The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 3

  Ralph Meeteth With Another Adventure in the Wood Under the Mountain

  Soon the wood grew very thick of pine-trees, though there was noundergrowth, so that when the sun sank it grew dark very speedily; buthe still rode on in the dusk, and there were but few wild things, andthose mostly voiceless, in the wood, and it was without wind and verystill. Now he thought he heard the sound of a horse going behind himor on one side, and he wondered whether the chace were up, and hastenedwhat he might, till at last it grew black night, and he was constrainedto abide. So he got off his horse, and leaned his back against a tree,and had the beast's reins over his arm; and now he listened againcarefully, and was quite sure that he could hear the footsteps of somehard-footed beast going nowise far from him. He laughed inwardly, andsaid to himself: "If the chacer were to pass but three feet from mynose he should be none the wiser but if he hear me or my horse." Andtherewith he cast a lap of his cloak over the horse's head, lest heshould whinny if he became aware of the other beast; and so there hestood abiding, and the noise grew greater till he could hear clearlythe horse-hoofs drawing nigh, till they came very nigh, and thenstopped.

  Then came a man's voice that said: "Is there a man anigh in the wood?"

  Ralph held his peace till he should know more; and the voice spakeagain in a little while: "If there be a man anigh let him be sure thatI will do him no hurt; nay, I may do him good, for I have meat withme." Clear was the voice, and as sweet as the April blackbird sings.It spake again: "Naught answereth, yet meseemeth I know surely that aman is anigh; and I am aweary of the waste, and long for fellowship."

  Ralph hearkened, and called to mind tales of way-farers entrapped bywood-wives and evil things; but he thought: "At least this is nosending of the Lord of Utterbol, and, St. Nicholas to aid, I havelittle fear of wood-wights. Withal I shall be but a dastard if I answernot one man, for fear of I know not what." So he spake in a loud andcheerful voice: "Yea, there is a man anigh, and I desire thyfellowship, if we might but meet. But how shall we see each other inthe blackness of the wildwood night?"

  The other laughed, and the laugh sounded merry and sweet, and the voicesaid: "Hast thou no flint and fire-steel?" "No," said Ralph. "But Ihave," said the voice, "and I am fain to see thee, for thy voicesoundeth pleasant to me. Abide till I grope about for a stick or two."

  Ralph laughed in turn, as he heard the new-comer moving about; then heheard the click of the steel on the flint, and saw the sparks showeringdown, so that a little piece of the wood grew green again to his eyes.Then a little clear flame sprang up, and therewith he saw thetree-stems clearly, and some twenty yards from him a horse, and a manstooping down over the fire, who sprang up now and cried out: "It is aknight-at-arms! Come hither, fellow of the waste; it is five days sinceI have spoken to a child of Adam; so come nigh and speak to me, and asa reward of thy speech thou shalt have both meat and firelight."

  "That will be well paid," said Ralph laughing, and he stepped forwardleading his horse, for now the wood was light all about, as the firewaxed and burned clear; so that Ralph could see that the new-comer wasclad in quaintly-fashioned armour after the fashion of that land, witha bright steel sallet on the head, and a long green surcoat over thebody armour. Slender of make was the new-comer, not big nor tall ofstature.

  Ralph went up to him hastily, and merrily put his hand on his shoulder,and kissed him, saying: "The kiss of peace in the wilderness to thee!"And he found him smooth-faced and sweet-breathed.

  But the new comer took his hand and led him to where the firelight wasbrightest and looked on him silently a while; and Ralph gave back thelook. The strange-wrought sallet hid but little of the new comer'sface, and as Ralph looked thereon a sudden joy came into his heart, andhe cried out: "O, but I have kissed thy face before! O, my friend, myfriend!"

  Then spake the new-comer and said: "Yea, I am a woman, and I was thyfriend for a little while at Bourton Abbas, and at the want-ways of theWood Perilous."

  Then Ralph cast his arms about her and kissed her again; but shewithdrew her from him, and said: "Help me, my friend, that we maygather sticks to feed our fire, lest it die and the dark come again sothat we see not each other's faces, and think that we have but met in adream."

  Then she busied herself with gathering the kindling; but presently shelooked up at him, and said: "Let us make the wood shine wide about,for this is a feastful night."

