaten and rested and he was at the table again, and supper -was now before him and there was light and warmth, he felt all at once -the need of human speech. And then he poured out the story of that great -journey over the land where the things of man ceased, and where yet no -birds or little beasts had come, or even flowers, a chronicle of -desolation. And the old man listened to the vivid words and said -nothing, making some comments of his own only when Alveric spoke of the -fields we know. He heard with politeness but said never a word of the -land from which Elfland had ebbed. It was indeed as though all the land -to the East were delusion, and as though Alveric had been restored from -it or had awoken from dream, and were now among reasonably daily things, -and there was nothing to say of the things of dream. Certainly never a -word would the old man say in recognition of Elfland, or of anything -eighty yards East of his cottage door. Then Alveric went to his bed and -the old man sat alone till his fire was low, thinking of what he had -heard and shaking his head. And all the next day Alveric rested there -or walked in the old man's autumn-smitten garden, and sometimes he tried -again to speak with his host of his great journey in the desolate land, -but got from him no admission that such lands were, checked always by -his avoidance of the topic, as though to speak of these lands might -bring them nearer. - -And Alveric pondered on many reasons for this. Had the old man been to -Elfland in his youth and seen something he greatly feared, perhaps -barely escaping from death or an age-long love? Was Elfland a mystery -too great to be troubled by human voices? Did these folk dwelling there -at the edge of our world know well the unearthly beauty of all the -glories of Elfland, and fear that even to speak of them might be a lure -to draw them whither their resolution, barely perhaps, held them back? -Or might a word said of the magical land bring it nearer, to make -fantastic and elvish the fields we know? To all these ponderings of -Alveric there was no answer. - -And yet one more day Alveric rested, and after that he set out to return -to Erl. He set out in the morning, and his host came with him out of his -doorway, saying farewell and speaking of his journey home and of the -affairs of Erl, which were food for gossip over many farmlands. And -great was the contrast between the good man's approval that he showed -thus for the fields we know, over which Alveric journeyed now, and his -disapproval for those other lands whither Alveric's hopes still turned. -And they parted, and the old man's farewells dwindled, and then he -turned back into his house, rubbing his hands contentedly as he slowly -went, for he was glad to see one who had looked toward the fantastic -lands turn now to a journey across the fields we know. - -In those fields the frost was master, and Alveric walked over the crisp -grey grass and breathed the clear fresh air thinking little of his home -or his son, but planning how even yet he might come to Elfland; for he -thought that further North there might be a way, coming round perhaps -behind the pale-blue mountains. That Elfland had ebbed too far for him -to overtake it there he felt despairingly sure, but scarcely believed it -had gone along the entire frontier of twilight, where Elfland touches -Earth as far as poet has sung. Further North he might find the frontier, -unmoved, lying sleepy with twilight, and come under the pale-blue -mountains and see his wife again: full of these thoughts he went over -the misty mellow fields. - -And full of his dreams and plans about that phantasmal land he came in -the afternoon to the woods that brood above Erl. He entered the wood, -and deep though he was amongst thoughts that were far from there, he -soon saw the smoke of a fire a little way off, rising grey among the -dark oak-boles. He went towards it to see who was there, and there were -his son and Ziroonderel warming their hands at the fire. - -"Where have you been?" called Orion as soon as he saw him. - -"Upon a journey," said Alveric. - -"Oth is hunting," Orion said, and he pointed in the direction whence the -wind was fanning the smoke. And Ziroonderel said nothing, for she saw -more in Alveric's eyes than any questions of hers would have drawn from -his tongue. Then Orion showed him a deer-skin on which he was sitting. -"Oth shot it," he said. - -There seemed to be a magic all round that fire of big logs quietly -smouldering in the woods upon Autumn's discarded robe that lay brilliant -there; and it was not the magic of Elfland, nor had Ziroonderel called -it up with her wand: it was only a magic of the wood's very own. - -And Alveric stood there for a while in silence, watching the boy and the -witch by their fire in the woods, and understanding that the time was -come when he must tell Orion things that were not clear to himself and -that were puzzling him even now. Yet he did not speak of them then, but -saying something of the affairs of Erl, turned and walked on toward his -castle, while Ziroonderel and the boy came back later with Oth. - -And Alveric commanded supper when he came to his gateway, and ate it -alone in the great hall that there was in the Castle of Erl, and all the -while he was pondering words to say. And then he went in the evening up -to the nursery and told the boy how his mother was gone for a while to -Elfland, to her father's palace (which may only be told of in song). -And, unheeding any words of Orion then, he held on with the brief tale -that he had come to tell, and told how Elfland was gone. - -"But that cannot be," said Orion, "for I hear the horns of Elfland every -day." - -"You can hear them?" Alveric said. - -And the boy replied, "I hear them blowing at evening." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - _The Quest for the Elfin Mountains_ - - -Winter descended on Erl and gripped the forest, holding the small twigs -stiff and still: in the valley it silenced the stream; and in the fields -of the oxen the grass was brittle as earthenware, and the breath of the -beasts went up like the smoke of encampments. And Orion still went to -the woods whenever Oth would take him, and sometimes he went with Threl. -When he went with Oth the wood was full of the glamour of the beasts -that Oth hunted, and the splendour of the great stags seemed to haunt -the gloom of far hollows; but when he went with Threl a mystery haunted -the wood, so that one could not say what creature might not appear, nor -what haunted and hid by every enormous bole. What beasts there were in -the wood even Threl did not know: many kinds fell to his subtlety, but -who knew if these were all? - -And when the boy was late in the wood, on happy evenings, he would -always hear as the sun went blazing down, rank on rank of the elfin -horns blowing far away eastwards in the chill of the coming dusk, very -far and faint, like reveillé heard in dreams. From beyond the woods -they sounded, all those ringing horns, from beyond the downs, far over -the furthest curve of them; and he knew them for the silver horns of -Elfland. In all other ways he was human, and but for his power to hear -those horns of Elfland, whose music rings but a yard beyond human -hearing, and his knowledge of what they were; but for these two things -he was as yet not more than a human child. - -And how the horns of Elfland blew over the barrier of twilight, to be -heard by any ear in the fields we know, I cannot understand; yet -Tennyson speaks of them as heard "faintly blowing" even in these fields -of ours, and I believe that by accepting all that the poets say while -duly inspired our errors will be fewest. So, though Science may deny or -confirm it, Tennyson's line shall guide me here. - -Alveric in those days went through the village of Erl, with his thoughts -far from there, moodily; and he stopped at many doors, and spoke and -planned, with his eyes always fixed as it seemed on things no one else -could see. He was brooding on far horizons, and the last, over which was -Elfland. And from house to house he gathered a little band of men. - -It was Alveric's dream to find the frontier further North, to travel on -over the fields we know, always searching new horizons, till he came to -some place from which Elfland had not ebbed; to this he determined to -dedicate his days. - -When Lirazel was with him amongst the fields we know, his thoughts had -ever been to make her more earthly; but now that she was gone the -thoughts of his own mind were becoming daily more elvish, and folk began -to look sideways at his fantastic mien. Dreaming always of Elfland and -of elvish things he gathered horses and provender and made for his -little band so huge a store of provisions that those who saw it -wondered. Many men he asked to be of that curious band, and few would go -with him to haunt horizons, when they heard whither he went. And the -first that he found to be of that band was a lad that was crossed in -love; and then a young shepherd, well used to lonely spaces; then one -that had heard a curious song that someone sang one evening: it had set -his thoughts roving away to impossible lands, and so he was well content -to follow his fancies. One huge full moon one summer had shone all a -warm night long on a lad as he lay in the hay, and after that he had -guessed or seen things that he said the moon showed him: whatever they -were none else saw any such things in Erl: he also joined Alveric's band -as soon as he asked him. It was many days before Alveric found these -four; and more he could not find but a lad that was quite witless, and -he took him to tend the horses, for he understood horses well, and they -understood him, though no human man or woman could make him out at all, -except his mother, who wept when Alveric had his promise to go; for she -said that he was the prop and support of her age, and knew what storms -would come and when the swallows would fly, and what colours the flowers -would come up from seeds she sowed in her garden, and where the spiders -would build their webs, and the ancient fables of flies: she wept and -said that there would be more things lost by his going than ever folk -guessed in Erl. But Alveric took him away: many go thus. - -And one morning six horses heaped and hung with provisions all round -their saddles waited at Alveric's gateway, with the five men that were -to roam with him as far as the world's edge. He had taken long counsel -with Ziroonderel, but she said that no magic of hers had power to charm -Elfland or to cross the dread will of its King; he therefore commended -Orion to her care, knowing well that though hers was but simple or -earthly magic, yet no magic likely to cross the fields we know, nor -curse nor rune directed against his boy, would be able to thwart her -spell; and for himself he trusted to the fortune that waits at the end -of long weary journeys. To Orion he spoke long, not knowing how long -that journey might be before he again found Elfland, nor how easily he -might return across the frontier of twilight. He asked the boy what he -desired of life. - -"To be a hunter," said he. - -"What will you hunt while I am over the hills?" said his father. - -"Stags, like Oth," said Orion. - -Alveric commended that sport, for he himself loved it. - -"And some day I will go a long way over the hills and hunt stranger -things," said the boy. - -"What kind of things," asked Alveric. But the boy did not know. - -His father suggested different kinds of beasts. - -"No, stranger than them," said Orion. "Stranger even than bears." - -"But what will they be?" asked his father. - -"Magic things," said the boy. - -But the horses moved restlessly down below in the cold, so that there -was no time for more idle talk, and Alveric said farewell to the witch -and his son and strode away thinking little of the future, for all was -too vague for thought. - -Alveric mounted his horse over the heaps of provisions, and all the -band of six men rode away. The villagers stood in the street to see them -go. All knew their curious quest; and when all had saluted Alveric and -all had called their farewells to the last of the riders, a hum of talk -arose. And in the talk was contempt of Alveric's quest, and pity, and -ridicule; and sometimes affection spoke and sometimes scorn; yet in the -hearts of all there was envy; for their reason mocked the lonely roving -of that outlandish adventure, but their hearts would have gone. - -And away rode Alveric out of the village of Erl with his company of -adventurers behind him; a moonstruck man, a madman, a lovesick lad, a -shepherd boy and a poet. And Alveric made Vand, the young shepherd, the -master of his encampment, for he deemed him to be the sanest amongst his -following; but there were disputes at once as they rode, before they -came to make any encampment; and Alveric, hearing or feeling the -discontent of his men, learned that on such a quest as his it was not -the sanest but the maddest that should be given authority. So he named -Niv, the witless lad, the master of his encampment; and Niv served him -well till a day that was far thence, and the moonstruck man stood by -Niv, and all were content to do the bidding of Niv, and all honoured -Alveric's quest. And many men in numerous lands do saner things with -less harmony. - -They came to the uplands and rode over the fields, and rode till they -came to the furthest hedges of men, and to the houses that they have -built at the verge, beyond which even their thoughts refuse to fare. -Through this line of houses at the edge of those fields, four or five in -every mile, Alveric went with his queer company. The leather-worker's -hut was far to the South. Now he turned northward to ride past the -backs of the houses, over fields through which once the barrier of -twilight had run, till he should find some place where Elfland might -seem not to have ebbed so far. He explained this to his men, and the -leading spirits, Niv, and Zend who was moonstruck, applauded at once; -and Thyl, the young dreamer of songs, said the scheme was a wise one -too; and Vand was carried away by the keen zeal of these three; and it -was all one to Rannok the lover. And they had not gone far along the -backs of the houses when the red sun touched the horizon, and they -hastened to make an encampment by what remained of the light of that -short winter's day. And Niv said they would build a palace like those of -kings, and the idea fired Zend to work like three men, and Thyl helped -eagerly; and they set up stakes and stretched blankets upon them and -made a wall of brushwood, for they were but just outside the hedgerows, -and Vand helped too with rough hurdles and Rannok toiled on wearily; and -when all was finished Niv said that it was a palace. And Alveric went in -and rested, while they lit a fire outside. And Vand cooked a meal for -them all, which he did every day for himself upon lonely downs; and none -could have cared for the horses better than Niv. - -And as the gloaming faded away the cold of winter grew; and by the time -that the first star shone there seemed nothing in all the night but -bitter cold, yet Alveric's men lay down by their fire in their leathers -and furs and slept, all but Rannok the lover. - -To Alveric lying on furs in his shelter, watching red embers glowing -beyond dark shapes of his men, the quest promised well: he would go far -North watching every horizon for any sign of Elfland: he would go by the -border of the fields we know, and always be near provisions: and if he -got no glimpse of the pale-blue mountains he would go on till he found -some field from which Elfland had not ebbed, and so come round behind -them. And Niv and Zend and Thyl had all sworn to him that evening that -before many days were gone they would surely all find Elfland. Upon this -thought he slept. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - _The Retreat of the Elf King_ - - -When Lirazel blew away with the splendid leaves they dropped one by one -from their dance in the gleaming air, and ran on over fields for a -while, and then gathered by hedgerows and rested; but Earth that pulls -all things down had no hold on her, for the rune of the King of Elfland -had crossed its borders, calling her home. So she rode carelessly the -great north-west wind, looking down idly on the fields we know, as she -swept over them homewards. No grip had Earth on her any longer at all; -for with her weight (which is where Earth holds us) were gone all her -earthly cares. She saw without grief old fields wherein she and Alveric -walked once: they drifted by; she saw the houses of men: these also -passed; and deep and dense and heavy with colour, she saw the border of -Elfland. - -A last cry Earth called to her with many voices, a child shouting, rooks -cawing, the dull lowing of cows, a slow cart heaving home; then she was -into the dense barrier of twilight, and all Earth's sounds dimmed -suddenly: she was through it and they ceased. Like a tired horse falling -dead our north-west wind dropped at the frontier; for no winds blow in -Elfland that roam over the fields we know. And Lirazel slanted slowly -onward and down, till her feet were back again on the magical soil of -her home. She saw full fair the peaks of the Elfin Mountains, and dark -underneath them the forest that guarded the Elf King's throne. Above -this forest were glimmering even now great spires in the elfin morning, -which glows with more sparkling splendour than do our most dewy dawns, -and never passes away. - -Over the elfin land the elfin lady passed with her light feet, touching -the grasses as thistledown touches them when it comes down to them and -brushes their crests while a languid wind rolls it slowly over the -fields we know. And all the elvish and fantastic things, and the curious -aspect of the land, and the odd flowers and the haunted trees, and the -ominous boding of magic that hung in the air, were all so full of -memories of her home that she flung her arms about the first gnarled -gnome-like trunk and kissed its wrinkled bark. - -And so she came to the enchanted wood; and the sinister pines that -guarded it, with the watchful ivy leaning over their branches, bowed to -Lirazel as she passed. Not a wonder in that wood, not a grim hint of -magic, but brought back the past to her as though it had scarcely gone. -It was, she felt, but yesterday morning that she had gone away; and it -was yesterday morning still. As she passed through the wood the gashes -of Alveric's sword were yet fresh and white on the trees. - -And now a light began to glow through the wood, then flash upon flash of -colours, and she knew they shone from the glory and splendour of flowers -that girdled the lawns of her father. To these she came again; and her -faint footprints that she had made as she left her father's palace, and -wondered to see Alveric there, were not yet gone from the bended grass -and the spiders' webs and the dew. There the great flowers glowed in the -elfin light; while beyond them there twinkled and flashed, with the -portal through which she had left it still open wide to the lawns, the -palace that may not be told of but only in song. Thither Lirazel -returned. And the Elf King, who heard by magic the tread of her -soundless feet, was before his door to meet her. - -His great beard almost hid her as they embraced: he had sorrowed for her -long through that elfin morning. He had wondered, despite his wisdom; he -had feared, for all his runes; he had yearned for her as human hearts -may yearn, for all that he was of magic stock dwelling beyond our -fields. And now she was home again and the elfin morning brightened over -leagues of Elfland with the old Elf King's joy, and even a glow was seen -upon slopes of the Elfin Mountains. - -And through the flash and glimmer of the vast doorway they passed into -the palace once more; the knight of the Elf King's guard saluted with -his sword as they went, but dared not turn his head after Lirazel's -beauty; they came again to the hall of the Elf King's throne, which is -made of rainbows and ice; and the great King seated himself and took -Lirazel on his knee; and a calm came down upon Elfland. - -And for long through the endless elfin morning nothing troubled that -calm; Lirazel rested after the cares of Earth, the Elf King sat there -keeping the deep content in his heart, the knight of the guard remained -at the salute, his sword's point downwards still, the palace glowed and -shone: it was like a scene in some deep pool beyond the sound of a city, -with green reeds and gleaming fishes and myriads of tiny shells all -shining in the twilight on deep water, which nothing has disturbed -through all the long summer's day. And thus they rested beyond the fret -of time, and the hours rested around them, as the little leaping waves -of a cataract rest when the ice calms the stream: the serene blue peaks -of the Elfin Mountains above them stood like unchanging dreams. - -Then like the noise of some city heard amongst birds in woods, like a -sob heard amongst children that are all met to rejoice, like laughter -amongst a company that weep, like a shrill wind in orchards amongst the -early blossom, like a wolf coming over the downs where the sheep are -asleep, there came a feeling into the Elf King's mood that one was -coming towards them across the fields of Earth. It was Alveric with his -sword of thunderbolt-iron, which somehow the old King sensed by its -flavour of magic. - -Then the Elf King rose, and put his left arm about his daughter, and -raised his right to make a mighty enchantment, standing up before his -shining throne which is the very centre of Elfland. And with clear -resonance deep down in his throat he chaunted a rhythmic spell, all made -of words that Lirazel never had heard before, some age-old incantation, -calling Elfland away, drawing it further from Earth. And the marvellous -flowers heard as their petals drank in the music, and the deep notes -flooded the lawns; and all the palace thrilled, and quivered with -brighter colours; and a charm went over the plain as far as the frontier -of twilight, and a trembling went through the enchanted wood. Still the -Elf King chaunted on. The ringing ominous notes came now to the Elfin -Mountains, and all their line of peaks quivered as hills in haze, when -the heat of summer beats up from the moors and visibly dances in air. -All Elfland heard, all Elfland obeyed that spell. And now the King and -his daughter drifted away, as the smoke of the nomads drifts over Sahara -away from their camel's-hair tents, as dreams drift away at dawn, as -clouds over the sunset; and like the wind with the smoke, night with the -dreams, warmth with the sunset, all Elfland drifted with them. All -Elfland drifted with them and left the desolate plain, the dreary -deserted region, the unenchanted land. So swiftly that spell was -uttered, so suddenly Elfland obeyed, that many a little song, old -memory, garden or may tree of remembered years, was swept but a little -way by the drift and heave of Elfland, swaying too slowly eastwards till -the elfin lawns were gone, and the barrier of twilight heaved over them -and left them among the rocks. - -And whither Elfland went I cannot say, nor even whether it followed the -curve of the Earth or drifted beyond our rocks out into twilight: there -had been an enchantment near to our fields and now there was none: -wherever it went it was far. - -Then the Elf King ceased to chaunt and all was accomplished. As silently -as, in a moment that none can determine, the long layers over the sunset -turn from gold to pink, or from a glowing pink to a listless unlit -colour, all Elfland left the edges of those fields by which its wonder -had lurked for long ages of men, and was away now whither I know not. -And the Elf King seated himself again on his throne of mist and ice, in -which charmed rainbows were, and took Lirazel his daughter again on his -knee, and the calm that his chaunting had broken came back heavy and -deep over Elfland. Heavy and deep it fell on the lawns, heavy and deep -on the flowers; each dazzling blade of grass was still in its little -curve as though Nature in a moment of mourning said "Hush" at the -sudden end of the world; and the flowers dreamed on in their beauty, -immune from Autumn or wind. Far over the moors of the trolls slept the -calm of the King of Elfland, where the smoke from their queer -habitations hung stilled in the air; and in a forest wherein it quieted -the trembling of myriads of petals on roses, it stilled the pools where -the great lilies towered, till they and their reflections slept on in -one gorgeous dream. And there below motionless fronds of dream-gripped -trees, on the still water dreaming of the still air, where the huge -lily-leaves floated green in the calm, was the troll Lurulu, sitting -upon a leaf. For thus they named in Elfland the troll that had gone to -Erl. He sat there gazing into the water at a certain impudent look that -he had on. He gazed and gazed and gazed. - -Nothing stirred, nothing changed. All things were still, reposing in the -deep content of the King. The Knight of the Guard brought his sword back -to the carry, and afterwards stood as still at his perpetual post as -some suit of armour whose owner is centuries dead. And still the King -sat silent with his daughter upon his knee, his blue eyes unmoving as -the pale-blue peaks, which through wide windows shone from the Elfin -Mountains. - -And the Elf King stirred not, nor changed; but held to that moment in -which he had found content; and laid its influence over all his -dominions, for the good and welfare of Elfland; for he had what all our -troubled world with all its changes seeks, and finds so rarely and must -at once cast it away. He had found content and held it. - -And in that calm that settled down upon Elfland there passed ten years -over the fields we know. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - _Orion Hunts the Stag_ - - -There passed ten years over the fields we know; and Orion grew and -learned the art of Oth, and had the cunning of Threl, and knew the woods -and the slopes and vales of the downs, as many another boy knows how to -multiply figures by other figures or to draw the thoughts from a -language not his own and to set them down again in words of his own -tongue. And little he knew of the things that ink may do, how it can -mark a dead man's thought for the wonder of later years, and tell of -happenings that are gone clean away, and be a voice for us out of the -dark of time, and save many a fragile thing from the pounding of heavy -ages; or carry to us, over the rolling centuries, even a song from lips -long dead on forgotten hills. Little knew he of ink; but the touch of a -roe deer's feet on dry ground, gone three hours, was a clear path to -him, and nothing went through the woods but Orion read its story. And -all the sounds of the wood were as full of clear meaning to him as are -to the mathematician the signs and figures he makes when he divides his -millions by tens and elevens and twelves. He knew by sun and moon and -wind what birds would enter the wood, he knew of the coming seasons -whether they would be mild or severe, only a little later than the -beasts of the wood themselves, which have not human reason or soul and -that know so much more than we. - -And so he grew to know the very mood of the woods, and could enter their -shadowy shelter like one of the woodland beasts. And this he could do -when he was barely fourteen years; and many a man lives all his years -and can never enter a wood without changing the whole mood of its -shadowy ways. For men enter a wood perhaps with the wind behind them, -they brush against branches, step on twigs; speak, smoke, or tread -heavily; and jays cry out against them, pigeons leave the trees, rabbits -pad off to safety, and far more beasts than they know slip on soft feet -away from their coming. But Orion moved like Threl, in shoes of -deer-skin with the tread of a hunter. And none of the beasts of the wood -knew when he was come. - -And he came to have a pile of skins like Oth, that he won with his bow -in the wood; and he hung great horns of stags in the hall of the castle, -high up among old horns where the spider had lived for ages. And this -was one of the signs whereby the people of Erl came to know him now for -their lord, for no news came of Alveric, and all the old lords of Erl -had been hunters of deer. And another sign was the departing of the -witch Ziroonderel when she went back to her hill; and Orion lived in the -castle now by himself, and she dwelt in her cottage again where her -cabbages grew on the high land near to the thunder. - -And all that Winter Orion hunted the stags in the wood, but when Spring -came he put his bow away. Yet all through the season of song and flowers -his thoughts were still with the chase; and he went from house to house -wherever a man had one of the long thin dogs that hunt. And sometimes he -bought the dog, and sometimes the man would promise to lend it on days -of hunting. Thus Orion formed a pack of brown long-haired hounds and -yearned for the Spring and Summer to go by. And one Spring evening when -Orion was tending his hounds, when villagers were mostly at their doors -to notice the length of the evening, there came a man up the street whom -nobody knew. He came from the uplands, wrapped in the most aged of -clothes, which clung to him as though they had clung forever, and were -somehow a part of him and yet part of the Earth, for they were mellowed -by the clay of the high fields to its own deep brown. And folk noticed -the easy stride of a mighty walker, and a weariness in his eyes: and -none knew who he was. - -And then a woman said "It is Vand that was only a lad." And they all -crowded about him then, for it was indeed Vand who had left the sheep -more than ten years ago to ride with Alveric no one in Erl knew whither. -"How fares our master?" they said. And a look of weariness came in the -eyes of Vand. - -"He follows the quest," he said. - -"Whither?" they asked. - -"To the North," he said. "He seeks for Elfland still." - -"Why have you left him?" they asked. - -"I lost the hope," he said. - -They questioned him no more then, for all men knew that to seek for -Elfland one needed a strong hope, and without it one saw no gleam of the -Elfin Mountains, serene with unchanging blue. And then the mother of Niv -came running up. "Is it indeed Vand?" she said. And they all said "Yes, -it is Vand." - -And while they murmured together about Vand, and of how years and -wandering had changed him, she said to him, "Tell me of my son." And -Vand replied "He leads the quest. There is none whom my master trusts -more." And they all wondered, and yet they had no cause for wonder, for -it was a mad quest. - -But Niv's mother alone did not wonder. "I knew he would," she said. "I -knew he would." And she was filled with a great content. - -There are events and seasons to suit the mood of every man, though few -indeed could have suited the crazed mood of Niv, yet there came -Alveric's quest of Elfland, and so Niv found his work. - -And talking in the late evening with Vand the folk of Erl heard tales of -many camps, many marches, a tale of profitless wandering where Alveric -haunted horizons year after year like a ghost. And sometimes out of -Vand's sadness that had come from those profitless years a smile would -shine as he told of some foolish happening that had taken place in the -camp. But all was told by one that had lost hope in the quest. This was -not the way to tell of it, not with doubts, not with smiles. For such a -quest may only be told of by those who are fired by its glory: from the -mad brain of Niv or the moonstruck wits of Zend we might have news of -that quest which could light our minds with some gleam of its meaning; -but never from the story, be it made out of facts or scoffs, told by one -whom the quest itself was able to lure no longer. The stars stole out -and still Vand was telling his stories, and one by one the people went -back to their houses, caring to hear no more of the hopeless quest. Had -the tale been told by one who clung yet to the faith that still was -leading Alveric's wanderers on, the stars would have weakened before -those folk left the teller, the sky would have brightened so widely -before they left him that one would have said at last "Why! It is -morning." Not till then would they have gone. - -And the next day Vand went back to the downs and the sheep and troubled -himself with romantic quests no more. - -And during that Spring men spoke of Alveric again, wondering awhile at -his quest, speaking awhile of Lirazel, and guessing where she had gone, -and guessing why; and where they could not guess telling some tale to -explain all, which went from mouth to mouth till they came to believe -it. And Spring went by and they forgot Alveric and obeyed the will of -Orion. - -And then one day as Orion was waiting for the Summer to go by, with his -heart on frosty days and his dreams with his hounds on the uplands, -Rannok the lover came over the downs by the path by which Vand had come, -and walked down into Erl. Rannok with his heart free at last, with all -his melancholy gone, Rannok without woe, careless, care-free, content, -looking only for rest after his long wandering, sighing no more. And -nothing but this would have made Vyria care to have him, the girl he had -sought once. So the end of this was that she married him, and he too -went roaming no more on fantastic quests. - -And though some looked to the uplands through many an evening, till the -long days wore away and a strange wind touched the leaves, and some -peered over the further curves of the downs, yet they saw none more of -the followers of Alveric's quest coming back by the path that Vand and -Rannok had trod. And by the time that the leaves were a wonder of -scarlet and gold men spoke no more of Alveric but obeyed Orion his son. - -And in this season Orion arose one day before dawn and took his horn and -his bow and went to his hounds, who wondered to hear his step before -light was come: they heard it all in their sleep and awoke and clamoured -to him. And he loosed them and calmed them and led them away to the -downs. And to the lonely magnificence of the downs they came when the -stags are feeding on dewy grasses, before men are awake. All in the wild -wet morning they ran over the gleaming slopes, Orion and his hounds, all -rejoicing together. And the scent of the thyme came heavy with the air -that Orion breathed, as he trod its wide patches blooming late in the -year. To the hounds there came all the wandering scents of the morning. -And what wild creatures had met on the hill in the dark and what had -crossed it going upon their journeys, and whither all had gone when the -day grew bright, bringing the threat of man, Orion guessed and wondered; -but to the hounds all was clear. And some of the scents they noted with -careful noses, and some they scorned, and for one they sought in vain, -for the great red deer were not on the downs that morning. - -And Orion led them far from the Vale of Erl but saw no stag that day, -and never a wind brought the scent that the anxious hounds were seeking, -nor could they find it hidden in any grass or leaves. And evening came -on him bringing his hounds home, calling on stragglers with his horn, -while the sun turned huge and scarlet; and fainter than echoes of his -horn, and far beyond downs and mist, but clear each silver note, he -heard the elfin horns that called to him always at evening. - -With the great comradeship of a common weariness he and his hounds came -home dark in the starlight. The windows of Erl at last flashed to them -the glow of their welcome. Hounds came to their kennels and ate, and -lay down to contented sleep: Orion went to his castle. He too ate, and -afterwards sat thinking of the downs and his hounds and the day, his -mind lulled by fatigue to that point at which it rests beyond care. - -And many a day passed thus. And then one dewy morning, coming over a -ridge of the downs, they saw a stag below them feeding late when all the -rest were gone. The hounds all broke into one joyous cry, the heavy stag -moved nimbly over the grass, Orion shot an arrow and missed; all these -things happened in a moment. And then the hounds streamed away, and the -wind went over the backs of them with a ripple, and the stag went away -as though every one of his feet were on little dancing springs. And at -first the hounds were swifter than Orion, but he was as tireless as -they, and by taking sometimes shorter ways than theirs he stayed near -them till they came to a stream and faltered and began to need the help -of human reason. And such help as human reason can give in such a matter -Orion gave them, and soon they were on again. And the morning passed as -they went from hill to hill, and they had not seen the stag a second -time; and the afternoon wore away, and still the hounds followed every -step of the stag with a skill as strange as magic. And towards evening -Orion saw him, going slowly, along the slope of a hill, over coarse -grass that was shining in the rays of the low sun. He cheered on his -hounds and they ran him over three more small valleys, but down at the -bottom of the third he turned round amongst the pebbles of a stream and -waited there for the hounds. And they came baying round him, watching -his brow antlers. And there they tore him down and killed him at sunset. -And Orion wound his horn with a great joy in his heart: he wanted no -more than this. And with a note like that of joy, as though they also -rejoiced, or mocked his rejoicing, over hills that he knew not, perhaps -from the far side of the sunset, the horns of Elfland answered. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - _The Unicorn Comes in the Starlight_ - - -And winter came, and whitened the roofs of Erl, and all the forest and -uplands. And when Orion took his hounds afield in the morning the world -lay like a book that was newly written by Life; for all the story of the -night before lay in long lines in the snow. Here the fox had gone and -there the badger, and here the red deer had gone out of the wood; the -tracks led over the downs and disappeared from sight, as the deeds of -statesmen, soldiers, courtiers and politicians appear and disappear on -the pages of history. Even the birds had their record on those white -downs, where the eye could follow each step of their treble claws, till -suddenly on each side of the track would appear three little scars where -the tips of their longest feathers had flicked the snow, and there the -track faded utterly. They were like some popular cry, some vehement -fancy, that comes down on a page of history for a day, and passes, -leaving no other record at all except those lines on one page. - -And amongst all these records left of the story of night Orion would -choose the track of some great stag not too long gone, and would follow -it with his hounds away over the downs until even the sound of his horn -could be heard no longer in Erl. And over a ridge with his hounds, he -and they all black against red remnants of sunset, the folk of Erl would -see him coming home; and often it was not until all the stars were -glowing through the frost. Often the skin of a red deer hung over his -shoulders and the huge horns bobbed and nodded above his head. - -And at this time there met one day in the forge of Narl, all unknown to -Orion, the men of the parliament of Erl. They met after sunset when all -were home from their work. And gravely Narl handed to each the mead that -was brewed from the clover honey; and when all were come they sat -silent. And then Narl broke the silence, saying that Alveric ruled over -Erl no more and his son was Lord of Erl, and telling again how once they -had hoped for a magic lord to rule over the valley and to make it -famous, and saying that this should be he. "And where now," he said, "is -the magic for which we hoped? For he hunts the deer as all his -forefathers hunted, and nothing of magic has touched him from over -there; and there is no new thing." - -And Oth stood up to defend him. "He is as fleet as his hounds," he said, -"and hunts from dawn to sunset, and crosses the furthest downs and comes -home untired." - -"It is but youth," said Guhic. And so said all but Threl. - -And Threl stood up and said: "He has a knowledge of the ways of the -woods, and the lore of the beasts, beyond the learning of man." - -"You taught him," said Guhic. "There is no magic here." - -"Nothing of this," said Narl, "is from over there." - -Thus they argued awhile lamenting the loss of the magic for which they -had hoped: for never a valley but history touches it once, never a -village but once its name is awhile on the lips of men; only the village -of Erl was utterly unrecorded; never a century knew it beyond the round -of its downs. And now all their plans seemed lost which they made so -long ago, and they saw no hope except in the mead that was brewed from -the clover honey. To this they turned in silence. Now it was a goodly -brew. - -And in a while new plans flashed clear in their minds, new schemes, new -devices; and debates in the parliament of Erl flowed proudly on. And -they would have made a plan and a policy; but Oth arose from his seat. -There was in a flint-built house in the village of Erl an ancient -Chronicle, a volume bound in leather, and in it at certain seasons folk -wrote all manner of things, the wisdom of farmers concerning the time to -sow, the wisdom of hunters concerning the tracking of stags, and the -wisdom of prophets that told of the way of Earth. From this Oth quoted -now, two lines that he remembered on one of the aged pages; and all the -rest of that page told of hoeing; these lines he said to the parliament -of Erl as they sat with the mead before them at their table: - - "Hooded, and veiled with their night-like tresses, - The Fates shall bring what no prophet guesses." - -And then they planned no more, for either their minds were calmed by a -certain awe that they seemed to find in the lines, or it may be the mead -was stronger than anything written in books. However it be they sat -silent over their mead. And in early starlight while the West still -glowed they passed away from Narl's house back to their own homes -grumbling as they went that they had no magic lord to rule over Erl, and -yearning for magic, to save from oblivion the village and valley they -loved. They parted one by one as they came to their houses. And three or -four that dwelt near the end of the village on the side that was under -the downs were not yet come to their doors, when, white and clear in the -starlight and what remained of the gloaming, they saw hard-pressed and -wearied a hunted unicorn coming across the downs. They stopped and gazed -and shaded their eyes and stroked their beards and wondered. And still -it was a white unicorn galloping wearily. And then they heard drawing -nearer the cry of Orion's hounds. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - _The Grey Tent in the Evening_ - - -On the day that the hunted unicorn crossed the valley of Erl Alveric had -wandered for over eleven years. For more than ten years, a company of -six, they went by the backs of the houses by the edge of the fields we -know, and camped at evenings with their queer material hung greyly on -poles. And whether or not the strange romance of their quest mirrored -itself in all the things about them, those camps of theirs seemed always -the strangest thing in the landscape; and as evening grew greyer around -them their romance and mystery grew. - -And for all the vehemence of Alveric's ambition they travelled leisurely -and lazily: sometimes in a pleasant camp they stayed for three days; -then they went strolling on. Nine or ten miles they would march and then -they would camp again. Someday, Alveric felt sure in his heart, they -would see that border of twilight, someday they would enter Elfland. And -in Elfland he knew that time was not as here: he would meet Lirazel -unaged in Elfland, with never one smile lost to the raging years, never -a furrow worn by the ruin of time. This was his hope; and it led his -queer company on from camp to camp, and cheered them round the fire in -the lonely evenings, and brought them far to the North, travelling all -along the edge of the fields we know, where all men's faces turned the -other way, and the six wanderers went unseen and unheeded. Only the mind -of Vand hung back from their hope, and more and more every year his -reason denied the lure that was leading the rest. And then one day he -lost his faith in Elfland. After that he only followed until a day when -the wind was full of rain, and all were cold and wet and the horses -weary; he left them then. - -And Rannok followed because he had no hope in his heart and wished to -wander from sorrow; until one day when all the blackbirds were singing -in trees of the fields we know, and his hopelessness left him in the -glittering sunshine, and he thought of the cosy homes and the haunts of -men. And soon he too passed out of the camp one evening and set off for -the pleasant lands. - -And now the four that were left were all of one mind, and under the wet -coarse cloth that they hung on poles there was deep content in the -evenings. For Alveric clung to his hope with all the strength of his -race, that had once won Erl in old battles and held it for centuries -long, and in the vacant minds of Niv and Zend this idea grew strong and -big, like some rare flower that a gardener may plant by chance in a wild -untended place. And Thyl sung of the hope; and all his wild fancies that -roamed after song decked Alveric's quest with more and more of glamour. -So all were of one mind. And greater quests whether mad or sane have -prospered when this was so, and greater quests have failed when it was -otherwise. - -They had gone northwards for years along the backs of those houses; and -then one day they would turn eastwards, wherever a certain look in the -sky or a touch of weirdness at evening, or a mere prophecy of Niv's, -seemed to suggest a proximity of Elfland. Upon such occasions they would -travel over the rocks, that for all those years lay bordering the fields -we know, until Alveric saw that provisions for men and horses would -barely bring them back to the houses of men. Then he would turn again, -but Niv would have led them still onward over the rocks, for his -enthusiasm grew as they went; and Thyl sang to them prophesying success; -and Zend would say that he saw the peaks and the spires of Elfland; only -Alveric was wise. And so they would come to the houses of men again, and -buy more provisions. And Niv and Zend and Thyl would babble of the -quest, pouring out the enthusiasm that burned in their hearts; but -Alveric did not speak of it, for he had learned that men in those fields -neither speak of nor look towards Elfland, although he had not learned -why. - -Soon they were on again, and the folk that had sold them the produce of -fields we know gazed curiously after them as they went, as though they -thought that from madness alone or from dreams inspired by the moon came -all the talk they had heard from Niv and Zend and Thyl. - -Thus they always travelled on, always seeking new points from which to -discover Elfland; and on the left of them blew scents from the fields we -know, the scent of lilac from cottage gardens in May, and then the scent -of the white-thorn and then of roses, till all the air was heavy with -new-mown hay. They heard the low of cattle away on their left, heard -human voices, heard partridges calling; heard all the sounds that go up -from happy farms; and on their right was always the desolate land, -always the rocks and never grass nor a flower. They had the -companionship of men no more, and yet they could not find Elfland. In -such a case they needed the songs of Thyl and the sure hope of Niv. - -And the talk of Alveric's quest spread through the land and overtook his -wanderings, till all men that he passed by knew his story; and from some -he had the contempt that some men give to those who dedicate all their -days to a quest, and from others he had honour; but all he asked for was -provender, and this he bought when they brought it. So they went on. -Like legendary things they passed along the backs of the houses, putting -up their grey shapeless tent in the grey evenings. They came as quietly -as rain, and went away like mists drifting. There were jests about them -and songs. And the songs outlasted the jests. At last they became a -legend, which haunted those farms for ever: they were spoken of when men -told of hopeless quests, and held up to laughter or glory, whichever men -had to give. - -And all the while the King of Elfland watched; for he knew by magic when -Alveric's sword drew near: it had troubled his kingdom once, and the -King of Elfland knew well the flavour of thunderbolt iron when he felt -it loom on the air. From this he had withdrawn his frontiers far, -leaving all that ragged land deserted of Elfland; and though he knew not -the length of human journeys, he had left a space that to cross would -weary the comet, and rightly deemed himself safe. - -But when Alveric with his sword was far to the North the Elf King -loosened the grip with which he had withdrawn Elfland, as the Moon that -withdraws the tide lets it flow back again, and Elfland came racing back -as the tide over flat sands. With a long ribbon of twilight at its edge -it floated back over the waste of rocks; with old songs it came, with -old dreams, and with old voices. And in a while the frontier of -twilight lay flashing and glimmering near the fields we know, like an -endless Summer evening that lingered on out of the golden age. But bleak -and far to the North where Alveric wandered the limitless rocks still -heaped the desolate land; only to fields from which he and his sword and -his adventurous band were remotely gone that mighty inlet of Elfland -came lapping back. So that close again to the leather-worker's cottage -and to the farms of his neighbours, a bare three fields away, lay the -land that was heaped and piled with all the wonder for which poets seek -so hard, the very treasury of all romantic things; and the Elfin -Mountains gazed over the border serenely, as though their pale-blue -peaks had never moved. And here the unicorns fed along the border as it -was their custom to do, feeding sometimes in Elfland, which is the home -of all fabulous things, cropping lilies below the slopes of the Elfin -Mountains, and sometimes slipping through the border of twilight at -evening when all our fields are still, to feed upon earthly grass. It is -because of this craving for earthly grass that comes on them now and -then, as the red deer in Highland mountains crave once a year for the -sea, that, fabulous though they are on account of their birth in -Elfland, their existence is nevertheless known among men. The fox, which -is born in our fields, also crosses the frontier, going into the border -of twilight at certain seasons; it is thence that he gets the romance -with which he comes back to our fields. He also is fabulous, but only in -Elfland, as the unicorns are fabulous here. - -And seldom the folk on those farms saw the unicorns, even dim in the -gloaming, for their faces were turned forever away from Elfland. The -wonder, the beauty, the glamour, the story of Elfland were for minds -that had leisure to care for such things as these; but the crops needed -these men, and the beasts that were not fabulous, and the thatch, and -the hedges and a thousand things: barely at the end of each year they -won their fight against Winter: they knew well that if they let a -thought of theirs turn but for a moment towards Elfland, its glory would -grip them soon and take all their leisure away, and there would be no -time left to mend thatch or hedge or to plough the fields we know. But -Orion lured by the sound of the horns that blew from Elfland at evening, -and that some elvish attuning of his ears to magical things caused him -alone in all those fields to hear, came with his hounds to a field -across which ran the frontier of twilight, and found the unicorns there -late on an evening. And, slipping along a hedge of the little field with -his hounds padding behind him, he came between a unicorn and the -frontier and cut it off from Elfland. This was the unicorn that with -flashing neck, covered with flecks of foam that shone silvery in the -starlight, panting, harried and weary, came across the valley of Erl, -like an inspiration, like a new dynasty to a custom-weary land, like -news of a happier continent found far-off by suddenly returned -sea-faring men. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - _Twelve Old Men Without Magic_ - - -Now few things pass by a village and leave no talk behind them. Nor did -this unicorn. For the three that saw it going by in the starlight -immediately told their families, and many of these ran from their houses -to tell the good news to others, for all strange news was accounted good -in Erl, because of the talk that it made; and talk was held to be -needful when work was over to pass the evenings away. So they talked -long of the unicorn. - -And, after a day or two, in the forge of Narl the parliament of Erl was -met again, seated by mugs of mead, discussing the unicorn. And some -rejoiced and said that Orion was magic, because unicorns were of magic -stock and came from beyond our fields. - -"Therefore," said one, "he has been to lands of which it does not become -us to speak, and is magic, as all things are which dwell over there." - -And some agreed and held that their plans had come to fruition. - -But others said that the beast went by in the starlight, if beast it -were, and who could say it was a unicorn? And one said that in the -starlight it was hard to see it at all, and another said unicorns were -hard to recognize. And then they began to discuss the size and shape of -these beasts, and all the known legends that told of them, and came no -nearer to agreeing together whether or not their lord had hunted a -unicorn. Till at last Narl seeing that they would not thus come by the -truth, and deeming it necessary that the fact should be established one -way or the other forever, rose up and told them that the time had come -for the vote. So by a method they had of casting shells of various -colours into a horn that was passed from man to man, they voted about -the unicorn as Narl had commanded. And a hush fell, and Narl counted. -And it was seen to have been established by vote that there had been no -unicorn. - -Sorrowfully then that parliament of Erl saw that their plans to have a -magic lord had failed; they were all old men, and the hope that they had -had for so long being gone they turned less easily to newer plans than -they had to the plan that they made so long ago. What should they do -now, they said? How come by magic? What could they do that the world -should remember Erl? Twelve old men without magic. They sat there over -their mead, and it could not lighten their sadness. - -But Orion was away with his hounds near that great inlet of Elfland -where it lay as it were at high tide, touching the very grass of the -fields we know. He went there at evening when the horns blew clear to -guide him, and waited there all quiet at the edge of those fields for -the unicorns to steal across the border. For he hunted stags no more. - -And as he went over those fields in the late afternoon folk working on -the farms would greet him cheerily; but when still he went eastwards -they spoke to him less and less, till at last when he neared the border -and still kept on they looked his way no more, but left him and his -hounds to their own devices. - -And by the time the sun set he would be standing quiet by a hedge that -ran right down into the frontier of twilight, with his hounds all -gathered close in under the hedge, with his eye on them all lest one of -them dared to move. And the pigeons would come home to trees of the -fields we know, and twittering starlings; and the elfin horns would -blow, clear silver magical music thrilling the chilled air, and all the -colours of clouds would go suddenly changing; it was then in the failing -light, in the darkening of colours, that Orion would watch for a dim -white shape stepping out of the border of twilight. And this evening -just as he hushed a hound with his hand, just as all our fields went -dim, there slipped a great white unicorn out of the border, still -munching lilies such as never grew in any fields of ours. He came, a -whiteness on perfectly silent feet, four or five yards into the fields -we know, and stood there still as moonlight, and listened and listened -and listened. Orion never moved, and he kept his hounds silent by some -power he had or by some wisdom of theirs. And in five minutes the -unicorn made a step or two forward, and began to crop the long sweet -earthly grasses. And as soon as he moved there came others through the -deep blue border of twilight, and all at once there were five of them -feeding there. And still Orion stood with his hounds and waited. - -Little by little the unicorns moved further away from the border, lured -further and further into the fields we know by the deep rich earthly -grasses, on which all five of them browsed in the silent evening. If a -dog barked, even if a late cock crew, up went all their ears at once -and they stood watchful, not trusting anything in the fields of men, or -venturing into them far. - -But at last the one that had come first through the twilight got so far -from his magical home that Orion was able to run between him and the -frontier, and his hounds came behind him. And then had Orion been toying -with the chase, then had he hunted but for an idle whim, and not for -that deep love of the huntsman's craft that only huntsmen know, then had -he lost everything: for his hounds would have chased the nearest -unicorns, and they would have been in a moment across the frontier and -lost, and if the hounds had followed they would have been lost too, and -all that day's work would have gone for nothing. But Orion led his -hounds to chase the furthest, watching all the while to see if any hound -would try to pursue the others; and only one began to, but Orion's whip -was ready. And so he cut his quarry off from its home, and his hounds -for the second time were in full cry after a unicorn. - -As soon as the unicorn heard the feet of the hounds, and saw with one -flash of his eye that he could not get to his enchanted home, he shot -forward with a sudden spring of his limbs and went like an arrow over -the fields we know. When he came to hedges he did not seem to gather his -limbs to leap but seemed to glide over them with motionless muscles, -galloping again when he touched the grass once more. - -In that first rush the hounds drew far ahead of Orion, and this enabled -him to head the unicorn off whenever it tried to turn to the magical -land; and at such turnings he came near his hounds again. And the third -time that Orion turned the unicorn it galloped straight away, and so -continued over the fields of men. The cry of the hounds went through the -calm of the evening like a long ripple across a sleeping lake following -the unseen way of some strange diver. In that straight gallop the -unicorn gained so much on the hounds that soon Orion only saw him far -off, a white spot moving along a slope in the gloaming. Then it reached -the top of a valley and passed from view. But that strong queer scent -that led the hounds like a song remained clear on the grass, and they -never checked or faltered except for a moment at streams. Even there -their ranging noses picked up the magical scent before Orion came up to -give them his aid. - -And as the hunt went on the daylight faded away, till the sky was all -prepared for the coming of stars. And one or two stars appeared, and a -mist came up from streams and spread all white over fields, till they -could not have seen the unicorn if he had been close before them. The -very trees seemed sleeping. They passed by little houses, lonely, -sheltered by elms; shut off by high hedges of yew from those that roamed -the fields; houses that Orion had never seen or known till the chance -course of this unicorn brought him suddenly past their doors. Dogs -barked as they passed, and continued barking long, for that magical -scent on the air and the rush and the voice of the pack told them -something strange was afoot; and at first they barked because they would -have shared in what was afoot, and afterwards to warn their masters -about the strangeness. They barked long through the evening. - -And once, as they passed a little house in a cluster of old thorns, a -door suddenly opened, and a woman stood gazing to see them go by: she -could have seen no more than grey shapes, but Orion in the moment as he -passed saw all the glow of the house, and the yellow light streaming out -into the cold. The merry warmth cheered him, and he would have rested -awhile in that little oasis of man in the lonely fields, but the hounds -went on and he followed; and those in the houses heard their cry go past -like the sound of a trumpet whose echoes go fading away amongst the -furthest hills. - -A fox heard them coming, and stood quite still and listened: at first he -was puzzled. Then he caught the scent of the unicorn, and all was clear -to him, for he knew by the magic flavour that it was something coming -from Elfland. - -But when sheep caught the scent they were terrified, and ran all huddled -together until they could run no more. - -Cattle leaped up from their sleep, gazed dreamily, and wondered; but the -unicorn went through them and away, as some rose-scented breeze that has -strayed from valley gardens into the streets of a city slips through the -noisy traffic and is gone. - -Soon all the stars were looking on those quiet fields through which the -hunt went with its exultation, a line of vehement life cleaving through -sleep and silence. And now the unicorn, far out of sight though he was, -no longer gained a little at every hedge. For at first he lost no more -pace at any hedge than a bird loses passing clear of a cloud, while the -great hounds struggled through what gaps they could find, or lay on -their sides and wriggled between the stems of the bushes. But now he -gathered his strength with more effort at every hedge, and sometimes hit -the top of the hedge and stumbled. He was galloping slower too; for this -was a journey such as no unicorn made through the deep calm of Elfland. -And something told the tired hounds they were drawing nearer. And a new -joy entered their voices. - -They crossed a few more black hedges, and then there loomed before them -the dark of a wood. When the unicorn entered the wood the voices of the -hounds were clear in his ears. A pair of foxes saw him going slowly, and -they ran along beside him to see what would befall the magic creature -coming weary to them from Elfland. One on each side they ran, keeping -his slow pace and watching him, and they had no fear of the hounds -though they heard their cry, for they knew that nothing that followed -that magical scent would turn aside after any earthly thing. So he went -labouring through the wood, and the foxes watched him curiously all the -way. - -The hounds entered the wood and the great oaks rang with the sound of -them, and Orion followed with an enduring speed that he may have got -from our fields or that may have come to him over the border from -Elfland. The dark of the wood was intense but he followed his hounds' -cry, and they did not need to see with that wonderful scent to guide -them. They never wavered as they followed that scent, but went on -through gloaming and starlight. It was not like any hunt of fox or stag; -for another fox will cross the line of a fox, or a stag may pass through -a herd of stags and hinds; even a flock of sheep will bewilder hounds by -crossing the line they follow; but this unicorn was the only magical -thing in all our fields that night, and his scent lay unmistakable over -the earthly grass, a burning pungent flavour of enchantment among the -things of every day. They hunted him clear through the wood and down to -a valley, the two foxes keeping with him and watching still: he picked -his feet carefully as he went down the hill, as though his weight hurt -them while he descended the slope, yet his pace was as fast as that of -the hounds going down: then he went a little way along the trough of the -valley, turning to his left as soon as he came down the hill, but the -hounds gained on him then and he turned for the opposite slope. And then -his weariness could be concealed no longer, the thing that all wild -creatures conceal to the last; he toiled over every step as though his -legs dragged his body heavily. Orion saw him from the opposite slope. - -And when the unicorn got to the top the hounds were close behind him, so -that he suddenly whipped round his great single horn and stood before -them threatening. Then the hounds bayed about him, but the horn waved -and bowed with such swift grace that no hound got a grip; they knew -death when they saw it, and eager though they were to fasten upon him -they leaped back from that flashing horn. Then Orion came up with his -bow, but he would not shoot, perhaps because it was hard to put an arrow -safely past his pack of hounds, perhaps because of a feeling such as we -have to-day, and which is no new thing among us, that it was unfair to -the unicorn. Instead he drew an old sword that he was wearing, and -advanced through his hounds and engaged that deadly horn. And the -unicorn arched his neck, and the horn flashed at Orion; and, weary -though the unicorn was, yet a mighty force remained in that muscular -neck to drive the blow that he aimed, and Orion barely parried. He -thrust at the unicorn's throat, but the great horn tossed the sword -aside from its aim and again lunged at Orion. Again he parried with the -whole weight of his arm, and had but an inch to spare. He thrust again -at the throat, and the unicorn parried the sword-thrust almost -contemptuously. Again and again the unicorn aimed fair at Orion's heart; -the huge white beast stepped forward pressing Orion back. That graceful -bowing neck, with its white arch of hard muscle driving the deadly horn, -was wearying Orion's arm. Once more he thrust and failed; he saw the -unicorn's eye flash wickedly in the starlight, he saw all white before -him the fearful arch of its neck, he knew he could turn aside its heavy -blows no more; and then a hound got a grip in front of the right -shoulder. No moments passed before many another hound leaped on to the -unicorn, each with a chosen grip, for all that they looked like a rabble -rolling and heaving by chance. Orion thrust no more, for many hounds all -at once were between him and his enemy's throat. Awful groans came from -the unicorn, such sounds as are not heard in the fields we know; and -then there was no sound but the deep growl of the hounds that roared -over the wonderful carcase as they wallowed in fabulous blood. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - _A Historical Fact_ - - -Amongst the weary hounds refreshed with fury and triumph, Orion stepped -with his whip and drove them away from the monstrous dead body, and sent -the lash quivering round in a wide circle, while in his other hand he -took his sword and cut off the unicorn's head. He also took the skin of -the long white neck and brought it away dangling empty from the head. -All the while the hounds bayed and made eager rushes one by one at that -magical carcase whenever one saw a chance of eluding the whip; so that -it was long before Orion got his trophy, for he had to work as hard with -his whip as with his sword. But at last he had it slung by a leather -thong over his shoulders, the great horn pointing upwards past the right -side of his head, and the smeared skin hanging down along his back. And -while he arranged it thus he allowed his hounds to worry the body again -and taste that wonderful blood. Then he called to them and blew a note -on his horn and turned slowly home towards Erl, and they all followed -behind him. And the two foxes stole up to taste the curious blood, for -they had sat and waited for this. - -While the unicorn was climbing his last hill Orion felt such fatigue -that he could have gone little further, but now that the heavy head hung -from his shoulders all his fatigue was gone and he trod with a lightness -such as he had in the mornings, for it was his first unicorn. And his -hounds seemed refreshed as though the blood they had lapped had some -strange power in it, and they came home riotously, gambolling and -rushing ahead as when newly loosed from their kennels. - -Thus Orion came home over the downs in the night, till he saw the valley -before him full of the smoke of Erl, where one late light was burning in -a window of one of his towers. And, coming down the slopes by familiar -ways, he brought his hounds to their kennels; and just before dawn had -touched the heights of the downs he blew his horn before his postern -door. And the aged guardian of the door when he opened it to Orion saw -the great horn of the unicorn bobbing over his head. - -This was the horn that was sent in later years as a gift from the Pope -to King Francis. Benvenuto Cellini tells of it in his memoirs. He tells -how Pope Clement sent for him and a certain Tobbia, and ordered them to -make designs for the setting of a unicorn's horn, the finest ever seen. -Judge then of Orion's delight when the horn of the first unicorn he ever -took was such as to be esteemed generations later the finest ever seen, -and in no less a city than Rome, with all her opportunities to acquire -and compare such things. For a number of these curious horns must have -been available for the Pope to have selected for the gift the finest -ever seen; but in the simpler days of my story the rarity of the horn -was so great that unicorns were still considered fabulous. The year of -the gift to King Francis would be about 1530, the horn being mounted in -gold; and the contract went to Tobbia and not to Benvenuto Cellini. I -mention the date because there are those who care little for a tale if -it be not here and there supported by history, and who even in history -care more for fact than philosophy. If any such reader have followed the -fortunes of Orion so far he will be hungry by now for a date or a -historical fact. As for the date, I give him 1530. While for the -historical fact I select that generous gift recorded by Benvenuto -Cellini, because it may well be that just where he came to unicorns such -a reader may have felt furthest away from history and have felt -loneliest just at this point for want of historical things. How the -unicorn's horn found its way from the Castle of Erl, and in what hands -it wandered, and how it came at last to the City of Rome, would of -course make another book. - -But all that I need say now about that horn is that Orion took the whole -head to Threl, who took off the skin and washed it and boiled the skull -for hours, and replaced the skin and stuffed the neck with straw; and -Orion set it in the midmost place among all the heads that hung in the -high hall. And the rumour went all through Erl, as swift as unicorns -gallop, telling of this fine horn that Orion had won. So that the -parliament of Erl met again in the forge of Narl. They sat at the table -there debating the rumour; and others besides Threl had seen the head. -And at first, for the sake of old divisions, some held to their opinion -that there had been no unicorn. They drank Narl's goodly mead and argued -against the monster. But after a while, whether Threl's argument -convinced them, or whether as is more likely, they yielded from -generosity, which arose like a beautiful flower out of the mellow mead, -whatever it was the debate of those that opposed the unicorn -languished, and when the vote was put it was declared that Orion had -killed a unicorn, which he had hunted hither from beyond the fields we -know. - -And at this they all rejoiced; for they saw at last the magic for which -they had longed, and for which they had planned so many years ago, when -all were younger and had had more hope in their plans. And as soon as -the vote was taken Narl brought out more mead, and they drank again to -mark the happy occasion: for magic at last, said they, had come on -Orion, and a glorious future surely awaited Erl. And the long room and -the candles and the friendly men and the deep comfort of mead made it -easy to look a little way forward into time and to see a year or so that -had not yet come, and to see coming glories glowing a little way off. -And they told again of the days, but nearer now, when the distant lands -should hear of the vale they loved: they told again of the fame of the -fields of Erl going from city to city. One praised its castle, another -its huge high downs, another the vale itself all hidden from every land, -another the dear quaint houses built by an olden folk, another the deep -of the woods that lay over the sky-line; and all spoke of the time when -the wide world should hear of it all, because of the magic that there -was in Orion; for they knew that the world has a quick ear for magic, -and always turns toward the wonderful even though it be nearly asleep. -Their voices were high, praising magic, telling again of the unicorn, -glorying in the future of Erl, when suddenly in the doorway stood the -Freer. He was there in his long white robe with its trimming of mauve, -in the door with the night behind him. As they looked, in the light of -their candles, they could see he was wearing an emblem, on a chain of -gold round his neck. Narl bade him welcome, some moved a chair to the -table; but he had heard them speak of the unicorn. He lifted his voice -from where he stood, and addressed them. "Cursed be unicorns," he said, -"and all their ways, and all things that be magic." - -In the awe that suddenly changed the mellow room one cried: "Master! -Curse not us!" - -"Good Freer," said Narl, "we hunted no unicorn." - -But the Freer raised up his hand against unicorns and cursed them yet. -"Curst be their horn," he cried, "and the place where they dwell, and -the lilies whereon they feed, curst be all songs that tell of them. -Curst be they utterly with everything that dwelleth beyond salvation." - -He paused to allow them to renounce the unicorns, standing still in the -doorway, looking sternly into the room. - -And they thought of the sleekness of the unicorn's hide, his swiftness, -the grace of his neck, and his dim beauty cantering by when he came past -Erl in the evening. They thought of his stalwart and redoubtable horn; -they remembered old songs that told of him. They sat in uneasy silence -and would not renounce the unicorn. - -And the Freer knew what they thought and he raised his hand again, clear -in the candle-light with the night behind him. "Curst be their speed," -he said, "and their sleek white hide; curst be their beauty and all that -they have of magic, and everything that walks by enchanted streams." - -And still he saw in their eyes a lingering love for those things that he -forbade, and therefore he ceased not yet. He lifted his voice yet louder -and continued, with his eye sternly upon those troubled faces: "And -curst be trolls, elves, goblins and fairies upon the Earth, and -hypogriffs and Pegasus in the air, and all the tribes of the mer-folk -under the sea. Our holy rites forbid them. And curst be all doubts, all -singular dreams, all fancies. And from magic may all true folk be turned -away. Amen." - -He turned round suddenly and was into the night. A wind loitered about -the door, then flapped it to. And the large room in the forge of Narl -was as it had been but a few moments before, yet the mellow mood of it -seemed dulled and dim. And then Narl spoke, rising up at the table's end -and breaking the gloom of the silence. "Did we plan our plans," he said, -"so long ago, and put our faith in magic, that we should now renounce -magical things and curse our neighbours, the harmless folk beyond the -fields we know, and the beautiful things of the air, and dead mariners' -lovers dwelling beneath the sea?" - -"No, no," said some. And they quaffed their mead again. - -And then one rose with his horn of mead held high, then another and then -another, till all were standing upright all round the light of the -candles. "Magic!" one cried. And the rest with one accord took up his -cry till all were shouting "Magic." - -The Freer on his homeward way heard that cry of Magic, he gathered his -sacred robe more closely around him and clutched his holy things, and -said a spell that kept him from sudden demons and the doubtful things of -the mist. