The Well at the World's End: A Tale
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CHAPTER 2
Ralph Goeth Back Home to the High House
Ralph and King Peter walked slowly home together, and as they went KingPeter fell to telling of how in his young days he rode in the WoodDebateable, and was belated there all alone, and happed upon men whowere outlaws and wolfheads, and feared for his life; but they treatedhim kindly, and honoured him, and saw him safe on his way in themorning. So that never thereafter would he be art and part with thosewho hunted outlaws to slay them. "For," said he, "it is with these menas with others, that they make prey of folk; yet these for the morepart prey on the rich, and the lawful prey on the poor. Otherwise itis with these wolfheads as with lords and knights and franklins, thatas there be bad amongst them, so also there be good; and the good onesI happed on, and so may another man."
Hereto paid Ralph little heed at that time, since he had heard the taleand its morality before, and that more than once; and moreover his mindwas set upon his own matters and these was he pondering. Albeitperchance the words abode with him. So came they to the House, andRalph's mother, who was a noble dame, and well-liking as for her years,which were but little over fifty, stood in the hall-door to see whichof her sons should come back to her, and when she saw them comingtogether, she went up to them, and cast her arms about Ralph and kissedhim and caressed him--being exceeding glad that it was he and not oneof the others who had returned to dwell with them; for he was herbest-beloved, as was little marvel, seeing that he was by far thefairest and the most loving. But Ralph's face grew troubled again inhis mother's arms, for he loved her exceeding well; and forsooth heloved the whole house and all that dwelt there, down to the turnspitdogs in the chimney ingle, and the swallows that nested in the earthenbottles, which when he was little he had seen his mother put up in theeaves of the out-bowers: but now, love or no love, the spur was in hisside, and he must needs hasten as fate would have him. However, whenhe had disentangled himself from his mother's caresses, he enforcedhimself to keep a cheerful countenance, and upheld it the whole eveningthrough, and was by seeming merry at supper, and went to bed singing.