CHAPTER XIII: NOW IS THE HUNT UP
Next morning was he up betimes, but he was cast down and heavy of heart,not looking for aught else to betide than had betid those last four days.But otherwise it fell out; for when he came down into the hall, there wasthe lady sitting on the high-seat all alone, clad but in a coat of whitelinen; and she turned her head when she heard his footsteps, and lookedon him, and greeted him, and said: "Come hither, guest."
So he went and stood before her, and she said: "Though as yet thou hasthad no welcome here, and no honour, it hath not entered into thine heartto flee from us; and to say sooth, that is well for thee, for flee awayfrom our hand thou mightest not, nor mightest thou depart without ourfurtherance. But for this we can thee thank, that thou hast abided hereour bidding and eaten thine heart through the heavy wearing of four days,and made no plaint. Yet I cannot deem thee a dastard; thou so well knitand shapely of body, so clear-eyed and bold of visage. Wherefore now Iask thee, art thou willing to do me service, thereby to earn thyguesting?"
Walter answered her, somewhat faltering at first, for he was astonishedat the change which had come over her; for now she spoke to him infriendly wise, though indeed as a great lady would speak to a young manready to serve her in all honour. Said he: "Lady, I can thank theehumbly and heartily in that thou biddest me do thee service; for thesedays past I have loathed the emptiness of the hours, and nought bettercould I ask for than to serve so glorious a Mistress in all honour."
She frowned somewhat, and said: "Thou shalt not call me Mistress; thereis but one who so calleth me, that is my thrall; and thou art none such.Thou shalt call me Lady, and I shall be well pleased that thou be mysquire, and for this present thou shalt serve me in the hunting. So getthy gear; take thy bow and arrows, and gird thee to thy sword. For inthis fair land may one find beasts more perilous than be buck or hart. Igo now to array me; we will depart while the day is yet young; for somake we the summer day the fairest."
He made obeisance to her, and she arose and went to her chamber, andWalter dight himself, and then abode her in the porch; and in less thanan hour she came out of the hall, and Walter's heart beat when he sawthat the Maid followed her hard at heel, and scarce might he school hiseyes not to gaze over-eagerly at his dear friend. She was clad even asshe was before, and was changed in no wise, save that love troubled herface when she first beheld him, and she had much ado to master it:howbeit the Mistress heeded not the trouble of her, or made no semblanceof heeding it, till the Maiden's face was all according to its wont.
But this Walter found strange, that after all that disdain of the Maid'sthralldom which he had heard of the Mistress, and after all the threatsagainst her, now was the Mistress become mild and debonaire to her, as agood lady to her good maiden. When Walter bowed the knee to her, sheturned unto the Maid, and said: "Look thou, my Maid, at this fair newSquire that I have gotten! Will not he be valiant in the greenwood? Andsee whether he be well shapen or not. Doth he not touch thine heart,when thou thinkest of all the woe, and fear, and trouble of the Worldbeyond the Wood, which he hath escaped, to dwell in this little landpeaceably, and well-beloved both by the Mistress and the Maid? And thou,my Squire, look a little at this fair slim Maiden, and say if shepleaseth thee not: didst thou deem that we had any thing so fair in thislonely place?"
Frank and kind was the smile on her radiant visage, nor did she seem tonote any whit the trouble on Walter's face, nor how he strove to keep hiseyes from the Maid. As for her, she had so wholly mastered hercountenance, that belike she used her face guilefully, for she stood asone humble but happy, with a smile on her face, blushing, and with herhead hung down as if shamefaced before a goodly young man, a stranger.
But the Lady looked upon her kindly and said: "Come hither, child, andfear not this frank and free young man, who belike feareth thee a little,and full certainly feareth me; and yet only after the manner of men."
And therewith she took the Maid by the hand and drew her to her, andpressed her to her bosom, and kissed her cheeks and her lips, and undidthe lacing of her gown and bared a shoulder of her, and swept away herskirt from her feet; and then turned to Walter and said: "Lo thou,Squire! is not this a lovely thing to have grown up amongst our rough oak-boles? What! art thou looking at the iron ring there? It is nought,save a token that she is mine, and that I may not be without her."
Then she took the Maid by the shoulders and turned her about as in sport,and said: "Go thou now, and bring hither the good grey ones; for needsmust we bring home some venison to-day, whereas this stout warrior maynot feed on nought save manchets and honey."
