The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 13

  Of Ursula and the Bear

  It befell on a fair sunny morning of spring, that Ralph sat alone onthe toft by the rock-house, for Ursula had gone down the meadow todisport her and to bathe in the river. Ralph was fitting the blade ofa dagger to a long ashen shaft, to make him a strong spear; for withthe waxing spring the bears were often in the meadows again; and theday before they had come across a family of the beasts in the sandybight under the mountains; to wit a carle, and a quean with her cubs;the beasts had seen them but afar off, and whereas the men were two andthe sun shone back from their weapons, they had forborne them; althoughthey were fierce and proud in those wastes, and could not away withcreatures that were not of their kind. So because of this Ralph hadbidden Ursula not to fare abroad without her sword, which was sharp andstrong, and she no weakling withal. He bethought him of this just ashe had made an end of his spear-shaping, so therewith he looked asideand saw the said sword hanging to a bough of a little quicken-tree,which grew hard by the door. Fear came into his heart therewith, so hearose and strode down over the meadow hastily bearing his new spear,and girt with his sword. Now there was a grove of chestnuts betwixthim and the river, but on the other side of them naught but the greengrass down to the water's edge.

  Sure enough as he came under the trees he heard a shrill cry, and knewthat it could be naught save Ursula; so he ran thitherward whence camethe cry, shouting as he ran, and was scarce come out of the trees erehe saw Ursula indeed, mother-naked, held in chase by a huge bear as bigas a bullock: he shouted again and ran the faster; but even therewith,whether she heard and saw him, and hoped for timely help, or whethershe felt her legs failing her, she turned on the bear, and Ralph sawthat she had a little axe in her hand wherewith she smote hardily atthe beast; but he, after the fashion of his kind, having risen to hishind legs, fenced with his great paws like a boxer, and smote the axeout of her hand, and she cried out bitterly and swerved from him andfell a running again; but the bear tarried not, and would have caughther in a few turns; but even therewith was Ralph come up, who thrustthe beast into the side with his long-headed spear, and not waiting topull it out again, drew sword in a twinkling, and smote a fore-paw offhim and then drave the sword in over the shoulder so happily that itreached his heart, and he fell over dead with a mighty thump.

  Then Ralph looked around for Ursula; but she had already run back tothe river-side and was casting her raiment on her; so he awaited herbeside the slain bear, but with drawn sword, lest the other bear shouldcome upon them; for this was the he-bear. Howbeit he saw naught savepresently Ursula all clad and coming towards him speedily; so he turnedtoward her, and when they met he cast himself upon her without a word,and kissed her greedily; and she forbore not at all, but kissed andcaressed him as if she could never be satisfied.

  So at last they drew apart a little, and walked quietly toward therock-house hand in hand. And on the way she told him that even as shecame up on to the bank from the water she saw the bear coming down onher as fast as he could drive, and so she but caught up her axe, andran for it: "Yet I had little hope, dear friend," she said, "but thatthou shouldst be left alone in the wilderness." And therewith sheturned on him and cast her arms about him again, all weeping for joy oftheir two lives.

  Thus slowly they came before the door of their rock-house and Ralphsaid: "Let us sit down here on the grass, and if thou art not overwearied with the flight and the battle, I will ask thee a question."She laid herself down on the grass with a sigh, yet it was as of onewho sighs for pleasure and rest, and said, as he sat down beside her:"I am fain to rest my limbs and my body, but my heart is at rest; soask on, dear friend."

  The song of birds was all around them, and the scent of many blossomswent past on the wings of the west wind, and Ralph was silent a littleas he looked at the loveliness of his friend; then he said: "This isthe question; of what kind are thy kisses this morning, are they thekisses of a friend or a lover? Wilt thou not called me beloved and notfriend? Shall not we two lie on the bridal bed this same night?"

  She looked on him steadily, smiling, but for love and sweetness, notfor shame and folly; then she said: "O, dear friend and dearest lover,three questions are these and not one; but I will answer all three asmy heart biddeth me. And first, I will tell thee that my kisses are asthine; and if thine are aught but the kisses of love, then am Ibefooled. And next, I say that if thou wilt be my friend indeed, Iwill not spare to call thee beloved, or to be all thy friend. But asto thy third question; tell me, is there not time enough for that?"

