The Wood Beyond the World Page 10

  CHAPTER X: WALTER HAPPENETH ON ANOTHER CREATURE IN THE STRANGE LAND

  But as he went on through the fair and sweet land so bright andsun-litten, and he now rested and fed, the horror and fear ran off fromhim, and he wandered on merrily, neither did aught befall him save thecoming of night, when he laid him down under a great spreading oak withhis drawn sword ready to hand, and fell asleep at once, and woke not tillthe sun was high.

  Then he arose and went on his way again; and the land was no worser thanyesterday; but even better, it might be; the greensward more flowery, theoaks and chestnuts greater. Deer of diverse kinds he saw, and mighteasily have got his meat thereof; but he meddled not with them since hehad his bread, and was timorous of lighting a fire. Withal he doubtedlittle of having some entertainment; and that, might be, nought evil;since even that fearful dwarf had been courteous to him after his kind,and had done him good and not harm. But of the happening on the Wretchand the Thing, whereof the dwarf spake, he was yet somewhat afeard.

  After he had gone a while and whenas the summer morn was at itsbrightest, he saw a little way ahead a grey rock rising up from amidst ofa ring of oak-trees; so he turned thither straightway; for in this plain-land he had seen no rocks heretofore; and as he went he saw that therewas a fountain gushing out from under the rock, which ran thence in afair little stream. And when he had the rock and the fountain and thestream clear before him, lo! a child of Adam sitting beside the fountainunder the shadow of the rock. He drew a little nigher, and then he sawthat it was a woman, clad in green like the sward whereon she lay. Shewas playing with the welling out of the water, and she had trussed up hersleeves to the shoulder that she might thrust her bare arms therein. Hershoes of black leather lay on the grass beside her, and her feet and legsyet shone with the brook.

  Belike amidst the splashing and clatter of the water she did not hear himdrawing nigh, so that he was close to her before she lifted up her faceand saw him, and he beheld her, that it was the maiden of the thrice-seenpageant. She reddened when she saw him, and hastily covered up her legswith her gown-skirt, and drew down the sleeves over her arms, butotherwise stirred not. As for him, he stood still, striving to speak toher; but no word might he bring out, and his heart beat sorely.

  But the maiden spake to him in a clear sweet voice, wherein was now notrouble: "Thou art an alien, art thou not? For I have not seen theebefore."

  "Yea," he said, "I am an alien; wilt thou be good to me?"

  She said: "And why not? I was afraid at first, for I thought it had beenthe King's Son. I looked to see none other; for of goodly men he hasbeen the only one here in the land this long while, till thy coming."

  He said: "Didst thou look for my coming at about this time?"

  "O nay," she said; "how might I?"

  Said Walter: "I wot not; but the other man seemed to be looking for me,and knew of me, and he brought me bread to eat."

  She looked on him anxiously, and grew somewhat pale, as she said: "Whatother one?"

  Now Walter did not know what the dwarf might be to her, fellow-servant orwhat not, so he would not show his loathing of him; but answered wisely:"The little man in the yellow raiment."

  But when she heard that word, she went suddenly very pale, and leaned herhead aback, and beat the air with her hands; but said presently in afaint voice: "I pray thee talk not of that one while I am by, nor eventhink of him, if thou mayest forbear."

  He spake not, and she was a little while before she came to herselfagain; then she opened her eyes, and looked upon Walter and smiled kindlyon him, as though to ask his pardon for having scared him. Then she roseup in her place, and stood before him; and they were nigh together, forthe stream betwixt them was little.

  But he still looked anxiously upon her and said: "Have I hurt thee? Ipray thy pardon."

  She looked on him more sweetly still, and said: "O nay; thou wouldst nothurt me, thou!"

  Then she blushed very red, and he in like wise; but afterwards she turnedpale, and laid a hand on her breast, and Walter cried out hastily: "O me!I have hurt thee again. Wherein have I done amiss?"

  "In nought, in nought," she said; "but I am troubled, I wot notwherefore; some thought hath taken hold of me, and I know it not.Mayhappen in a little while I shall know what troubles me. Now I bidthee depart from me a little, and I will abide here; and when thou comestback, it will either be that I have found it out or not; and in eithercase I will tell thee."

  She spoke earnestly to him; but he said: "How long shall I abide away?"

  Her face was troubled as she answered him: "For no long while."

  He smiled on her and turned away, and went a space to the other side ofthe oak-trees, whence she was still within eyeshot. There he abode untilthe time seemed long to him; but he schooled himself and forbore; for hesaid: Lest she send me away again. So he abided until again the timeseemed long to him, and she called not to him: but once again he forboreto go; then at last he arose, and his heart beat and he trembled, and hewalked back again speedily, and came to the maiden, who was stillstanding by the rock of the spring, her arms hanging down, her eyesdowncast. She looked up at him as he drew nigh, and her face changedwith eagerness as she said: "I am glad thou art come back, though it beno long while since thy departure" (sooth to say it was scarce half anhour in all). "Nevertheless I have been thinking many things, andthereof will I now tell thee."