  So they gathered a heap of wood and made the fire great; and then Ralphdid off his helm and hauberk and the damsel did the like, so that hecould see the shapeliness of her uncovered head. Then they sat downbefore the fire, and the damsel drew meat and drink from hersaddle-bags, and gave thereof to Ralph, who took it of her and her handwithal, and smiled on her and said: "Shall we be friends together aswe were at Bourton Abbas and the want-ways of the Wood Perilous?" Sheshook her head and said: "If it might be! but it may not be. Not manydays have worn since then; but they have brought about changed days."He looked on her wistfully and said: "But thou wert dear to me then."

  "Yea," she said, "and thou to me; but other things have befallen, andthere is change betwixt."

  "Nay, what change?" said Ralph.

  Even by the firelight he saw that she reddened as she answered: "I wasa free woman then; now am I but a runaway thrall." Then Ralph laughedmerrily, and said, "Then are we brought the nigher together, for I alsoam a runaway thrall."

  She smiled and looked down: then she said: "Wilt thou tell me howthat befell?"

  "Yea," said he, "but I will ask thee first a question or two." Shenodded a yeasay, and looked on him soberly, as a child waiting to sayits task.

  Said Ralph: "When we parted at the want-ways of the Wood Perilous thousaidst that thou wert minded for the Well at the World's End, and totry it for life or death. But thou hadst not then the necklace, whichnow I see thee bear, and which, seest thou! is like to that about myneck. Wilt thou tell me whence thou hadst it?"

  She said: "Yea; it was given unto me by a lady, mighty as I deem, andcertainly most lovely, who delivered me from an evil plight, and aperil past words, but whereof I will tell thee afterwards. And she itwas who told me of the way to the Well at the World's End, and manymatters concerning them that seek it, whereof thou shalt wot soon."

  Said Ralph: "As to how thou wert made a thrall thou needest not totell me; for I have learned that of those that had to do with takingthee to Utterbol. But tell me; here are met we two in the pathlesswilds, as if it were on the deep sea, and we two seeking the samething. Didst thou deem that we should meet, or that I should seekthee?"

  Now was the fire burning somewhat low, but he saw that she looked onhim steadily; yet withal her sweet voice trembled a little as sheanswered: "Kind friend, I had a hope that thou wert seeking me andwouldst find me: for indeed that fairest of women who gave me the beadsspake to me of thee, and said that thou also wouldst turn thee to thequest of the Well at the World's End; and already had I deemed thineeyes lucky as well as lovely. But tell me, my friend, what hasbefallen that lady that she is not with thee? For in such wise shespake of thee, that I deemed that naught would sunder you save death."

  "It is death that hath sundered us," said Ralph.

  Then she hung her head, and sat silent a while, neither did he speaktill she had risen up and cast more wood upon the fire; and she stoodbefore it with her back towards him. Then he spake to her in acheerful voice and said: "Belike we shall be long together: tell methy name; is it not Dorothy?" She turned about to him with a smilingface, and said: "Nay lord, nay: did I not tell thee my name before?They that held me at the font bid the priest call me Ursula, after theFriend of Maidens. But what is thy name?"

  "I am Ralph of Upmeads," quoth he; and sat a while silent, ponderinghis dream and how it had betrayed him as to her name, when it had toldhim much that he yet deemed true.

  She came and sat down by him again, and said to him: "Thy questions Ihave answered; but thou hast not yet told me the tale of thycaptivity.
" Her voice sounded exceeding sweet to him, and he looked onher face and spake as kindly as he knew how, and said: "A short taleit is to-night at least: I came from Whitwall with a Company ofChapmen, and it was thee I was seeking and the Well at the World's End.All went well with me, till I came to Goldburg, and there I wasbetrayed by a felon, who had promised to lead me safe to Utterness, andtell me concerning the way unto the Well. But he sold me to the Lordof Utterbol, who would lead me to his house; which irked me not, atfirst, because I looked to find thee there. Thereafter, if for shame Imay tell the tale, his lady and wife cast her love upon me, and I wasentangled in the nets of guile: yet since I was told, and believed thatit would be ill both for thee and for me if I met thee at Utterbol, Itook occasion to flee away, I will tell thee how another while."

  She had turned pale as she heard him, and now she said: "It is indeedGod's mercy that thou camest not to Utterbol nor foundest me there, forthen had both we been undone amidst the lusts of those two; or thatthou camest not there to find me fled, else hadst thou been undone. Myheart is sick to think of it, even as I sit by thy side."

