The Wood Beyond the World

by William Morris

  CHAPTER XXIII: OF THE PEACEFUL ENDING OF THAT WILD DAY

  Thereafter Walter led the Maid down again, and said to her: "Now,sweetling, shall the story be told."

  "Nay, friend," she said, "not here. This place hath been polluted by mycraven fear, and the horror of the vile wretch, of whom no words may tellhis vileness. Let us hence and onward. Thou seest I have once more cometo life again."

  "But," said he, "thou hast been hurt by the Dwarf's arrow."

  She laughed, and said: "Had I never had greater hurt from them than that,little had been the tale thereof: yet whereas thou lookest dolorous aboutit, we will speedily heal it."

  Therewith she sought about, and found nigh the stream-side certain herbs;and she spake words over them, and bade Walter lay them on the wound,which, forsooth, was of the least, and he did so, and bound a strip ofhis shirt about her arm; and then would she set forth. But he said:"Thou art all unshod; and but if that be seen to, our journey shall bestayed by thy foot-soreness: I may make a shift to fashion thee brogues."

  She said: "I may well go barefoot. And in any case, I entreat thee thatwe tarry here no longer, but go away hence, if it be but for a mile."

  And she looked piteously on him, so that he might not gainsay her.

  So then they crossed the stream, and set forward, when amidst all thesehaps the day was worn to midmorning. But after they had gone a mile,they sat them down on a knoll under the shadow of a big thorn-tree,within sight of the mountains. Then said Walter: "Now will I cut theethe brogues from the skirt of my buff-coat, which shall be well meet forsuch work; and meanwhile shalt thou tell me thy tale."

  "Thou art kind," she said; "but be kinder yet, and abide my tale till wehave done our day's work. For we were best to make no long delay here;because, though thou hast slain the King-dwarf, yet there be others ofhis kindred, who swarm in some parts of the wood as the rabbits in awarren. Now true it is that they have but little understanding, less, itmay be, than the very brute beasts; and that, as I said afore, unlessthey be set on our slot like to hounds, they shall have no inkling ofwhere to seek us, yet might they happen upon us by mere misadventure. Andmoreover, friend," quoth she, blushing, "I would beg of thee some littlerespite; for though I scarce fear thy wrath any more, since thou hastbeen so kind to me, yet is there shame in that which I have to tell thee.Wherefore, since the fairest of the day is before us, let us use it allwe may, and, when thou hast done me my new foot-gear, get us gone forwardagain."

  He kissed her kindly and yea-said her asking: he had already fallen towork on the leather, and in a while had fashioned her the brogues; so shetied them to her feet, and arose with a smile and said: "Now am I haleand strong again, what with the rest, and what with thy loving-kindness,and thou shalt see how nimble I shall be to leave this land, for as fairas it is. Since forsooth a land of lies it is, and of grief to thechildren of Adam."

  So they went their ways thence, and fared nimbly indeed, and made no staytill some three hours after noon, when they rested by a thicket-side,where the strawberries grew plenty; they ate thereof what they would: andfrom a great oak hard by Walter shot him first one culver, and thenanother, and hung them to his girdle to be for their evening's meal;sithence they went forward again, and nought befell them to tell of, tillthey were come, whenas it lacked scarce an hour of sunset, to the banksof another river, not right great, but bigger than the last one. Therethe Maid cast herself down and said: "Friend, no further will thy friendgo this even; nay, to say sooth, she cannot. So now we will eat of thyvenison, and then shall my tale be, since I may no longer delay it; andthereafter shall our slumber be sweet and safe as I deem."

  She spake merrily now, and as one who feared nothing, and Walter was muchheartened by her words and her voice, and he fell to and made a fire, anda woodland oven in the earth, and sithence dighted his fowl, and bakedthem after the manner of wood-men. And they ate, both of them, in alllove, and in good-liking of life, and were much strengthened by theirsupper. And when they were done, Walter eked his fire, both against thechill of the midnight and dawning, and for a guard against wild beasts,and by that time night was come, and the moon arisen. Then the Maidendrew up to the fire, and turned to Walter and spake.