  He said: "Maiden, there is a river betwixt us, though it be no big one.Shall I not stride over, and come to thee, that we may sit down togetherside by side on the green grass?"

  "Nay," she said, "not yet; tarry a while till I have told thee ofmatters. I must now tell thee of my thoughts in order."

  Her colour went and came now, and she plaited the folds of her gown withrestless fingers. At last she said: "Now the first thing is this; thatthough thou hast seen me first only within this hour, thou hast set thineheart upon me to have me for thy speech-friend and thy darling. And ifthis be not so, then is all my speech, yea and all my hope, come to anend at once."

  "O yea!" said Walter, "even so it is: but how thou hast found this out Iwot not; since now for the first time I say it, that thou art indeed mylove, and my dear and my darling."

  "Hush," she said, "hush! lest the wood have ears, and thy speech is loud:abide, and I shall tell thee how I know it. Whether this thy love shalloutlast the first time that thou holdest my body in thine arms, I wotnot, nor dost thou. But sore is my hope that it may be so; for I also,though it be but scarce an hour since I set eyes on thee, have cast mineeyes on thee to have thee for my love and my darling, and myspeech-friend. And this is how I wot that thou lovest me, my friend. Nowis all this dear and joyful, and overflows my heart with sweetness. Butnow must I tell thee of the fear and the evil which lieth behind it."

  Then Walter stretched out his hands to her, and cried out: "Yea, yea! Butwhatever evil entangle us, now we both know these two things, to wit,that thou lovest me, and I thee, wilt thou not come hither, that I maycast mine arms about thee, and kiss thee, if not thy kind lips or thyfriendly face at all, yet at least thy dear hand: yea, that I may touchthy body in some wise?"

  She looked on him steadily, and said softly: "Nay, this above all thingsmust not be; and that it may not be is a part of the evil which entanglesus. But hearken, friend, once again I tell thee that thy voice is overloud in this wilderness fruitful of evil. Now I have told thee, indeed,of two things whereof we both wot; but next I must needs tell thee ofthings whereof I wot, and thou wottest not. Yet this were better, thatthou pledge thy word not to touch so much as one of my hands, and that wego together a little way hence away from these tumbled stones, and sitdown upon the open greensward; whereas here is cover if there be spyingabroad."

  Again, as she spoke, she turned very pale; but Walter said: "Since itmust be so, I pledge thee my word to thee as I love thee."

  And therewith she knelt down, and did on her foot-gear, and then spranglightly over the rivulet; and then the twain of them we
nt side by sidesome half a furlong thence, and sat down, shadowed by the boughs of aslim quicken-tree growing up out of the greensward, whereon for a goodspace around was neither bush nor brake.

  There began the maiden to talk soberly, and said: "This is what I mustneeds say to thee now, that thou art come into a land perilous for anyone that loveth aught of good; from which, forsooth, I were fain thatthou wert gotten away safely, even though I should die of longing forthee. As for myself, my peril is, in a measure, less than thine; I meanthe peril of death. But lo, thou, this iron on my foot is token that Iam a thrall, and thou knowest in what wise thralls must pay fortransgressions. Furthermore, of what I am, and how I came hither, timewould fail me to tell; but somewhile, maybe, I shall tell thee. I servean evil mistress, of whom I may say that scarce I wot if she be a womanor not; but by some creatures is she accounted for a god, and as a god isheried; and surely never god was crueller nor colder than she. Me shehateth sorely; yet if she hated me little or nought, small were the gainto me if it were her pleasure to deal hardly by me. But as things noware, and are like to be, it would not be for her pleasure, but for herpain and loss, to make an end of me, therefore, as I said e'en now, mymere life is not in peril with her; unless, perchance, some suddenpassion get the better of her, and she slay me, and repent of itthereafter. For so it is, that if it be the least evil of her conditionsthat she is wanton, at least wanton she is to the letter. Many a timehath she cast the net for the catching of some goodly young man; and herlatest prey (save it be thou) is the young man whom I named, when first Isaw thee, by the name of the King's Son. He is with us yet, and I fearhim; for of late hath he wearied of her, though it is but plain truth tosay of her, that she is the wonder of all Beauties of the World. He hathwearied of her, I say, and hath cast his eyes upon me, and if I wereheedless, he would betray me to the uttermost of the wrath of mymistress. For needs must I say of him, though he be a goodly man, andnow fallen into thralldom, that he hath no bowels of compassion; but is adastard, who for an hour's pleasure would undo me, and thereafter wouldstand by smiling and taking my mistress's pardon with good cheer, whilefor me would be no pardon. Seest thou, therefore, how it is with mebetween these two cruel fools? And moreover there are others of whom Iwill not even speak to thee."

  And therewith she put her hands before her face, and wept, and murmured:"Who shall deliver me from this death in life?"

