CHAPTER XVIII: HALLBLITHE DWELLETH IN THE WOOD ALONE
But on the morrow they arose betimes, and broke their fast on thatwoodland victual, and then went speedily down the mountain-side; andHallblithe saw by the clear morning light that it was indeed theUttermost House which he had seen across the green waste. So he told theseekers; but they were silent and heeded nought, because of a fear thathad come upon them, lest they should die before they came into that goodland. At the foot of the mountain they came upon a river, deep but notwide, with low grassy banks, and Hallblithe, who was an exceeding strongswimmer, helped the seekers over without much ado; and there they stoodupon the grass of that goodly waste.
Hallblithe looked on them to note if any change should come over them,and he deemed that already they were become stronger and of more avail.But he spake nought thereof, and strode on toward the Uttermost House,even as that other day he had stridden away from it.
Such diligence they made, that it was but little after noon when theycame to the door thereof. Then Hallblithe took the horn and blew uponit, while his fellows stood by murmuring, "It is the Land! It is theLand!"
So came the Warden to the door, clad in red scarlet, and the elder wentup to him and said: "Is this the Land?"
"What land?" said the Warden.
"Is it the Glittering Plain?" said the second of the seekers.
"Yea, forsooth," said the Warden. Said the sad man: "Will ye lead us tothe King?
"Ye shall come to the King," said the Warden.
"When, oh when?" cried they out all three.
"The morrow of to-morrow, maybe," said the Warden.
"Oh! if to-morrow were but come!" they cried.
"It will come," said the red man; "enter ye the house, and eat and drinkand rest you."
So they entered, and the Warden heeded Hallblithe nothing. They ate anddrank and then went to their rest, and Hallblithe lay in a shut-bed offfrom the hall, but the Warden brought the seekers otherwhere, so thatHallblithe saw them not after he had gone to bed; but as for him he sleptand forgot that aught was.
In the morning when he awoke he felt very strong and well-liking; and hebeheld his limbs that they were clear of skin and sleek and fair; and heheard one hard by in the hall carolling and singing joyously. So hesprang from his bed with the wonder of sleep yet in him, and drew thecurtains of the shut-bed and looked forth into the hall; and lo on thehigh-seat a man of thirty winters by seeming, tall, fair of fashion, withgolden hair and eyes as grey as glass, proud and noble of aspect; andanigh him sat another man of like age to look on, a man strong and burly,with short curling brown hair and a red beard, and ruddy countenance, andthe mien of a warrior. Also, up and down the hall, paced a man youngerof aspect than these two, tall and slender, black-haired and dark-eyed,amorous of countenance; he it was who was singing a snatch of song as hewent lightly on the hall pavement: a snatch like to this
Fair is the world, now autumn's wearing, And the sluggard sun lies long abed; Sweet are the days, now winter's nearing, And all winds feign that the wind is dead.
Dumb is the hedge where the crabs hang yellow, Bright as the blossoms of the spring; Dumb is the close where the pears grow mellow, And none but the dauntless redbreasts sing.
Fair was the spring, but amidst his greening Grey were the days of the hidden sun; Fair was the summer, but overweening, So soon his o'er-sweet days were done.
Come then, love, for peace is upon us, Far off is failing, and far is fear, Here where the rest in the end hath won us, In the garnering tide of the happy year.
Come from the grey old house by the water, Where, far from the lips of the hungry sea, Green groweth the grass o'er the field of the slaughter, And all is a tale for thee and me.
So Hallblithe did on his raiment and went into the hall; and when thosethree saw him they smiled upon him kindly and greeted him; and the nobleman at the board said: "Thanks have thou, O Warrior of the Raven, for thyhelp in our need: thy reward from us shall not be lacking."
Then the brown-haired man came up to him, and clapped him on the back andsaid to him: "Brisk man of the Raven, good is thy help at need; even soshall be mine to thee henceforward."
But the young man stepped up to him lightly, and cast his arms about him,and kissed him, and said: "O friend and fellow, who knoweth but I may oneday help thee as thou hast holpen me? though thou art one who by seemingmayst well help thyself. And now mayst thou be as merry as I am to-day!"
