The Wood Beyond the World | Page 5

ape in gay
raiment; belike the beast of some jongleur. Nay, by God's wounds! 'tis

a man, though he be exceeding mis-shapen like a very devil. Yea and
now there cometh a pretty maid going as if she were of his meney; and
lo! here, a most goodly and noble lady! Yea, I see; and doubtless she
owneth both the two, and is of the greatest of the folk of this fair city;
for on the maiden's ankle I saw an iron ring, which betokeneth
thralldom amongst these aliens. But this is strange! for notest thou not
how the folk in the street heed not this quaint show; nay not even the
stately lady, though she be as lovely as a goddess of the gentiles, and
beareth on her gems that would buy Langton twice over; surely they
must be over- wont to strange and gallant sights. But now, master, but
now!"
"Yea, what is it?" said Walter.
"Why, master, they should not yet be gone out of eye-shot, yet gone
they are. What is become of them, are they sunk into the earth?"
"Tush, man!" said Walter, looking not on Arnold, but still staring down
the street; "they have gone into some house while thine eyes were
turned from them a moment."
"Nay, master, nay," said Arnold, "mine eyes were not off them one
instant of time."
"Well," said Walter, somewhat snappishly, "they are gone now, and
what have we to do to heed such toys, we with all this grief and strife
on our hands? Now would I be alone to turn the matter of thine errand
over in my mind. Meantime do thou tell the shipmaster Geoffrey and
our other folk of these tidings, and thereafter get thee all ready; and
come hither to me before sunrise to-morrow, and I shall be ready for
my part; and so sail we back to Langton."
Therewith he turned him back into the house, and the others went their
ways; but Walter sat alone in his chamber a long while, and pondered
these things in his mind. And whiles he made up his mind that he
would think no more of the vision of those three, but would fare back
to Langton, and enter into the strife with the Reddings and quell them,
or die else. But lo, when he was quite steady in this doom, and his heart

was lightened thereby, he found that he thought no more of the
Reddings and their strife, but as matters that were passed and done with,
and that now he was thinking and devising if by any means he might
find out in what land dwelt those three. And then again he strove to put
that from him, saying that what he had seen was but meet for one
brainsick, and a dreamer of dreams. But furthermore he thought, Yea,
and was Arnold, who this last time had seen the images of those three,
a dreamer of waking dreams? for he was nought wonted in such wise;
then thought he: At least I am well content that he spake to me of their
likeness, not I to him; for so I may tell that there was at least something
before my eyes which grew not out of mine own brain. And yet again,
why should I follow them; and what should I get by it; and indeed how
shall I set about it?
Thus he turned the matter over and over; and at last, seeing that if he
grew no foolisher over it, he grew no wiser, he became weary thereof,
and bestirred him, and saw to the trussing up of his goods, and made all
ready for his departure, and so wore the day and slept at nightfall; and
at daybreak comes Arnold to lead him to their keel, which hight the
Bartholomew. He tarried nought, and with few farewells went aboard
ship, and an hour after they were in the open sea with the ship's head
turned toward Langton on Holm.
CHAPTER IV
: STORM BEFALLS THE BARTHOLOMEW, AND SHE IS
DRIVEN OFF HER COURSE
Now swift sailed the Bartholomew for four weeks toward the
north-west with a fair wind, and all was well with ship and crew. Then
the wind died out on even of a day, so that the ship scarce made way at
all, though she rolled in a great swell of the sea, so great, that it seemed
to ridge all the main athwart. Moreover down in the west was a great
bank of cloud huddled up in haze, whereas for twenty days past the sky
had been clear, save for a few bright white clouds flying before the
wind. Now the shipmaster, a man right cunning in his craft, looked
long on sea and sky, and then