The Story of the Glittering Plain | Page 4

Plain: and
if that be so, then delay not, lead us to thy lord, and perhaps he will
make us content."
Spake he who was somewhat less stricken in years than the first:
"Thanks have thou! but we need something more than meat and drink,
to wit the Land of Living Men. And Oh! but the time presses."
Spake the sad and sorry carle: "We seek the Land where the days are
many: so many that he who hath forgotten how to laugh, may learn the
craft again, and forget the days of Sorrow."
Then they all three cried aloud and said:
"Is this the Land? Is this the Land?"
But Hallblithe wondered, and he laughed and said: "Wayfarers, look
under the sun down the plain which lieth betwixt the mountains and the
sea, and ye shall behold the meadows all gleaming with the spring lilies;
yet do we not call this the Glittering Plain, but Cleveland by the Sea.
Here men die when their hour comes, nor know I if the days of their
life be long enough for the forgetting of sorrow; for I am young and not
yet a yokefellow of sorrow; but this I know, that they are long enough
for the doing of deeds that shall not die. And as for Lord, I know not
this word, for here dwell we, the sons of the Raven, in good fellowship,
with our wives that we have wedded, and our mothers who have borne
us, and our sisters who serve us. Again I bid you light down off your
horses, and eat and drink, and be merry; and depart when ye will, to
seek what land ye will."
They scarce looked on him, but cried out together mournfully:
"This is not the Land! This is not the Land!"
No more than that they said, but turned about their horses and rode out
through the garth gate, and went clattering up the road that led to the

pass of the mountains. But Hallblithe hearkened wondering, till the
sound of their horse-hoofs died away, and then turned back to his work:
and it was then two hours after high-noon.

CHAPTER II
: EVIL TIDINGS COME TO HAND AT CLEVELAND

Not long had he worked ere he heard the sound of horsehoofs once
more, and he looked not up, but said to himself, "It is but the lads
bringing back the teams from the acres, and riding fast and driving hard
for joy of heart and in wantonness of youth."
But the sound grew nearer and he looked up and saw over the turf wall
of the garth the flutter of white raiment; and he said:
"Nay, it is the maidens coming back from the seashore and the
gathering of wrack."
So he set himself the harder to his work, and laughed, all alone as he
was, and said: "She is with them: now I will not look up again till they
have ridden into the garth, and she has come from among them, and
leapt off her horse, and cast her arms about my neck as her wont is; and
it will rejoice her then to mock me with hard words and kind voice and
longing heart; and I shall long for her and kiss her, and sweet shall the
coming days seem to us: and the daughters of our folk shall look on and
be kind and blithe with us."
Therewith rode the maidens into the garth, but he heard no sound of
laughter or merriment amongst them, which was contrary to their wont;
and his heart fell, and it was as if instead of the maidens' laughter the
voices of those wayfarers came back upon the wind crying out, "Is this
the Land? Is this the Land?"
Then he looked up hastily, and saw the maidens drawing near, ten of
the House of the Raven, and three of the House of the Rose; and he
beheld them that their faces were pale and woe-begone, and their
raiment rent, and there was no joy in them. Hallblithe stood aghast
while one who had gotten off her horse (and she was the daughter of
his own mother) ran past him into the hall, looking not at him, as if she
durst not: and another rode off swiftly to the horse-stalls. But the others,
leaving their horses, drew round about him, and for a while none durst

utter a word; and he stood gazing at them, with the spoke-shave in his
hand, he also silent; for he saw that the Hostage was not with them, and
he knew that now he was the yokefellow of sorrow.
At last he spoke gently and in a kind voice, and said: "Tell me, sisters,
what evil hath befallen us, even if it be