[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
welling out of the water, and she had trussed up her sleeves to the shoulder
that she might thrust her bare arms therein. Her shoes of black leather lay on
the grass beside her, and her feet and legs yet shone with the brook.
Belike amidst the splashing and clatter of the water she did not hear him
drawing nigh, so that he was close to her before she lifted up her face and
saw him, and he beheld her, that it was the maiden of the thrice-seen pageant.
She reddened when she saw him, and hastily covered up her legs with her
gown-skirt, and drew down the sleeves over her arms, but otherwise stirred
not. As for him, he stood still, striving to speak to her; but no word might
he bring out, and his heart beat sorely.
But the maiden spake to him in a clear sweet voice, wherein was now no
trouble: Thou art an alien, art thou not? For I have not seen thee before.
33
Yea, he said, I am an alien; wilt thou be good to me?
She said: And why not? I was afraid at first, for I thought it had been the
King s Son. I looked to see none other; for of goodly men he has been the only
one here in the land this long while, till thy coming.
He said: Didst thou look for my coming at about this time?
Page 17
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
O nay, she said; how might I?
Said Walter: I wot not; but the other man seemed to be looking for me, and
knew of me, and he brought me bread to eat.
She looked on him anxiously, and grew somewhat pale, as she said: What other
one?
Now Walter did not know what the dwarf might be to her, fellow-servant or what
not, so he would not show his loathing of him; but answered wisely: The
little man in the yellow raiment.
But when she heard that word, she went suddenly very pale, and leaned her head
aback, and beat the air with her hands; but said presently in a faint voice:
I pray thee talk not of that one while I
am by, nor even think of him, if thou mayest forbear.
He spake not, and she was a little while before she came to herself again;
then she opened her eyes, and looked upon Walter and smiled kindly on him, as
though to ask his pardon for having scared him. Then she rose up in her place,
and stood before him; and they were nigh together, for the stream betwixt them
was little.
But he still looked anxiously upon her and said: Have I hurt thee? I pray thy
pardon.
She looked on him more sweetly still, and said: O nay; thou wouldst not hurt
me, thou!
34
Then she blushed very red, and he in like wise; but afterwards she turned
pale, and laid a hand on her breast, and Walter cried out hastily: O me! I
have hurt thee again. Wherein have I done amiss?
In nought, in nought, she said; but I am troubled, I wot not wherefore;
some thought hath taken hold of me, and I know it not. Mayhappen in a little
while I shall know what troubles me.
Now I bid thee depart from me a little, and I will abide here; and when thou
comest back, it will either be that I have found it out or not; and in either
case I will tell thee.
She spoke earnestly to him; but he said: How long shall I abide away?
Her face was troubled as she answered him: For no long while.
He smiled on her and turned away, and went a space to the other side of the
oak-trees, whence she was still within eyeshot. There he abode until the time
seemed long to him; but he schooled himself and forbore; for he said: Lest she
send me away again. So he abided until again the time seemed long to him, and
she called not to him: but once again he forbore to go; then at last he arose,
and his heart beat and he trembled, and he walked back again speedily, and
came to the maiden, who was still standing by the rock of the spring, her arms
hanging down, her eyes downcast. She looked up at him as he drew nigh, and her
face changed with eagerness as she said: I am glad thou art come back, though
it be no long while since thy departure (sooth to say it was scarce half an
hour in all). Nevertheless I have been thinking many things, and thereof will
I now tell thee.
He said: Maiden, there is a river betwixt us, though it be no big one. Shall
I not stride over, and come to thee, that we may sit down together side by
side on the green grass?
Nay, she said, not yet; tarry a while till I have told thee of matters. I
must now tell thee of my thoughts in order.
Her colour went and came now, and she plaited the folds of her gown with
restless fingers. At last she said: Now the first thing is this; that though
thou hast seen me first only within this
35
hour, thou hast set thine heart upon me to have me for thy speech-friend and
thy darling. And if this be not so, then is all my speech, yea and all my
Page 18
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hope, come to an end at once.
O yea! said Walter, even so it is: but how thou hast found this out I wot
not; since now for the first time I say it, that thou art indeed my love, and
my dear and my darling.
Hush, she said, hush! lest the wood have ears, and thy speech is loud:
abide, and I shall tell thee how I know it. Whether this thy love shall
outlast the first time that thou holdest my body in thine arms, I wot not, nor
dost thou. But sore is my hope that it may be so; for I also, though it be but
scarce an hour since I set eyes on thee, have cast mine eyes on thee to have
thee for my love and my darling, and my speech-friend. And this is how I wot
that thou lovest me, my friend.
Now is all this dear and joyful, and overflows my heart with sweetness. But
now must I tell thee of the fear and the evil which lieth behind it.
Then Walter stretched out his hands to her, and cried out: Yea, yea! But
whatever evil entangle us, now we both know these two things, to wit, that
thou lovest me, and I thee, wilt thou not come hither, that I may cast mine
arms about thee, and kiss thee, if not thy kind lips or thy friendly face at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl rafalstec.xlx.pl
welling out of the water, and she had trussed up her sleeves to the shoulder
that she might thrust her bare arms therein. Her shoes of black leather lay on
the grass beside her, and her feet and legs yet shone with the brook.
