CHAPTER XXI: WALTER AND THE MAID FLEE FROM THE GOLDEN HOUSE
There he abode amidst the hazels, hearkening every littlest sound; andthe sounds were nought but the night voices of the wood, till suddenlythere burst forth from the house a great wailing cry. Walter's heartcame up into his mouth, but he had no time to do aught, for followinghard on the cry came the sound of light feet close to him, the boughswere thrust aside, and there was come the Maid, and she but in her whitecoat, and barefoot. And then first he felt the sweetness of her flesh onhis, for she caught him by the hand and said breathlessly: "Now, now!there may yet be time, or even too much, it may be. For the saving ofbreath ask me no questions, but come!"
He dallied not, but went as she led, and they were lightfoot, both ofthem.
They went the same way, due south to wit, whereby he had gone a-huntingwith the Lady; and whiles they ran and whiles they walked; but so fastthey went, that by grey of the dawn they were come as far as that coppiceor thicket of the Lion; and still they hastened onward, and but littlehad the Maid spoken, save here and there a word to hearten up Walter, andhere and there a shy word of endearment. At last the dawn grew intoearly day, and as they came over the brow of a bent, they looked downover a plain land whereas the trees grew scatter-meal, and beyond theplain rose up the land into long green hills, and over those again wereblue mountains great and far away.
Then spake the Maid: "Over yonder lie the outlying mountains of theBears, and through them we needs must pass, to our great peril. Nay,friend," she said, as he handled his sword-hilt, "it must be patience andwisdom to bring us through, and not the fallow blade of one man, thoughhe be a good one. But look! below there runs a stream through the firstof the plain, and I see nought for it but we must now rest our bodies.Moreover I have a tale to tell thee which is burning my heart; for maybethere will be a pardon to ask of thee moreover; wherefore I fear thee."
Quoth Walter: "How may that be?"
She answered him not, but took his hand and led him down the bent. Buthe said: "Thou sayest, rest; but are we now out of all peril of thechase?"
She said: "I cannot tell till I know what hath befallen her. If she benot to hand to set on her trackers, they will scarce happen on us now; ifit be not for that one."
And she shuddered, and he felt her hand change as he held it.
Then she said: "But peril or no peril, needs must we rest; for I tellthee again, what I have to say to thee burneth my bosom for fear of thee,so that I can go no further until I have told thee."
Then he said: "I wot not of this Queen and her mightiness and herservants. I will ask thereof later. But besides the others, is therenot the King's Son, he who loves thee so unworthily?"
She paled somewhat, and said: "As for him, there had been nought for theeto fear in him, save his treason: but now shall he neither love nor hateany more; he died last midnight."
"Yea, and how?" said Walter.
"Nay," she said, "let me tell my tale all together once for all, lestthou blame me overmuch. But first we will wash us and comfort us as bestwe may, and then amidst our resting shall the word be said."
By then were they come down to the stream-side, which ran fair in poolsand stickles amidst rocks and sandy banks. She said: "There behind thegreat grey rock is my bath, friend; and here is thine; and lo! theuprising of the sun!"
So she went her ways to the said rock, and he bathed him, and washed thenight off him, and by then he was clad again she came back fresh andsweet from the water, and with her lap full of cherries from a wildingwhich overhung her bath. So they sat down together on the green grassabove the sand, and ate the breakfast of the wilderness: and Walter wasfull of content as he watched her, and beheld her sweetness and herloveliness; yet were they, either of them, somewhat shy and shamefacedeach with the other; so that he did but kiss her hands once and again,and though she shrank not from him, yet had she no boldness to castherself into his arms.