The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 26

  Ralph Sees His Father and Mother Again

  Thus came they into the market-place of Wulstead nigh to Clement'shouse, and there the company stood in ordered ranks. Ralph lookedround about half expecting to see his gossip standing in the door; butClement smiled and said: "Thou art looking round for thy gossip, fairsir; but she is upon the north gate in war-gear; for we be too few inWulstead to spare so clean-limbed and strong-armed a dame from ourmuster; but she shall be here against thou comest back from the AustinCanons, wither forsooth thou mayst go at once if thou wilt let me bemaster in the matter of lodging." Said Ralph, smiling: "Well, Ring ofWulstead, since thou givest leave I will e'en take it, nor needest thougive me any guide to the House of St. Austin, for I know it well.Sweetheart," said he, turning to Ursula, "what sayest thou: wilt thoucome with me, or abide till to-morrow, when I shall show thee to mykinsmen?" "Nay," she said, "I will with thee at once, my lord, if thouwilt be kind and take me; for meseemeth I also have a word to say tothy father, and the mother that bore thee."

  "And thou, Hugh," said Ralph, "what sayest thou?" "Why, brother," saidHugh, "I think my blessing will abide the morrow's morn, for I havenought so fair and dear to show our father and mother as thou hast.Also to-morrow thou wilt have more to do; since thou art a captain, andI but a single varlet." And he smiled a little sourly on Ralph; whoheeded it little, but took Ursula's hand and went his way with her.

  It was but a few minutes for them to come to the House of the Canons,which was well walled toward the fields at the west of the town, sothat it was its chief defence of that side. It was a fair house with achurch but just finished, and Ralph could see down the street its newwhite pinnacles and the cross on its eastern gable rising over theridge of the dortoir. They came to the gate, and round about it werestanding men-at-arms not a few, who seemed doughty enough at firstsight; but when Ralph looked on them he knew some of them, that theywere old men, and somewhat past warlike deeds, for in sooth they werecarles of Upmeads. Him they knew not, for he had somewhat cast downthe visor of his helm; but they looked eagerly on the fair lady and thegoodly knight.

  So Ralph spake to the porter and bade him show him where was King Peterof Upmeads and his Lady wife; and the porter made him obeisance andtold him that they were in the church, wherein was service toward; andbade him enter. So they went in and entered the church, and it wassomewhat dim, because the sun was set, and there were many pictures,and knots of flowers in the glass of the windows.

  So they went halfway down the nave, and stood together there; and thewhole church was full of the music that the minstrels were making inthe rood-loft, and most heavenly sweet it was; and as Ralph stood therehis heart heaved with hope and love and the sweetness of his youth; andhe looked at Ursula, and she hung her head, and he saw that hershoulders were shaken with sobs; but he knew that it was with her aswith him, so he spake no word to her.

  Now when his eyes cleared and he was used to the twilight of thechurch, he looked toward the choir, and saw near to the Jesus altar aman and a woman standing together even as they were standing, and theywere somewhat stricken in years. So presently he knew that this wouldbe his father and mother; so he stood still and waited till the serviceshould be over; and by then it was done the twilight was growing fastin the church, and the sacristan was lighting a lamp here and there insome of the chapels, and the aisles of the choir.

  So King Peter and his wife turned and came slowly down the nave, andwhen they were come anigh, Ralph spake aloud, and said: "Hail, KingPeter of Upmeads!" And the old man stopped and said unto him: "Yea,forsooth, my name is Peter, and my business is to be a king, or akinglet rather; and once it seemed no such hard craft; but now it allgoes otherwise, and belike my craft has left me; even as it fares witha leech when folk are either too well or too ill to need hisleech-craft."

  Then he looked at Ralph and at Ursula, and said: "Either my eyes areworse than I deemed yesterday, or thou art young, and a gallant knight,and she that is standing by thee is young, and fair. Ah, lad! time waswhen I would have bid thee come home, thou and thy sweetling, to myhouse with me, and abide there in ease and feastfully; but now the bestrede I can give thee is to get thee gone from the land, for there isall unpeace in it. And yet, forsooth, friend, I know not where to sendthee to seek for peace, since Upmeads hath failed us."

  While he spoke, and Ralph was sore moved by the sound of his voice, andhis speech wherein kindness and mocking was so blended, the Dame ofUpmeads came to Ralph and laid her hand on his arm, and said in apleasant voice, for she was soft-hearted and soft-spoken both: "Willnot the fair young warrior and his mate do so much for an old man andhis wife, who have heard not tidings of their best beloved son for twoyears well nigh, as to come with them to their chamber, and answer alittle question or two as to the parts of the world they have seen oflate?"

  Ralph nodded yeasay and began to move toward the porch, the Dame ofUpmeads sticking close to him all the time, and King Peter followingafter and saying: "Yea, young man, thou mayst think the worse of mefor hanging about here amongst the monks, when e'en now, for all Iknow, the battle is pitched in Upmeads; but Nicholas and all of themwould have it so--Yea, and all my sons are away, fair sir; though ofthe eldest, who meseems was born with a long head, we hear that he isthriving, and hath grown great."

  As he spake they were come into the porch, and passed into the openair, where it was still light; then the Dame turned round on Ralph andcaught him by the two arms and cried out and cast her arms about hisneck; and when she could sunder herself a little from him, she said: "ORalph, I deemed that I knew thy voice, but I durst not halse thee tillI knew it was mine own flesh and blood, lest I should have died forgrief to think it was thee when it was not. O son, how fair thou art!Now do off thy sallet that I may see thee, thy face and thy curly head."

