The Wood Beyond the World Page 3

  CHAPTER III: WALTER HEARETH TIDINGS OF THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER

  Fast sailed the Katherine over the seas, and nought befell to tell of,either to herself or her crew. She came to one cheaping-town and then toanother, and so on to a third and a fourth; and at each was buying andselling after the manner of chapmen; and Walter not only looked on thedoings of his father's folk, but lent a hand, what he might, to help themin all matters, whether it were in seaman's craft, or in chaffer. Andthe further he went and the longer the time wore, the more he was easedof his old trouble wherein his wife and her treason had to do.

  But as for the other trouble, to wit his desire and longing to come upwith those three, it yet flickered before him; and though he had not seenthem again as one sees people in the streets, and as if he might touchthem if he would, yet were their images often before his mind's eye; andyet, as time wore, not so often, nor so troublously; and forsooth both tothose about him and to himself, he seemed as a man well healed of hismelancholy mood.

  Now they left that fourth stead, and sailed over the seas and came to afifth, a very great and fair city, which they had made more than sevenmonths from Langton on Holm; and by this time was Walter taking heed andjoyance in such things as were toward in that fair city, so far from hiskindred, and especially he looked on the fair women there, and desiredthem, and loved them; but lightly, as befalleth young men.

  Now this was the last country whereto the Katherine was boun; so therethey abode some ten months in daily chaffer, and in pleasuring them inbeholding all that there was of rare and goodly, and making merry withthe merchants and the towns-folk, and the country-folk beyond the gates,and Walter was grown as busy and gay as a strong young man is like to be,and was as one who would fain be of some account amongst his own folk.

  But at the end of this while, it befell on a day, as he was leaving hishostel for his booth in the market, and had the door in his hand, therestood before him three mariners in the guise of his own country, and withthem was one of clerkly aspect, whom he knew at once for his father'sscrivener, Arnold Penstrong by name; and when Walter saw him his heartfailed him and he cried out: "Arnold, what tidings? Is all well with thefolk at Langton?"

  Said Arnold: "Evil tidings are come with me; matters are ill with thyfolk; for I may not hide that thy father, Bartholomew Golden, is dead,God rest his soul."

  At that word it was to Walter as if all that trouble which but now hadsat so light upon him, was once again fresh and heavy, and that his pastlife of the last few months had never been; and it was to him as if hesaw his father lying dead on his bed, and heard the folk lamenting aboutthe house. He held his peace awhile, and then he said in a voice as ofan angry man:

  "What, Arnold! and did he die in his bed, or how? for he was neither oldnor ailing when we parted."

  Said Arnold: "Yea, in his bed he died: but first he was somewhat sword-bitten."

  "Yea, and how?" quoth Walter.

  Said Arnold: "When thou wert gone, in a few days' wearing, thy fathersent thy wife out of his house back to her kindred of the Reddings withno honour, and yet with no such shame as might have been, without blameto us of those who knew the tale of thee and her; which, God-a-mercy,will be pretty much the whole of the city."

  "Nevertheless, the Reddings took it amiss, and would have a mote with usGoldings to talk of booting. By ill-luck we yea-said that for the savingof the city's peace. But what betid? We met in our Gild-hall, and therebefell the talk between us; and in that talk certain words could not behidden, though they were none too seemly nor too meek. And the saidwords once spoken drew forth the whetted steel; and there then was thehewing and thrusting! Two of ours were slain outright on the floor, andfour of theirs, and many were hurt on either side. Of these was thyfather, for as thou mayst well deem, he was nought backward in the fray;but despite his hurts, two in the side and one on the arm, he went homeon his own feet, and we deemed that we had come to our above. But well-a-way! it was an evil victory, whereas in ten days he died of his hurts.God have his soul! But now, my master, thou mayst well wot that I am notcome to tell thee this only, but moreover to bear the word of thekindred, to wit that thou come back with me straightway in the swiftcutter which hath borne me and the tidings; and thou mayst look to it,that though she be swift and light, she is a keel full weatherly."

  Then said Walter: "This is a bidding of war. Come back will I, and theReddings shall wot of my coming. Are ye all-boun?"

  "Yea," said Arnold, "we may up anchor this very day, or to-morrow morn atlatest. But what aileth thee, master, that thou starest so wild over myshoulder? I pray thee take it not so much to heart! Ever it is the wontof fathers to depart this world before their sons."

  But Walter's visage from wrathful red had become pale, and he pointed upstreet, and cried out: "Look! dost thou see?"

  "See what, master?" quoth Arnold: "what! here cometh an ape in gayraiment; belike the beast of some jongleur. Nay, by God's wounds! 'tis aman, though he be exceeding mis-shapen like a very devil. Yea and nowthere cometh a pretty maid going as if she were of his meney; and lo!here, a most goodly and noble lady! Yea, I see; and doubtless she ownethboth the two, and is of the greatest of the folk of this fair city; foron the maiden's ankle I saw an iron ring, which betokeneth thralldomamongst these aliens. But this is strange! for notest thou not how thefolk in the street heed not this quaint show; nay not even the statelylady, though she be as lovely as a goddess of the gentiles, and bearethon her gems that would buy Langton twice over; surely they must be over-wont to strange and gallant sights. But now, master, but now!"

  "Yea, what is it?" said Walter.

  "Why, master, they should not yet be gone out of eye-shot, yet gone theyare. What is become of them, are they sunk into the earth?"

  "Tush, man!" said Walter, looking not on Arnold, but still staring downthe street; "they have gone into some house while thine eyes were turnedfrom them a moment."

  "Nay, master, nay," said Arnold, "mine eyes were not off them one instantof time."

  "Well," said Walter, somewhat snappishly, "they are gone now, and whathave we to do to heed such toys, we with all this grief and strife on ourhands? Now would I be alone to turn the matter of thine errand over inmy mind. Meantime do thou tell the shipmaster Geoffrey and our otherfolk of these tidings, and thereafter get thee all ready; and come hitherto me before sunrise to-morrow, and I shall be ready for my part; and sosail we back to Langton."

  Therewith he turned him back into the house, and the others went theirways; but Walter sat alone in his chamber a long while, and ponderedthese things in his mind. And whiles he made up his mind that he wouldthink no more of the vision of those three, but would fare back toLangton, and enter into the strife with the Reddings and quell them, ordie else. But lo, when he was quite steady in this doom, and his heartwas lightened thereby, he found that he thought no more of the Reddingsand their strife, but as matters that were passed and done with, and thatnow he was thinking and devising if by any means he might find out inwhat land dwelt those three. And then again he strove to put that fromhim, saying that what he had seen was but meet for one brainsick, and adreamer of dreams. But furthermore he thought, Yea, and was Arnold, whothis last time had seen the images of those three, a dreamer of wakingdreams? for he was nought wonted in such wise; then thought he: At leastI am well content that he spake to me of their likeness, not I to him;for so I may tell that there was at least something before my eyes whichgrew not out of mine own brain. And yet again, why should I follow them;and what should I get by it; and indeed how shall I set about it?

  Thus he turned the matter over and over; and at last, seeing that if hegrew no foolisher over it, he grew no wiser, he became weary thereof, andbestirred him, and saw to the trussing up of his goods, and made allready for his departure, and so wore the day and slept at nightfall; andat daybreak comes Arnold to lead him to their keel, which hight theBartholomew. He tarried nought, and with few farewells went aboard ship,and an hour after they wer
e in the open sea with the ship's head turnedtoward Langton on Holm.