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - _On the Verge of Earth_ - - -And on that day Orion rested his hounds. But the next day he rose early -and went to his kennels and loosened the joyous hounds in the shining -morning, and led them out of the valley and over the downs towards the -frontier of twilight again. And he took his bow with him no more, but -only his sword and his whip; for he had come to love the joy of his -fifteen hounds when they hunted the one-horned monster, and felt that he -shared the joy of every hound; while to shoot one with an arrow would be -but a single joy. - -All day he went over the fields, greeting some farmer here and there, or -worker in the field, and gaining greetings in return, and good wishes -for sport. But when evening came and he was near the frontier, fewer and -fewer greeted him as he passed, for he was manifestly travelling where -none went, whence even their thoughts held back. So he went lonely, yet -cheered by his eager thoughts, and happy in the comradeship of his -hounds; and both his thoughts and his hounds were all for the chase. - -And so he came to the barrier of twilight again, where the hedges ran -down to it from the fields of men and turned strange and dim in a glow -that is not of our Earth and disappeared in the twilight. He stood with -his hounds close in against one of these hedges just where it touched -the barrier. The light just there on the hedge, if like anything of our -Earth, was like the misty dimness that flashes upon a hedge, seen only -across one field, when touched by the rainbow: in the sky the rainbow is -clear, but close across one wide field the rainbow's end scarcely shows, -yet a heavenly strangeness has touched and altered the hedge. In some -such light as that glowed the last of the hawthorns that grew in the -fields of men. And just beyond it, like a liquid opal, all full of -wandering lights, lay the barrier through which no man can see, and no -sound come but the sound of the elfin horns, and only that to the ears -of very few. The horns were blowing now, piercing that barrier of dim -light and silence with the magical resonance of their silver note, that -seemed to beat past all things intervening to come to Orion's ear, as -the sunlight beats through ether to illumine the vales of the moon. - -The horns died down, and nothing whispered from Elfland; and all the -sounds thenceforth were the sounds of an earthly evening. Even these -grew few, and still no unicorns came. - -A dog barked far away: a cart, the sole sound on an empty road, went -homeward wearily: someone spoke in a lane, and then left the silence -unbroken, for words seemed to offend the hush that was over all our -fields. And in the hush Orion gazed at the frontier, watching for the -unicorns that never came, expecting each moment to see one step through -the twilight. But he had done unwisely in coming to the same spot at -which he had found the five unicorns only two days before. For of all -creatures the unicorns are the wariest, guarding their beauty from the -eye of man with never ceasing watchfulness; dwelling all day beyond the -fields we know, and only entering them rarely at evening, when all is -still, and with the utmost vigilance, and venturing even then scarcely -beyond the edges. To come on such animals twice at the same spot within -two days with hounds, after hunting and killing one of them, was more -unlikely than Orion thought. But his heart was full of the triumph of -his hunt, and the scene of it lured him back to it in the way that such -scenes have. And now he gazed at the frontier, waiting for one of these -great creatures to come proudly through, a great tangible shape out of -the dim opalescence. And no unicorn came. - -And standing gazing there so long, that curious boundary began to lure -him till his thoughts went roaming with its wandering lights and he -desired the peaks of Elfland. And well they knew that lure who dwelt on -those farms lying all along the edge of the fields we know, and wisely -kept their eyes turned ever away from that wonder that lay with its -marvel of colours so near to the backs of their houses. For there was a -beauty in it such as is not in all our fields; and it is told those -farmers in youth how, if they gaze upon those wandering lights, there -will remain no joy for them in the goodly fields, the fine, brown -furrows or the waves of wheat, or in any things of ours; but their -hearts will be far from here with elfin things, yearning always for -unknown mountains and for folk not blessed by the Freer. - -And standing now, while our earthly evening waned, upon the very edge of -that magical twilight, the things of Earth rushed swiftly from his -remembrance, and suddenly all his care was for elfin things. Of all the -folk that trod the paths of men he remembered only his mother, and -suddenly knew, as though the twilight had told him, that she was -enchanted and he of a magical line. And none had told him this, but he -knew it now. - -For years he had wondered through many an evening and guessed where his -mother was gone: he had guessed in lonely silence; none knew what the -child was guessing: and now an answer seemed to hang in the air; it -seemed as though she were only a little way off across the enchanted -twilight that divided those farms from Elfland. He moved three steps and -came to the frontier itself; his foot was the furthest that stood in the -fields we know: against his face the frontier lay like a mist, in which -all the colours of pearls were dancing gravely. A hound stirred as he -moved, the pack turned their heads and eyed him; he stood, and they -rested again. He tried to see through the barrier, but saw nothing but -wandering lights that were made by the massing of twilights from the -ending of thousands of days, which had been preserved by magic to build -that barrier there. Then he called to his mother across that mighty gap, -those few preserved by magic to build that barrier there. Then he upon -one side Earth and the haunts of men, and the time that we measure by -minutes and hours and years, and upon the other Elfland and another way -of time. He called to her twice and listened, and called again; and -never a cry or a whisper came out of Elfland. He felt then the magnitude -of the gulf that divided him from her, and knew it to be vast and dark -and strong, like the gulfs that set apart our times from a bygone day, -or that stand between daily life and the things of dream, or between -folk tilling the Earth and the heroes of song, or between those living -yet and those they mourn. And the barrier twinkled and sparkled as -though so airy a thing never divided lost years from that fleeing hour -called Now. - -He stood there with the cries of Earth faint in the late evening, behind -him, and the mellow glow of the soft earthly twilight; and before him, -close to his face, the utter silence of Elfland, and the barrier that -made that silence, gleaming with its strange beauty. And now he thought -no more of earthly things, but only gazed into that wall of twilight, as -prophets tampering with forbidden lore gaze into cloudy crystals. And to -all that was elvish in Orion's blood, to all that he had of magic from -his mother, the little lights of the twilight-builded boundary lured and -tempted and beckoned. He thought of his mother dwelling in lonely ease -beyond the rage of Time, he thought of the glories of Elfland, dimly -known by magical memories that he had had from his mother. The little -cries of the earthly evening behind him he heeded no more nor heard. And -with all these little cries were lost to him also the ways and the needs -of men, the things they plan, the things they toil for and hope for, and -all the little things their patience achieves. In the new knowledge that -had come to him beside this glittering boundary that he was of magical -blood he desired at once to cast off his allegiance to Time, and to -leave the lands that lay under Time's dominion and were ever scourged by -his tyranny, to leave them with no more than five short paces, and to -enter the ageless land where his mother sat with her father while he -reigned on his misty throne in that hall of bewildering beauty at which -only song has guessed. No more was Erl his home, no more were the ways -of man his ways: their fields to his feet no more! But the peaks of the -Elfin Mountains were to him now what welcoming eaves of straw are to -earthly labourers at evening; the fabulous, the unearthly, were to Orion -home. Thus had that barrier of twilight, too long seen, enchanted him; -so much more magical was it than any earthly evening. - -And there are those that might have gazed long at it and even yet turned -away; but not easily Orion; for though magic has power to charm worldly -things they respond to enchantment heavily and slowly, while all that -was magic in Orion's blood flashed answer to the magic that shone in the -rampart of Elfland. It was made of the rarest lights that wander in air, -and the fairest flashes of sunlight that astonish our fields through -storm, and the mists of little streams, and the glow of flowers in -moonlight, and all the ends of our rainbows with all their beauty and -magic, and scraps of the gloaming of evenings long treasured in aged -minds. Into this enchantment he stepped to have done with mundane -things; but as his foot touched the twilight a hound that had sat behind -him under the hedge, held back from the chase so long, stretched its -body a little and uttered one of those low cries of impatience that -amongst the ways of man most nearly resembles a yawn. And old habit, at -that sound made Orion turn his head, and he saw the hound and went up to -him for a moment, and patted him and would have said farewell; but all -the hounds were around him then, nosing his hands and looking up at his -face. And standing there amongst his eager hounds, Orion, who but a -moment before was dreaming of fabulous things with thoughts that floated -over the magical lands and scaled the enchanted peaks of the Elfin -Mountains, was suddenly at the call of his earthly lineage. It was not -that he cared more to hunt than to be with his mother beyond the fret of -time, in the lands of her father lovelier than anything song hath said; -it was not that he loved his hounds so much that he could not leave -them; but his fathers had followed the chase age after age, as his -mother's line had timelessly followed magic; and the call towards magic -was strong while he looked on magical things, and the old earthly line -was as strong to beckon him to the chase. The beautiful boundary of -twilight had drawn his desires towards Elfland, next moment his hounds -had turned him another way: it is hard for any of us to avoid the grip -of external things. - -For some moments Orion stood thinking among his hounds, trying to decide -which way to turn, trying to weigh the easy lazy ages, that hung over -untroubled lawns and the listless glories of Elfland, with the good -brown plough and the pasture and the little hedges of Earth. But the -hounds were around him, nosing, crying, looking into his eyes, speaking -to him if tails and paws and large brown eyes can speak, saying "Away! -Away!" To think amongst all that tumult was impossible; he could not -decide, and the hounds had it their way, and he and they went, together, -home over the fields we know. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - _Orion Appoints a Whip_ - - -And many times again, while the winter wore away, Orion went back again -with his hounds to that wonderful boundary, and waited there while the -earthly twilight faded; and sometimes saw the unicorns come through, -craftily, silently, when our fields were still, great beautiful shapes -of white. But he brought back no more horns to the castle of Erl, nor -hunted again across the fields we know; for the unicorns when they came -moved into our fields no more than a few bare paces, and Orion was not -able to cut one off again. Once when he tried he nearly lost all his -hounds, some being already within the boundary when he beat them back -with his whip; another two yards and the sound of his earthly horn could -never more have reached them. It was this that taught him that for all -the power that he had over his hounds, and even though in that power was -something of magic, yet one man without help could not hunt hounds, so -near to that edge over which if one should stray it would be lost -forever. - -After this Orion watched the lads at their games in evenings at Erl, -till he had marked three that in speed and strength seemed to excel the -rest; and two of these he chose to be whippers-in. He went to the -cottage of one of them when the games were over, just as the lights were -lit, a tall lad with great speed of limb; the lad and his mother were -there and both rose from the table as the father opened the door and -Orion came in. And cheerily Orion asked the lad if he would come with -the hounds and carry a whip and prevent any from straying. And a silence -fell. All knew that Orion hunted strange beasts and took his hounds to -strange places. None there had ever stepped beyond the fields we know. -The lad feared to pass beyond them. His parents were full loth to let -him go. At length the silence was broken by excuses and muttered -sentences and unfinished things, and Orion saw that the lad would not -come. - -He went then to the house of the other. There too the candles were lit -and a table spread. There were two old women there and the lad at their -supper. And to them Orion told how he needed a whipper-in, and asked the -lad to come. Their fear in that house was more marked. The old women -cried out together that the lad was too young, that he could not run so -well as he used to, that he was not worthy of so great an honour, that -dogs never would trust him. And much more than this they said, till they -became incoherent. Orion left them and went to the house of the third. -It was the same here. The elders had desired magic for Erl, but the -actual touch of it, or the mere thought of it, perturbed the folk in -their cottages. None would spare their sons to go whither they knew not, -to have dealings with things that rumour, like a large and sinister -shadow, had so grimly magnified in the hamlet of Erl. So Orion went -alone with his hounds when he took them up from the valley and went -eastwards over our fields where Earth's folk would not go. - -It was late in the month of March, and Orion slept in his tower, when -there came up to him from far below, shrill and clear in the early -morning, the sound of his peacocks calling. The bleat of sheep far up on -the downs came to wake him too, and cocks were crowing clamourously, for -Spring was singing through the sunny air. He rose and went to his -hounds; and soon early labourers saw him go up the steep side of the -valley with all his hounds behind him, tan patches against the green. -And so he passed over the fields we know. And so he was come, before the -sun had set, to that strip of land from which all men turned away, where -westward stood men's houses among fields of fat brown clay and eastward -the Elfin Mountains shone over the boundary of twilight. - -He went with his hounds along the last hedge, down to the boundary. And -no sooner had he come there than he saw a fox quite close slip out of -the twilight between Earth and Elfland, and run a few yards along the -edge of our fields and then slip back again. And of this Orion thought -nothing, for it is the way of the fox thus to haunt the edge of Elfland -and to return again to our fields: it is thus that he brings us -something of which none of our cities guess. But soon the fox appeared -again out of the twilight and ran a little way and was back in the -luminous barrier once more. Then Orion watched to see what the fox was -doing. And yet again it appeared in the field we know, and dodged back -into the twilight. And the hounds watched too, and showed no longing to -hunt it, for they had tasted fabulous blood. - -Orion walked along beside the twilight in the direction in which the -fox was going, with his curiosity growing the more that the fox dodged -in and out of our fields. The hounds followed him slowly and soon lost -their interest in what the fox was doing. And all at once the curious -thing was explained, for Lurulu all of a sudden skipped through the -twilight, and that troll appeared in our fields: it was with him that -the fox was playing. - -"A man," said Lurulu aloud to himself, or to his comrade the fox, -speaking in troll-talk. And all at once Orion remembered the troll that -had come into his nursery with his little charm against time, and had -leaped from shelf to shelf and across the ceiling and enraged -Ziroonderel who had feared for her crockery. - -"The troll!" he said, also in troll-talk; for his mother had murmured it -to him as a child when she told him tales of the trolls and their -age-old songs. - -"Who is this that knows troll-talk?" said Lurulu. - -And Orion told his name, and this meant nothing to Lurulu. But he -squatted down and rummaged a little while in what answers in trolls to -our memory; and during his ransacking of much trivial remembrance that -had eluded the destruction of time in the fields we know, and the -listless apathy of unchanging ages in Elfland, he came all at once on -his remembrance of Erl; and looked at Orion again and began to cogitate. -And at this same moment Orion told to the troll the august name of his -mother. At once Lurulu made what is known amongst the trolls of Elfland -as the abasement of the five points; that is to say he bowed himself to -the ground on his two knees, his two hands and his forehead. Then he -sprang up again with a high leap into the air; for reverence rested not -on his spirit long. - -"What are you doing in men's fields?" said Orion. - -"Playing" said Lurulu. - -"What do you do in Elfland?" - -"Watch time," said Lurulu. - -"That would not amuse me," said Orion. - -"You've never done it," said Lurulu. "You cannot watch time in the -fields of men." - -"Why not?" asked Orion. - -"It moves too fast." - -Orion pondered awhile on this but could make nothing of it; because, -never having gone from the fields we know, he knew only one pace of -time, and so had no means of comparison. - -"How many years have gone over you," asked the troll, "since we spoke in -Erl?" - -"Years?" said Orion. - -"A hundred?" guessed the troll. - -"Nearly twelve," said Orion. "And you?" - -"It is still to-day" said the troll. - -And Orion would not speak any more of time, for he cared not for the -discussion of a subject of which he appeared to know less than a common -troll. - -"Will you carry a whip," he said, "and run with my hounds when we hunt -the unicorn over the fields we know." - -Lurulu looked searchingly at the hounds, watching their brown eyes: the -hounds turned doubtful noses towards the troll and sniffed enquiringly. - -"They are dogs," said the troll, as though that were against them. "Yet -they have pleasant thoughts." - -"You will carry the whip then," said Orion. - -"M, yes. Yes," said the troll. - -So Orion gave him his own whip there and then, and blew his horn and -went away from the twilight, and told Lurulu to keep the hounds -together and to bring them on behind him. - -And the hounds were uneasy at the sight of the troll, and sniffed and -sniffed again, but could not make him human, and were loth to obey a -creature no larger than them. They ran up to him through curiosity, and -ran away in disgust, and straggled through disobedience. But the -boundless resources of that nimble troll were not thus easily thwarted, -and the whip went suddenly up, looking three times as large in that tiny -hand, and the lash flew forward and cracked on the tip of a hound's -nose. The hound yelped, then looked astonished, and the rest were uneasy -still: they must have thought it an accident. But again the lash shot -forward and cracked on another nose-tip; and the hounds saw then that it -was not chance that guided those stinging shots, but a deadly unerring -eye. And from that time on they reverenced Lurulu, although he never -smelt human. - -So went Orion and his pack of hounds in the late evening homewards, and -no sheep-dog kept the flock on wolf-haunted wold safer or closer than -Lurulu kept the pack: he was on each flank or behind them, wherever a -straggler was, and could leap right over the pack from side to side. And -the pale-blue Elfin Mountains faded from view before Orion had gone from -the frontier as much as a hundred paces, for their gloomless peaks were -hid by the earthly darkness that was deepening wide over the fields we -know. - -Homeward they went, and soon there appeared above them the wandering -multitude of our earth-seen stars. Lurulu now and then looked up to -marvel at them, as we have all done at some time; but for the most part -he fixed his attention on the hounds, for now that he was in earthly -fields he was concerned with the things of Earth. And never one hound -loitered but that Lurulu's whip would touch him, with its tiny -explosion, perhaps on the tip of its tail, scattering a little dust of -fragments of hair and whipcord; and the hound would yelp and run in to -the others, and all the pack would know that another of those unerring -shots had gone home. - -A certain grace with a whip, a certain sureness of aim, comes when a -life is devoted to the carrying of a whip amongst hounds; comes, say, in -twenty years. And sometimes it runs in families; and that is better than -years of practice. But neither years of practice nor the wont of the -whip in the blood can give the certain aim that one thing can; and that -one thing is magic. The hurl of the lash, as immediate as the sudden -turn of an eye, its flash to a chosen spot as direct as sight, were not -of this Earth. And though the cracks of that whip might have seemed to -passing men to be no more than the work of an earthly huntsman, yet not -a hound but knew that there was in it more than this, a thing from -beyond our fields. - -There was a touch of dawn in the sky when Orion saw again the village of -Erl, sending up pillars of smoke from early fires below him, and came -with his hounds and his new whipper-in down the side of the valley. -Early windows winked at him as he went down the street and came in the -silence and chill to the empty kennels. And when the hounds were all -curled up on their straw he found a place for Lurulu, a mouldering loft -in which were sacks and a few heaps of hay: from a pigeon-loft just -beyond it some of the pigeons had strayed, and dwelt all along the -rafters. There Orion left Lurulu, and went to his tower, cold with the -want of sleep and food; and weary as he would not have been if he had -found a unicorn, but the noise of the troll's chatter when he had found -him on the frontier had made it useless to watch for those wary beasts -that evening. Orion slept. But the troll in the mouldering loft sat long -on his bundle of hay observing the ways of time. He saw through cracks -in old shutters the stars go moving by; he saw them pale: he saw the -other light spread; he saw the wonder of sunrise: he felt the gloom of -the loft all full of the coo of the pigeons; he watched their restless -ways: he heard wild birds stir in near elms, and men abroad in the -morning, and horses and carts and cows; and everything changing as the -morning grew. A land of change! The decay of the boards in the loft, and -the moss outside in the mortar, and old lumber mouldering away, all -seemed to tell the same story. Change and nothing abiding. He thought of -the age-old calm that held the beauty of Elfland. And then he thought of -the tribe of trolls he had left, wondering what they would think of the -ways of Earth. And the pigeons were suddenly terrified by wild peals of -Lurulu's laughter. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - _Lurulu Watches the Restlessness of Earth_ - - -As the day wore on and still Orion slept heavily, and even the hounds -lay silent in their kennels a little way off, and the coming and going -of men and carts below had nothing to do with the troll, Lurulu began to -feel lonely. So thick are the brown trolls in the dells they inhabit -that none feels lonely there. They sit there silent, enjoying the beauty -of Elfland or their own impudent thoughts, or at rare moments when -Elfland is stirred from its deep natural calm their laughter floods the -dells. They were no more lonely there than rabbits are. But in all the -fields of Earth there was only one troll; and that troll felt lonely. -The door of the pigeon loft was open some ten feet from the door of the -hayloft, and some six feet higher. A ladder led to the hayloft, clamped -to the wall with iron; but nothing at all communicated with the -pigeon-loft lest cats should go that way. From it came the murmur of -abundant life, which attracted the lonely troll. The jump from door to -door was nothing to him, and he landed in the pigeon-loft in his usual -attitude, with a look of impudent welcome upon his face. But the pigeons -poured away on a roar of wings through their windows, and the troll was -still lonely. - -He liked the pigeon-loft as soon as he looked at it. He liked the signs -that he saw of teeming life, the hundred little houses of slate and -plaster, the myriad feathers, and the musty smell. He liked the age-old -ease of the sleepy loft, and the huge spiders-webs that draped the -corners, holding years and years of dust. He did not know what cobwebs -were, never having seen them in Elfland, but he admired their -workmanship. - -The age of the pigeon-loft that had filled the corners with cobwebs, and -broken patches of plaster away from the wall, shewing ruddy bricks -beneath, and laid bare the laths in the roof and even the slates beyond, -gave to the dreamy place an air not unlike to the calm of Elfland; but -below it and all around Lurulu noted the restlessness of Earth. Even the -sunlight through the little ventilation-holes that shone on the wall -moved. - -Presently there came the roar of the pigeons' returning wings and the -crash of their feet on the slate roof above him, but they did not yet -come in again to their homes. He saw the shadow of this roof cast on -another roof below him, and the restless shadows of the pigeons along -the edge. He observed the grey lichen covering most of the lower roof, -and the neat round patches of newer yellow lichen on the shapeless mass -of the grey. He heard a duck call out slowly six or seven times. He -heard a man come into a stable below him and lead a horse away. A hound -woke and cried out. Some jackdaws, disturbed from some tower, passed -over high in the air with boisterous voices. He saw big clouds go -hurrying along the tops of far hills. He heard a wild pigeon call from a -neighbouring tree. Some men went by talking. And after a while he -perceived to his astonishment what he had had no leisure to notice on -his previous visit to Erl, that even the shadows of houses moved; for he -saw that the shadow of the roof under which he sat had moved a little on -the roof below, over the grey and yellow lichen. Perpetual movement and -perpetual change! He contrasted it, in wonder, with the deep calm of his -home, where the moment moved more slowly than the shadows of houses -here, and did not pass until all the content with which a moment is -stored had been drawn from it by every creature in Elfland. - -And then with a whirring and whining of wings the pigeons began to come -back. They came from the tops of the battlements of the highest tower of -Erl, on which they had sheltered awhile, feeling guarded by its great -height and its hoary age from this strange new thing that they feared. -They came back and sat on the sills of their little windows and looked -in with one eye at the troll. Some were all white, but the grey ones had -rainbow-coloured necks that were scarce less lovely than those colours -that made the splendour of Elfland; and Lurulu as they watched him -suspiciously where he sat still in a corner longed for their dainty -companionship. And, when these restless children of a restless air and -Earth still would not enter, he tried to soothe them with the -restlessness to which they were accustomed and in which he believed all -folk that dwelt in our fields delighted. He leaped up suddenly; he -sprang on to a slate-built house for a pigeon high on a wall; he darted -across to the next wall and back to the floor; but there was an outcry -of wings and the pigeons were gone. And gradually he learned that the -pigeons preferred stillness. - -Their wings roared back soon to the roof; their feet thumped and clicked -on the slates again; but not for long did they return to their homes. -And the lonely troll looked out of their windows observing the ways of -Earth. He saw a water-wagtail light on the roof below him: he watched it -until it went. And then two sparrows came to some corn that had been -dropped on the ground: he noted them too. Each was an entirely new genus -to the troll, and he showed no more interest as he watched every -movement of the sparrows than should we if we met with an utterly -unknown bird. When the sparrows were gone the duck quacked again, so -deliberately that another ten minutes passed while Lurulu tried to -interpret what it was saying, and although he desisted then because -other interests attracted him he felt sure it was something important. -Then the jackdaws tumbled by again, but their voices sounded frivolous, -and Lurulu did not give them much attention. To the pigeons on the roof -that would not come home he listened long, not trying to interpret what -they were saying, yet satisfied with the case as the pigeons put it; -feeling that they told the story of life, and that all was well. And he -felt as he listened to the low talk of the pigeons that Earth must have -been going on for a long time. - -Beyond the roofs the tall trees rose up, leafless except for evergreen -oaks and some laurels and pines and yews, and the ivy that climbed up -trunks, but the buds of the beech were getting ready to burst: and the -sunlight glittered and flashed on the buds and leaves, and the ivy and -laurel shone. A breeze passed by and some smoke drifted from some near -chimney. Far away Lurulu saw a huge grey wall of stone that circled a -garden all asleep in the sun; and clear in the sunlight he saw a -butterfly sail by, and swoop when it came to the garden. And then he saw -two peacocks go slowly past. He saw the shadow of the roofs darkening -the lower part of the shining trees. He heard a cock crow somewhere, -and a hound spoke out again. And then a sudden shower rained on the -roofs, and at once the pigeons wanted to come home. They alighted -outside their little windows again and all looked sideways at the troll; -Lurulu kept very still this time; and after a while the pigeons, though -they saw that he was by no means one of themselves, agreed that he did -not belong to the tribe of cat, and returned at last to the street of -their tiny houses and there continued their curious age-old tale. And -Lurulu longed to repay them with curious tales of the trolls, the -treasured legends of Elfland, but found that he could not make them -understand troll-talk. So he sat and listened to them talking, till it -seemed to him they were trying to lull the restlessness of Earth, and -thought that they might by drowsy incantation be putting some spell -against time, through which it could not come to harm their nests; for -the power of time was not made clear to him yet and he knew not yet that -nothing in our fields has the strength to hold out against time. The -very nests of the pigeons were built on the ruins of old nests, on a -solid layer of crumbled things that time had made in that pigeon-loft, -as outside it the strata are made from the ruins of hills. So vast and -ceaseless a ruin was not yet clear to the troll, for his sharp -understanding had only been meant to guide him through the lull and the -calm of Elfland, and he busied himself with a tinier consideration. For -seeing that the pigeons seemed now amicable he leapt back to his hayloft -and returned with a bundle of hay, which he put down in a corner to make -himself comfortable there. When the pigeons saw all this movement they -looked at him sideways again, jerking their necks queerly, but in the -end decided to accept the troll as a lodger; and he curled up on his hay -and listened to the history of Earth, which he believed the tale of the -pigeons to be, though he did not know their language. - -But the day wore on and hunger came on the troll, far sooner than ever -it did in Elfland, where even when he was hungry he had no more to do -than to reach up and take the berries that hung low from the trees, that -grew in the forest that bordered the dells of the trolls. And it is -because the trolls eat them whenever hunger comes on them, which it -rarely does, that these curious fruits are called trollberries. He -leaped now from the pigeon-loft and scampered abroad, looking all round -for trollberries. And there were no berries at all, for there is but one -season for berries, as we know well; it is one of the tricks of time. -But that all the berries on Earth should pass away for a period was to -the troll too astounding to be comprehended at all. He was all among -farm-buildings, and presently he saw a rat humping himself slowly along -through a dark shed. He knew nothing of rat-talk; but it is a curious -thing that when any two folk are after the same thing, each somehow -knows what the other is after, at once, as soon as he sees him. We are -all partially blind to other folks' occupations, but when we meet anyone -engaged in our own pursuit then somehow we soon seem to know without -being told. And the moment that Lurulu saw the rat in the shed he seemed -to know that it was looking for food. So he followed the rat quietly. -And soon the rat came up to a sack of oats, and to open that took him no -longer than it does to shell a row of peas, and soon he was eating the -oats. - -"Are they good?" said the troll in troll-talk. - -The rat looked at him dubiously, noting his resemblance to man, and on -the other hand his unlikeness to dogs. But on the whole the rat was -dissatisfied, and after a long look turned away in silence and went out -of the shed. Then Lurulu ate the oats and found they were good. - -When he had had enough oats the troll returned to the pigeon-loft, and -sat a long while there at one of the little windows looking out across -the roofs at the strange new ways of time. And the shadow upon the trees -went higher, and the glitter was gone from the laurels and all the lower -leaves. And then the light of the ivy-leaves and the holm-oaks turned -from silvery to pale gold. And the shadow went higher still. All the -world full of change. - -An old man with a narrow long white beard came slowly to the kennels, -and opened the door and went in and fed the hounds with meat that he -brought from a shed. All the evening rang with the hounds' outcry. And -presently the old man came out again, and his slow departure seemed to -the watchful troll yet more of the restlessness of Earth. - -And then a man came slowly leading a horse to the stable below the -pigeon-loft; and went away again and left the horse eating. The shadows -were higher now on walls and roofs and trees. Only the tree-tops and the -tip of a high belfry had the light any longer. The ruddy buds on high -beeches were glowing now like dull rubies. And a great serenity came in -the pale blue sky, and small clouds leisurely floating there turned to a -flaming orange, past which the rooks went homewards to some clump of -trees under the downs. It was a peaceful scene. And yet to the troll, as -he watched in the musty loft amongst generations of feathers, the noise -of the rooks and their multitude thronging the sky, the dull continual -sound of the horse eating, the leisurely sound now and then of homeward -feet, and the slow shutting of gates, seemed to be proof that nothing -ever rested in all the fields we know; and the sleepy lazy village that -dreamed in the Vale of Erl, and that knew no more of other lands than -their folk knew of its story, seemed to that simple troll to be a vortex -of restlessness. - -And now the sunlight was gone from the highest places, and a moon a few -days old was shining over the pigeon-loft, out of sight of Lurulu's -window, but filling the air with a strange new tint. And all these -changes bewildered him, so that he thought awhile of returning to -Elfland, but the whim came again to his mind to astonish the other -trolls; and while this whim was on him he slipped down from the loft, -and went to find Orion. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - _Lurulu Speaks of Earth and the Ways of Men_ - - -The troll had found Orion in his castle and had laid his plan before -him. Briefly the plan was to have more whips for the pack. For one alone -could not always guard every hound from straying when they went to the -boundary of twilight, where but a few yards away lay spaces from which -if a hound ever came home, as lost hounds do at evening, it would come -home all worn and bedraggled with age for its half hour of straying. -Each hound, said Lurulu, should have its troll to guide it, and to run -with it when it hunted, and be its servant when it came home hungry and -muddy. And Orion had seen at once the unequalled advantage of having -each hound controlled by an alert if tiny intelligence, and had told -Lurulu to go for the trolls. So now, while the hounds were sleeping on -boards in a doggy mass in each of their kennels, for the dogs and the -bitches dwelt each in a separate house, the troll was scurrying over the -fields we know through twilight trembling on the verge of moonlight, -with his face turned toward Elfland. - -He passed a white farm-house with a little window towards him that shone -bright yellow out of a wall pale blue with a tint that it had from the -moon. Two dogs barked at him and rushed out to chase him, and this troll -would have tricked them and mocked them on any other day, but now his -mind was full to the brim with his mission, and he heeded them no more -than a thistledown would have heeded them on a windy day of September, -and went on bouncing over the tips of the grasses till the pursuing dogs -were far behind and panting. - -And long before the stars had paled from any touch of the dawn he came -to the barrier that divides our fields from the home of such things as -him, and leaping forward out of the earthly night, and high through the -barrier of twilight, he arrived on all fours on his natal soil in the -ageless day of Elfland. Through the gorgeous beauty of that heavy air -that outshines our lakes at sunrise, and leaves all our colours pale, he -scampered full of the news he had with which to astonish his kith. He -came to the moors of the trolls where they dwell in their queer -habitations, and uttered the squeaks as he went whereby the trolls -summon their folk; and he came to the forest in which the trolls have -made dwellings in boles of enormous trees; for there be trolls of the -forest and trolls of the moor, two tribes that are friendly and kin; and -there he uttered again the squeaks of the trolls' summons. And soon -there was a rustling of flowers throughout the deeps of the forest, as -though all four winds were blowing, and the rustling grew and grew, and -the trolls appeared, and sat down one by one near Lurulu. And still the -rustling grew, troubling the whole wood, and the brown trolls poured on -and sat down round Lurulu. From many a tree-bole, and hollows thick with -fern, they came tumbling in; and from the high thin gomaks afar on the -moors, to name as are named in Elfland those queer habitations for -which there is no earthly name, the odd grey cloth-like material draped -tent-wise about a pole. They gathered about him in the dim but -glittering light that floated amongst the fronds of those magical trees, -whose soaring trunks out-distanced our eldest pines, and shone on the -spikes of cacti of which our world little dreams. And when the brown -mass of the trolls was all gathered there, till the floor of the forest -looked as though an Autumn had come to Elfland, strayed out of the -fields we know, and when all the rustling had ceased and the silence was -heavy again as it had been for ages, Lurulu spoke to them telling them -tales of time. - -Never before had such tales been heard in Elfland. Trolls had appeared -before in the fields we know, and had come back wondering: but Lurulu -amongst the houses of Erl had been in the midst of men; and time, as he -told the trolls, moved in the village with more wonderful speed than -ever it did in the grass of the fields of Earth. He told how the light -moved, he told of shadows, he told how the air was white and bright and -pale; he told how for a little while Earth began to grow like Elfland, -with a kinder light and the beginning of colours, and then just as one -thought of home the light would blink away and the colours be gone. He -told of stars. He told of cows and goats and the moon, three horned -creatures that he found curious. He had found more wonder in Earth than -we remember, though we also saw these things once for the first time; -and out of the wonder he felt at the ways of the fields we know, he made -many a tale that held the inquisitive trolls and gripped them silent -upon the floor of the forest, as though they were indeed a fall of brown -leaves in October that a frost had suddenly bound. They heard of -chimneys and carts for the first time: with a thrill they heard of -windmills. They listened spell-bound to the ways of men; and every now -and then, as when he told of hats, there ran through the forest a wave -of little yelps of laughter. - -Then he said that they should see hats and spades and dog-kennels, and -look through casements and get to know the windmill; and a curiosity -arose in the forest amongst that brown mass of trolls, for their race is -profoundly inquisitive. And Lurulu stopped not here, relying on -curiosity alone to draw them from Elfland into the fields we know; but -he drew them also with another emotion. For he spoke of the haughty, -reserved, high, glittering unicorns, who tarry to speak to trolls no -more than cattle when they drink in pools of ours trouble to speak to -frogs. They all knew their haunts, they should watch their ways and tell -of these things to man, and the outcome of it would be that they should -hunt the unicorns with nothing less than dogs. Now however slight their -knowledge of dogs, the fear of dogs is--as I have said--universal -amongst all creatures that run; and they laughed gustily to think of the -unicorns being hunted with dogs. Thus Lurulu lured them toward Earth -with spite and curiosity; and knew that he was succeeding; and inwardly -chuckled till he was well warmed within. For amongst the trolls none -goes in higher repute than one that is able to astound the others, or -even to show them any whimsical thing, or to trick or perplex them -humorously. Lurulu had Earth to show, whose ways are considered, amongst -those able to judge, to be fully as quaint and whimsical as the curious -observer could wish. - -Then up spake a grizzled troll; one that had crossed too often Earth's -border of twilight to watch the ways of men; and, while watching their -ways too long, time had grizzled him. - -"Shall we go," he said, "from the woods that all folk know, and the -pleasant ways of the Land, to see a new thing, and be swept away by -time?" And there was a murmur among the trolls, that hummed away through -the forest and died out, as on Earth the sound of beetles going home. -"Is it not to-day?" he said. "But there they call it to-day, yet none -knows what it is: come back through the border again to look at it and -it is gone. Time is raging there, like the dogs that stray over our -frontier, barking, frightened and angry and wild to be home." - -"It is even so," said the trolls, though they did not know; but this was -a troll whose words carried weight in the forest. "Let us keep to-day," -said that weighty troll, "while we have it, and not be lured where -to-day is too easily lost. For every time men lose it their hair grows -whiter, their limbs grow weaker and their faces sadder, and they are -nearer still to to-morrow." - -So gravely he spoke when he uttered that word "to-morrow" that the brown -trolls were frightened. - -"What happens to-morrow?" one said. - -"They die," said the grizzled troll. "And the others dig in their earth -and put them in, as I have seen them do, and then they go to Heaven, as -I have heard them tell." And a shudder went through the trolls far over -the floor of the forest. - -And Lurulu who had sat angry all this while to hear that weighty troll -speak ill of Earth, where he would have them come, to astonish them with -its quaintness, spoke now in defence of Heaven. - -"Heaven is a good place," he blurted hotly, though any tales he had -heard of it were few. - -"All the blessed are there," the grizzled troll replied, "and it is full -of angels. What chance would a troll have there? The angels would catch -him, for they say on Earth that the angels all have wings; they would -catch a troll and smack him forever and ever." - -And all the brown trolls in the forest wept. - -"We are not so easily caught," Lurulu said. - -"They have wings," said the grizzled troll. - -And all were sorrowful and shook their heads, for they knew the speed of -wings. - -The birds of Elfland mostly soared on the heavy air and eyed -everlastingly that fabulous beauty which to them was food and nest, and -of which they sometimes sang; but trolls playing along the border, -peering into the fields we know, had seen the dart and the swoop of -earthly birds, wondering at them as we wonder at heavenly things, and -knew that if wings were after him a poor troll would scarcely escape. -"Welladay," said the trolls. - -The grizzled troll said no more, and had no need to, for the forest was -full of their sadness as they sat thinking of Heaven and feared that -they soon might come there if they dared to inhabit Earth. - -And Lurulu argued no more. It was not a time for argument, for the -trolls were too sad for reason. So he spoke gravely to them of solemn -things, uttering learned words and standing in reverend attitude. Now -nothing rejoices the trolls as learning does and solemnity, and they -will laugh for hours at a reverend attitude or any semblance of gravity. -Thus he won them back again to the levity that is their natural mood. -And when this was accomplished he spoke again of Earth, telling -whimsical stories of the ways of man. - -I do not wish to write the things that Lurulu said of man, lest I -should hurt my reader's self-esteem, and thereby injure him or her whom -I seek only to entertain; but all the forest rippled and squealed with -laughter. And the grizzled troll was able to say no more to check the -curiosity which was growing in all that multitude to see who it was that -lived in houses and had a hat immediately above him and a chimney higher -up, and spoke to dogs and would not speak to pigs, and whose gravity was -funnier than anything trolls could do. And the whim was on all those -trolls to go at once to Earth, and see pigs and carts and windmills and -laugh at man. And Lurulu who had told Orion that he would bring a score -of trolls, was hard set to keep the whole brown mass from coming, so -quickly change the moods and whims of the trolls: had he let them all -have their way there were no trolls left in Elfland, for even the -grizzled troll had changed his mind with the rest. Fifty he chose and -led them towards Earth's perilous frontier; and away they scurried out -of the gloom of the forest, as a whirl of brown oak-leaves scurries on -days of November's worst. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - _Lirazel Remembers the Fields We Know_ - - -As the trolls scurried earthwards to laugh at the ways of man, Lirazel -stirred where she sat on her father's knee, who grave and calm on his -throne of mist and ice had hardly moved for twelve of our earthly years. -She sighed and the sigh rippled over the fells of dream and lightly -troubled Elfland. And the dawns and the sunsets and twilight and the -pale blue glow of stars, that are blended together forever to be the -light of Elfland, felt a faint touch of sorrow and all their radiance -shook. For the magic that caught these lights and the spells that bound -them together, to illumine forever the land that owes no allegiance to -Time, were not so strong as a sorrow rising dark from a royal mood of a -princess of the elvish line. She sighed, for through her long content -and across the calm of Elfland there had floated a thought of Earth; so -that in the midmost splendours of Elfland, of which song can barely -tell, she called to mind common cowslips, and many a trivial weed of the -fields we know. And walking in those fields she saw in fancy Orion, upon -the other side of the boundary of twilight, remote from her by she knew -not what waste of years. And the magical glories of Elfland and its -beauty beyond our dreaming, and the deep deep calm in which ages slept, -unhurt unhurried by time, and the art of her father that guarded the -least of the lilies from fading, and the spells by which he made -day-dreams and yearnings true, held her fancy no longer from roving nor -contented her any more. And so her sigh blew over the magical land and -slightly troubled the flowers. - -And her father felt her sorrow and knew that it troubled the flowers and -knew that it shook the calm that lay upon Elfland, though no more than a -bird would shake a regal curtain, fluttering against its folds, when -wandering lost upon a Summer's night. And though he knew too it was but -for Earth that she sorrowed, preferring some mundane way to the midmost -glories of Elfland, as she sat with him on the throne that may only be -told of in song, yet even this moved nothing in his magical heart but -compassion; as we might pity a child who in fanes that to us seemed -sacred might be found to be sighing for some trivial thing. And the more -that Earth seemed to him unworthy of sorrow, being soon come soon gone, -the helpless prey of time, an evanescent appearance seen off the coasts -of Elfland, too brief for the graver care of a mind weighted with magic, -the more he pitied his child for her errant whim that had rashly -wandered here, and become entangled--alas--with the things that pass -away. Ah, well! she was not content. He felt no wrath against Earth that -had lured her fancies away: she was not content with the innermost -splendours of Elfland, but she sighed for something more: his tremendous -art should give it. So he raised his right arm up from the thing whereon -it rested, a part of his mystical throne that was made of music and -mirage; he raised his right arm up and a hush fell over Elfland. - -The great leaves ceased from their murmur through the green deeps of the -forest; silent as carven marble were fabulous bird and monster; and the -brown trolls scampering earthwards all halted suddenly hushed. Then out -of the hush rose little murmurs of yearning, little sounds as of longing -for things that no songs can say, sounds like the voices of tears if -each little salt drop could live, and be given a voice to tell of the -ways of grief. Then all these little rumours danced gravely into a -melody that the master of Elfland called up with his magical hand. And -the melody told of dawn coming up over infinite marshes, far away upon -Earth or some planet that Elfland did not know; growing slowly out of -deep darkness and starlight and bitter cold; powerless, chilly and -cheerless, scarce overcoming the stars; obscured by shadows of thunder -and hated by all things dark; enduring, growing and glowing; until -through the gloom of the marshes and across the chill of the air came -all in a glorious moment the splendour of colour; and dawn went onward -with this triumphant thing, and the blackest clouds turned slowly rose -and rode in a sea of lilac, and the darkest rocks that had guarded night -shone now with a golden glow. And when his melody could say no more of -this wonder, that had forever been foreign to all the elvish dominions, -then the King moved his hand where he held it high, as one might beckon -to birds, and called up a dawn over Elfland, luring it from some planet -of those that are nearest the sun. And fresh and fair though it came -from beyond the bourn of geography, and out of an age long lost and -beyond history's ken, a dawn glowed upon Elfland that had known no dawn -before. And the dewdrops of Elfland slung from the bended tips of the -grasses gathered in that dawn to their tiny spheres and held there -shining and wonderful that glory of skies such as ours, the first they -had ever seen. - -And the dawn grew strangely and slowly over those unwonted lands, -pouring upon them the colours that day after day our daffodils, and day -after day our wild roses, through all the weeks of their season, drink -deep with voluptuous assemblies in utterly silent riot. And a gleam that -was new to the forest appeared on the long strange leaves, and shadows -unknown to Elfland slipped out from the monstrous tree-boles, and stole -over grasses that had not dreamed of their advent; and the spires of -that palace perceiving a wonder, less lovely indeed than they, yet knew -that the stranger was magic, and uttered an answering gleam from their -sacred windows, that flashed over elvish fells like an inspiration and -mingled a flush of rose with the blue of the Elfin Mountains. And -watchers on wonderful peaks that gazed from their crags for ages, lest -from Earth or from any star should come a stranger to Elfland, saw the -first blush of the sky as it felt the coming of dawn, and raised their -horns and blew that call that warned Elfland against a stranger. And the -guardians of savage valleys lifted horns of fabulous bulls and blew the -call again in the dark of their awful precipices, and echo carried it on -from the monstrous marble faces of rocks that repeated the call to all -their barbarous company; so Elfland rang with the warning that a strange -thing troubled her coasts. And to the land thus expectant, thus -watchful, with magical sabres elate along lonely crags, summoned from -blackened scabbards by those horns to repel an enemy, dawn came now wide -now golden, the old old wonder we know. And the palace with every -marvel and with all its charms and enchantments flashed out of its -ice-blue radiance a glory of welcome or rivalry, adding to Elfland a -splendour of which only song may say. - -It was then that the elfin King moved his hand again, where he held it -high by the crystal spires of his crown, and waved a way through the -walls of his magical palace, and showed to Lirazel the unmeasured -leagues of his kingdom. And she saw by magic, for so long as his fingers -made that spell; the dark green forests and all the fells of Elfland, -and the solemn pale-blue mountains and the valleys that weird folk -guarded, and all the creatures of fable that crept in the dark of huge -leaves, and the riotous trolls as they scampered away towards Earth: she -saw the watchers lift their horns to their lips, while there flashed a -light on the horns that was the proudest triumph of the hidden art of -her father, the light of a dawn lured over unthinkable spaces to appease -his daughter and comfort her whims and recall her fancies from Earth. -She saw the lawns whereon Time had idled for centuries, withering not -one bloom of all the boundary of flowers; and the new light coming upon -the lawns she loved, through the heavy colour of Elfland, gave them a -beauty that they had never known until dawn made this boundless journey -to meet the enchanted twilight; and all the while there glowed and -flashed and glittered those palace spires of which only song may tell. -From that bewildering beauty he turned his eyes away, and looked in his -daughter's face to see the wonder with which she would welcome her -glorious home as her fancies came back from the fields of age and death, -whither--alas--they had wandered. And though her eyes were turned to the -Elfin Mountains, whose mystery and whose blue they strangely matched, -yet as the Elf King looked in those eyes for which alone he had lured -the dawn so far from its natural courses, he saw in their magical deeps -a thought of Earth! A thought of Earth, though he had lifted his arm and -made a mystical sign with all his might to bring a wonder to Elfland -that should content her with home. And all his dominions had exulted in -this, and the watchers on awful crags had blown strange calls, and -monster and insect and bird and flower had rejoiced with a new joy, and -there in the centre of Elfland his daughter thought of Earth. - -Had he shown her any wonder but dawn he might have lured home that -fancy, but in bringing this exotic beauty to Elfland to blend with its -ancient wonders, he awoke memories of morning coming over fields that he -knew not, and Lirazel played in fancy in fields once more with Orion, -where grew the unenchanted earthly flowers amongst the English grasses. - -"Is it not enough?" he said in his strange rich magical voice, and -pointed across his wide lands with the fingers that summoned wonder. - -She sighed: it was not enough. - -And sorrow came upon that enchanted King: he had only his daughter, and -she sighed for Earth. There had been once a queen that had reigned with -him over Elfland; but she was mortal, and being mortal died. For she -would often stray to the hills of Earth to see the may again, or to see -the beechwoods in Autumn; and though she stayed but a day when she came -to the fields we know, and was back in the palace beyond the twilight -before our sun had set, yet Time found her whenever she came; and so she -wore away, and soon she died in Elfland; for she was only a mortal. And -wondering elves had buried her, as one buries the daughters of men. And -now the King was all alone with his daughter, and she had just sighed -for Earth. Sorrow was on him, but out of the dark of that sorrow arose, -as often with men, and went up singing out of his mourning mind, an -inspiration gleaming with laughter and joy. He stood up then and raised -up both his arms and his inspiration broke over Elfland in music. And -with the tide of that music there went like the strength of the sea an -impulse to rise and dance which none in Elfland resisted. Gravely he -waved his arms and the music floated from them; and all that stalked -through the forest and all that crept upon leaves, all that leaped among -craggy heights or browsed upon acres of lilies, all things in all manner -of places, yea the sentinel guarding his presence, the lonely -mountain-watchers and the trolls as they scampered towards Earth, all -danced to a tune that was made of the spirit of Spring, arrived on an -earthly morning amongst happy herds of goats. - -And the trolls were very near to the frontier now, their faces already -puckered to laugh at the ways of men; they were hurrying with all the -eagerness of small vain things to be over the twilight that lies between -Elfland and Earth: now they went forward no longer, but only glided in -circles and intricate spirals, dancing some such dance as the gnats in -Summer evenings dance over the fields we know. And grave monsters of -fable in deeps of the ferny forest danced minuets that witches had made -of their whims and their laughter, long ago long ago in their youth -before cities had come to the world. And the trees of the forest heavily -lifted slow roots out of the ground and swayed upon them uncouthly and -then danced as on monstrous claws, and the insects danced on the huge -waving leaves. And in the dark of long caverns weird things in -enchanted seclusion rose out of their age-long sleep and danced in the -damp. - -And beside the wizard King stood, swaying slightly to the rhythm that -had set dancing all magical things, the Princess Lirazel with that faint -gleam on her face that shone from a hidden smile; for she secretly -smiled forever at the power of her great beauty. And all in a sudden -moment the Elf King raised one hand higher and held it high and stilled -all that danced in Elfland, and gripped by a sudden awe all magical -things, and sent over Elfland a melody all made of notes he had caught -from wandering inspirations that sing and stray through limpid blue -beyond our earthly coasts: and all the land lay deep in the magic of -that strange music. And the wild things that Earth has guessed at and -the things hidden even from legend were moved to sing age-old songs that -their memories had forgotten. And fabulous things of the air were lured -downwards out of great heights. And emotions unknown and unthought of -troubled the calm of Elfland. The flood of music beat with wonderful -waves against the slopes of the grave blue Elfin Mountains, till their -precipices uttered strange bronze-like echoes. On Earth no noise was -heard of music or echo: not a note came through the narrow border of -twilight, not a sound, not a murmur. Elsewhere those notes ascended, and -passed like rare strange moths through all the fields of Heaven, and -hummed like untraceable memories about the souls of the blessed; and the -angels heard that music but were forbidden to envy it. And though it -came not to Earth, and though never our fields have heard the music of -Elfland, yet there were then as there have been in every age, lest -despair should overtake the peoples of Earth, those that make songs for -the need of our grief and our laughter: and even they heard never a note -from Elfland across the border of twilight that kills their sound, but -they felt in their minds the dance of those magical notes, and wrote -them down and earthly instruments played them; then and never till then -have we heard the music of Elfland. - -For a while the Elf King held all things that owed him allegiance, and -all their desires and wonders and fears and dreams, floating drowsy on -tides of music that was made of no sounds of Earth, but rather of that -dim substance in which the planets swim, with many another marvel that -only magic knows. And then as all Elfland was drinking the music in, as -our Earth drinks in soft rain, he turned again to his daughter with that -in his eyes that said "What land is so fair as ours?" And she turned -towards him to say "Here is my home forever." Her lips were parted to -say it and love was shining in the blue of her elfin eyes; she was -stretching her fair hands out towards her father; when they heard the -sound of the horn of a tired hunter, wearily blowing by the border of -Earth. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - _The Horn of Alveric_ - - -Northward to lonely lands through wearying years Alveric wandered, where -windy fragments of his grey gaunt tent added a gloom to chill evenings. -And the folk upon lonely farms, as they lit the lights in their houses, -and the ricks began to darken against the pale green of the sky, would -sometimes hear the rap of the mallets of Niv and Zend coming clear -through the hush from the land that no others trod. And their children -peering from casements to see if a star was come would see perhaps the -queer grey shape of that tent flapping its tatters above the last of the -hedgerows, where a moment before was only the grey of the gloaming. On -the next morning there would be guesses and wonderings, and the joy and -fear of the children, and the tales that their elders told them, and the -explorations by stealth to the edge of the fields of men, shy peerings -through dim green gaps in the last of the hedgerows (though to look -toward the East was forbidden), and rumours and expectations; and all -these things were blended together by this wonder that came from the -East, and so passed into legend, which lived for many a year beyond -that morning; but Alveric and his tent would be gone. - -So day by day and season after season that company wandered on, the -lonely mateless man, the moonstruck lad and the madman, and that old -grey tent with its long twisted pole. And all the stars became known to -them, and all the four winds familiar, and rain and mist and hail, but -the flow of yellow windows all warm and welcome at night they knew only -to say farewell to: with the earliest light in the first chill of dawn -Alveric would awake from impatient dreams, and Niv would arise shouting, -and away they would go upon their crazed crusade before any sign of -awakening appeared on the quiet dim gables. And every morning Niv -prophesied that they would surely find Elfland; and the days wore away -and the years. - -Thyl had long left them; Thyl who prophesied victory to them in burning -song, whose inspirations cheered Alveric on coldest nights and led him -through rockiest ways, Thyl sang one evening suddenly songs of some -young girl's hair, Thyl who should have led their wanderings. And then -one day in the gloaming, a blackbird singing, the may in bloom for -miles, he turned for the houses of men, and married the maiden and was -one no more with any band of wanderers. - -The horses were dead; Niv and Zend carried all they had on the pole. -Many years had gone. One Autumn morning Alveric left the camp to go to -the houses of men. Niv and Zend eyed each other. Why should Alveric seek -to ask the way of others? For somehow or other their mad minds knew his -purpose more swiftly than sane intuitions. Had he not Niv's prophecies -to guide him, and the things that Zend had been told on oath by the full -moon? - -Alveric came to the houses of men, and of the folk he questioned few -would speak at all of things that lay to the East, and if he spoke of -the lands through which he had wandered for years they gave as little -heed as if he were telling them that he had pitched his tent on the -coloured layers of air that glowed and drifted and darkened in the low -sky over the sunset. And the few that answered him said one thing only: -that only the wizards knew. - -When he had learned this Alveric went back from the fields and hedgerows -and came again to his old grey tent in the lands of which none thought; -and Niv and Zend sat there silent, eying him sideways, for they knew he -mistrusted madness and things said by the moon. And next day when they -moved their camp in the chill of dawn Niv led the way without shouting. - -They had not gone for many more weeks upon their curious journey when -Alveric met one morning, at the edge of the fields men tended, one -filling his bucket at a well, whose thin high conical hat and mystical -air proclaimed him surely a wizard. "Master," said Alveric, "of those -arts men dread, I have a question that I would ask of the future." - -And the wizard turned from his bucket to look at Alveric with doubtful -eyes, for the traveller's tattered figure seemed scarce to promise such -fees as are given by those that justly question the future. And, such as -those fees are, the wizard named them. And Alveric's wallet held that -which banished the doubts of the wizard. So that he pointed to where the -tip of his tower peered over a cluster of myrtles, and prayed Alveric to -come to his door when the evening star should appear; and in that -propitious hour he would make the future clear to him. - -And again Niv and Zend knew well that their leader followed after dreams -and mysteries that came not from madness nor from the moon. And he left -them sitting still and saying nothing, but with minds full of fierce -visions. - -Through pale air waiting for the evening star Alveric walked over the -fields men tended, and came to the dark oak door of the wizard's tower -which myrtles brushed against with every breeze. A young apprentice in -wizardry opened the door and, by ancient wooden steps that the rats knew -better than men, led Alveric to the wizard's upper room. - -The wizard had on a silken cloak of black, which he held to be due to -the future; without it he would not question the years to be. And when -the young apprentice had gone away he moved to a volume he had on a high -desk, and turned from the volume to Alveric to ask what he sought of the -future. And Alveric asked him how he should come to Elfland. Then the -wizard opened the great book's darkened cover and turned the pages -therein, and for a long while all the pages he turned were blank, but -further on in the book much writing appeared, although of no kind that -Alveric had ever seen. And the wizard explained that such books as these -told of all things; but that he, being only concerned with the years to -be, had no need to read of the past, and had therefore acquired a book -that told of the future only; though he might have had more than this -from the College of Wizardry, had he cared to study the follies already -committed by man. - -Then he read for a while in his book, and Alveric heard the rats -returning softly to the streets and houses that they had made in the -stairs. And then the wizard found what he sought of the future, and told -Alveric that it was written in his book how he never should come to -Elfland while he carried a magical sword. - -When Alveric heard this he paid the wizard's fees and went away doleful. -For he knew the perils of Elfland, which no common sabre forged on the -anvils of men could ever avail to parry. He did not know that the magic -that was in his sword left a flavour or taste on the air like that of -lightning, which passed through the border of twilight and spread over -Elfland, nor knew that the Elf King learned of his presence thus and -drew his frontier away from him, so that Alveric should trouble his -realm no more; but he believed what the wizard had read to him out of -his book, and so went doleful away. And, leaving the stairs of oak to -time and the rats, he passed out of the grove of myrtles and over the -fields of men, and came again to that melancholy spot where his grey -tent brooded mournfully in the wilderness, dull and silent as Niv and -Zend sitting beside it. And after that they turned and wandered -southwards, for all journeys now seemed equally hopeless to Alveric, who -would not give up his sword to meet magical perils without magical aid; -and Niv and Zend obeyed him silently, no longer guiding him with raving -prophesies or with things said by the moon, for they knew he had taken -counsel with another. - -By weary ways with lonely wanderings they came far to the South, and -never the border of Elfland appeared with its heavy layers of twilight; -yet Alveric would never give up his sword, for well he guessed that -Elfland dreaded its magic, and had poor hope of recapturing Lirazel with -any blade that was dreadful only to men. And after a while Niv -prophesied again, and Zend would come late on nights of the full moon to -wake Alveric with his tales. And for all the mystery that was in Zend -when he spoke, and for all the exultation of Niv when he prophesied, -Alveric knew by now that the tales and the prophecies were empty and -vain and that neither of these would ever bring him to Elfland. With -this mournful knowledge in a desolate land he still struck camp at dawn, -still marched, still sought for the frontier, and so the months went by. - -And one day where the edge of Earth was a wild untended heath, running -down to the rocky waste in which Alveric had camped, he saw at evening a -woman in the hat and cloak of a witch sweeping the heath with a broom. -And each stroke as she swept the heath was away from the fields we know, -away to the rocky waste, eastwards towards Elfland. Big gusts of black -dried earth and puffs of sand were blowing towards Alveric from every -powerful stroke. He walked towards her from his sorry encampment and -stood near and watched her sweeping; but still she laboured at her -vigorous work, striding away behind dust from the fields we know, and -sweeping as she strode. And after a while she lifted her face as she -swept and looked at Alveric, and he saw that it was the witch -Ziroonderel. After all these years he saw that witch again, and she saw -beneath the flapping rags of his cloak that sword that she had made for -him once on her hill. Its scabbard of leather could not hide from the -witch that it was that very sword, for she knew the flavour of magic -that rose from it faintly and floated wide through the evening. - -"Mother Witch!" said Alveric. - -And she curtsied low to him, magical though she was and aged by the -passing of years that had been before Alveric's father, and though many -in Erl had forgotten their lord by now; yet she had not forgotten. - -He asked her what she was doing there, on the heath with her broom in -the evening. - -"Sweeping the world," she said. - -And Alveric wondered what rejected things she was sweeping away from the -world, with grey dust mournfully turning over and over as it drifted -across our fields, going slowly into the darkness that was gathering -beyond our coasts. - -"Why are you sweeping the world, Mother Witch?" he said. - -"There's things in the world that ought not to be here," said she. - -He looked wistfully then at the rolling grey clouds from her broom that -were all drifting towards Elfland. - -"Mother Witch," he said, "can I go too? I have looked for twelve years -for Elfland, and have not found a glimpse of the Elfin Mountains." - -And the old witch looked kindly at him, and then she glanced at his -sword. - -"He's afraid of my magic," she said; and thought or mystery dawned in -her eyes as she spoke. - -"Who?" said Alveric. - -And Ziroonderel lowered her eyes. - -"The King," she said. - -And then she told him how that enchanted monarch would draw away from -whatever had worsted him once, and with him draw all that he had, never -supporting the presence of any magic that was the equal of his. - -And Alveric could not believe that such a king cared so much for the -magic he had in his old black scabbard. - -"It is his way," she said. - -And then he would not believe that he had waved away Elfland. - -"He has the power," said she. - -And still Alveric would face this terrible king and all the powers he -had; but wizard and witch had warned him that he could not go with his -sword, and how go unarmed through the grizzly wood against the palace of -wonder? For to go there with any sword from the anvils of men was but to -go unarmed. - -"Mother Witch," he cried. "May I come no more to Elfland?" - -And the longing and grief in his voice touched the witch's heart and -moved it to magical pity. - -"You shall go," she said. - -He stood there half despair in the mournful evening, half dreams of -Lirazel. While the witch from under her cloak drew forth a small false -weight which once she had taken away from a seller of bread. - -"Draw this along the edge of your sword," she said, "all the way from -hilt to point, and it will disenchant the blade, and the King will never -know what sword is there." - -"Will it still fight for me?" said Alveric. - -"No," said the witch. "But once you are over the frontier take this -script and wipe the blade with it on every spot that the false weight -has touched." And she fumbled under her cloak again and drew forth a -poem on parchment. "It will enchant it again," she said. - -And Alveric took the weight and the written thing. - -"Let not the two touch," warned the witch. - -And Alveric set them apart. - -"Once over the frontier," she said, "and he may move Elfland where he -will, but you and the sword will be within his borders." - -"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "will he be wroth with you if I do this?" - -"Wroth!" said Ziroonderel. "Wroth? He will rage with a most exceeding -fury, beyond the power of tigers." - -"I would not bring that on you, Mother Witch," said Alveric. - -"Ha!" said Ziroonderel. "What care I?" - -Night was advancing now, and the moor and the air growing black like the -witch's cloak. She was laughing now and merging into the darkness. And -soon the night was all blackness and laughter; but he could see no -witch. - -Then Alveric made his way back to his rocky camp by the light of its -lonely fire. - -And as soon as morning appeared on the desolation, and all the useless -rocks began to glow, he took the false weight and softly rubbed it along -both sides of his sword until all its magical edge was disenchanted. And -he did this in his tent while his followers slept, for he would not let -them know that he sought for help that came not from the ravings of Niv, -nor from any sayings that Zend had had from the moon. - -Yet the troubled sleep of madness is not so deep that Niv did not watch -him out of one wild sly eye when he heard the false weight softly -rasping the sword. - -And when this was secretly done and secretly watched, Alveric called to -his two men, and they came and folded up his tattered tent, and took the -long pole and hung their sorry belongings upon it; and on went Alveric -along the edge of the fields we know, impatient to come at last to the -land that so long eluded him. And Niv and Zend came behind with the pole -between them, with bundles swinging from it and tatters flying. - -They moved inland a little towards the houses of men to purchase the -food they needed; and this they bought in the afternoon from a farmer -who dwelt in a lonely house, so near to the very edge of the fields we -know that it must have been the last house in the visible world. And -here they bought bread and oatmeal, and cheese and a cured ham, and -other such things, and put them in sacks and slung them over their pole; -then they left the farmer and turned away from his fields and from all -the fields of men. And as evening fell they saw just over a hedge, -lighting up the land with a soft strange glow that they knew to be not -of this Earth, that barrier of twilight that is the frontier of Elfland. - -"Lirazel!" shouted Alveric, and drew his sword and strode into the -twilight. And behind him went Niv and Zend, with all their suspicions -flaming now into jealousy of inspirations or magic that were not theirs. - -Once he called Lirazel; then, little trusting his voice in that wide -weird land, he lifted his hunter's horn that hung by his side on a -strap, he lifted it to his lips and sounded a call weary with so much -wandering. He was standing within the edge of the boundary; the horn -shone in the light of Elfland. - -Then Niv and Zend dropped their pole in that unearthly twilight, where -it lay like the wreckage of some uncharted sea, and suddenly seized -their master. - -"A land of dreams!" said Niv. "Have I not dreams enough?" - -"There is no moon there!" cried Zend. - -Alveric struck Zend on the shoulder with his sword, but the sword was -disenchanted and blunt and only harmed him slightly. Then the two seized -the sword and dragged Alveric back. And the strength of the madman was -beyond what one could believe. They dragged him back again to the fields -we know, where they two were strange and were jealous of other -strangeness, and led him far from the sight of the pale-blue mountains. -He had not entered Elfland. - -But his horn had passed the boundary's edge and troubled the air of -Elfland, uttering across its dreamy calm one long sad earthly note: it -was the horn that Lirazel heard as she spoke with her father. