登陆注册
5452800000043

第43章

He abode there so long that the dusk began to gather in the house, and he could see the images no more; for he was filled with the sweetness of desire when he looked on them.

Then he went back slowly to the hall, and found the carline, who had lighted the waxlights and made meat ready for him; and when she saw him she cried out joyously: "Ah, I knew that thou wouldst come back.

Art thou well content with our little land?"

"I like it well, dame," said he; "but tell me, if thou canst, what is the meaning of the halling in the chamber with the ivory throne?"

Said the carline: "Thereof shall another tell thee, who can tell of it better than I; but it is nought to hide that yonder chamber is the chamber of estate of our Lady, and she sitteth there to hear the cases of folk and to give dooms."

The old woman crossed herself as she spoke, and Ralph wondered thereat, but asked no more questions, for he was scarce sorry that the carline would not tell him thereof, lest she should spoil the tale.

So passed the evening, and he went to bed and slept as a young man should, and the next day he was up betimes and went abroad and mingled with the carles and queens afield; but this time he spake not of the Lady, and heard nought to heed from any of that folk.

So he went back to the castle and gat him a bow and arrows, and entered the thicket of the wood nigh where he and Roger first came out of it.

He had prayed a young man of the folk to go with him, but he was not over willing to go, though he would not say wherefore. So Ralph went himself by himself and wandered some way into the wood, and saw nought worse than himself. As he came back, making a circuit toward the open meadows, he happened on a herd of deer in a lonely place, half wood half meadow, and there he slew a hart with one shaft, for he was a deft bowman.

Then he went and fetched a leash of carles, who went with him somewhat less than half willingly, and between them they broke up the hart and carried him home to the castle, where the carline met them.

She smiled on Ralph and praised the venison, and said withal that the hunting was well done; "For, as fond and as fair as thou mayst be, it is not good that young men should have their minds set on one thing only."

Therewith she led him in to his meat, and set him down and served him; and all the while of his dinner he was longing to ask her if she deemed that the Lady would come that day, since it was the last day of those which Roger had bidden him wait; but the words would not out of his mouth.

She looked at him and smiled, as though she had a guess of his thought, and at last she said to him: "Thy tongue is tied to-day. Hast thou, after all, seen something strange in the wood?" He shook his head for naysay.

Said she: "Why, then, dost thou not ask more concerning the Well at the World's End?"

He laughed, and said: "Maybe because I think that thou canst not tell me thereof." "Well," she said, "if I cannot, yet the book may, and this evening, when the sun is down, thou shalt have it."

"I thank thee, mother," said he; "but this is now the last day that Roger bade me wait. Dost thou think that he will come back to-night?" and he reddened therewith. "Nay," she said, "I know not, and thou carest not whether he will come or not.

Yet I know that thou wilt abide here till some one else come, whether that be early or late." Again he reddened, and said, in a coaxing way: "And wilt thou give me guesting, mother, for a few more summer days?"

"Yea," she said, "and till summer is over, if need be, and the corn is cut and carried, and till the winter is come and the latter end of winter is gone." He smiled faintly, though his heart fell, and he said:

"Nay, mother, and can it by any chance be so long a-coming?"

"O, fair boy," she said, "thou wilt make it long, howsoever short it be. And now I will give thee a rede, lest thou vex thyself sick and fret thy very heart.

To-morrow go see if thou canst meet thy fate instead of abiding it.

Do on thy war-gear and take thy sword and try the adventure of the wildwood; but go not over deep into it." Said he:

"But how if the Lady come while I am away from this house?"

"Sooth to say," said the carline, "I deem not that she will, for the way is long betwixt us and her."

"Dost thou mean," said Ralph, standing up from the board, "that she will not come ever? I adjure thee not to beguile me with soft words, but tell me the very sooth."

"There, there!" said she, "sit down, king's son; eat thy meat and drink thy wine; for to-morrow is a new day.

She will come soon or late, if she be yet in the world.

And now I will say no more to thee concerning this matter."

Therewith she went her ways from the hall, and when she came back with hand-basin and towel, she said no word to him, but only smiled kindly.

He went out presently into the meadow (for it was yet but early afternoon) and came among the haymaking folk and spake with them, hoping that perchance some of them might speak again of the Lady of Abundance; but none of them did so, though the old carle he had spoken with was there, and there also were the two maidens whom he had seen fishing; and as for him, he was over faint-hearted to ask them any more questions concerning her.

Yet he abode with them long, and ate and drank amidst the hay with them till the moon shone brightly. Then he went back to the castle and found the carline in the hall, and she had the book with her and gave it to him, and he sat down in the shot-window under the waxlights and fell to reading of it.

同类推荐
  • Openings in the Old Trail

    Openings in the Old Trail

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 元始说先天道德经批注

    元始说先天道德经批注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 养生导引法

    养生导引法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 显识论

    显识论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上说青玄雷令法行因地妙经

    太上说青玄雷令法行因地妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 开局一把洛阳铲

    开局一把洛阳铲

    贫富差距巨大的氪金游戏里,宁夕只想当一个安静的生活玩家,开局一把洛阳铲,默默挖起宝……打本?你们去。论剑?没兴趣。帮战?你们玩。等等宝被抢了,还是个大弟子?这怎么能忍?来来来,尝尝我这幽冥十五连的威力。大弟子:“大佬我错了!刀下留人!”
  • 月如朝阳

    月如朝阳

    我的心很小,小到只有世界,和你。我的心很小,小到只有你,还有世界。她生来平凡,只想守护好自己身边的一切,别人的一切,与她何干?奈何命运不这样想,不止要求她守护好自己所在乎的一切,还要求她守护好别人所在乎的一切。他生来不凡,从小便有鸿鹄之志,心怀天下,舍己为人。命运也是这般要求他,还要求他来到她的身边,成为她眼中的别人。“我喜欢冰糖葫芦,因为你跟它一样甜~”“我不喜欢冰糖葫芦,因为它没有你甜。”
  • 快穿之这个男主不一样

