CHAPTER 30
Ralph Hath Hope of Tidings Concerning the Well at the World's End
Now he goes to Clement, and tells him that he deems he has no need toabide their departure from Goldburg to say farewell and follow hisquest further afield; since it is clear that in Goldburg he should haveno more tidings. Clement laughed and said: "Not so fast, Lord Ralph;thou mayst yet hear a word or two." "What!" said Ralph, "hast thouheard of something new?" Said Clement: "There has been a man hereseeking thee, who said that he wotted of a wise man who could tell theemuch concerning the Well at the World's End. And when I asked him ofthe Damsel and the Lord of Utterbol, if he knew anything of her, hesaid yea, but that he would keep it for thy privy ear. So I bade himgo and come again when thou shouldst be here. And I deem that he willnot tarry long."
Now they were sitting on a bench outside the hall of the hostel, withthe court between them and the gate; and Ralph said: "Tell me, didstthou deem the man good or bad?" Said Clement: "He was hard to lookinto: but at least he looked not a fierce or cruel man; nor indeed didhe seem false or sly, though I take him for one who hath lost hismanhood--but lo you! here he comes across the court."
So Ralph looked, and saw in sooth a man drawing nigh, who came straightup to them and lowted to them, and then stood before them waiting fortheir word: he was fat and somewhat short, white-faced andpink-cheeked, with yellow hair long and curling, and with a little thinred beard and blue eyes: altogether much unlike the fashion of men ofthose parts. He was clad gaily in an orange-tawny coat laced withsilver, and broidered with colours.
Clement spake to him and said: "This is the young knight who is mindedto seek further east to wot if it be mere lies which he hath heard ofthe Well at the World's End."
The new-comer lowted before them again, and said in a small voice, andas one who was shy and somewhat afeared: "Lords, I can tell many atale concerning that Well, and them who have gone on the quest thereof.And the first thing I have to tell is that the way thereto is throughUtterness, and that I can be a shower of the way and a leader to anyworthy knight who listeth to seek thither; and moreover, I know of asage who dwelleth not far from the town of Utterness, and who, if hewill, can put a seeker of the Well on the right road."
He looked askance on Ralph, whose face flushed and whose eyes glitteredat that word. But Clement said: "Yea, that seemeth fair to look to:but hark ye! Is it not so that the way to Utterness is perilous?" Saidthe man: "Thou mayst rather call it deadly, to any who is notfurnished with a let-pass from the Lord of Utterbol, as I am. But withsuch a scroll a child or a woman may wend the road unharmed." "Wherehast thou the said let-pass?" said Clement. "Here," quoth thenew-comer; and therewith he drew a scroll from out of his pouch, andopened it before them, and they read it together, and sure enough itwas a writing charging all men so let pass and aid Morfinn the Minstrel(of whose aspect it told closely), under pain of falling into thedispleasure of Gandolf, Lord of Utterbol; and the date thereon was butthree months old.
Said Clement: "This is good, this let-pass: see thou, Ralph, the sealof Utterbol, the Bear upon the Castle Wall. None would dare tocounterfeit this seal, save one who was weary of life, and longed fortorments."
Said Ralph, smiling: "Thou seest, Master Clement, that there must be aparting betwixt us, and that this man's coming furthers it: but were heor were he not, yet the parting had come. And wert thou not lieferthat it should come in a way to pleasure and aid me, than that thoushouldst but leave me behind at Goldburg when thou departest: and Iwith naught done toward the achieving my quest, but merely dragging mydeedless body about these streets; and at last, it may be, going on aperilous journey without guiding or safe-conduct?"
"Yea, lad," said Clement, "I wotted well that thou wouldst take thineown way, but fain had I been that it had been mine also." Then hepondered a while and said afterwards: "I suppose that thou wilt takethy servant Bull Shockhead with thee, for he is a stout man-at-arms,and I deem him trusty, though he be a wild man. But one man is oflittle avail to a traveller on a perilous road, so if thou wilt I willgive leave and license to a half score of our sergeants to follow theeon the road; for, as thou wottest, I may easily wage others in theirplace. Or else wouldst thou ask the Queen of Goldburg to give thee ascore of men-at-arms; she looked to me the other day as one who woulddeny thee few of thine askings."
Ralph blushed red, and said: "Nay, I will not ask her this." Then hewas silent; the new-comer looked from one to the other, and saidnothing. At last Ralph spake: "Look you, Clement, my friend, I wotwell how thou wouldst make my goings safe, even if it were to thy loss,and I thank thee for it: but I deem I shall do no better than puttingmyself into this man's hands, since he has a let-pass for the lands ofhim of Utterbol: and meseemeth from all that I have heard, that a halfscore or a score, or for the matter of that an hundred men-at-armswould not be enough to fight a way to Utterbol, and their gatheringtogether would draw folk upon them, who would not meddle with two menjourneying together, even if they had no let-pass of this mighty man."Clement sighed and grunted, and then said: "Well, lord, maybe thou artright."
"Yea," said the guide, "he is as right as may be: I have not spokenbefore lest ye might have deemed me untrusty: but now I tell thee this,that never should a small band of men unknown win through the lands ofthe Lord of Utterbol, or the land debatable that lieth betwixt them andGoldburg."
Ralph nodded friendly at him as he spake; but Clement looked on himsternly; and the man beheld his scowling face innocently, and took noheed of it.
Then said Ralph: "As to Bull Shockhead, I will speak to him anon; butI will not take him with me; for indeed I fear lest his mountain-pridegrow up over greenly at whiles and entangle me in some thicket of perilhard to win out of."
"Well," said Clement, "and when wilt thou depart?" "To-morrow," saidRalph, "if my faring-fellow be ready for me by then." "I am all ready,"said the man: "if thou wilt ride out by the east gate about two hoursbefore noon to-morrow, I will abide thee on a good horse with all thatwe may need for the journey: and now I ask leave." "Thou hast it,"said Clement.
So the man departed, and those two being left alone, Master Clementsaid: "Well, I deemed that nothing else would come of it: and I fearthat thy gossip will be ill-content with me; for great is the peril.""Yea," said Ralph, "and great the reward." Clement smiled and sighed,and said: "Well, lad, even so hath a many thought before thee, wisemen as well as fools." Ralph looked at him and reddened, and departedfrom him a little, and went walking in the cloister there to and fro,and pondered these matters; and whatever he might do, still would thattrim figure be before his eyes which he had looked on so gladlyerewhile in the hostel of Bourton Abbas; and he said aloud to himself:"Surely she needeth me, and draweth me to her whether I will or no." Sowore the day.
The Well at the World's End: A Tale Page 55
