The Wood Beyond the World

  CHAPTER XXVII: MORNING AMONGST THE BEARS

  So Walter laid him down and fell asleep, and knew no more till he awokein bright daylight with the Maid standing over him. She was fresh fromthe water, for she had been to the river to bathe her, and the sunthrough the open door fell streaming on her feet close to Walter'spillow. He turned about and cast his arm about them, and caressed them,while she stood smiling upon him; then he arose and looked on her, andsaid: "How thou art fair and bright this morning! And yet . . . and yet. . . were it not well that thou do off thee all this faded and droopingbravery of leaves and blossoms, that maketh thee look like to ajongleur's damsel on a morrow of May-day?"

  And he gazed ruefully on her.

  She laughed on him merrily, and said: "Yea, and belike these others thinkno better of my attire, or not much better; for yonder they are gatheringsmall wood for the burnt-offering; which, forsooth, shall be thou and I,unless I better it all by means of the wisdom I learned of the old woman,and perfected betwixt the stripes of my Mistress, whom a little while agothou lovedst somewhat."

  And as she spake her eyes sparkled, her cheek flushed, and her limbs andher feet seemed as if they could scarce refrain from dancing for joy.Then Walter knit his brow, and for a moment a thought half-framed was inhis mind: Is it so, that she will bewray me and live without me? and hecast his eyes on to the ground. But she said: "Look up, and into mineeyes, friend, and see if there be in them any falseness toward thee! ForI know thy thought; I know thy thought. Dost thou not see that my joyand gladness is for the love of thee, and the thought of the rest fromtrouble that is at hand?"

  He looked up, and his eyes met the eyes of her love, and he would havecast his arms about her; but she drew aback and said: "Nay, thou mustrefrain thee awhile, dear friend, lest these folk cast eyes on us, anddeem us over lover-like for what I am to bid them deem me. Abide awhile, and then shall all be in me according to thy will. But now I musttell thee that it is not very far from noon, and that the Bears arestreaming into the Dale, and already there is an host of men at the Doom-ring, and, as I said, the bale for the burnt-offering is wellnigh dight,whether it be for us, or for some other creature. And now I have to bidthee this, and it will be a thing easy for thee to do, to wit, that thoulook as if thou wert of the race of the Gods, and not to blench, or showsign of blenching, whatever betide: to yea-say both my yea-say and my nay-say: and lastly this, which is the only hard thing for thee (but thouhast already done it before somewhat), to look upon me with no masterfuleyes of love, nor as if thou wert at once praying me and commanding me;rather thou shalt so demean thee as if thou wert my man all simply, andnowise my master."

  "O friend beloved," said Walter, "here at least art thou the master, andI will do all thy bidding, in certain hope of this, that either we shalllive together or die together."

  But as they spoke, in came the elder, and with him a young maiden,bearing with them their breakfast of curds arid cream and strawberries,and he bade them eat. So they ate, and were not unmerry; and the whileof their eating the elder talked with them soberly, but not hardly, orwith any seeming enmity: and ever his talk gat on to the drought, whichwas now burning up the down-pastures; and how the grass in the watereddales, which was no wide spread of land, would not hold out much longerunless the God sent them rain. And Walter noted that those two, theelder and the Maid, eyed each other curiously amidst of this talk; theelder intent on what she might say, and if she gave heed to his words;while on her side the Maid answered his speech graciously and pleasantly,but said little that was of any import: nor would she have him fix hereyes, which wandered lightly from this thing to that; nor would her lipsgrow stern and stable, but ever smiled in answer to the light of hereyes, as she sat there with her face as the very face of the gladness ofthe summer day.