Then they all three cried out joyously: "It is the Land! It is theLand!"
So Hallblithe knew that these men were the two elders and the sad man ofyesterday, and that they had renewed their youth.
Joyously now did those men break their fast: nor did Hallblithe make anygrim countenance, for he thought: "That which these dotards anddrivellers have been mighty enough to find, shall I not be mighty enoughto flee from?" Breakfast done, the seekers made little delay, so eageras they were to behold the King, and to have handsel of their new sweetlife. So they got them ready to depart, and the once-captain said: "Artthou able to lead us to the King, O Raven-son, or must we seek anotherman to do so much for us?"
Said Hallblithe: "I am able to lead you so nigh unto Wood-end (where, asI deem, the King abideth) that ye shall not miss him."
Therewith they went to the door, and the Warden unlocked to them, andspake no word to them when they departed, though they thanked him kindlyfor the guesting.
When they were without the garth, the young man fell to running about themeadow plucking great handfuls of the rich flowers that grew about,singing and carolling the while. But he who had been king looked up anddown and round about, and said at last: "Where be the horses and themen?"
But his fellow with the red beard said: "Raven-son, in this land whenthey journey, what do they as to riding or going afoot?"
Said Hallblithe: "Fair fellows, ye shall wot that in this land folk goafoot for the most part, both men and women; whereas they weary butlittle, and are in no haste."
Then the once-captain clapped the once-king on the shoulder, and said:"Hearken, lord, and delay no longer, but gird up thy gown, since here isno mare's son to help thee: for fair is to-day that lies before us, withmany a new fair day beyond it."
So Hallblithe led the way inward, thinking of many things, yet but littleof his fellows. Albeit they, and the younger man especially, were ofmany words; for this black-haired man had many questions to ask, chieflyconcerning the women, what they were like to look on, and of what moodthey were. Hallblithe answered thereto as long as he might, but at lasthe laughed and said: "Friend, forbear thy questions now; for meseemeth ina few hours thou shalt be as wise hereon as is the God of Love himself."
So they made diligence along the road, and all was tidingless till on thesecond day at even they came to the first house off the waste. There hadthey good welcome, and slept. But on the morrow when they arose,Hallblithe spake to the Seekers, and said: "Now are things much changedbetwixt us since the time when we first met: for then I had all mydesire, as I thought, and ye had but one desire, and well nigh lackedhope of its fulfilment. Whereas now the lack hath left you and come tome. Wherefore even as time agone ye might not abide even one night atthe House of the Raven, so hard as your desire lay on you; even so itfareth with me to-day, that I am consumed with my desire, and I may notabide with you; lest that befall which befalleth betwixt the full man andthe fasting. Wherefore now I bless you and depart."
They abounded in words of good-will to him, and the once-king said:"Abide with us, and we shall see to it that thou have all the dignitiesthat a man may think of."
And the once-captain said: "Lo, here is mine hand that hath been mighty;never shalt thou lack it for the accomplishment of thine uttermostdesire. Abide with us."
Lastly said the young man: "Abide with us, Son of the Raven! Set thineheart on a fair woman, yea even were it the fairest; and I will get herfor thee, even were my desire set on her."
But
he smiled on them, and shook his head, and said: "All hail to you!but mine errand is yet undone." And therewith he departed.
He skirted Wood-end and came not to it, but got him down to the side ofthe sea, not far from where he first came aland, but somewhat south ofit. A fair oak-wood came down close to the beach of the sea; it was somefour miles end-long and over-thwart. Thither Hallblithe betook him, andin a day or two got him wood-wright's tools from a house of men a littleoutside the wood, three miles from the sea-shore. Then he set to workand built him a little frame-house on a lawn of the wood beside a clearstream; for he was a very deft wood-wright. Withal he made him a bow andarrows, and shot what he would of the fowl and the deer for hislivelihood; and folk from that house and otherwhence came to see him, andbrought him bread and wine and spicery and other matters which he needed.And the days wore, and men got used to him, and loved him as if he hadbeen a rare image which had been brought to that land for its adornment;and now they no longer called him the Spearman, but the Wood-lover. Andas for him, he took all in patience, abiding what the lapse of daysshould bring forth.