The Roots of the Mountains Page 9

  CHAPTER VIII. FACE-OF-GOD COMETH HOME AGAIN TO BURGSTEAD.

  FACE-OF-GOD went back through the wood by the way he had come, payinglittle heed to the things about him. For whatever he thought of strayednot one whit from the image of the Fair Woman of the Mountain-side.

  He went through the wood swiftlier than yesterday, and made no stay fornoon or aught else, nor did he linger on the road when he was come intothe Dale, either to speak to any or to note what they did. So he came tothe House of the Face about dusk, and found no man within the hall eithercarle or queen. So he cried out on the folk, and there came in a damselof the house, whom he greeted kindly and she him again. He bade herbring the washing-water, and she did so and washed his feet and hishands. She was a fair maid enough, as were most in the Dale, but heheeded her little; and when she was done he kissed not her cheek for herpains, as his wont was, but let her go her ways unthanked. But he wentto his shut-bed and opened his chest, and drew fair raiment from it, anddid off his wood-gear, and did on him a goodly scarlet kirtle fairlybroidered, and a collar with gems of price therein, and other braveries.And when he was so attired he came out into the hall, and there was oldStone-face standing by the hearth, which was blazing brightly with freshbrands, so that things were clear to see.

  Stone-face noted Gold-mane’s gay raiment, for he was not wont to wearsuch attire, save on the feasts and high days when he behoved to. So theold man smiled and said:

  ‘Welcome back from the Wood! But what is it? Hast thou been weddedthere, or who hath made thee Earl and King?’

  Said Face-of-god: ‘Foster-father, sooth it is that I have been to thewood, but there have I seen nought of manfolk worse than myself. Now asto my raiment, needs must I keep it from the moth. And I am wearywithal, and this kirtle is light and easy to me. Moreover, I look to seethe Bride here again, and I would pleasure her with the sight of gayraiment upon me.’

  ‘Nay,’ said Stone-face, ‘hast thou not seen some woman in the woodarrayed like the image of a God? and hath she not bidden thee thus toworship her to-night? For I know that such wights be in the wood, andthat such is their wont.’

  Said Gold-mane: ‘I worship nought save the Gods and the Fathers. Nor sawI in the wood any such as thou sayest.’

  Therewith Stone-face shook his head; but after a while he said:

  ‘Art thou for the wood to-morrow?’

  ‘Nay,’ said Gold-mane angrily, knitting his brows.

  ‘The morrow of to-morrow,’ said Stone-face, ‘is the day when we look tosee the Westland merchants: after all, wilt thou not go hence with themwhen they wend their ways back before the first snows fall?’

  ‘Nay,’ said he, ‘I have no mind to it, fosterer; cease egging me onhereto.’

  Then Stone-face shook his head again, and looked on him long, andmuttered: ‘To the wood wilt thou go to-morrow or next day; or some daywhen doomed is thine undoing.’

  Therewith entered the service and torches, and presently after came theAlderman with Hall-face; and Iron-face greeted his son and said to him:‘Thou hast not hit the time to do on thy gay raiment, for the Bride willnot be here to-night; she bideth still at the Feast at the Apple-treeHouse: or wilt thou be there, son?’

  ‘Nay,’ said Face-of-god, ‘I am over-weary. And as for my raiment, it iswell; it is for thine honour and the honour of the name.’

  So to table they went, and Iron-face asked his son of his ways again, andwhether he was quite fixed in his mind not to go down to the Plain andthe Cities: ‘For,’ said he, ‘the morrow of to-morrow shall the merchantsbe here, and this were great news for them if the son of the Aldermanshould be their faring-fellow back.’

  But Face-of-god answered without any haste or heat: ‘Nay, father, it maynot be: fear not, thou shalt see that I have a good will to work and livein the Dale.’

  And in good sooth, though he was a young man and loved mirth and the waysof his own will, he was a stalwarth workman, and few could mow a matchwith him in the hay-month and win it; or fell trees as certainly andswiftly, or drive as straight and clean a furrow through the stiff landof the lower Dale; and in other matters also was he deft and sturdy.