  Said Ralph: "Thy last word maketh me afraid and ashamed to ask thee athing. But tell me first, is that Lord of Utterbol as evil as men'sfear would make him? for no man is feared so much unless he is deemedevil."

  She was silent a while, and then she said: "He is so evil that itmight be deemed that he has been brought up out of hell."

  Then Ralph looked sore troubled, and he said: "Dear friend, this isthe thing hard for me to say. In what wise did they use thee atUtterbol? Did they deal with thee shamefully?" She answered himquietly: "Nay," she said, "fear not! no shame befell me, save that Iwas a thrall and not free to depart. Forsooth," she said, smiling, "Ifled away timely before the tormentors should be ready. Forsooth it isan evil house and a mere piece of hell. But now we are out of it andfree in the wildwood, so let us forget it; for indeed it is a grief toremember it. And now once more let us mend the fire, for thy face isgrowing dim to me, and that misliketh me. Afterwards before we liedown to sleep we will talk a little of the way, whitherward we shallturn our faces to-morrow."

  So they cast on more wood, and pineapples, and sweet it was to Ralph tosee her face come clear again from out the mirk of the wood. Then theysat down again together and she said: "We two are seeking the Well atthe World's End; now which of us knows more of the way? who is to lead,and who to follow?" Said Ralph: "If thou know no more than I, it islittle that thou knowest. Sooth it is that for many days past I havesought thee that thou mightest lead me."

  She laughed sweetly, and said: "Yea, knight, and was it for that causethat thou soughtest me, and not for my deliverance?" He said soberly:"Yet in very deed I set myself to deliver thee." "Yea," she said, "thensince I am delivered, I must needs deem of it as if it were through thydeed. And as I suppose thou lookest for a reward therefor, so thyreward shall be, that I will lead thee to the Well at the World's End.Is it enough?" "Nay," said Ralph. They held their peace a minute, thenshe said: "Maybe when we have drunk of that Water and are coming back,it will be for thee to lead. For true it is that I shall scarce knowwhither to wend; since amidst of my dreaming of the Well, andof...other matters, my home that was is gone like a dream."

  He looked at her, but scarce as if he were heeding all her words. Thenhe spoke: "Yea, thou shalt lead me. I have been led by one or anotherever since I have left Upmeads." Now she looked on him somewhatruefully, and said: "Thou wert not hearkening e'en now; so I say itagain, that the time shall come when thou shalt lead me."

  In Ralph's mind had sprung up again that journey from the Water of theOak-tree; so he strove with himself to put the thought from him, andsighed and said: "Dost thou verily know much of the way?" She noddedyeasay. "Knowest thou of the Rock of the Fighting Man?" "Yea," shesaid. "And of the Sage that dwelleth in this same wood?" "Mostsurely," she said, "and to-morrow evening or the morrow after we shallfind him; for I have been taught the way to his dwelling; and I wotthat he is now called the Sage of Swevenham. Yet I must tell thee thatthere is some peril in seeking to him; whereas his dwelling is known ofthe Utterbol riders, who may follow us thither. And yet again I deemthat he will find some remedy thereto."

  Said Ralph: "Whence didst thou learn all this, my friend?" And hisface grew troubled again; but she said simply: "She taught it to me whospake to me in the wood by Hampton under Scaur."

  She made as if she noted not the trouble in his face, but said: "Putthy trust in this, that here and with me thou art even now nigher tothe Well at the World's End than any other creature on the earth. Yea,even if the Sage of Swevenham be dead or gone hence, yet have I tokensto find the Rock of the Fighting Man, and the way through themountains, though I say not but that he may make it all clearer. Butnow I see thee drooping with the grief of days bygone; and I deem alsothat thou art weary with the toil of the way. So I rede thee lie downhere in the wilderness and sleep, and forget grief till to-morrow is anew day."

  "Would it were come," said he, "that I might see thy face the clearer;yet I am indeed weary."

  So he went and fetched his saddle and lay down with his head thereon;and was presently asleep. But she, who had again cast wood on thefire, sat by his head watching him with a drawn sword beside her, tillthe dawn of the woodland began to glimmer through the trees: then shealso laid herself down and slept.