Bab Bab 30 · NOW THEY MEET AGAIN

. NOW THEY MEET AGAIN

Complaining thus-wise, he fell asleep from sheer weariness, and when he

awoke it was broad day, calm and bright and cloudless, with the scent of

the earth refreshed going up into the heavens, and the birds singing

sweetly in the bushes about him: for the dale whereunto he was now come

was a fair and lovely place amidst the shelving slopes of the mountains,

a paradise of the wilderness, and nought but pleasant and sweet things

were to be seen there, now that the morn was so clear and sunny.

He arose and looked about him, and saw where, a hundred yards aloof, was

a thicket of small wood, as thorn and elder and whitebeam, all wreathed

about with the bines of wayfaring tree; it hid a bight of the stream,

which turned round about it, and betwixt it and Walter was the grass

short and thick, and sweet, and all beset with flowers; and he said to

himself that it was even such a place as wherein the angels were leading

the Blessed in the great painted paradise in the choir of the big church

at Langton on Holm. But lo! as he looked he cried aloud for joy, for

forth from the thicket on to the flowery grass came one like to an angel

from out of the said picture, white-clad and bare-foot, sweet of flesh,

with bright eyes and ruddy cheeks; for it was the Maid herself. So he

ran to her, and she abode him, holding forth kind hands to him, and

smiling, while she wept for joy of the meeting. He threw himself upon

her, and spared not to kiss her, her cheeks and her mouth, and her arms

and her shoulders, and wheresoever she would suffer it. Till at last she

drew aback a little, laughing on him for love, and said: "Forbear now,

friend, for it is enough for this time, and tell me how thou hast sped."

"Ill, ill," said he.

"What ails thee?" she said.

"Hunger," he said, "and longing for thee."

"Well," she said, "me thou hast; there is one ill quenched; take my hand,

and we will see to the other one."

So he took her hand, and to hold it seemed to him sweet beyond measure.

But he looked up, and saw a little blue smoke going up into the air from

beyond the thicket; and he laughed, for he was weak with hunger, and he

said: "Who is at the cooking yonder?"

"Thou shalt see," she said; and led him therewith into the said thicket

and through it, and lo! a fair little grassy place, full of flowers,

betwixt the bushes and the bight of the stream; and on the little sandy

ere, just off the greensward, was a fire of sticks, and beside it two

trouts lying, fat and red-flecked.

"Here is the breakfast," said she; "when it was time to wash the night

off me e'en now, I went down the strand here into the rippling shallow,

and saw the bank below it, where the water draws together yonder, and

deepens, that it seemed like to hold fish; and whereas I looked to meet

thee presently, I groped the bank for them, going softly; and lo thou!

Help me now, that we cook them."

So they roasted them on the red embers, and fell to and ate well, both of

them, and drank of the water of the stream out of each other's hollow

hands; and that feast seemed glorious to them, such gladness went with

it.

But when they were done with their meat, Walter said to the Maid: "And

how didst thou know that thou shouldst see me presently?"

She said, looking on him wistfully: "This needed no wizardry. I lay not

so far from thee last night, but that I heard thy voice and knew it."

Said he, "Why didst thou not come to me then, since thou heardest me

bemoaning thee?"

She cast her eyes down, and plucked at the flowers and grass, and said:

"It was dear to hear thee praising me; I knew not before that I was so

sore desired, or that thou hadst taken such note of my body, and found it

so dear."

Then she reddened sorely, and said: "I knew not that aught of me had such

beauty as thou didst bewail."

And she wept for joy. Then she looked on him and smiled, and said: "Wilt

thou have the very truth of it? I went close up to thee, and stood there

hidden by the bushes and the night. And amidst thy bewailing, I knew

that thou wouldst soon fall asleep, and in sooth I out-waked thee."

Then was she silent again; and he spake not, but looked on her shyly; and

she said, reddening yet more: "Furthermore, I must needs tell thee that I

feared to go to thee in the dark night, and my heart so yearning towards

thee."

And she hung her head adown; but he said: "Is it so indeed, that thou

fearest me? Then doth that make me afraid--afraid of thy nay-say. For I

was going to entreat thee, and say to thee: Beloved, we have now gone

through many troubles; let us now take a good reward at once, and wed

together, here amidst this sweet and pleasant house of the mountains, ere

we go further on our way; if indeed we go further at all. For where

shall we find any place sweeter or happier than this?"

But she sprang up to her feet, and stood there trembling before him,

because of her love; and she said: "Beloved, I have deemed that it were

good for us to go seek mankind as they live in the world, and to live

amongst them. And as for me, I will tell thee the sooth, to wit, that I

long for this sorely. For I feel afraid in the wilderness, and as if I

needed help and protection against my Mistress, though she be dead; and I

need the comfort of many people, and the throngs of the cities. I cannot

forget her: it was but last night that I dreamed (I suppose as the dawn

grew a-cold) that I was yet under her hand, and she was stripping me for

the torment; so that I woke up panting and crying out. I pray thee be

not angry with me for telling thee of my desires; for if thou wouldst not

have it so, then here will I abide with thee as thy mate, and strive to

gather courage."

He rose up and kissed her face, and said: "Nay, I had in sooth no mind to

abide here for ever; I meant but that we should feast a while here, and

then depart: sooth it is, that if thou dreadest the wilderness, somewhat

I dread the city."

She turned pale, and said: "Thou shalt have thy will, my friend, if it

must be so. But bethink thee we be not yet at our journey's end, and may

have many things and much strife to endure, before we be at peace and in

welfare. Now shall I tell thee--did I not before?--that while I am a

maid untouched, my wisdom, and somedeal of might, abideth with me, and

only so long. Therefore I entreat thee, let us go now, side by side, out

of this fair valley, even as we are, so that my wisdom and might may help

thee at need. For, my friend, I would not that our lives be short, so

much of joy as hath now come into them."

"Yea, beloved," he said, "let us on straightway then, and shorten the

while that sundereth us."

"Love," she said, "thou shalt pardon me one time for all. But this is to

be said, that I know somewhat of the haps that lie a little way ahead of

us; partly by my lore, and partly by what I learned of this land of the

wild folk whiles thou wert lying asleep that morning."

So they left that pleasant place by the water, and came into the open

valley, and went their ways through the pass; and it soon became stony

again, as they mounted the bent which went up from out the dale. And

when they came to the brow of the said bent, they had a sight of the open

country lying fair and joyous in the sunshine, and amidst of it, against

the blue hills, the walls and towers of a great city.

Then said the Maid: "O, dear friend, lo you! is not that our abode that

lieth yonder, and is so beauteous? Dwell not our friends there, and our

protection against uncouth wights, and mere evil things in guileful

shapes? O city, I bid thee hail!"

But Walter looked on her, and smiled somewhat; and said: "I rejoice in

thy joy. But there be evil things in yonder city also, though they be

not fays nor devils, or it is like to no city that I wot of. And in

every city shall foes grow up to us without rhyme or reason, and life

therein shall be tangled unto us."

"Yea," she said; "but in the wilderness amongst the devils, what was to

be done by manly might or valiancy? There hadst thou to fall back upon

the guile and wizardry which I had filched from my very foes. But when

we come down yonder, then shall thy valiancy prevail to cleave the tangle

for us. Or at the least, it shall leave a tale of thee behind, and I

shall worship thee."

He laughed, and his face grew brighter: "Mastery mows the meadow," quoth

he, "and one man is of little might against many. But I promise thee I

shall not be slothful before thee."