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - _The Return of Lurulu_ - - -Over hamlet and Castle of Erl, and through every nook and crevice of it, -Spring passed; a mild benediction that blessed the very air and sought -out all living things; not missing even the tiny plants that had their -dwelling in most secluded places, under eaves, in the cracks of old -barrels, or along the lines of mortar that held ancient rows of stones. -And in this season Orion hunted no unicorns; not that he knew in what -season the unicorns bred in Elfland, where time is not as here; but -because of a feeling he had from all his earthly forefathers against -hunting any creature in this season of song and flowers. So he tended -his hounds and often watched the hills, expecting on any day the return -of Lurulu. - -And Spring passed by and the Summer flowers grew, and still there was no -sign of the troll returning, for time moves through the dells of Elfland -as over no field of man. And long Orion watched through fading evenings -till the line of the hills was black, yet never saw the small round -heads of trolls bobbing across the downs. - -And the long autumnal winds came sighing out of cold lands, and found -Orion still watching for Lurulu; and the mist and the turning leaves -spoke to his heart of hunting. And the hounds were whining for the open -spaces and the line of scent like a mysterious path crossing the wide -world, but Orion would hunt nothing less than unicorns, and waited yet -for his trolls. - -And one of these earthly days, with a menace of frost in the air and a -scarlet sunset, Lurulu's talk to the trolls in the wood being finished, -and their scamper swifter than hares having brought them soon to the -frontier, those in our fields who looked (as they seldom did) towards -that mysterious border where Earth ended might have seen the unwonted -shapes of the nimble trolls coming all grey through the evening. They -came dropping, troll after troll, from the soaring leaps they took high -through the boundary of twilight; and, landing thus unceremoniously in -our fields, came capering, somersaulting and running, with gusts of -impudent laughter, as though this were a proper manner in which to -approach by no means the least of the planets. - -They rustled by the small houses like the wind passing through straw, -and none that heard the light rushing sound of their passing knew how -outlandish they were, except the dogs, whose work it is to watch, and -who know of all things that pass, their degree of remoteness to man. At -gipsies, tramps, and all that go without houses, dogs bark whenever they -pass; at the wild things of the woods they bark with greater abhorrence, -knowing well the rebellious contempt in which they hold man; at the fox, -for his touch of mystery and his far wanderings, they bark more -furiously: but to-night the barking of dogs was beyond all abhorrence -and fury; many a farmer this night believed that his dog was choking. - -And passing over these fields, staying not to laugh at the clumsy scared -running of sheep, for they kept their laughter for man, they came soon -to the downs above Erl; and there below them was night and the smoke of -men, all grey together. And not knowing from what slight causes the -smoke arose, here from a woman boiling a kettle of water, or there -because one dried the frock of a child, or that a few old men might warm -their hands in the evening, the trolls forbore to laugh as they had -planned to do as soon as they should meet with the things of man. -Perhaps even they, whose gravest thoughts were just under the surface of -laughter, even they were a little awed by the strangeness and nearness -of man sleeping there in his hamlet with all his smoke about him. Though -awe in these light minds rested no longer than does the squirrel on the -thin extremest twigs. - -In a while they lifted their eyes up from the valley, and there was the -western sky still shining above the last of the gloaming, a little strip -of colour and dying light, so lovely that they believed that another -elfland lay the other side of the valley, two dim diaphonous magical -elfin lands hemming in this valley and few fields of men close upon -either side. And, sitting there on the hillside peering westward, the -next thing they saw was a star: it was Venus low in the West brimming -with blueness. And they all bowed their heads many times to this -pale-blue beautiful stranger; for though politeness was rare with them -they saw that the Evening Star was nothing of Earth and no affair of -man's, and believed it came out of that elfland they did not know on the -western side of the world. And more and more stars appeared, till the -trolls were frightened, for they knew nothing of these glittering -wanderers that could steal out of the darkness and shine: at first they -said "There are more trolls than stars," and were comforted, for they -trusted greatly in numbers. Then there were soon more stars than trolls; -and the trolls were ill at ease as they sat in the dark underneath all -that multitude. But presently they forgot the fancy that troubled them, -for no thought remained with them long. They turned their light -attention instead to the yellow lights that glowed here and there on the -hither side of the greyness, where a few of the houses of men stood warm -and snug near the trolls. A beetle went by, and they hushed their -chatter to hear what he would say; but he droned by, going home, and -they did not know his language. A dog far off was ceaselessly crying -out, and filling all the still night with a note of warning. And the -trolls were angry at the sound of his voice, for they felt that he -interfered between them and man. Then a soft whiteness came out of the -night and lit on the branch of a tree, and bowed its head to the left -and looked at the trolls, and then bowed over to the right and looked at -them again from there, and then back to the left again for it was not -yet sure about them. "An owl," said Lurulu; and many besides Lurulu had -seen his kind before, for he flies much along the edge of Elfland. Soon -he was gone and they heard him hunting across the hills and the hollows; -and then no sound was left but the voices of men, or the shrill shouts -of children, and the bay of the dog that warned men against the trolls. -"A sensible fellow," they said of the owl, for they liked the sound of -his voice; but the voices of men and their dog sounded confused and -tiresome. - -They saw sometimes the lights of late wayfarers crossing the downs -towards Erl, or heard men that cheered themselves in the lonely night by -singing, instead of by lantern's light. And all the while the Evening -Star grew bigger, and great trees grew blacker and blacker. - -Then from underneath the smoke and the mist of the stream there boomed -all of a sudden the brazen bell of the Freer out of deep night in the -valley. Night and the slopes of Erl and the dark downs echoed with it; -and the echoes rode up to the trolls and seemed to challenge them, with -all accursed things and wandering spirits and bodies unblessed of the -Freer. - -And the solemn sound of those echoes going alone through the night from -every heavy swing of the holy bell cheered that band of trolls among all -the strangeness of Earth, for whatever is solemn always moves trolls to -levity. They turned merrier now and tittered among themselves. - -And while they still watched all that host of stars, wondering if they -were friendly, the sky grew steely blue and the eastern stars dwindled, -and the mist and the smoke of men turned white, and a radiance touched -the further edge of the valley; and the moon came up over the downs -behind the trolls. Then voices sang from the holy place of the Freer, -chaunting moon matins; which it was their wont to sing on nights of the -full moon while the moon was yet low. And this rite they named -moon's-morning. The bell had ceased, chance voices spoke no more, they -had hushed their dog in the valley and silenced his warning, and lonely -and grave and solemn that people's song floated up from before the -candles in their small square sacred place, built of grey stone by men -that were dead for ages and ages; all solemn the song welled up in the -time of the moon's rising, grave as the night, mysterious as the full -moon, and fraught with a meaning that was far beyond the highest -thoughts of the trolls. Then the trolls leaped up with one accord from -the frosted grass of the downs and all poured down the valley to laugh -at the ways of men, to mock at their sacred things and to dare their -singing with levity. - -Many a rabbit rose up and fled from their onrush, and thrills of -laughter arose from the trolls at their fear. A meteor flashed -westwards, racing after the sun; either as a portent to warn the hamlet -of Erl that folk from beyond Earth's borders approached them now, or -else in fulfilment of some natural law. To the trolls it seemed that one -of the proud stars fell, and they rejoiced with elvish levity. - -Thus they came giggling through the night, and ran down the street of -the village, unseen as any wild creature that roams late through the -darkness; and Lurulu led them to the pigeon-loft, and they all poured -clambering in. Some rumour arose in the village that a fox had jumped -into the pigeon-loft, but it ceased almost as soon as the pigeons -returned to their homes, and the folk of Erl had no more hint till the -morning that something had entered their village from beyond the borders -of Earth. - -In a brown mass thicker than young pigs are along the edge of a trough -the trolls encumbered the floor of the pigeons' home. And time went over -them as over all earthly things. And well they knew, though tiny was -their intelligence, that by crossing the border of twilight they -incurred the wasting of time; for nothing dwells by the brink of any -danger and lives ignorant of its menace: as conies in rocky altitudes -know the peril of the sheer cliff, so they that dwell near Earth's -border knew well the danger of time. And yet they came. The wonder and -lure of Earth had been overstrong for them. Does not many a young man -squander youth as they squandered immortality? - -And Lurulu showed them how to hold off time for a while, which otherwise -would make them older and older each moment and whirl them on with -Earth's restlessness all night long. Then he curled up his knees and -shut his eyes and lay still. This, he told them, was sleep; and, -cautioning them to continue to breathe, though being still in other -respects, he then slept in earnest: and after some vain attempts the -brown trolls did the same. - -When sunrise came, awaking all earthly things, long rays came through -the thirty little windows and awoke both birds and trolls. And the mass -of trolls went to the windows to look at Earth, and the pigeons -fluttered to rafters and jerked sidelong looks at the trolls. And there -that heap of trolls would have stayed, crowded high on each other's -shoulders, blocking the windows while they studied the variety and -restlessness of Earth, finding them equal to the strangest fables that -wayfarers had brought to them out of our fields; and, though Lurulu -often reminded them, they had forgotten the haughty white unicorns that -they were to hunt with dogs. - -But Lurulu after a while led them down from the loft and brought them to -the kennels. And they climbed up the high palings and peered over the -top at the hounds. - -When the hounds saw those strange heads peering over the palings they -made a great uproar. And presently folk came to see what troubled the -hounds. And when they saw that mass of trolls all round the top of the -palings they said to each other, and so said all that heard of it: -"There is magic in Erl now." - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - _A Chapter on Unicorn-Hunting_ - - -None in Erl was so busy but that he came that morning to see the magic -that was newly come out of Elfland, and to compare the trolls with all -that the neighbours said of them. And the folk of Erl gazed much at the -trolls and the trolls at the folk of Erl, and there was great merriment; -for, as often happens with minds of unequal weight, each laughed at the -other. And the villagers found the impudent ways of the bare brown -nimble trolls no funnier, no more meet for derision, than the trolls -found the grave high hats, the curious clothes, and the solemn air of -the villagers. - -And Orion soon came too, and the folk of the village doffed their long -thin hats; and, though the trolls would have laughed at him also, Lurulu -had found his whip, and by means of it made the mob of his impudent -brethren give that salutation that is given in Elfland to those of its -royal line. - -When noonday came, which was the hour of dinner, and the folk turned -from the kennels, they went back to their houses all praising the magic -that was come at last to Erl. - -During the days that followed Orion's hounds learned that it was vain to -chase a troll and unwise to snarl at one; for, apart from their elvish -speed, the trolls were able to leap into the air far over the heads of -the hounds, and when each had been given a whip they could repay -snarling with an aim that none on Earth was able to equal, except those -whose sires had carried a whip with hounds for generations. - -And one morning Orion came to the pigeon-loft and called to Lurulu -early, and he brought out the trolls and they went to the kennels and -Orion opened the doors, and he led them all away eastwards over the -downs. The hounds moved all together and the trolls with their whips ran -beside them, like a flock of sheep surrounded by numbers of collies. -They were away to the border of Elfland to wait for the unicorns where -they come through the twilight to eat the earthly grasses at evening. -And as our evening began to mellow the fields we know, they were come to -the opal border that shut those fields from Elfland. And there they -lurked as Earth's darkness grew, and waited for the great unicorns. Each -hound had its troll beside it with the troll's right hand along its -shoulder or neck, soothing it, calming it, and holding it still, while -the left hand held the whip: the strange group lingered there -motionless, and darkened there with the evening. And when Earth was as -dim and quiet as the unicorns desired the great creatures came softly -through, and were far into Earth before any troll would allow his hound -to move. Thus when Orion gave the signal they easily cut one off from -its elfin home and hunted it snorting over those fields that are the -portion of men. And night came down on the proud beast's magical gallop, -and the hounds intoxicate with that marvellous scent, and the leaping -soaring trolls. - -And, when jackdaws on the highest towers of Erl saw the rim of the sun -all red above frosted fields, Orion came back from the downs with his -hounds and his trolls, carrying as fine a head as a unicorn-hunter could -wish. The hounds weary but glad were soon curled up in their kennels, -and Orion in his bed; while the trolls in their pigeon-loft began to -feel, as none but Lurulu had felt ever before, the weight and the -weariness of the passing of time. - -All day Orion slept and all his hounds, none of them caring how it slept -or why; while the trolls slept anxiously, falling asleep as fast as ever -they could, in the hope of escaping some of the fury of time, which they -feared had begun to attack them. And that evening while still they -slept, hounds, trolls and Orion, there met again in the forge of Narl -the parliament of Erl. - -From the forge to the inner room came the twelve old men, rubbing their -hands and smiling, ruddy with health and the keen North wind and the -cheerfulness of their forebodings; for they were well content at last -that their lord was surely magic, and foresaw great doings in Erl. - -"Folklings," said Narl to them all, naming them thus after an ancient -wont, "is it not well with us and our valley at last? See how it is as -we planned so long ago. For our lord is a magic lord as we all desired, -and magical things have sought him from over there, and they all obey -his hests." - -"It is so," said all but Gazic, a vendor of beeves. - -Little and old and out-of-the-way was Erl, secluded in its deep valley, -unnoticed in history; and the twelve men loved the place and would have -it famous. And now they rejoiced as they heard the words of Narl, "What -other village," he said, "has traffic with over there?" - -And Gazic, though he rejoiced with the rest, rose up in a pause of their -gladness. "Many strange things," he said, "have entered our village, -coming from over there. And it may be that human folk are best, and the -ways of the fields we know." - -Oth scorned him, and Threl. "Magic is best," said all. - -And Gazic was silent again, and raised his voice no more against the -many; and the mead went round, and all spoke of the fame of Erl; and -Gazic forgot his mood and the fear that was in it. - -Far into the night they rejoiced, quaffing the mead, and by its homely -aid gazing into the years of the future, so far as that may be done by -the eyes of men. Yet all their rejoicing was hushed and their voices -low, lest the ears of the Freer should hear them; for their gladness -came to them from lands that lay beyond thought of salvation, and they -had set their trust in magic, against which, as well they knew, boomed -every note that rang from the bell of the Freer whenever it tolled at -evening. And they parted late, praising magic in no loud tones, and went -secretly back to their houses, for they feared the curse that the Freer -had called down upon unicorns, and knew not if their own names might -become involved in one of the curses called upon magical things. - -All the next day Orion rested his hounds, and the trolls and the people -of Erl gazed at each other. But on the day that followed Orion took his -sword and gathered his band of trolls and his pack of hounds, and all -were away once more far over the downs, to come again to the border of -nebulous opal and to lurk for the unicorns coming through in the -evening. - -They came to a part of the border far from the spot which they had -disturbed only three evenings before; and Orion was guided by the -chattering trolls, for well they knew the haunts of the lonely unicorns. -And Earth's evening came huge and hushed, till all was dim as the -twilight; and never a footfall did they hear of the unicorns, never a -glimpse of their whiteness. And yet the trolls had guided Orion well, -for just as he would have despaired of a hunt that night, just when the -evening seemed wholly and utterly empty, a unicorn stood on the -earthward edge of the twilight where nothing had stood only a moment -before: soon he moved slowly across the terrestrial grasses a few yards -forward into the fields of men. - -Another followed, moving a few yards also; and then they stood for -fifteen of our earthly minutes moving nothing at all except their ears. -And all that while the trolls hushed every hound, motionless under a -hedge of the fields we know. Darkness had all but hidden them when at -last the unicorns moved. And, as soon as the largest was far enough from -the frontier, the trolls let loose every hound, and ran with them after -the unicorn with shrill yells of derision, all sure of his haughty head. - -But the quick small minds of the trolls, though they had learned much of -Earth, had not yet understood the irregularity of the moon. Darkness was -new to them, and they soon lost hounds. Orion in his eagerness to hunt -had made no choice of a suitable night: there was no moon at all, and -would be none till near morning. Soon he also fell behind. - -Orion easily collected the trolls, the night was full of their -frivolous noises, and the trolls came to his horn, but not a hound would -leave that pungent magical scent for any horn of man. They straggled -back next day, tired, having lost their unicorn. - -And while each troll cleaned and fed his hound on the evening after the -hunt, and laid a little bunch of straw for it on which to lie down, and -smoothed its hair and looked for thorns in its feet, and unravelled -burrs from its ears, Lurulu sat alone fastening his small sharp -intelligence, like the little white light of a burning glass, for hours -upon one question. The question that Lurulu pondered far into the night -was how to hunt unicorns with dogs in the darkness. And by midnight a -plan was clear in his elvish mind. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - _The Luring of the People of the Marshes_ - - -As the evening that followed was beginning to fade a traveller might -have been seen approaching the marshes, which some way south-eastwards -of Erl lay along the edge of the farmsteads and stretched their terrible -waste as far as the sky-line, and even over the border and into the -region of Elfland. They glimmered now as the light was leaving the land. - -So black were the solemn clothes and the high grave hat of the traveller -that he could have been seen from far against the dim green of the -fields, going down to the edge of the marsh through the grey evening. -But none were there to see at such an hour beside that desolate place, -for the threat of darkness was already felt in the fields, and all the -cows were home and the farmers warm in their houses; so the traveller -walked alone. And soon he was come by unsure paths to the reeds and the -thin rushes, to which a wind was telling tales that have no meaning to -man, long histories of bleakness and ancient legends of rain; while on -the high darkening land far off behind him he saw lights begin to blink -where the houses were. He walked with the gravity and the solemn air of -one who has important business with men; yet his back was turned to -their houses and he went where no man wandered, travelling towards no -hamlet or lonely cottage of man, for the marsh ran right into Elfland. -Between him and the nebulous border that divides Earth from Elfland -there was no man whatever, and yet the traveller walked on as one that -has a grave errand. With every venerable step that he took bright mosses -shook and the marsh seemed about to engulf him, while his worthy staff -sank deep into slime, giving him no support; and yet the traveller -seemed only to care for the solemnity of his pacing. Thus he went on -over the deadly marsh with a deportment suitable to the slow procession -when the elders open the market on special days, and the gravest blesses -the bargaining, and all the farmers come to the booths and barter. - -And up and down, up and down, song-birds went wavering home, skirting -the marsh's edge on their way to their native hedges; pigeons passed -landward to roost in high dark trees; the last of a multitude of rooks -was gone; and all the air was empty. - -And now the great marsh thrilled to the news of the coming of a -stranger; for, no sooner had the traveller gravely set a foot on one of -those brilliant mosses that bloom in the pools, than a thrill shot under -their roots and below the stems of the bulrushes, and ran like a light -beneath the surface of the water, or like the sound of a song, and -passed far over the marshes, and came quivering to the border of magical -twilight that divides Elfland from Earth; and stayed not there, but -troubled the very border and passed beyond it and was felt in Elfland: -for where the great marshes run down to the border of Earth the -frontier is thinner and more uncertain than elsewhere. - -And as soon as they felt that thrill in the deep of the marshes the -will-o'-the-wisps soared up from their fathomless homes, and waved their -lights to beckon the traveller on, over the quaking mosses at the hour -when the duck were flighting. And under that whirr and rush and -rejoicing of wings that the ducks make in that hour the traveller -followed after the waving lights, further and further into the marshes. -Yet sometimes he turned from them, so that for a while they followed -him, instead of leading as they were accustomed to do, till they could -get round in front of him and lead him once more. A watcher, if there -had been one in such bad light and in such a perilous place, had noticed -after a while in the venerable traveller's movements a queer resemblance -to those of the hen green plover when she lures the stranger after her -in Spring, away from the mossy bank where her eggs lie bare. Or perhaps -such a resemblance is merely fanciful, and a watcher might have noticed -no such thing. At any rate on that night in that desolate place there -was no watcher whatever. - -And the traveller followed his curious course, sometimes towards the -dangerous mosses, sometimes towards the safe green land, always with -grave demeanour and reverent gait; and the will-o'-the-wisps in -multitudes gathered about him. And still that deep thrill that warned -the marsh of a stranger throbbed on through the ooze below the roots of -the rushes; and did not cease, as it should as soon as the stranger was -dead, but haunted the marsh like some echo of music that magic has made -everlasting, and troubled the will-o'-the-wisps even over the border in -Elfland. - -Now it is far from my intention to write anything detrimental to -will-o'-the-wisps, or anything that may be construed as being a slight -upon them: no such construction should be put upon my writings. But it -is well known that the people of the marshes lure travellers to their -doom, and have delighted to follow that avocation for centuries, and I -may be permitted to mention this in no spirit of disapproval. - -The will-o'-the-wisps then that were about this traveller redoubled -their efforts with fury; and when still he eluded their last enticements -only on the very edge of the deadliest pools, and still lived and still -travelled, and the whole marsh knew of it, then the greater -will-o'-the-wisps that dwell in Elfland rose up from their magical mire -and rushed over the border. And the whole marsh was troubled. - -Almost like little moons grown nimbly impudent the people of the marshes -glowed before that solemn traveller, leading his reverend steps to the -edge of death only to retrace their steps again to beckon him back once -more. And then in spite of the great height of his hat and the dark -length of his coat that frivolous people began to perceive that mosses -were bearing his weight which never before had supported any traveller. -At this their fury increased and they all leaped nearer to him; and -nearer and nearer they flocked wherever he went; and in their fury their -enticements were losing their craftiness. - -And now a watcher in the marshes, if such there had been, had seen -something more than a traveller surrounded by will-o'-the-wisps; for he -might have noticed that the traveller was almost leading them, instead -of the will-o'-the-wisps leading the traveller. And in their impatience -to have him dead the people of the marshes had never thought that they -were all coming nearer and nearer to the dry land. - -And when all was dark but the water they suddenly found themselves in a -field of grass with their feet rasping against the rough pasture, while -the traveller was seated with his knees gathered up to his chin and was -eyeing them from under the brim of his high black hat. Never before had -any of them been lured to dry land by traveller, and there were amongst -them that night those eldest and greatest among them who had come with -their moon-like lights right over the border from Elfland. They looked -at each other in uneasy astonishment as they dropped limply onto the -grass, for the roughness and heaviness of the solid land oppressed them -after the marshes. And then they began to perceive that that venerable -traveller whose bright eyes watched them so keenly out of that black -mass of clothes was little larger than they were themselves, in spite of -his reverend airs. Indeed, though stouter and rounder he was not quite -so tall. Who was this, they began to mutter, who had lured -will-o'-the-wisps? And some of those elders from Elfland went up to him -that they might ask him with what audacity he had dared to lure such as -them. And then the traveller spoke. Without rising or turning his head -he spoke where he sat. - -"People of the marshes," he said, "do you love unicorns?" - -And at the word unicorns scorn and laughter filled every tiny heart in -all that frivolous multitude, excluding all other emotions, so that they -forgot their petulance at having been lured; although to lure -will-o'-the-wisps is held by them to be the gravest of insults, and -never would they have forgiven it if they had had longer memories. At -the word unicorns they all giggled in silence. And this they did by -flickering up and down like the light of a little mirror flashed by an -impudent hand. Unicorns! Little love had they for the haughty creatures. -Let them learn to speak to the people of the marshes when they came to -drink at their pools. Let them learn to give their due to the great -lights of Elfland, and the lesser lights that illumined the marshes of -Earth! - -"No," said an elder of the will-o'-the-wisps, "none loves the proud -unicorns." - -"Come then," said the traveller, "and we will hunt them. And you shall -light us in the night with your lights, when we hunt them with dogs over -the fields of men." - -"Venerable traveller," said that elder will-o'-the-wisp: but at those -words the traveller flung up his hat and leaped from his long black -coat, and stood before the will-o'-the-wisps stark naked. And the people -of the marshes saw that it was a troll that had tricked them. - -Their anger at this was slight; for the people of the marshes have -tricked the trolls, and the trolls have tricked the people of the -marshes, each of them so many times for ages and ages, that only the -wisest among them can say which has tricked the other most and is how -many tricks ahead. They consoled themselves now by thinking of times -when trolls had been made to look ludicrous, and consented to come with -their lights to help to hunt unicorns, for their wills were weak when -they stood on the dry land and they easily acquiesced in any suggestion -or followed anyone's whim. - -It was Lurulu who had thus tricked the will-o'-the-wisps, knowing well -how they love to lure travellers; and, having obtained the highest hat -and gravest coat he could steal, he had set out with a bait that he -knew would bring them from great distances. Now that he had gathered -them all on the solid land and had their promise of light and help -against unicorns, which such creatures will give easily on account of -the unicorns' pride, he began to lead them away to the village of Erl, -slowly at first while their feet grew accustomed to the hard land; and -over the fields he brought them limping to Erl. - -And now there was nothing in all the marshes that at all resembled man, -and the geese came down on a huge tumult of wings. The little swift teal -shot home; and all the dark air twanged with the flight of the duck. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - _The Coming of Too Much Magic_ - - -In Erl that had sighed for magic there was indeed magic now. The -pigeon-loft and old lumber-lofts over stables were all full of trolls, -the ways were full of their antics, and lights bobbed up and down the -street at night long after traffic was home. For the will-o'-the-wisps -would go dancing along the gutters, and had made their homes round the -soft edges of duck-ponds and in green-black patches of moss that grew -upon oldest thatch. And nothing seemed the same in the old village. - -And amongst all these magical folk the magical half of Orion's blood, -that had slept while he went amongst earthly men, hearing mundane talk -each day, stirred out of its sleep and awakened long-sleeping thoughts -in his brain. And the elfin horns that he often heard blowing at evening -blew with a meaning now, and blew stronger as though they were nearer. - -The folk of the village watching their lord by day saw his eyes turned -away towards Elfland, saw him neglecting the wholesome earthly cares, -and at night there came the queer lights and the gibbering of the -trolls. A fear settled on Erl. - -At this time the parliament took counsel again, twelve grey-beard -quaking men that had come to the house of Narl when their work was ended -at evening; and all the evening was weird with the new magic of Elfland. -Every man of them as he ran from his own warm house on his way to the -forge of Narl had seen lights leaping, or heard voices gibbering, which -were of no Christom land. And some had seen shapes prowling which were -of no earthly growing, and they feared that all manner of things had -slipped through the border of Elfland to come and visit the trolls. - -They spoke low in their parliament: all told the same tale, a tale of -children terrified, a tale of women demanding the old ways again; and as -they spoke they eyed window and crevice, none knowing what might come. - -And Oth said: "Let us folk go to the Lord Orion as we went to his -grandfather in his long red room. Let us say how we sought for magic, -and lo we have magic enough; and let him follow no more after witchery -nor the things that are hidden from man." - -He listened acutely, standing there amongst his hushed comrade -neighbours. Was it goblin voices that mocked him, or was it only echo? -Who could say? And almost at once the night all round was hushed again. - -And Threl said: "Nay. It is too late for that." Threl had seen their -lord one evening standing alone on the downs, all motionless and -listening to something sounding from Elfland, with his eyes to the East -as he listened: and nothing was sounding, not a noise was astir; yet -Orion stood there called by things beyond mortal hearing. "It is too -late now," said Threl. - -And that was the fear of all. - -Then Guhic rose slowly up and stood by that table. And trolls were -gibbering like bats away in their loft, and the pale marsh-lights were -flickering, and shapes prowled in the dark: the pit-pat of their feet -came now and then to the ears of the twelve that were there in that -inner room. And Guhic said: "We wished for a little magic." And a gust -of gibbering came clear from the trolls. And then they disputed awhile -as to how much magic they had wished in the olden time, when the -grandfather of Orion was lord in Erl. But when they came to a plan this -was the plan of Guhic. - -"If we may not turn our lord Orion," he said, "and his eyes be turned to -Elfland, let all our parliament go up the hill to the witch Ziroonderel, -and put our case to her, and ask for a spell which shall be put against -too much magic." - -And at the name of Ziroonderel the twelve took heart again; for they -knew that her magic was greater than the magic of flickering lights, and -knew there was not a troll or thing of the night but went in fear of her -broom. They took heart again and quaffed Narl's heavy mead, and -re-filled their mugs and praised Guhic. - -And late in the night they all rose up together to go back to their -homes, and all kept close together as they went, and sang grave old -songs to affright the things that they feared; though little the light -trolls care, or the will-o'-the-wisps, for the things that are grave to -man. And when only one was left he ran to his house, and the -will-o'-the-wisps chased him. - -When the next day came they ended their work early, for the parliament -of Erl cared not to be left on the witch's hill when night came, or even -the gloaming. They met outside Narl's forge in the early afternoon, -eleven of the parliament, and they called out Narl. And all were wearing -the clothes they were wont to wear when they went with the rest to the -holy place of the Freer, though there was scarcely a soul he had ever -cursed that was not blessed by her. And away they went with their old -stout staves up the hill. - -And as soon as they could they came to the witch's house. And there they -found her sitting outside her door gazing over the valley away, and -looking neither older nor younger, nor concerned one way or the other -with the coming and going of years. - -"We be the parliament of Erl," they said, standing before her all in -their graver clothes. - -"Aye," she said. "You desired magic. Has it come to you yet?" - -"Truly," they said, "and to spare." - -"There is more to come," she said. - -"Mother Witch," said Narl, "we are met here to pray you that you will -give us a goodly spell which shall be a charm against magic, so that -there be no more of it in the valley, for overmuch has come." - -"Overmuch?" she said. "Overmuch magic! As though magic were not the -spice and essence of life, its ornament and its splendour. By my broom," -said she, "I give you no spell against magic." - -And they thought of the wandering lights and the scarce-seen gibbering -things, and all the strangeness and evil that was come to their valley -of Erl, and they besought her again, speaking suavely to her. - -"Oh, Mother Witch," said Guhic, "there is overmuch magic indeed, and the -folk that should tarry in Elfland are all over the border." - -"It is even so," said Narl. "The border is broken and there will be no -end to it. Will-o'-the-wisps should stay in the marshes, and trolls and -goblins in Elfland, and we folk should keep to our own folk. This is the -thought of us all. For magic, if we desired it somewhat, years ago when -we were young, pertains to matters that are not for man." - -She eyed him silently with a cat-like glow increasing in her eyes. And -when she neither spoke nor moved, Narl besought her again. - -"O Mother Witch," he said, "will you give us no spell to guard our homes -against magic?" - -"No spell indeed!" she hissed. "No spell indeed! By broom and stars and -night-riding! Would you rob Earth of her heirloom that has come from the -olden time? Would you take her treasure and leave her bare to the scorn -of her comrade planets? Poor indeed were we without magic, whereof we -are well stored to the envy of darkness and Space." She leaned forward -from where she sat and stamped her stick, looking up in Narl's face with -her fierce unwavering eyes. "I would sooner," she said, "give you a -spell against water, that all the world should thirst, than give you a -spell against the song of streams that evening hears faintly over the -ridge of a hill, too dim for wakeful ears, a song threading through -dreams, whereby we learn of old wars and lost loves of the Spirits of -rivers. I would sooner give you a spell against bread, that all the -world should starve, than give you a spell against the magic of wheat -that haunts the golden hollows in moonlight in July, through which in -the warm short nights wander how many of whom man knows nothing. I would -make you spells against comfort and clothing, food, shelter and warmth, -aye and will do it, sooner than tear from these poor fields of Earth -that magic that is to them an ample cloak against the chill of Space, -and a gay raiment against the sneers of nothingness. - -"Go hence. To your village go. And you that sought for magic in your -youth but desire it not in your age, know that there is a blindness of -spirit which comes from age, more black than the blindness of eye, -making a darkness about you across which nothing may be seen, or felt, -or known, or in any way apprehended. And no voice out of that darkness -shall conjure me to grant a spell against magic. Hence!" - -And as she said "Hence" she put her weight on her stick and was -evidently preparing to rise from her seat. And at this great terror came -upon all the parliament. And they noticed at the same moment that -evening was drawing in and all the valley darkening. On this high field -where the witch's cabbages grew some light yet lingered, and listening -to her fierce words they had not thought of the hour. But now it was -manifestly growing late, and a wind roamed past them that seemed to come -over the ridges a little way off, from night; and chilled them as it -passed; and all the air seemed given over to that very thing against -which they sought for a spell. - -And here they were at this hour with the witch before them, and she was -evidently about to rise. Her eyes were fixed on them. Already she was -partly up from her chair. There could be no doubt that before three -moments were passed she would be hobbling amongst them with her -glittering eyes peering in each one's face. They turned and ran down the -hill. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - _The Cursing of Elfin Things_ - - -As the parliament of Erl ran down the hill they ran into the dusk of -evening. Greyly it lay in the valley above the mist from the stream. But -with more than the mystery of dusk the air was heavy. Lights blinking -early from houses showed that all the folk were home, and the street was -deserted by everything that was human; save when with hushed air and -almost furtive step they saw their lord Orion like a tall shadow go by, -with will-o'-the-wisps behind him, towards the house of the trolls, -thinking no earthly thoughts. And the strangeness that had been growing -day by day made all the village eerie. So that with short and troubled -breath the twelve old men hurried on. - -And so they came to the holy place of the Freer, which lay on the side -of the village that was towards the witch's hill. And it was the hour at -which he was wont to celebrate after-bird-song, as they named the -singing that they sang in the holy place when all the birds were home. -But the Freer was not within his holy place; he stood in the cold night -air on the upper step without it, his face turned towards Elfland. He -had on his sacred robe with its border of purple, and the emblem of -gold round his neck; but the door of his holy place was shut and his -back was towards it. They wondered to see him stand thus. - -And as they wondered the Freer began to intone, clear in the evening -with his eyes away to the East, where already a few of the earliest -stars were showing. With his head held high he spoke as though his voice -might pass over the frontier of twilight and be heard by the people of -Elfland. - -"Curst be all wandering things," he said, "whose place is not upon -Earth. Curst be all lights that dwell in fens and in marish places. -Their homes are in deeps of the marshes. Let them by no means stir from -there until the Last Day. Let them abide in their place and there await -damnation. - -"Cursed be gnomes, trolls, elves and goblins on land, and all sprites of -the water. And fauns be accursed and such as follow Pan. And all that -dwell on the heath, being other than beasts or men. Cursed be fairies -and all tales told of them, and whatever enchants the meadows before the -sun is up, and all fables of doubtful authority, and the legends that -men hand down from unhallowed times. - -"Cursed be brooms that leave their place by the hearth. Cursed be -witches and all manner of witcheries. - -"Cursed be toadstool rings and whatever dances within them. And all -strange lights, strange songs, strange shadows, or rumours that hint of -them, and all doubtful things of the dusk, and the things that -ill-instructed children fear, and old wives' tales and things done o' -midsummer nights; all these be accursed with all that leaneth toward -Elfland and all that cometh thence." - -Never a lane of that village, never a barn, but a will-o'-the-wisp was -dancing nimbly above it; the night was gilded with them. But as the good -Freer spoke they backed away from his curses, floating further off as -though a light wind blew them, and danced again after drifting a little -way. This they did both before and behind him and upon either hand, as -he stood there upon the steps of his holy place. So that there was a -circle of darkness all round him, and beyond that circle shone the -lights of the marshes and Elfland. - -And within the dark circle in which the Freer stood making his curses -were no unhallowed things, nor were there strangenesses such as come of -night, nor whispers from unknown voices, nor sounds of any music blowing -here from no haunts of men; but all was orderly and seemly there and no -mysteries troubled the quiet except such as have been justly allowed to -man. - -And beyond that circle whence so much was beaten back by the bright -vehemence of the good man's curses, the will-o'-the-wisps rioted, and -many a strangeness that poured in that night from Elfland, and goblins -held high holiday. For word was gone forth in Elfland that pleasant folk -had now their dwelling in Erl; and many a thing of fable, many a monster -of myth, had crept through that border of twilight and had come into Erl -to see. And the light and false but friendly will-o'-the-wisps danced in -the haunted air and made them welcome. - -And not only the trolls and the will-o'-the-wisps had lured these folk -from their fabled land through the seldom-traversed border, but the -longings and thoughts of Orion, which by half his lineage were akin to -the things of myth and of one race with the monsters of Elfland, were -calling to them now. Ever since that day by the frontier when he had -hovered between Earth and Elfland he had yearned more and more for his -mother; and now, whether he willed it or no, his elfin thoughts were -calling their kin that dwelt in the elvish fells; and at that hour when -the sound of the horns blew through the frontier of twilight they had -come tumbling after it. For elfin thoughts are as much akin to the -creatures that dwell in Elfland as goblins are to trolls. - -Within the calm and the dark of the good man's curses the twelve old men -stood silent listening to every word. And the words seemed good to them -and soothing and right, for they were over-weary of magic. - -But beyond the circle of darkness, amidst the glare of the -will-o'-the-wisps with which all the night flickered, amidst goblin -laughter and the unbridled mirth of the trolls, where old legends seemed -alive and the fearfullest fables true; amongst all manner of mysteries, -queer sounds, queer shapes, and queer shadows; Orion passed with his -hounds, eastwards towards Elfland. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - _Lirazel Yearns for Earth_ - - -In the hall that was built of moonlight, dreams, music and mirage -Lirazel knelt on the sparkling floor before her father's throne. And the -light of the magical throne shone blue in her eyes, and her eyes flashed -back a light that deepened its magic. And kneeling there she besought a -rune of her father. - -Old days would not let her be, sweet memories thronged about her: the -lawns of Elfland had her love, lawns upon which she had played by the -old miraculous flowers before any histories were written here; she loved -the sweet soft creatures of myth that moved like magical shadows out of -the guardian wood and over enchanted grasses; she loved every fable and -song and spell that had made her elfin home; and yet the bells of Earth, -that could not pass the frontier of silence and twilight, beat note by -note in her brain, and her heart felt the growth of the little earthly -flowers as they bloomed or faded or slept in seasons that came not to -Elfland. And in those seasons, wasting away as every one went by, she -knew that Alveric wandered, knew that Orion lived and grew and changed, -and that both, if Earth's legend were true, would soon be lost to her -forever and ever, when the gates of Heaven would shut on both with a -golden thud. For between Elfland and Heaven is no path, no flight, no -way; and neither sends ambassador to the other. She yearned to the bells -of Earth and the English cowslips, but would not forsake again her -mighty father nor the world that his mind had made. And Alveric came -not, nor her boy Orion; only the sound of Alveric's horn came once, and -often strange longings seemed to float in air, beating vainly back and -forth between Orion and her. And the gleaming pillars that held the dome -of the roof, or above which it floated, quivered a little with her -grief; and shadows of her sorrow flickered and faded in the crystal deep -of the walls, for a moment dimming many a colour that is unknown in our -fields, but making them no less lovely. What could she do who would not -cast away magic and leave the home that an ageless day had endeared to -her while centuries were withering like leaves upon earthly shores, -whose heart was yet held by those little tendrils of Earth, which are -strong enough, strong enough? - -And some, translating her bitter need into pitiless earthly words, may -say that she wished to be in two places at once. And that was true, and -the impossible wish lies on the verge of laughter, and for her was only -and wholly a matter for tears. Impossible? Was it impossible? We have to -do with magic. - -She besought a rune of her father, kneeling upon the magic floor in the -midmost centre of Elfland; and around her arose the pillars, of which -only song may say, whose misty bulk was disturbed and troubled by -Lirazel's sorrow. She besought a rune that, wherever they roamed through -whatever fields of Earth, should restore to her Alveric and Orion, -bringing them over the border and into the elfin lands to live in that -timeless age that is one long day in Elfland. And with them she prayed -might come, (for the mighty runes of her father had such power even as -this) some garden of Earth, or bank where violets lay, or hollow where -cowslips waved, to shine in Elfland for ever. - -Like no music heard in any cities of men or dreamed upon earthly hills, -with his elfin voice her father answered her. And the ringing words were -such as had power to change the shape of the hills of dreams, or to -enchant new flowers to blow in fields of faery. "I have no rune," he -said, "that has power to pass the frontier, or to lure anything from the -mundane fields, be it violets, cowslips or men, to come through our -bulwark of twilight that I have set to guard us against material things. -No rune but one, and that the last of the potencies of our realm." - -And kneeling yet upon the glittering floor, of whose profound -translucence song alone shall speak, she prayed him for that one rune, -last potency though it be of the awful wonders of Elfland. - -And he would not squander that rune that lay locked in his treasury, -most magical of his powers and last of the three, but held it against -the peril of a distant and unknown day, whose light shone just beyond a -curve of the ages, too far for the eerie vision even of his -foreknowledge. - -She knew that he had moved Elfland far afield and swung it back as tides -are swung by the moon, till it lapped at the very edge of the fields of -men once more, with its glimmering border touching the tips of the -earthly hedges. And she knew that no more than the moon had he used a -rare wonder, merely wafting his regions away by a magical gesture. -Might he not, she thought, bring Elfland and Earth yet nearer, using no -rarer magic than is used by the moon at the neap? And so she supplicated -him once again, recalling wonders to him that he had wrought and yet -used no rarer spell than a certain wave of his arm. She spoke of the -magical orchids that came down once over cliffs like a sudden roseate -foam breaking over the Elfin Mountains. She spoke of the downy clusters -of queer mauve flowers which bloomed in the grass of the dells, and of -that glory of blossom that forever guarded the lawns. For all these -wonders were his: bird-song and blooming of flower alike were his -inspirations. If such wonders as song and bloom were wrought by a wave -of his hand, surely he might by beckoning bring but a short way from -Earth some few fields that lay so near to the earthly border. Or surely -he might move Elfland a little earthward again, who had lately moved it -as far as the turn in the path of the comet, and had brought it again to -the edge of the fields of men. - -"Never," he said, "can any rune but one, or spell or wonder or any -magical thing, move our realm one wing's width over the earthly border -or bring anything thence here. And little they know in those fields that -even one rune can do it." - -And still she would scarce believe that those accustomed powers of her -wizard sire could not easily bring the things of Earth and the wonders -of Elfland together. - -"From those fields," he said, "my spells are all beaten back, my -incantations are mute, and my right arm powerless." - -And when he spoke thus to her of that dread right arm, at last perforce -she believed him. And she prayed him again for that ultimate rune, that -long-hoarded treasure of Elfland, that potency that had strength to -work against the harsh weight of Earth. - -And his thoughts went into the future all alone, peering far down the -years. More gladly had a traveller at night in lonely ways given up his -lantern than had this elvish king now used his last great spell, and so -cast it away, and gone without it into those dubious years; whose dim -forms he saw and many of their events, but not to the end. Easily had -she asked for that dread spell, which should appease the only need she -had, easily might he have granted it were he but human; but his vast -wisdom saw so much of the years to be that he feared to face them -without this last great potency. - -"Beyond our border," he said, "material things stand fierce and strong -and many, and have the power to darken and to increase, for they have -wonders too. And when this last potency be used and gone there remains -in all our realm no rune that they dread; and material things will -multiply and put the powers in bondage, and we without any rune of which -they go in awe shall become no more than a fable. We must yet store this -rune." - -Thus he reasoned with her rather than commanded, though he was the -founder and King of all those lands, and all that wandered in them and -of the light in which they shone. And reason in Elfland was no daily -thing, but an exotic wonder. With this he sought to soothe her earthward -fancies. - -And Lirazel made no answer but only wept, weeping tears of enchanted -dew. And all the line of the Elfin Mountains quivered, as wandering -winds will tremble to notes of a violin that have strayed beyond hearing -down the ways of the air; and all the creatures of fable that dwelt in -the realm of Elfland felt something strange in their hearts like the -dying away of a song. - -"Is it not best for Elfland that I do this?" said the King. - -And still she only wept. - -And then he sighed and considered the welfare of Elfland again. For -Elfland drew its happiness from the calm of that palace, which was its -centre, and of which only song may tell; and now its spires were -troubled and the light of its walls was dim, and a sorrow was floating -from its vaulted doorway all over the fields of faery and over the dells -of dream. If she were happy Elfland might bask again in that untroubled -light and eternal calm whose radiance blesses all but material things; -and though his treasury were open and empty yet what more were needed -then? - -So he commanded, and a coffer was brought before him by elfin things, -and the knight of his guard who had watched over it forever came -marching behind them. - -He opened the coffer with a spell, for it opened to no key, and taking -from it an ancient parchment scroll he rose and read from it while his -daughter wept. And the words of the rune as he read were like the notes -of a band of violins, all played by masters chosen from many ages, -hidden on midsummer's midnight in a wood, with a strange moon shining, -the air all full of madness and mystery; and, lurking close but -invisible, things beyond the wisdom of man. - -Thus he read that rune, and powers heard and obeyed it, not alone in -Elfland but over the border of Earth. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - _The Shining Line_ - - -Alveric wandered on, alone of that small company of three without a hope -to guide him. For Niv and Zend, who were lately led by the hope of their -fantastic quest, no longer yearned for Elfland but were guided now by -their plan to hold Alveric back from it. They vacillated more slowly -than sane folk, but clung with far more than sane fervour to each -vacillation. And Zend that had wandered through so many years with the -hope of Elfland before him looked on it, now that he had seen its -frontier, as one of the rivals of the moon. Niv who had endured as much -for Alveric's quest saw in that magical land something more fabulous -than was in all his dreams. And now when Alveric attempted lame -cajoleries with those swift and ferocious minds he received no more -answers from Zend than the curt statement "It is not the will of the -moon": while Niv would only reiterate "Have I not dreams enough?" - -They were wandering back again past farms that had known them years -before. With their old grey tent more tattered they appeared in the -twilight, adding a shade to the evening, in fields wherein they and -their tent had become a legend. And never was Alveric unwatched by some -mad eye, lest he should slip from the camp and come to Elfland and be -where dreams were stranger than Niv's and under a power more magical -than the moon. - -Often he tried, creeping silently from his place in the dead of night. -One moonlight night he tried first, waiting awake till all the world -seemed sleeping. He knew that the frontier was not far away as he crept -from the tent into the brightness and black shadows and passed Niv -sleeping heavily. A little way he went, and there was Zend sitting still -on a rock, gazing into the face of the moon. Round came Zend's face and, -newly inspired by the moon, he shouted and leapt at Alveric. They had -taken away his sword. And Niv woke and came towards them with immense -fury, united to Zend by one jealousy; for each of them knew well that -the wonders of Elfland were greater than any fancy that their minds -would ever know. - -And again he tried, on a night when no moon shone. But on that night Niv -was sitting outside the camp, relishing in a strange and joyless way a -certain comradeship that there was between his ravings and the -interstellar darkness. And there in the night he saw Alveric slipping -away towards the land whose wonders far transcended all Niv's poor -dreams; and all the fury the lesser can feel for the greater awoke at -once in his mind; and, creeping up behind him, without any help from -Zend he smote Alveric insensible to the ground. - -And never did Alveric plan any escape after that but that the busy -thoughts of madness anticipated it. - -And so they came, watchers and watched, over the fields of men. And -Alveric sought help of the folk of the farms; but the cunning of Niv -knew too well the tricks of sanity. So that when the folk came running -over their fields to that queer grey tent from which they heard -Alveric's cries, they found Niv and Zend posed in a calm that they had -much practised, while Alveric told of his thwarted quest of Elfland. Now -by many men all quests are considered mad, as the cunning of Niv knew. -Alveric found no help here. - -As they went back by the way by which they had marched for years Niv led -that band of three, stepping ahead of Alveric and Zend with his lean -face held high, made all the leaner by the long thin points to which he -had trained his beard and his moustaches, and wearing Alveric's sword -that stuck out long behind him and its hilt high in front. And he -stepped and perked his head with a certain air that revealed to the rare -travellers who saw him that this sparse and ragged figure esteemed -itself the leader of a greater band than were visible. Indeed if one had -just seen him at the end of the evening with the dusk and the mist of -the fenlands close behind him he might have believed that in the dusk -and the mist was an army that followed this gay worn confident man. Had -the army been there Niv was sane. Had the world accepted that an army -was there, even though only Alveric and Zend followed his curious steps, -still he was sane. But the lonely fancy that had not fact to feed on, -nor the fancy of any other for fellowship, was for its loneliness mad. - -Zend watched Alveric all the while, as they marched behind Niv; for -their mutual jealousy of the wonders of Elfland bound Niv and Zend -together to work as with one wild whim. - -And now one morning Niv stretched himself up to the fullest possible -height of his lean inches and extended his right arm high and addressed -his army, "We are come near again to Erl," he said. "And we shall bring -new fancies in place of outworn things and things that are stale; and -its customs shall be henceforth the way of the moon." - -Now Niv cared nothing for the moon, but he had great cunning, and he -knew that Zend would aid his new plan against Erl if only for the sake -of the moon. And Zend cheered till the echoes came back from a lonely -hill, and Niv smiled to them like a leader confident of his hosts. And -Alveric rose against them then, and struggled with Niv and Zend for the -last time, and learned that age or wandering or loss of hope had left -him unable to strive against the maniacal strength of these two. And -after that he went with them more meekly, with resignation, caring no -longer what befell him, living only in memory and only for days that had -been; and in November evenings in this dim camp in the chill he saw, -looking only backwards through the years, Spring mornings shine again on -the towers of Erl. In the light of these mornings he saw Orion again, -playing again with old toys that the witch had made with a spell; he saw -Lirazel move once more through the gracious gardens. Yet no light that -memory is able to kindle was strong enough to illumine much that camp in -those sombre evenings, when the damp rose up from the ground and the -chill swooped out of the air, and Niv and Zend as darkness came stealing -nearer began to chatter in low eager voices schemes inspired by such -whims as throve at dusk in the waste. Only when the sad day drifted -wholly thence and Alveric slept by flapping tatters that streamed from -the tent in the night, then only was memory, unhindered by the busy -changes of day, able to bring back Erl to him, bright, happy and vernal; -so that while his body lay still, in far fields, in the dark and the -Winter, all that was most active and live in him was back over the wolds -in Erl, back over the years in Spring with Lirazel and Orion. - -How far he was bodily, in sheer miles from his home, for which his happy -thoughts each night forsook his weary frame, Alveric knew not. It was -many years since their tent had stood one evening a grey shape in that -landscape in which it now waved its tatters. But Niv knew that of late -they had come nearer to Erl, for his dreams of it came to him now soon -after he fell asleep, and they used to come to him further on in the -night, on the other side of midnight and even towards morning: and from -this he argued that they used to have further to come, and were now but -a little way off. When he told this secretly one evening to Zend, Zend -listened gravely but gave no opinion, merely saying "The moon knows." -Nevertheless he followed Niv, who led this curious caravan always in -that direction from which his dreams of the valley of Erl came soonest. -And this queer leadership brought them nearer to Erl, as often happens -where men follow leaders that are crazy or blind or deceived; they reach -some port or other though they stray down the years with little -foresight enough: were it otherwise what would become of us? - -And one day the upper parts of the towers of Erl looked at them out of -blue distance, shining in early sunlight above a curve of the downs. And -towards them Niv turned at once and led directly, for the line of their -wandering march had not pointed straight to Erl, and marched on as a -conqueror that sees some new city's gates. What his plans were Alveric -did not know, but kept to his apathy; and Zend did not know, for Niv had -merely said that his plans must be secret; nor did Niv know, for his -fancies poured through his brain and rushed away; what fancies made what -plans in a mood that was yesterday's how could he tell to-day? - -Then as they went they soon came to a shepherd, standing amongst his -grazing sheep and leaning upon his crook, who watched and seemed to have -no other care but only to watch all things going by, or, when nothing -passed, to gaze and gaze at the downs till all his memories were -fashioned out of their huge grass curves. He stood, a bearded man, and -watched them with never a word as they passed. And one of Niv's mad -memories suddenly knew him, and Niv hailed him by his name and the -shepherd answered. And who should he be but Vand! - -Then they fell talking; and Niv spoke suavely, as he always did with -sane folk, aping with clever mimicry the ways and the tricks of sanity, -lest Alveric should ask for help against him. But Alveric sought no -help. Silent he stood and heard the others talking, but his thoughts -were far in the past and their voices were only sounds to him. And Vand -enquired of them if they had found Elfland. But he spoke as one asks of -children if their toy boat has been to the Happy Isles. He had had for -many years to do with sheep, and had come to know their needs and their -price, and the need men have of them; and these things had risen -imperceptibly up all round his imagination, and were at last a wall over -which he saw no further. When he was young, yes once, he had sought for -Elfland; but now, why now he was older; such things were for the young. - -"But we saw its border," said Zend, "the border of twilight." - -"A mist," said Vand, "of the evening." - -"I have stood," said Zend, "upon the edge of Elfland." - -But Vand smiled and shook his bearded head as he leaned on his long -crook, and every wave of his beard as he shook it slowly denied Zend's -tales of that border, and his lips smiled it away, and his tolerant eyes -were grave with the lore of the fields we know. - -"No, not Elfland," he said. - -And Niv agreed with Vand, for he watched his mood, studying the ways of -sanity. And they spoke of Elfland lightly, as one tells of some dream -that came at dawn and went away before waking. And Alveric heard with -despair, for Lirazel dwelt not only over the border but even, as he saw -now, beyond human belief; so that all at once she seemed remoter than -ever, and he still lonelier. - -"I sought for it once," said Vand, "but no, there's no Elfland." - -"No," said Niv, and only Zend wondered. - -"No," replied Vand and shook his head and lifted his eyes to his sheep. - -And just beyond his sheep and coming towards them he saw a shining line. -So long his eyes stayed fixed on that shining line coming over the downs -from the eastward that the others turned and looked. - -They saw it too, a shimmering line of silver, or a little blue like -steel, flickering and changing with the reflection of strange passing -colours. And before it, very faint like threatening breezes breathing -before a storm, came the soft sound of very old songs. It caught, as -they all stood gazing, one of Vand's furthest sheep; and instantly its -fleece was that pure gold that is told of in old romance; and the -shining line came on and the sheep disappeared altogether. They saw now -that it was about the height of the mist from a small stream; and still -Vand stood gazing at it, neither moving nor thinking. But Niv turned -very soon and beckoned curtly to Zend and seized Alveric by the arm and -hastened away towards Erl. The gleaming line, that seemed to bump and -stumble over every unevenness of the rough fields, came not so fast as -they hastened; yet it never stopped when they rested, never wearied when -they were tired, but came on over all the hills and hedges of Earth; nor -did sunset change its appearance or check its pace. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - _The Last Great Rune_ - - -As Alveric hastened back, led by two madmen, to those lands over which -he had long ago been lord, the horns of Elfland had sounded in Erl all -day. And though only Orion heard them, they no less thrilled the air, -flooding it deep with their curious golden music, and filling the day -with a wonder that others felt; so that many a young girl leaned from -her window to see what was enchanting the morning. But as the day wore -on the enchantment of the unheard music dwindled, giving place to a -feeling that weighed on all minds in Erl and seemed to bode the -imminence of some unknown region of wonder. All his life Orion had heard -these horns blowing at evening except upon days on which he had done -ill: if he heard the horns at evening he knew that it was well with him. -But now they had blown in the morning, and blew all day, like a fanfare -in front of a march; and Orion looked out of his window and saw nothing, -and the horns rang on, proclaiming he knew not what. Far away they -called his thoughts from the things of Earth that are the concern of -men, far away from all that casts shadows. He spoke to no man that day, -but went among his trolls and such elfin things as had followed them -over the border. And all men that saw him perceived such a look in his -eyes as showed his thoughts to be far in realms that they dreaded. And -his thoughts were indeed far thence, once more with his mother. And hers -were with him, lavishing tendernesses that the years had denied her, in -their swift passage over our fields that she never had understood. And -somehow he knew she was nearer. - -And all that strange morning the will-o'-the-wisps were restless and the -trolls leaped wildly all about their lofts, for the horns of Elfland -tinged all the air with magic and excited their blood although they -could not hear them. But towards evening they felt impending some great -change and all grew silent and moody. And something brought to them -yearnings for their far magical home, as though a breeze had blown -suddenly into their faces straight off the tarns of Elfland; and they -ran up and down the street looking for something magical, to ease their -loneliness amongst mundane things. But found nothing resembling the -spell-born lilies that grew in their glory above the elfin tarns. And -the folk of the village perceived them everywhere and longed for the -wholesome earthly days again that there were before the coming of magic -to Erl. And some of them hurried off to the house of the Freer and took -refuge with him amongst his holy things from all the unhallowed shapes -that there were in their streets and all the magic that tingled and -loomed in the air. And he guarded them with his curses which floated -away the light and almost aimless will-o'-the-wisps, and even, at a -short distance, awed the trolls, but they ran and capered only a little -way off. And while the little group clustered about the Freer, seeking -solace from him against whatever impended, with which the air was -growing tenser and grimmer as the short day wore on, there went others -to Narl and the busy elders of Erl to say "See what your plans have -done. See what you have brought on the village." - -And none of the elders made immediate answer, but said that they must -take counsel one with another, for they trusted greatly in the words -said in their parliament. And to this intent they gathered again at the -forge of Narl. It was evening now, but the sun had not yet set nor Narl -gone from his work, but his fire was beginning to glow with a deeper -colour among the shadows that had entered his forge. And the elders came -in there walking slowly with grave faces, partly because of the mystery -that they needed to cover their folly from the sight of the villagers, -partly because magic hung now so gross in the air that they feared the -imminence of some portentous thing. They sat in their parliament in that -inner room, while the sun went low and the elfin horns, had they but -known it, blew clear and triumphantly. And there they sat in silence, -for what could they say? They had wished for magic, and now it had come. -Trolls were in all the streets, goblins had entered houses, and now the -nights were mad with will-o'-the-wisps; and all the air was heavy with -unknown magic. What could they say? And after a while Narl said they -must make a new plan; for they had been plain bell-fearing folk, but now -there were magical things all over Erl, and more came every night from -Elfland to join them, and what would become of the old ways unless they -made a plan? - -And Narl's words emboldened them all, though they felt the ominous -menace of the horns that they could not hear; but the talk of a plan -emboldened them, for they deemed they could plan against magic. And one -by one they rose to speak of a plan. - -But at sunset the talk died down. And their dread that something -impended grew now to a certain knowledge. Oth and Threl knew it first, -who had lived familiar with mystery in the woods. All knew that -something was coming. No one knew what. And they all sat silent -wondering in the gloaming. - -Lurulu saw it first. He had dreamed all day of the weed-green tarns of -Elfland, and growing weary of Earth, had gone all lonely to the top of a -tower that rose from the Castle of Erl and perched himself on a -battlement and gazed wistfully homewards. And looking out over the -fields we know, he saw the shining line coming down on Erl. And from it -he heard rise faint, as it rippled over the furrows, a murmur of many -old songs; for it came with all manner of memories, old music and lost -voices, sweeping back again to our old fields what time had driven from -Earth. It was coming towards him bright as the Evening Star, and -flashing with sudden colours, some common on Earth, and some unknown to -our rainbow; so that Lurulu knew it at once for the frontier of Elfland. -And all his impudence returned to him at sight of his fabulous home, and -he uttered shrill gusts of laughter from his high perch, that rang over -the roofs below like the chatter of building birds. And the little -homesick trolls in the lofts were cheered by the sound of his merriment -though they knew not from what it came. And now Orion heard the horns -blowing so loud and near, and there was such triumph in their blowing, -and pomp, and withal so wistful a crooning, that he knew now why they -blew, knew that they proclaimed the approach of a princess of the elfin -line, knew that his mother came back to him. - -High on her hill Ziroonderel knew this, being forwarned by magic; and -looking downward at evening she saw that star-like line of blended -twilights of old lost Summer evenings sweeping over the fields towards -Erl. Almost she wondered as she saw this glittering thing flowing over -the earthly pastures, although her wisdom had told her that it must -come. And on the one side she saw the fields we know, full of accustomed -things, and on the other, looking down from her height, she saw, behind -the myriad-tinted border, the deep green elfin foliage and Elfland's -magical flowers, and things that delirium sees not, nor inspiration, on -Earth; and the fabulous creatures of Elfland prancing forward; and, -stepping across our fields and bringing Elfland with her, the twilight -flowing from both her hands, which she stretched out a little from her, -was her own lady the Princess Lirazel coming back to her home. And at -this sight, and at all the strangeness coming across our fields, or -because of old memories that came with the twilight or bygone songs that -sang in it, a strange joy came shivering upon Ziroonderel, and if -witches weep she wept. - -And now from upper windows of the houses the folk began to see that -glittering line which was no earthly twilight: they saw it flash at them -with its starry gleam and then flow on towards them. Slowly it came as -though it rippled with difficulty over Earth's rugged bulk, though -moving lately over the rightful lands of the Elf King it had outspeeded -the comet. And hardly had they wondered at its strangeness, when they -found themselves amongst most familiar things, for the old memories that -floated before it, as a wind before the thunder, beat in a sudden gust -on their hearts and their houses, and lo! they were living once more -amongst things long past and lost. And as that line of no earthly light -came nearer there rustled before it a sound as of rain on leaves, old -sighs, breathed over again, old lovers' whispers repeated. And there -fell on these folk as they all leaned hushed from their windows a mood -that looked gently, wistfully backward through time, such a mood as -might lurk by huge dock-leaves in ancient gardens when everyone is gone -that has tended their roses or ever loved the bowers. - -Not yet had that line of starlight and bygone loves lapped at the walls -of Erl or foamed on the houses, but it was so near now that already -there slipped away the daily cares that held folk down to the present, -and they felt the balm of past days and blessings from hands long -withered. Now elders ran out to children that skipped with a rope in the -street, to bring them into the houses, not telling them why, for fear of -frightening their daughters. And the alarm in their mothers' faces for a -moment startled the children; then some of them looked to the eastward -and saw that shining line. "It is Elfland coming," they said, and went -on with their skipping. - -And the hounds knew, though what they knew I cannot say; but some -influence reached them from Elfland such as comes from the full moon, -and they bayed as they bay on clear nights when the fields are flooded -with moonlight. And the dogs in the streets that always watched lest -anything strange should come, knew how great a strangeness was near them -now and proclaimed it to all the valley. - -Already the old leather-worker in his cottage across the fields, looking -out of his window to see if his well were frozen, saw a May morning of -fifty years ago and his wife gathering lilac, for Elfland had beaten -Time away from his garden. - -And now the jackdaws had left the towers of Erl and flew away westward; -and the baying of the hounds filled all the air, and the barking of -lesser dogs. This suddenly ceased and a great hush fell on the village, -as though snow had suddenly fallen inches deep. And through the hush -came softly a strange old music; and no one spoke at all. - -Then where Ziroonderel sat by her door with her chin on her hand gazing, -she saw the bright line touch the houses and stop, flowing past them on -either side but held by the houses, as though it had met with something -too strong for its magic; but for only a moment the houses held back -that wonderful tide, for it broke over them with a burst of unearthly -foam, like a meteor of unknown metal burning in heaven, and passed on -and the houses stood all quaint and queer and enchanted, like homes -remembered out of a long-past age by the sudden waking of an inherited -memory. - -And then she saw the boy she had nursed step forward into the twilight, -drawn by a power no less than that which was moving Elfland: she saw him -and his mother meet again in all that light that was flooding the valley -with splendour. And Alveric was with her, he and she together a little -apart from attendant fabulous things, that escorted her all the way from -the vales of the Elfin Mountains. And from Alveric had fallen away that -heavy burden of years, and all the sorrow of wandering: he too was back -again in the days that were, with old songs and lost voices. And -Ziroonderel could not see the princess's tears when she met Orion again -after all that separation of space and time, for, though they flashed -like stars, she stood in the border in all that radiance of starlight -that shone about her like the broad face of a planet. But though the -witch saw not this there came to her old ears clearly the sounds of -songs returning again to our fields out of the glens of Elfland, wherein -they had lain so long, which were all the old songs lost from the -nurseries of the Earth. They crooned now about the meeting of Lirazel -and Orion. - -And Niv and Zend had ease at last from their fierce fancies, for their -wild thoughts sank to rest in the calm of Elfland and slept as hawks -sleep in their trees when evening has lulled the world. Ziroonderel saw -them standing together where the edge of the downs had been, a little -way off from Alveric. And there was Vand amongst his golden sheep, that -were munching the strange sweet juices of wonderful flowers. - -With all these wonders Lirazel came for her son, and brought Elfland -with her that never had moved before the width of a harebell over the -earthly border. And where they met was an old garden of roses under the -towers of Erl, where once she had walked, and none had cared for it -since. Great weeds were now in its walks, and even they were withered -with the rigour of late November: their dry stalks hissed about his feet -as Orion walked through them, and they swung back brown behind him over -untended paths. But before him bloomed in all their glory and beauty the -great voluptuous roses gorgeous with Summer. Between November that she -was driving before her and that old season of roses that she brought -back to her garden Lirazel and Orion met. For a moment the withered -garden lay brown behind him, then it all flashed into bloom, and the -wild glad song of birds from a hundred arbours welcomed back the old -roses. And Orion was back again in the beauty and brightness of days -whose dim fair shades his memory cherished, such as are the chief of all -the treasures of man; but the treasury in which they lie is locked, and -we have not the key. Then Elfland poured over Erl. - -Only the holy place of the Freer and the garden that was about it -remained still of our Earth, a little island all surrounded by wonder, -like a mountain peak all rocky, alone in air, when a mist wells up in -the gloaming from highland valleys, and leaves only one pinnacle darkly -to gaze at the stars. For the sound of his bell beat back the rune and -the twilight for a little distance all round. There he lived happy, -contented, not quite alone, amongst his holy things, for a few that had -been cut off by that magical tide lived on the holy island and served -him there. And he lived beyond the age of ordinary men, but not to the -years of magic. - -None ever crossed the boundary but one, the witch Ziroonderel, who from -her hill that was just on the earthward border would go by broom on -starry nights to see her lady again, where she dwelt unvexed by years, -with Alveric and Orion. Thence she comes sometimes, high in the night on -her broom, unseen by any down on the earthly fields, unless you chance -to notice star after star blink out for an instant as she passes by -them, and sits beside cottage doors and tells queer tales, to such as -care to have news of the wonders of Elfland. May I hear her again! - -And with the last of his world-disturbing runes sent forth, and his -daughter happy once more, the elfin King on his tremendous throne -breathed and drew in the calm in which Elfland basks; and all his realms -dreamed on in that ageless repose, of which deep green pools in summer -can barely guess; and Erl dreamed too with all the rest of Elfland and -so passed out of all remembrance of men. For the twelve that were of the -parliament of Erl looked through the window of that inner room, wherein -they planned their plans by the forge of Narl, and, gazing over their -familiar lands, perceived that they were no longer the fields we know. - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER -*** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws -of -the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; -margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The King of Elfland's -Daughter</div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; -margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Lord Dunsany</div> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 2, 2020 -[EBook #61077]<br /> -[Most recently updated: May 13, 2022]</div> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: -UTF-8</div> -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced -by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Distributed -Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net</div> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE -PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER ***</div> - - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="279" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - - -<h1>The King of Elfland's Daughter</h1> - -<h2>Lord Dunsany</h2> - -<p>BALLANTINE BOOKS<br /> -NEW YORK</p> - -<p>First Ballantine Books edition: June, 1969</p> - -<p>Printed in Canada</p> - -<p>BALLANTINE BOOKS, INC.