Ralph Falleth in With Friends and Rideth to Whitwall
Ralph looks on to the ford and sees folk riding through the thorp
aforesaid and down to the river, and they take the water and are many
in company, some two score by his deeming, and he sees the sun
glittering on their weapons.
Now he thought that he would abide their coming and see if he might
join their company, since if he crossed the water he would be on the
backward way: and it was but a little while ere the head of them came
up over the hill, and were presently going past Ralph, who rose up to
look on them, and be seen of them, but they took little heed of him.
So he sees that though they all bore weapons, they were not all
men-at-arms, nay, not more than a half score, but those proper men
enough. Of the others, some half-dozen seemed by their attire to be
merchants, and the rest their lads; and withal they had many sumpter
horses and mules with them. They greeted him not, nor he them, nor did
he heed them much till they were all gone by save three, and then he
leapt into the road with a cry, for who should be riding there but
Blaise, his eldest brother, and Richard the Red with him, both in good
case by seeming; for Blaise was clad in a black coat welted with gold,
and rode a good grey palfrey, and Richard was armed well and knightly.
They knew him at once, and drew rein, and Blaise lighted down from his
horse and cast his arms about Ralph, and said: "O happy day! when two
of the Upmeads kindred meet thus in an alien land! But what maketh
thee here, Ralph? I thought of thee as merry and safe in Upmeads?"
Ralph said smiling, for his heart leapt up at the sight of his kindred:
"Nay, must I not seek adventures like the rest? So I stole myself away
from father and mother." "Ill done, little lord!" said Blaise,
stroking Ralph's cheek.
Then up came Richard, and if Blaise were glad, Richard was twice glad,
and quoth he: "Said I not, Lord Blaise, that this chick would be the
hardest of all to keep under the coop? Welcome to the Highways, Lord
Ralph! But where is thine horse? and whence and whither is it now?
Hast thou met with some foil and been held to ransom?"
Ralph found it hard and grievous and dull work to answer; for now again
his sorrow had taken hold of him: so he said: "Yea, Richard, I have
had adventures, and have lost rather than won; but at least I am a free
man, and have spent but little gold on my loss."
"That is well," said Richard, "but whence gat ye any gold for
spending?" Ralph smiled, but sadly, for he called to mind the glad
setting forth and the kind face of dame Katherine his gossip, and he
said: "Clement Chapman deemed it not unmeet to stake somewhat on my
luck, therefore I am no pauper."
"Well," said Blaise, "if thou hast no great errand elsewhere, thou
mightest ride with us, brother. I have had good hap in these days,
though scarce kingly or knightly, for I have been buying and selling:
what matter? few know Upmeads and its kings to wite me with fouling a
fair name. Richard, go fetch a horse hither for Lord Ralph's riding,
and we will tarry no longer." So Richard trotted on, and while they
abode him, Ralph asked after his brethren, and Blaise told him that he
had seen or heard naught of them. Then Ralph asked of whither away,
and Blaise told him to Whitwall, where was much recourse of merchants
from many lands, and a noble market.
Back then cometh Richard leading a good horse while Ralph was pondering
his matter, and thinking that at such a town he might well hear tidings
concerning the Well at the World's End.
Now Ralph mounts, and they all ride away together. On the way, partly
for brotherhood's sake, partly that he might not be questioned overmuch
himself, Ralph asked Blaise to tell him more of his farings; and Blaise
said, that when he had left Upmeads he had ridden with Richard up and
down and round about, till he came to a rich town which had just been
taken in war, and that the Companions who had conquered it were looking
for chapmen to cheapen their booty, and that he was the first or nearly
the first to come who had will and money to buy, and the Companions,
who were eager to depart, had sold him thieves' penny-worths, so that
his share of the Upmeads' treasure had gone far; and thence he had gone
to another good town where he had the best of markets for his newly
cheapened wares, and had brought more there, such as he deemed handy to
sell, and so had gone on from town to town, and had ever thriven, and
had got much wealth: and so at last having heard tell of Whitwall as
better for chaffer than all he had yet seen, he and other chapmen had
armed them, and waged men-at-arms to defend them, and so tried the
adventure of the wildwoods, and come safe through.
Then at last came the question to Ralph concerning his adventures, and
he enforced himself to speak, and told all as truly as he might,
without telling of the Lady and her woeful ending.
Thus they gave and took in talk, and Ralph did what he might to seem
like other folk, that he might nurse his grief in his own heart as far
asunder from other men as might be.
So they rode on till it was even, and came to Whitwall before the
shutting of the gates and rode into the street, and found it a fair and
great town, well defensible, with high and new walls, and men-at-arms
good store to garnish them.
Ralph rode with his brother to the hostel of the chapmen, and there
they were well lodged.