  But Walter cried out: "For what else am I come hither, I, I?"

  And it was a near thing that he did not take her in his arms, but heremembered his pledged word, and drew aback from her in terror, whereashe had an inkling of why she would not suffer it; and he wept with her.

  But suddenly the Maid left weeping, and said in a changed voice: "Friend,whereas thou speakest of delivering me, it is more like that I shalldeliver thee. And now I pray thy pardon for thus grieving thee with mygrief, and that more especially because thou mayst not solace thy griefwith kisses and caresses; but so it was, that for once I was smitten bythe thought of the anguish of this land, and the joy of all the worldbesides."

  Therewith she caught her breath in a half-sob, but refrained her and wenton: "Now dear friend and darling, take good heed to all that I shall sayto thee, whereas thou must do after the teaching of my words. And first,I deem by the monster having met thee at the gates of the land, andrefreshed thee, that the Mistress hath looked for thy coming; nay, by thycoming hither at all, that she hath cast her net and caught thee. Hastthou noted aught that might seem to make this more like?"

  Said Walter: "Three times in full daylight have I seen go past me theimages of the monster and thee and a glorious lady, even as if ye werealive."

  And therewith he told her in few words how it had gone with him sincethat day on the quay at Langton.

  She said: "Then it is no longer perhaps, but certain, that thou art herlatest catch; and even so I deemed from the first: and, dear friend, thisis why I have not suffered thee to kiss or caress me, so sore as I longedfor thee. For the Mistress will have thee for her only, and hath luredthee hither for nought else; and she is wise in wizardry (even as somedeal am I), and wert thou to touch me with hand or mouth on my nakedflesh, yea, or were it even my raiment, then would she scent the savourof thy love upon me, and then, though it may be she would spare thee, shewould not spare me."

  Then was she silent a little, and seemed very downcast, and Walter heldhis peace from grief and confusion and helplessness; for of wizardry heknew nought.

  At last the Maid spake again, and said: "Nevertheless we will not dieredeless. Now thou must look to this, that from henceforward it is thee,and not the King's Son, whom she desireth, and that so much the more thatshe hath not set eyes on thee. Remember this, whatsoever her seeming maybe to thee. Now, therefore, shall the King's Son be free, though he knowit not, to cast his love on whomso he will; and, in a way, I also shallbe free to yeasay him. Though, forsooth, so fulfilled is she with maliceand spite, that even then she may turn round on me to punish me for doingthat which she would have me do. Now let me think of it."

  Then was she silent a good while, and spoke at last: "Yea, all things areperilous, and a perilous rede I have thought of, whereof I will not tellthee as yet; so waste not the short while by asking me. At least theworst will be no worse than what shall come if we strive not against it.And now, my friend, amongst perils it is growing more and more perilousthat we twain should be longer together. But I would say one thing yet;and maybe another thereafter. Thou hast cast thy love upon one who willbe true to thee, whatsoever may befall; yet is she a guileful creature,and might not help it her life long, and now for thy very sake must needsbe more guileful now than ever before. And as for me, the guileful, mylove have I cast upon a lovely man, and one true and simple, and a stout-heart; but at such a pinch is he, that if he withstand all temptation,his withstanding may belike undo both him and me. Therefore swear weboth of us, that by both of us shall all guile and all falling away beforgiven on the day when we shall be free to love each the other as ourhearts will."

  Walter cried out: "O love, I swear it indeed! thou art my Hallow, and Iwill swear it as on the relics of a Hallow; on thy hands and thy feet Iswear it."

  The words seemed to her a dear caress; and she laughed, and blushed, andlooked full kindly on him; and then her face grew solemn, and she said:"On thy life I swear it!"

  Then she said: "Now is there nought for thee to do but to go hencestraight to the Golden House, which is my Mistress's house, and the onlyhouse in this land (save one which I may not see), and lieth southward nolong way. How she will deal with thee, I wot not; but all I have said ofher and thee and the King's Son is true. Therefore I say to thee, bewary and cold at heart, whatsoever outward semblance thou mayst make. Ifthou have to yield thee to her, then yield rather late than early, so asto gain time. Yet not so late as to seem shamed in yielding for fear'ssake. Hold fast to thy life, my friend, for in warding that, thouwardest me from grief without remedy. Thou wilt see me ere long; it maybe to-morrow, it may be some days hence. But forget not, that what I maydo, that I am doing. Take heed also that thou pay no more heed to me, orrather less, than if thou wert meeting a maiden of no account in thestreets of thine own town. O my love! barren is this first farewell, aswas our first meeting; but surely shall there be another meeting betterthan the first, and the last farewell may be long and long yet."

  Therewith she stood up, and he knelt before her a little while withoutany word, and then arose and went his ways; but when he had gone a spacehe turned about, and saw her still standing in the same place; she stayeda moment when she saw him turn, and then herself turned about.

  So he departed through the fair land, and his heart was full with hopeand fear as he went.