<br /> -101 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10003</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>TO<br /> -LADY DUNSANY</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>Preface</h2> -</div> - -<p>I hope that no suggestion of any strange land that may be conveyed by -the title will scare readers away from this book; for, though some -chapters do indeed tell of Elfland, in the greater part of them there is -no more to be shown than the face of the fields we know, and ordinary -English woods and a common village and valley, a good twenty or -twenty-five miles from the border of Elfland.</p> - - -<p class="ph1"><span class="smcap">Lord Dunsany</span></p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><i>Contents</i></h2> -</div> - -<table summary="contents"> -<tr><td align="right"></td><td>Preface </td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">I </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_I">The Plan of the -Parliament of Erl </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">II </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_II">Alveric Comes in -Sight of the Elfin Mountains </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">III </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_III">The Magical -Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">IV </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">Alveric Comes -Back to Earth After Many Years </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">V </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_V">The Wisdom of the -Parliament of Erl </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">VI </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">The Rune of the -Elf King </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">VII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">The Coming of -the Troll </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">VIII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">The Arrival -of the Rune </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">IX </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">Lirazel Blows -Away </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">X </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_X">The Ebbing of -Elfland </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XI </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">The Deep of the -Woods </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">The -Unenchanted Plain </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XIII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">The -Reticence of the Leather-Worker </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XIV </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">The Quest for -the Elfin Mountains </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XV </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">The Retreat of -the Elf King </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XVI </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">Orion Hunts -the Stag </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XVII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">The Unicorn -Comes in the Starlight </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XVIII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">The Grey -Tent in the Evening </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XIX </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">Twelve Old Men -Without Magic </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XX </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">A Historical -Fact </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXI </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">On the Verge -of Earth </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">Orion -Appoints a Whip </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXIII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">Lurulu -Watches the Restlessness </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXIV </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">Lurulu -Speaks of Earth and the Ways of Men </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXV </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">Lirazel -Remembers the Fields We Know </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXVI </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">The Horn of -Alveric </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXVII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">The Return -of Lurulu </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXVIII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">A -Chapter on Unicorn-Hunting </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXIX </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">The Luring -of the People of the Marshes </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXX </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">The Coming of -Too Much Magic </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXXI </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXI">The Cursing -of Elfin Things </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXXII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXII">Lirazel -Yearns for Earth </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXXIII </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIII">The -Shining Line </a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="right">XXXIV </td><td><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIV">The Last -Great Rune </a></td></tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I<br /> -<i>The Plan of the Parliament of Erl</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>In their ruddy jackets of leather that reached to their knees the men -of -Erl appeared before their lord, the stately white-haired man in his long -red room. He leaned in his carven chair and heard their spokesman.</p> - -<p>And thus their spokesman said.</p> - -<p>"For seven hundred years the chiefs of your race have ruled us well; -and -their deeds are remembered by the minor minstrels, living on yet in -their little tinkling songs. And yet the generations stream away, and -there is no new thing."</p> - -<p>"What would you?" said the lord.</p> - -<p>"We would be ruled by a magic lord," they said.</p> - -<p>"So be it," said the lord. "It is five hundred years since my people -have spoken thus in parliament, and it shall always be as your -parliament saith. You have spoken. So be it."</p> - -<p>And he raised his hand and blessed them and they went.</p> - -<p>They went back to their ancient crafts, to the fitting of iron to the -hooves of horses, to working upon leather, to tending flowers, to -ministering to the rugged needs of Earth; they followed the ancient -ways, and looked for a new thing. But the old lord sent a word to his -eldest son, bidding him come before him.</p> - -<p>And very soon the young man stood before him, in that same carven -chair -from which he had not moved, where light, growing late, from high -windows, showed the aged eyes looking far into the future beyond that -old lord's time. And seated there he gave his son his commandment.</p> - -<p>"Go forth," he said, "before these days of mine are over, and -therefore -go in haste, and go from here eastwards and pass the fields we know, -till you see the lands that clearly pertain to faery; and cross their -boundary, which is made of twilight, and come to that palace that is -only told of in song."</p> - -<p>"It is far from here," said the young man Alveric.</p> - -<p>"Yes," answered he, "it is far."</p> - -<p>"And further still," the young man said, "to return. For distances in -those fields are not as here."</p> - -<p>"Even so," said his father.</p> - -<p>"What do you bid me do," said the son, "when I come to that -palace?"</p> - -<p>And his father said: "To wed the King of Elfland's daughter."</p> - -<p>The young man thought of her beauty and crown of ice, and the -sweetness -that fabulous runes had told was hers. Songs were sung of her on wild -hills where tiny strawberries grew, at dusk and by early starlight, and -if one sought the singer no man was there. Sometimes only her name was -sung softly over and over. Her name was Lirazel.</p> - -<p>She was a princess of the magic line. The gods had sent their shadows -to -her christening, and the fairies too would have gone, but that they were -frightened to see on their dewy fields the long dark moving shadows of -the gods, so they stayed hidden in crowds of pale pink anemones, and -thence blessed Lirazel.</p> - -<p>"My people demand a magic lord to rule over them. They have chosen -foolishly," the old lord said, "and only the Dark Ones that show not -their faces know all that this will bring: but we, who see not, follow -the ancient custom and do what our people in their parliament say. It -may be some spirit of wisdom they have not known may save them even yet. -Go then with your face turned towards that light that beats from -fairyland, and that faintly illumines the dusk between sunset and early -stars, and this shall guide you till you come to the frontier and have -passed the fields we know."</p> - -<p>Then he unbuckled a strap and a girdle of leather and gave his huge -sword to his son, saying: "This that has brought our family down the -ages unto this day shall surely guard you always upon your journey, even -though you fare beyond the fields we know."</p> - -<p>And the young man took it though he knew that no such sword could -avail -him.</p> - -<p>Near the Castle of Erl there lived a lonely witch, on high land near -the -thunder, which used to roll in Summer along the hills. There she dwelt -by herself in a narrow cottage of thatch and roamed the high fields -alone to gather the thunderbolts. Of these thunderbolts, that had no -earthly forging, were made, with suitable runes, such weapons as had to -parry unearthly dangers.</p> - -<p>And alone would roam this witch at certain tides of Spring, taking -the -form of a young girl in her beauty, singing among tall flowers in -gardens of Erl. She would go at the hour when hawk-moths first pass from -bell to bell. And of those few that had seen her was this son of the -Lord of Erl. And though it was calamity to love her, though it rapt -men's thoughts away from all things true, yet the beauty of the form -that was not hers had lured him to gaze at her with deep young eyes, -till—whether flattery or pity moved her, who knows that is -mortal?—she -spared him whom her arts might well have destroyed and, changing -instantly in that garden there, showed him the rightful form of a deadly -witch. And even then his eyes did not at once forsake her, and in the -moments that his glance still lingered upon that withered shape that -haunted the hollyhocks he had her gratitude that may not be bought, nor -won by any charms that Christians know. And she had beckoned to him and -he had followed, and learned from her on her thunder-haunted hill that -on the day of need a sword might be made of metals not sprung from -Earth, with runes along it that would waft away, certainly any thrust of -earthly sword, and except for three master-runes could thwart the -weapons of Elfland.</p> - -<p>As he took his father's sword the young man thought of the witch.</p> - -<p>It was scarcely dark in the valley when he left the Castle of Erl, -and -went so swiftly up the witch's hill that a dim light lingered yet on its -highest heaths when he came near the cottage of the one that he sought, -and found her burning bones at a fire in the open. To her he said that -the day of his need was come. And she bade him gather thunderbolts in -her garden, in the soft earth under her cabbages.</p> - -<p>And there with eyes that saw every minute more dimly, and fingers -that -grew accustomed to the thunderbolts' curious surfaces, he found before -darkness came down on him seventeen: and these he heaped into a silken -kerchief and carried back to the witch.</p> - -<p>On the grass beside her he laid those strangers to Earth. From -wonderful spaces they came to her magical garden, shaken by thunder from -paths that we cannot tread; and though not in themselves containing -magic were well adapted to carry what magic her runes could give. She -laid the thigh-bone of a materialist down, and turned to those stormy -wanderers. She arranged them in one straight row by the side of her -fire. And over them then she toppled the burning logs and the embers, -prodding them down with the ebon stick that is the sceptre of witches, -until she had deeply covered those seventeen cousins of Earth that had -visited us from their etherial home. She stepped back then from her fire -and stretched out her hands, and suddenly blasted it with a frightful -rune. The flames leaped up in amazement. And what had been but a lonely -fire in the night, with no more mystery than pertains to all such fires, -flared suddenly into a thing that wanderers feared.</p> - -<p>As the green flames, stung by her runes, leaped up, and the heat of -the -fire grew intenser, she stepped backwards further and further, and -merely uttered her runes a little louder the further she got from the -fire. She bade Alveric pile on logs, dark logs of oak that lay there -cumbering the heath; and at once, as he dropped them on, the heat licked -them up; and the witch went on pronouncing her louder runes, and the -flames danced wild and green; and down in the embers the seventeen, -whose paths had once crossed Earth's when they wandered free, knew heat -again as great as they had known, even on that desperate ride that had -brought them here. And when Alveric could no longer come near the fire, -and the witch was some yards from it shouting her runes, the magical -flames burned all the ashes away and that portent that flared on the -hill as suddenly ceased, leaving only a circle that sullenly glowed on -the ground, like the evil pool that glares where thermite has burst. -And flat in the glow, all liquid still, lay the sword.</p> - -<p>The witch approached it and pared its edges with a sword that she -drew -from her thigh. Then she sat down beside it on the earth and sang to it -while it cooled. Not like the runes that enraged the flames was the song -she sang to the sword: she whose curses had blasted the fire till it -shrivelled big logs of oak crooned now a melody like a wind in summer -blowing from wild wood gardens that no man tended, down valleys loved -once by children, now lost to them but for dreams, a song of such -memories as lurk and hide along the edges of oblivion, now flashing from -beautiful years a glimpse of some golden moment, now passing swiftly -out of remembrance again, to go back to the shades of oblivion, and -leaving on the mind those faintest traces of little shining feet which -when dimly perceived by us are called regrets. She sang of old Summer -noons in the time of harebells: she sang on that high dark heath a song -that seemed so full of mornings and evenings preserved with all their -dews by her magical craft from days that had else been lost, that -Alveric wondered of each small wandering wing, that her fire had lured -from the dusk, if this were the ghost of some day lost to man, called up -by the force of her song from times that were fairer. And all the while -the unearthly metal grew harder. The white liquid stiffened and turned -red. The glow of the red dwindled. And as it cooled it narrowed: little -particles came together, little crevices closed: and as they closed they -seized the air about them, and with the air they caught the witch's -rune, and gripped it and held it forever. And so it was it became a -magical sword. And little magic there is in English woods, from the -time of anemones to the falling of leaves, that was not in the sword. -And little magic there is in southern downs, that only sheep roam over -and quiet shepherds, that the sword had not too. And there was scent of -thyme in it and sight of lilac, and the chorus of birds that sings -before dawn in April, and the deep proud splendour of rhododendrons, and -the litheness and laughter of streams, and miles and miles of may. And -by the time the sword was black it was all enchanted with magic.</p> - -<p>Nobody can tell you about that sword all that there is to be told of -it; -for those that know of those paths of Space on which its metals once -floated, till Earth caught them one by one as she sailed past on her -orbit, have little time to waste on such things as magic, and so cannot -tell you how the sword was made, and those who know whence poetry is, -and the need that man has for song, or know any one of the fifty -branches of magic, have little time to waste on such things as science, -and so cannot tell you whence its ingredients came. Enough that it was -once beyond our Earth and was now here amongst our mundane stones; that -it was once but as those stones, and now had something in it such as -soft music has; let those that can define it.</p> - -<p>And now the witch drew the black blade forth by the hilt, which was -thick and on one side rounded, for she had cut a small groove in the -soil below the hilt for this purpose, and began to sharpen both sides of -the sword by rubbing them with a curious greenish stone, still singing -over the sword an eerie song.</p> - -<p>Alveric watched her in silence, wondering, not counting time; it may -have been for moments, it may have been while the stars went far on -their courses. Suddenly she was finished. She stood up with the sword -lying on both her hands. She stretched it out curtly to Alveric; he -took it, she turned away; and there was a look in her eyes as though she -would have kept that sword, or kept Alveric. He turned to pour out his -thanks, but she was gone.</p> - -<p>He rapped on the door of the dark house; he called "Witch, Witch" -along -the lonely heath, till children heard on far farms and were terrified. -Then he turned home, and that was best for him.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II<br /> -<i>Alveric Comes in Sight of the Elfin Mountains</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>To the long chamber, sparsely furnished, high in a tower, in which -Alveric slept, there came a ray direct from the rising sun. He awoke, -and remembered at once the magical sword, which made all his awaking -joyous. It is natural to feel glad at the thought of a recent gift, but -there was also a certain joy in the sword itself, which perhaps could -communicate with Alveric's thoughts all the more easily just as they -came from dreamland, which was pre-eminently the sword's own country; -but, however it be, all those that have come by a magical sword, have -always felt that joy while it still was new, clearly and -unmistakably.</p> - -<p>He had no farewells to make, but thought it better instantly to obey -his -father's command than to stay to explain why he took upon his adventure -a sword that he deemed to be better than the one his father loved. So he -stayed not even to eat, but put food in a wallet and slung over him by a -strap a bottle of good new leather, not waiting to fill it for he knew -he should meet with streams; and, wearing his father's sword as swords -are commonly worn, he slung the other over his back with its rough hilt -tied near his shoulder, and strode away from the Castle and Vale of Erl. -Of money he took but little, half a handful of copper only, for use in -the fields we know; for he knew not what coin or what means of exchange -were used on the other side of the frontier of twilight.</p> - -<p>Now the Vale of Erl is very near to the border beyond which there is -none of the fields we know. He climbed the hill and strode over the -fields and passed through woods of hazel; and the blue sky shone on him -merrily as he went by the way of the fields, and the blue was as bright -by his feet when he came to the woods, for it was the time of the -bluebells. He ate, and filled his water-bottle, and travelled all day -eastwards, and at evening the mountains of faery came floating into -view, the colour of pale forget-me-nots.</p> - -<p>As the sun set behind Alveric he looked at those pale-blue mountains -to -see with what colour their peaks would astonish the evening; but never a -tint they took from the setting sun, whose splendour was gilding all the -fields we know, never a wrinkle faded upon their precipices, never a -shadow deepened, and Alveric learned that for nothing that happens here -is any change in the enchanted lands.</p> - -<p>He turned his eyes from their serene pale beauty back to the fields -we -know. And there, with their gables lifting into the sunlight above deep -hedgerows beautiful with Spring, he saw the cottages of earthly men. -Past them he walked while the beauty of evening grew, with songs of -birds, and scents wandering from flowers, and odours that deepened and -deepened, and evening decked herself to receive the Evening Star. But -before that star appeared the young adventurer found the cottage he -sought; for, flapping above its doorway, he saw the sign of huge brown -hide with outlandish letters in gilt which proclaimed the dweller below -to be a worker in leather.</p> - -<p>An old man came to the door when Alveric knocked, little and bent -with -age, and he bent more when Alveric named himself. And the young man -asked for a scabbard for his sword, yet said not what sword it was. And -they both went into the cottage where the old wife was, by her big fire, -and the couple did honour to Alveric. The old man then sat down near his -thick table, whose surface shone with smoothness wherever it was not -pitted by little tools that had drilled through pieces of leather all -that man's lifetime and in the times of his fathers. And then he laid -the sword upon his knees and wondered at the roughness of hilt and -guard, for they were raw unworked metal, and at the huge width of the -sword; and then he screwed up his eyes and began to think of his trade. -And in a while he thought out what must be done; and his wife brought -him a fine hide; and he marked out on it two pieces as wide as the -sword, and a bit wider than that.</p> - -<p>And any questions he asked concerning that wide bright sword Alveric -somewhat parried, for he wished not to perplex his mind by telling him -all that it was: he perplexed that old couple enough a little later when -he asked them for lodging for the night. And this they gave him with as -many apologies as if it were they that had asked a favour, and gave him -a great supper out of their cauldron, in which boiled everything that -the old man snared; but nothing that Alveric was able to say prevented -them giving up their bed to him and preparing a heap of skins for their -own night's rest by the fire.</p> - -<p>And after their supper the old man cut out the two wide pieces of -leather with a point at the end of each and began to stitch them -together on each side. And then Alveric began to ask him of the way, -and the old leather-worker spoke of North and South and West and even of -north-east, but of East or south-east he spoke never a word. He dwelt -near the very edge of the fields we know, yet of any hint of anything -lying beyond them he or his wife said nothing. Where Alveric's journey -lay upon the morrow they seemed to think the world ended.</p> - -<p>And pondering afterwards, in the bed they gave him, all that the old -man -had said, Alveric sometimes marvelled at his ignorance, and yet -sometimes wondered if it might have been skill by which those two had -avoided all the evening any word of anything lying to the East or -south-east of their home. He wondered if in his early days the old man -might have gone there, but he was unable even to wonder what he had -found there if he had gone. Then Alveric fell asleep, and dreams gave -him hints and guesses of the old man's wanderings in Fairyland, but gave -him no better guides than he had already, and these were the pale-blue -peaks of the Elfin Mountains.</p> - -<p>The old man woke him after he had slept long. When he came to the -day-room a bright fire was burning there, his breakfast was ready for -him and the scabbard made, which fitted the sword exactly. The old -people waited on him silently and took payment for the scabbard, but -would not take aught for their hospitality. Silently they watched him -rise to go, and followed him without a word to the door, and outside it -watched him still, clearly hoping that he would turn to the North or -West; but when he turned and strode for the Elfin Mountains, they -watched him no more, for their faces never were turned that way. And -though they watched him no longer yet he waved his hand in farewell; -for he had a feeling for the cottages and fields of these simple folk, -such as they had not for the enchanted lands. He walked in the sparkling -morning through scenes familiar from infancy; he saw the ruddy orchis -flowering early, reminding the bluebells they were just past their -prime; the small young leaves of the oak were yet a brownish yellow; the -new beech-leaves shone like brass, where the cuckoo was calling clearly; -and a birch tree looked like a wild woodland creature that had draped -herself in green gauze; on favoured bushes there were buds of may. -Alveric said over and over to himself farewell to all these things: the -cuckoo went on calling, and not for him. And then, as he pushed through -a hedge into a field untended, there suddenly close before him in the -field was, as his father had told, the frontier of twilight. It -stretched across the fields in front of him, blue and dense like water; -and things seen through it seemed misshapen and shining. He looked back -once over the fields we know; the cuckoo went on calling unconcernedly; -a small bird sang about its own affairs; and, nothing seeming to answer -or heed his farewells, Alveric strode on boldly into those long masses -of twilight.</p> - -<p>A man in a field not far was calling to horses, there were folk -talking -in a neighbouring lane, as Alveric stepped into the rampart of twilight; -at once all these sounds grew dim, humming faintly, as from great -distances: in a few strides he was through, and not a murmur at all came -then from the fields we know. The fields through which he had come had -suddenly ended; there was no trace of its hedges bright with new green; -he looked back, and the frontier seemed lowering, cloudy and smoky; he -looked all round and saw no familiar thing; in the place of the beauty -of May were the wonders and splendours of Elfland.</p> - -<p>The pale-blue mountains stood august in their glory, shimmering and -rippling in a golden light that seemed as though it rhythmically poured -from the peaks and flooded all those slopes with breezes of gold. And -below them, far off as yet, he saw going up all silver into the air the -spires of the palace only told of in song. He was on a plain on which -the flowers were queer and the shape of the trees monstrous. He started -at once toward the silver spires.</p> - -<p>To those who may have wisely kept their fancies within the boundary -of -the fields we know it is difficult for me to tell of the land to which -Alveric had come, so that in their minds they can see that plain with -its scattered trees and far off the dark wood out of which the palace of -Elfland lifted those glittering spires, and above them and beyond them -that serene range of mountains whose pinnacles took no colour from any -light we see. Yet it is for this very purpose that our fancies travel -far, and if my reader through fault of mine fail to picture the peaks of -Elfland my fancy had better have stayed in the fields we know. Know then -that in Elfland are colours more deep than are in our fields, and the -very air there glows with so deep a lucency that all things seen there -have something of the look of our trees and flowers in June reflected in -water. And the colour of Elfland, of which I despaired to tell, may yet -be told, for we have hints of it here; the deep blue of the night in -Summer just as the gloaming has gone, the pale blue of Venus flooding -the evening with light, the deeps of lakes in the twilight, all these -are hints of that colour. And while our sunflowers carefully turned to -the sun, some forefather of the rhododendrons must have turned a little -towards Elfland, so that some of that glory dwells with them to this -day. And, above all, our painters have had many a glimpse of that -country, so that sometimes in pictures we see a glamour too wonderful -for our fields; it is a memory of theirs that intruded from some old -glimpse of the pale-blue mountains while they sat at easels painting the -fields we know.</p> - -<p>So Alveric strode on through the luminous air of that land whose -glimpses dimly remembered are inspirations here. And at once he felt -less lonely. For there is a barrier in the fields we know, drawn sharply -between men and all other life, so that if we be but a day away from our -kind we are lonely; but once across the boundary of twilight and Alveric -saw this barrier was down. Crows walking on the moor looked whimsically -at him, all manner of little creatures peered curiously to see who was -come from a quarter whence so few ever came; to see who went on a -journey whence so few ever returned; for the King of Elfland guarded his -daughter well, as Alveric knew although he knew not how. There was a -merry sparkle of interest in all those little eyes, and a look that -might mean warning.</p> - -<p>There was perhaps less mystery here than on our side of the boundary -of -twilight; for nothing lurked or seemed to lurk behind great boles of -oak, as in certain lights and seasons things may lurk in the fields we -know; no strangeness hid on the far side of ridges; nothing haunted deep -woods; whatever might possibly lurk was clearly there to be seen, -whatever strangeness might be was spread in full sight of the traveller, -whatever might haunt deep woods lived there in the open day.</p> - -<p>And, so strong lay the enchantment deep over all that land, that not -only did beasts and men guess each other's meanings well, but there -seemed to be an understanding even, that reached from men to trees and -from trees to men. Lonely pine trees that Alveric passed now and then on -the moor, their trunks glowing always with the ruddy light that they had -got by magic from some old sunset, seemed to stand with their branches -akimbo and lean over a little to look at him. It seemed almost as though -they had not always been trees, before enchantment had overtaken them -there; it seemed they would tell him something.</p> - -<p>But Alveric heeded no warnings either from beasts or trees, and -strode -away toward the enchanted wood.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III<br /> -<i>The Magical Sword Meets Some of the Swords of Elfland</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When Alveric came to the enchanted wood the light in which Elfland -glowed had neither grown nor dwindled, and he saw that it came from no -radiance that shines on the fields we know, unless the wandering lights -of wonderful moments that sometimes astonish our fields, and are gone -the instant they come, are strayed over the border of Elfland by some -momentary disorder of magic. Neither sun nor moon made the light of that -enchanted day.</p> - -<p>A line of pine trees up which ivy climbed, as high as their lowering -black foliage, stood like sentinels at the edge of the wood. The silver -spires were shining as though it were they that made all this azure glow -in which Elfland swam. And Alveric having by now come far into Elfland, -and being now before its capital palace, and knowing that Elfland -guarded its mysteries well, drew his father's sword before he entered -the wood. The other still hung on his back, slung in its new scabbard -over his left shoulder.</p> - -<p>And the moment he passed by one of those guardian pine trees, the ivy -that lived on it unfastened its tendrils and, rapidly letting itself -down, came straight for Alveric and clutched at his throat.</p> - -<p>The long thin sword of his father was just in time; had it not been -drawn he would have scarcely got it out, so swift was the rush of the -ivy. He cut tendril after tendril that grasped his limbs as ivy grasps -old towers, and still more tendrils came for him, until he severed its -main stem between him and the tree. And as he was doing this he heard a -hissing rush behind him, and another had come down from another tree and -was rushing at him with all its leaves spread out. The green thing -looked wild and angry as it gripped his left shoulder as though it would -hold it forever. But Alveric severed those tendrils with a blow of his -sword and then fought with the rest, while the first one was still alive -but now too short to reach him, and was lashing its branches angrily on -the ground. And soon, as the surprise of the attack was over and he had -freed himself of the tendrils that had gripped him, Alveric stepped back -till the ivy could not reach him and he could still fight it with his -long sword. The ivy crawled back then to lure Alveric on, and sprang at -him when he followed it. But, terrible though the grip of ivy is, that -was a good sharp sword; and very soon Alveric, all bruised though he -was, had so lopped his assailant that it fled back up its tree. Then he -stepped back and looked at the wood in the light of his new experience, -choosing a way through. He saw at once that in the barrier of pine trees -the two in front of him had had their ivy so shortened in the fight that -if he went mid-way between the two the ivy of neither would be able to -reach him. He then stepped forward, but the moment he did so he noticed -one of the pine trees move closer to the other. He knew then that the -time was come to draw his magical sword.</p> - -<p>So he returned his father's sword to the scabbard by his side and -drew -out the other over his shoulder and, going straight up to the tree that -had moved, swept at the ivy as it sprang at him: and the ivy fell all at -once to the ground, not lifeless but a heap of common ivy. And then he -gave one blow to the trunk of the tree, and a chip flew out not larger -than a common sword would have made, but the whole tree shuddered; and -with that shudder disappeared at once a certain ominous look that the -pine had had, and it stood there an ordinary unenchanted tree. Then he -stepped on through the wood with his sword drawn.</p> - -<p>He had not gone many paces when he heard behind him a sound like a -faint -breeze in the tree-tops, yet no wind was blowing in that wood at all. He -looked round therefore, and saw that the pine trees were following him. -They were coming slowly after him, keeping well out of the way of his -sword, but to left and right they were gaining on him, so that he saw he -was being gradually shut in by a crescent that grew thicker and thicker -as it crowded amongst the trees that it met on the way, and would soon -crush him to death. Alveric saw at once that to turn back would be -fatal, and decided to push right on, relying chiefly on speed; for his -quick perception had already noticed something slow about the magic that -swayed the wood; as though whoever controlled it were old or weary of -magic, or interrupted by other things. So he went straight ahead, -hitting every tree in his way, whether enchanted or not, a blow with his -magical sword; and the runes that ran in that metal from the other side -of the sun were stronger than any spells that there were in the wood. -Great oak trees with sinister boles drooped and lost all their -enchantment as Alveric flashed past them with a flick of that magical -sword. He was marching faster than the clumsy pines. And soon he left in -that weird and eerie wood a wake of trees that were wholly unenchanted, -that stood there now without hint of romance or mystery even.</p> - -<p>And all of a sudden he came from the gloom of the wood to the emerald -glory of the Elf King's lawns. Again, we have hints of such things here. -Imagine lawns of ours just emerging from night, flashing early lights -from their dewdrops when all the stars have gone; bordered with flowers -that just begin to appear, their gentle colours all coming back after -night; untrodden by any feet except the tiniest and wildest; shut off -from the wind and the world by trees in whose fronds is still darkness: -picture these waiting for the birds to sing; there is almost a hint -there sometimes of the glow of the lawns of Elfland; but then it passes -so quickly that we can never be sure. More beautiful than aught our -wonder guesses, more than our hearts have hoped, were the dewdrop lights -and twilights in which these lawns glowed and shone. And we have another -thing by which to hint of them, those seaweeds or sea-mosses that drape -Mediterranean rocks and shine out of blue-green water for gazers from -dizzy cliffs: more like sea-floors were these lawns than like any land -of ours, for the air of Elfland is thus deep and blue.</p> - -<p>At the beauty of these lawns Alveric stood gazing as they shone -through -twilight and dew, surrounded by the mauve and ruddy glory of the massed -flowers of Elfland, beside which our sunsets pale and our orchids droop; -and beyond them lay like night the magical wood. And jutting from that -wood, with glittering portals all open wide to the lawns, with windows -more blue than our sky on Summer's nights; as though built of starlight; -shone that palace that may be only told of in song.</p> - -<p>As Alveric stood there with his sword in his hand, at the wood's -edge, -scarcely breathing, with his eyes looking over the lawns at the chiefest -glory of Elfland; through one of the portals alone came the King of -Elfland's daughter. She walked dazzling to the lawns without seeing -Alveric. Her feet brushed through the dew and the heavy air and gently -pressed for an instant the emerald grass, which bent and rose, as our -harebells when blue butterflies light and leave them, roaming care-free -along the hills of chalk.</p> - -<p>And as she passed he neither breathed nor moved, nor could have moved -if -those pines had still pursued him, but they stayed in the forest not -daring to touch those lawns.</p> - -<p>She wore a crown that seemed to be carved of great pale sapphires; -she -shone on those lawns and gardens like a dawn coming unaware, out of long -night, on some planet nearer than us to the sun. And as she passed near -Alveric she suddenly turned her head; and her eyes opened in a little -wonder. She had never before seen a man from the fields we know.</p> - -<p>And Alveric gazed in her eyes all speechless and powerless still: it -was -indeed the Princess Lirazel in her beauty. And then he saw that her -crown was not of sapphires but ice.</p> - -<p>"Who are you?" she said. And her voice had the music that, of earthly -things, was most like ice in thousands of broken pieces rocked by a wind -of Spring upon lakes in some northern country.</p> - -<p>And he said: "I come from the fields that are mapped and known."</p> - -<p>And then she sighed for a moment for those fields, for she had heard -how -life beautifully passes there, and how there are always in those fields -young generations, and she thought of the changing seasons and children -and age, of which elfin minstrels had sung when they told of Earth.</p> - -<p>And when he saw her sigh for the fields we know he told her somewhat -of -that land whence he had come. And she questioned him further, and soon -he was telling her tales of his home and the Vale of Erl. And she -wondered to hear of it and asked him many questions more; and then he -told her all that he knew of Earth, not presuming to tell Earth's story -from what his own eyes had seen in his bare score of years, but telling -those tales and fables of the ways of beasts and men, that the folk of -Erl had drawn out of the ages, and which their elders told by the fire -at evening when children asked of what happened long ago. Thus on the -edge of those lawns whose miraculous glory was framed by flowers we have -never known, with the magical wood behind them, and that palace shining -near which may only be told of in song, they spoke of the simple wisdom -of old men and old women, telling of harvests and the blossoming of -roses and may, of when to plant in gardens, of what wild animals knew; -how to heal, how to sow, how to thatch, and of which of the winds in -what seasons blow over the fields we know.</p> - -<p>And then there appeared those knights who guard that palace lest any -should come through the enchanted wood. Four of them they came shining -over the lawns in armour, their faces not to be seen. In all the -enchanted centuries of their lives they had not dared to dream of the -princess: they had never bared their faces when they knelt armed before -her. Yet they had sworn an oath of dreadful words that no man else -should ever speak with her, if one should come through the enchanted -wood. With this oath now on their lips they marched towards Alveric.</p> - -<p>Lirazel looked at them sorrowfully yet could not halt them, for they -came by command of her father which she could not avert; and well she -knew that her father might not recall his command, for he had uttered it -ages ago at the bidding of Fate. Alveric looked at their armour, which -seemed to be brighter than any metal of ours, as though it came from one -of those buttresses near, which are only told of in song; then he went -towards them drawing his father's sword, for he thought to drive its -slender point through some joint of the armour. The other he put into -his left hand.</p> - -<p>As the first knight struck, Alveric parried, and stopped the blow, -but -there came a shock like lightning into his arm and the sword flew from -his hand, and he knew that no earthly sword could meet the weapons of -Elfland, and took the magical sword in his right hand. With this he -parried the strokes of the Princess Lirazel's guard, for such these four -knights were, having waited for this occasion through all the ages of -Elfland. And no more shock came to him from any of those swords, but -only a vibration in his own sword's metal that passed through it like a -song, and a kind of a glow that arose in it, reaching to Alveric's heart -and cheering it.</p> - -<p>But as Alveric continued to parry the swift blows of the guard, that -sword that was kin to the lightning grew weary of these defences, for it -had in its essence speed and desperate journeys; and, lifting Alveric's -hand along with it, it swept blows at the elvish knights, and the -armour of Elfland could not hold it out. Thick and curious blood began -to pour through rifts in the armour, and soon of that glittering company -two were fallen; and Alveric, encouraged by the zeal of his sword fought -cheerily and soon overthrew another, so that only he and one of the -guard remained, who seemed to have some stronger magic about him than -had been given to his fallen comrades. And so it was, for when the Elf -King had first enchanted the guard he had charmed this elvish soldier -first of all, while all the wonder of his runes were new; and the -soldier and his armour and his sword had something still of this early -magic about them, more potent than any inspirations of wizardry that had -come later from his master's mind. Yet this knight, as Alveric soon was -able to feel along his arm and his sword, had none of those three master -runes of which the old witch had spoken when she made the sword on her -hill; for these were preserved unuttered by the King of Elfland himself, -with which to hedge his own presence. To have known of their existence -she must have flown by broom to Elfland and spoken secretly alone with -the King.</p> - -<p>And the sword that had visited Earth from so far away smote like the -falling of thunderbolts; and green sparks rose from the armour, and -crimson as sword met sword; and thick elvish blood moved slowly, from -wide slits, down the cuirass; and Lirazel gazed in awe and wonder and -love; and the combatants edged away fighting into the forest; and -branches fell on them hacked off by their fight; and the runes in -Alveric's far-travelled sword exulted, and roared at the elf-knight; -until in the dark of the wood, amongst branches severed from -disenchanted trees, with a blow like that of a thunderbolt riving an oak -tree, Alveric slew him.</p> - -<p>At that crash, and at that silence, Lirazel ran to his side.</p> - -<p>"Quick!" she said. "For my father has three runes ..." She durst not -speak of them.</p> - -<p>"Whither?" said Alveric.</p> - -<p>And she said: "To the fields you know."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV<br /> - - -<i>Alveric Comes Back to Earth After Many Years</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Back through the guarding wood went Alveric and Lirazel, she only -looking once more at those flowers and lawns, seen only by the -furthest-travelling fancies of poets in deepest sleep, then urging -Alveric on; he choosing the way past trees he had disenchanted.</p> - -<p>And she would not let him delay even to choose his path, but kept -urging -him away from the palace that is only told of in song. And the other -trees began to come lumbering towards them, from beyond the lustreless -unromantic line that Alveric's sword had smitten, looking queerly as -they came at their stricken comrades, whose listless branches drooped -without magic or mystery. And as the moving trees came nearer Lirazel -would hold up her hand, and they all halted and came on no more; and -still she urged upon Alveric to hasten.</p> - -<p>She knew her father would climb the brazen stairs of one of those -silver -spires, she knew he would soon come out on to a high balcony, she knew -what rune he would chant. She heard the sound of his footsteps -ascending, ringing now through the wood. They fled over the plain beyond -the wood, all through the blue everlasting elfin day, and again and -again she looked over her shoulder and urged Alveric on. The Elf King's -feet boomed slow on the thousand brazen steps, and she hoped to reach -the barrier of twilight, which on that side was smoky and dull; when -suddenly, as she looked for the hundredth time at the distant balconies -of the glittering spires, she saw a door begin to open high up, above -the palace only told of in song. She cried "Alas!" to Alveric, but at -that moment the scent of briar roses came drifting to them from the -fields we know.</p> - -<p>Alveric knew not fatigue for he was young, nor she for she was -ageless. -They rushed forward, he taking her hand; the Elf King lifted his beard, -and just as he began to intone a rune that only once may be uttered, -against which nothing from our fields can avail, they were through the -frontier of twilight, and the rune shook and troubled those lands in -which Lirazel walked no longer.</p> - -<p>When Lirazel looked upon the fields we know, as strange to her as -once -they have been to us, their beauty delighted her. She laughed to see the -haystacks and loved their quaintness. A lark was singing and Lirazel -spoke to it, and the lark seemed not to understand, but she turned to -other glories of our fields, for all were new to her, and forgot the -lark. It was curiously no longer the season of bluebells, for all the -foxgloves were blooming and the may was gone and the wild roses were -there. Alveric never understood this.</p> - -<p>It was early morning and the sun was shining, giving soft colours to -our -fields, and Lirazel rejoiced in those fields of ours at more common -things than one might believe there were amongst the familiar sights of -Earth's every day. So glad was she, so gay, with her cries of surprise -and her laughter, that there seemed thenceforth to Alveric a beauty -that he had never dreamed of in buttercups, and a humour in carts that -he never had thought of before. Each moment she found with a cry of -joyous discovery some treasure of Earth's that he had not known to be -fair. And then, as he watched her bringing a beauty to our fields more -delicate even than that the wild roses brought, he saw that her crown of -ice had melted away.</p> - -<p>And thus she came from the palace that may only be told of in song, -over -the fields of which I need not tell, for they were the familiar fields -of Earth, that the ages change but little and only for a while, and came -at evening with Alveric to his home.</p> - -<p>All was changed in the Castle of Erl. In the gateway they met a -guardian -whom Alveric knew: the man wondered to see them. In the hall and upon -the stairway they met some that tended the castle, who turned their -heads in surprise. Alveric knew them also, but all were older; and he -saw that quite ten years must have passed away during that one blue day -he had spent in Elfland.</p> - -<p>Who does not know that this is the way of Elfland? And yet who would -not -be surprised if they saw it happen as Alveric saw it now? He turned to -Lirazel and told her how ten or twelve years were gone. But it was as -though a humble man who had wed an earthly princess should tell her he -had lost sixpence; time had had no value or meaning to Lirazel, and she -was untroubled to hear of the ten lost years. She did not dream what -time means to us here.</p> - -<p>They told Alveric that his father was long since dead. And one told -him -how he died happy, without impatience, trusting to Alveric to accomplish -his bidding; for he had known somewhat of the ways of Elfland, and knew -that those that traffic twixt here and there must have something of that -calm in which Elfland forever dreams.</p> - -<p>Up the valley, ringing late, they heard the blacksmith's work. This -blacksmith was he who had been the spokesman of those who went once to -the long red room to the Lord of Erl. And all these men yet lived; for -time though it moved over the Vale of Erl, as over all fields we know, -moved gently, not as in our cities.</p> - -<p>Thence Alveric and Lirazel went to the holy place of the Freer. And -when -they found him Alveric asked the Freer to wed them with Christom rites. -And when the Freer saw the beauty of Lirazel flash mid the common things -in his little holy place, for he had ornamented the walls of his house -with knick-knacks that he sometimes bought at the fairs, he feared at -once she was of no mortal line. And, when he asked her whence she came -and she happily answered "Elfland," the good man clasped his hands and -told her earnestly how all in that land dwelt beyond salvation. But she -smiled, for while in Elfland she had always been idly happy, and now she -only cared for Alveric. The Freer went then to his books to see what -should be done.</p> - -<p>For a long while he read in silence but for his breathing, while -Alveric -and Lirazel stood before him. And at last he found in his book a form of -service for the wedding of a mermaid that had forsaken the sea, though -the good book told not of Elfland. And this he said would suffice, for -that the mermaids dwelt equally with the elf-folk beyond thought of -salvation. So he sent for his bell and such tapers as are necessary. -Then, turning to Lirazel, he bade her forsake and forswear and solemnly -to renounce all things pertaining to Elfland, reading slowly out of a -book the words to be used on this wholesome occasion.</p> - -<p>"Good Freer," Lirazel answered, "nought said in these fields can -cross -the barrier of Elfland. And well that this is so, for my father has -three runes that could blast this book when he answered one of its -spells, were any word able to pass through the frontier of twilight. I -will spell no spells with my father."</p> - -<p>"But I cannot wed Christom man," the Freer replied, "with one of the -stubborn who dwell beyond salvation."</p> - -<p>Then Alveric implored her and she said the say in the book, "though -my -father could blast this spell," she added, "if it ever crossed one of -his runes." And, the bell being now brought and the tapers, the good man -wedded them in his little house with the rites that are proper for the -wedding of a mermaid that hath forsaken the sea.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V<br /> - -<i>The Wisdom of the Parliament of Erl</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>In those bridal days the men of Erl came often to the castle, -bringing -gifts and felicitations; and in the evenings they would talk in their -houses of the fair things that they hoped for the Vale of Erl on account -of the wisdom of the thing they had done when they spoke with the old -lord in his long red room.</p> - -<p>There was Narl the blacksmith, who had been their leader; there was -Guhic, who first had thought of it, after speaking with his wife, an -upland farmer of clover pastures near Erl; there was Nehic a driver of -horses; there were four vendors of beeves; and Oth, a hunter of deer; -and Vlel the master-ploughman: all these and three men more had gone to -the Lord of Erl and made that request that had set Alveric on his -wanderings. And now they spoke of all the good that would come of it. -They had all desired that the Vale of Erl should be known among men, as -was, they felt, its desert. They had looked in histories, they had read -books treating of pasture, yet seldom found mention at all of the vale -they loved. And one day Guhic had said "Let all us people be ruled in -the future by a magic lord, and he shall make the name of the valley -famous, and there shall be none that have heard not the name of -Erl."</p> - -<p>And all had rejoiced and had made a parliament; and it had gone, -twelve -men, to the Lord of Erl. And it had been as I have told.</p> - -<p>So now they spoke over their mead of the future of Erl, and its place -among other valleys, and of the reputation that it should have in the -world. They would meet and talk in the great forge of Narl, and Narl -would bring them mead from an inner room, and Threl would come in late -from his work in the woods. The mead was of clover honey, heavy and -sweet; and when they had sat awhile in the warm room, talking of daily -things of the valley and uplands, they would turn their minds to the -future, seeing as through a golden mist the glory of Erl. One praised -the beeves, another the horses, another the good soil, and all looked to -the time when other lands should know the great mastery among valleys -that was held by the valley of Erl.</p> - -<p>And Time that brought these evenings bore them away, moving over the -Vale of Erl as over all fields we know, and it was Spring again and the -season of bluebells. And one day in the prime of the wild anemones, it -was told that Alveric and Lirazel had a son.</p> - -<p>Then all the people of Erl lit a fire next night on the hill, and -danced -about it and drank mead and rejoiced. All day they had dragged logs and -branches for it from a wild wood near, and the glow of the fire was seen -in other lands. Only on the pale-blue peaks of the mountains of Elfland -no gleam of it shone, for they are unchanged by ought that can happen -here.</p> - -<p>And when they rested from dancing round their fires they would sit on -the ground and foretell the fortune of Erl, when it should be ruled over -by this son of Alveric with all the magic he would have from his -mother. And some said he would lead them to war, and some said to deeper -ploughing; and all foretold a better price for their beeves. None slept -that night for dancing and foretelling a glorious future, and for -rejoicing at the things they foretold. And above all they rejoiced that -the name of Erl should be thenceforth known and honoured in other -lands.</p> - -<p>Then Alveric sought for a nurse for his child, all through the valley -and uplands, and not easily found any worthy of having the care of one -that was of the royal line of Elfland; and those that he found were -frightened of the light, as though not of our Earth or sky, that seemed -to shine at times in the baby's eyes. And in the end he went one windy -morning up the hill of the lonely witch, and found her sitting idly in -her doorway, having nothing to curse or bless.</p> - -<p>"Well," said the witch, "did the sword bring you fortune?"</p> - -<p>"Who knows," said Alveric, "what brings fortune, since we cannot see -the -end?"</p> - -<p>And he spoke wearily, for he was weary with age, and never knew how -many -years had gone over him on the day he travelled to Elfland; far more it -seemed than had passed on that same day over Erl.</p> - -<p>"Aye," said the witch. "Who knows the end but we?"</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "I wedded the King of Elfland's -daughter."</p> - -<p>"That was a great advancement," said the old witch.</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "we have a child. And who shall care -for -him?"</p> - -<p>"No human task," said the witch.</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "will you come to the Vale of Erl and -care for him and be the nurse at the castle? For none but you in all -these fields knows ought of the things of Elfland, except the princess, -and she knows nothing of Earth."</p> - -<p>And the old witch answered: "For the sake of the King I will -come."</p> - -<p>So the witch came down from the hill with a bundle of queer -belongings. -And thus the child was nursed in the fields we know by one who knew -songs and tales of his mother's country.</p> - -<p>And often, as they bent together over the baby, that aged witch and -the -Princess Lirazel would talk together, and afterwards through long -evenings, of things about which Alveric knew nothing: and for all the -age of the witch, and the wisdom that she had stored in her hundred -years, which is all hidden from man, it was nevertheless she who learned -when they talked together, and the Princess Lirazel who taught. But of -Earth and the ways of Earth Lirazel never knew anything.</p> - -<p>And this old witch that watched over the baby so tended him and so -soothed, that in all his infancy he never wept. For she had a charm for -brightening the morning, and a charm for cheering the day, and a charm -for calming a cough, and a charm for making the nursery warm and -pleasant and eerie, when the fire leaped up at the sound of it, from -logs that she had enchanted, and sent large shadows of the things about -the fire quivering dark and merry over the ceiling.</p> - -<p>And the child was cared for by Lirazel and the witch as children are -cared for whose mothers are merely human; but he knew tunes and runes -besides, that other children hear not in fields we know.</p> - -<p>So the old witch moved about the nursery with her black stick, -guarding -the child with her runes. If a draught on windy nights shrilled in -through some crack she had a spell to calm it; and a spell to charm the -song that the kettle sang, till its melody brought hints of strange news -from mist-hidden places, and the child grew to know the mystery of far -valleys that his eyes had never seen. And at evening she would raise her -ebon stick and, standing before the fire amongst all the shadows, would -enchant them and make them dance for him. And they took all manner of -shapes of good and evil, dancing to please the baby; so that he came to -have knowledge not only of the things with which Earth is stored; pigs, -trees, camels, crocodiles, wolves, and ducks, good dogs and the gentle -cow; but of the darker things also that men have feared, and the things -they have hoped and guessed. Through those evenings the things that -happen, and the creatures that are, passed over those nursery walls, and -he grew familiar with the fields we know. And on warm afternoons the -witch would carry him through the village, and all the dogs would bark -at her eerie figure, but durst not come too close, for a page-boy behind -her carried the ebon stick. And dogs, that know so much, that know how -far a man can throw a stone, and if he would beat them, and if he durst -not, knew also that this was no ordinary stick. So they kept far away -from that queer black stick in the hand of the page, and snarled, and -the villagers came out to see. And all were glad when they saw how -magical a nurse the young heir had, "for here," they said, "is the witch -Ziroonderel," and they declared that she would bring him up amongst the -true principles of wizardry, and that in his time there would be magic -that would make all their valley famous. And they beat their dogs until -they slunk indoors, but the dogs clung to their suspicions still. So -that when the men were gone to the forge of Narl, and their houses were -quiet in the moonlight and Narl's windows glowed, and the mead had gone -round, and they talked of the future of Erl, more and more voices -joining in the tale of its coming glory, on soft feet the dogs would -come out to the sandy street and howl.</p> - -<p>And to the high sunny nursery Lirazel would come, bringing a -brightness -that the learned witch had not in all her spells, and would sing to her -boy those songs that none can sing to us here, for they were learned the -other side of the frontier of twilight and were made by singers all -unvexed by Time. And for all the marvel that there was in those songs, -whose origin was so far from the fields we know, and in times remote -from those that historians use; and though men wondered at the -strangeness of them when from open casements through the Summer days -they drifted over Erl; yet none wondered even at those as she wondered -at the earthly ways of her child and all the little human things that he -did more and more as he grew. For all human ways were strange to her. -And yet she loved him more than her father's realm, or the glittering -centuries of her ageless youth, or the palace that may be told of only -in song.</p> - -<p>In those days Alveric learned that she would never now grow familiar -with earthly things, never understand the folk that dwelt in the valley, -never read wise books without laughter, never care for earthly ways, -never feel more at ease in the Castle of Erl than any woodland thing -that Threl might have snared and kept caged in a house. He had hoped -that soon she would learn the things that were strange to her, till the -little differences that there are between things in our fields and in -Elfland should not trouble her any more; but he saw at last that the -things that were strange would always so remain, and that all the -centuries of her timeless home had not so lightly shaped her thoughts -and fancies that they could be altered by our brief years here. When he -had learned this he had learned the truth.</p> - -<p>Between the spirits of Alveric and Lirazel lay all the distance there -is -between Earth and Elfland; and love bridged the distance, which can -bridge further than that; yet when for a moment on the golden bridge he -would pause and let his thoughts look down at the gulf, all his mind -would grow giddy and Alveric trembled. What of the end, he thought? And -feared lest it should be stranger than the beginning.</p> - -<p>And she, she did not see that she should know anything. Was not her -beauty enough? Had not a lover come at last to those lawns that shone by -the palace only told of in song, and rescued her from her uncompanioned -fate and from that perpetual calm? Was it not enough that he had come? -Must she needs understand the curious things folk did? Must she never -dance in the road, never speak to goats, never laugh at funerals, never -sing at night? Why! What was joy for if it must be hidden? Must -merriment bow to dulness in these strange fields she had come to? And -then one day she saw how a woman of Erl looked less fair than she had -looked a year ago. Little enough was the change, but her swift eye saw -it surely. And she went to Alveric crying to be comforted, because she -feared that Time in the fields we know might have power to harm that -beauty that the long long ages of Elfland had never dared to dim. And -Alveric had said that Time must have his way, as all men know; and where -was the good of complaining?</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI<br /> - -<i>The Rune of the Elf King</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>On the high balcony of his gleaming tower the King of Elfland stood. -Below him echoed yet the thousand steps. He had lifted his head to chant -the rune that should hold his daughter in Elfland, and in that moment -had seen her pass the murky barrier; which on this side, facing toward -Elfland, is all lustrous with twilight, and on that side, facing towards -the fields we know, is smoky and angry and dull. And now he had dropped -his head till his beard lay mingled with his cape of ermine above his -cerulean cloak, and stood there silently sorrowful, while time passed -swift as ever over the fields we know.</p> - -<p>And standing there all blue and white against his silver tower, aged -by -the passing of times of which we know nothing, before he imposed its -eternal calm upon Elfland, he thought of his daughter amongst our -pitiless years. For he knew, whose wisdom surpassed the confines of -Elfland and touched our rugged fields, knew well the harshness of -material things and all the turmoil of Time. Even as he stood there he -knew that the years that assail beauty, and the myriad harshnesses that -vex the spirit, were already about his daughter. And the days that -remained to her now seemed scarce more to him, dwelling beyond the fret -and ruin of Time, than to us might seem a briar rose's hours when -plucked and foolishly hawked in the streets of a city. He knew that -there hung over her now the doom of all mortal things. He thought of her -perishing soon, as mortal things must; to be buried amongst the rocks of -a land that scorned Elfland and that held its most treasured myths to be -of little account. And were he not the King of all that magical land, -which held its eternal calm from his own mysterious serenity, he had -wept to think of the grave in rocky Earth gripping that form that was so -fair forever. Or else, he thought, she would pass to some paradise far -from his knowledge, some heaven of which books told in the fields we -know, for he had heard even of this. He pictured her on some -apple-haunted hill, under blossoms of an everlasting April, through -which flickered the pale gold haloes of those that had cursed Elfland. -He saw, though dimly for all his magical wisdom, the glory that only the -blessed clearly see. He saw his daughter on those heavenly hills stretch -out both arms, as he knew well she would, towards the pale-blue peaks of -her elfin home, while never one of the blessed heeded her yearning. And -then, though he was king of all that land, that had its everlasting calm -from him, he wept and all Elfland shivered. It shivered as placid water -shivers here if something suddenly touches it from our fields.</p> - -<p>Then the King turned and left his balcony and went in great haste -down -his brazen steps.</p> - -<p>He came clanging to the ivory doors that shut the tower below, and -through them came to the throne-room of which only song may tell. And -there he took a parchment out of a coffer and a plume from some -fabulous wing, and dipping the plume into no earthly ink, wrote out a -rune on the parchment. Then raising two fingers he made the minor -enchantment whereby he summoned his guard. And no guard came.</p> - -<p>I have said that no time passed at all in Elfland. Yet the happening -of -events is in itself a manifestation of time, and no event can occur -unless time pass. Now it is thus with time in Elfland: in the eternal -beauty that dreams in that honied air nothing stirs or fades or dies, -nothing seeks its happiness in movement or change or a new thing, but -has its ecstasy in the perpetual contemplation of all the beauty that -has ever been, and which always glows over those enchanted lawns as -intense as when first created by incantation or song. Yet if the -energies of the wizard's mind arose to meet a new thing, then that power -that had laid its calm upon Elfland and held back time troubled the calm -awhile, and time for awhile shook Elfland. Cast anything into a deep -pool from a land strange to it, where some great fish dreams, and green -weeds dream, and heavy colours dream, and light sleeps; the great fish -stirs, the colours shift and change, the green weeds tremble, the light -wakes, a myriad things know slow movement and change; and soon the whole -pool is still again. It was the same when Alveric passed through the -border of twilight and right through the enchanted wood, and the King -was troubled and moved, and all Elfland trembled.</p> - -<p>When the King saw that no guard came he looked into the wood which he -knew to be troubled, through the deep mass of the trees, that were -quivering yet with the coming of Alveric; he looked through the deeps of -the wood and the silver walls of his palace, for he looked by -enchantment, and there he saw the four knights of his guard lying -stricken upon the ground with their thick elvish blood hanging out -through slits in their armour. And he thought of the early magic whereby -he had made the eldest, with a rune all newly inspired, before he had -conquered Time. He passed out through the splendour and glow of one of -his flashing portals, and over a gleaming lawn and came to the fallen -guard, and saw the trees still troubled.</p> - -<p>"There has been magic here," said the King of Elfland.</p> - -<p>And then though he only had three runes that could do such a thing, -and -though they only could be uttered once, and one was already written upon -parchment to bring his daughter home, he uttered the second of his most -magical runes over that elder knight that his magic had made long ago. -And in the silence that followed the last words of the rune the rents in -the moon-bright armour all clicked shut at once, and the thick dark -blood was gone and the knight rose live to his feet. And the Elf King -now had only one rune left that was mightier than any magic we know.</p> - -<p>The other three knights lay dead; and, having no souls, their magic -returned again to the mind of their master.</p> - -<p>He went back then to his palace, while he sent the last of his guard -to -fetch him a troll.</p> - -<p>Dark brown of skin and two or three feet high the trolls are a -gnomish -tribe that inhabit Elfland. And soon there was a scamper in the -throne-room that may only be told of in song, and a troll lit by the -throne on its two bare feet and stood before its king. The King gave it -the parchment with the rune written thereon, saying: "Scamper hence, and -pass over the end of the Land, until you come to the fields that none -know here; and find the Princess Lirazel who is gone to the haunts of -men, and give her this rune and she shall read it and all shall be -well."</p> - -<p>And the troll scampered thence.</p> - -<p>And soon the troll was come with long leaps to the frontier of -twilight. -Then nothing moved in Elfland any more; and motionless on that splendid -throne of which only song may speak sat the old King mourning in -silence.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII<br /> - -<i>The Coming of the Troll</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When the troll came to the frontier of twilight he skipped nimbly -through; yet he emerged cautiously into the fields we know, for he was -afraid of dogs. Slipping quietly out of those dense masses of twilight -he came so softly into our fields that no eye had seen him unless it -were gazing already at the spot at which he appeared. There he paused -for some instants, looking to left and right; and, seeing no dogs, he -left the barrier of twilight. This troll had never before been in the -fields we know, yet he knew well to avoid dogs, for the fear of dogs is -so deep and universal amongst all that are less than Man, that it seems -to have passed even beyond our boundaries and to have been felt in -Elfland.</p> - -<p>In our fields it was now May, and the buttercups stretched away -before -the troll, a world of yellow mingled with the brown of the budding -grasses. When he saw so many buttercups shining there the wealth of -Earth astonished him. And soon he was moving through them, yellowing his -shins as he went.</p> - -<p>He had not gone far from Elfland when he met with a hare, who was -lying -in a comfortable arrangement of grass, in which he had intended to pass -the time till he should have things to see to.</p> - -<p>When the hare saw the troll he sat there without any movement -whatever, -and without any expression in his eyes, and did nothing at all but -think.</p> - -<p>When the troll saw the hare he skipped nearer, and lay down before it -in -the buttercups, and asked it the way to the haunts of men. And the hare -went on thinking.</p> - -<p>"Thing of these fields," repeated the troll, "where are the haunts of -men?"</p> - -<p>The hare got up then and walked towards the troll, which made the -hare -look very ridiculous, for he had none of the grace while walking that he -has when he runs or gambols, and was much lower in front than behind. He -put his nose into the troll's face and twitched foolish whiskers.</p> - -<p>"Tell me the way," said the troll.</p> - -<p>When the hare perceived that the troll did not smell of anything like -dog he was content to let the troll question him. But he did not -understand the language of Elfland, so he lay still again and thought -while the troll talked.