So the Maid went her way, taking care, as Walter deemed, to give no sideglance to him. But he stood there shamefaced, so confused with all thisopenhearted kindness of the great Lady and with the fresh sight of thedarling beauty of the Maid, that he went nigh to thinking that all he hadheard since he had come to the porch of the house that first time was buta dream of evil.
But while he stood pondering these matters, and staring before him as onemazed, the Lady laughed out in his face, and touched him on the arm andsaid: "Ah, our Squire, is it so that now thou hast seen my Maid thouwouldst with a good will abide behind to talk with her? But call to mindthy word pledged to me e'en now! And moreover I tell thee this for thybehoof now she is out of ear-shot, that I will above all things take theeaway to-day: for there be other eyes, and they nought uncomely, that lookat whiles on my fair-ankled thrall; and who knows but the swords might beout if I take not the better heed, and give thee not every whit of thywill."
As she spoke and moved forward, he turned a little, so that now the edgeof that hazel-coppice was within his eye-shot, and he deemed that oncemore he saw the yellow-brown evil thing crawling forth from the thicket;then, turning suddenly on the Lady, he met her eyes, and seemed in onemoment of time to find a far other look in them than that of franknessand kindness; though in a flash they changed back again, and she saidmerrily and sweetly: "So, so, Sir Squire, now art thou awake again, andmayest for a little while look on me."
Now it came into his head, with that look of hers, all that might befallhim and the Maid if he mastered not his passion, nor did what he might todissemble; so he bent the knee to her, and spoke boldly to her in her ownvein, and said: "Nay, most gracious of ladies, never would I abide behindto-day since thou farest afield. But if my speech be hampered, or mineeyes stray, is it not because my mind is confused by thy beauty, and thehoney of kind words which floweth from thy mouth?"
She laughed outright at his word, but not disdainfully, and said: "Thisis well spoken, Squire, and even what a squire should say to his liegelady, when the sun is up on a fair morning, and she and he and all theworld are glad."
She stood quite near him as she spoke, her hand was on his shoulder, andher eyes shone and sparkled. Sooth to say, that excusing of hisconfusion was like enough in seeming to the truth; for sure nevercreature was fashioned fairer than she: clad she was for the greenwood asthe hunting-goddess of the Gentiles, with her green gown gathered untoher girdle, and sandals on her feet; a bow in her hand and a quiver ather back: she was taller and bigger of fashion than the dear Maiden,whiter of flesh, and more glorious, and brighter of hair; as a flower offlowers for fairness and fragrance.
She said: "Thou art verily a fair squire before the hunt is up, and ifthou be as good in the hunting, all will be better than well, and theguest will be welcome. But lo! here cometh our Maid with the good greyones. Go meet her, and we will tarry no longer than for thy taking theleash in hand."
So Walter looked, and saw the Maid coming with two couple of great houndsin the leash straining against her as she came along. He ran lightly tomeet her, wondering if he should have a look, or a half-whisper from her;but she let him take the white thongs from her hand, with the same half-smile of shamefacedness still set on her face, and, going past him, camesoftly up to the Lady, swaying like a willow-branch in the wind, andstood before her, with her arms hanging down by her sides. Then the Lady
turned to her, and said: "Look to thyself, our Maid, while we are away.This fair young man thou needest not to fear indeed, for he is good andleal; but what thou shalt do with the King's Son I wot not. He is a hotlover forsooth, but a hard man; and whiles evil is his mood, and perilousboth to thee and me. And if thou do his will, it shall be ill for thee;and if thou do it not, take heed of him, and let me, and me only, comebetween his wrath and thee. I may do somewhat for thee. Even yesterdayhe was instant with me to have thee chastised after the manner ofthralls; but I bade him keep silence of such words, and jeered him andmocked him, till he went away from me peevish and in anger. So look toit that thou fall not into any trap of his contrivance."
Then the Maid cast herself at the Mistress's feet, and kissed andembraced them; and as she rose up, the Lady laid her hand lightly on herhead, and then, turning to Walter, cried out: "Now, Squire, let us leaveall these troubles and wiles and desires behind us, and flit through themerry greenwood like the Gentiles of old days."
And therewith she drew up the laps of her gown till the whiteness of herknees was seen, and set off swiftly toward the wood that lay south of thehouse, and Walter followed, marvelling at her goodliness; nor durst hecast a look backward to the Maiden, for he knew that she desired him, andit was her only that he looked to for his deliverance from this house ofguile and lies.