Belike amidst the splashing and clatter of the water she did not hear him
drawing nigh, so that he was close to her before she lifted up her face and
saw him, and he beheld her, that it was the maiden of the thrice-seen pageant.
She reddened when she saw him, and hastily covered up her legs with her
gown-skirt, and drew down the sleeves over her arms, but otherwise stirred
not. As for him, he stood still, striving to speak to her; but no word might
he bring out, and his heart beat sorely.
But the maiden spake to him in a clear sweet voice, wherein was now no
trouble: Thou art an alien, art thou not? For I have not seen thee before.
33
Yea, he said, I am an alien; wilt thou be good to me?
She said: And why not? I was afraid at first, for I thought it had been the
King s Son. I looked to see none other; for of goodly men he has been the only
one here in the land this long while, till thy coming.
He said: Didst thou look for my coming at about this time?
Page 17
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
O nay, she said; how might I?
Said Walter: I wot not; but the other man seemed to be looking for me, and
knew of me, and he brought me bread to eat.
She looked on him anxiously, and grew somewhat pale, as she said: What other
one?
Now Walter did not know what the dwarf might be to her, fellow-servant or what
not, so he would not show his loathing of him; but answered wisely: The
little man in the yellow raiment.
But when she heard that word, she went suddenly very pale, and leaned her head
aback, and beat the air with her hands; but said presently in a faint voice:
I pray thee talk not of that one while I
am by, nor even think of him, if thou mayest forbear.
He spake not, and she was a little while before she came to herself again;
then she opened her eyes, and looked upon Walter and smiled kindly on him, as
though to ask his pardon for having scared him. Then she rose up in her place,
and stood before him; and they were nigh together, for the stream betwixt them
was little.
But he still looked anxiously upon her and said: Have I hurt thee? I pray thy
pardon.
She looked on him more sweetly still, and said: O nay; thou wouldst not hurt
me, thou!
34
Then she blushed very red, and he in like wise; but afterwards she turned
pale, and laid a hand on her breast, and Walter cried out hastily: O me! I
have hurt thee again. Wherein have I done amiss?
In nought, in nought, she said; but I am troubled, I wot not wherefore;
some thought hath taken hold of me, and I know it not. Mayhappen in a little
while I shall know what troubles me.
Now I bid thee depart from me a little, and I will abide here; and when thou
comest back, it will either be that I have found it out or not; and in either
case I will tell thee.
She spoke earnestly to him; but he said: How long shall I abide away?
Her face was troubled as she answered him: For no long while.
He smiled on her and turned away, and went a space to the other side of the
oak-trees, whence she was still within eyeshot. There he abode until the time
seemed long to him; but he schooled himself and forbore; for he said: Lest she
send me away again. So he abided until again the time seemed long to him, and
she called not to him: but once again he forbore to go; then at last he arose,
and his heart beat and he trembled, and he walked back again speedily, and
came to the maiden, who was still standing by the rock of the spring, her arms
hanging down, her eyes downcast. She looked up at him as he drew nigh, and her
face changed with eagerness as she said: I am glad thou art come back, though
it be no long while since thy departure (sooth to say it was scarce half an
hour in all). Nevertheless I have been thinking many things, and thereof will
I now tell thee.
He said: Maiden, there is a river betwixt us, though it be no big one. Shall
I not stride over, and come to thee, that we may sit down together side by
side on the green grass?
Nay, she said, not yet; tarry a while till I have told thee of matters. I
must now tell thee of my thoughts in order.
Her colour went and came now, and she plaited the folds of her gown with
restless fingers. At last she said: Now the first thing is this; that though
thou hast seen me first only within this
35
hour, thou hast set thine heart upon me to have me for thy speech-friend and
thy darling. And if this be not so, then is all my speech, yea and all my
Page 18
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hope, come to an end at once.
O yea! said Walter, even so it is: but how thou hast found this out I wot
not; since now for the first time I say it, that thou art indeed my love, and
my dear and my darling.
Hush, she said, hush! lest the wood have ears, and thy speech is loud:
abide, and I shall tell thee how I know it. Whether this thy love shall
outlast the first time that thou holdest my body in thine arms, I wot not, nor
dost thou. But sore is my hope that it may be so; for I also, though it be but
scarce an hour since I set eyes on thee, have cast mine eyes on thee to have
thee for my love and my darling, and my speech-friend. And this is how I wot
that thou lovest me, my friend.
Now is all this dear and joyful, and overflows my heart with sweetness. But
now must I tell thee of the fear and the evil which lieth behind it.
Then Walter stretched out his hands to her, and cried out: Yea, yea! But
whatever evil entangle us, now we both know these two things, to wit, that
thou lovest me, and I thee, wilt thou not come hither, that I may cast mine
arms about thee, and kiss thee, if not thy kind lips or thy friendly face at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]