</p> - -<p>And at last the troll wearied of getting no answer, so he leaped up -and -shouted "Dogs!" and left the hare and scampered away merrily over the -buttercups, taking any direction that led away from Elfland. And though -the hare could not quite understand elvish language, yet there was a -vehemence in the tone in which the troll had shouted Dogs which caused -apprehension to enter the thoughts of the hare, so that very soon he -forsook his arrangement of grass, and lollopped away through the meadow -with one scornful look after the troll; but he did not go very fast, -going mostly on three legs, with one hind leg all ready to let down if -there should really be dogs. And soon he paused and sat up and put up -his ears, and looked across the buttercups and thought deeply. And -before the hare had ceased to ponder the troll's meaning the troll was -far out of sight and had forgotten what he had said.</p> - -<p>And soon he saw the gables of a farm-house rise up beyond a hedge. -They -seemed to look at him with little windows up under red tiles. "A haunt -of man," said the troll. And yet some elvish instinct seemed to tell him -that it was not here that Princess Lirazel had come. Still, he went -nearer the farm and began to gaze at its poultry. But just at that -moment a dog saw him, one that had never seen a troll before, and it -uttered one canine cry of astonished indignation, and keeping all the -rest of its breath for the chase, sped after the troll.</p> - -<p>The troll began at once to rise and dip over the buttercups as though -he -had almost borrowed its speed from the swallow and were riding the lower -air. Such speed was new to the dog, and he went in a long curve after -the troll, leaning over as he went, his mouth open and silent, the wind -rippling all the way from his nose to his tail in one wavy current. The -curve was made by the dog's baffled hopes to catch the troll as he -slanted across. Soon he was straight behind; and the troll toyed with -speed; breathing the flowery air in long fresh draughts above the tops -of the buttercups. He thought no more of the dog, but he did not cease -in the flight that the dog had caused, because of the joy of the speed. -And this strange chase continued over those fields, the troll driven on -by joy and the dog by duty. For the sake of novelty then the troll put -his feet together as he leaped over the flowers and, alighting with -rigid knees, fell forwards on to his hands and so turned over; and, -straightening his elbows suddenly as he turned, shot himself into the -air still turning over and over. He did this several times, increasing -the indignation of the dog, who knew well enough that that was no way to -go over the fields we know. But for all his indignation the dog had seen -clear enough that he would never catch that troll, and presently he -returned to the farm, and found his master there and went up to him -wagging his tail. So hard he wagged it that the farmer was sure he had -done some useful thing, and patted him, and there the matter ended.</p> - -<p>And it was well enough for the farmer that his dog has chased that -troll -from his farm; for had it communicated to his livestock any of the -wonder of Elfland they would have mocked at Man, and that farmer would -have lost the allegiance of all but his staunch dog.</p> - -<p>And the troll went on gaily over the tips of the buttercups.</p> - -<p>Presently he saw rising up all white over the flowers a fox that was -facing him with his white chest and chin, and watching the troll as it -went. The troll went near to him and took a look. And the fox went on -watching him, for the fox watches all things.</p> - -<p>He had come back lately to those dewy fields from slinking by night -along the boundary of twilight that lies between here and Elfland. He -even prowls inside the very boundary, walking amongst the twilight; and -it is in the mystery of that heavy twilight that lies between here and -there that there clings to him some of that glamour that he brings with -him to our fields.</p> - -<p>"Well, Noman's Dog," said the troll. For they know the fox in -Elfland, -from seeing him often go dimly along their borders; and this is the name -they give him.</p> - -<p>"Well, Thing-over-the-Border," said the fox when he answered at all. -For -he knew troll-talk.</p> - -<p>"Are the haunts of men near here?" said the troll.</p> - -<p>The fox moved his whiskers by slightly wrinkling his lip. Like all -liars -he reflected before he spoke, and sometimes even let wise silences do -better than speech.</p> - -<p>"Men live here and men live there," said the fox.</p> - -<p>"I want their haunts," said the troll.</p> - -<p>"What for?" said the fox.</p> - -<p>"I have a message from the King of Elfland."</p> - -<p>The fox showed no respect or fear at the mention of that dread name, -but -slightly moved his head and eyes to conceal the awe that he felt.</p> - -<p>"If it is a message," he said, "their haunts are over there." And he -pointed with his long thin nose towards Erl.</p> - -<p>"How shall I know when I get there?" said the troll.</p> - -<p>"By the smell," said the fox. "It is a big haunt of men, and the -smell -is dreadful."</p> - -<p>"Thanks, Noman's Dog," said the troll. And he seldom thanked -anyone.</p> - -<p>"I should never go near them," said the fox, "but for ..." And he -paused -and reflected silently.</p> - -<p>"But for what?" said the troll.</p> - -<p>"But for their poultry." And he fell into a grave silence.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, Noman's Dog," said the troll and turned head-over-heels, -and -was off on his way to Erl.</p> - -<p>Passing over the buttercups all through the dewy morning the troll -was -far on his way by the afternoon, and saw before evening the smoke and -the towers of Erl. It was all sunk in a hollow; and gables and chimneys -and towers peered over the lip of the valley, and smoke hung over them -on the dreamy air. "The haunts of men," said the troll. Then he sat -down amongst the grasses and looked at it.</p> - -<p>Presently he went nearer and looked at it again. He did not like the -look of the smoke and that crowd of gables: certainly it smelt -dreadfully. There had been some legend in Elfland of the wisdom of Man; -and whatever respect that legend had gained for us in the light mind of -the troll now all blew lightly away as he looked at the crowded houses. -And as he looked at them there passed a child of four, a small girl on a -footpath over the fields, going home in the evening to Erl. They looked -at each other with round eyes.</p> - -<p>"Hullo," said the child.</p> - -<p>"Hullo, Child of Men," said the troll.</p> - -<p>He was not speaking troll-talk now, but the language of Elfland, that -grander tongue that he had had to speak when he was before the King: for -he knew the language of Elfland although it was never used in the homes -of the trolls, who preferred troll-talk. This language was spoken in -those days also by men, for there were fewer languages then, and the -elves and the people of Erl both used the same.</p> - -<p>"What are you?" said the child.</p> - -<p>"A troll of Elfland," answered the troll.</p> - -<p>"So I thought," said the child.</p> - -<p>"Where are you going, child of men?" the troll asked.</p> - -<p>"To the houses," the child replied.</p> - -<p>"We don't want to go there," said the troll.</p> - -<p>"N-no," said the child.</p> - -<p>"Come to Elfland," the troll said.</p> - -<p>The child thought for awhile. Other children had gone, and the elves -always sent a changeling in their place, so that nobody quite missed -them and nobody really knew. She thought awhile of the wonder and -wildness of Elfland, and then of her own home.</p> - -<p>"N-no," said the child.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" said the troll.</p> - -<p>"Mother made a jam roll this morning," said the child. And she walked -on -gravely home. Had it not been for that chance jam roll she had gone to -Elfland.</p> - -<p>"Jam!" said the troll contemptuously and thought of the tarns of -Elfland, the great lily-leaves lying flat upon their solemn waters, the -huge blue lilies towering into the elf-light above the green deep tarns: -for jam this child had forsaken them!</p> - -<p>Then he thought of his duty again, the roll of parchment and the Elf -King's rune for his daughter. He had carried the parchment in his left -hand when he ran, in his mouth when he somersaulted over the buttercups. -Was the Princess here he thought? Or were there other haunts of men? As -evening drew in he crept nearer and nearer the homes, to hear without -being seen.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII<br /> - -<i>The Arrival of the Rune</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>On a sunny May morning in Erl the witch Ziroonderel sat in the castle -nursery by the fire, cooking a meal for the baby. The boy was now three -years old, and still Lirazel had not named him; for she feared lest some -jealous spirit of Earth or air should hear the name, and if so she would -not say what she feared then. And Alveric had said he must be named.</p> - -<p>And the boy could bowl a hoop; for the witch had gone one misty night -to -her hill and had brought him a moon-halo which she got by enchantment at -moonrise, and had hammered it into a hoop, and had made him a little rod -of thunderbolt-iron with which to beat it along.</p> - -<p>And now the boy was waiting for his breakfast; and there was a spell -across the threshold to keep the nursery snug, which Ziroonderel had put -there with a wave of her ebon stick, and it kept out rats and mice and -dogs, nor could bats sail across it, and the watchful nursery cat it -kept at home: no lock that blacksmiths made was any stronger.</p> - -<p>Suddenly over the threshold and over the spell the troll jumped -somersaulting through the air and came down sitting. The crude wooden -nursery-clock hanging over the fire stopped its loud tick as he came; -for he bore with him a little charm against time, with strange grass -round one of his fingers, that he might not be withered away in the -fields we know. For well the Elf King knew the flight of our hours: four -years had swept over these fields of ours while he had boomed down his -brazen steps and sent for his troll and given him that spell to bind -round one of his fingers.</p> - -<p>"What's this?" said Ziroonderel.</p> - -<p>That troll knew well when to be impudent, but looking in the witch's -eyes saw something to be afraid of; and well he might, for those eyes -had looked in the Elf King's own. Therefore he played, as we say in -these fields, his best card, and answered: "A message from the King of -Elfland."</p> - -<p>"Is that so?" said the old witch. "Yes, yes," she added more lowly to -herself, "that would be for my lady. Yes, that would come."</p> - -<p>The troll sat still on the floor fingering the roll of parchment -inside -of which was written the rune of the King of Elfland. Then over the end -of his bed, as he waited for breakfast, the baby saw the troll, and -asked him who he was and where he came from and what he was able to do. -When the baby asked him what he was able to do the troll jumped up and -skipped about the room like a moth on a lamp-lit ceiling. From floor to -shelves and back and up again he went with leaps like flying; the baby -clapped his hands, the cat was furious; the witch raised her ebon stick -and made a charm against leaping, but it could not hold the troll. He -leaped and bounced and bounded, while the cat hissed all the curses that -the feline language knows, and Ziroonderel was wrath not only because -her magic was thwarted, but because with mere human alarm she feared for -her cups and saucers; and the baby shouted all the while for more. And -all at once the troll remembered his errand and the dread parchment he -bore.</p> - -<p>"Where is the Princess Lirazel?" he said to the witch.</p> - -<p>And the witch pointed the way to the princess's tower; for she knew -that -there were no means nor power she had by which to hinder a rune from the -King of Elfland. And as the troll turned to go Lirazel entered the room. -He bowed all low before this great lady of Elfland and, with all his -impudence in a moment lost, kneeled on one knee before the blaze of her -beauty and presented the Elf King's rune. The boy was shouting to his -mother to demand more leaps from the troll, as she took the scroll in -her hand; the cat with her back to a box was watching alertly; -Ziroonderel was all silent.</p> - -<p>And then the troll thought of the weed-green tarns of Elfland in the -woods that the trolls knew; he thought of the wonder of the unwithering -flowers that time has never touched; the deep, deep colour and the -perpetual calm: his errand was over and he was weary of Earth.</p> - -<p>For a moment nothing moved there but the baby, shouting for new troll -antics and waving his arms: Lirazel stood with the elfin scroll in her -hand, the troll knelt before her, the witch never stirred, the cat stood -watching fiercely, even the clock was still. Then the Princess moved and -the troll rose to his feet, the witch sighed and the cat gave up her -watchfulness as the troll scampered away. And though the baby shouted -for the troll to return it never heeded, but twisted down the long -spiral stairs, and slipping out through a door was off towards Elfland. -As the troll passed over the threshold the wooden clock ticked -again.</p> - -<p>Lirazel looked at the scroll and looked at her boy, and did not -unroll -the parchment, but turned and carried it away, and came to her chamber -and locked the scroll in a casket, and left it there unread. For her -fears told her well the most potent rune of her father, that she had -dreaded so much as she fled from his silver tower and heard his feet go -booming up the brass, had crossed the frontier of twilight written upon -the scroll, and would meet her eyes the moment she unrolled it and waft -her thence.</p> - -<p>When the rune was safe in the casket she went to Alveric to tell him -of -the peril that had come near her. But Alveric was troubled because she -would not name the baby, and asked her at once about this. And so she -suggested a name at last to him; and it was one that no one in these -fields could pronounce, an elvish name full of wonder, and made of -syllables like birds' cries at night: Alveric would have none of it. And -her whim in this came, as all the whims she had, from no customary thing -of these fields of ours, but sheer over the border from Elfland, sheer -over the border with all wild fancies that rarely visit our fields. And -Alveric was vexed with these whims, for there had been none like them of -old in the Castle of Erl: none could interpret them to him and none -advise him. He looked for her to be guided by old customs; she looked -only for some wild fancy to come from the south-east. He reasoned with -her with the human reason that folk set much store by here, but she did -not want reason. And so when they parted she had not after all told -anything of the peril that had sought her from Elfland, which she had -come to Alveric to tell.</p> - -<p>She went instead to her tower and looked at the casket, shining there -in -the low late light; and turned from it and often looked again; while -the light went under the fields and the gloaming came, and all glimmered -away. She sat then by the casement open towards eastern hills, above -whose darkening curves she watched the stars. She watched so long that -she saw them change their places. For more than all things else that she -had seen since she came to these fields of ours she had wondered at the -stars. She loved their gentle beauty; and yet she was sad as she looked -wistfully to them, for Alveric had said that she must not worship -them.</p> - -<p>How if she might not worship them could she give them their due, -could -she thank them for their beauty, could she praise their joyful calm? And -then she thought of her baby: then she saw Orion: then she defied all -jealous spirits of air, and, looking toward Orion, whom she must never -worship, she offered her baby's days to that belted hunter, naming her -baby after those splendid stars.</p> - -<p>And when Alveric came to the tower she told him of her wish, and he -was -willing the boy should be named Orion, for all in that valley set much -store by hunting. And the hope came back to Alveric, which he would not -put away, that being reasonable at last in this, she would now be -reasonable in all other things, and be guided by custom, and do what -others did, and forsake wild whims and fancies that came over the border -from Elfland. And he asked her to worship the holy things of the Freer. -For never had she given any of these things their due, and knew not -which was the holier, his candlestick or his bell, and never would learn -for ought that Alveric told her.</p> - -<p>And now she answered him pleasantly and her husband thought all was -well, but her thoughts were far with Orion; nor did they ever tarry with -grave things long, nor could tarry longer amongst them than butterflies -do in the shade.</p> - -<p>All that night the casket was locked on the rune of the King of -Elfland.</p> - -<p>And next morning Lirazel gave little thought to the rune, for they -went -with the boy to the holy place of the Freer; and Ziroonderel came with -them but waited without. And the folk of Erl came too, as many as could -leave the affairs of man with the fields; and all were there of those -that had made the parliament, when they went to Alveric's sire in the -long red room. And all of these were glad when they saw the boy and -marked his strength and growth; and, muttering low together as they -stood in the holy place, they foretold how all should be as they had -planned. And the Freer came forth and, standing amongst his holy things, -he gave to the boy before him the name of Orion, though he sooner had -given some name of those that he knew to be blessed. And he rejoiced to -see the boy and to name him there; for by the family that dwelt in the -Castle of Erl all these folk marked the generations, and watched the -ages pass, as sometimes we watch the seasons go over some old known -tree. And he bowed himself before Alveric, and was full courteous to -Lirazel, yet his courtesy to the princess came not from his heart, for -in his heart he held her in no more reverence than he held a mermaid -that had forsaken the sea.</p> - -<p>And the boy came even so by the name of Orion. And all the folk -rejoiced -as he came out with his parents and rejoined Ziroonderel at the edge of -the holy garden. And Alveric, Lirazel, Ziroonderel and Orion all walked -back to the castle.</p> - -<p>And all that day Lirazel did nothing that caused anybody to wonder, -but -let herself be governed by custom and the ways of the fields we know. -Only, when the stars came out and Orion shone, she knew that their -splendour had not received its due, and her gratitude to Orion yearned -to be said. She was grateful for his bright beauty that cheered our -fields, and grateful for his protection, of which she felt sure for her -boy, against jealous spirits of air. And all her unsaid thanks so burned -in her heart that all of a sudden she rose and left her tower and went -out to the open starlight, and lifted her face to the stars and the -place of Orion, and stood all dumb though her thanks were trembling upon -her lips; for Alveric had told her one must not pray to the stars. With -face upturned to all that wandering host she stood long silent, obedient -to Alveric: then she lowered her eyes, and there was a small pool -glimmering in the night, in which all the faces of the stars were -shining. "To pray to the stars," she said to herself in the night, "is -surely wrong. These images in the water are not the stars. I will pray -to their images, and the stars will know."</p> - -<p>And on her knees amongst the iris leaves she prayed at the edge of -the -pool, and gave thanks to the images of the stars for the joy she had had -of the night, when the constellations shone in their myriad majesty, and -moved like an army dressed in silver mail, marching from unknown -victories to conquer in distant wars. She blessed and thanked and -praised those bright reflections shimmering down in the pool, and bade -them tell her thanks and her praise to Orion, to whom she might not -pray. It was thus that Alveric found her, kneeling, bent down in the -dark, and reproached her bitterly. She was worshipping the stars, he -said, which were there for no such purpose. And she said she was only -supplicating their images.</p> - -<p>We may understand his feelings easily: the strangeness of her, her -unexpected acts, her contrariness to all established things, her scorn -for custom, her wayward ignorance, jarred on some treasured tradition -every day. The more romantic she had been far away over the frontier, as -told of by legend and song, the more difficult it was for her to fill -any place once held by the ladies of that castle who were versed in all -the lore of the fields we know. And Alveric looked for her to fulfil -duties and follow customs which were all as new to her as the twinkling -stars.</p> - -<p>But Lirazel felt only that the stars had not their due, and that -custom -or reason or whatever men set store by should demand that thanks be -given them for their beauty; and she had not thanked them even, but had -supplicated only their images in the pool.</p> - -<p>That night she thought of Elfland, where all things were matched with -her beauty, where nothing changed and there were no strange customs, and -no strange magnificences like these stars of ours to whom none gave -their due. She thought of the elfin lawns and the towering banks of the -flowers, and the palace that may not be told of but only in song.</p> - -<p>Still locked in the dark of the casket the rune bided its time.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX<br /> - -<i>Lirazel Blows Away</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>And the days went by, the Summer passed over Erl, the sun that had -travelled northward fared South again, it was near to the time when the -swallows left those eaves, and Lirazel had not learnt anything. She had -not prayed to the stars again, or supplicated their images, but she had -learned no human customs, and could not see why her love and gratitude -must remain unexpressed to the stars. And Alveric did not know that the -time must come when some simple trivial thing would divide them -utterly.</p> - -<p>And then one day, hoping still, he took her with him to the house of -the -Freer to teach her how to worship his holy things. And gladly the good -man brought his candle and bell, and the eagle of brass that held up his -book when he read, and a little symbolic bowl that had scented water, -and the silver snuffers that put his candle out. And he told her clearly -and simply, as he had told her before, the origin, meaning and mystery -of all these things, and why the bowl was of brass and the snuffer of -silver, and what the symbols were that were carved on the bowl. With -fitting courtesy he told her these things, even with kindness; and yet -there was something in his voice as he told, a little distant from her; -and she knew that he spoke as one that walked safe on shore calling far -to a mermaid amid dangerous seas.</p> - -<p>As they came back to the castle the swallows were grouped to go, -sitting -in lines along the battlements. And Lirazel had promised to worship the -holy things of the Freer, like the simple bell-fearing folk of the -valley of Erl: and a late hope was shining in Alveric's mind that even -yet all was well. And for many days she remembered all that the Freer -had told her.</p> - -<p>And one day walking late from the nursery, past tall windows to her -tower, and looking out on the evening, remembering that she must not -worship the stars, she called to mind the holy things of the Freer, and -tried to remember all she was told of them. It seemed so hard to worship -them just as she should. She knew that before many hours the swallows -would all be gone; and often when they left her her mood would change; -and she feared that she might forget, and never remember more, how she -ought to worship the holy things of the Freer.</p> - -<p>So she went out into the night again over the grasses to where a thin -brook ran, and drew out some great flat pebbles that she knew where to -find, turning her face away from the images of the stars. By day the -stones shone beautifully in the water, all ruddy and mauve; now they -were all dark. She drew them out and laid them in the meadow: she loved -these smooth flat stones, for somehow they made her remember the rocks -of Elfland.</p> - -<p>She laid them all in a row, this for the candlestick, this for the -bell, -that for the holy bowl. "If I can worship these lovely stones as things -ought to be worshipped," she said, "I can worship the things of the -Freer."</p> - -<p>Then she kneeled down before the big flat stones and prayed to them -as -though they were Christom things.</p> - -<p>And Alveric seeking her in the wide night, wondering what wild fancy -had -carried her whither, heard her voice in the meadow, crooning such -prayers as are offered to holy things.</p> - -<p>When he saw the four flat stones to which she prayed, bowed down -before -them in the grass, he said that no worse than this were the darkest ways -of the heathen. And she said "I am learning to worship the holy things -of the Freer."</p> - -<p>"It is the art of the heathen," he said.</p> - -<p>Now of all things that men feared in the valley of Erl they feared -most -the arts of the heathen, of whom they knew nothing but that their ways -were dark. And he spoke with the anger which men always used when they -spoke there of the heathen. And his anger went to her heart, for she was -but learning to worship his holy things to please him, and yet he had -spoken like this.</p> - -<p>And Alveric would not speak the words that should have been said, to -turn aside anger and soothe her; for no man, he foolishly thought, -should compromise in matters touching on heathenesse. So Lirazel went -alone all sadly back to her tower. And Alveric stayed to cast the four -flat stones afar.</p> - -<p>And the swallows left, and unhappy days went by. And one day Alveric -bade her worship the holy things of the Freer, and she had quite -forgotten how. And he spoke again of the arts of heathenesse. The day -was shining and the poplars golden and all the aspens red.</p> - -<p>Then Lirazel went to her tower and opened the casket, that shone in -the -morning with the clear autumnal light, and took in her hand the rune of -the King of Elfland, and carried it with her across the high vaulted -hall, and came to another tower and climbed its steps to the -nursery.</p> - -<p>And there all day she stayed and played with her child, with the -scroll -still tight in her hand: and, merrily though she played at whiles, yet -there were strange calms in her eyes, which Ziroonderel watched while -she wondered. And when the sun was low and she had put the child to bed -she sat beside him all solemn as she told him childish tales. And -Ziroonderel, the wise witch, watched; and for all her wisdom only -guessed how it would be, and knew not how to make it otherwise.</p> - -<p>And before sunset Lirazel kissed the boy and unrolled the Elf King's -scroll. It was but a petulance that had made her take it from the coffer -in which it lay, and the petulance might have passed and she might not -have unrolled the scroll, only that it was there in her hand. Partly -petulance, partly wonder, partly whims too idle to name, drew her eyes -to the Elf King's words in their coal-black curious characters.</p> - -<p>And whatever magic there was in the rune of which I cannot tell (and -dreadful magic there was), the rune was written with love that was -stronger than magic, till those mystical characters glowed with the love -that the Elf King had for his daughter, and there were blended in that -mighty rune two powers, magic and love, the greatest power there is -beyond the boundary of twilight with the greatest power there is in the -fields we know. And if Alveric's love could have held her he should have -trusted alone to that love, for the Elf King's rune was mightier than -the holy things of the Freer.</p> - -<p>No sooner had Lirazel read the rune on the scroll than fancies from -Elfland began to pour over the border. Some came that would make a -clerk in the City to-day leave his desk at once to dance on the -sea-shore; and some would have driven all the men in a bank to leave -doors and coffers open and wander away till they came to green open land -and the heathery hills; and some would have made a poet of a man, all of -a sudden as he sat at his business. They were mighty fancies that the -Elf King summoned by the force of his magical rune. And Lirazel sat -there with the rune in her hand, helpless amongst this mass of -tumultuous fancies from Elfland. And as the fancies raged and sang and -called, more and more over the border, all crowding on one poor mind, -her body grew lighter and lighter. Her feet half rested half floated, -upon the floor; Earth scarcely held her down, so fast was she becoming a -thing of dreams. No love of hers for Earth, or of the children of Earth -for her, had any longer power to hold her there.</p> - -<p>And now came memories of her ageless childhood beside the tarns of -Elfland, by the deep forest's border, by those delirious lawns, or in -the palace that may not be told of except only in song. She saw those -things as clearly as we see small shells in water, looking through clear -ice down to the floor of some sleeping lake, a little dimmed in that -other region across the barrier of ice; so too her memories shone a -little dimly from across the frontier of Elfland. Little queer sounds of -elfin creatures came to her, scents swam from those miraculous flowers -that glowed by the lawns she knew, faint sounds of enchanted songs blew -over the border and reached her seated there, voices and melodies and -memories came floating through the twilight, all Elfland was calling. -Then measured and resonant, and strangely near, she heard her father's -voice.</p> - -<p>She rose at once, and now Earth had lost on her the grip that it only -has on material things, and a thing of dreams and fancy and fable and -phantasy she drifted from the room; and Ziroonderel had no power to hold -her with any spell, nor had she herself the power even to turn, even to -look at her boy as she drifted away.</p> - -<p>And at that moment a wind came out of the north-west, and entered the -woods and bared the golden branches, and danced on over the downs, and -led a company of scarlet and golden leaves, that had dreaded this day -but danced now it had come; and away with a riot of dancing and glory of -colour, high in the light of the sun that had set from the sight of the -fields, went wind and leaves together. With them went Lirazel.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X<br /> - -<i>The Ebbing of Elfland</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Next morning Alveric came up the tower to the witch Ziroonderel, -weary -and frantic from searching all night long in strange places for Lirazel. -All night he had tried to guess what fancy had beckoned her out and -whither it might have led her; he had searched by the stream by which -she had prayed to the stones, and the pool where she prayed to the -stars; he had called her name up every tower, and had called it wide in -the dark, and had had no answer but echo; and so he had come at last to -the witch Ziroonderel.</p> - -<p>"Whither?" he said, saying no more than that, that the boy might not -know his fears. Yet Orion knew.</p> - -<p>And Ziroonderel all mournfully shook her head. "The way of the -leaves," -she said. "The way of all beauty."</p> - -<p>But Alveric did not stay to hear her say more than her first five -words; -for he went with the restlessness with which he had come, straight from -the room and hastily down the stair, and out at once into the windy -morning, to see which way those glorious leaves were gone.</p> - -<p>And a few leaves that had clung to cold branches longer, when the gay -company of their comrades had gone, were now too on the air, going -lonely and last: and Alveric saw they were going south-east towards -Elfland.</p> - -<p>Hurriedly then he donned his magical sword in its wide scabbard of -leather; and with scanty provisions hastened over the fields, after the -last of the leaves, whose autumnal glory led him, as many a cause in its -latter days, all splendid and fallen, leads all manner of men.</p> - -<p>And so he came to the upland fields with their grass all grey with -dew; -and the air was all sparkling with sunlight, and gay with the last of -the leaves, but a melancholy seemed to dwell with the sound of the -lowing of cattle.</p> - -<p>In the calm bright morning with the north-west wind roaming through -it -Alveric came by no calm, and never gave up the haste of one who has lost -something suddenly: he had the swift movements of such, and the frantic -air. He watched all day over clear wide horizons, south-east where the -leaves were leading; and at evening he looked to see the Elfin -Mountains, severe and changeless, unlit by any light we know, the colour -of pale forget-me-nots. He held on restlessly to see their summits, but -never they came to view.</p> - -<p>And then he saw the house of the old leather-worker who had made the -scabbard for his sword; and the sight of it brought back to him the -years that were gone since the evening when first he had seen it, -although he never knew how many they were, and could not know, for no -one has ever devised any exact calculation whereby to estimate the -action of time in Elfland. Then he looked once more for the pale-blue -Elfin Mountains, remembering well where they lay, in their long grave -row past a point of one of the leather-worker's gables, but he saw never -a line of them. Then he entered the house and the old man still was -there.</p> - -<p>The leather-worker was wonderfully aged; even the table on which he -worked was much older. He greeted Alveric, remembering who he was, and -Alveric enquired for the old man's wife. "She died long ago," he said. -And again Alveric felt the baffling flight of those years, which added a -fear to Elfland whither he went, yet he neither thought to turn back nor -reined for a moment his impatient haste. He said a few formal things of -the old man's loss that had happened so long ago. Then "Where are the -Elfin Mountains," he asked, "the pale-blue peaks?"</p> - -<p>A look came slowly over the old man's face as though he had never -seen -them, as though Alveric being learned spoke of something that the old -leather-worker could not know. No, he did not know, he said. And Alveric -found that to-day as all those years ago, this old man still refused to -speak of Elfland. Well, the boundary was only a few yards away; he would -cross it and ask the way of elfin creatures, if he could not see the -mountains to guide him then. The old man offered him food, and he had -not eaten all day; but Alveric in his haste only asked him once more of -Elfland, and the old man humbly said that of such things he knew -nothing. Then Alveric strode away and came to the field he knew, which -he remembered to be divided by the nebulous border of twilight. And -indeed he had no sooner come to the field than he saw all the toadstools -leaning over one way, and that the way he was going; for just as thorn -trees all lean away from the sea, so toadstools and every plant that has -any touch of mystery, such as foxgloves, mulleins and certain kinds of -orchis, when growing anywhere near it, all lean towards Elfland. By this -one may know before one has heard a murmur of waves, or before one has -guessed an influence of magical things, that one comes, as the case may -be, to the sea or the border of Elfland. And in the air above him -Alveric saw golden birds, and guessed that there had been a storm in -Elfland blowing them over the border from the south-east, though a -north-west wind blew over the fields we know. And he went on but the -boundary was not there, and he crossed the field as any field we know, -and still he had not come to the fells of Elfland.</p> - -<p>Then Alveric pressed on with a new impatience, with the north-west -wind -behind him. And the Earth began to grow bare and shingly and dull, -without flowers, without shade, without colour, with none of those -things that there are in remembered lands, by which we build pictures of -them when we are there no more; it was all disenchanted now. Alveric saw -a golden bird high up, rushing away to the south-east; and he followed -his flight hoping soon to see the mountains of Elfland, which he -supposed to be merely concealed by some magical mist.</p> - -<p>But still the autumnal sky was bright and clear, and all the horizon -plain, and still there came never a gleam of the Elfin Mountains. And -not from this did he learn that Elfland had ebbed. But when he saw on -that desolate shingly plain, untorn by the north-west wind but blooming -fair in the Autumn, a may tree that he remembered a long while since, -all white with blossom that once rejoiced a Spring day far in his -childhood, then he knew that Elfland had been there and must have -receded, although he knew not how far. For it is true, and Alveric -knew, that just as the glamour that brightens much of our lives, -especially in early years, comes from rumours that reach us from Elfland -by various messengers (on whom be blessings and peace), so there returns -from our fields to Elfland again, to become a part of its mystery, all -manner of little memories that we have lost and little devoted toys that -were treasured once. And this is part of the law of ebb and flow that -science may trace in all things; thus light grew the forest of coal, and -the coal gives back light; thus rivers fill the sea, and the sea sends -back to the rivers; thus all things give that receive; even Death.</p> - -<p>Next Alveric saw lying there on the flat dry ground a toy that he yet -remembered, which years and years ago (how could he say how many?) had -been a childish joy to him, crudely carved out of wood; and one unlucky -day it had been broken, and one unhappy day it had been thrown away. And -now he saw it lying there not merely new and unbroken, but with a wonder -about it, a splendour and a romance, the radiant transfigured thing that -his young fancy had known. It lay there forsaken of Elfland as wonderful -things of the sea lie sometimes desolate on wastes of sand, when the sea -is a far blue bulk with a border of foam.</p> - -<p>Dreary with lost romance was the plain from which Elfland had gone, -though here and there Alveric saw again and again those little forsaken -things that had been lost from his childhood, dropping through time to -the ageless and hourless region of Elfland to be a part of its glory, -and now left forlorn by this immense withdrawal. Old tunes, old songs, -old voices, hummed there too, growing fainter and fainter, as though -they could not live long in the fields we know.</p> - -<p>And, when the sun set, a mauve-rose glow in the East, that Alveric -fancied a little too gorgeous for Earth, led him onward still; for he -deemed it to be the reflection cast on the sky by the glow of the -splendour of Elfland. So he went on hoping to find it, horizon after -horizon; and night came on with all Earth's comrade stars. And only then -Alveric put aside at last that frantic restlessness that had driven him -since the morning; and, wrapping himself in a loose cloak that he wore, -ate such food as he had in a satchel, and slept a troubled sleep alone -with other forsaken things.</p> - -<p>At the earliest moment of dawn his impatience awoke him, although one -of -October's mists hid all glimpses of light. He ate the last of his food -and then pushed on through the greyness.</p> - -<p>No sound from the things of our fields came to him now; for men never -went that way when Elfland was there, and none but Alveric went now to -that desolate plain. He had travelled beyond the sound of cock-crow from -the comfortable houses of men and was now marching through a curious -silence, broken only now and then by the small dim cries of the lost -songs that had been left by the ebb of Elfland and were fainter now than -they had been the day before. And when dawn shone Alveric saw again so -great a splendour in the sky, glowing all green low down in the -south-east, that he thought once more he saw a reflection from Elfland, -and pressed on hoping to find it over the next horizon. And he passed -the next horizon; and still that shingly plain, and never a peak of the -pale-blue Elfin Mountains.</p> - -<p>Whether Elfland always lay over the next horizon, brightening the -clouds -with its glow, and moved away just as he came, or whether it had gone -days or years before, he did not know but still kept on and on. And he -came at last to a dry and grassless ridge on which his eyes and his -hopes had been set for long, and from it he looked far over the desolate -flatness that stretched to the rim of the sky, and saw never a sign of -Elfland, never a slope of the mountains: even the little treasures of -memory that had been left behind by the ebb were withering into things -of our every day. Then Alveric drew his magical sword from its sheath. -But though that sword had power against enchantment it had not been -given the power to bring again an enchantment that was gone; and the -desolate land remained the same, for all that he waved his sword, stony, -deserted, unromantic and wide.</p> - -<p>For a little while he went on; but in that flat land the horizon -moved -imperceptibly with him, and never a peak appeared of the Elfin -Mountains; and on that dreary plain he soon discovered, as sooner or -later many a man must, that he had lost Elfland.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI<br /> - -<i>The Deep of the Woods</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>In those days Ziroonderel would amuse the boy by charms and by little -wonders, and he was content for a while. And then he began to guess for -himself, all in silence, where his mother was. He listened to all things -said, and thought long about them. And days passed thus and he only knew -she had gone, and still he said never a word of the thing with which his -thoughts were busy. And then he came to know from things said or unsaid, -or from looks or glances or wagging of heads, that there was a wonder -about his mother's going. But what the wonder was he could not find, for -all the marvels that crossed his mind when he guessed. And at last one -day he asked Ziroonderel.</p> - -<p>And stored though her old mind was with ages and ages of wisdom, and -though she had feared this question, yet she did not know it had dwelt -in his mind for days, and could find no better answer out of her wisdom -than that his mother had gone to the woods. When the boy heard this he -determined to go to the woods to find her.</p> - -<p>Now in his walks abroad with Ziroonderel through the little hamlet of -Erl, Orion would see the villagers walking by and the smith at his open -forge, and folk in their doorways, and men that came in to the market -from distant fields; and he knew them all. And most of all he knew Threl -with his quiet feet, and Oth with his lithe limbs; for both of these -would tell him tales when they met of the uplands, and the deep woods -over the hill; and Orion on little journeys with his nurse loved to hear -tales of far places.</p> - -<p>There was an ancient myrtle tree by a well, where Ziroonderel would -sit -in the Summer evenings while Orion played on the grass; and Oth would -cross the grass with his curious bow, going out in the evening, and -sometimes Threl would come; and every time that one of them came Orion -would stop him and ask for a tale of the woods. And if it were Oth he -would bow to Ziroonderel with a look of awe as he bowed, and would tell -some tale of what the deer did, and Orion would ask him why. Then a look -would come over Oth's face as though he were carefully remembering -things that had happened very long ago, and after some moments of -silence he would give the ancient cause of whatever the deer did, which -explained how they came by the custom.</p> - -<p>If it were Threl that came across the grass he would appear not to -see -Ziroonderel and would tell his tale of the woods more hastily in a low -voice and pass on, leaving the evening, as Orion felt, full of mystery -behind him. He would tell tales of all manner of creatures; and the -tales were so strange that he told them only to young Orion, because, as -he explained, there were many folk that were unable to believe the -truth, and he did not wish his tales to come to the ears of such. Once -Orion had gone to his house, a dark hut full of skins: all kinds of -skins hung on the wall, foxes, badgers, and martens; and there were -smaller ones in heaps in the corners. To Orion Threl's dark hut was more -full of wonder than any other house he had ever seen.</p> - -<p>But now it was Autumn and the boy and his nurse saw Oth and Threl -more -seldom; for in the misty evenings with the threat of frost in the air -they sat no longer by the myrtle tree. Yet Orion watched on their short -walks; and one day he saw Threl going away from the village with his -face to the uplands. And he called to Threl, and Threl stood still with -a certain air of confusion, for he deemed himself of too little account -to be clearly seen and noticed by the nurse at the castle, be she witch -or woman. And Orion ran up to him and said "Show me the woods." And -Ziroonderel perceived that the time had come when his thoughts were -roaming beyond the lip of the valley, and knew that no spell of hers -would hold him long from following after them. And Threl said, "No, my -Master," and looked uneasily at Ziroonderel, who came after the boy and -led him away from Threl. And Threl went on alone to his work in the deep -of the woods.</p> - -<p>And it was not otherwise than the witch had foreseen. For first Orion -wept, and then he dreamed of the woods, and next day he slipped away -alone to the house of Oth and asked him to take him with him when he -went to hunt the deer. And Oth, standing on a wide deer-skin in front of -blazing logs, spoke much of the woods, but did not take him then. -Instead he brought Orion back to the Castle. And Ziroonderel regretted -too late that she had idly said his mother was gone to the woods, for -those words of hers had called up too soon that spirit of roving which -was bound to come to him, and she saw that her spells could bring -content no more. So in the end she let him go to the woods. But not -until by lifting of wand and saying of incantation she had called the -glamour of the woods down to the nursery hearth, and had made it haunt -the shadows that went from the fire and creep with them all about the -room, till the nursery was all as mysterious as the forest. When this -spell would not soothe him and keep his longing at home she let him go -to the woods.</p> - -<p>He stole away once more to the house of Oth, over crisp grass one -morning; and the old witch knew he had gone but did not call him back, -for she had no spell to curb the love of roving in man, whether it came -early or late. And she would not hold back his limbs when his heart was -gone to the woods, for it is ever the way of witches with any two things -to care for the more mysterious of the two. So the boy came alone to the -house of Oth, through his garden where dead flowers hung on brown -stalks, and the petals turned to slime if he fingered them, for November -was come and the frosts were abroad all night. And this time Orion just -met with a mood in Oth, which in less than an hour would have gone, that -was favourable to the boy's longing. Oth was taking down his bow from -the wall as Orion went in, and Oth's heart was gone to the woods; and -when the boy came yearning to go to the woods too the hunter in that -mood could not refuse him.</p> - -<p>So Oth took Orion on his shoulder and went up out of the valley. Folk -saw them go thus, Oth with his bow and his soft noiseless sandals, and -his brown garments of leather, Orion on his shoulder, wrapped in the -skin of a fawn which Oth had thrown round him. And as the village fell -behind them Orion rejoiced to see the houses further and further away, -for he had never been so far from them before. And when the uplands -opened their distances to his eyes he felt that he was now upon no mere -walk, but a journey. And then he saw the solemn gloom of the wintry -woods far off, and that filled him at once with a delighted awe. To -their darkness, their mystery and their shelter Oth brought him.</p> - -<p>So softly Oth entered the wood that the blackbirds that guarded it, -sitting watchful on branches, did not flee at his coming, but only -uttered slowly their warning notes, and listened suspiciously till he -passed, and were never sure if a man had broken the charm of the wood. -Into that charm and the gloom and the deep silence Oth moved gravely; -and a solemness came on his face as he entered the wood; for to go on -quiet feet through the wood was the work of his life, and he came to it -as men come to their heart's desire. And soon he put the boy down on the -brown bracken and went on for a while alone. Orion watched him go with -his bow in his left hand, till he disappeared in the wood, like a shadow -going to a gathering of shadows and merging amongst its fellows. And -although Orion might not go with him now, he had great joy from this, -for he knew by the way Oth went and the air he had that this was serious -hunting and no mere amusement made to please a child; and it pleased him -more than all the toys he had had. And quiet and lonely the great wood -loomed round him while he waited for Oth to return.</p> - -<p>And after a long while he heard a sound, all in the wonder of the -wood, -that was less loud than the sound that a blackbird made scattering dead -leaves to find insects, and Oth had come back again.</p> - -<p>He had not found a deer; and for a while he sat by Orion and shot -arrows -into a tree; but soon he gathered his arrows and took the boy on his -shoulder again and turned homewards. And there were tears in Orion's -eyes when they left the great wood; for he loved the mystery of the huge -grey oaks, which we may pass by unnoticed or with but a momentary -feeling of something forgotten, some message not quite given; but to him -their spirits were playmates. So he came back to Erl as from new -companions with his mind full of hints that he had from the wise old -trunks, for to him each bole had a meaning. And Ziroonderel was waiting -at the gateway when Oth brought Orion back; and she asked little of his -time in the woods, and answered little when he told her of it, for she -was jealous of them whose spell had lured him from hers. And all that -night his dreams hunted deer in the deeps of the wood.</p> - -<p>Next day he stole away again to the house of Oth. But Oth was away -hunting, for he was in need of meat. So he went to the house of Threl. -And there was Threl in his dark house amongst manifold skins. "Take me -to the woods," said Orion. And Threl sat down in a wide wooden chair by -his fire to think about it and to talk of the woods. He was not like -Oth, speaking of a few simple things which he knew, of the deer, of the -ways of the deer, and of the approach of the seasons; but he spoke of -the things that he guessed in the deep of the wood and in the dark of -time, the fables of men and of beasts; and especially he cared to tell -the fables of the foxes and badgers, which he had come by from watching -their ways at the falling of dusk. And as he sat there gazing into the -fire, telling reminiscently of the ancient ways of the dwellers in -bracken and bramble, Orion forgot his longing to go to the woods, and -sat there on a small chair warm with skins, content. And to Threl he -told what he had not said to Oth, how he thought that his mother might -come one day round the trunk of one of the oak-trees, for she had gone -for a while to the woods. And Threl thought that that might be; for -there was nothing wonderful told of the woods that Threl thought -unlikely.</p> - -<p>And then Ziroonderel came for Orion and took him back to the Castle. -And -the next day she let him go to Oth again; and this time Oth took him -once more to the wood. And a few days later he went again to Threl's -dark house, in whose cobwebs and corners seemed to lurk the mystery of -the forest, and heard Threl's curious tales.</p> - -<p>And the branches of the forest grew black and still against the blaze -of -fierce sunsets, and Winter began to lay its spell on the uplands, and -the wiser ones of the village prophesied snow. And one day Orion out in -the woods with Oth saw the hunter shoot a stag. He watched him prepare -it and skin it and cut it into two pieces and tie them up in the skin, -with the head and horns hanging down. Then Oth fastened up the horns to -the rest of the bundle and heaved it on to his shoulder, and with his -great strength carried it home. And the boy rejoiced more than the -hunter.</p> - -<p>And that evening Orion went to tell the story to Threl, but Threl had -more wonderful stories.</p> - -<p>And so the days went by, while Orion drew from the forest and from -the -tales of Threl a love of all things that pertain to a hunter's calling, -and a spirit grew in him that was well-matched with the name he bore; -and nothing showed in him, yet, of the magical part of his lineage.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII<br /> - -<i>The Unenchanted Plain</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>When Alveric understood that he had lost Elfland it was already -evening -and he had been gone two days and a night from Erl. For the second time -he lay down for the night on that shingly plain whence Elfland had ebbed -away: and at sunset the eastern horizon showed clear against turquoise -sky, all black and jagged with rocks, without any sign of Elfland. And -the twilight glimmered, but it was Earth's twilight, and not that dense -barrier for which Alveric looked, which lies between Elfland and Earth. -And the stars came out and were the stars we know, and Alveric slept -below their familiar constellations.</p> - -<p>He awoke in the birdless dawn very cold, hearing old voices crying -faintly far off, as they slowly drifted away, like dreams going back to -dreamland. He wondered if they would come to Elfland again, or if -Elfland had ebbed too far. He searched all the horizon eastwards, and -still saw nothing but the rocks of that desolate land. So he turned -again toward the fields we know.</p> - -<p>He walked back through the cold with all his impatience gone; and -gradually some warmth came to him from walking, and later a little from -the autumnal sun. He walked all day, and the sun was growing huge and -red when he came again to the leather-worker's cottage. He asked for -food, and the old man made him welcome: his pot was already simmering -for his own evening meal: and it was not long before Alveric was sitting -at the old table before a dish full of squirrels' legs, hedge-hogs and -rabbit's meat. The old man would not eat till Alveric had eaten, but -waited on him with such solicitude that Alveric felt that the moment of -his opportunity was come, and turned to the old man as he offered him a -piece of the back of a rabbit, and approached the subject of -Elfland.</p> - -<p>"The twilight is further away," said Alveric.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes," said the old man without any meaning in his voice, -whatever -he had in his mind.</p> - -<p>"When did it go?" said Alveric.</p> - -<p>"The twilight, master?" said his host.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Alveric.</p> - -<p>"Ah, the twilight," the old man said.</p> - -<p>"The barrier," said Alveric, and he lowered his voice, although he -knew -not why, "between here and Elfland."</p> - -<p>At the word Elfland all comprehension faded out of the old man's -eyes.</p> - -<p>"Ah," he said.</p> - -<p>"Old man," said Alveric, "you know where Elfland has gone."</p> - -<p>"Gone?" said the old man.</p> - -<p>That innocent surprise, thought Alveric, must be real; but at least -he -knew where it had been; it used to be only two fields away from his -door.</p> - -<p>"Elfland was in the next field once," said Alveric.</p> - -<p>And the old man's eyes roved back into the past, and he gazed as it -were on old days awhile, then he shook his head. And Alveric fixed him -with his eye.</p> - -<p>"You knew Elfland," he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>Still the old man did not answer.</p> - -<p>"You knew where the border was," said Alveric.</p> - -<p>"I am old," said the leather-worker, "and I have no one to ask."</p> - -<p>When he said that, Alveric knew that he was thinking of his old wife, -and he knew too that had she been alive and standing there at that -moment yet he would have had no news of Elfland: there seemed little -more to say. But a certain petulance held him to the subject after he -knew it to be hopeless.</p> - -<p>"Who lives to the East of here?" he said.</p> - -<p>"To the East?" the old man replied. "Master, are there not North and -South and West that you needs must look to the East?"</p> - -<p>There was a look of entreaty in his face but Alveric did not heed it. -"Who lives to the East?" he said.</p> - -<p>"Master, no one lives to the East," he answered. And that indeed was -true.</p> - -<p>"What used to be there?" said Alveric.</p> - -<p>And the old man turned away to see to the stewing of his pot, and -muttered as he turned, so that one hardly heard him.</p> - -<p>"The past," he said.</p> - -<p>No more would the old man say, nor explain what he had said. So -Alveric -asked him if he could have a bed for the night, and his host showed him -the old bed he remembered across that vague number of years. And Alveric -accepted the bed without more ado so as to let the old man go to his own -supper. And very soon Alveric was deep asleep, warm and resting at last, -while his host turned over slowly in his mind many things of which -Alveric had supposed he knew nothing.</p> - -<p>When the birds of our fields woke Alveric, singing late in the last -of -October, on a morning that reminded them of Spring, he rose and went out -of doors, and went to the highest part of the little field that lay on -the windowless side of the old man's house toward Elfland. There he -looked eastward and saw all the way to the curved line of the sky the -same barren, desolate, rocky plain that had been there yesterday and the -day before. Then the leather-worker gave him breakfast, and afterwards -he went out and looked again at the plain. And over his dinner, which -his host timidly shared, Alveric neared once more the subject of -Elfland. And something in the old man's sayings or silences made Alveric -hopeful that even yet he would have some news of the whereabouts of the -pale-blue Elfin Mountains. So he brought the old man out and turned to -the East, to which his companion looked with reluctant eyes; and -pointing to one particular rock, the most noticeable and near, said, -hoping for definite news of a definite thing, "How long has that rock -been there?"</p> - -<p>And the answer came to his hopes like hail to apple-blossom: "It is -there and we must make the best of it."</p> - -<p>The unexpectedness of the answer dazed Alveric; and when he saw that -reasonable questions about definite things brought him no logical answer -he despaired of getting practical information to guide his fantastic -journey. So he walked on the eastward side of the cottage all the -afternoon, watching the dreary plain, and it never changed or moved: no -pale-blue mountains appeared, no Elfland came flooding back: and evening -came and the rocks glowed dully with the low rays of the sun, and -darkened when it set, changing with all Earth's changes, but with no -enchantment of Elfland. Then Alveric decided on a great journey.</p> - -<p>He returned to the cottage and told the leather-worker that he needed -to -buy much provisions, as much as he could carry. And over supper they -planned what he should have. And the old man promised to go next day -amongst the neighbours; telling of all the things he would get from -each, and somewhat more if God should prosper his snaring. For Alveric -had determined to travel eastward till he found the lost land.</p> - -<p>And Alveric slept early, and slept long, till the last of his fatigue -was gone which came from his pursuit of Elfland: the old man woke him as -he came back from his snaring. And the creatures that he had snared the -old man put in his pot and hung it over his fire, while Alveric ate his -breakfast. And all the morning the leather-worker went from house to -house amongst his neighbours, dwelling on little farms at the edge of -the fields we know; and he got salted meats from some, bread from one, a -cheese from another, and came back burdened to his house in time to -prepare dinner.</p> - -<p>And all the provender that burdened the old man Alveric shouldered in -a -sack, and some he put in his wallet; and he filled his water-bottle and -two more besides that his host had made from large skins, for he had -seen no streams at all in the desolate land; and thus equipped he walked -some way from the cottage, and looked again at the land from which -Elfland had ebbed. He came back satisfied that he could carry provisions -for a fortnight.</p> - -<p>And in the evening while the old man prepared pieces of squirrels' -meat -Alveric stood again on the windowless side of the cottage, gazing still -across the lonely land, hoping always to see emerge from the clouds -that were colouring at sunset, those serene pale-blue mountains; and -seeing never a peak. And the sun set, and that was the last of -October.</p> - -<p>Next morning Alveric made a good meal in the cottage; then took his -heavy burden of provisions, and paid his host and started. The door of -the cottage opened toward the West and the old man cordially saw him -away from his door with godspeed and farewells, but he would not move -round his house to watch him going eastward; nor would he speak of that -journey: it was as though to him there were only three points of the -compass.</p> - -<p>The bright autumnal sun was not yet high when Alveric went from the -fields we know to the land that Elfland had left and that nothing else -went near, with his big sack over his shoulder and his sword at his -side. The may trees of memory that he had seen were all withered now, -and the old songs and voices that had haunted that land were all now -faint as sighs; and there seemed to be fewer of them, as though some had -already died or had struggled back to Elfland.</p> - -<p>All that day Alveric travelled, with the vigour that waits at the -beginning of journeys, which helped him on though he was burdened with -so much provisions, and a big blanket that he wore like a heavy cloak -round his shoulders; and he carried besides a bundle of firewood, and a -stave in his right hand. He was an incongruous figure with his stave and -his sack and his sword; but he followed one idea, one inspiration, one -hope; and so shared something of the strangeness that all men have who -do this.</p> - -<p>Halting at noon to eat and rest he went slowly on again and walked -till -evening: even then he did not rest as he had intended, for when twilight -fell and lay heavy along the eastern sky he continually rose from his -resting and went a little further to see if it might not be that dense -deep twilight that made the frontier of the fields we know, shutting -them off from Elfland. But it was always earthly twilight, until the -stars came out, and they were all the familiar stars that look on Earth. -Then he lay down among those unrounded and mossless rocks, and ate bread -and cheese and drank water; and as the cold of night began to come over -the plain he lit a small fire with his scanty bundle of wood and lay -close to it with his cloak and his blanket round him; and before the -embers were black he was sound asleep.</p> - -<p>Dawn came without sound of bird or whisper of leaves or grasses, dawn -came in dead silence and cold; and nothing on all that plain gave a -welcome back to the light.</p> - -<p>If darkness had lain forever upon those angular rocks it were better, -Alveric thought, as he saw their shapeless companies sullenly glowing; -darkness were better now that Elfland was gone. And though the misery of -that disenchanted place entered his spirit with the chill of the dawn, -yet his fiery hope still shone, and gave him little time to eat by the -cold black circle of his lonely fire before it hurried him onward -easterly over the rocks. And all that morning he travelled on without -the comradeship of a blade of grass. The golden birds that he had seen -before had long since fled back to Elfland, and the birds of our fields -and all living things we know shunned all that empty waste. Alveric -travelled as much alone as a man who goes back in memory to revisit -remembered scenes, and instead of remembered scenes he was in a place -from which every glamour had gone. He travelled somewhat lighter than on -the day before, but he went more wearily, for he felt more heavily now -the fatigue of the previous day. He rested long at mid-day and then went -on. The myriad rocks stretched on and slightly jagged the horizon, and -all day there came no glimpse of the pale-blue mountains. That evening -from his dwindling provision of wood Alveric made another fire; its -little flame going up alone in that waste seemed somehow to reveal the -monstrous loneliness. He sat by his fire and thought of Lirazel and -would not give up hope, though a glance at those rocks might have warned -him not to hope, for something in their chaotic look partook of the -plain that bred them, and they hinted it to be infinite.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII<br /> - -<i>The Reticence of the Leather-Worker</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>It was many days before Alveric learned from the monotony of the -rocks -that one day's journey was the same as another, and that by no number of -journeys would he bring any change to his rugged horizons, which were -all drearily like the ones they replaced and never brought a view of the -pale-blue mountains. He had gone, while his fortnight's provisions grew -lighter and lighter, for ten days over the rocks: it was now evening and -Alveric understood at last that if he travelled further and failed soon -to see the peaks of the Elfin Mountains he would starve. So he ate his -supper sparingly in the darkness, his bundle of firewood having long -since been used, and abandoned the hope that had led him. And as soon as -there was any light at all to show him where the East was he ate a -little of what he had saved from his supper, and started his long tramp -back to the fields of men, over rocks that seemed all the harsher -because his back was to Elfland. All that day he ate and drank little, -and by nightfall he still had left full provisions for four more -days.</p> - -<p>He had hoped to travel faster during these last days, if he should -have -to turn back, because he would travel lighter: he had given no thought -to the power of those monotonous rocks to weary and to depress with -their desolation when the hope that had somewhat illumined their -grimness was gone: he had thought little of turning back at all, till -the tenth evening came and no pale-blue mountains, and he suddenly -looked at his provisions. And all the monotony of his homeward journey -was broken only by occasional fears that he might not be able to come to -the fields we know.</p> - -<p>The myriad rocks lay larger and thicker than tombstones and not so -carefully shaped, yet the waste had the look of a graveyard stretching -over the world with unrecording stones above nameless heads. Chilled by -the bitter nights, guided by blazing sunsets, he went on through the -morning mists and the empty noons and weary birdless evenings. More than -a week went by since he had turned, and the last of his water was gone, -and still he saw no sign of the fields we know, or anything more -familiar than rocks that he seemed to remember and which would have -misled him northward, southward, or eastward, were it not for the red -November sun that he followed and sometimes some friendly star. And then -at last, just as the darkness fell blackening that rocky multitude, -there showed westward over the rocks, pale at first against remnants of -sunset, but growing more and more orange, a window under one of the -gables of man. Alveric rose and walked towards it till the rocks in the -darkness and weariness overcame him and he lay down and slept; and the -little yellow window shone into his dreams and made forms of hope as -fair as any that came from Elfland.</p> - -<p>The house that he saw in the morning when he woke seemed impossible -to -be the one whose tiny light had held out hope and help to him in the -loneliness; it seemed now too plain and common. He recognized it for a -house not far from the one of the leather-worker. Soon he came to a pool -and drank. He came to a garden in which a woman was working early, and -she asked him whence he had come. "From the East," he said, and pointed, -and she did not understand. And so he came again to the cottage from -which he had started, to ask once more for hospitality from the old man -who had housed him twice.</p> - -<p>He was standing in his doorway as Alveric came, walking wearily, and -again he made him welcome. He gave him milk and then food. And Alveric -ate, and then rested all the day: it was not till evening he spoke. But -when he had eaten and rested and he was at the table again, and supper -was now before him and there was light and warmth, he felt all at once -the need of human speech. And then he poured out the story of that great -journey over the land where the things of man ceased, and where yet no -birds or little beasts had come, or even flowers, a chronicle of -desolation. And the old man listened to the vivid words and said -nothing, making some comments of his own only when Alveric spoke of the -fields we know. He heard with politeness but said never a word of the -land from which Elfland had ebbed. It was indeed as though all the land -to the East were delusion, and as though Alveric had been restored from -it or had awoken from dream, and were now among reasonably daily things, -and there was nothing to say of the things of dream. Certainly never a -word would the old man say in recognition of Elfland, or of anything -eighty yards East of his cottage door. Then Alveric went to his bed and -the old man sat alone till his fire was low, thinking of what he had -heard and shaking his head. And all the next day Alveric rested there -or walked in the old man's autumn-smitten garden, and sometimes he tried -again to speak with his host of his great journey in the desolate land, -but got from him no admission that such lands were, checked always by -his avoidance of the topic, as though to speak of these lands might -bring them nearer.</p> - -<p>And Alveric pondered on many reasons for this. Had the old man been -to -Elfland in his youth and seen something he greatly feared, perhaps -barely escaping from death or an age-long love? Was Elfland a mystery -too great to be troubled by human voices? Did these folk dwelling there -at the edge of our world know well the unearthly beauty of all the -glories of Elfland, and fear that even to speak of them might be a lure -to draw them whither their resolution, barely perhaps, held them back? -Or might a word said of the magical land bring it nearer, to make -fantastic and elvish the fields we know? To all these ponderings of -Alveric there was no answer.</p> - -<p>And yet one more day Alveric rested, and after that he set out to -return -to Erl. He set out in the morning, and his host came with him out of his -doorway, saying farewell and speaking of his journey home and of the -affairs of Erl, which were food for gossip over many farmlands. And -great was the contrast between the good man's approval that he showed -thus for the fields we know, over which Alveric journeyed now, and his -disapproval for those other lands whither Alveric's hopes still turned. -And they parted, and the old man's farewells dwindled, and then he -turned back into his house, rubbing his hands contentedly as he slowly -went, for he was glad to see one who had looked toward the fantastic -lands turn now to a journey across the fields we know.</p> - -<p>In those fields the frost was master, and Alveric walked over the -crisp -grey grass and breathed the clear fresh air thinking little of his home -or his son, but planning how even yet he might come to Elfland; for he -thought that further North there might be a way, coming round perhaps -behind the pale-blue mountains. That Elfland had ebbed too far for him -to overtake it there he felt despairingly sure, but scarcely believed it -had gone along the entire frontier of twilight, where Elfland touches -Earth as far as poet has sung. Further North he might find the frontier, -unmoved, lying sleepy with twilight, and come under the pale-blue -mountains and see his wife again: full of these thoughts he went over -the misty mellow fields.</p> - -<p>And full of his dreams and plans about that phantasmal land he came -in -the afternoon to the woods that brood above Erl. He entered the wood, -and deep though he was amongst thoughts that were far from there, he -soon saw the smoke of a fire a little way off, rising grey among the -dark oak-boles. He went towards it to see who was there, and there were -his son and Ziroonderel warming their hands at the fire.</p> - -<p>"Where have you been?" called Orion as soon as he saw him.</p> - -<p>"Upon a journey," said Alveric.</p> - -<p>"Oth is hunting," Orion said, and he pointed in the direction whence -the -wind was fanning the smoke. And Ziroonderel said nothing, for she saw -more in Alveric's eyes than any questions of hers would have drawn from -his tongue. Then Orion showed him a deer-skin on which he was sitting. -"Oth shot it," he said.</p> - -<p>There seemed to be a magic all round that fire of big logs quietly -smouldering in the woods upon Autumn's discarded robe that lay brilliant -there; and it was not the magic of Elfland, nor had Ziroonderel called -it up with her wand: it was only a magic of the wood's very own.</p> - -<p>And Alveric stood there for a while in silence, watching the boy and -the -witch by their fire in the woods, and understanding that the time was -come when he must tell Orion things that were not clear to himself and -that were puzzling him even now. Yet he did not speak of them then, but -saying something of the affairs of Erl, turned and walked on toward his -castle, while Ziroonderel and the boy came back later with Oth.</p> - -<p>And Alveric commanded supper when he came to his gateway, and ate it -alone in the great hall that there was in the Castle of Erl, and all the -while he was pondering words to say. And then he went in the evening up -to the nursery and told the boy how his mother was gone for a while to -Elfland, to her father's palace (which may only be told of in song). -And, unheeding any words of Orion then, he held on with the brief tale -that he had come to tell, and told how Elfland was gone.</p> - -<p>"But that cannot be," said Orion, "for I hear the horns of Elfland -every -day."</p> - -<p>"You can hear them?" Alveric said.</p> - -<p>And the boy replied, "I hear them blowing at evening."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV<br /> - -<i>The Quest for the Elfin Mountains</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>Winter descended on Erl and gripped the forest, holding the small -twigs -stiff and still: in the valley it silenced the stream; and in the fields -of the oxen the grass was brittle as earthenware, and the breath of the -beasts went up like the smoke of encampments. And Orion still went to -the woods whenever Oth would take him, and sometimes he went with Threl. -When he went with Oth the wood was full of the glamour of the beasts -that Oth hunted, and the splendour of the great stags seemed to haunt -the gloom of far hollows; but when he went with Threl a mystery haunted -the wood, so that one could not say what creature might not appear, nor -what haunted and hid by every enormous bole. What beasts there were in -the wood even Threl did not know: many kinds fell to his subtlety, but -who knew if these were all?</p> - -<p>And when the boy was late in the wood, on happy evenings, he would -always hear as the sun went blazing down, rank on rank of the elfin -horns blowing far away eastwards in the chill of the coming dusk, very -far and faint, like reveillé heard in dreams. From beyond the woods -they sounded, all those ringing horns, from beyond the downs, far over -the furthest curve of them; and he knew them for the silver horns of -Elfland. In all other ways he was human, and but for his power to hear -those horns of Elfland, whose music rings but a yard beyond human -hearing, and his knowledge of what they were; but for these two things -he was as yet not more than a human child.</p> - -<p>And how the horns of Elfland blew over the barrier of twilight, to be -heard by any ear in the fields we know, I cannot understand; yet -Tennyson speaks of them as heard "faintly blowing" even in these fields -of ours, and I believe that by accepting all that the poets say while -duly inspired our errors will be fewest. So, though Science may deny or -confirm it, Tennyson's line shall guide me here.</p> - -<p>Alveric in those days went through the village of Erl, with his -thoughts -far from there, moodily; and he stopped at many doors, and spoke and -planned, with his eyes always fixed as it seemed on things no one else -could see. He was brooding on far horizons, and the last, over which was -Elfland. And from house to house he gathered a little band of men.</p> - -<p>It was Alveric's dream to find the frontier further North, to travel -on -over the fields we know, always searching new horizons, till he came to -some place from which Elfland had not ebbed; to this he determined to -dedicate his days.