  She faltered as she spake, but he said: "Look, beloved, and see howfair the earth is to-day! What place and what season can be goodlierthan this? And were it not well that we who love each other shouldhave our full joy out of this sweet season, which as now is somewhatmarred by our desire?"

  "Ah, beloved!" she said, looking shyly at him, "is it so marred by thatwhich marreth not us?"

  "Hearken!" he said; "how much longer shall this fairness and peace, andour leisure and safety endure? Here and now the earth rejoiceth aboutus, and there is none to say us nay; but to-morrow it may all beotherwise. Bethink thee, dear, if but an hour ago the monster hadslain thee, and rent thee ere we had lain in each other's arms!"

  "Alas!" she said, "and had I lain in thine arms an hundred times, or anhundred times an hundred, should not the world be barren to me, wertthou gone from it, and that could never more be? But thou friend, thouwell-beloved, fain were I to do thy will that thou mightest be thehappier...and I withal. And if thou command it, be it so! Yet nowshould I tell thee all my thought, and it is on my mind, that for amany hundreds of years, yea, while our people were yet heathen, when aman should wed a maid all the folk knew of it, and were witnesses ofthe day and the hour thereof: now thou knowest that the time drawsnigh when we may look for those messengers of the Innocent Folk, whocome every spring to this cave to see if there be any whom they mayspeed on the way to the Well at the World's End. Therefore if thouwilt (and not otherwise) I would abide their coming if it be not overlong delayed; so that there may be others to witness our weddingbesides God, and those his creatures who dwell in the wilderness. Yetshall all be as thou wilt."

  "How shall I not do after thy bidding?" said Ralph. "I will abidetheir coming: yet would that they were here to-day! And one thing Iwill pray of thee, that because of them thou wilt not forbear, or causeme to forbear, such kissing and caressing as is meet betwixttroth-plight lovers."

  She laughed and said: "Nay, why should I torment thee...or me? Wewill not tarry for this." And therewith she took her arm about hisneck and kissed him oft.

  Then they said naught awhile, but sat listening happily to the song ofthe pairing birds. At last Ralph said: "What was it, beloved, thatthou wert perchance to tell me concerning the thing that caused thineheart to see that thy betrothed, for whom thou wepst or seemedst toweep at the ale-house at Bourton Abbas, was of no avail to thee?"

  She said: "It was the sight of thee; and I thought also how I mightnever be thine. For that I have sorrowed many a time since."

  Said Ralph: "I am young and unmighty, yet lo! I heal thy sorrow as ifI were an exceeding mighty man. And now I tell thee that I am mindedto go back with thee to Upmeads straightway; for love will prevail."

  "Nay," she said, "that word is but from the teeth outwards; for thouknowest, as I do, that the perils of the homeward road shall overcomeus, despite of love, if we have not drunk of the Well at the World'sEnd."

  Again they were silent awhile, but anon she arose to her feet and said:"Now must I needs dight victual for us twain; but first" (and shesmiled on him withal), "how is it that thou hast not asked me if thebeast did me any hurt? Art thou grown careless of me, now the weddingis so nigh?"

  He said: "Nay, but could I not see thee that thou wert not hurt?There was no mark of blood upon thee, nor any stain at all." Then shereddened, and said: "Ah, I forgot how keen-eyes thou art." And shestood silent a little while, as he looked on her an
d loved hersweetness. Then he said: "I am exceeding full of joy, but my body isuneasy; so I will now go and skin that troll who went so nigh to slaythee, and break up the carcase, if thou wilt promise to abide about thedoor of the house, and have thy sword and the spear ready to hand, andto don thine helm and hauberk to boot."

  She laughed and said: "That were but strange attire for a cook-maid,Ralph, my friend; yet shall I do thy will, my lord and my love."

  Then went Ralph into the cave, and brought forth the armour and did iton her, and kissed her, and so went his ways to the carcase of thebear, which lay some two furlongs from their dwelling; and when he cameto the quarry he fell to work, and was some time about it, so huge asthe beast was. Then he hung the skin and the carcase on a tree of thegrove, and went down to the river and washed him, and then went lightlyhomewards.