The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 40

  They Ride Toward Utterness From Out of Vale Turris

  So they rode by a good highway, well beaten, past the Tower and overthe ridge of the valley, and came full upon the terrible sight of theGreat Mountains, and the sea of woodland lay before them, swelling andfalling, and swelling again, till it broke grey against the dark blueof the mountain wall. They went as the way led, down hill, and whenthey were at the bottom, thence along their highway parted the tillageand fenced pastures from the rough edges of the woodland like as aditch sunders field from field. They had the wildwood ever on theirright hand, and but a little way from where they rode the woodthickened for the more part into dark and close thicket, the treeswhereof were so tall that they hid the overshadowing mountains whensothey rode the bottoms, though when the way mounted on the ridges, andthe trees gave back a little, they had sight of the woodland and themountains. On the other hand at whiles the thicket came close up tothe roadside.

  Now David biddeth press on past the wains and the driven beasts, whichwere going very slowly. So did they, and at last were well nigh at thehead of the Lord's company, but when Ralph would have pressed on still,David refrained him, and said that they must by no means outgo theQueen's people, or even mingle with them; so they rode on softly. Butas the afternoon was drawing toward evening they heard great noise ofhorns behind them, and the sound of horses galloping. Then David drewRalph to the side of the way, and everybody about, both before andbehind them, drew up in wise at the wayside, and or ever Ralph couldask any question, came a band of men-at-arms at the gallop led byOtter, and after them the Lord on his black steed, and beside him on awhite palfrey the woman whom Ralph had seen in the Tower, and whom hehad taken for the Queen, her light raiment streaming out from her, andher yellow hair flying loose. They passed in a moment of time, andthen David and Ralph and the rest rode on after them.

  Then said Ralph: "The Queen rideth well and hardily." "Yea," saidDavid, screwing his face into a grin, would he or no. Ralph beheldhim, and it came into his mind that this was not the Queen whom he hadlooked on when they first came into Vale Turris, and he said: "Whatthen! this woman is not the Queen?"

  David spake not for a while, and then he answered: "Sir Knight, therebe matters whereof we servants of my Lord say little or nothing, andthou wert best to do the like." And no more would he say thereon.