</p> - -<p>When Lirazel was with him amongst the fields we know, his thoughts -had -ever been to make her more earthly; but now that she was gone the -thoughts of his own mind were becoming daily more elvish, and folk began -to look sideways at his fantastic mien. Dreaming always of Elfland and -of elvish things he gathered horses and provender and made for his -little band so huge a store of provisions that those who saw it -wondered. Many men he asked to be of that curious band, and few would go -with him to haunt horizons, when they heard whither he went. And the -first that he found to be of that band was a lad that was crossed in -love; and then a young shepherd, well used to lonely spaces; then one -that had heard a curious song that someone sang one evening: it had set -his thoughts roving away to impossible lands, and so he was well content -to follow his fancies. One huge full moon one summer had shone all a -warm night long on a lad as he lay in the hay, and after that he had -guessed or seen things that he said the moon showed him: whatever they -were none else saw any such things in Erl: he also joined Alveric's band -as soon as he asked him. It was many days before Alveric found these -four; and more he could not find but a lad that was quite witless, and -he took him to tend the horses, for he understood horses well, and they -understood him, though no human man or woman could make him out at all, -except his mother, who wept when Alveric had his promise to go; for she -said that he was the prop and support of her age, and knew what storms -would come and when the swallows would fly, and what colours the flowers -would come up from seeds she sowed in her garden, and where the spiders -would build their webs, and the ancient fables of flies: she wept and -said that there would be more things lost by his going than ever folk -guessed in Erl. But Alveric took him away: many go thus.</p> - -<p>And one morning six horses heaped and hung with provisions all round -their saddles waited at Alveric's gateway, with the five men that were -to roam with him as far as the world's edge. He had taken long counsel -with Ziroonderel, but she said that no magic of hers had power to charm -Elfland or to cross the dread will of its King; he therefore commended -Orion to her care, knowing well that though hers was but simple or -earthly magic, yet no magic likely to cross the fields we know, nor -curse nor rune directed against his boy, would be able to thwart her -spell; and for himself he trusted to the fortune that waits at the end -of long weary journeys. To Orion he spoke long, not knowing how long -that journey might be before he again found Elfland, nor how easily he -might return across the frontier of twilight. He asked the boy what he -desired of life.</p> - -<p>"To be a hunter," said he.</p> - -<p>"What will you hunt while I am over the hills?" said his father.</p> - -<p>"Stags, like Oth," said Orion.</p> - -<p>Alveric commended that sport, for he himself loved it.</p> - -<p>"And some day I will go a long way over the hills and hunt stranger -things," said the boy.</p> - -<p>"What kind of things," asked Alveric. But the boy did not know.</p> - -<p>His father suggested different kinds of beasts.</p> - -<p>"No, stranger than them," said Orion. "Stranger even than bears."</p> - -<p>"But what will they be?" asked his father.</p> - -<p>"Magic things," said the boy.</p> - -<p>But the horses moved restlessly down below in the cold, so that there -was no time for more idle talk, and Alveric said farewell to the witch -and his son and strode away thinking little of the future, for all was -too vague for thought.</p> - -<p>Alveric mounted his horse over the heaps of provisions, and all the -band of six men rode away. The villagers stood in the street to see them -go. All knew their curious quest; and when all had saluted Alveric and -all had called their farewells to the last of the riders, a hum of talk -arose. And in the talk was contempt of Alveric's quest, and pity, and -ridicule; and sometimes affection spoke and sometimes scorn; yet in the -hearts of all there was envy; for their reason mocked the lonely roving -of that outlandish adventure, but their hearts would have gone.</p> - -<p>And away rode Alveric out of the village of Erl with his company of -adventurers behind him; a moonstruck man, a madman, a lovesick lad, a -shepherd boy and a poet. And Alveric made Vand, the young shepherd, the -master of his encampment, for he deemed him to be the sanest amongst his -following; but there were disputes at once as they rode, before they -came to make any encampment; and Alveric, hearing or feeling the -discontent of his men, learned that on such a quest as his it was not -the sanest but the maddest that should be given authority. So he named -Niv, the witless lad, the master of his encampment; and Niv served him -well till a day that was far thence, and the moonstruck man stood by -Niv, and all were content to do the bidding of Niv, and all honoured -Alveric's quest. And many men in numerous lands do saner things with -less harmony.</p> - -<p>They came to the uplands and rode over the fields, and rode till they -came to the furthest hedges of men, and to the houses that they have -built at the verge, beyond which even their thoughts refuse to fare. -Through this line of houses at the edge of those fields, four or five in -every mile, Alveric went with his queer company. The leather-worker's -hut was far to the South. Now he turned northward to ride past the -backs of the houses, over fields through which once the barrier of -twilight had run, till he should find some place where Elfland might -seem not to have ebbed so far. He explained this to his men, and the -leading spirits, Niv, and Zend who was moonstruck, applauded at once; -and Thyl, the young dreamer of songs, said the scheme was a wise one -too; and Vand was carried away by the keen zeal of these three; and it -was all one to Rannok the lover. And they had not gone far along the -backs of the houses when the red sun touched the horizon, and they -hastened to make an encampment by what remained of the light of that -short winter's day. And Niv said they would build a palace like those of -kings, and the idea fired Zend to work like three men, and Thyl helped -eagerly; and they set up stakes and stretched blankets upon them and -made a wall of brushwood, for they were but just outside the hedgerows, -and Vand helped too with rough hurdles and Rannok toiled on wearily; and -when all was finished Niv said that it was a palace. And Alveric went in -and rested, while they lit a fire outside. And Vand cooked a meal for -them all, which he did every day for himself upon lonely downs; and none -could have cared for the horses better than Niv.</p> - -<p>And as the gloaming faded away the cold of winter grew; and by the -time -that the first star shone there seemed nothing in all the night but -bitter cold, yet Alveric's men lay down by their fire in their leathers -and furs and slept, all but Rannok the lover.</p> - -<p>To Alveric lying on furs in his shelter, watching red embers glowing -beyond dark shapes of his men, the quest promised well: he would go far -North watching every horizon for any sign of Elfland: he would go by the -border of the fields we know, and always be near provisions: and if he -got no glimpse of the pale-blue mountains he would go on till he found -some field from which Elfland had not ebbed, and so come round behind -them. And Niv and Zend and Thyl had all sworn to him that evening that -before many days were gone they would surely all find Elfland. Upon this -thought he slept.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV<br /> - -<i>The Retreat of the Elf King</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>When Lirazel blew away with the splendid leaves they dropped one by -one -from their dance in the gleaming air, and ran on over fields for a -while, and then gathered by hedgerows and rested; but Earth that pulls -all things down had no hold on her, for the rune of the King of Elfland -had crossed its borders, calling her home. So she rode carelessly the -great north-west wind, looking down idly on the fields we know, as she -swept over them homewards. No grip had Earth on her any longer at all; -for with her weight (which is where Earth holds us) were gone all her -earthly cares. She saw without grief old fields wherein she and Alveric -walked once: they drifted by; she saw the houses of men: these also -passed; and deep and dense and heavy with colour, she saw the border of -Elfland.</p> - -<p>A last cry Earth called to her with many voices, a child shouting, -rooks -cawing, the dull lowing of cows, a slow cart heaving home; then she was -into the dense barrier of twilight, and all Earth's sounds dimmed -suddenly: she was through it and they ceased. Like a tired horse falling -dead our north-west wind dropped at the frontier; for no winds blow in -Elfland that roam over the fields we know. And Lirazel slanted slowly -onward and down, till her feet were back again on the magical soil of -her home. She saw full fair the peaks of the Elfin Mountains, and dark -underneath them the forest that guarded the Elf King's throne. Above -this forest were glimmering even now great spires in the elfin morning, -which glows with more sparkling splendour than do our most dewy dawns, -and never passes away.</p> - -<p>Over the elfin land the elfin lady passed with her light feet, -touching -the grasses as thistledown touches them when it comes down to them and -brushes their crests while a languid wind rolls it slowly over the -fields we know. And all the elvish and fantastic things, and the curious -aspect of the land, and the odd flowers and the haunted trees, and the -ominous boding of magic that hung in the air, were all so full of -memories of her home that she flung her arms about the first gnarled -gnome-like trunk and kissed its wrinkled bark.</p> - -<p>And so she came to the enchanted wood; and the sinister pines that -guarded it, with the watchful ivy leaning over their branches, bowed to -Lirazel as she passed. Not a wonder in that wood, not a grim hint of -magic, but brought back the past to her as though it had scarcely gone. -It was, she felt, but yesterday morning that she had gone away; and it -was yesterday morning still. As she passed through the wood the gashes -of Alveric's sword were yet fresh and white on the trees.</p> - -<p>And now a light began to glow through the wood, then flash upon flash -of -colours, and she knew they shone from the glory and splendour of flowers -that girdled the lawns of her father. To these she came again; and her -faint footprints that she had made as she left her father's palace, and -wondered to see Alveric there, were not yet gone from the bended grass -and the spiders' webs and the dew. There the great flowers glowed in the -elfin light; while beyond them there twinkled and flashed, with the -portal through which she had left it still open wide to the lawns, the -palace that may not be told of but only in song. Thither Lirazel -returned. And the Elf King, who heard by magic the tread of her -soundless feet, was before his door to meet her.</p> - -<p>His great beard almost hid her as they embraced: he had sorrowed for -her -long through that elfin morning. He had wondered, despite his wisdom; he -had feared, for all his runes; he had yearned for her as human hearts -may yearn, for all that he was of magic stock dwelling beyond our -fields. And now she was home again and the elfin morning brightened over -leagues of Elfland with the old Elf King's joy, and even a glow was seen -upon slopes of the Elfin Mountains.</p> - -<p>And through the flash and glimmer of the vast doorway they passed -into -the palace once more; the knight of the Elf King's guard saluted with -his sword as they went, but dared not turn his head after Lirazel's -beauty; they came again to the hall of the Elf King's throne, which is -made of rainbows and ice; and the great King seated himself and took -Lirazel on his knee; and a calm came down upon Elfland.</p> - -<p>And for long through the endless elfin morning nothing troubled that -calm; Lirazel rested after the cares of Earth, the Elf King sat there -keeping the deep content in his heart, the knight of the guard remained -at the salute, his sword's point downwards still, the palace glowed and -shone: it was like a scene in some deep pool beyond the sound of a city, -with green reeds and gleaming fishes and myriads of tiny shells all -shining in the twilight on deep water, which nothing has disturbed -through all the long summer's day. And thus they rested beyond the fret -of time, and the hours rested around them, as the little leaping waves -of a cataract rest when the ice calms the stream: the serene blue peaks -of the Elfin Mountains above them stood like unchanging dreams.</p> - -<p>Then like the noise of some city heard amongst birds in woods, like a -sob heard amongst children that are all met to rejoice, like laughter -amongst a company that weep, like a shrill wind in orchards amongst the -early blossom, like a wolf coming over the downs where the sheep are -asleep, there came a feeling into the Elf King's mood that one was -coming towards them across the fields of Earth. It was Alveric with his -sword of thunderbolt-iron, which somehow the old King sensed by its -flavour of magic.</p> - -<p>Then the Elf King rose, and put his left arm about his daughter, and -raised his right to make a mighty enchantment, standing up before his -shining throne which is the very centre of Elfland. And with clear -resonance deep down in his throat he chaunted a rhythmic spell, all made -of words that Lirazel never had heard before, some age-old incantation, -calling Elfland away, drawing it further from Earth. And the marvellous -flowers heard as their petals drank in the music, and the deep notes -flooded the lawns; and all the palace thrilled, and quivered with -brighter colours; and a charm went over the plain as far as the frontier -of twilight, and a trembling went through the enchanted wood. Still the -Elf King chaunted on. The ringing ominous notes came now to the Elfin -Mountains, and all their line of peaks quivered as hills in haze, when -the heat of summer beats up from the moors and visibly dances in air. -All Elfland heard, all Elfland obeyed that spell. And now the King and -his daughter drifted away, as the smoke of the nomads drifts over Sahara -away from their camel's-hair tents, as dreams drift away at dawn, as -clouds over the sunset; and like the wind with the smoke, night with the -dreams, warmth with the sunset, all Elfland drifted with them. All -Elfland drifted with them and left the desolate plain, the dreary -deserted region, the unenchanted land. So swiftly that spell was -uttered, so suddenly Elfland obeyed, that many a little song, old -memory, garden or may tree of remembered years, was swept but a little -way by the drift and heave of Elfland, swaying too slowly eastwards till -the elfin lawns were gone, and the barrier of twilight heaved over them -and left them among the rocks.</p> - -<p>And whither Elfland went I cannot say, nor even whether it followed -the -curve of the Earth or drifted beyond our rocks out into twilight: there -had been an enchantment near to our fields and now there was none: -wherever it went it was far.</p> - -<p>Then the Elf King ceased to chaunt and all was accomplished. As -silently -as, in a moment that none can determine, the long layers over the sunset -turn from gold to pink, or from a glowing pink to a listless unlit -colour, all Elfland left the edges of those fields by which its wonder -had lurked for long ages of men, and was away now whither I know not. -And the Elf King seated himself again on his throne of mist and ice, in -which charmed rainbows were, and took Lirazel his daughter again on his -knee, and the calm that his chaunting had broken came back heavy and -deep over Elfland. Heavy and deep it fell on the lawns, heavy and deep -on the flowers; each dazzling blade of grass was still in its little -curve as though Nature in a moment of mourning said "Hush" at the -sudden end of the world; and the flowers dreamed on in their beauty, -immune from Autumn or wind. Far over the moors of the trolls slept the -calm of the King of Elfland, where the smoke from their queer -habitations hung stilled in the air; and in a forest wherein it quieted -the trembling of myriads of petals on roses, it stilled the pools where -the great lilies towered, till they and their reflections slept on in -one gorgeous dream. And there below motionless fronds of dream-gripped -trees, on the still water dreaming of the still air, where the huge -lily-leaves floated green in the calm, was the troll Lurulu, sitting -upon a leaf. For thus they named in Elfland the troll that had gone to -Erl. He sat there gazing into the water at a certain impudent look that -he had on. He gazed and gazed and gazed.</p> - -<p>Nothing stirred, nothing changed. All things were still, reposing in -the -deep content of the King. The Knight of the Guard brought his sword back -to the carry, and afterwards stood as still at his perpetual post as -some suit of armour whose owner is centuries dead. And still the King -sat silent with his daughter upon his knee, his blue eyes unmoving as -the pale-blue peaks, which through wide windows shone from the Elfin -Mountains.</p> - -<p>And the Elf King stirred not, nor changed; but held to that moment in -which he had found content; and laid its influence over all his -dominions, for the good and welfare of Elfland; for he had what all our -troubled world with all its changes seeks, and finds so rarely and must -at once cast it away. He had found content and held it.</p> - -<p>And in that calm that settled down upon Elfland there passed ten -years -over the fields we know.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI<br /> - -<i>Orion Hunts the Stag</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>There passed ten years over the fields we know; and Orion grew and -learned the art of Oth, and had the cunning of Threl, and knew the woods -and the slopes and vales of the downs, as many another boy knows how to -multiply figures by other figures or to draw the thoughts from a -language not his own and to set them down again in words of his own -tongue. And little he knew of the things that ink may do, how it can -mark a dead man's thought for the wonder of later years, and tell of -happenings that are gone clean away, and be a voice for us out of the -dark of time, and save many a fragile thing from the pounding of heavy -ages; or carry to us, over the rolling centuries, even a song from lips -long dead on forgotten hills. Little knew he of ink; but the touch of a -roe deer's feet on dry ground, gone three hours, was a clear path to -him, and nothing went through the woods but Orion read its story. And -all the sounds of the wood were as full of clear meaning to him as are -to the mathematician the signs and figures he makes when he divides his -millions by tens and elevens and twelves. He knew by sun and moon and -wind what birds would enter the wood, he knew of the coming seasons -whether they would be mild or severe, only a little later than the -beasts of the wood themselves, which have not human reason or soul and -that know so much more than we.</p> - -<p>And so he grew to know the very mood of the woods, and could enter -their -shadowy shelter like one of the woodland beasts. And this he could do -when he was barely fourteen years; and many a man lives all his years -and can never enter a wood without changing the whole mood of its -shadowy ways. For men enter a wood perhaps with the wind behind them, -they brush against branches, step on twigs; speak, smoke, or tread -heavily; and jays cry out against them, pigeons leave the trees, rabbits -pad off to safety, and far more beasts than they know slip on soft feet -away from their coming. But Orion moved like Threl, in shoes of -deer-skin with the tread of a hunter. And none of the beasts of the wood -knew when he was come.</p> - -<p>And he came to have a pile of skins like Oth, that he won with his -bow -in the wood; and he hung great horns of stags in the hall of the castle, -high up among old horns where the spider had lived for ages. And this -was one of the signs whereby the people of Erl came to know him now for -their lord, for no news came of Alveric, and all the old lords of Erl -had been hunters of deer. And another sign was the departing of the -witch Ziroonderel when she went back to her hill; and Orion lived in the -castle now by himself, and she dwelt in her cottage again where her -cabbages grew on the high land near to the thunder.</p> - -<p>And all that Winter Orion hunted the stags in the wood, but when -Spring -came he put his bow away. Yet all through the season of song and flowers -his thoughts were still with the chase; and he went from house to house -wherever a man had one of the long thin dogs that hunt. And sometimes he -bought the dog, and sometimes the man would promise to lend it on days -of hunting. Thus Orion formed a pack of brown long-haired hounds and -yearned for the Spring and Summer to go by. And one Spring evening when -Orion was tending his hounds, when villagers were mostly at their doors -to notice the length of the evening, there came a man up the street whom -nobody knew. He came from the uplands, wrapped in the most aged of -clothes, which clung to him as though they had clung forever, and were -somehow a part of him and yet part of the Earth, for they were mellowed -by the clay of the high fields to its own deep brown. And folk noticed -the easy stride of a mighty walker, and a weariness in his eyes: and -none knew who he was.</p> - -<p>And then a woman said "It is Vand that was only a lad." And they all -crowded about him then, for it was indeed Vand who had left the sheep -more than ten years ago to ride with Alveric no one in Erl knew whither. -"How fares our master?" they said. And a look of weariness came in the -eyes of Vand.</p> - -<p>"He follows the quest," he said.</p> - -<p>"Whither?" they asked.</p> - -<p>"To the North," he said. "He seeks for Elfland still."</p> - -<p>"Why have you left him?" they asked.</p> - -<p>"I lost the hope," he said.</p> - -<p>They questioned him no more then, for all men knew that to seek for -Elfland one needed a strong hope, and without it one saw no gleam of the -Elfin Mountains, serene with unchanging blue. And then the mother of Niv -came running up. "Is it indeed Vand?" she said. And they all said "Yes, -it is Vand."</p> - -<p>And while they murmured together about Vand, and of how years and -wandering had changed him, she said to him, "Tell me of my son." And -Vand replied "He leads the quest. There is none whom my master trusts -more." And they all wondered, and yet they had no cause for wonder, for -it was a mad quest.</p> - -<p>But Niv's mother alone did not wonder. "I knew he would," she said. -"I -knew he would." And she was filled with a great content.</p> - -<p>There are events and seasons to suit the mood of every man, though -few -indeed could have suited the crazed mood of Niv, yet there came -Alveric's quest of Elfland, and so Niv found his work.</p> - -<p>And talking in the late evening with Vand the folk of Erl heard tales -of -many camps, many marches, a tale of profitless wandering where Alveric -haunted horizons year after year like a ghost. And sometimes out of -Vand's sadness that had come from those profitless years a smile would -shine as he told of some foolish happening that had taken place in the -camp. But all was told by one that had lost hope in the quest. This was -not the way to tell of it, not with doubts, not with smiles. For such a -quest may only be told of by those who are fired by its glory: from the -mad brain of Niv or the moonstruck wits of Zend we might have news of -that quest which could light our minds with some gleam of its meaning; -but never from the story, be it made out of facts or scoffs, told by one -whom the quest itself was able to lure no longer. The stars stole out -and still Vand was telling his stories, and one by one the people went -back to their houses, caring to hear no more of the hopeless quest. Had -the tale been told by one who clung yet to the faith that still was -leading Alveric's wanderers on, the stars would have weakened before -those folk left the teller, the sky would have brightened so widely -before they left him that one would have said at last "Why! It is -morning." Not till then would they have gone.</p> - -<p>And the next day Vand went back to the downs and the sheep and -troubled -himself with romantic quests no more.</p> - -<p>And during that Spring men spoke of Alveric again, wondering awhile -at -his quest, speaking awhile of Lirazel, and guessing where she had gone, -and guessing why; and where they could not guess telling some tale to -explain all, which went from mouth to mouth till they came to believe -it. And Spring went by and they forgot Alveric and obeyed the will of -Orion.</p> - -<p>And then one day as Orion was waiting for the Summer to go by, with -his -heart on frosty days and his dreams with his hounds on the uplands, -Rannok the lover came over the downs by the path by which Vand had come, -and walked down into Erl. Rannok with his heart free at last, with all -his melancholy gone, Rannok without woe, careless, care-free, content, -looking only for rest after his long wandering, sighing no more. And -nothing but this would have made Vyria care to have him, the girl he had -sought once. So the end of this was that she married him, and he too -went roaming no more on fantastic quests.</p> - -<p>And though some looked to the uplands through many an evening, till -the -long days wore away and a strange wind touched the leaves, and some -peered over the further curves of the downs, yet they saw none more of -the followers of Alveric's quest coming back by the path that Vand and -Rannok had trod. And by the time that the leaves were a wonder of -scarlet and gold men spoke no more of Alveric but obeyed Orion his -son.</p> - -<p>And in this season Orion arose one day before dawn and took his horn -and -his bow and went to his hounds, who wondered to hear his step before -light was come: they heard it all in their sleep and awoke and clamoured -to him. And he loosed them and calmed them and led them away to the -downs. And to the lonely magnificence of the downs they came when the -stags are feeding on dewy grasses, before men are awake. All in the wild -wet morning they ran over the gleaming slopes, Orion and his hounds, all -rejoicing together. And the scent of the thyme came heavy with the air -that Orion breathed, as he trod its wide patches blooming late in the -year. To the hounds there came all the wandering scents of the morning. -And what wild creatures had met on the hill in the dark and what had -crossed it going upon their journeys, and whither all had gone when the -day grew bright, bringing the threat of man, Orion guessed and wondered; -but to the hounds all was clear. And some of the scents they noted with -careful noses, and some they scorned, and for one they sought in vain, -for the great red deer were not on the downs that morning.</p> - -<p>And Orion led them far from the Vale of Erl but saw no stag that day, -and never a wind brought the scent that the anxious hounds were seeking, -nor could they find it hidden in any grass or leaves. And evening came -on him bringing his hounds home, calling on stragglers with his horn, -while the sun turned huge and scarlet; and fainter than echoes of his -horn, and far beyond downs and mist, but clear each silver note, he -heard the elfin horns that called to him always at evening.</p> - -<p>With the great comradeship of a common weariness he and his hounds -came -home dark in the starlight. The windows of Erl at last flashed to them -the glow of their welcome. Hounds came to their kennels and ate, and -lay down to contented sleep: Orion went to his castle. He too ate, and -afterwards sat thinking of the downs and his hounds and the day, his -mind lulled by fatigue to that point at which it rests beyond care.</p> - -<p>And many a day passed thus. And then one dewy morning, coming over a -ridge of the downs, they saw a stag below them feeding late when all the -rest were gone. The hounds all broke into one joyous cry, the heavy stag -moved nimbly over the grass, Orion shot an arrow and missed; all these -things happened in a moment. And then the hounds streamed away, and the -wind went over the backs of them with a ripple, and the stag went away -as though every one of his feet were on little dancing springs. And at -first the hounds were swifter than Orion, but he was as tireless as -they, and by taking sometimes shorter ways than theirs he stayed near -them till they came to a stream and faltered and began to need the help -of human reason. And such help as human reason can give in such a matter -Orion gave them, and soon they were on again. And the morning passed as -they went from hill to hill, and they had not seen the stag a second -time; and the afternoon wore away, and still the hounds followed every -step of the stag with a skill as strange as magic. And towards evening -Orion saw him, going slowly, along the slope of a hill, over coarse -grass that was shining in the rays of the low sun. He cheered on his -hounds and they ran him over three more small valleys, but down at the -bottom of the third he turned round amongst the pebbles of a stream and -waited there for the hounds. And they came baying round him, watching -his brow antlers. And there they tore him down and killed him at sunset. -And Orion wound his horn with a great joy in his heart: he wanted no -more than this. And with a note like that of joy, as though they also -rejoiced, or mocked his rejoicing, over hills that he knew not, perhaps -from the far side of the sunset, the horns of Elfland answered.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII<br /> - -<i>The Unicorn Comes in the Starlight</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>And winter came, and whitened the roofs of Erl, and all the forest -and -uplands. And when Orion took his hounds afield in the morning the world -lay like a book that was newly written by Life; for all the story of the -night before lay in long lines in the snow. Here the fox had gone and -there the badger, and here the red deer had gone out of the wood; the -tracks led over the downs and disappeared from sight, as the deeds of -statesmen, soldiers, courtiers and politicians appear and disappear on -the pages of history. Even the birds had their record on those white -downs, where the eye could follow each step of their treble claws, till -suddenly on each side of the track would appear three little scars where -the tips of their longest feathers had flicked the snow, and there the -track faded utterly. They were like some popular cry, some vehement -fancy, that comes down on a page of history for a day, and passes, -leaving no other record at all except those lines on one page.</p> - -<p>And amongst all these records left of the story of night Orion would -choose the track of some great stag not too long gone, and would follow -it with his hounds away over the downs until even the sound of his horn -could be heard no longer in Erl. And over a ridge with his hounds, he -and they all black against red remnants of sunset, the folk of Erl would -see him coming home; and often it was not until all the stars were -glowing through the frost. Often the skin of a red deer hung over his -shoulders and the huge horns bobbed and nodded above his head.</p> - -<p>And at this time there met one day in the forge of Narl, all unknown -to -Orion, the men of the parliament of Erl. They met after sunset when all -were home from their work. And gravely Narl handed to each the mead that -was brewed from the clover honey; and when all were come they sat -silent. And then Narl broke the silence, saying that Alveric ruled over -Erl no more and his son was Lord of Erl, and telling again how once they -had hoped for a magic lord to rule over the valley and to make it -famous, and saying that this should be he. "And where now," he said, "is -the magic for which we hoped? For he hunts the deer as all his -forefathers hunted, and nothing of magic has touched him from over -there; and there is no new thing."</p> - -<p>And Oth stood up to defend him. "He is as fleet as his hounds," he -said, -"and hunts from dawn to sunset, and crosses the furthest downs and comes -home untired."</p> - -<p>"It is but youth," said Guhic. And so said all but Threl.</p> - -<p>And Threl stood up and said: "He has a knowledge of the ways of the -woods, and the lore of the beasts, beyond the learning of man."</p> - -<p>"You taught him," said Guhic. "There is no magic here."</p> - -<p>"Nothing of this," said Narl, "is from over there."</p> - -<p>Thus they argued awhile lamenting the loss of the magic for which -they -had hoped: for never a valley but history touches it once, never a -village but once its name is awhile on the lips of men; only the village -of Erl was utterly unrecorded; never a century knew it beyond the round -of its downs. And now all their plans seemed lost which they made so -long ago, and they saw no hope except in the mead that was brewed from -the clover honey. To this they turned in silence. Now it was a goodly -brew.</p> - -<p>And in a while new plans flashed clear in their minds, new schemes, -new -devices; and debates in the parliament of Erl flowed proudly on. And -they would have made a plan and a policy; but Oth arose from his seat. -There was in a flint-built house in the village of Erl an ancient -Chronicle, a volume bound in leather, and in it at certain seasons folk -wrote all manner of things, the wisdom of farmers concerning the time to -sow, the wisdom of hunters concerning the tracking of stags, and the -wisdom of prophets that told of the way of Earth. From this Oth quoted -now, two lines that he remembered on one of the aged pages; and all the -rest of that page told of hoeing; these lines he said to the parliament -of Erl as they sat with the mead before them at their table:</p> - -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Hooded, and veiled with their night-like -tresses,</div> - <div class="verse"> The Fates shall bring what no prophet -guesses."</div> -</div></div> - -<p>And then they planned no more, for either their minds were calmed by -a -certain awe that they seemed to find in the lines, or it may be the mead -was stronger than anything written in books. However it be they sat -silent over their mead. And in early starlight while the West still -glowed they passed away from Narl's house back to their own homes -grumbling as they went that they had no magic lord to rule over Erl, and -yearning for magic, to save from oblivion the village and valley they -loved. They parted one by one as they came to their houses. And three or -four that dwelt near the end of the village on the side that was under -the downs were not yet come to their doors, when, white and clear in the -starlight and what remained of the gloaming, they saw hard-pressed and -wearied a hunted unicorn coming across the downs. They stopped and gazed -and shaded their eyes and stroked their beards and wondered. And still -it was a white unicorn galloping wearily. And then they heard drawing -nearer the cry of Orion's hounds.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII<br /> - -<i>The Grey Tent in the Evening</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>On the day that the hunted unicorn crossed the valley of Erl Alveric -had -wandered for over eleven years. For more than ten years, a company of -six, they went by the backs of the houses by the edge of the fields we -know, and camped at evenings with their queer material hung greyly on -poles. And whether or not the strange romance of their quest mirrored -itself in all the things about them, those camps of theirs seemed always -the strangest thing in the landscape; and as evening grew greyer around -them their romance and mystery grew.</p> - -<p>And for all the vehemence of Alveric's ambition they travelled -leisurely -and lazily: sometimes in a pleasant camp they stayed for three days; -then they went strolling on. Nine or ten miles they would march and then -they would camp again. Someday, Alveric felt sure in his heart, they -would see that border of twilight, someday they would enter Elfland. And -in Elfland he knew that time was not as here: he would meet Lirazel -unaged in Elfland, with never one smile lost to the raging years, never -a furrow worn by the ruin of time. This was his hope; and it led his -queer company on from camp to camp, and cheered them round the fire in -the lonely evenings, and brought them far to the North, travelling all -along the edge of the fields we know, where all men's faces turned the -other way, and the six wanderers went unseen and unheeded. Only the mind -of Vand hung back from their hope, and more and more every year his -reason denied the lure that was leading the rest. And then one day he -lost his faith in Elfland. After that he only followed until a day when -the wind was full of rain, and all were cold and wet and the horses -weary; he left them then.</p> - -<p>And Rannok followed because he had no hope in his heart and wished to -wander from sorrow; until one day when all the blackbirds were singing -in trees of the fields we know, and his hopelessness left him in the -glittering sunshine, and he thought of the cosy homes and the haunts of -men. And soon he too passed out of the camp one evening and set off for -the pleasant lands.</p> - -<p>And now the four that were left were all of one mind, and under the -wet -coarse cloth that they hung on poles there was deep content in the -evenings. For Alveric clung to his hope with all the strength of his -race, that had once won Erl in old battles and held it for centuries -long, and in the vacant minds of Niv and Zend this idea grew strong and -big, like some rare flower that a gardener may plant by chance in a wild -untended place. And Thyl sung of the hope; and all his wild fancies that -roamed after song decked Alveric's quest with more and more of glamour. -So all were of one mind. And greater quests whether mad or sane have -prospered when this was so, and greater quests have failed when it was -otherwise.</p> - -<p>They had gone northwards for years along the backs of those houses; -and -then one day they would turn eastwards, wherever a certain look in the -sky or a touch of weirdness at evening, or a mere prophecy of Niv's, -seemed to suggest a proximity of Elfland. Upon such occasions they would -travel over the rocks, that for all those years lay bordering the fields -we know, until Alveric saw that provisions for men and horses would -barely bring them back to the houses of men. Then he would turn again, -but Niv would have led them still onward over the rocks, for his -enthusiasm grew as they went; and Thyl sang to them prophesying success; -and Zend would say that he saw the peaks and the spires of Elfland; only -Alveric was wise. And so they would come to the houses of men again, and -buy more provisions. And Niv and Zend and Thyl would babble of the -quest, pouring out the enthusiasm that burned in their hearts; but -Alveric did not speak of it, for he had learned that men in those fields -neither speak of nor look towards Elfland, although he had not learned -why.</p> - -<p>Soon they were on again, and the folk that had sold them the produce -of -fields we know gazed curiously after them as they went, as though they -thought that from madness alone or from dreams inspired by the moon came -all the talk they had heard from Niv and Zend and Thyl.</p> - -<p>Thus they always travelled on, always seeking new points from which -to -discover Elfland; and on the left of them blew scents from the fields we -know, the scent of lilac from cottage gardens in May, and then the scent -of the white-thorn and then of roses, till all the air was heavy with -new-mown hay. They heard the low of cattle away on their left, heard -human voices, heard partridges calling; heard all the sounds that go up -from happy farms; and on their right was always the desolate land, -always the rocks and never grass nor a flower. They had the -companionship of men no more, and yet they could not find Elfland. In -such a case they needed the songs of Thyl and the sure hope of Niv.</p> - -<p>And the talk of Alveric's quest spread through the land and overtook -his -wanderings, till all men that he passed by knew his story; and from some -he had the contempt that some men give to those who dedicate all their -days to a quest, and from others he had honour; but all he asked for was -provender, and this he bought when they brought it. So they went on. -Like legendary things they passed along the backs of the houses, putting -up their grey shapeless tent in the grey evenings. They came as quietly -as rain, and went away like mists drifting. There were jests about them -and songs. And the songs outlasted the jests. At last they became a -legend, which haunted those farms for ever: they were spoken of when men -told of hopeless quests, and held up to laughter or glory, whichever men -had to give.</p> - -<p>And all the while the King of Elfland watched; for he knew by magic -when -Alveric's sword drew near: it had troubled his kingdom once, and the -King of Elfland knew well the flavour of thunderbolt iron when he felt -it loom on the air. From this he had withdrawn his frontiers far, -leaving all that ragged land deserted of Elfland; and though he knew not -the length of human journeys, he had left a space that to cross would -weary the comet, and rightly deemed himself safe.</p> - -<p>But when Alveric with his sword was far to the North the Elf King -loosened the grip with which he had withdrawn Elfland, as the Moon that -withdraws the tide lets it flow back again, and Elfland came racing back -as the tide over flat sands. With a long ribbon of twilight at its edge -it floated back over the waste of rocks; with old songs it came, with -old dreams, and with old voices. And in a while the frontier of -twilight lay flashing and glimmering near the fields we know, like an -endless Summer evening that lingered on out of the golden age. But bleak -and far to the North where Alveric wandered the limitless rocks still -heaped the desolate land; only to fields from which he and his sword and -his adventurous band were remotely gone that mighty inlet of Elfland -came lapping back. So that close again to the leather-worker's cottage -and to the farms of his neighbours, a bare three fields away, lay the -land that was heaped and piled with all the wonder for which poets seek -so hard, the very treasury of all romantic things; and the Elfin -Mountains gazed over the border serenely, as though their pale-blue -peaks had never moved. And here the unicorns fed along the border as it -was their custom to do, feeding sometimes in Elfland, which is the home -of all fabulous things, cropping lilies below the slopes of the Elfin -Mountains, and sometimes slipping through the border of twilight at -evening when all our fields are still, to feed upon earthly grass. It is -because of this craving for earthly grass that comes on them now and -then, as the red deer in Highland mountains crave once a year for the -sea, that, fabulous though they are on account of their birth in -Elfland, their existence is nevertheless known among men. The fox, which -is born in our fields, also crosses the frontier, going into the border -of twilight at certain seasons; it is thence that he gets the romance -with which he comes back to our fields. He also is fabulous, but only in -Elfland, as the unicorns are fabulous here.</p> - -<p>And seldom the folk on those farms saw the unicorns, even dim in the -gloaming, for their faces were turned forever away from Elfland. The -wonder, the beauty, the glamour, the story of Elfland were for minds -that had leisure to care for such things as these; but the crops needed -these men, and the beasts that were not fabulous, and the thatch, and -the hedges and a thousand things: barely at the end of each year they -won their fight against Winter: they knew well that if they let a -thought of theirs turn but for a moment towards Elfland, its glory would -grip them soon and take all their leisure away, and there would be no -time left to mend thatch or hedge or to plough the fields we know. But -Orion lured by the sound of the horns that blew from Elfland at evening, -and that some elvish attuning of his ears to magical things caused him -alone in all those fields to hear, came with his hounds to a field -across which ran the frontier of twilight, and found the unicorns there -late on an evening. And, slipping along a hedge of the little field with -his hounds padding behind him, he came between a unicorn and the -frontier and cut it off from Elfland. This was the unicorn that with -flashing neck, covered with flecks of foam that shone silvery in the -starlight, panting, harried and weary, came across the valley of Erl, -like an inspiration, like a new dynasty to a custom-weary land, like -news of a happier continent found far-off by suddenly returned -sea-faring men.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX<br /> - -<i>Twelve Old Men Without Magic</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Now few things pass by a village and leave no talk behind them. Nor -did -this unicorn. For the three that saw it going by in the starlight -immediately told their families, and many of these ran from their houses -to tell the good news to others, for all strange news was accounted good -in Erl, because of the talk that it made; and talk was held to be -needful when work was over to pass the evenings away. So they talked -long of the unicorn.</p> - -<p>And, after a day or two, in the forge of Narl the parliament of Erl -was -met again, seated by mugs of mead, discussing the unicorn. And some -rejoiced and said that Orion was magic, because unicorns were of magic -stock and came from beyond our fields.</p> - -<p>"Therefore," said one, "he has been to lands of which it does not -become -us to speak, and is magic, as all things are which dwell over -there."</p> - -<p>And some agreed and held that their plans had come to fruition.</p> - -<p>But others said that the beast went by in the starlight, if beast it -were, and who could say it was a unicorn? And one said that in the -starlight it was hard to see it at all, and another said unicorns were -hard to recognize. And then they began to discuss the size and shape of -these beasts, and all the known legends that told of them, and came no -nearer to agreeing together whether or not their lord had hunted a -unicorn. Till at last Narl seeing that they would not thus come by the -truth, and deeming it necessary that the fact should be established one -way or the other forever, rose up and told them that the time had come -for the vote. So by a method they had of casting shells of various -colours into a horn that was passed from man to man, they voted about -the unicorn as Narl had commanded. And a hush fell, and Narl counted. -And it was seen to have been established by vote that there had been no -unicorn.</p> - -<p>Sorrowfully then that parliament of Erl saw that their plans to have -a -magic lord had failed; they were all old men, and the hope that they had -had for so long being gone they turned less easily to newer plans than -they had to the plan that they made so long ago. What should they do -now, they said? How come by magic? What could they do that the world -should remember Erl? Twelve old men without magic. They sat there over -their mead, and it could not lighten their sadness.</p> - -<p>But Orion was away with his hounds near that great inlet of Elfland -where it lay as it were at high tide, touching the very grass of the -fields we know. He went there at evening when the horns blew clear to -guide him, and waited there all quiet at the edge of those fields for -the unicorns to steal across the border. For he hunted stags no -more.</p> - -<p>And as he went over those fields in the late afternoon folk working -on -the farms would greet him cheerily; but when still he went eastwards -they spoke to him less and less, till at last when he neared the border -and still kept on they looked his way no more, but left him and his -hounds to their own devices.</p> - -<p>And by the time the sun set he would be standing quiet by a hedge -that -ran right down into the frontier of twilight, with his hounds all -gathered close in under the hedge, with his eye on them all lest one of -them dared to move. And the pigeons would come home to trees of the -fields we know, and twittering starlings; and the elfin horns would -blow, clear silver magical music thrilling the chilled air, and all the -colours of clouds would go suddenly changing; it was then in the failing -light, in the darkening of colours, that Orion would watch for a dim -white shape stepping out of the border of twilight. And this evening -just as he hushed a hound with his hand, just as all our fields went -dim, there slipped a great white unicorn out of the border, still -munching lilies such as never grew in any fields of ours. He came, a -whiteness on perfectly silent feet, four or five yards into the fields -we know, and stood there still as moonlight, and listened and listened -and listened. Orion never moved, and he kept his hounds silent by some -power he had or by some wisdom of theirs. And in five minutes the -unicorn made a step or two forward, and began to crop the long sweet -earthly grasses. And as soon as he moved there came others through the -deep blue border of twilight, and all at once there were five of them -feeding there. And still Orion stood with his hounds and waited.</p> - -<p>Little by little the unicorns moved further away from the border, -lured -further and further into the fields we know by the deep rich earthly -grasses, on which all five of them browsed in the silent evening. If a -dog barked, even if a late cock crew, up went all their ears at once -and they stood watchful, not trusting anything in the fields of men, or -venturing into them far.</p> - -<p>But at last the one that had come first through the twilight got so -far -from his magical home that Orion was able to run between him and the -frontier, and his hounds came behind him. And then had Orion been toying -with the chase, then had he hunted but for an idle whim, and not for -that deep love of the huntsman's craft that only huntsmen know, then had -he lost everything: for his hounds would have chased the nearest -unicorns, and they would have been in a moment across the frontier and -lost, and if the hounds had followed they would have been lost too, and -all that day's work would have gone for nothing. But Orion led his -hounds to chase the furthest, watching all the while to see if any hound -would try to pursue the others; and only one began to, but Orion's whip -was ready. And so he cut his quarry off from its home, and his hounds -for the second time were in full cry after a unicorn.</p> - -<p>As soon as the unicorn heard the feet of the hounds, and saw with one -flash of his eye that he could not get to his enchanted home, he shot -forward with a sudden spring of his limbs and went like an arrow over -the fields we know. When he came to hedges he did not seem to gather his -limbs to leap but seemed to glide over them with motionless muscles, -galloping again when he touched the grass once more.</p> - -<p>In that first rush the hounds drew far ahead of Orion, and this -enabled -him to head the unicorn off whenever it tried to turn to the magical -land; and at such turnings he came near his hounds again. And the third -time that Orion turned the unicorn it galloped straight away, and so -continued over the fields of men. The cry of the hounds went through the -calm of the evening like a long ripple across a sleeping lake following -the unseen way of some strange diver. In that straight gallop the -unicorn gained so much on the hounds that soon Orion only saw him far -off, a white spot moving along a slope in the gloaming. Then it reached -the top of a valley and passed from view. But that strong queer scent -that led the hounds like a song remained clear on the grass, and they -never checked or faltered except for a moment at streams. Even there -their ranging noses picked up the magical scent before Orion came up to -give them his aid.</p> - -<p>And as the hunt went on the daylight faded away, till the sky was all -prepared for the coming of stars. And one or two stars appeared, and a -mist came up from streams and spread all white over fields, till they -could not have seen the unicorn if he had been close before them. The -very trees seemed sleeping. They passed by little houses, lonely, -sheltered by elms; shut off by high hedges of yew from those that roamed -the fields; houses that Orion had never seen or known till the chance -course of this unicorn brought him suddenly past their doors. Dogs -barked as they passed, and continued barking long, for that magical -scent on the air and the rush and the voice of the pack told them -something strange was afoot; and at first they barked because they would -have shared in what was afoot, and afterwards to warn their masters -about the strangeness. They barked long through the evening.</p> - -<p>And once, as they passed a little house in a cluster of old thorns, a -door suddenly opened, and a woman stood gazing to see them go by: she -could have seen no more than grey shapes, but Orion in the moment as he -passed saw all the glow of the house, and the yellow light streaming out -into the cold. The merry warmth cheered him, and he would have rested -awhile in that little oasis of man in the lonely fields, but the hounds -went on and he followed; and those in the houses heard their cry go past -like the sound of a trumpet whose echoes go fading away amongst the -furthest hills.</p> - -<p>A fox heard them coming, and stood quite still and listened: at first -he -was puzzled. Then he caught the scent of the unicorn, and all was clear -to him, for he knew by the magic flavour that it was something coming -from Elfland.</p> - -<p>But when sheep caught the scent they were terrified, and ran all -huddled -together until they could run no more.</p> - -<p>Cattle leaped up from their sleep, gazed dreamily, and wondered; but -the -unicorn went through them and away, as some rose-scented breeze that has -strayed from valley gardens into the streets of a city slips through the -noisy traffic and is gone.</p> - -<p>Soon all the stars were looking on those quiet fields through which -the -hunt went with its exultation, a line of vehement life cleaving through -sleep and silence. And now the unicorn, far out of sight though he was, -no longer gained a little at every hedge. For at first he lost no more -pace at any hedge than a bird loses passing clear of a cloud, while the -great hounds struggled through what gaps they could find, or lay on -their sides and wriggled between the stems of the bushes. But now he -gathered his strength with more effort at every hedge, and sometimes hit -the top of the hedge and stumbled. He was galloping slower too; for this -was a journey such as no unicorn made through the deep calm of Elfland. -And something told the tired hounds they were drawing nearer. And a new -joy entered their voices.</p> - -<p>They crossed a few more black hedges, and then there loomed before -them -the dark of a wood. When the unicorn entered the wood the voices of the -hounds were clear in his ears. A pair of foxes saw him going slowly, and -they ran along beside him to see what would befall the magic creature -coming weary to them from Elfland. One on each side they ran, keeping -his slow pace and watching him, and they had no fear of the hounds -though they heard their cry, for they knew that nothing that followed -that magical scent would turn aside after any earthly thing. So he went -labouring through the wood, and the foxes watched him curiously all the -way.</p> - -<p>The hounds entered the wood and the great oaks rang with the sound of -them, and Orion followed with an enduring speed that he may have got -from our fields or that may have come to him over the border from -Elfland. The dark of the wood was intense but he followed his hounds' -cry, and they did not need to see with that wonderful scent to guide -them. They never wavered as they followed that scent, but went on -through gloaming and starlight. It was not like any hunt of fox or stag; -for another fox will cross the line of a fox, or a stag may pass through -a herd of stags and hinds; even a flock of sheep will bewilder hounds by -crossing the line they follow; but this unicorn was the only magical -thing in all our fields that night, and his scent lay unmistakable over -the earthly grass, a burning pungent flavour of enchantment among the -things of every day. They hunted him clear through the wood and down to -a valley, the two foxes keeping with him and watching still: he picked -his feet carefully as he went down the hill, as though his weight hurt -them while he descended the slope, yet his pace was as fast as that of -the hounds going down: then he went a little way along the trough of the -valley, turning to his left as soon as he came down the hill, but the -hounds gained on him then and he turned for the opposite slope. And then -his weariness could be concealed no longer, the thing that all wild -creatures conceal to the last; he toiled over every step as though his -legs dragged his body heavily. Orion saw him from the opposite -slope.</p> - -<p>And when the unicorn got to the top the hounds were close behind him, -so -that he suddenly whipped round his great single horn and stood before -them threatening. Then the hounds bayed about him, but the horn waved -and bowed with such swift grace that no hound got a grip; they knew -death when they saw it, and eager though they were to fasten upon him -they leaped back from that flashing horn. Then Orion came up with his -bow, but he would not shoot, perhaps because it was hard to put an arrow -safely past his pack of hounds, perhaps because of a feeling such as we -have to-day, and which is no new thing among us, that it was unfair to -the unicorn. Instead he drew an old sword that he was wearing, and -advanced through his hounds and engaged that deadly horn. And the -unicorn arched his neck, and the horn flashed at Orion; and, weary -though the unicorn was, yet a mighty force remained in that muscular -neck to drive the blow that he aimed, and Orion barely parried. He -thrust at the unicorn's throat, but the great horn tossed the sword -aside from its aim and again lunged at Orion. Again he parried with the -whole weight of his arm, and had but an inch to spare. He thrust again -at the throat, and the unicorn parried the sword-thrust almost -contemptuously. Again and again the unicorn aimed fair at Orion's heart; -the huge white beast stepped forward pressing Orion back. That graceful -bowing neck, with its white arch of hard muscle driving the deadly horn, -was wearying Orion's arm. Once more he thrust and failed; he saw the -unicorn's eye flash wickedly in the starlight, he saw all white before -him the fearful arch of its neck, he knew he could turn aside its heavy -blows no more; and then a hound got a grip in front of the right -shoulder. No moments passed before many another hound leaped on to the -unicorn, each with a chosen grip, for all that they looked like a rabble -rolling and heaving by chance. Orion thrust no more, for many hounds all -at once were between him and his enemy's throat. Awful groans came from -the unicorn, such sounds as are not heard in the fields we know; and -then there was no sound but the deep growl of the hounds that roared -over the wonderful carcase as they wallowed in fabulous blood.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX<br /> - -<i>A Historical Fact</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>Amongst the weary hounds refreshed with fury and triumph, Orion -stepped -with his whip and drove them away from the monstrous dead body, and sent -the lash quivering round in a wide circle, while in his other hand he -took his sword and cut off the unicorn's head. He also took the skin of -the long white neck and brought it away dangling empty from the head. -All the while the hounds bayed and made eager rushes one by one at that -magical carcase whenever one saw a chance of eluding the whip; so that -it was long before Orion got his trophy, for he had to work as hard with -his whip as with his sword. But at last he had it slung by a leather -thong over his shoulders, the great horn pointing upwards past the right -side of his head, and the smeared skin hanging down along his back. And -while he arranged it thus he allowed his hounds to worry the body again -and taste that wonderful blood. Then he called to them and blew a note -on his horn and turned slowly home towards Erl, and they all followed -behind him. And the two foxes stole up to taste the curious blood, for -they had sat and waited for this.</p> - -<p>While the unicorn was climbing his last hill Orion felt such fatigue -that he could have gone little further, but now that the heavy head hung -from his shoulders all his fatigue was gone and he trod with a lightness -such as he had in the mornings, for it was his first unicorn. And his -hounds seemed refreshed as though the blood they had lapped had some -strange power in it, and they came home riotously, gambolling and -rushing ahead as when newly loosed from their kennels.</p> - -<p>Thus Orion came home over the downs in the night, till he saw the -valley -before him full of the smoke of Erl, where one late light was burning in -a window of one of his towers. And, coming down the slopes by familiar -ways, he brought his hounds to their kennels; and just before dawn had -touched the heights of the downs he blew his horn before his postern -door. And the aged guardian of the door when he opened it to Orion saw -the great horn of the unicorn bobbing over his head.</p> - -<p>This was the horn that was sent in later years as a gift from the -Pope -to King Francis. Benvenuto Cellini tells of it in his memoirs. He tells -how Pope Clement sent for him and a certain Tobbia, and ordered them to -make designs for the setting of a unicorn's horn, the finest ever seen. -Judge then of Orion's delight when the horn of the first unicorn he ever -took was such as to be esteemed generations later the finest ever seen, -and in no less a city than Rome, with all her opportunities to acquire -and compare such things. For a number of these curious horns must have -been available for the Pope to have selected for the gift the finest -ever seen; but in the simpler days of my story the rarity of the horn -was so great that unicorns were still considered fabulous. The year of -the gift to King Francis would be about 1530, the horn being mounted in -gold; and the contract went to Tobbia and not to Benvenuto Cellini. I -mention the date because there are those who care little for a tale if -it be not here and there supported by history, and who even in history -care more for fact than philosophy. If any such reader have followed the -fortunes of Orion so far he will be hungry by now for a date or a -historical fact. As for the date, I give him 1530. While for the -historical fact I select that generous gift recorded by Benvenuto -Cellini, because it may well be that just where he came to unicorns such -a reader may have felt furthest away from history and have felt -loneliest just at this point for want of historical things. How the -unicorn's horn found its way from the Castle of Erl, and in what hands -it wandered, and how it came at last to the City of Rome, would of -course make another book.</p> - -<p>But all that I need say now about that horn is that Orion took the -whole -head to Threl, who took off the skin and washed it and boiled the skull -for hours, and replaced the skin and stuffed the neck with straw; and -Orion set it in the midmost place among all the heads that hung in the -high hall. And the rumour went all through Erl, as swift as unicorns -gallop, telling of this fine horn that Orion had won. So that the -parliament of Erl met again in the forge of Narl. They sat at the table -there debating the rumour; and others besides Threl had seen the head. -And at first, for the sake of old divisions, some held to their opinion -that there had been no unicorn. They drank Narl's goodly mead and argued -against the monster. But after a while, whether Threl's argument -convinced them, or whether as is more likely, they yielded from -generosity, which arose like a beautiful flower out of the mellow mead, -whatever it was the debate of those that opposed the unicorn -languished, and when the vote was put it was declared that Orion had -killed a unicorn, which he had hunted hither from beyond the fields we -know.</p> - -<p>And at this they all rejoiced; for they saw at last the magic for -which -they had longed, and for which they had planned so many years ago, when -all were younger and had had more hope in their plans. And as soon as -the vote was taken Narl brought out more mead, and they drank again to -mark the happy occasion: for magic at last, said they, had come on -Orion, and a glorious future surely awaited Erl. And the long room and -the candles and the friendly men and the deep comfort of mead made it -easy to look a little way forward into time and to see a year or so that -had not yet come, and to see coming glories glowing a little way off. -And they told again of the days, but nearer now, when the distant lands -should hear of the vale they loved: they told again of the fame of the -fields of Erl going from city to city. One praised its castle, another -its huge high downs, another the vale itself all hidden from every land, -another the dear quaint houses built by an olden folk, another the deep -of the woods that lay over the sky-line; and all spoke of the time when -the wide world should hear of it all, because of the magic that there -was in Orion; for they knew that the world has a quick ear for magic, -and always turns toward the wonderful even though it be nearly asleep. -Their voices were high, praising magic, telling again of the unicorn, -glorying in the future of Erl, when suddenly in the doorway stood the -Freer. He was there in his long white robe with its trimming of mauve, -in the door with the night behind him. As they looked, in the light of -their candles, they could see he was wearing an emblem, on a chain of -gold round his neck. Narl bade him welcome, some moved a chair to the -table; but he had heard them speak of the unicorn. He lifted his voice -from where he stood, and addressed them. "Cursed be unicorns," he said, -"and all their ways, and all things that be magic."</p> - -<p>In the awe that suddenly changed the mellow room one cried: "Master! -Curse not us!"</p> - -<p>"Good Freer," said Narl, "we hunted no unicorn."</p> - -<p>But the Freer raised up his hand against unicorns and cursed them -yet. -"Curst be their horn," he cried, "and the place where they dwell, and -the lilies whereon they feed, curst be all songs that tell of them. -Curst be they utterly with everything that dwelleth beyond -salvation."</p> - -<p>He paused to allow them to renounce the unicorns, standing still in -the -doorway, looking sternly into the room.</p> - -<p>And they thought of the sleekness of the unicorn's hide, his -swiftness, -the grace of his neck, and his dim beauty cantering by when he came past -Erl in the evening. They thought of his stalwart and redoubtable horn; -they remembered old songs that told of him. They sat in uneasy silence -and would not renounce the unicorn.</p> - -<p>And the Freer knew what they thought and he raised his hand again, -clear -in the candle-light with the night behind him. "Curst be their speed," -he said, "and their sleek white hide; curst be their beauty and all that -they have of magic, and everything that walks by enchanted streams."</p> - -<p>And still he saw in their eyes a lingering love for those things that -he -forbade, and therefore he ceased not yet. He lifted his voice yet louder -and continued, with his eye sternly upon those troubled faces: "And -curst be trolls, elves, goblins and fairies upon the Earth, and -hypogriffs and Pegasus in the air, and all the tribes of the mer-folk -under the sea. Our holy rites forbid them. And curst be all doubts, all -singular dreams, all fancies. And from magic may all true folk be turned -away. Amen."</p> - -<p>He turned round suddenly and was into the night. A wind loitered -about -the door, then flapped it to. And the large room in the forge of Narl -was as it had been but a few moments before, yet the mellow mood of it -seemed dulled and dim. And then Narl spoke, rising up at the table's end -and breaking the gloom of the silence. "Did we plan our plans," he said, -"so long ago, and put our faith in magic, that we should now renounce -magical things and curse our neighbours, the harmless folk beyond the -fields we know, and the beautiful things of the air, and dead mariners' -lovers dwelling beneath the sea?"</p> - -<p>"No, no," said some. And they quaffed their mead again.</p> - -<p>And then one rose with his horn of mead held high, then another and -then -another, till all were standing upright all round the light of the -candles. "Magic!" one cried. And the rest with one accord took up his -cry till all were shouting "Magic."</p> - -<p>The Freer on his homeward way heard that cry of Magic, he gathered -his -sacred robe more closely around him and clutched his holy things, and -said a spell that kept him from sudden demons and the doubtful things of -the mist.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI<br /> - -<i>On the Verge of Earth</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>And on that day Orion rested his hounds. But the next day he rose -early -and went to his kennels and loosened the joyous hounds in the shining -morning, and led them out of the valley and over the downs towards the -frontier of twilight again. And he took his bow with him no more, but -only his sword and his whip; for he had come to love the joy of his -fifteen hounds when they hunted the one-horned monster, and felt that he -shared the joy of every hound; while to shoot one with an arrow would be -but a single joy.</p> - -<p>All day he went over the fields, greeting some farmer here and there, -or -worker in the field, and gaining greetings in return, and good wishes -for sport. But when evening came and he was near the frontier, fewer and -fewer greeted him as he passed, for he was manifestly travelling where -none went, whence even their thoughts held back. So he went lonely, yet -cheered by his eager thoughts, and happy in the comradeship of his -hounds; and both his thoughts and his hounds were all for the chase.</p> - -<p>And so he came to the barrier of twilight again, where the hedges ran -down to it from the fields of men and turned strange and dim in a glow -that is not of our Earth and disappeared in the twilight. He stood with -his hounds close in against one of these hedges just where it touched -the barrier. The light just there on the hedge, if like anything of our -Earth, was like the misty dimness that flashes upon a hedge, seen only -across one field, when touched by the rainbow: in the sky the rainbow is -clear, but close across one wide field the rainbow's end scarcely shows, -yet a heavenly strangeness has touched and altered the hedge. In some -such light as that glowed the last of the hawthorns that grew in the -fields of men. And just beyond it, like a liquid opal, all full of -wandering lights, lay the barrier through which no man can see, and no -sound come but the sound of the elfin horns, and only that to the ears -of very few. The horns were blowing now, piercing that barrier of dim -light and silence with the magical resonance of their silver note, that -seemed to beat past all things intervening to come to Orion's ear, as -the sunlight beats through ether to illumine the vales of the moon.</p> - -<p>The horns died down, and nothing whispered from Elfland; and all the -sounds thenceforth were the sounds of an earthly evening. Even these -grew few, and still no unicorns came.</p> - -<p>A dog barked far away: a cart, the sole sound on an empty road, went -homeward wearily: someone spoke in a lane, and then left the silence -unbroken, for words seemed to offend the hush that was over all our -fields. And in the hush Orion gazed at the frontier, watching for the -unicorns that never came, expecting each moment to see one step through -the twilight. But he had done unwisely in coming to the same spot at -which he had found the five unicorns only two days before. For of all -creatures the unicorns are the wariest, guarding their beauty from the -eye of man with never ceasing watchfulness; dwelling all day beyond the -fields we know, and only entering them rarely at evening, when all is -still, and with the utmost vigilance, and venturing even then scarcely -beyond the edges. To come on such animals twice at the same spot within -two days with hounds, after hunting and killing one of them, was more -unlikely than Orion thought. But his heart was full of the triumph of -his hunt, and the scene of it lured him back to it in the way that such -scenes have. And now he gazed at the frontier, waiting for one of these -great creatures to come proudly through, a great tangible shape out of -the dim opalescence. And no unicorn came.</p> - -<p>And standing gazing there so long, that curious boundary began to -lure -him till his thoughts went roaming with its wandering lights and he -desired the peaks of Elfland. And well they knew that lure who dwelt on -those farms lying all along the edge of the fields we know, and wisely -kept their eyes turned ever away from that wonder that lay with its -marvel of colours so near to the backs of their houses. For there was a -beauty in it such as is not in all our fields; and it is told those -farmers in youth how, if they gaze upon those wandering lights, there -will remain no joy for them in the goodly fields, the fine, brown -furrows or the waves of wheat, or in any things of ours; but their -hearts will be far from here with elfin things, yearning always for -unknown mountains and for folk not blessed by the Freer.</p> - -<p>And standing now, while our earthly evening waned, upon the very edge -of -that magical twilight, the things of Earth rushed swiftly from his -remembrance, and suddenly all his care was for elfin things. Of all the -folk that trod the paths of men he remembered only his mother, and -suddenly knew, as though the twilight had told him, that she was -enchanted and he of a magical line. And none had told him this, but he -knew it now.</p> - -<p>For years he had wondered through many an evening and guessed where -his -mother was gone: he had guessed in lonely silence; none knew what the -child was guessing: and now an answer seemed to hang in the air; it -seemed as though she were only a little way off across the enchanted -twilight that divided those farms from Elfland. He moved three steps and -came to the frontier itself; his foot was the furthest that stood in the -fields we know: against his face the frontier lay like a mist, in which -all the colours of pearls were dancing gravely. A hound stirred as he -moved, the pack turned their heads and eyed him; he stood, and they -rested again. He tried to see through the barrier, but saw nothing but -wandering lights that were made by the massing of twilights from the -ending of thousands of days, which had been preserved by magic to build -that barrier there. Then he called to his mother across that mighty gap, -those few preserved by magic to build that barrier there. Then he upon -one side Earth and the haunts of men, and the time that we measure by -minutes and hours and years, and upon the other Elfland and another way -of time. He called to her twice and listened, and called again; and -never a cry or a whisper came out of Elfland. He felt then the magnitude -of the gulf that divided him from her, and knew it to be vast and dark -and strong, like the gulfs that set apart our times from a bygone day, -or that stand between daily life and the things of dream, or between -folk tilling the Earth and the heroes of song, or between those living -yet and those they mourn. And the barrier twinkled and sparkled as -though so airy a thing never divided lost years from that fleeing hour -called Now.</p> - -<p>He stood there with the cries of Earth faint in the late evening, -behind -him, and the mellow glow of the soft earthly twilight; and before him, -close to his face, the utter silence of Elfland, and the barrier that -made that silence, gleaming with its strange beauty. And now he thought -no more of earthly things, but only gazed into that wall of twilight, as -prophets tampering with forbidden lore gaze into cloudy crystals. And to -all that was elvish in Orion's blood, to all that he had of magic from -his mother, the little lights of the twilight-builded boundary lured and -tempted and beckoned. He thought of his mother dwelling in lonely ease -beyond the rage of Time, he thought of the glories of Elfland, dimly -known by magical memories that he had had from his mother. The little -cries of the earthly evening behind him he heeded no more nor heard. And -with all these little cries were lost to him also the ways and the needs -of men, the things they plan, the things they toil for and hope for, and -all the little things their patience achieves. In the new knowledge that -had come to him beside this glittering boundary that he was of magical -blood he desired at once to cast off his allegiance to Time, and to -leave the lands that lay under Time's dominion and were ever scourged by -his tyranny, to leave them with no more than five short paces, and to -enter the ageless land where his mother sat with her father while he -reigned on his misty throne in that hall of bewildering beauty at which -only song has guessed. No more was Erl his home, no more were the ways -of man his ways: their fields to his feet no more! But the peaks of the -Elfin Mountains were to him now what welcoming eaves of straw are to -earthly labourers at evening; the fabulous, the unearthly, were to Orion -home. Thus had that barrier of twilight, too long seen, enchanted him; -so much more magical was it than any earthly evening.