The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 39

  The Lord of Utterbol Makes Ralph a Free Man

  He went to and fro that day and the next, and none meddled with him;with Redhead he spake not again those days, but had talk with Otter andDavid, who were blithe enough with him. Agatha he saw not at all; northe Lady, and still deemed that the white-skinned woman whom he hadseen sitting by the Lord after the tilting was the Queen.

  As for the Lady she abode in her pavilion, and whiles lay in a heap onthe floor weeping, or dull and blind with grief; whiles she walked upand down mad wroth with whomsoever came in her way, even to the dealingout of stripes and blows to her women.

  But on the eve before the day of departure Agatha came into her, andchid her, and bade her be merry: "I have seen the Lord and told himwhat I would, and found it no hard matter to get him to yeasay ourplot, which were hard to carry out without his goodwill. Withal theseed that I have sowed two days or more ago is bearing fruit; so thatthou mayst look to it that whatsoever plight we may be in, we shallfind a deliverer."

  "I wot not thy meaning," quoth the Lady, "but I deem thou wilt now tellme what thou art planning, and give me some hope, lest I lay hands onmyself."

  Then Agatha told her without tarrying what she was about doing for her,the tale of which will be seen hereafter; and when she had done, theLady mended her cheer, and bade bring meat and drink, and was once morelike a great and proud Lady.

  On the morn of departure, when Ralph arose, David came to him and said:"My Lord is astir already, and would see thee for thy good." So Ralphwent with David, who brought him to the Tower, and there they found theLord sitting in a window, and Otter stood before him, and some othersof his highest folk. But beside him sat Joyce, and it seemed that hethought it naught but good to hold her hand and play with the fingersthereof, though all those great men were by; and Ralph had no thoughtof her but that she was the Queen.

  So Ralph made obeisance to the Lord and stood awaiting his word; andthe Lord said: "We have been thinking of thee, young man, and havedeemed thy lot to be somewhat of the hardest, if thou must needs be athrall, since thou art both young and well-born, and so good a man ofthine hands. Now, wilt thou be our man at Utterbol?"

  Ralph delayed his answer a space and looked at Otter, who seemed to himto frame a Yea with his lips, as who should say, take it. So he said:"Lord, thou art good to me, yet mayst thou be better if thou wilt."

  "Yea, man!" said the Lord knitting his brows; "What shall it be? saythy say, and be done with it."

  "Lord," said Ralph, "I pray thee to give me my choice, whether I shallgo with thee to Utterbol or forbear going?"

  "Why, lo you!" said the Lord testily, and somewhat sourly; "thou hastthe choice. Have I not told thee that thou art free?" Then Ralph kneltbefore him, and said: "Lord, I thank thee from a full heart, in thatthou wilt suffer me to depart on mine errand, for it is a great one."The scowl deepened on the Lord's face, and he turned away from Ralph,and said presently: "Otter take the Knight away and let him have allhis armour and weapons and a right good horse; and then let him do ashe will, either ride with us, or depart if he will, and whither hewill. And if he must needs ride into the desert, and cast himself awayin the mountains, so be it. But whatever he hath a mind to, let nonehinder him, but further him rather; hearest thou? take him with thee."

  Then was Ralph overflowing with thanks, but the Lord heeded him naught,but looked askance at him and sourly. And he rose up withal, and ledthe damsel by the hand into another chamber; and she minced in her gaitand leaned over to the Lord and spake softly in his ear and laughed,and he laughed in his turn and toyed with her neck and shoulders.

  But the great men turned and went their ways from the Tower, and Ralphwent with Otter and was full of glee, and as merry as a bird. ButOtter looked on him, and said gruffly: "Yea now, thou art like asong-bird but newly let out of his cage. But I can see the stringwhich is tied to thy leg, though thou feelest it not."

  "Why, what now?" quoth Ralph, making as though he were astonished."Hearken," said Otter: "there is none nigh us, so I will speakstraight out; for I love thee since the justing when we tried our mighttogether. If thou deemest that thou art verily free, ride off on thebackward road when we go forward; I warrant me thou shalt presentlymeet with an adventure, and be brought in a captive for the secondtime." "How then," said Ralph, "hath not the Lord good will toward me?"