  So did he, smiling as one who loved her, and again she fell to kissingand clipping him. Then his father came up and thrust her aside gentlyand embraced him also, and said: "Tell me, son, what thou are become?Thou art grown much of a man since thou stolest thyself away from me.Is there aught behind this goodly raiment of thine? And this fairlady, hath she stolen thee away from thy foes to bring thee home to us?"

  Ralph laughed and said: "No less than that, father; I will tell theeall presently; but this first, that I am the captain of a goodlycompany of men-at-arms; and"----"Ah, son, sweetheart," said his mother,"and thou wilt be going away from us again to seek more fame: and yet,as I look on thee thou seemest to have grown great enough already. Ideem thou wilt not leave us."

  "Mother, my dear," said Ralph, "to-morrow morn we shall go down tobattle in Upmeads, and the day after I shall come hither again, andbring you back to the High House with all honour and glory. But look,mother," and he took Ursula's hand, "here is a daughter and a darlingthat I have brought back to thee, for this is my wedded wife."

  Then Ursula looked beseechingly at the Dame, who took her in her armsand clipped her and kissed her; and said, "Welcome, daughter; for Ifeel thy body that thou lovest me."

  Then said King Peter; "Forsooth, son, she is a sweet and daintycreature. If there be a fairer than her, I wot not; but none so fairhave mine eyes looked on. Tell me whose daughter she is, and of whatlineage?" And therewith he took her hand and kissed her.

  But Ursula said: "I am come of no earl or baron. I am a yeoman'sdaughter, and both my father and my mother are dead, and I have no nighkin save one brother who loveth me not, and would heed it little if henever saw my face again. Now I tell thee this: that if my lordbiddeth me go from him, I will depart; but for the bidding of none elsewill I leave him."

  King Peter laughed and said: "Never will I bid thee depart." Then hetook her hand and said: "Sweetling, fair daughter, what is thy name?""Ursula," she said. Said he: "Ursula, thy palms are harder than bethe hands of the dainty dames of the cities, but there is no churls'blood in thee meseemeth. What is thy kindred of the yeoman?" Shesaid: "We be come of the Geirings of old time:
it may be that thespear is broken, and the banner torn; but we forget not ourforefathers, though we labour afield, and the barons and the earls callus churls. It is told amongst us that that word is but another way ofsaying earl and that it meaneth a man."

  Then spoke Ralph: "Father and mother both, I may well thank thee andbless thee that your eyes look upon this half of me with kind eyes.And now I shall tell thee that for this woman, her heart is greaterthan a king's or a leader of folk. And meseemeth her palms havehardened with the labour of delivering me from many troubles."

  Then the Dame of Upmeads put her arms about Ursula's neck again, andbade her all welcome once more, with sweet words of darling and dear,and well-beloved daughter.

  But King Peter said: "Son, thou hast not told me what thou are become;and true it is that thou hast the look of a great one."

  Said Ralph: "Father and King, I have become the Lord of the LittleLand of Abundance, the sworn brother of the Champions of the Dry Tree,the Lord of the Castle of the Scaur, the brother and Warduke of theShepherds; and to-morrow shall I be the Conqueror of the robbers andthe devils of the Burg. And this be not enough for me, hearken! I andmy wife both, yea and she leading me, have drunk of the Well at theWorld's End, and have become Friends thereof."

  And he looked at his father with looks of love, and his father drewnigh to him again, and embraced him once more, and stroked his cheeksand kissed him as if he had become a child again: "O son," said he,"whatsoever thou dost, that thou dost full well. And lo, one whilewhen I look on thee thou art my dear and sweet child, as thou wertyears agone, and I love thee dearly and finely; and another while thouart a great and mighty man, and I fear thee; so much greater thouseemest than we poor upland folk."

  Then smiled Ralph for love and happiness, and he said: "Father, I amthy child in the house and at the board, and that is for thine helping.And I am thy champion and the fierce warrior afield, and that also isfor thine helping. Be of good cheer; for thine house shall not wane,but wax." And all those four were full of joy and their hearts wereraised aloft.

  But as they spake thus came a lay-brother and bent the knee before KingPeter and bade him and the Dame of Upmeads to supper in the name of thePrior, and the Captain and the Lady therewith; for indeed the rumour ofthe coming of an host for the helping of the countryside had gotteninto that House, and the Prior and the brethern sorely desired to lookupon the Captain, not knowing him for Ralph of Upmeads. So into theHall they went together, and there the holy fathers made them greatfeast and joy; and King Peter might not refrain him, but told the Priorhow this was his son come back from far lands, with the goodly Lady hehad won to wife therein; and the Prior and all the fathers made much ofRalph, and rejoiced in their hearts when they saw how goodly a man ofwar he had gotten to be. And the Prior would lead him on to tell himof the marvels he had seen in the far parts of the world; but Ralphsaid but little thereon, whereas his thought was set on the days thatlay even before his feet; yet some deal he told him of the uncouthmanners of the lands beyond Whitwall, and at last he said: "Father,when the battles be over here, and there is peace on our lands again, Iwill ask thee to give me guesting for a night, that I may tell thee allthe tale of what hath befallen me since the last summer day when I rodethrough Wulstead; but now I ask leave of thee to depart, for I havemany things to do this even, as behoveth a captain, before I sleep foran hour or two. And if it be thy will, I would leave the Lady my wifewith my mother here at least till morrow morn."

  So the Prior gave him leave, loth though he were, and Ralph kissed hisfather and mother, and they blessed him. But Ursula said to himsoftly: "It is my meaning to go with thee down into Upmeads to-morrow;for who knoweth what may befall thee." Then he smiled upon her andwent his ways down the hall and out-a-gates, while all men looked onhim and did him worship.