</p> - -<p>And there are those that might have gazed long at it and even yet -turned -away; but not easily Orion; for though magic has power to charm worldly -things they respond to enchantment heavily and slowly, while all that -was magic in Orion's blood flashed answer to the magic that shone in the -rampart of Elfland. It was made of the rarest lights that wander in air, -and the fairest flashes of sunlight that astonish our fields through -storm, and the mists of little streams, and the glow of flowers in -moonlight, and all the ends of our rainbows with all their beauty and -magic, and scraps of the gloaming of evenings long treasured in aged -minds. Into this enchantment he stepped to have done with mundane -things; but as his foot touched the twilight a hound that had sat behind -him under the hedge, held back from the chase so long, stretched its -body a little and uttered one of those low cries of impatience that -amongst the ways of man most nearly resembles a yawn. And old habit, at -that sound made Orion turn his head, and he saw the hound and went up to -him for a moment, and patted him and would have said farewell; but all -the hounds were around him then, nosing his hands and looking up at his -face. And standing there amongst his eager hounds, Orion, who but a -moment before was dreaming of fabulous things with thoughts that floated -over the magical lands and scaled the enchanted peaks of the Elfin -Mountains, was suddenly at the call of his earthly lineage. It was not -that he cared more to hunt than to be with his mother beyond the fret of -time, in the lands of her father lovelier than anything song hath said; -it was not that he loved his hounds so much that he could not leave -them; but his fathers had followed the chase age after age, as his -mother's line had timelessly followed magic; and the call towards magic -was strong while he looked on magical things, and the old earthly line -was as strong to beckon him to the chase. The beautiful boundary of -twilight had drawn his desires towards Elfland, next moment his hounds -had turned him another way: it is hard for any of us to avoid the grip -of external things.</p> - -<p>For some moments Orion stood thinking among his hounds, trying to -decide -which way to turn, trying to weigh the easy lazy ages, that hung over -untroubled lawns and the listless glories of Elfland, with the good -brown plough and the pasture and the little hedges of Earth. But the -hounds were around him, nosing, crying, looking into his eyes, speaking -to him if tails and paws and large brown eyes can speak, saying "Away! -Away!" To think amongst all that tumult was impossible; he could not -decide, and the hounds had it their way, and he and they went, together, -home over the fields we know.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII<br /> - -<i>Orion Appoints a Whip</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>And many times again, while the winter wore away, Orion went back -again -with his hounds to that wonderful boundary, and waited there while the -earthly twilight faded; and sometimes saw the unicorns come through, -craftily, silently, when our fields were still, great beautiful shapes -of white. But he brought back no more horns to the castle of Erl, nor -hunted again across the fields we know; for the unicorns when they came -moved into our fields no more than a few bare paces, and Orion was not -able to cut one off again. Once when he tried he nearly lost all his -hounds, some being already within the boundary when he beat them back -with his whip; another two yards and the sound of his earthly horn could -never more have reached them. It was this that taught him that for all -the power that he had over his hounds, and even though in that power was -something of magic, yet one man without help could not hunt hounds, so -near to that edge over which if one should stray it would be lost -forever.</p> - -<p>After this Orion watched the lads at their games in evenings at Erl, -till he had marked three that in speed and strength seemed to excel the -rest; and two of these he chose to be whippers-in. He went to the -cottage of one of them when the games were over, just as the lights were -lit, a tall lad with great speed of limb; the lad and his mother were -there and both rose from the table as the father opened the door and -Orion came in. And cheerily Orion asked the lad if he would come with -the hounds and carry a whip and prevent any from straying. And a silence -fell. All knew that Orion hunted strange beasts and took his hounds to -strange places. None there had ever stepped beyond the fields we know. -The lad feared to pass beyond them. His parents were full loth to let -him go. At length the silence was broken by excuses and muttered -sentences and unfinished things, and Orion saw that the lad would not -come.</p> - -<p>He went then to the house of the other. There too the candles were -lit -and a table spread. There were two old women there and the lad at their -supper. And to them Orion told how he needed a whipper-in, and asked the -lad to come. Their fear in that house was more marked. The old women -cried out together that the lad was too young, that he could not run so -well as he used to, that he was not worthy of so great an honour, that -dogs never would trust him. And much more than this they said, till they -became incoherent. Orion left them and went to the house of the third. -It was the same here. The elders had desired magic for Erl, but the -actual touch of it, or the mere thought of it, perturbed the folk in -their cottages. None would spare their sons to go whither they knew not, -to have dealings with things that rumour, like a large and sinister -shadow, had so grimly magnified in the hamlet of Erl. So Orion went -alone with his hounds when he took them up from the valley and went -eastwards over our fields where Earth's folk would not go.</p> - -<p>It was late in the month of March, and Orion slept in his tower, when -there came up to him from far below, shrill and clear in the early -morning, the sound of his peacocks calling. The bleat of sheep far up on -the downs came to wake him too, and cocks were crowing clamourously, for -Spring was singing through the sunny air. He rose and went to his -hounds; and soon early labourers saw him go up the steep side of the -valley with all his hounds behind him, tan patches against the green. -And so he passed over the fields we know. And so he was come, before the -sun had set, to that strip of land from which all men turned away, where -westward stood men's houses among fields of fat brown clay and eastward -the Elfin Mountains shone over the boundary of twilight.</p> - -<p>He went with his hounds along the last hedge, down to the boundary. -And -no sooner had he come there than he saw a fox quite close slip out of -the twilight between Earth and Elfland, and run a few yards along the -edge of our fields and then slip back again. And of this Orion thought -nothing, for it is the way of the fox thus to haunt the edge of Elfland -and to return again to our fields: it is thus that he brings us -something of which none of our cities guess. But soon the fox appeared -again out of the twilight and ran a little way and was back in the -luminous barrier once more. Then Orion watched to see what the fox was -doing. And yet again it appeared in the field we know, and dodged back -into the twilight. And the hounds watched too, and showed no longing to -hunt it, for they had tasted fabulous blood.</p> - -<p>Orion walked along beside the twilight in the direction in which the -fox was going, with his curiosity growing the more that the fox dodged -in and out of our fields. The hounds followed him slowly and soon lost -their interest in what the fox was doing. And all at once the curious -thing was explained, for Lurulu all of a sudden skipped through the -twilight, and that troll appeared in our fields: it was with him that -the fox was playing.</p> - -<p>"A man," said Lurulu aloud to himself, or to his comrade the fox, -speaking in troll-talk. And all at once Orion remembered the troll that -had come into his nursery with his little charm against time, and had -leaped from shelf to shelf and across the ceiling and enraged -Ziroonderel who had feared for her crockery.</p> - -<p>"The troll!" he said, also in troll-talk; for his mother had murmured -it -to him as a child when she told him tales of the trolls and their -age-old songs.</p> - -<p>"Who is this that knows troll-talk?" said Lurulu.</p> - -<p>And Orion told his name, and this meant nothing to Lurulu. But he -squatted down and rummaged a little while in what answers in trolls to -our memory; and during his ransacking of much trivial remembrance that -had eluded the destruction of time in the fields we know, and the -listless apathy of unchanging ages in Elfland, he came all at once on -his remembrance of Erl; and looked at Orion again and began to cogitate. -And at this same moment Orion told to the troll the august name of his -mother. At once Lurulu made what is known amongst the trolls of Elfland -as the abasement of the five points; that is to say he bowed himself to -the ground on his two knees, his two hands and his forehead. Then he -sprang up again with a high leap into the air; for reverence rested not -on his spirit long.</p> - -<p>"What are you doing in men's fields?" said Orion.</p> - -<p>"Playing" said Lurulu.</p> - -<p>"What do you do in Elfland?"</p> - -<p>"Watch time," said Lurulu.</p> - -<p>"That would not amuse me," said Orion.</p> - -<p>"You've never done it," said Lurulu. "You cannot watch time in the -fields of men."</p> - -<p>"Why not?" asked Orion.</p> - -<p>"It moves too fast."</p> - -<p>Orion pondered awhile on this but could make nothing of it; because, -never having gone from the fields we know, he knew only one pace of -time, and so had no means of comparison.</p> - -<p>"How many years have gone over you," asked the troll, "since we spoke -in -Erl?"</p> - -<p>"Years?" said Orion.</p> - -<p>"A hundred?" guessed the troll.</p> - -<p>"Nearly twelve," said Orion. "And you?"</p> - -<p>"It is still to-day" said the troll.</p> - -<p>And Orion would not speak any more of time, for he cared not for the -discussion of a subject of which he appeared to know less than a common -troll.</p> - -<p>"Will you carry a whip," he said, "and run with my hounds when we -hunt -the unicorn over the fields we know."</p> - -<p>Lurulu looked searchingly at the hounds, watching their brown eyes: -the -hounds turned doubtful noses towards the troll and sniffed -enquiringly.</p> - -<p>"They are dogs," said the troll, as though that were against them. -"Yet -they have pleasant thoughts."</p> - -<p>"You will carry the whip then," said Orion.</p> - -<p>"M, yes. Yes," said the troll.</p> - -<p>So Orion gave him his own whip there and then, and blew his horn and -went away from the twilight, and told Lurulu to keep the hounds -together and to bring them on behind him.</p> - -<p>And the hounds were uneasy at the sight of the troll, and sniffed and -sniffed again, but could not make him human, and were loth to obey a -creature no larger than them. They ran up to him through curiosity, and -ran away in disgust, and straggled through disobedience. But the -boundless resources of that nimble troll were not thus easily thwarted, -and the whip went suddenly up, looking three times as large in that tiny -hand, and the lash flew forward and cracked on the tip of a hound's -nose. The hound yelped, then looked astonished, and the rest were uneasy -still: they must have thought it an accident. But again the lash shot -forward and cracked on another nose-tip; and the hounds saw then that it -was not chance that guided those stinging shots, but a deadly unerring -eye. And from that time on they reverenced Lurulu, although he never -smelt human.</p> - -<p>So went Orion and his pack of hounds in the late evening homewards, -and -no sheep-dog kept the flock on wolf-haunted wold safer or closer than -Lurulu kept the pack: he was on each flank or behind them, wherever a -straggler was, and could leap right over the pack from side to side. And -the pale-blue Elfin Mountains faded from view before Orion had gone from -the frontier as much as a hundred paces, for their gloomless peaks were -hid by the earthly darkness that was deepening wide over the fields we -know.</p> - -<p>Homeward they went, and soon there appeared above them the wandering -multitude of our earth-seen stars. Lurulu now and then looked up to -marvel at them, as we have all done at some time; but for the most part -he fixed his attention on the hounds, for now that he was in earthly -fields he was concerned with the things of Earth. And never one hound -loitered but that Lurulu's whip would touch him, with its tiny -explosion, perhaps on the tip of its tail, scattering a little dust of -fragments of hair and whipcord; and the hound would yelp and run in to -the others, and all the pack would know that another of those unerring -shots had gone home.</p> - -<p>A certain grace with a whip, a certain sureness of aim, comes when a -life is devoted to the carrying of a whip amongst hounds; comes, say, in -twenty years. And sometimes it runs in families; and that is better than -years of practice. But neither years of practice nor the wont of the -whip in the blood can give the certain aim that one thing can; and that -one thing is magic. The hurl of the lash, as immediate as the sudden -turn of an eye, its flash to a chosen spot as direct as sight, were not -of this Earth. And though the cracks of that whip might have seemed to -passing men to be no more than the work of an earthly huntsman, yet not -a hound but knew that there was in it more than this, a thing from -beyond our fields.</p> - -<p>There was a touch of dawn in the sky when Orion saw again the village -of -Erl, sending up pillars of smoke from early fires below him, and came -with his hounds and his new whipper-in down the side of the valley. -Early windows winked at him as he went down the street and came in the -silence and chill to the empty kennels. And when the hounds were all -curled up on their straw he found a place for Lurulu, a mouldering loft -in which were sacks and a few heaps of hay: from a pigeon-loft just -beyond it some of the pigeons had strayed, and dwelt all along the -rafters. There Orion left Lurulu, and went to his tower, cold with the -want of sleep and food; and weary as he would not have been if he had -found a unicorn, but the noise of the troll's chatter when he had found -him on the frontier had made it useless to watch for those wary beasts -that evening. Orion slept. But the troll in the mouldering loft sat long -on his bundle of hay observing the ways of time. He saw through cracks -in old shutters the stars go moving by; he saw them pale: he saw the -other light spread; he saw the wonder of sunrise: he felt the gloom of -the loft all full of the coo of the pigeons; he watched their restless -ways: he heard wild birds stir in near elms, and men abroad in the -morning, and horses and carts and cows; and everything changing as the -morning grew. A land of change! The decay of the boards in the loft, and -the moss outside in the mortar, and old lumber mouldering away, all -seemed to tell the same story. Change and nothing abiding. He thought of -the age-old calm that held the beauty of Elfland. And then he thought of -the tribe of trolls he had left, wondering what they would think of the -ways of Earth. And the pigeons were suddenly terrified by wild peals of -Lurulu's laughter.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII<br /> - -<i>Lurulu Watches the Restlessness of Earth</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>As the day wore on and still Orion slept heavily, and even the hounds -lay silent in their kennels a little way off, and the coming and going -of men and carts below had nothing to do with the troll, Lurulu began to -feel lonely. So thick are the brown trolls in the dells they inhabit -that none feels lonely there. They sit there silent, enjoying the beauty -of Elfland or their own impudent thoughts, or at rare moments when -Elfland is stirred from its deep natural calm their laughter floods the -dells. They were no more lonely there than rabbits are. But in all the -fields of Earth there was only one troll; and that troll felt lonely. -The door of the pigeon loft was open some ten feet from the door of the -hayloft, and some six feet higher. A ladder led to the hayloft, clamped -to the wall with iron; but nothing at all communicated with the -pigeon-loft lest cats should go that way. From it came the murmur of -abundant life, which attracted the lonely troll. The jump from door to -door was nothing to him, and he landed in the pigeon-loft in his usual -attitude, with a look of impudent welcome upon his face. But the pigeons -poured away on a roar of wings through their windows, and the troll was -still lonely.</p> - -<p>He liked the pigeon-loft as soon as he looked at it. He liked the -signs -that he saw of teeming life, the hundred little houses of slate and -plaster, the myriad feathers, and the musty smell. He liked the age-old -ease of the sleepy loft, and the huge spiders-webs that draped the -corners, holding years and years of dust. He did not know what cobwebs -were, never having seen them in Elfland, but he admired their -workmanship.</p> - -<p>The age of the pigeon-loft that had filled the corners with cobwebs, -and -broken patches of plaster away from the wall, shewing ruddy bricks -beneath, and laid bare the laths in the roof and even the slates beyond, -gave to the dreamy place an air not unlike to the calm of Elfland; but -below it and all around Lurulu noted the restlessness of Earth. Even the -sunlight through the little ventilation-holes that shone on the wall -moved.</p> - -<p>Presently there came the roar of the pigeons' returning wings and the -crash of their feet on the slate roof above him, but they did not yet -come in again to their homes. He saw the shadow of this roof cast on -another roof below him, and the restless shadows of the pigeons along -the edge. He observed the grey lichen covering most of the lower roof, -and the neat round patches of newer yellow lichen on the shapeless mass -of the grey. He heard a duck call out slowly six or seven times. He -heard a man come into a stable below him and lead a horse away. A hound -woke and cried out. Some jackdaws, disturbed from some tower, passed -over high in the air with boisterous voices. He saw big clouds go -hurrying along the tops of far hills. He heard a wild pigeon call from a -neighbouring tree. Some men went by talking. And after a while he -perceived to his astonishment what he had had no leisure to notice on -his previous visit to Erl, that even the shadows of houses moved; for he -saw that the shadow of the roof under which he sat had moved a little on -the roof below, over the grey and yellow lichen. Perpetual movement and -perpetual change! He contrasted it, in wonder, with the deep calm of his -home, where the moment moved more slowly than the shadows of houses -here, and did not pass until all the content with which a moment is -stored had been drawn from it by every creature in Elfland.</p> - -<p>And then with a whirring and whining of wings the pigeons began to -come -back. They came from the tops of the battlements of the highest tower of -Erl, on which they had sheltered awhile, feeling guarded by its great -height and its hoary age from this strange new thing that they feared. -They came back and sat on the sills of their little windows and looked -in with one eye at the troll. Some were all white, but the grey ones had -rainbow-coloured necks that were scarce less lovely than those colours -that made the splendour of Elfland; and Lurulu as they watched him -suspiciously where he sat still in a corner longed for their dainty -companionship. And, when these restless children of a restless air and -Earth still would not enter, he tried to soothe them with the -restlessness to which they were accustomed and in which he believed all -folk that dwelt in our fields delighted. He leaped up suddenly; he -sprang on to a slate-built house for a pigeon high on a wall; he darted -across to the next wall and back to the floor; but there was an outcry -of wings and the pigeons were gone. And gradually he learned that the -pigeons preferred stillness.</p> - -<p>Their wings roared back soon to the roof; their feet thumped and -clicked -on the slates again; but not for long did they return to their homes. -And the lonely troll looked out of their windows observing the ways of -Earth. He saw a water-wagtail light on the roof below him: he watched it -until it went. And then two sparrows came to some corn that had been -dropped on the ground: he noted them too. Each was an entirely new genus -to the troll, and he showed no more interest as he watched every -movement of the sparrows than should we if we met with an utterly -unknown bird. When the sparrows were gone the duck quacked again, so -deliberately that another ten minutes passed while Lurulu tried to -interpret what it was saying, and although he desisted then because -other interests attracted him he felt sure it was something important. -Then the jackdaws tumbled by again, but their voices sounded frivolous, -and Lurulu did not give them much attention. To the pigeons on the roof -that would not come home he listened long, not trying to interpret what -they were saying, yet satisfied with the case as the pigeons put it; -feeling that they told the story of life, and that all was well. And he -felt as he listened to the low talk of the pigeons that Earth must have -been going on for a long time.</p> - -<p>Beyond the roofs the tall trees rose up, leafless except for -evergreen -oaks and some laurels and pines and yews, and the ivy that climbed up -trunks, but the buds of the beech were getting ready to burst: and the -sunlight glittered and flashed on the buds and leaves, and the ivy and -laurel shone. A breeze passed by and some smoke drifted from some near -chimney. Far away Lurulu saw a huge grey wall of stone that circled a -garden all asleep in the sun; and clear in the sunlight he saw a -butterfly sail by, and swoop when it came to the garden. And then he saw -two peacocks go slowly past. He saw the shadow of the roofs darkening -the lower part of the shining trees. He heard a cock crow somewhere, -and a hound spoke out again. And then a sudden shower rained on the -roofs, and at once the pigeons wanted to come home. They alighted -outside their little windows again and all looked sideways at the troll; -Lurulu kept very still this time; and after a while the pigeons, though -they saw that he was by no means one of themselves, agreed that he did -not belong to the tribe of cat, and returned at last to the street of -their tiny houses and there continued their curious age-old tale. And -Lurulu longed to repay them with curious tales of the trolls, the -treasured legends of Elfland, but found that he could not make them -understand troll-talk. So he sat and listened to them talking, till it -seemed to him they were trying to lull the restlessness of Earth, and -thought that they might by drowsy incantation be putting some spell -against time, through which it could not come to harm their nests; for -the power of time was not made clear to him yet and he knew not yet that -nothing in our fields has the strength to hold out against time. The -very nests of the pigeons were built on the ruins of old nests, on a -solid layer of crumbled things that time had made in that pigeon-loft, -as outside it the strata are made from the ruins of hills. So vast and -ceaseless a ruin was not yet clear to the troll, for his sharp -understanding had only been meant to guide him through the lull and the -calm of Elfland, and he busied himself with a tinier consideration. For -seeing that the pigeons seemed now amicable he leapt back to his hayloft -and returned with a bundle of hay, which he put down in a corner to make -himself comfortable there. When the pigeons saw all this movement they -looked at him sideways again, jerking their necks queerly, but in the -end decided to accept the troll as a lodger; and he curled up on his hay -and listened to the history of Earth, which he believed the tale of the -pigeons to be, though he did not know their language.</p> - -<p>But the day wore on and hunger came on the troll, far sooner than -ever -it did in Elfland, where even when he was hungry he had no more to do -than to reach up and take the berries that hung low from the trees, that -grew in the forest that bordered the dells of the trolls. And it is -because the trolls eat them whenever hunger comes on them, which it -rarely does, that these curious fruits are called trollberries. He -leaped now from the pigeon-loft and scampered abroad, looking all round -for trollberries. And there were no berries at all, for there is but one -season for berries, as we know well; it is one of the tricks of time. -But that all the berries on Earth should pass away for a period was to -the troll too astounding to be comprehended at all. He was all among -farm-buildings, and presently he saw a rat humping himself slowly along -through a dark shed. He knew nothing of rat-talk; but it is a curious -thing that when any two folk are after the same thing, each somehow -knows what the other is after, at once, as soon as he sees him. We are -all partially blind to other folks' occupations, but when we meet anyone -engaged in our own pursuit then somehow we soon seem to know without -being told. And the moment that Lurulu saw the rat in the shed he seemed -to know that it was looking for food. So he followed the rat quietly. -And soon the rat came up to a sack of oats, and to open that took him no -longer than it does to shell a row of peas, and soon he was eating the -oats.</p> - -<p>"Are they good?" said the troll in troll-talk.</p> - -<p>The rat looked at him dubiously, noting his resemblance to man, and -on -the other hand his unlikeness to dogs. But on the whole the rat was -dissatisfied, and after a long look turned away in silence and went out -of the shed. Then Lurulu ate the oats and found they were good.</p> - -<p>When he had had enough oats the troll returned to the pigeon-loft, -and -sat a long while there at one of the little windows looking out across -the roofs at the strange new ways of time. And the shadow upon the trees -went higher, and the glitter was gone from the laurels and all the lower -leaves. And then the light of the ivy-leaves and the holm-oaks turned -from silvery to pale gold. And the shadow went higher still. All the -world full of change.</p> - -<p>An old man with a narrow long white beard came slowly to the kennels, -and opened the door and went in and fed the hounds with meat that he -brought from a shed. All the evening rang with the hounds' outcry. And -presently the old man came out again, and his slow departure seemed to -the watchful troll yet more of the restlessness of Earth.</p> - -<p>And then a man came slowly leading a horse to the stable below the -pigeon-loft; and went away again and left the horse eating. The shadows -were higher now on walls and roofs and trees. Only the tree-tops and the -tip of a high belfry had the light any longer. The ruddy buds on high -beeches were glowing now like dull rubies. And a great serenity came in -the pale blue sky, and small clouds leisurely floating there turned to a -flaming orange, past which the rooks went homewards to some clump of -trees under the downs. It was a peaceful scene. And yet to the troll, as -he watched in the musty loft amongst generations of feathers, the noise -of the rooks and their multitude thronging the sky, the dull continual -sound of the horse eating, the leisurely sound now and then of homeward -feet, and the slow shutting of gates, seemed to be proof that nothing -ever rested in all the fields we know; and the sleepy lazy village that -dreamed in the Vale of Erl, and that knew no more of other lands than -their folk knew of its story, seemed to that simple troll to be a vortex -of restlessness.</p> - -<p>And now the sunlight was gone from the highest places, and a moon a -few -days old was shining over the pigeon-loft, out of sight of Lurulu's -window, but filling the air with a strange new tint. And all these -changes bewildered him, so that he thought awhile of returning to -Elfland, but the whim came again to his mind to astonish the other -trolls; and while this whim was on him he slipped down from the loft, -and went to find Orion.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV<br /> - -<i>Lurulu Speaks of Earth and the Ways of Men</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The troll had found Orion in his castle and had laid his plan before -him. Briefly the plan was to have more whips for the pack. For one alone -could not always guard every hound from straying when they went to the -boundary of twilight, where but a few yards away lay spaces from which -if a hound ever came home, as lost hounds do at evening, it would come -home all worn and bedraggled with age for its half hour of straying. -Each hound, said Lurulu, should have its troll to guide it, and to run -with it when it hunted, and be its servant when it came home hungry and -muddy. And Orion had seen at once the unequalled advantage of having -each hound controlled by an alert if tiny intelligence, and had told -Lurulu to go for the trolls. So now, while the hounds were sleeping on -boards in a doggy mass in each of their kennels, for the dogs and the -bitches dwelt each in a separate house, the troll was scurrying over the -fields we know through twilight trembling on the verge of moonlight, -with his face turned toward Elfland.</p> - -<p>He passed a white farm-house with a little window towards him that -shone -bright yellow out of a wall pale blue with a tint that it had from the -moon. Two dogs barked at him and rushed out to chase him, and this troll -would have tricked them and mocked them on any other day, but now his -mind was full to the brim with his mission, and he heeded them no more -than a thistledown would have heeded them on a windy day of September, -and went on bouncing over the tips of the grasses till the pursuing dogs -were far behind and panting.</p> - -<p>And long before the stars had paled from any touch of the dawn he -came -to the barrier that divides our fields from the home of such things as -him, and leaping forward out of the earthly night, and high through the -barrier of twilight, he arrived on all fours on his natal soil in the -ageless day of Elfland. Through the gorgeous beauty of that heavy air -that outshines our lakes at sunrise, and leaves all our colours pale, he -scampered full of the news he had with which to astonish his kith. He -came to the moors of the trolls where they dwell in their queer -habitations, and uttered the squeaks as he went whereby the trolls -summon their folk; and he came to the forest in which the trolls have -made dwellings in boles of enormous trees; for there be trolls of the -forest and trolls of the moor, two tribes that are friendly and kin; and -there he uttered again the squeaks of the trolls' summons. And soon -there was a rustling of flowers throughout the deeps of the forest, as -though all four winds were blowing, and the rustling grew and grew, and -the trolls appeared, and sat down one by one near Lurulu. And still the -rustling grew, troubling the whole wood, and the brown trolls poured on -and sat down round Lurulu. From many a tree-bole, and hollows thick with -fern, they came tumbling in; and from the high thin gomaks afar on the -moors, to name as are named in Elfland those queer habitations for -which there is no earthly name, the odd grey cloth-like material draped -tent-wise about a pole. They gathered about him in the dim but -glittering light that floated amongst the fronds of those magical trees, -whose soaring trunks out-distanced our eldest pines, and shone on the -spikes of cacti of which our world little dreams. And when the brown -mass of the trolls was all gathered there, till the floor of the forest -looked as though an Autumn had come to Elfland, strayed out of the -fields we know, and when all the rustling had ceased and the silence was -heavy again as it had been for ages, Lurulu spoke to them telling them -tales of time.</p> - -<p>Never before had such tales been heard in Elfland. Trolls had -appeared -before in the fields we know, and had come back wondering: but Lurulu -amongst the houses of Erl had been in the midst of men; and time, as he -told the trolls, moved in the village with more wonderful speed than -ever it did in the grass of the fields of Earth. He told how the light -moved, he told of shadows, he told how the air was white and bright and -pale; he told how for a little while Earth began to grow like Elfland, -with a kinder light and the beginning of colours, and then just as one -thought of home the light would blink away and the colours be gone. He -told of stars. He told of cows and goats and the moon, three horned -creatures that he found curious. He had found more wonder in Earth than -we remember, though we also saw these things once for the first time; -and out of the wonder he felt at the ways of the fields we know, he made -many a tale that held the inquisitive trolls and gripped them silent -upon the floor of the forest, as though they were indeed a fall of brown -leaves in October that a frost had suddenly bound. They heard of -chimneys and carts for the first time: with a thrill they heard of -windmills. They listened spell-bound to the ways of men; and every now -and then, as when he told of hats, there ran through the forest a wave -of little yelps of laughter.</p> - -<p>Then he said that they should see hats and spades and dog-kennels, -and -look through casements and get to know the windmill; and a curiosity -arose in the forest amongst that brown mass of trolls, for their race is -profoundly inquisitive. And Lurulu stopped not here, relying on -curiosity alone to draw them from Elfland into the fields we know; but -he drew them also with another emotion. For he spoke of the haughty, -reserved, high, glittering unicorns, who tarry to speak to trolls no -more than cattle when they drink in pools of ours trouble to speak to -frogs. They all knew their haunts, they should watch their ways and tell -of these things to man, and the outcome of it would be that they should -hunt the unicorns with nothing less than dogs. Now however slight their -knowledge of dogs, the fear of dogs is—as I have -said—universal -amongst all creatures that run; and they laughed gustily to think of the -unicorns being hunted with dogs. Thus Lurulu lured them toward Earth -with spite and curiosity; and knew that he was succeeding; and inwardly -chuckled till he was well warmed within. For amongst the trolls none -goes in higher repute than one that is able to astound the others, or -even to show them any whimsical thing, or to trick or perplex them -humorously. Lurulu had Earth to show, whose ways are considered, amongst -those able to judge, to be fully as quaint and whimsical as the curious -observer could wish.</p> - -<p>Then up spake a grizzled troll; one that had crossed too often -Earth's -border of twilight to watch the ways of men; and, while watching their -ways too long, time had grizzled him.</p> - -<p>"Shall we go," he said, "from the woods that all folk know, and the -pleasant ways of the Land, to see a new thing, and be swept away by -time?" And there was a murmur among the trolls, that hummed away through -the forest and died out, as on Earth the sound of beetles going home. -"Is it not to-day?" he said. "But there they call it to-day, yet none -knows what it is: come back through the border again to look at it and -it is gone. Time is raging there, like the dogs that stray over our -frontier, barking, frightened and angry and wild to be home."</p> - -<p>"It is even so," said the trolls, though they did not know; but this -was -a troll whose words carried weight in the forest. "Let us keep to-day," -said that weighty troll, "while we have it, and not be lured where -to-day is too easily lost. For every time men lose it their hair grows -whiter, their limbs grow weaker and their faces sadder, and they are -nearer still to to-morrow."</p> - -<p>So gravely he spoke when he uttered that word "to-morrow" that the -brown -trolls were frightened.</p> - -<p>"What happens to-morrow?" one said.</p> - -<p>"They die," said the grizzled troll. "And the others dig in their -earth -and put them in, as I have seen them do, and then they go to Heaven, as -I have heard them tell." And a shudder went through the trolls far over -the floor of the forest.</p> - -<p>And Lurulu who had sat angry all this while to hear that weighty -troll -speak ill of Earth, where he would have them come, to astonish them with -its quaintness, spoke now in defence of Heaven.</p> - -<p>"Heaven is a good place," he blurted hotly, though any tales he had -heard of it were few.</p> - -<p>"All the blessed are there," the grizzled troll replied, "and it is -full -of angels. What chance would a troll have there? The angels would catch -him, for they say on Earth that the angels all have wings; they would -catch a troll and smack him forever and ever."</p> - -<p>And all the brown trolls in the forest wept.</p> - -<p>"We are not so easily caught," Lurulu said.</p> - -<p>"They have wings," said the grizzled troll.</p> - -<p>And all were sorrowful and shook their heads, for they knew the -speed of -wings.</p> - -<p>The birds of Elfland mostly soared on the heavy air and eyed -everlastingly that fabulous beauty which to them was food and nest, and -of which they sometimes sang; but trolls playing along the border, -peering into the fields we know, had seen the dart and the swoop of -earthly birds, wondering at them as we wonder at heavenly things, and -knew that if wings were after him a poor troll would scarcely escape. -"Welladay," said the trolls.</p> - -<p>The grizzled troll said no more, and had no need to, for the forest -was -full of their sadness as they sat thinking of Heaven and feared that -they soon might come there if they dared to inhabit Earth.</p> - -<p>And Lurulu argued no more. It was not a time for argument, for the -trolls were too sad for reason. So he spoke gravely to them of solemn -things, uttering learned words and standing in reverend attitude. Now -nothing rejoices the trolls as learning does and solemnity, and they -will laugh for hours at a reverend attitude or any semblance of gravity. -Thus he won them back again to the levity that is their natural mood. -And when this was accomplished he spoke again of Earth, telling -whimsical stories of the ways of man.</p> - -<p>I do not wish to write the things that Lurulu said of man, lest I -should hurt my reader's self-esteem, and thereby injure him or her whom -I seek only to entertain; but all the forest rippled and squealed with -laughter. And the grizzled troll was able to say no more to check the -curiosity which was growing in all that multitude to see who it was that -lived in houses and had a hat immediately above him and a chimney higher -up, and spoke to dogs and would not speak to pigs, and whose gravity was -funnier than anything trolls could do. And the whim was on all those -trolls to go at once to Earth, and see pigs and carts and windmills and -laugh at man. And Lurulu who had told Orion that he would bring a score -of trolls, was hard set to keep the whole brown mass from coming, so -quickly change the moods and whims of the trolls: had he let them all -have their way there were no trolls left in Elfland, for even the -grizzled troll had changed his mind with the rest. Fifty he chose and -led them towards Earth's perilous frontier; and away they scurried out -of the gloom of the forest, as a whirl of brown oak-leaves scurries on -days of November's worst.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV<br /> - -<i>Lirazel Remembers the Fields We Know</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>As the trolls scurried earthwards to laugh at the ways of man, -Lirazel -stirred where she sat on her father's knee, who grave and calm on his -throne of mist and ice had hardly moved for twelve of our earthly years. -She sighed and the sigh rippled over the fells of dream and lightly -troubled Elfland. And the dawns and the sunsets and twilight and the -pale blue glow of stars, that are blended together forever to be the -light of Elfland, felt a faint touch of sorrow and all their radiance -shook. For the magic that caught these lights and the spells that bound -them together, to illumine forever the land that owes no allegiance to -Time, were not so strong as a sorrow rising dark from a royal mood of a -princess of the elvish line. She sighed, for through her long content -and across the calm of Elfland there had floated a thought of Earth; so -that in the midmost splendours of Elfland, of which song can barely -tell, she called to mind common cowslips, and many a trivial weed of the -fields we know. And walking in those fields she saw in fancy Orion, upon -the other side of the boundary of twilight, remote from her by she knew -not what waste of years. And the magical glories of Elfland and its -beauty beyond our dreaming, and the deep deep calm in which ages slept, -unhurt unhurried by time, and the art of her father that guarded the -least of the lilies from fading, and the spells by which he made -day-dreams and yearnings true, held her fancy no longer from roving nor -contented her any more. And so her sigh blew over the magical land and -slightly troubled the flowers.</p> - -<p>And her father felt her sorrow and knew that it troubled the flowers -and -knew that it shook the calm that lay upon Elfland, though no more than a -bird would shake a regal curtain, fluttering against its folds, when -wandering lost upon a Summer's night. And though he knew too it was but -for Earth that she sorrowed, preferring some mundane way to the midmost -glories of Elfland, as she sat with him on the throne that may only be -told of in song, yet even this moved nothing in his magical heart but -compassion; as we might pity a child who in fanes that to us seemed -sacred might be found to be sighing for some trivial thing. And the more -that Earth seemed to him unworthy of sorrow, being soon come soon gone, -the helpless prey of time, an evanescent appearance seen off the coasts -of Elfland, too brief for the graver care of a mind weighted with magic, -the more he pitied his child for her errant whim that had rashly -wandered here, and become entangled—alas—with the things -that pass -away. Ah, well! she was not content. He felt no wrath against Earth that -had lured her fancies away: she was not content with the innermost -splendours of Elfland, but she sighed for something more: his tremendous -art should give it. So he raised his right arm up from the thing whereon -it rested, a part of his mystical throne that was made of music and -mirage; he raised his right arm up and a hush fell over Elfland.</p> - -<p>The great leaves ceased from their murmur through the green deeps of -the -forest; silent as carven marble were fabulous bird and monster; and the -brown trolls scampering earthwards all halted suddenly hushed. Then out -of the hush rose little murmurs of yearning, little sounds as of longing -for things that no songs can say, sounds like the voices of tears if -each little salt drop could live, and be given a voice to tell of the -ways of grief. Then all these little rumours danced gravely into a -melody that the master of Elfland called up with his magical hand. And -the melody told of dawn coming up over infinite marshes, far away upon -Earth or some planet that Elfland did not know; growing slowly out of -deep darkness and starlight and bitter cold; powerless, chilly and -cheerless, scarce overcoming the stars; obscured by shadows of thunder -and hated by all things dark; enduring, growing and glowing; until -through the gloom of the marshes and across the chill of the air came -all in a glorious moment the splendour of colour; and dawn went onward -with this triumphant thing, and the blackest clouds turned slowly rose -and rode in a sea of lilac, and the darkest rocks that had guarded night -shone now with a golden glow. And when his melody could say no more of -this wonder, that had forever been foreign to all the elvish dominions, -then the King moved his hand where he held it high, as one might beckon -to birds, and called up a dawn over Elfland, luring it from some planet -of those that are nearest the sun. And fresh and fair though it came -from beyond the bourn of geography, and out of an age long lost and -beyond history's ken, a dawn glowed upon Elfland that had known no dawn -before. And the dewdrops of Elfland slung from the bended tips of the -grasses gathered in that dawn to their tiny spheres and held there -shining and wonderful that glory of skies such as ours, the first they -had ever seen.</p> - -<p>And the dawn grew strangely and slowly over those unwonted lands, -pouring upon them the colours that day after day our daffodils, and day -after day our wild roses, through all the weeks of their season, drink -deep with voluptuous assemblies in utterly silent riot. And a gleam that -was new to the forest appeared on the long strange leaves, and shadows -unknown to Elfland slipped out from the monstrous tree-boles, and stole -over grasses that had not dreamed of their advent; and the spires of -that palace perceiving a wonder, less lovely indeed than they, yet knew -that the stranger was magic, and uttered an answering gleam from their -sacred windows, that flashed over elvish fells like an inspiration and -mingled a flush of rose with the blue of the Elfin Mountains. And -watchers on wonderful peaks that gazed from their crags for ages, lest -from Earth or from any star should come a stranger to Elfland, saw the -first blush of the sky as it felt the coming of dawn, and raised their -horns and blew that call that warned Elfland against a stranger. And the -guardians of savage valleys lifted horns of fabulous bulls and blew the -call again in the dark of their awful precipices, and echo carried it on -from the monstrous marble faces of rocks that repeated the call to all -their barbarous company; so Elfland rang with the warning that a strange -thing troubled her coasts. And to the land thus expectant, thus -watchful, with magical sabres elate along lonely crags, summoned from -blackened scabbards by those horns to repel an enemy, dawn came now wide -now golden, the old old wonder we know. And the palace with every -marvel and with all its charms and enchantments flashed out of its -ice-blue radiance a glory of welcome or rivalry, adding to Elfland a -splendour of which only song may say.</p> - -<p>It was then that the elfin King moved his hand again, where he held -it -high by the crystal spires of his crown, and waved a way through the -walls of his magical palace, and showed to Lirazel the unmeasured -leagues of his kingdom. And she saw by magic, for so long as his fingers -made that spell; the dark green forests and all the fells of Elfland, -and the solemn pale-blue mountains and the valleys that weird folk -guarded, and all the creatures of fable that crept in the dark of huge -leaves, and the riotous trolls as they scampered away towards Earth: she -saw the watchers lift their horns to their lips, while there flashed a -light on the horns that was the proudest triumph of the hidden art of -her father, the light of a dawn lured over unthinkable spaces to appease -his daughter and comfort her whims and recall her fancies from Earth. -She saw the lawns whereon Time had idled for centuries, withering not -one bloom of all the boundary of flowers; and the new light coming upon -the lawns she loved, through the heavy colour of Elfland, gave them a -beauty that they had never known until dawn made this boundless journey -to meet the enchanted twilight; and all the while there glowed and -flashed and glittered those palace spires of which only song may tell. -From that bewildering beauty he turned his eyes away, and looked in his -daughter's face to see the wonder with which she would welcome her -glorious home as her fancies came back from the fields of age and death, -whither—alas—they had wandered. And though her eyes were -turned to the -Elfin Mountains, whose mystery and whose blue they strangely matched, -yet as the Elf King looked in those eyes for which alone he had lured -the dawn so far from its natural courses, he saw in their magical deeps -a thought of Earth! A thought of Earth, though he had lifted his arm and -made a mystical sign with all his might to bring a wonder to Elfland -that should content her with home. And all his dominions had exulted in -this, and the watchers on awful crags had blown strange calls, and -monster and insect and bird and flower had rejoiced with a new joy, and -there in the centre of Elfland his daughter thought of Earth.</p> - -<p>Had he shown her any wonder but dawn he might have lured home that -fancy, but in bringing this exotic beauty to Elfland to blend with its -ancient wonders, he awoke memories of morning coming over fields that he -knew not, and Lirazel played in fancy in fields once more with Orion, -where grew the unenchanted earthly flowers amongst the English -grasses.</p> - -<p>"Is it not enough?" he said in his strange rich magical voice, and -pointed across his wide lands with the fingers that summoned wonder.</p> - -<p>She sighed: it was not enough.</p> - -<p>And sorrow came upon that enchanted King: he had only his daughter, -and -she sighed for Earth. There had been once a queen that had reigned with -him over Elfland; but she was mortal, and being mortal died. For she -would often stray to the hills of Earth to see the may again, or to see -the beechwoods in Autumn; and though she stayed but a day when she came -to the fields we know, and was back in the palace beyond the twilight -before our sun had set, yet Time found her whenever she came; and so she -wore away, and soon she died in Elfland; for she was only a mortal. And -wondering elves had buried her, as one buries the daughters of men. And -now the King was all alone with his daughter, and she had just sighed -for Earth. Sorrow was on him, but out of the dark of that sorrow arose, -as often with men, and went up singing out of his mourning mind, an -inspiration gleaming with laughter and joy. He stood up then and raised -up both his arms and his inspiration broke over Elfland in music. And -with the tide of that music there went like the strength of the sea an -impulse to rise and dance which none in Elfland resisted. Gravely he -waved his arms and the music floated from them; and all that stalked -through the forest and all that crept upon leaves, all that leaped among -craggy heights or browsed upon acres of lilies, all things in all manner -of places, yea the sentinel guarding his presence, the lonely -mountain-watchers and the trolls as they scampered towards Earth, all -danced to a tune that was made of the spirit of Spring, arrived on an -earthly morning amongst happy herds of goats.</p> - -<p>And the trolls were very near to the frontier now, their faces -already -puckered to laugh at the ways of men; they were hurrying with all the -eagerness of small vain things to be over the twilight that lies between -Elfland and Earth: now they went forward no longer, but only glided in -circles and intricate spirals, dancing some such dance as the gnats in -Summer evenings dance over the fields we know. And grave monsters of -fable in deeps of the ferny forest danced minuets that witches had made -of their whims and their laughter, long ago long ago in their youth -before cities had come to the world. And the trees of the forest heavily -lifted slow roots out of the ground and swayed upon them uncouthly and -then danced as on monstrous claws, and the insects danced on the huge -waving leaves. And in the dark of long caverns weird things in -enchanted seclusion rose out of their age-long sleep and danced in the -damp.</p> - -<p>And beside the wizard King stood, swaying slightly to the rhythm that -had set dancing all magical things, the Princess Lirazel with that faint -gleam on her face that shone from a hidden smile; for she secretly -smiled forever at the power of her great beauty. And all in a sudden -moment the Elf King raised one hand higher and held it high and stilled -all that danced in Elfland, and gripped by a sudden awe all magical -things, and sent over Elfland a melody all made of notes he had caught -from wandering inspirations that sing and stray through limpid blue -beyond our earthly coasts: and all the land lay deep in the magic of -that strange music. And the wild things that Earth has guessed at and -the things hidden even from legend were moved to sing age-old songs that -their memories had forgotten. And fabulous things of the air were lured -downwards out of great heights. And emotions unknown and unthought of -troubled the calm of Elfland. The flood of music beat with wonderful -waves against the slopes of the grave blue Elfin Mountains, till their -precipices uttered strange bronze-like echoes. On Earth no noise was -heard of music or echo: not a note came through the narrow border of -twilight, not a sound, not a murmur. Elsewhere those notes ascended, and -passed like rare strange moths through all the fields of Heaven, and -hummed like untraceable memories about the souls of the blessed; and the -angels heard that music but were forbidden to envy it. And though it -came not to Earth, and though never our fields have heard the music of -Elfland, yet there were then as there have been in every age, lest -despair should overtake the peoples of Earth, those that make songs for -the need of our grief and our laughter: and even they heard never a note -from Elfland across the border of twilight that kills their sound, but -they felt in their minds the dance of those magical notes, and wrote -them down and earthly instruments played them; then and never till then -have we heard the music of Elfland.</p> - -<p>For a while the Elf King held all things that owed him allegiance, -and -all their desires and wonders and fears and dreams, floating drowsy on -tides of music that was made of no sounds of Earth, but rather of that -dim substance in which the planets swim, with many another marvel that -only magic knows. And then as all Elfland was drinking the music in, as -our Earth drinks in soft rain, he turned again to his daughter with that -in his eyes that said "What land is so fair as ours?" And she turned -towards him to say "Here is my home forever." Her lips were parted to -say it and love was shining in the blue of her elfin eyes; she was -stretching her fair hands out towards her father; when they heard the -sound of the horn of a tired hunter, wearily blowing by the border of -Earth.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI<br /> - -<i>The Horn of Alveric</i></h2> -</div> - - -<p>Northward to lonely lands through wearying years Alveric wandered, -where -windy fragments of his grey gaunt tent added a gloom to chill evenings. -And the folk upon lonely farms, as they lit the lights in their houses, -and the ricks began to darken against the pale green of the sky, would -sometimes hear the rap of the mallets of Niv and Zend coming clear -through the hush from the land that no others trod. And their children -peering from casements to see if a star was come would see perhaps the -queer grey shape of that tent flapping its tatters above the last of the -hedgerows, where a moment before was only the grey of the gloaming. On -the next morning there would be guesses and wonderings, and the joy and -fear of the children, and the tales that their elders told them, and the -explorations by stealth to the edge of the fields of men, shy peerings -through dim green gaps in the last of the hedgerows (though to look -toward the East was forbidden), and rumours and expectations; and all -these things were blended together by this wonder that came from the -East, and so passed into legend, which lived for many a year beyond -that morning; but Alveric and his tent would be gone.</p> - -<p>So day by day and season after season that company wandered on, the -lonely mateless man, the moonstruck lad and the madman, and that old -grey tent with its long twisted pole. And all the stars became known to -them, and all the four winds familiar, and rain and mist and hail, but -the flow of yellow windows all warm and welcome at night they knew only -to say farewell to: with the earliest light in the first chill of dawn -Alveric would awake from impatient dreams, and Niv would arise shouting, -and away they would go upon their crazed crusade before any sign of -awakening appeared on the quiet dim gables. And every morning Niv -prophesied that they would surely find Elfland; and the days wore away -and the years.</p> - -<p>Thyl had long left them; Thyl who prophesied victory to them in -burning -song, whose inspirations cheered Alveric on coldest nights and led him -through rockiest ways, Thyl sang one evening suddenly songs of some -young girl's hair, Thyl who should have led their wanderings. And then -one day in the gloaming, a blackbird singing, the may in bloom for -miles, he turned for the houses of men, and married the maiden and was -one no more with any band of wanderers.</p> - -<p>The horses were dead; Niv and Zend carried all they had on the pole. -Many years had gone. One Autumn morning Alveric left the camp to go to -the houses of men. Niv and Zend eyed each other. Why should Alveric seek -to ask the way of others? For somehow or other their mad minds knew his -purpose more swiftly than sane intuitions. Had he not Niv's prophecies -to guide him, and the things that Zend had been told on oath by the full -moon?</p> - -<p>Alveric came to the houses of men, and of the folk he questioned few -would speak at all of things that lay to the East, and if he spoke of -the lands through which he had wandered for years they gave as little -heed as if he were telling them that he had pitched his tent on the -coloured layers of air that glowed and drifted and darkened in the low -sky over the sunset. And the few that answered him said one thing only: -that only the wizards knew.</p> - -<p>When he had learned this Alveric went back from the fields and -hedgerows -and came again to his old grey tent in the lands of which none thought; -and Niv and Zend sat there silent, eying him sideways, for they knew he -mistrusted madness and things said by the moon. And next day when they -moved their camp in the chill of dawn Niv led the way without -shouting.</p> - -<p>They had not gone for many more weeks upon their curious journey when -Alveric met one morning, at the edge of the fields men tended, one -filling his bucket at a well, whose thin high conical hat and mystical -air proclaimed him surely a wizard. "Master," said Alveric, "of those -arts men dread, I have a question that I would ask of the future."</p> - -<p>And the wizard turned from his bucket to look at Alveric with -doubtful -eyes, for the traveller's tattered figure seemed scarce to promise such -fees as are given by those that justly question the future. And, such as -those fees are, the wizard named them. And Alveric's wallet held that -which banished the doubts of the wizard. So that he pointed to where the -tip of his tower peered over a cluster of myrtles, and prayed Alveric to -come to his door when the evening star should appear; and in that -propitious hour he would make the future clear to him.</p> - -<p>And again Niv and Zend knew well that their leader followed after -dreams -and mysteries that came not from madness nor from the moon. And he left -them sitting still and saying nothing, but with minds full of fierce -visions.</p> - -<p>Through pale air waiting for the evening star Alveric walked over the -fields men tended, and came to the dark oak door of the wizard's tower -which myrtles brushed against with every breeze. A young apprentice in -wizardry opened the door and, by ancient wooden steps that the rats knew -better than men, led Alveric to the wizard's upper room.</p> - -<p>The wizard had on a silken cloak of black, which he held to be due to -the future; without it he would not question the years to be. And when -the young apprentice had gone away he moved to a volume he had on a high -desk, and turned from the volume to Alveric to ask what he sought of the -future. And Alveric asked him how he should come to Elfland. Then the -wizard opened the great book's darkened cover and turned the pages -therein, and for a long while all the pages he turned were blank, but -further on in the book much writing appeared, although of no kind that -Alveric had ever seen. And the wizard explained that such books as these -told of all things; but that he, being only concerned with the years to -be, had no need to read of the past, and had therefore acquired a book -that told of the future only; though he might have had more than this -from the College of Wizardry, had he cared to study the follies already -committed by man.</p> - -<p>Then he read for a while in his book, and Alveric heard the rats -returning softly to the streets and houses that they had made in the -stairs. And then the wizard found what he sought of the future, and told -Alveric that it was written in his book how he never should come to -Elfland while he carried a magical sword.</p> - -<p>When Alveric heard this he paid the wizard's fees and went away -doleful. -For he knew the perils of Elfland, which no common sabre forged on the -anvils of men could ever avail to parry. He did not know that the magic -that was in his sword left a flavour or taste on the air like that of -lightning, which passed through the border of twilight and spread over -Elfland, nor knew that the Elf King learned of his presence thus and -drew his frontier away from him, so that Alveric should trouble his -realm no more; but he believed what the wizard had read to him out of -his book, and so went doleful away. And, leaving the stairs of oak to -time and the rats, he passed out of the grove of myrtles and over the -fields of men, and came again to that melancholy spot where his grey -tent brooded mournfully in the wilderness, dull and silent as Niv and -Zend sitting beside it. And after that they turned and wandered -southwards, for all journeys now seemed equally hopeless to Alveric, who -would not give up his sword to meet magical perils without magical aid; -and Niv and Zend obeyed him silently, no longer guiding him with raving -prophesies or with things said by the moon, for they knew he had taken -counsel with another.</p> - -<p>By weary ways with lonely wanderings they came far to the South, and -never the border of Elfland appeared with its heavy layers of twilight; -yet Alveric would never give up his sword, for well he guessed that -Elfland dreaded its magic, and had poor hope of recapturing Lirazel with -any blade that was dreadful only to men. And after a while Niv -prophesied again, and Zend would come late on nights of the full moon to -wake Alveric with his tales. And for all the mystery that was in Zend -when he spoke, and for all the exultation of Niv when he prophesied, -Alveric knew by now that the tales and the prophecies were empty and -vain and that neither of these would ever bring him to Elfland. With -this mournful knowledge in a desolate land he still struck camp at dawn, -still marched, still sought for the frontier, and so the months went -by.</p> - -<p>And one day where the edge of Earth was a wild untended heath, -running -down to the rocky waste in which Alveric had camped, he saw at evening a -woman in the hat and cloak of a witch sweeping the heath with a broom. -And each stroke as she swept the heath was away from the fields we know, -away to the rocky waste, eastwards towards Elfland. Big gusts of black -dried earth and puffs of sand were blowing towards Alveric from every -powerful stroke. He walked towards her from his sorry encampment and -stood near and watched her sweeping; but still she laboured at her -vigorous work, striding away behind dust from the fields we know, and -sweeping as she strode. And after a while she lifted her face as she -swept and looked at Alveric, and he saw that it was the witch -Ziroonderel. After all these years he saw that witch again, and she saw -beneath the flapping rags of his cloak that sword that she had made for -him once on her hill. Its scabbard of leather could not hide from the -witch that it was that very sword, for she knew the flavour of magic -that rose from it faintly and floated wide through the evening.</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch!" said Alveric.</p> - -<p>And she curtsied low to him, magical though she was and aged by the -passing of years that had been before Alveric's father, and though many -in Erl had forgotten their lord by now; yet she had not forgotten.</p> - -<p>He asked her what she was doing there, on the heath with her broom in -the evening.</p> - -<p>"Sweeping the world," she said.</p> - -<p>And Alveric wondered what rejected things she was sweeping away from -the -world, with grey dust mournfully turning over and over as it drifted -across our fields, going slowly into the darkness that was gathering -beyond our coasts.</p> - -<p>"Why are you sweeping the world, Mother Witch?" he said.</p> - -<p>"There's things in the world that ought not to be here," said -she.</p> - -<p>He looked wistfully then at the rolling grey clouds from her broom -that -were all drifting towards Elfland.</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch," he said, "can I go too? I have looked for twelve -years -for Elfland, and have not found a glimpse of the Elfin Mountains."</p> - -<p>And the old witch looked kindly at him, and then she glanced at his -sword.</p> - -<p>"He's afraid of my magic," she said; and thought or mystery dawned in -her eyes as she spoke.</p> - -<p>"Who?" said Alveric.</p> - -<p>And Ziroonderel lowered her eyes.</p> - -<p>"The King," she said.</p> - -<p>And then she told him how that enchanted monarch would draw away from -whatever had worsted him once, and with him draw all that he had, never -supporting the presence of any magic that was the equal of his.</p> - -<p>And Alveric could not believe that such a king cared so much for the -magic he had in his old black scabbard.</p> - -<p>"It is his way," she said.</p> - -<p>And then he would not believe that he had waved away Elfland.</p> - -<p>"He has the power," said she.</p> - -<p>And still Alveric would face this terrible king and all the powers he -had; but wizard and witch had warned him that he could not go with his -sword, and how go unarmed through the grizzly wood against the palace of -wonder? For to go there with any sword from the anvils of men was but to -go unarmed.</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch," he cried. "May I come no more to Elfland?"</p> - -<p>And the longing and grief in his voice touched the witch's heart and -moved it to magical pity.</p> - -<p>"You shall go," she said.</p> - -<p>He stood there half despair in the mournful evening, half dreams of -Lirazel. While the witch from under her cloak drew forth a small false -weight which once she had taken away from a seller of bread.</p> - -<p>"Draw this along the edge of your sword," she said, "all the way from -hilt to point, and it will disenchant the blade, and the King will never -know what sword is there."</p> - -<p>"Will it still fight for me?" said Alveric.</p> - -<p>"No," said the witch. "But once you are over the frontier take this -script and wipe the blade with it on every spot that the false weight -has touched." And she fumbled under her cloak again and drew forth a -poem on parchment. "It will enchant it again," she said.</p> - -<p>And Alveric took the weight and the written thing.</p> - -<p>"Let not the two touch," warned the witch.</p> - -<p>And Alveric set them apart.</p> - -<p>"Once over the frontier," she said, "and he may move Elfland where he -will, but you and the sword will be within his borders."</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch," said Alveric, "will he be wroth with you if I do -this?"</p> - -<p>"Wroth!" said Ziroonderel. "Wroth? He will rage with a most exceeding -fury, beyond the power of tigers."</p> - -<p>"I would not bring that on you, Mother Witch," said Alveric.</p> - -<p>"Ha!" said Ziroonderel. "What care I?"</p> - -<p>Night was advancing now, and the moor and the air growing black like -the -witch's cloak. She was laughing now and merging into the darkness. And -soon the night was all blackness and laughter; but he could see no -witch.</p> - -<p>Then Alveric made his way back to his rocky camp by the light of its -lonely fire.</p> - -<p>And as soon as morning appeared on the desolation, and all the -useless -rocks began to glow, he took the false weight and softly rubbed it along -both sides of his sword until all its magical edge was disenchanted. And -he did this in his tent while his followers slept, for he would not let -them know that he sought for help that came not from the ravings of Niv, -nor from any sayings that Zend had had from the moon.</p> - -<p>Yet the troubled sleep of madness is not so deep that Niv did not -watch -him out of one wild sly eye when he heard the false weight softly -rasping the sword.</p> - -<p>And when this was secretly done and secretly watched, Alveric called -to -his two men, and they came and folded up his tattered tent, and took the -long pole and hung their sorry belongings upon it; and on went Alveric -along the edge of the fields we know, impatient to come at last to the -land that so long eluded him. And Niv and Zend came behind with the pole -between them, with bundles swinging from it and tatters flying.</p> - -<p>They moved inland a little towards the houses of men to purchase the -food they needed; and this they bought in the afternoon from a farmer -who dwelt in a lonely house, so near to the very edge of the fields we -know that it must have been the last house in the visible world. And -here they bought bread and oatmeal, and cheese and a cured ham, and -other such things, and put them in sacks and slung them over their pole; -then they left the farmer and turned away from his fields and from all -the fields of men. And as evening fell they saw just over a hedge, -lighting up the land with a soft strange glow that they knew to be not -of this Earth, that barrier of twilight that is the frontier of -Elfland.</p> - -<p>"Lirazel!" shouted Alveric, and drew his sword and strode into the -twilight. And behind him went Niv and Zend, with all their suspicions -flaming now into jealousy of inspirations or magic that were not -theirs.</p> - -<p>Once he called Lirazel; then, little trusting his voice in that wide -weird land, he lifted his hunter's horn that hung by his side on a -strap, he lifted it to his lips and sounded a call weary with so much -wandering. He was standing within the edge of the boundary; the horn -shone in the light of Elfland.</p> - -<p>Then Niv and Zend dropped their pole in that unearthly twilight, -where -it lay like the wreckage of some uncharted sea, and suddenly seized -their master.</p> - -<p>"A land of dreams!" said Niv. "Have I not dreams enough?"</p> - -<p>"There is no moon there!" cried Zend.</p> - -<p>Alveric struck Zend on the shoulder with his sword, but the sword was -disenchanted and blunt and only harmed him slightly. Then the two seized -the sword and dragged Alveric back. And the strength of the madman was -beyond what one could believe. They dragged him back again to the fields -we know, where they two were strange and were jealous of other -strangeness, and led him far from the sight of the pale-blue mountains. -He had not entered Elfland.</p> - -<p>But his horn had passed the boundary's edge and troubled the air of -Elfland, uttering across its dreamy calm one long sad earthly note: it -was the horn that Lirazel heard as she spoke with her father.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXVII<br /> - -<i>The Return of Lurulu</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>Over hamlet and Castle of Erl, and through every nook and crevice of -it, -Spring passed; a mild benediction that blessed the very air and sought -out all living things; not missing even the tiny plants that had their -dwelling in most secluded places, under eaves, in the cracks of old -barrels, or along the lines of mortar that held ancient rows of stones. -And in this season Orion hunted no unicorns; not that he knew in what -season the unicorns bred in Elfland, where time is not as here; but -because of a feeling he had from all his earthly forefathers against -hunting any creature in this season of song and flowers. So he tended -his hounds and often watched the hills, expecting on any day the return -of Lurulu.</p> - -<p>And Spring passed by and the Summer flowers grew, and still there was -no -sign of the troll returning, for time moves through the dells of Elfland -as over no field of man. And long Orion watched through fading evenings -till the line of the hills was black, yet never saw the small round -heads of trolls bobbing across the downs.</p> - -<p>And the long autumnal winds came sighing out of cold lands, and found -Orion still watching for Lurulu; and the mist and the turning leaves -spoke to his heart of hunting. And the hounds were whining for the open -spaces and the line of scent like a mysterious path crossing the wide -world, but Orion would hunt nothing less than unicorns, and waited yet -for his trolls.</p> - -<p>And one of these earthly days, with a menace of frost in the air and -a -scarlet sunset, Lurulu's talk to the trolls in the wood being finished, -and their scamper swifter than hares having brought them soon to the -frontier, those in our fields who looked (as they seldom did) towards -that mysterious border where Earth ended might have seen the unwonted -shapes of the nimble trolls coming all grey through the evening. They -came dropping, troll after troll, from the soaring leaps they took high -through the boundary of twilight; and, landing thus unceremoniously in -our fields, came capering, somersaulting and running, with gusts of -impudent laughter, as though this were a proper manner in which to -approach by no means the least of the planets.</p> - -<p>They rustled by the small houses like the wind passing through straw, -and none that heard the light rushing sound of their passing knew how -outlandish they were, except the dogs, whose work it is to watch, and -who know of all things that pass, their degree of remoteness to man. At -gipsies, tramps, and all that go without houses, dogs bark whenever they -pass; at the wild things of the woods they bark with greater abhorrence, -knowing well the rebellious contempt in which they hold man; at the fox, -for his touch of mystery and his far wanderings, they bark more -furiously: but to-night the barking of dogs was beyond all abhorrence -and fury; many a farmer this night believed that his dog was -choking.</p> - -<p>And passing over these fields, staying not to laugh at the clumsy -scared -running of sheep, for they kept their laughter for man, they came soon -to the downs above Erl; and there below them was night and the smoke of -men, all grey together. And not knowing from what slight causes the -smoke arose, here from a woman boiling a kettle of water, or there -because one dried the frock of a child, or that a few old men might warm -their hands in the evening, the trolls forbore to laugh as they had -planned to do as soon as they should meet with the things of man. -Perhaps even they, whose gravest thoughts were just under the surface of -laughter, even they were a little awed by the strangeness and nearness -of man sleeping there in his hamlet with all his smoke about him. Though -awe in these light minds rested no longer than does the squirrel on the -thin extremest twigs.</p> - -<p>In a while they lifted their eyes up from the valley, and there was -the -western sky still shining above the last of the gloaming, a little strip -of colour and dying light, so lovely that they believed that another -elfland lay the other side of the valley, two dim diaphonous magical -elfin lands hemming in this valley and few fields of men close upon -either side. And, sitting there on the hillside peering westward, the -next thing they saw was a star: it was Venus low in the West brimming -with blueness. And they all bowed their heads many times to this -pale-blue beautiful stranger; for though politeness was rare with them -they saw that the Evening Star was nothing of Earth and no affair of -man's, and believed it came out of that elfland they did not know on the -western side of the world. And more and more stars appeared, till the -trolls were frightened, for they knew nothing of these glittering -wanderers that could steal out of the darkness and shine: at first they -said "There are more trolls than stars," and were comforted, for they -trusted greatly in numbers. Then there were soon more stars than trolls; -and the trolls were ill at ease as they sat in the dark underneath all -that multitude. But presently they forgot the fancy that troubled them, -for no thought remained with them long. They turned their light -attention instead to the yellow lights that glowed here and there on the -hither side of the greyness, where a few of the houses of men stood warm -and snug near the trolls. A beetle went by, and they hushed their -chatter to hear what he would say; but he droned by, going home, and -they did not know his language. A dog far off was ceaselessly crying -out, and filling all the still night with a note of warning. And the -trolls were angry at the sound of his voice, for they felt that he -interfered between them and man. Then a soft whiteness came out of the -night and lit on the branch of a tree, and bowed its head to the left -and looked at the trolls, and then bowed over to the right and looked at -them again from there, and then back to the left again for it was not -yet sure about them. "An owl," said Lurulu; and many besides Lurulu had -seen his kind before, for he flies much along the edge of Elfland. Soon -he was gone and they heard him hunting across the hills and the hollows; -and then no sound was left but the voices of men, or the shrill shouts -of children, and the bay of the dog that warned men against the trolls. -"A sensible fellow," they said of the owl, for they liked the sound of -his voice; but the voices of men and their dog sounded confused and -tiresome.</p> - -<p>They saw sometimes the lights of late wayfarers crossing the downs -towards Erl, or heard men that cheered themselves in the lonely night by -singing, instead of by lantern's light. And all the while the Evening -Star grew bigger, and great trees grew blacker and blacker.