  Said Otter: "I say not that he is now minded to do thee a mischief forcruelty's sake; but he is minded to get what he can out of thee. If heuse thee not for the pleasuring of his wife (so long as her pleasure inthee lasteth) he will verily use thee for somewhat else. And to speakplainly, I now deem that he will make thee my mate, to use with me, oragainst me as occasion may serve; so thou shalt be another captain ofhis host." He laughed withal, and said again: "But if thou be notwary, thou wilt tumble off that giddy height, and find thyself a thrallonce more, and maybe a gelding to boot." Now waxed Ralph angry andforgat his prudence, and said: "Yea, but how shall he use me when I amout of reach of his hand?" "Oho, young man," said Otter, "whither awaythen, to be out of his reach?"

  "Why," quoth Ralph still angrily, "is thy Lord master of all theworld?" "Nay," said the captain, "but of a piece thereof. In short,betwixt Utterbol and Goldburg, and Utterbol and the mountains, andUtterbol and an hundred miles north, and an hundred miles south, thereis no place where thou canst live, no place save the howlingwilderness, and scarcely there either, where he may not lay hand onthee if he do but whistle. What, man! be not downhearted! come with usto Utterbol, since thou needs must. Be wise, and then the Lord shallhave no occasion against thee; above all, beware of crossing him in anymatter of a woman. Then who knows" (and here he sunk his voice wellnigh to a whisper) "but thou and I together may rule in Utterbol andmake better days there."

  Ralph was waxen master of himself by now, and was gotten wary indeed,so he made as if he liked Otter's counsel well, and became exceedinggay; for indeed the heart within him was verily glad at the thought ofhis escaping from thralldom; for more than ever now he was fast in hismind to flee at the time appointed by Redhead.

  So Otter said: "Well, youngling, I am glad that thou takest it thus,for I deem that if thou wert to seek to depart, the Lord would make itan occasion against thee."

  "Such an occasion shall he not have, fellow in arms," quoth Ralph."But tell me, we ride presently, and I suppose are bound for Utternessby the shortest road?" "Yea," said Otter, "and anon we shall come tothe great forest which lieth along our road all the way to Utternessand beyond it; for the town is, as it were, an island in the sea ofwoodland which covers all, right up to the feet of the Great Mountains,and does what it may to climb them whereso the great wall or itsbuttresses are anywise broken down toward our country; but the end ofit lieth along our road, as I said, and we do but skirt it. A woefulwood it is, and save for the hunting of the beasts, which be there ingreat plenty, with wolves and bears, yea, and lions to boot, which comedown from the mountains, there is no gain in it. No gain, thoughforsooth they say that some have found it gainful."

  "How so?" said Ralph. Said Otter: "That way lieth the way to the Wellat the World's End, if one might find it. If at any time we were clearof Utterbol, I have a mind for the adventure along with thee, lad, andso I deem hast thou from all the questions thou hast put to methereabout."

  Ralph mastered himself so that his face changed not, and he said:"Well, Captain, that may come to pass; but tell me, are there anytokens known whereby a man shall know that he is on the right path tothe Well?"

  "The report of folk goeth," said Otter, "concerning one token, where isthe road and the pass through the Great Mountains, to wit, that on theblack rock thereby is carven the image of a Fighting Man, or monstrousgiant, of the days long gone by. Of other signs I can tell theenaught; and few of men are alive that can. But there is a Sagedwelleth in the wood under the mountains to whom folk seek for hisdiverse lore; and he, if he will, say men, can set forth all the way,and its perils, and how to
escape them. Well, knight, when the timecomes, thou and I will go find him together, for he at least is nothard to find, and if he be gracious to us, then will we on our quest.But as now, see ye, they have struck our tents and the Queen's pavilionalso; so to horse, is the word."

  "Yea," quoth Ralph, looking curiously toward the place where theQueen's pavilion had stood; "is not yonder the Queen's litter takingthe road?" "Yea, surely," said Otter.

  "Then the litter will be empty," said Ralph. "Maybe, or maybe not,"said Otter; "but now I must get me gone hastily to my folk; doubtlesswe shall meet upon the road to Utterbol."

  So he turned and went his ways; and Ralph also ran to his horse,whereby was David already in the saddle, and so mounted, and the wholerout moved slowly from out of Vale Turris, Ralph going ever by David.The company was now a great one, for many wains were joined to them,laden with meal, and fleeces, and other household stuff, and withalthere was a great herd of neat, and of sheep, and of goats, which theLord's men had been gathering in the fruitful country these two days;but the Lord was tarrying still in the tower.