Bab Bab 17 · OF THE HOUSE AND THE PLEASANCE IN THE WOOD

. OF THE HOUSE AND THE PLEASANCE IN THE WOOD

On the morrow morning Walter loitered a while about the house till the

morn was grown old, and then about noon he took his bow and arrows and

went into the woods to the northward, to get him some venison. He went

somewhat far ere he shot him a fawn, and then he sat him down to rest

under the shade of a great chestnut-tree, for it was not far past the

hottest of the day. He looked around thence and saw below him a little

dale with a pleasant stream running through it, and he bethought him of

bathing therein, so he went down and had his pleasure of the water and

the willowy banks; for he lay naked a while on the grass by the lip of

the water, for joy of the flickering shade, and the little breeze that

ran over the down-long ripples of the stream.

Then he did on his raiment, and began to come his ways up the bent, but

had scarce gone three steps ere he saw a woman coming towards him from

downstream. His heart came into his mouth when he saw her, for she

stooped and reached down her arm, as if she would lay her hand on her

ankle, so that at first he deemed it had been the Maid, but at the second

eye-shot he saw that it was the Mistress. She stood still and looked on

him, so that he deemed she would have him come to her. So he went to

meet her, and grew somewhat shamefaced as he drew nigher, and wondered at

her, for now was she clad but in one garment of some dark grey silky

stuff, embroidered with, as it were, a garland of flowers about the

middle, but which was so thin that, as the wind drifted it from side and

limb, it hid her no more, but for the said garland, than if water were

running over her: her face was full of smiling joy and content as she

spake to him in a kind, caressing voice, and said: "I give thee good day,

good Squire, and well art thou met." And she held out her hand to him.

He knelt down before her and kissed it, and abode still upon his knees,

and hanging down his head.

But she laughed outright, and stooped down to him, and put her hand to

his arms, and raised him up, and said to him: "What is this, my Squire,

that thou kneelest to me as to an idol?"

He said faltering: "I wot not; but perchance thou art an idol; and I fear

thee."

"What!" she said, "more than yesterday, whenas thou sawest me afraid?"

Said he: "Yea, for that now I see thee unhidden, and meseemeth there hath

been none such since the old days of the Gentiles."

She said: "Hast thou not yet bethought thee of a gift to crave of me, a

reward for the slaying of mine enemy, and the saving of me from death?"

"O my Lady," he said, "even so much would I have done for any other lady,

or, forsooth, for any poor man; for so my manhood would have bidden me.

Speak not of gifts to me then. Moreover" (and he reddened therewith, and

his voice faltered), "didst thou not give me my sweet reward yesterday?

What more durst I ask?"

She held her peace awhile, and looked on him keenly; and he reddened

under her gaze. Then wrath came into her face, and she reddened and knit

her brows, and spake to him in a voice of anger, and said: "Nay, what is

this? It is growing in my mind that thou deemest the gift of me

unworthy! Thou, an alien, an outcast; one endowed with the little wisdom

of the World without the Wood! And here I stand before thee, all

glorious in my nakedness, and so fulfilled of wisdom, that I can make

this wilderness to any whom I love more full of joy than the kingdoms and

cities of the world--and thou!--Ah, but it is the Enemy that hath done

this, and made the guileless guileful! Yet will I have the upper hand at

least, though thou suffer for it, and I suffer for thee."

Walter stood before her with hanging head, and he put forth his hands as

if praying off her anger, and pondered what answer he should make; for

now he feared for himself and the Maid; so at last he looked up to her,

and said boldly: "Nay, Lady, I know what thy words mean, whereas I

remember thy first welcome of me. I wot, forsooth, that thou wouldst

call me base-born, and of no account, and unworthy to touch the hem of

thy raiment; and that I have been over-bold, and guilty towards thee; and

doubtless this is sooth, and I have deserved thine anger: but I will not

ask thee to pardon me, for I have done but what I must needs."

She looked on him calmly now, and without any wrath, but rather as if she

would read what was written in his inmost heart. Then her face changed

into joyousness again, and she smote her palms together, and cried out:

"This is but foolish talk; for yesterday did I see thy valiancy, and to-

day I have seen thy goodliness; and I say, that though thou mightest not

be good enough for a fool woman of the earthly baronage, yet art thou

good enough for me, the wise and the mighty, and the lovely. And whereas

thou sayest that I gave thee but disdain when first thou camest to us,

grudge not against me therefor, because it was done but to prove thee;

and now thou art proven."

Then again he knelt down before her, and embraced her knees, and again

she raised him up, and let her arm hang down over his shoulder, and her

cheek brush his cheek; and she kissed his mouth and said: "Hereby is all

forgiven, both thine offence and mine; and now cometh joy and merry

days."

Therewith her smiling face grew grave, and she stood before him looking

stately and gracious and kind at once, and she took his hand and said:

"Thou mightest deem my chamber in the Golden House of the Wood

over-queenly, since thou art no masterful man. So now hast thou chosen

well the place wherein to meet me to-day, for hard by on the other side

of the stream is a bower of pleasance, which, forsooth, not every one who

cometh to this land may find; there shall I be to thee as one of the up-

country damsels of thine own land, and thou shalt not be abashed."

She sidled up to him as she spoke, and would he, would he not, her sweet

voice tickled his very soul with pleasure, and she looked aside on him

happy and well-content.

So they crossed the stream by the shallow below the pool wherein Walter

had bathed, and within a little they came upon a tall fence of

flake-hurdles, and a simple gate therein. The Lady opened the same, and

they entered thereby into a close all planted as a most fair garden, with

hedges of rose and woodbine, and with linden-trees a-blossom, and long

ways of green grass betwixt borders of lilies and clove-gilliflowers, and

other sweet garland-flowers. And a branch of the stream which they had

crossed erewhile wandered through that garden; and in the midst was a

little house built of post and pan, and thatched with yellow straw, as if

it were new done.

Then Walter looked this way and that, and wondered at first, and tried to

think in his mind what should come next, and how matters would go with

him; but his thought would not dwell steady on any other matter than the

beauty of the Lady amidst the beauty of the garden; and withal she was

now grown so sweet and kind, and even somewhat timid and shy with him,

that scarce did he know whose hand he held, or whose fragrant bosom and

sleek side went so close to him.

So they wandered here and there through the waning of the day, and when

they entered at last into the cool dusk house, then they loved and played

together, as if they were a pair of lovers guileless, with no fear for

the morrow, and no seeds of enmity and death sown betwixt them.