</p> - -<p>Then from underneath the smoke and the mist of the stream there -boomed -all of a sudden the brazen bell of the Freer out of deep night in the -valley. Night and the slopes of Erl and the dark downs echoed with it; -and the echoes rode up to the trolls and seemed to challenge them, with -all accursed things and wandering spirits and bodies unblessed of the -Freer.</p> - -<p>And the solemn sound of those echoes going alone through the night -from -every heavy swing of the holy bell cheered that band of trolls among all -the strangeness of Earth, for whatever is solemn always moves trolls to -levity. They turned merrier now and tittered among themselves.</p> - -<p>And while they still watched all that host of stars, wondering if -they -were friendly, the sky grew steely blue and the eastern stars dwindled, -and the mist and the smoke of men turned white, and a radiance touched -the further edge of the valley; and the moon came up over the downs -behind the trolls. Then voices sang from the holy place of the Freer, -chaunting moon matins; which it was their wont to sing on nights of the -full moon while the moon was yet low. And this rite they named -moon's-morning. The bell had ceased, chance voices spoke no more, they -had hushed their dog in the valley and silenced his warning, and lonely -and grave and solemn that people's song floated up from before the -candles in their small square sacred place, built of grey stone by men -that were dead for ages and ages; all solemn the song welled up in the -time of the moon's rising, grave as the night, mysterious as the full -moon, and fraught with a meaning that was far beyond the highest -thoughts of the trolls. Then the trolls leaped up with one accord from -the frosted grass of the downs and all poured down the valley to laugh -at the ways of men, to mock at their sacred things and to dare their -singing with levity.</p> - -<p>Many a rabbit rose up and fled from their onrush, and thrills of -laughter arose from the trolls at their fear. A meteor flashed -westwards, racing after the sun; either as a portent to warn the hamlet -of Erl that folk from beyond Earth's borders approached them now, or -else in fulfilment of some natural law. To the trolls it seemed that one -of the proud stars fell, and they rejoiced with elvish levity.</p> - -<p>Thus they came giggling through the night, and ran down the street of -the village, unseen as any wild creature that roams late through the -darkness; and Lurulu led them to the pigeon-loft, and they all poured -clambering in. Some rumour arose in the village that a fox had jumped -into the pigeon-loft, but it ceased almost as soon as the pigeons -returned to their homes, and the folk of Erl had no more hint till the -morning that something had entered their village from beyond the borders -of Earth.</p> - -<p>In a brown mass thicker than young pigs are along the edge of a -trough -the trolls encumbered the floor of the pigeons' home. And time went over -them as over all earthly things. And well they knew, though tiny was -their intelligence, that by crossing the border of twilight they -incurred the wasting of time; for nothing dwells by the brink of any -danger and lives ignorant of its menace: as conies in rocky altitudes -know the peril of the sheer cliff, so they that dwell near Earth's -border knew well the danger of time. And yet they came. The wonder and -lure of Earth had been overstrong for them. Does not many a young man -squander youth as they squandered immortality?</p> - -<p>And Lurulu showed them how to hold off time for a while, which -otherwise -would make them older and older each moment and whirl them on with -Earth's restlessness all night long. Then he curled up his knees and -shut his eyes and lay still. This, he told them, was sleep; and, -cautioning them to continue to breathe, though being still in other -respects, he then slept in earnest: and after some vain attempts the -brown trolls did the same.</p> - -<p>When sunrise came, awaking all earthly things, long rays came through -the thirty little windows and awoke both birds and trolls. And the mass -of trolls went to the windows to look at Earth, and the pigeons -fluttered to rafters and jerked sidelong looks at the trolls. And there -that heap of trolls would have stayed, crowded high on each other's -shoulders, blocking the windows while they studied the variety and -restlessness of Earth, finding them equal to the strangest fables that -wayfarers had brought to them out of our fields; and, though Lurulu -often reminded them, they had forgotten the haughty white unicorns that -they were to hunt with dogs.</p> - -<p>But Lurulu after a while led them down from the loft and brought them -to -the kennels. And they climbed up the high palings and peered over the -top at the hounds.</p> - -<p>When the hounds saw those strange heads peering over the palings they -made a great uproar. And presently folk came to see what troubled the -hounds. And when they saw that mass of trolls all round the top of the -palings they said to each other, and so said all that heard of it: -"There is magic in Erl now."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII<br -/> - -<i>A Chapter on Unicorn-Hunting</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>None in Erl was so busy but that he came that morning to see the -magic -that was newly come out of Elfland, and to compare the trolls with all -that the neighbours said of them. And the folk of Erl gazed much at the -trolls and the trolls at the folk of Erl, and there was great merriment; -for, as often happens with minds of unequal weight, each laughed at the -other. And the villagers found the impudent ways of the bare brown -nimble trolls no funnier, no more meet for derision, than the trolls -found the grave high hats, the curious clothes, and the solemn air of -the villagers.</p> - -<p>And Orion soon came too, and the folk of the village doffed their -long -thin hats; and, though the trolls would have laughed at him also, Lurulu -had found his whip, and by means of it made the mob of his impudent -brethren give that salutation that is given in Elfland to those of its -royal line.</p> - -<p>When noonday came, which was the hour of dinner, and the folk turned -from the kennels, they went back to their houses all praising the magic -that was come at last to Erl.</p> - -<p>During the days that followed Orion's hounds learned that it was vain -to -chase a troll and unwise to snarl at one; for, apart from their elvish -speed, the trolls were able to leap into the air far over the heads of -the hounds, and when each had been given a whip they could repay -snarling with an aim that none on Earth was able to equal, except those -whose sires had carried a whip with hounds for generations.</p> - -<p>And one morning Orion came to the pigeon-loft and called to Lurulu -early, and he brought out the trolls and they went to the kennels and -Orion opened the doors, and he led them all away eastwards over the -downs. The hounds moved all together and the trolls with their whips ran -beside them, like a flock of sheep surrounded by numbers of collies. -They were away to the border of Elfland to wait for the unicorns where -they come through the twilight to eat the earthly grasses at evening. -And as our evening began to mellow the fields we know, they were come to -the opal border that shut those fields from Elfland. And there they -lurked as Earth's darkness grew, and waited for the great unicorns. Each -hound had its troll beside it with the troll's right hand along its -shoulder or neck, soothing it, calming it, and holding it still, while -the left hand held the whip: the strange group lingered there -motionless, and darkened there with the evening. And when Earth was as -dim and quiet as the unicorns desired the great creatures came softly -through, and were far into Earth before any troll would allow his hound -to move. Thus when Orion gave the signal they easily cut one off from -its elfin home and hunted it snorting over those fields that are the -portion of men. And night came down on the proud beast's magical gallop, -and the hounds intoxicate with that marvellous scent, and the leaping -soaring trolls.</p> - -<p>And, when jackdaws on the highest towers of Erl saw the rim of the -sun -all red above frosted fields, Orion came back from the downs with his -hounds and his trolls, carrying as fine a head as a unicorn-hunter could -wish. The hounds weary but glad were soon curled up in their kennels, -and Orion in his bed; while the trolls in their pigeon-loft began to -feel, as none but Lurulu had felt ever before, the weight and the -weariness of the passing of time.</p> - -<p>All day Orion slept and all his hounds, none of them caring how it -slept -or why; while the trolls slept anxiously, falling asleep as fast as ever -they could, in the hope of escaping some of the fury of time, which they -feared had begun to attack them. And that evening while still they -slept, hounds, trolls and Orion, there met again in the forge of Narl -the parliament of Erl.</p> - -<p>From the forge to the inner room came the twelve old men, rubbing -their -hands and smiling, ruddy with health and the keen North wind and the -cheerfulness of their forebodings; for they were well content at last -that their lord was surely magic, and foresaw great doings in Erl.</p> - -<p>"Folklings," said Narl to them all, naming them thus after an ancient -wont, "is it not well with us and our valley at last? See how it is as -we planned so long ago. For our lord is a magic lord as we all desired, -and magical things have sought him from over there, and they all obey -his hests."</p> - -<p>"It is so," said all but Gazic, a vendor of beeves.</p> - -<p>Little and old and out-of-the-way was Erl, secluded in its deep -valley, -unnoticed in history; and the twelve men loved the place and would have -it famous. And now they rejoiced as they heard the words of Narl, "What -other village," he said, "has traffic with over there?"</p> - -<p>And Gazic, though he rejoiced with the rest, rose up in a pause of -their -gladness. "Many strange things," he said, "have entered our village, -coming from over there. And it may be that human folk are best, and the -ways of the fields we know."</p> - -<p>Oth scorned him, and Threl. "Magic is best," said all.</p> - -<p>And Gazic was silent again, and raised his voice no more against the -many; and the mead went round, and all spoke of the fame of Erl; and -Gazic forgot his mood and the fear that was in it.</p> - -<p>Far into the night they rejoiced, quaffing the mead, and by its -homely -aid gazing into the years of the future, so far as that may be done by -the eyes of men. Yet all their rejoicing was hushed and their voices -low, lest the ears of the Freer should hear them; for their gladness -came to them from lands that lay beyond thought of salvation, and they -had set their trust in magic, against which, as well they knew, boomed -every note that rang from the bell of the Freer whenever it tolled at -evening. And they parted late, praising magic in no loud tones, and went -secretly back to their houses, for they feared the curse that the Freer -had called down upon unicorns, and knew not if their own names might -become involved in one of the curses called upon magical things.</p> - -<p>All the next day Orion rested his hounds, and the trolls and the -people -of Erl gazed at each other. But on the day that followed Orion took his -sword and gathered his band of trolls and his pack of hounds, and all -were away once more far over the downs, to come again to the border of -nebulous opal and to lurk for the unicorns coming through in the -evening.</p> - -<p>They came to a part of the border far from the spot which they had -disturbed only three evenings before; and Orion was guided by the -chattering trolls, for well they knew the haunts of the lonely unicorns. -And Earth's evening came huge and hushed, till all was dim as the -twilight; and never a footfall did they hear of the unicorns, never a -glimpse of their whiteness. And yet the trolls had guided Orion well, -for just as he would have despaired of a hunt that night, just when the -evening seemed wholly and utterly empty, a unicorn stood on the -earthward edge of the twilight where nothing had stood only a moment -before: soon he moved slowly across the terrestrial grasses a few yards -forward into the fields of men.</p> - -<p>Another followed, moving a few yards also; and then they stood for -fifteen of our earthly minutes moving nothing at all except their ears. -And all that while the trolls hushed every hound, motionless under a -hedge of the fields we know. Darkness had all but hidden them when at -last the unicorns moved. And, as soon as the largest was far enough from -the frontier, the trolls let loose every hound, and ran with them after -the unicorn with shrill yells of derision, all sure of his haughty -head.</p> - -<p>But the quick small minds of the trolls, though they had learned much -of -Earth, had not yet understood the irregularity of the moon. Darkness was -new to them, and they soon lost hounds. Orion in his eagerness to hunt -had made no choice of a suitable night: there was no moon at all, and -would be none till near morning. Soon he also fell behind.</p> - -<p>Orion easily collected the trolls, the night was full of their -frivolous noises, and the trolls came to his horn, but not a hound would -leave that pungent magical scent for any horn of man. They straggled -back next day, tired, having lost their unicorn.</p> - -<p>And while each troll cleaned and fed his hound on the evening after -the -hunt, and laid a little bunch of straw for it on which to lie down, and -smoothed its hair and looked for thorns in its feet, and unravelled -burrs from its ears, Lurulu sat alone fastening his small sharp -intelligence, like the little white light of a burning glass, for hours -upon one question. The question that Lurulu pondered far into the night -was how to hunt unicorns with dogs in the darkness. And by midnight a -plan was clear in his elvish mind.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXIX<br /> - -<i>The Luring of the People of the Marshes</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>As the evening that followed was beginning to fade a traveller might -have been seen approaching the marshes, which some way south-eastwards -of Erl lay along the edge of the farmsteads and stretched their terrible -waste as far as the sky-line, and even over the border and into the -region of Elfland. They glimmered now as the light was leaving the -land.</p> - -<p>So black were the solemn clothes and the high grave hat of the -traveller -that he could have been seen from far against the dim green of the -fields, going down to the edge of the marsh through the grey evening. -But none were there to see at such an hour beside that desolate place, -for the threat of darkness was already felt in the fields, and all the -cows were home and the farmers warm in their houses; so the traveller -walked alone. And soon he was come by unsure paths to the reeds and the -thin rushes, to which a wind was telling tales that have no meaning to -man, long histories of bleakness and ancient legends of rain; while on -the high darkening land far off behind him he saw lights begin to blink -where the houses were. He walked with the gravity and the solemn air of -one who has important business with men; yet his back was turned to -their houses and he went where no man wandered, travelling towards no -hamlet or lonely cottage of man, for the marsh ran right into Elfland. -Between him and the nebulous border that divides Earth from Elfland -there was no man whatever, and yet the traveller walked on as one that -has a grave errand. With every venerable step that he took bright mosses -shook and the marsh seemed about to engulf him, while his worthy staff -sank deep into slime, giving him no support; and yet the traveller -seemed only to care for the solemnity of his pacing. Thus he went on -over the deadly marsh with a deportment suitable to the slow procession -when the elders open the market on special days, and the gravest blesses -the bargaining, and all the farmers come to the booths and barter.</p> - -<p>And up and down, up and down, song-birds went wavering home, skirting -the marsh's edge on their way to their native hedges; pigeons passed -landward to roost in high dark trees; the last of a multitude of rooks -was gone; and all the air was empty.</p> - -<p>And now the great marsh thrilled to the news of the coming of a -stranger; for, no sooner had the traveller gravely set a foot on one of -those brilliant mosses that bloom in the pools, than a thrill shot under -their roots and below the stems of the bulrushes, and ran like a light -beneath the surface of the water, or like the sound of a song, and -passed far over the marshes, and came quivering to the border of magical -twilight that divides Elfland from Earth; and stayed not there, but -troubled the very border and passed beyond it and was felt in Elfland: -for where the great marshes run down to the border of Earth the -frontier is thinner and more uncertain than elsewhere.</p> - -<p>And as soon as they felt that thrill in the deep of the marshes the -will-o'-the-wisps soared up from their fathomless homes, and waved their -lights to beckon the traveller on, over the quaking mosses at the hour -when the duck were flighting. And under that whirr and rush and -rejoicing of wings that the ducks make in that hour the traveller -followed after the waving lights, further and further into the marshes. -Yet sometimes he turned from them, so that for a while they followed -him, instead of leading as they were accustomed to do, till they could -get round in front of him and lead him once more. A watcher, if there -had been one in such bad light and in such a perilous place, had noticed -after a while in the venerable traveller's movements a queer resemblance -to those of the hen green plover when she lures the stranger after her -in Spring, away from the mossy bank where her eggs lie bare. Or perhaps -such a resemblance is merely fanciful, and a watcher might have noticed -no such thing. At any rate on that night in that desolate place there -was no watcher whatever.</p> - -<p>And the traveller followed his curious course, sometimes towards the -dangerous mosses, sometimes towards the safe green land, always with -grave demeanour and reverent gait; and the will-o'-the-wisps in -multitudes gathered about him. And still that deep thrill that warned -the marsh of a stranger throbbed on through the ooze below the roots of -the rushes; and did not cease, as it should as soon as the stranger was -dead, but haunted the marsh like some echo of music that magic has made -everlasting, and troubled the will-o'-the-wisps even over the border in -Elfland.</p> - -<p>Now it is far from my intention to write anything detrimental to -will-o'-the-wisps, or anything that may be construed as being a slight -upon them: no such construction should be put upon my writings. But it -is well known that the people of the marshes lure travellers to their -doom, and have delighted to follow that avocation for centuries, and I -may be permitted to mention this in no spirit of disapproval.</p> - -<p>The will-o'-the-wisps then that were about this traveller redoubled -their efforts with fury; and when still he eluded their last enticements -only on the very edge of the deadliest pools, and still lived and still -travelled, and the whole marsh knew of it, then the greater -will-o'-the-wisps that dwell in Elfland rose up from their magical mire -and rushed over the border. And the whole marsh was troubled.</p> - -<p>Almost like little moons grown nimbly impudent the people of the -marshes -glowed before that solemn traveller, leading his reverend steps to the -edge of death only to retrace their steps again to beckon him back once -more. And then in spite of the great height of his hat and the dark -length of his coat that frivolous people began to perceive that mosses -were bearing his weight which never before had supported any traveller. -At this their fury increased and they all leaped nearer to him; and -nearer and nearer they flocked wherever he went; and in their fury their -enticements were losing their craftiness.</p> - -<p>And now a watcher in the marshes, if such there had been, had seen -something more than a traveller surrounded by will-o'-the-wisps; for he -might have noticed that the traveller was almost leading them, instead -of the will-o'-the-wisps leading the traveller. And in their impatience -to have him dead the people of the marshes had never thought that they -were all coming nearer and nearer to the dry land.</p> - -<p>And when all was dark but the water they suddenly found themselves in -a -field of grass with their feet rasping against the rough pasture, while -the traveller was seated with his knees gathered up to his chin and was -eyeing them from under the brim of his high black hat. Never before had -any of them been lured to dry land by traveller, and there were amongst -them that night those eldest and greatest among them who had come with -their moon-like lights right over the border from Elfland. They looked -at each other in uneasy astonishment as they dropped limply onto the -grass, for the roughness and heaviness of the solid land oppressed them -after the marshes. And then they began to perceive that that venerable -traveller whose bright eyes watched them so keenly out of that black -mass of clothes was little larger than they were themselves, in spite of -his reverend airs. Indeed, though stouter and rounder he was not quite -so tall. Who was this, they began to mutter, who had lured -will-o'-the-wisps? And some of those elders from Elfland went up to him -that they might ask him with what audacity he had dared to lure such as -them. And then the traveller spoke. Without rising or turning his head -he spoke where he sat.</p> - -<p>"People of the marshes," he said, "do you love unicorns?"</p> - -<p>And at the word unicorns scorn and laughter filled every tiny heart -in -all that frivolous multitude, excluding all other emotions, so that they -forgot their petulance at having been lured; although to lure -will-o'-the-wisps is held by them to be the gravest of insults, and -never would they have forgiven it if they had had longer memories. At -the word unicorns they all giggled in silence. And this they did by -flickering up and down like the light of a little mirror flashed by an -impudent hand. Unicorns! Little love had they for the haughty creatures. -Let them learn to speak to the people of the marshes when they came to -drink at their pools. Let them learn to give their due to the great -lights of Elfland, and the lesser lights that illumined the marshes of -Earth!</p> - -<p>"No," said an elder of the will-o'-the-wisps, "none loves the proud -unicorns."</p> - -<p>"Come then," said the traveller, "and we will hunt them. And you -shall -light us in the night with your lights, when we hunt them with dogs over -the fields of men."</p> - -<p>"Venerable traveller," said that elder will-o'-the-wisp: but at those -words the traveller flung up his hat and leaped from his long black -coat, and stood before the will-o'-the-wisps stark naked. And the people -of the marshes saw that it was a troll that had tricked them.</p> - -<p>Their anger at this was slight; for the people of the marshes have -tricked the trolls, and the trolls have tricked the people of the -marshes, each of them so many times for ages and ages, that only the -wisest among them can say which has tricked the other most and is how -many tricks ahead. They consoled themselves now by thinking of times -when trolls had been made to look ludicrous, and consented to come with -their lights to help to hunt unicorns, for their wills were weak when -they stood on the dry land and they easily acquiesced in any suggestion -or followed anyone's whim.</p> - -<p>It was Lurulu who had thus tricked the will-o'-the-wisps, knowing -well -how they love to lure travellers; and, having obtained the highest hat -and gravest coat he could steal, he had set out with a bait that he -knew would bring them from great distances. Now that he had gathered -them all on the solid land and had their promise of light and help -against unicorns, which such creatures will give easily on account of -the unicorns' pride, he began to lead them away to the village of Erl, -slowly at first while their feet grew accustomed to the hard land; and -over the fields he brought them limping to Erl.</p> - -<p>And now there was nothing in all the marshes that at all resembled -man, -and the geese came down on a huge tumult of wings. The little swift teal -shot home; and all the dark air twanged with the flight of the duck.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX"></a>CHAPTER XXX<br /> - -<i>The Coming of Too Much Magic</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>In Erl that had sighed for magic there was indeed magic now. The -pigeon-loft and old lumber-lofts over stables were all full of trolls, -the ways were full of their antics, and lights bobbed up and down the -street at night long after traffic was home. For the will-o'-the-wisps -would go dancing along the gutters, and had made their homes round the -soft edges of duck-ponds and in green-black patches of moss that grew -upon oldest thatch. And nothing seemed the same in the old village.</p> - -<p>And amongst all these magical folk the magical half of Orion's blood, -that had slept while he went amongst earthly men, hearing mundane talk -each day, stirred out of its sleep and awakened long-sleeping thoughts -in his brain. And the elfin horns that he often heard blowing at evening -blew with a meaning now, and blew stronger as though they were -nearer.</p> - -<p>The folk of the village watching their lord by day saw his eyes -turned -away towards Elfland, saw him neglecting the wholesome earthly cares, -and at night there came the queer lights and the gibbering of the -trolls. A fear settled on Erl.</p> - -<p>At this time the parliament took counsel again, twelve grey-beard -quaking men that had come to the house of Narl when their work was ended -at evening; and all the evening was weird with the new magic of Elfland. -Every man of them as he ran from his own warm house on his way to the -forge of Narl had seen lights leaping, or heard voices gibbering, which -were of no Christom land. And some had seen shapes prowling which were -of no earthly growing, and they feared that all manner of things had -slipped through the border of Elfland to come and visit the trolls.</p> - -<p>They spoke low in their parliament: all told the same tale, a tale of -children terrified, a tale of women demanding the old ways again; and as -they spoke they eyed window and crevice, none knowing what might -come.</p> - -<p>And Oth said: "Let us folk go to the Lord Orion as we went to his -grandfather in his long red room. Let us say how we sought for magic, -and lo we have magic enough; and let him follow no more after witchery -nor the things that are hidden from man."</p> - -<p>He listened acutely, standing there amongst his hushed comrade -neighbours. Was it goblin voices that mocked him, or was it only echo? -Who could say? And almost at once the night all round was hushed -again.</p> - -<p>And Threl said: "Nay. It is too late for that." Threl had seen their -lord one evening standing alone on the downs, all motionless and -listening to something sounding from Elfland, with his eyes to the East -as he listened: and nothing was sounding, not a noise was astir; yet -Orion stood there called by things beyond mortal hearing. "It is too -late now," said Threl.</p> - -<p>And that was the fear of all.</p> - -<p>Then Guhic rose slowly up and stood by that table. And trolls were -gibbering like bats away in their loft, and the pale marsh-lights were -flickering, and shapes prowled in the dark: the pit-pat of their feet -came now and then to the ears of the twelve that were there in that -inner room. And Guhic said: "We wished for a little magic." And a gust -of gibbering came clear from the trolls. And then they disputed awhile -as to how much magic they had wished in the olden time, when the -grandfather of Orion was lord in Erl. But when they came to a plan this -was the plan of Guhic.</p> - -<p>"If we may not turn our lord Orion," he said, "and his eyes be turned -to -Elfland, let all our parliament go up the hill to the witch Ziroonderel, -and put our case to her, and ask for a spell which shall be put against -too much magic."</p> - -<p>And at the name of Ziroonderel the twelve took heart again; for they -knew that her magic was greater than the magic of flickering lights, and -knew there was not a troll or thing of the night but went in fear of her -broom. They took heart again and quaffed Narl's heavy mead, and -re-filled their mugs and praised Guhic.</p> - -<p>And late in the night they all rose up together to go back to their -homes, and all kept close together as they went, and sang grave old -songs to affright the things that they feared; though little the light -trolls care, or the will-o'-the-wisps, for the things that are grave to -man. And when only one was left he ran to his house, and the -will-o'-the-wisps chased him.</p> - -<p>When the next day came they ended their work early, for the -parliament -of Erl cared not to be left on the witch's hill when night came, or even -the gloaming. They met outside Narl's forge in the early afternoon, -eleven of the parliament, and they called out Narl. And all were wearing -the clothes they were wont to wear when they went with the rest to the -holy place of the Freer, though there was scarcely a soul he had ever -cursed that was not blessed by her. And away they went with their old -stout staves up the hill.</p> - -<p>And as soon as they could they came to the witch's house. And there -they -found her sitting outside her door gazing over the valley away, and -looking neither older nor younger, nor concerned one way or the other -with the coming and going of years.</p> - -<p>"We be the parliament of Erl," they said, standing before her all in -their graver clothes.</p> - -<p>"Aye," she said. "You desired magic. Has it come to you yet?"</p> - -<p>"Truly," they said, "and to spare."</p> - -<p>"There is more to come," she said.</p> - -<p>"Mother Witch," said Narl, "we are met here to pray you that you will -give us a goodly spell which shall be a charm against magic, so that -there be no more of it in the valley, for overmuch has come."</p> - -<p>"Overmuch?" she said. "Overmuch magic! As though magic were not the -spice and essence of life, its ornament and its splendour. By my broom," -said she, "I give you no spell against magic."</p> - -<p>And they thought of the wandering lights and the scarce-seen -gibbering -things, and all the strangeness and evil that was come to their valley -of Erl, and they besought her again, speaking suavely to her.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Mother Witch," said Guhic, "there is overmuch magic indeed, and -the -folk that should tarry in Elfland are all over the border."</p> - -<p>"It is even so," said Narl. "The border is broken and there will be -no -end to it. Will-o'-the-wisps should stay in the marshes, and trolls and -goblins in Elfland, and we folk should keep to our own folk. This is the -thought of us all. For magic, if we desired it somewhat, years ago when -we were young, pertains to matters that are not for man."</p> - -<p>She eyed him silently with a cat-like glow increasing in her eyes. -And -when she neither spoke nor moved, Narl besought her again.</p> - -<p>"O Mother Witch," he said, "will you give us no spell to guard our -homes -against magic?"</p> - -<p>"No spell indeed!" she hissed. "No spell indeed! By broom and stars -and -night-riding! Would you rob Earth of her heirloom that has come from the -olden time? Would you take her treasure and leave her bare to the scorn -of her comrade planets? Poor indeed were we without magic, whereof we -are well stored to the envy of darkness and Space." She leaned forward -from where she sat and stamped her stick, looking up in Narl's face with -her fierce unwavering eyes. "I would sooner," she said, "give you a -spell against water, that all the world should thirst, than give you a -spell against the song of streams that evening hears faintly over the -ridge of a hill, too dim for wakeful ears, a song threading through -dreams, whereby we learn of old wars and lost loves of the Spirits of -rivers. I would sooner give you a spell against bread, that all the -world should starve, than give you a spell against the magic of wheat -that haunts the golden hollows in moonlight in July, through which in -the warm short nights wander how many of whom man knows nothing. I would -make you spells against comfort and clothing, food, shelter and warmth, -aye and will do it, sooner than tear from these poor fields of Earth -that magic that is to them an ample cloak against the chill of Space, -and a gay raiment against the sneers of nothingness.</p> - -<p>"Go hence. To your village go. And you that sought for magic in your -youth but desire it not in your age, know that there is a blindness of -spirit which comes from age, more black than the blindness of eye, -making a darkness about you across which nothing may be seen, or felt, -or known, or in any way apprehended. And no voice out of that darkness -shall conjure me to grant a spell against magic. Hence!"</p> - -<p>And as she said "Hence" she put her weight on her stick and was -evidently preparing to rise from her seat. And at this great terror came -upon all the parliament. And they noticed at the same moment that -evening was drawing in and all the valley darkening. On this high field -where the witch's cabbages grew some light yet lingered, and listening -to her fierce words they had not thought of the hour. But now it was -manifestly growing late, and a wind roamed past them that seemed to come -over the ridges a little way off, from night; and chilled them as it -passed; and all the air seemed given over to that very thing against -which they sought for a spell.</p> - -<p>And here they were at this hour with the witch before them, and she -was -evidently about to rise. Her eyes were fixed on them. Already she was -partly up from her chair. There could be no doubt that before three -moments were passed she would be hobbling amongst them with her -glittering eyes peering in each one's face. They turned and ran down the -hill.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXI" id="CHAPTER_XXXI"></a>CHAPTER XXXI<br /> - -<i>The Cursing of Elfin Things</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>As the parliament of Erl ran down the hill they ran into the dusk of -evening. Greyly it lay in the valley above the mist from the stream. But -with more than the mystery of dusk the air was heavy. Lights blinking -early from houses showed that all the folk were home, and the street was -deserted by everything that was human; save when with hushed air and -almost furtive step they saw their lord Orion like a tall shadow go by, -with will-o'-the-wisps behind him, towards the house of the trolls, -thinking no earthly thoughts. And the strangeness that had been growing -day by day made all the village eerie. So that with short and troubled -breath the twelve old men hurried on.</p> - -<p>And so they came to the holy place of the Freer, which lay on the -side -of the village that was towards the witch's hill. And it was the hour at -which he was wont to celebrate after-bird-song, as they named the -singing that they sang in the holy place when all the birds were home. -But the Freer was not within his holy place; he stood in the cold night -air on the upper step without it, his face turned towards Elfland. He -had on his sacred robe with its border of purple, and the emblem of -gold round his neck; but the door of his holy place was shut and his -back was towards it. They wondered to see him stand thus.</p> - -<p>And as they wondered the Freer began to intone, clear in the evening -with his eyes away to the East, where already a few of the earliest -stars were showing. With his head held high he spoke as though his voice -might pass over the frontier of twilight and be heard by the people of -Elfland.</p> - -<p>"Curst be all wandering things," he said, "whose place is not upon -Earth. Curst be all lights that dwell in fens and in marish places. -Their homes are in deeps of the marshes. Let them by no means stir from -there until the Last Day. Let them abide in their place and there await -damnation.</p> - -<p>"Cursed be gnomes, trolls, elves and goblins on land, and all sprites -of -the water. And fauns be accursed and such as follow Pan. And all that -dwell on the heath, being other than beasts or men. Cursed be fairies -and all tales told of them, and whatever enchants the meadows before the -sun is up, and all fables of doubtful authority, and the legends that -men hand down from unhallowed times.</p> - -<p>"Cursed be brooms that leave their place by the hearth. Cursed be -witches and all manner of witcheries.</p> - -<p>"Cursed be toadstool rings and whatever dances within them. And all -strange lights, strange songs, strange shadows, or rumours that hint of -them, and all doubtful things of the dusk, and the things that -ill-instructed children fear, and old wives' tales and things done o' -midsummer nights; all these be accursed with all that leaneth toward -Elfland and all that cometh thence."</p> - -<p>Never a lane of that village, never a barn, but a will-o'-the-wisp -was -dancing nimbly above it; the night was gilded with them. But as the good -Freer spoke they backed away from his curses, floating further off as -though a light wind blew them, and danced again after drifting a little -way. This they did both before and behind him and upon either hand, as -he stood there upon the steps of his holy place. So that there was a -circle of darkness all round him, and beyond that circle shone the -lights of the marshes and Elfland.</p> - -<p>And within the dark circle in which the Freer stood making his curses -were no unhallowed things, nor were there strangenesses such as come of -night, nor whispers from unknown voices, nor sounds of any music blowing -here from no haunts of men; but all was orderly and seemly there and no -mysteries troubled the quiet except such as have been justly allowed to -man.</p> - -<p>And beyond that circle whence so much was beaten back by the bright -vehemence of the good man's curses, the will-o'-the-wisps rioted, and -many a strangeness that poured in that night from Elfland, and goblins -held high holiday. For word was gone forth in Elfland that pleasant folk -had now their dwelling in Erl; and many a thing of fable, many a monster -of myth, had crept through that border of twilight and had come into Erl -to see. And the light and false but friendly will-o'-the-wisps danced in -the haunted air and made them welcome.</p> - -<p>And not only the trolls and the will-o'-the-wisps had lured these -folk -from their fabled land through the seldom-traversed border, but the -longings and thoughts of Orion, which by half his lineage were akin to -the things of myth and of one race with the monsters of Elfland, were -calling to them now. Ever since that day by the frontier when he had -hovered between Earth and Elfland he had yearned more and more for his -mother; and now, whether he willed it or no, his elfin thoughts were -calling their kin that dwelt in the elvish fells; and at that hour when -the sound of the horns blew through the frontier of twilight they had -come tumbling after it. For elfin thoughts are as much akin to the -creatures that dwell in Elfland as goblins are to trolls.</p> - -<p>Within the calm and the dark of the good man's curses the twelve old -men -stood silent listening to every word. And the words seemed good to them -and soothing and right, for they were over-weary of magic.</p> - -<p>But beyond the circle of darkness, amidst the glare of the -will-o'-the-wisps with which all the night flickered, amidst goblin -laughter and the unbridled mirth of the trolls, where old legends seemed -alive and the fearfullest fables true; amongst all manner of mysteries, -queer sounds, queer shapes, and queer shadows; Orion passed with his -hounds, eastwards towards Elfland.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXII" id="CHAPTER_XXXII"></a>CHAPTER XXXII<br /> - -<i>Lirazel Yearns for Earth</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>In the hall that was built of moonlight, dreams, music and mirage -Lirazel knelt on the sparkling floor before her father's throne. And the -light of the magical throne shone blue in her eyes, and her eyes flashed -back a light that deepened its magic. And kneeling there she besought a -rune of her father.</p> - -<p>Old days would not let her be, sweet memories thronged about her: the -lawns of Elfland had her love, lawns upon which she had played by the -old miraculous flowers before any histories were written here; she loved -the sweet soft creatures of myth that moved like magical shadows out of -the guardian wood and over enchanted grasses; she loved every fable and -song and spell that had made her elfin home; and yet the bells of Earth, -that could not pass the frontier of silence and twilight, beat note by -note in her brain, and her heart felt the growth of the little earthly -flowers as they bloomed or faded or slept in seasons that came not to -Elfland. And in those seasons, wasting away as every one went by, she -knew that Alveric wandered, knew that Orion lived and grew and changed, -and that both, if Earth's legend were true, would soon be lost to her -forever and ever, when the gates of Heaven would shut on both with a -golden thud. For between Elfland and Heaven is no path, no flight, no -way; and neither sends ambassador to the other. She yearned to the bells -of Earth and the English cowslips, but would not forsake again her -mighty father nor the world that his mind had made. And Alveric came -not, nor her boy Orion; only the sound of Alveric's horn came once, and -often strange longings seemed to float in air, beating vainly back and -forth between Orion and her. And the gleaming pillars that held the dome -of the roof, or above which it floated, quivered a little with her -grief; and shadows of her sorrow flickered and faded in the crystal deep -of the walls, for a moment dimming many a colour that is unknown in our -fields, but making them no less lovely. What could she do who would not -cast away magic and leave the home that an ageless day had endeared to -her while centuries were withering like leaves upon earthly shores, -whose heart was yet held by those little tendrils of Earth, which are -strong enough, strong enough?</p> - -<p>And some, translating her bitter need into pitiless earthly words, -may -say that she wished to be in two places at once. And that was true, and -the impossible wish lies on the verge of laughter, and for her was only -and wholly a matter for tears. Impossible? Was it impossible? We have to -do with magic.</p> - -<p>She besought a rune of her father, kneeling upon the magic floor in -the -midmost centre of Elfland; and around her arose the pillars, of which -only song may say, whose misty bulk was disturbed and troubled by -Lirazel's sorrow. She besought a rune that, wherever they roamed through -whatever fields of Earth, should restore to her Alveric and Orion, -bringing them over the border and into the elfin lands to live in that -timeless age that is one long day in Elfland. And with them she prayed -might come, (for the mighty runes of her father had such power even as -this) some garden of Earth, or bank where violets lay, or hollow where -cowslips waved, to shine in Elfland for ever.</p> - -<p>Like no music heard in any cities of men or dreamed upon earthly -hills, -with his elfin voice her father answered her. And the ringing words were -such as had power to change the shape of the hills of dreams, or to -enchant new flowers to blow in fields of faery. "I have no rune," he -said, "that has power to pass the frontier, or to lure anything from the -mundane fields, be it violets, cowslips or men, to come through our -bulwark of twilight that I have set to guard us against material things. -No rune but one, and that the last of the potencies of our realm."</p> - -<p>And kneeling yet upon the glittering floor, of whose profound -translucence song alone shall speak, she prayed him for that one rune, -last potency though it be of the awful wonders of Elfland.</p> - -<p>And he would not squander that rune that lay locked in his treasury, -most magical of his powers and last of the three, but held it against -the peril of a distant and unknown day, whose light shone just beyond a -curve of the ages, too far for the eerie vision even of his -foreknowledge.</p> - -<p>She knew that he had moved Elfland far afield and swung it back as -tides -are swung by the moon, till it lapped at the very edge of the fields of -men once more, with its glimmering border touching the tips of the -earthly hedges. And she knew that no more than the moon had he used a -rare wonder, merely wafting his regions away by a magical gesture. -Might he not, she thought, bring Elfland and Earth yet nearer, using no -rarer magic than is used by the moon at the neap? And so she supplicated -him once again, recalling wonders to him that he had wrought and yet -used no rarer spell than a certain wave of his arm. She spoke of the -magical orchids that came down once over cliffs like a sudden roseate -foam breaking over the Elfin Mountains. She spoke of the downy clusters -of queer mauve flowers which bloomed in the grass of the dells, and of -that glory of blossom that forever guarded the lawns. For all these -wonders were his: bird-song and blooming of flower alike were his -inspirations. If such wonders as song and bloom were wrought by a wave -of his hand, surely he might by beckoning bring but a short way from -Earth some few fields that lay so near to the earthly border. Or surely -he might move Elfland a little earthward again, who had lately moved it -as far as the turn in the path of the comet, and had brought it again to -the edge of the fields of men.</p> - -<p>"Never," he said, "can any rune but one, or spell or wonder or any -magical thing, move our realm one wing's width over the earthly border -or bring anything thence here. And little they know in those fields that -even one rune can do it."</p> - -<p>And still she would scarce believe that those accustomed powers of -her -wizard sire could not easily bring the things of Earth and the wonders -of Elfland together.</p> - -<p>"From those fields," he said, "my spells are all beaten back, my -incantations are mute, and my right arm powerless."</p> - -<p>And when he spoke thus to her of that dread right arm, at last -perforce -she believed him. And she prayed him again for that ultimate rune, that -long-hoarded treasure of Elfland, that potency that had strength to -work against the harsh weight of Earth.</p> - -<p>And his thoughts went into the future all alone, peering far down the -years. More gladly had a traveller at night in lonely ways given up his -lantern than had this elvish king now used his last great spell, and so -cast it away, and gone without it into those dubious years; whose dim -forms he saw and many of their events, but not to the end. Easily had -she asked for that dread spell, which should appease the only need she -had, easily might he have granted it were he but human; but his vast -wisdom saw so much of the years to be that he feared to face them -without this last great potency.</p> - -<p>"Beyond our border," he said, "material things stand fierce and -strong -and many, and have the power to darken and to increase, for they have -wonders too. And when this last potency be used and gone there remains -in all our realm no rune that they dread; and material things will -multiply and put the powers in bondage, and we without any rune of which -they go in awe shall become no more than a fable. We must yet store this -rune."</p> - -<p>Thus he reasoned with her rather than commanded, though he was the -founder and King of all those lands, and all that wandered in them and -of the light in which they shone. And reason in Elfland was no daily -thing, but an exotic wonder. With this he sought to soothe her earthward -fancies.</p> - -<p>And Lirazel made no answer but only wept, weeping tears of enchanted -dew. And all the line of the Elfin Mountains quivered, as wandering -winds will tremble to notes of a violin that have strayed beyond hearing -down the ways of the air; and all the creatures of fable that dwelt in -the realm of Elfland felt something strange in their hearts like the -dying away of a song.</p> - -<p>"Is it not best for Elfland that I do this?" said the King.</p> - -<p>And still she only wept.</p> - -<p>And then he sighed and considered the welfare of Elfland again. For -Elfland drew its happiness from the calm of that palace, which was its -centre, and of which only song may tell; and now its spires were -troubled and the light of its walls was dim, and a sorrow was floating -from its vaulted doorway all over the fields of faery and over the dells -of dream. If she were happy Elfland might bask again in that untroubled -light and eternal calm whose radiance blesses all but material things; -and though his treasury were open and empty yet what more were needed -then?</p> - -<p>So he commanded, and a coffer was brought before him by elfin things, -and the knight of his guard who had watched over it forever came -marching behind them.</p> - -<p>He opened the coffer with a spell, for it opened to no key, and -taking -from it an ancient parchment scroll he rose and read from it while his -daughter wept. And the words of the rune as he read were like the notes -of a band of violins, all played by masters chosen from many ages, -hidden on midsummer's midnight in a wood, with a strange moon shining, -the air all full of madness and mystery; and, lurking close but -invisible, things beyond the wisdom of man.</p> - -<p>Thus he read that rune, and powers heard and obeyed it, not alone in -Elfland but over the border of Earth.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXXIII<br -/> - -<i>The Shining Line</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>Alveric wandered on, alone of that small company of three without a -hope -to guide him. For Niv and Zend, who were lately led by the hope of their -fantastic quest, no longer yearned for Elfland but were guided now by -their plan to hold Alveric back from it. They vacillated more slowly -than sane folk, but clung with far more than sane fervour to each -vacillation. And Zend that had wandered through so many years with the -hope of Elfland before him looked on it, now that he had seen its -frontier, as one of the rivals of the moon. Niv who had endured as much -for Alveric's quest saw in that magical land something more fabulous -than was in all his dreams. And now when Alveric attempted lame -cajoleries with those swift and ferocious minds he received no more -answers from Zend than the curt statement "It is not the will of the -moon": while Niv would only reiterate "Have I not dreams enough?"</p> - -<p>They were wandering back again past farms that had known them years -before. With their old grey tent more tattered they appeared in the -twilight, adding a shade to the evening, in fields wherein they and -their tent had become a legend. And never was Alveric unwatched by some -mad eye, lest he should slip from the camp and come to Elfland and be -where dreams were stranger than Niv's and under a power more magical -than the moon.</p> - -<p>Often he tried, creeping silently from his place in the dead of -night. -One moonlight night he tried first, waiting awake till all the world -seemed sleeping. He knew that the frontier was not far away as he crept -from the tent into the brightness and black shadows and passed Niv -sleeping heavily. A little way he went, and there was Zend sitting still -on a rock, gazing into the face of the moon. Round came Zend's face and, -newly inspired by the moon, he shouted and leapt at Alveric. They had -taken away his sword. And Niv woke and came towards them with immense -fury, united to Zend by one jealousy; for each of them knew well that -the wonders of Elfland were greater than any fancy that their minds -would ever know.</p> - -<p>And again he tried, on a night when no moon shone. But on that night -Niv -was sitting outside the camp, relishing in a strange and joyless way a -certain comradeship that there was between his ravings and the -interstellar darkness. And there in the night he saw Alveric slipping -away towards the land whose wonders far transcended all Niv's poor -dreams; and all the fury the lesser can feel for the greater awoke at -once in his mind; and, creeping up behind him, without any help from -Zend he smote Alveric insensible to the ground.</p> - -<p>And never did Alveric plan any escape after that but that the busy -thoughts of madness anticipated it.</p> - -<p>And so they came, watchers and watched, over the fields of men. And -Alveric sought help of the folk of the farms; but the cunning of Niv -knew too well the tricks of sanity. So that when the folk came running -over their fields to that queer grey tent from which they heard -Alveric's cries, they found Niv and Zend posed in a calm that they had -much practised, while Alveric told of his thwarted quest of Elfland. Now -by many men all quests are considered mad, as the cunning of Niv knew. -Alveric found no help here.</p> - -<p>As they went back by the way by which they had marched for years Niv -led -that band of three, stepping ahead of Alveric and Zend with his lean -face held high, made all the leaner by the long thin points to which he -had trained his beard and his moustaches, and wearing Alveric's sword -that stuck out long behind him and its hilt high in front. And he -stepped and perked his head with a certain air that revealed to the rare -travellers who saw him that this sparse and ragged figure esteemed -itself the leader of a greater band than were visible. Indeed if one had -just seen him at the end of the evening with the dusk and the mist of -the fenlands close behind him he might have believed that in the dusk -and the mist was an army that followed this gay worn confident man. Had -the army been there Niv was sane. Had the world accepted that an army -was there, even though only Alveric and Zend followed his curious steps, -still he was sane. But the lonely fancy that had not fact to feed on, -nor the fancy of any other for fellowship, was for its loneliness -mad.</p> - -<p>Zend watched Alveric all the while, as they marched behind Niv; for -their mutual jealousy of the wonders of Elfland bound Niv and Zend -together to work as with one wild whim.</p> - -<p>And now one morning Niv stretched himself up to the fullest possible -height of his lean inches and extended his right arm high and addressed -his army, "We are come near again to Erl," he said. "And we shall bring -new fancies in place of outworn things and things that are stale; and -its customs shall be henceforth the way of the moon."</p> - -<p>Now Niv cared nothing for the moon, but he had great cunning, and he -knew that Zend would aid his new plan against Erl if only for the sake -of the moon. And Zend cheered till the echoes came back from a lonely -hill, and Niv smiled to them like a leader confident of his hosts. And -Alveric rose against them then, and struggled with Niv and Zend for the -last time, and learned that age or wandering or loss of hope had left -him unable to strive against the maniacal strength of these two. And -after that he went with them more meekly, with resignation, caring no -longer what befell him, living only in memory and only for days that had -been; and in November evenings in this dim camp in the chill he saw, -looking only backwards through the years, Spring mornings shine again on -the towers of Erl. In the light of these mornings he saw Orion again, -playing again with old toys that the witch had made with a spell; he saw -Lirazel move once more through the gracious gardens. Yet no light that -memory is able to kindle was strong enough to illumine much that camp in -those sombre evenings, when the damp rose up from the ground and the -chill swooped out of the air, and Niv and Zend as darkness came stealing -nearer began to chatter in low eager voices schemes inspired by such -whims as throve at dusk in the waste. Only when the sad day drifted -wholly thence and Alveric slept by flapping tatters that streamed from -the tent in the night, then only was memory, unhindered by the busy -changes of day, able to bring back Erl to him, bright, happy and vernal; -so that while his body lay still, in far fields, in the dark and the -Winter, all that was most active and live in him was back over the wolds -in Erl, back over the years in Spring with Lirazel and Orion.</p> - -<p>How far he was bodily, in sheer miles from his home, for which his -happy -thoughts each night forsook his weary frame, Alveric knew not. It was -many years since their tent had stood one evening a grey shape in that -landscape in which it now waved its tatters. But Niv knew that of late -they had come nearer to Erl, for his dreams of it came to him now soon -after he fell asleep, and they used to come to him further on in the -night, on the other side of midnight and even towards morning: and from -this he argued that they used to have further to come, and were now but -a little way off. When he told this secretly one evening to Zend, Zend -listened gravely but gave no opinion, merely saying "The moon knows." -Nevertheless he followed Niv, who led this curious caravan always in -that direction from which his dreams of the valley of Erl came soonest. -And this queer leadership brought them nearer to Erl, as often happens -where men follow leaders that are crazy or blind or deceived; they reach -some port or other though they stray down the years with little -foresight enough: were it otherwise what would become of us?</p> - -<p>And one day the upper parts of the towers of Erl looked at them out -of -blue distance, shining in early sunlight above a curve of the downs. And -towards them Niv turned at once and led directly, for the line of their -wandering march had not pointed straight to Erl, and marched on as a -conqueror that sees some new city's gates. What his plans were Alveric -did not know, but kept to his apathy; and Zend did not know, for Niv had -merely said that his plans must be secret; nor did Niv know, for his -fancies poured through his brain and rushed away; what fancies made what -plans in a mood that was yesterday's how could he tell to-day?</p> - -<p>Then as they went they soon came to a shepherd, standing amongst his -grazing sheep and leaning upon his crook, who watched and seemed to have -no other care but only to watch all things going by, or, when nothing -passed, to gaze and gaze at the downs till all his memories were -fashioned out of their huge grass curves. He stood, a bearded man, and -watched them with never a word as they passed. And one of Niv's mad -memories suddenly knew him, and Niv hailed him by his name and the -shepherd answered. And who should he be but Vand!</p> - -<p>Then they fell talking; and Niv spoke suavely, as he always did with -sane folk, aping with clever mimicry the ways and the tricks of sanity, -lest Alveric should ask for help against him. But Alveric sought no -help. Silent he stood and heard the others talking, but his thoughts -were far in the past and their voices were only sounds to him. And Vand -enquired of them if they had found Elfland. But he spoke as one asks of -children if their toy boat has been to the Happy Isles. He had had for -many years to do with sheep, and had come to know their needs and their -price, and the need men have of them; and these things had risen -imperceptibly up all round his imagination, and were at last a wall over -which he saw no further. When he was young, yes once, he had sought for -Elfland; but now, why now he was older; such things were for the -young.</p> - -<p>"But we saw its border," said Zend, "the border of twilight."</p> - -<p>"A mist," said Vand, "of the evening."</p> - -<p>"I have stood," said Zend, "upon the edge of Elfland."</p> - -<p>But Vand smiled and shook his bearded head as he leaned on his long -crook, and every wave of his beard as he shook it slowly denied Zend's -tales of that border, and his lips smiled it away, and his tolerant eyes -were grave with the lore of the fields we know.</p> - -<p>"No, not Elfland," he said.</p> - -<p>And Niv agreed with Vand, for he watched his mood, studying the ways -of -sanity. And they spoke of Elfland lightly, as one tells of some dream -that came at dawn and went away before waking. And Alveric heard with -despair, for Lirazel dwelt not only over the border but even, as he saw -now, beyond human belief; so that all at once she seemed remoter than -ever, and he still lonelier.</p> - -<p>"I sought for it once," said Vand, "but no, there's no Elfland."</p> - -<p>"No," said Niv, and only Zend wondered.</p> - -<p>"No," replied Vand and shook his head and lifted his eyes to his -sheep.</p> - -<p>And just beyond his sheep and coming towards them he saw a shining -line. -So long his eyes stayed fixed on that shining line coming over the downs -from the eastward that the others turned and looked.</p> - -<p>They saw it too, a shimmering line of silver, or a little blue like -steel, flickering and changing with the reflection of strange passing -colours. And before it, very faint like threatening breezes breathing -before a storm, came the soft sound of very old songs. It caught, as -they all stood gazing, one of Vand's furthest sheep; and instantly its -fleece was that pure gold that is told of in old romance; and the -shining line came on and the sheep disappeared altogether. They saw now -that it was about the height of the mist from a small stream; and still -Vand stood gazing at it, neither moving nor thinking. But Niv turned -very soon and beckoned curtly to Zend and seized Alveric by the arm and -hastened away towards Erl. The gleaming line, that seemed to bump and -stumble over every unevenness of the rough fields, came not so fast as -they hastened; yet it never stopped when they rested, never wearied when -they were tired, but came on over all the hills and hedges of Earth; nor -did sunset change its appearance or check its pace.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXXIV<br /> - -<i>The Last Great Rune</i></h2> -</div> - -<p>As Alveric hastened back, led by two madmen, to those lands over which -he had long ago been lord, the horns of Elfland had sounded in Erl all -day. And though only Orion heard them, they no less thrilled the air, -flooding it deep with their curious golden music, and filling the day -with a wonder that others felt; so that many a young girl leaned from -her window to see what was enchanting the morning. But as the day wore -on the enchantment of the unheard music dwindled, giving place to a -feeling that weighed on all minds in Erl and seemed to bode the -imminence of some unknown region of wonder. All his life Orion had heard -these horns blowing at evening except upon days on which he had done -ill: if he heard the horns at evening he knew that it was well with him. -But now they had blown in the morning, and blew all day, like a fanfare -in front of a march; and Orion looked out of his window and saw nothing, -and the horns rang on, proclaiming he knew not what. Far away they -called his thoughts from the things of Earth that are the concern of -men, far away from all that casts shadows. He spoke to no man that day, -but went among his trolls and such elfin things as had followed them -over the border. And all men that saw him perceived such a look in his -eyes as showed his thoughts to be far in realms that they dreaded. And -his thoughts were indeed far thence, once more with his mother. And hers -were with him, lavishing tendernesses that the years had denied her, in -their swift passage over our fields that she never had understood. And -somehow he knew she was nearer.</p> - -<p>And all that strange morning the will-o'-the-wisps were restless and the -trolls leaped wildly all about their lofts, for the horns of Elfland -tinged all the air with magic and excited their blood although they -could not hear them. But towards evening they felt impending some great -change and all grew silent and moody. And something brought to them -yearnings for their far magical home, as though a breeze had blown -suddenly into their faces straight off the tarns of Elfland; and they -ran up and down the street looking for something magical, to ease their -loneliness amongst mundane things. But found nothing resembling the -spell-born lilies that grew in their glory above the elfin tarns. And -the folk of the village perceived them everywhere and longed for the -wholesome earthly days again that there were before the coming of magic -to Erl. And some of them hurried off to the house of the Freer and took -refuge with him amongst his holy things from all the unhallowed shapes -that there were in their streets and all the magic that tingled and -loomed in the air. And he guarded them with his curses which floated -away the light and almost aimless will-o'-the-wisps, and even, at a -short distance, awed the trolls, but they ran and capered only a little -way off. And while the little group clustered about the Freer, seeking -solace from him against whatever impended, with which the air was -growing tenser and grimmer as the short day wore on, there went others -to Narl and the busy elders of Erl to say "See what your plans have -done. See what you have brought on the village."</p> - -<p>And none of the elders made immediate answer, but said that they must -take counsel one with another, for they trusted greatly in the words -said in their parliament. And to this intent they gathered again at the -forge of Narl. It was evening now, but the sun had not yet set nor Narl -gone from his work, but his fire was beginning to glow with a deeper -colour among the shadows that had entered his forge. And the elders came -in there walking slowly with grave faces, partly because of the mystery -that they needed to cover their folly from the sight of the villagers, -partly because magic hung now so gross in the air that they feared the -imminence of some portentous thing. They sat in their parliament in that -inner room, while the sun went low and the elfin horns, had they but -known it, blew clear and triumphantly. And there they sat in silence, -for what could they say? They had wished for magic, and now it had come. -Trolls were in all the streets, goblins had entered houses, and now the -nights were mad with will-o'-the-wisps; and all the air was heavy with -unknown magic. What could they say? And after a while Narl said they -must make a new plan; for they had been plain bell-fearing folk, but now -there were magical things all over Erl, and more came every night from -Elfland to join them, and what would become of the old ways unless they -made a plan?</p> - -<p>And Narl's words emboldened them all, though they felt the ominous -menace of the horns that they could not hear; but the talk of a plan -emboldened them, for they deemed they could plan against magic. And one -by one they rose to speak of a plan.</p> - -<p>But at sunset the talk died down. And their dread that something -impended grew now to a certain knowledge. Oth and Threl knew it first, -who had lived familiar with mystery in the woods. All knew that -something was coming. No one knew what. And they all sat silent -wondering in the gloaming.</p> - -<p>Lurulu saw it first. He had dreamed all day of the weed-green tarns of -Elfland, and growing weary of Earth, had gone all lonely to the top of a -tower that rose from the Castle of Erl and perched himself on a -battlement and gazed wistfully homewards. And looking out over the -fields we know, he saw the shining line coming down on Erl. And from it -he heard rise faint, as it rippled over the furrows, a murmur of many -old songs; for it came with all manner of memories, old music and lost -voices, sweeping back again to our old fields what time had driven from -Earth. It was coming towards him bright as the Evening Star, and -flashing with sudden colours, some common on Earth, and some unknown to -our rainbow; so that Lurulu knew it at once for the frontier of Elfland. -And all his impudence returned to him at sight of his fabulous home, and -he uttered shrill gusts of laughter from his high perch, that rang over -the roofs below like the chatter of building birds. And the little -homesick trolls in the lofts were cheered by the sound of his merriment -though they knew not from what it came. And now Orion heard the horns -blowing so loud and near, and there was such triumph in their blowing, -and pomp, and withal so wistful a crooning, that he knew now why they -blew, knew that they proclaimed the approach of a princess of the elfin -line, knew that his mother came back to him.</p> - -<p>High on her hill Ziroonderel knew this, being forwarned by magic; and -looking downward at evening she saw that star-like line of blended -twilights of old lost Summer evenings sweeping over the fields towards -Erl. Almost she wondered as she saw this glittering thing flowing over -the earthly pastures, although her wisdom had told her that it must -come. And on the one side she saw the fields we know, full of accustomed -things, and on the other, looking down from her height, she saw, behind -the myriad-tinted border, the deep green elfin foliage and Elfland's -magical flowers, and things that delirium sees not, nor inspiration, on -Earth; and the fabulous creatures of Elfland prancing forward; and, -stepping across our fields and bringing Elfland with her, the twilight -flowing from both her hands, which she stretched out a little from her, -was her own lady the Princess Lirazel coming back to her home. And at -this sight, and at all the strangeness coming across our fields, or -because of old memories that came with the twilight or bygone songs that -sang in it, a strange joy came shivering upon Ziroonderel, and if -witches weep she wept.</p> - -<p>And now from upper windows of the houses the folk began to see that -glittering line which was no earthly twilight: they saw it flash at them -with its starry gleam and then flow on towards them. Slowly it came as -though it rippled with difficulty over Earth's rugged bulk, though -moving lately over the rightful lands of the Elf King it had outspeeded -the comet. And hardly had they wondered at its strangeness, when they -found themselves amongst most familiar things, for the old memories that -floated before it, as a wind before the thunder, beat in a sudden gust -on their hearts and their houses, and lo! they were living once more -amongst things long past and lost. And as that line of no earthly light -came nearer there rustled before it a sound as of rain on leaves, old -sighs, breathed over again, old lovers' whispers repeated. And there -fell on these folk as they all leaned hushed from their windows a mood -that looked gently, wistfully backward through time, such a mood as -might lurk by huge dock-leaves in ancient gardens when everyone is gone -that has tended their roses or ever loved the bowers.</p> - -<p>Not yet had that line of starlight and bygone loves lapped at the walls -of Erl or foamed on the houses, but it was so near now that already -there slipped away the daily cares that held folk down to the present, -and they felt the balm of past days and blessings from hands long -withered. Now elders ran out to children that skipped with a rope in the -street, to bring them into the houses, not telling them why, for fear of -frightening their daughters. And the alarm in their mothers' faces for a -moment startled the children; then some of them looked to the eastward -and saw that shining line. "It is Elfland coming," they said, and went -on with their skipping.</p> - -<p>And the hounds knew, though what they knew I cannot say; but some -influence reached them from Elfland such as comes from the full moon, -and they bayed as they bay on clear nights when the fields are flooded -with moonlight. And the dogs in the streets that always watched lest -anything strange should come, knew how great a strangeness was near them -now and proclaimed it to all the valley.</p> - -<p>Already the old leather-worker in his cottage across the fields, looking -out of his window to see if his well were frozen, saw a May morning of -fifty years ago and his wife gathering lilac, for Elfland had beaten -Time away from his garden.</p> - -<p>And now the jackdaws had left the towers of Erl and flew away westward; -and the baying of the hounds filled all the air, and the barking of -lesser dogs. This suddenly ceased and a great hush fell on the village, -as though snow had suddenly fallen inches deep. And through the hush -came softly a strange old music; and no one spoke at all.</p> - -<p>Then where Ziroonderel sat by her door with her chin on her hand gazing, -she saw the bright line touch the houses and stop, flowing past them on -either side but held by the houses, as though it had met with something -too strong for its magic; but for only a moment the houses held back -that wonderful tide, for it broke over them with a burst of unearthly -foam, like a meteor of unknown metal burning in heaven, and passed on -and the houses stood all quaint and queer and enchanted, like homes -remembered out of a long-past age by the sudden waking of an inherited -memory.</p> - -<p>And then she saw the boy she had nursed step forward into the twilight, -drawn by a power no less than that which was moving Elfland: she saw him -and his mother meet again in all that light that was flooding the valley -with splendour. And Alveric was with her, he and she together a little -apart from attendant fabulous things, that escorted her all the way from -the vales of the Elfin Mountains. And from Alveric had fallen away that -heavy burden of years, and all the sorrow of wandering: he too was back -again in the days that were, with old songs and lost voices. And -Ziroonderel could not see the princess's tears when she met Orion again -after all that separation of space and time, for, though they flashed -like stars, she stood in the border in all that radiance of starlight -that shone about her like the broad face of a planet. But though the -witch saw not this there came to her old ears clearly the sounds of -songs returning again to our fields out of the glens of Elfland, wherein -they had lain so long, which were all the old songs lost from the -nurseries of the Earth. They crooned now about the meeting of Lirazel -and Orion.</p> - -<p>And Niv and Zend had ease at last from their fierce fancies, for their -wild thoughts sank to rest in the calm of Elfland and slept as hawks -sleep in their trees when evening has lulled the world. Ziroonderel saw -them standing together where the edge of the downs had been, a little -way off from Alveric. And there was Vand amongst his golden sheep, that -were munching the strange sweet juices of wonderful flowers.</p> - -<p>With all these wonders Lirazel came for her son, and brought Elfland -with her that never had moved before the width of a harebell over the -earthly border. And where they met was an old garden of roses under the -towers of Erl, where once she had walked, and none had cared for it -since. Great weeds were now in its walks, and even they were withered -with the rigour of late November: their dry stalks hissed about his feet -as Orion walked through them, and they swung back brown behind him over -untended paths. But before him bloomed in all their glory and beauty the -great voluptuous roses gorgeous with Summer. Between November that she -was driving before her and that old season of roses that she brought -back to her garden Lirazel and Orion met. For a moment the withered -garden lay brown behind him, then it all flashed into bloom, and the -wild glad song of birds from a hundred arbours welcomed back the old -roses. And Orion was back again in the beauty and brightness of days -whose dim fair shades his memory cherished, such as are the chief of all -the treasures of man; but the treasury in which they lie is locked, and -we have not the key. Then Elfland poured over Erl.</p> - -<p>Only the holy place of the Freer and the garden that was about it -remained still of our Earth, a little island all surrounded by wonder, -like a mountain peak all rocky, alone in air, when a mist wells up in -the gloaming from highland valleys, and leaves only one pinnacle darkly -to gaze at the stars. For the sound of his bell beat back the rune and -the twilight for a little distance all round. There he lived happy, -contented, not quite alone, amongst his holy things, for a few that had -been cut off by that magical tide lived on the holy island and served -him there. And he lived beyond the age of ordinary men, but not to the -years of magic.</p> - -<p>None ever crossed the boundary but one, the witch Ziroonderel, who from -her hill that was just on the earthward border would go by broom on -starry nights to see her lady again, where she dwelt unvexed by years, -with Alveric and Orion. Thence she comes sometimes, high in the night on -her broom, unseen by any down on the earthly fields, unless you chance -to notice star after star blink out for an instant as she passes by -them, and sits beside cottage doors and tells queer tales, to such as -care to have news of the wonders of Elfland. May I hear her again!</p> - -<p>And with the last of his world-disturbing runes sent forth, and his -daughter happy once more, the elfin King on his tremendous throne -breathed and drew in the calm in which Elfland basks; and all his realms -dreamed on in that ageless repose, of which deep green pools in summer -can barely guess; and Erl dreamed too with all the rest of Elfland and -so passed out of all remembrance of men. For the twelve that were of the -parliament of Erl looked through the window of that inner room, wherein -they planned their plans by the forge of Narl, and, gazing over their -familiar lands, perceived that they were no longer the fields we know.</p> - - - - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT -GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING OF ELFLAND'S DAUGHTER ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions -will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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