XVII
THE LOVE DAYS
Now, when that I gat back unto life, I to know that I went upward in theLift, and did be upon that same bed, where I to think I never to need abed any more, neither to come upward again from out of the Country ofSilence.
And I to know vague and strange, that there rose up from out of themighty depths of the world, the deep thunder of the Underground Organs,and did sound as that they made a strange and utter distant music beyonddeath; and there to go alway a rolling chaunting, as that multitudes didsing beyond far mountains, and the sound to be somewhiles as afar-blowing wind, low in the Deep; and again to come clear, and to bethat great olden melody of the Song of Honour. And I knew, as in adream, that the Millions in that deep Country made an Honour and aRejoicing over this Wonder of Joy which did be come. But yet all to befaint and half hid from me, and mine eyes to be as that they had nopower to open, and I to seem to be lifting alway upon strange waters ofunrealness. And there to be sweet and lovely odours, and these to be ofreality, and to come from the great Fields, where the flowers did alwayto grow about the passage ways of the Lifts; for the Lift even then tobe going upward through the great miles.
And mayhap I moved a little; for there came the voice of the MasterDoctor low and gentle to me; and bid me rest; for that all did be wellwith the Maid. And surely, afterward, I did be gone into an haze, andthere to be then a seeming of days in which I half to live and half tosleep, and to wonder without trouble whether I did be dead.
And then there to come days when I lay very quiet, and had no thought ofaught; and the Master Doctor oft to bend over me in this hour and thathour, and to look keen into my face. And in the end, after strangespaces, there bent over me another, and there lookt down upon me thedear and lovely face of Mine Own, and the eyes did speak love into mysoul; yet did she be calm and husht. And I to begin again to live in mybody, and I made, mayhap, a little fumbling with my hands; for she totake and to hold them; and life to come from her to me; and she to beever wordless and gentle; and contentment to grow in me, and presently anatural slumber.
And there came a day when I did be let rise, and they that tended me,carried me to one of the Quiet Gardens of the Pyramid; and they set methere, and did seem to leave me alone. And there came One then around abush, and lookt at me a moment, as with an half shyness; only that thelove that did shine in her eyes, made the shyness to be a little thing.And, truly, I knew that it did be Mine Own Maid; but I never before tohave seen Naani drest pretty as a maid. And I lookt to her, and knewthat she did be more dainty than even I to have known. And sudden I madethat I rise to come unto her; but she to run quick to me, that she stopme of this natural foolishness; and she then to sit beside me, and totake my head against her breast, and she not to deny me her lips; but tobe both a maid and a mother to me in the same moment.
And afterward, she had me to be very still; and we to sit there in anutter dumb happiness, until they that did attend me, were come again.And the Master of the Doctors did be with them, and I to see that therewent something of satisfaction in his face.
And after that day I saw Mine Own Maid every day; and I gat better untohealth with a wondrous quickness; for Love did mend me. And soon I didbe let go downward unto the Fields; but yet to go by private ways,because that the Multitudes should be like to follow me alway; and I toneed to be quiet.
And the Maid to be with me; for the Master Monstruwacan and the Masterof the Doctors did agree upon this matter, and had an Officer ofMarriage to wed us; and we to be married very quiet and simple; for Iyet to be over-weak for the Public Marriage, which we to have later;when, truly, the Millions made us a Guard of Honour eight miles high,from the top unto the bottom of the Mighty Pyramid. But this to havebeen later, as I do tell, and did be a Ceremonial of the Peoples,because that they not to be denied that they give me an Honour.
And surely the Maid to be with me alway, and did be now my wife, and mystrength to come alway upon me, and Mine Own to grow again unto aperfect health. And, in verity, we did be now in the Love Days which dobe the most beauteous, if that the Love to be True.
And we did wander through the mighty Fields at our will, and walkt inthe Love Paths of the Fields, which did be alway anear to those placeswhere did be the villages. And I to hide our name, lest we to be besetby any, out of natural curiousness and kindliness; for we to need to beutter together and quiet.
