The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 25

  They Come to Wulstead

  Thus went they, and nought befell them to tell of till they came anighthe gates of Wulstead hard on sunset. The gates, it has been said; forwhereas Ralph left Wulstead a town unwalled, he now found it fencedwith pales, and with two towers strongly framed of timber, one oneither side the gate, and on the battlements of the said towers theysaw spears glittering; before the gate they saw a barrier of big beamsalso, and the gleaming of armour therein. Ralph was glad when he sawthat they meant some defence; for though Wulstead was not in the landsof Upmeads, yet it was always a friendly neighbour, and he looked toeke out his host therein.

  Wulstead standeth on a little hill or swelling of the earth, and theroad that the company of Ralph took went up to the gate across theplain meadows, which had but here and there a tree upon them, so thatthe going of the company was beheld clearly from the gate; as was wellseen, because anon came the sound of the blowing of great horns, andthe spears thickened in the towers. Then Ralph stayed his company twobowshots from the barriers, while he himself, with his sword in hissheath, took Ursula's hand and set forth an easy pace toward the gate.Some of his company, and specially Roger and Stephen, would have lettedhim; but he laughed and said, "Why, lads, why? these be friends.""Yea," quoth Roger, "but an arrow knoweth no kindred nor well-willers:have a care, lord." Said the Sage of Swevenham: "Ye speak but afterthe folly of men of war; the hands and the eyes that be behind the bowshave other hands and eyes behind them which shall not suffer that aFriend of the Well shall be hurt."

  So Ralph and Ursula went forth, and came within a stone's cast of thebarrier, when Ralph lifted up his voice and said: "Is there a captainof the townsfolk within the timber there?" A cheery voice answered him:"Yea, yea, lad; spare thy breath; I am coming to thee."

  And therewith a man came from out the barrier and did off his headpieceand ran straight toward Ralph, who saw at once that it was ClementChapman; he made no more ado, but coming up to Ralph fell to clippinghim in his arms, while the tears ran down his face. Then he stoodaloof and gazed upon him speechless a little while, and then spake:"Hail, and a hundred times hail! but now I look on thee I see what hathbetid, and that thou art too noble and high that I should have castmine arms about thee. But now as for this one, I will be bettermannered with her."

  Therewith he knelt down before Ursula, and kissed her feet, butreverently. And she stooped down and raised him up, with a merrycountenance kissed his face, and stroked his cheeks with her hand andsaid: "Hail, friend of my lord! Was it not rather thou than he whodelivered me from the pain and shame of Utterbol, whereas thou didstbring him safe through the mountains unto Goldburg? And but for thatthere had been no Well, either for him or for me."

  But Clement stood with his head hanging down, and his face reddening.Till Ralph said to him: "Hail, friend! many a time we thought of thismeeting when we were far away and hard bestead; but this is better thanall we thought of. But now, Clement, hold up thine head and be a stoutman of war, for thou seest that we are not alone."

  Said Clement: "Yea, fair lord, and timely ye come, both thou and thycompany; and now that I have my speech again which joy hath taken awayfrom me at the first, I shall tell thee this, that if ye go furtherthan the good town ye shall be met and fought withal by men who areover-many and over-fierce for us." "Yea," said Ralph, "and how many bethey?" Quoth Clement: "How many men may be amongst them I wot not, butI deem there be some two thousand devils."

  Now Ralph reddened, and he took Clement by the shoulder, and said:"Tell me, Clement, are they yet in Upmeads?" "Sooth to say," saidClement, "by this while they may be therein; but this morn it was yetfree of them; but when thou art home in our house, thy gossip shallbelike tell thee much more than I can; for she is foreseeing, and hathtold us much in this matter also that hath come to pass." Then spakeRalph: "Where are my father and my mother; and shall I go after themat once without resting, through the dark night and all?"

  Said Clement, and therewith his face brightened: "Nay, thou needest gono further to look for them than the House of Black Canons within ourwalls: there are they dwelling in all honour and dignity these two dayspast." "What!" said Ralph, "have they fled from Upmeads, and left theHigh House empty? I pray thee, Clement, bring me to them as speedilyas may be."

  "Verily," said Clement, "they have fled, with many another, women andchildren and old men, who should but hinder the carles who have abidedbehind. Nicholas Longshanks is the leader of them down there, and theHigh House is their stronghold in a way; though forsooth their stoutheads and strong hands are better defence."

  Here Ralph brake in: "Sweetling Ursula, though thy feet have worn amany miles to-day, I bid thee hasten back to the company and tellRichard that it is as I said, to wit, that friends, and good guestingawait them; so let them hasten hither and come within gates at once.For as for me, I have sworn it that I will not go one step back till Ihave seen my father and mother in their house of Upmeads. Is it wellsaid, Clement?" "Yea, forsooth," said Clement; but he could not takehis eyes off Ursula's loveliness, as she kilted her skirts and ran herways like one of Diana's ladies in the wildwood. At last he said,"Thou shalt wot, fair sir, that ye will have a little band to go withthee from us of Wulstead; forsooth we had gone to-morrow morn in anycase, but since thou art here, all is well." Even as he spake a greatshout broke out from the company as Ursula had given her message, andthen came the tramp of men and horses and the clash of weapons as theyset forward; and Clement looked and beheld how first of all the arraycame Ursula, bearing the hallowed staff in her hand; for her heart alsowas set on what was to come. Then cried out Clement: "Happy art thou,lord, and happy shalt thou be, and who shall withstand thee? Lo! whata war-duke it is! and what a leader that marches with fate in her handsbefore thine host!"

  Therewith were they all joined together, and Ursula gave the guisarmeinto Ralph's hand, and with his other hand he took hers, and the bar ofthe barrier was lifted and the gates thrown open, and they all streamedinto the street, the champions coming last and towering over thefootmen as they sat, big men on their big horses, as if they were verybodyguards of the God of War.