OF BIRDALONE AND HER FELLOWSHIP, THEIR FARING OVER THE DOWNLAND.
Thus rode they along and loitered not, though they talked blithely
together; and Birdalone wondered to herself that she might so much as
hold up her head for bitter thoughts of the days and the longings but
late passed away, but so it was, that it was only now and again that
they stung her into despair and silence, and for the most part she
hearkened to the talk of the old man and the lads about the days of
Greenford and the alarms of lifting and unpeace, and the ways of the
chapmen and the craftsmen.
An hour after noon they rested in a little dale of the downland where
was a pool and three thorn-bushes thereby; and when they had lighted
down, the old man knelt before Birdalone and took her hand, and swore
himself her man to do her will, whatso it were; and then he stood up
and bade his sons do likewise; so they two knelt before her in turn,
somewhat shy and abashed, for all that they were such stout, bold
fellows, and found it hard to take her hand, and then when they had it
in theirs, hard to let it go again.
A score of miles and five they rode that day, and had no roof over them
at night save the naked heaven, but to Birdalone that was but little
scathe: they made a shift to have some fire by them, and the three men
sat long about it that even while Birdalone told them somewhat of her
life; and as she told of the House under the Wood and the Great Water,
Gerard had some inkling of whereabouts it was; but was nought so sure,
because, as abovesaid in this tale, seldom did any from the world of
men venture in Evilshaw, or know of the Great Water from its banks that
gave unto the forest.
In like wise they rode the next day, and came at eventide to a thorp in
a fair little dale of the downland, and there they guested with the
shepherd-folk, who wondered much at the beauty of Birdalone, so that at
first they scarce durst venture to draw nigh unto her until Gerard and
his sons had had some familiar converse with them; then indeed they
exceeded in kindness toward them, in their rough upland fashion, but
ever found it hard to keep their eyes off Birdalone, and that the more
after they had heard the full sweetness of her voice; whereas she sang
to them certain songs which she had learned in the Castle of the Quest,
though it made her heart sore; but she deemed she must needs pay that
kindly folk for their guestful and blithe ways. And thereafter they
sang to the pipe and the harp their own downland songs; and this she
found strange, that whereas her eyes were dry when she was singing the
songs of love of the knighthood, the wildness of the shepherd-music
drew the tears from her, would she, would she not. Homelike and dear
seemed the green willowy dale to her, and in the night ere she slept,
and she lay quiet amidst of the peaceful people, she could not choose
but weep again, for pity of the bitter-sweet of her own love, and for
pity of the wide world withal, and all the ways of its many folk that
lay so new before her.