CHAPTER XVIII: THE MAID GIVES WALTER TRYST
Now, on the morrow, when Walter was awake, he found there was no onelying beside him, and the day was no longer very young; so he arose, andwent through the garden from end to end, and all about, and there wasnone there; and albeit that he dreaded to meet the Lady there, yet was hesad at heart and fearful of what might betide. Howsoever, he found thegate whereby they had entered yesterday, and he went out into the littledale; but when he had gone a step or two he turned about, and could seeneither garden nor fence, nor any sign of what he had seen thereof butlately. He knit his brow and stood still to think of it, and his heartgrew the heavier thereby; but presently he went his ways and crossed thestream, but had scarce come up on to the grass on the further side, erehe saw a woman coming to meet him, and at first, full as he was of thetide of yesterday and the wondrous garden, deemed that it would be theLady; but the woman stayed her feet, and, stooping, laid a hand on herright ankle, and he saw that it was the Maid. He drew anigh to her, andsaw that she was nought so sad of countenance as the last time she hadmet him, but flushed of cheek and bright-eyed.
As he came up to her she made a step or two to meet him, holding out hertwo hands, and then refrained her, and said smiling: "Ah, friend, belikethis shall be the last time that I shall say to thee, touch me not, nay,not so much as my hand, or if it were but the hem of my raiment."
The joy grew up in his heart, and he gazed on her fondly, and said: "Why,what hath befallen of late?"
"O friend," she began, "this hath befallen."
But as he looked on her, the smile died from her face, and she becamedeadly pale to the very lips; she looked askance to her left side,whereas ran the stream; and Walter followed her eyes, and deemed for oneinstant that he saw the misshapen yellow visage of the dwarf peeringround from a grey rock, but the next there was nothing. Then the Maid,though she were as pale as death, went on in a clear, steady, hard voice,wherein was no joy or kindness, keeping her face to Walter and her backto the stream: "This hath befallen, friend, that there is no longer anyneed to refrain thy love nor mine; therefore I say to thee, come to mychamber (and it is the red chamber over against thine, though thouknewest it not) an hour before this next midnight, and then thy sorrowand mine shall be at an end: and now I must needs depart. Follow me not,but remember!"
And therewith she turned about and fled like the wind down the stream.
But Walter stood wondering, and knew not what to make of it, whether itwere for good or ill: for he knew now that she had paled and been seizedwith terror because of the upheaving of the ugly head; and yet she hadseemed to speak out the very thing she had to say. Howsoever it were, hespake aloud to himself: Whatever comes, I will keep tryst with her.
Then he drew his sword, and turned this way and that, looking all aboutif he might see any sign of the Evil Thing; but nought might his eyesbehold, save the grass, and the stream, and the bushes of the dale. Sothen, still holding his naked sword in his hand, he clomb the bent out ofthe dale; for that was the only way he knew to the Golden House; and whenhe came to the top, and the summer breeze blew in his face, and he lookeddown a fair green slope beset with goodly oaks and chestnuts, he wasrefreshed with the life of the earth, and he felt the good sword in hisfist, and knew that there was might and longing in him, and the worldseemed open unto him.
So he smiled, if it were somewhat grimly, and sheathed his sword and wenton toward the house.