And we to chose those places for our slumber where beauty of flowers didbe most wondrous; and we to carry somewhat of food with us; but also toeat when we came unto the villages which did be here and there in theFields, which were truly so huge as Countries. And Mine Own did makegood her promise an hundred times, as you shall say, and did prepare mea great and hearty meal; and did tease me utter that I did be a glutton,as I did eat, and kist me, lest that I have ever a chance to say aughtin mine own defence. And truly, she did be all that my heart and myspirit did desire; and she to have companioned me with Love, and to haveentered my spirit into Joy.
And once we to go downward unto the Country of Silence; but not to stayvery long at that time; because that my Memory did return upon me. Yetin the after time, we to wander there oft with Memory, and Holiness ofgreat Thinkings, and with Love which doth hold all.
And as we to leave that Country, I to tell Mine Own how that when shehad been suspend of her life by the Horrid Force of the House, I to haveminded me with a dreadful pain that I never to have waked to discoverher kissing me when that I did sleep. And surely Mine Own Dear One didblush most lovely, and had never known that I did be aware of her sweetnaughtiness; and she then to have all thought for mine agony, when thatshe did be dead, ere the Vapour of life of the Earth-Force did set herspirit free of the Silence.
And she to come unto me in dear understanding.
And she then to tell me that the Doctors to say that she had been, as itwere, stunned and froze of the Spirit, and all her Being and Lifesuspend; and the great life-force of the Earth-Current to have waked herspirit, and her body then to live and her blood to flow proper again.And the Doctors had talkt much and searched much of late in the oldenRecords of their Work; and they to have found somewhat of one suchhappening in the olden time; but truly, naught such to have been everthrough a mighty age of years.
And whilst that we to wander and to rest in the Fields, I oft to tellMine Own of this matter and that matter; and I to know that she hadlearned somewhat of odd things, ere I did be come to health; but notovermuch; for she also to have been utter alack, as you shall think; andto have come from her bed, when that I did lie so still; for the MasterDoctor to have ordained this, because he to fear that I to be goingtruly to die, if that he not to do somewhat to awaken my spirit. And inverity, you shall think upon the deepness of my Love as I to know thatshe did have held my hands so brave and gentle, whilst that she to havescarce power to her feet. And I to say a little holy praise of Mine Own.
And so do I come to mine ending; and have but one more thing that Itell. And this to happen a while later; after that Mine Own and I hadgone through the second marriage which did be the Public Marriage. Forit did be, that one day My Wife, that did be Mine Own, did take me witha sweet cunning unto the Hall of Honour. And surely, when I was comethere, I to see that many of the Peoples did be in that great Hall, anddid stand about in a silence; yet as that they had no meaning to doaught; but yet to be that they did wait upon somewhat.
And My Wife did go forward with me unto the centre place of the Hall;and sudden I saw why that she did bring me so cunning sweet; for theredid stand in the midst of the Hall of Honour, in the Place of Honour, aStatue of a man in broken armour, that did carry a maid forever.
And I did be dumb; and how of this Age shall you to know the Honour thatthis to mean in that; for it did be an Honour that was given only to theGreat Dead; and I to be but a young man, and did be so utter far offfrom greatness; save that I to love with all my heart and with all myspirit, and therefore death to be but a little thing before love. Andyou to know how Love doth make s
weet and brave the heart; and to haveunderstanding with me in my humbleness and my wonder and my naturalpride that there did any so think to honour me.
And Mine Own did be weeping with joy and honest pride of her man, besideme. And there to be an utter silence of dear sympathy in all the greatHall of Honour. And they that did be there, to let me go in quietness,with Mine Own, which did be a lovely thing of understanding.
And I to go loving and thoughtful with Mine Own Wife; and she to be verynigh to me.
And I to have gained Honour; yet to have learned that Honour doth be butas the ash of Life, if that you not to have Love. And I to have Love.And to have Love is to have all; for that which doth be _truly_ LOVEdoth mother Honour and Faithfulness; and they three to build the Houseof Joy.
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