    快穿之这个男主不一样

    九重天的小祖宗黎卿终于离开了,各神都开心的泪流满面,然而不久,小祖宗带着大祖宗回来了……
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 亲爱的有你真好

    亲爱的有你真好

    刘然经历爱情的七年之痒,通过回忆得到自我反省和救赎。
  • 后宫纷争

    后宫纷争

    本故事纯属虚构,如有雷同必属巧合~——————————————————————————————她,名列大清盛朝[第一大美人]之称,被迫放弃了与自己一起长大的青梅竹马的恋人,无奈嫁入深宫,在大婚的那天晚上一见到他,清盛朝皇帝,她总算见识到什么叫跋扈嚣张的气焰,他不但恶声警告她不准靠近他,还让她的姐姐从此与她为敌.他,传说中傲然无情的清盛朝皇帝乃世间罕见的美男子,性格冷酷强悍、人人畏惧,俨然有着冷面王的素称。在他还是阿哥的时候,他就把心给了自己所爱的人,在册封皇后的当天,当她快要回到自己的身边时,却被这清纯绝美的女人耍了手段得到皇后地位,跋扈嚣张的他生气的把责任全归咎于她,不但不宠幸于她,视她为眼中沙肉中刺,大婚当天同时把她姐姐册封为淑妃,让她成了全天下的笑柄。一场封后封妃,一场闹剧,使姐妹俩共伺一夫,从此后宫不得安宁,她能在这斗争永无休止的深宫中幸存吗?而个中的爱恨情仇、纠葛孽债孰胜孰败,孰对孰错,又有谁能说得清?———————————————————————————————姒儿已完结的一个坑《我的宝贝娇妻》【隆重推荐】(姒儿友人哒文文):妖精传说《绝代公主的另类爱情》无悔抉择《穿越之恩怨江湖》(已完结)无悔抉择《苍天捉弄之无心女王》婉如初上《妻妾成群》宇书《暴君的禁脔》————————————————————————后宫视频:?pstyle=1《后宫纷争》引言+楔子视频:?pstyle=1四儿新文:《诱惑我的爱》——————————————————————————————喜欢姒儿书的亲们可以加群:75955488敲门砖为姒儿名下作品任何一个人物或书名o(∩_∩)o...
  • 献帝春秋

    献帝春秋

    刘协穿越到了东汉末年,悲催地发现已经到了危急存亡的时候——前有曹操迎驾、后有李郭追兵,南方张绣宛城观望,北地诸侯割据称雄,汉室风雨飘摇!这一世,他能否抓住稍纵即逝的机会,掌控自己命运,收复大汉河山?
  • 季夏浅梦

    季夏浅梦

    (女主本是王者,偏偏执意要舍去一身荣耀,自折羽翼化为青铜。)夏之蓝,一个新来的转学生,漂亮优雅的她在雅信学院掀起了轩然大波。在全校师生眼中,她是温婉从容的气质女神,成绩优异还会拉小提琴,好像没什么事能够难倒她。风靡整个雅信学院的三大王子,幽默迷人的学生会会长沐昀尧,骄傲毒舌的运动天才俞清泽,拒人于千里之外的季霖。她似乎只对季霖“情有独钟”,只是她和他之间好似总隔着一层浓厚的迷雾。越是接近他越是触动他的记忆,尘封的记忆似乎重新被打开。自从夏之蓝的到来,季霖总能梦到一名从未看清过容貌的少女,让季霖的心隐隐作痛,这一切到底是怎么回事?雅信学院特邀了一位年轻的体育教师商裕,俊朗的外表隐隐有与三大王子比肩的趋势。素来温和的她竟然对他冷漠相待,他们之间究竟有着怎样的故事?一位身娇体弱的失忆少年,一位带着目的前来的优秀少女,在这季夏时节,就来谱写属于夏季的故事。*谁的青春不迷茫?谁的年少不曾轻狂?(小声bb:女主能文能武颜值高,当初设定的时候差点就不要男主了……)
  • 卿本佳人之长明灯

    卿本佳人之长明灯

    本文讲述了柳如烟在遵从父命北上幽州进献途中遭遇了一场雪崩天灾,她的灵魂去了地狱转世投胎,同时遇难的马兰花借尸还魂,成为了假的柳如烟,她每夜子时必为恶梦纠缠,恶疾无医可治。她与青梅竹马自幼婚约,后来在万年长明灯幻化而成的长存公子锲而不舍的情爱攻势下二人深深相爱。最后因千年妖娥的强行介入,导致二人分崩离析,乃至阴阳殊途。为救回柳如烟,长存不惜上刀山下火海,逆天而为篡改生死簿……魂魄归位,柳如烟肉身腐胔,长存前往鬼域天山换取圣药,不料鬼域雪姬提出苛刻条件……还魂归来真的柳如烟面对错综复杂的三角恋,又会做出怎样的决策呢?山盟海誓、生死虐恋、矢志不渝、虚以委蛇、波谲云诡、尔虞我诈……巅峰对决,鹿死谁手?
  • 往生劫:鬼帝追妻要翻天

    往生劫:鬼帝追妻要翻天

    他屠尽天下,只为报恩;她化尽骨血,只为赎罪;他燃尽阳寿,只为厮守。又是千年轮回之后,她再次踏进齐府的院落,满目疮痍,枯草及腰,断壁残垣,破败的叫人心疼。--情节虚构,请勿模仿