As he lay thus he heard footsteps drawing near, and he looked between the boughs, and though the sun had just set, he could see close by him a man and a woman going slowly, and they hand in hand; at first he deemed it would be the King’s Son and the Lady, but presently he saw that it was the King’s Son indeed, but that it was the Maid whom he was holding by the hand. And now he saw of him that his eyes were bright with desire, and of her that she was very pale. Yet when he heard her begin to speak, it was in a steady voice that she said: “King’s Son, thou hast threatened me oft and unkindly, and now thou threatenest me again, and no less unkindly. But whatever were thy need herein before, now is there no more need; for my Mistress, of whom thou wert weary, is now grown weary of thee, and belike will not now reward me for drawing thy love to me, as once she would have done; to wit, before the coming of this stranger. Therefore I say, since I am but a thrall6, poor and helpless, betwixt you two mighty7 ones, I have no choice but to do thy will.”
As she spoke8 she looked all round about her, as one distraught by the anguish9 of fear. Walter, amidst of his wrath10 and grief, had wellnigh drawn11 his sword and rushed out of his lair12 upon the King’s Son. But he deemed it sure that, so doing, he should undo13 the Maid altogether, and himself also belike, so he refrained him, though it were a hard matter.
The Maid had stayed her feet now close to where Walter lay, some five yards from him only, and he doubted whether she saw him not from where she stood. As to the King’s Son, he was so intent upon the Maid, and so greedy of her beauty, that it was not like that he saw anything.
Now moreover Walter looked, and deemed that he beheld14 something through the grass and bracken on the other side of those two, an ugly brown and yellow body, which, if it were not some beast of the foumart kind, must needs be the monstrous15 dwarf16, or one of his kin5; and the flesh crept upon Walter’s bones with the horror of him. But the King’s Son spoke unto the Maid: “Sweetling, I shall take the gift thou givest me, neither shall I threaten thee any more, howbeit thou givest it not very gladly or graciously.”
She smiled on him with her lips alone, for her eyes were wandering and haggard. “My lord,” she said, “is not this the manner of women?”
“Well,” he said, “I say that I will take thy love even so given. Yet let me hear again that thou lovest not that vile17 newcomer, and that thou hast not seen him, save this morning along with my Lady. Nay18 now, thou shalt swear it.”
“What shall I swear by?” she said.
Quoth he, “Thou shalt swear by my body;” and therewith he thrust himself close up against her; but she drew her hand from his, and laid it on his breast, and said: “I swear it by thy body.”
He smiled on her licorously, and took her by the shoulders, and kissed her face many times, and then stood aloof19 from her, and said: “Now have I had hansel: but tell me, when shall I come to thee?”
She spoke out clearly: “Within three days at furthest; I will do thee to wit of the day and the hour to-morrow, or the day after.”
He kissed her once more, and said: “Forget it not, or the threat holds good.”
And therewith he turned about and went his ways toward the house; and Walter saw the yellow-brown thing creeping after him in the gathering20 dusk.
As for the Maid, she stood for a while without moving, and looking after the King’s Son and the creature that followed him. Then she turned about to where Walter lay and lightly put aside the boughs, and Walter leapt up, and they stood face to face. She said softly but eagerly: “Friend, touch me not yet!”
He spake not, but looked on her sternly. She said: “Thou art angry with me?”
Still he spake not; but she said: “Friend, this at least I will pray thee; not to play with life and death; with happiness and misery21. Dost thou not remember the oath which we swore each to each but a little while ago? And dost thou deem that I have changed in these few days? Is thy mind concerning thee and me the same as it was? If it be not so, now tell me. For now have I the mind to do as if neither thou nor I are changed to each other, whoever may have kissed mine unwilling22 lips, or whomsoever thy lips may have kissed. But if thou hast changed, and wilt23 no longer give me thy love, nor crave24 mine, then shall this steel” (and she drew a sharp knife from her girdle) “be for the fool and the dastard25 who hath made thee wroth with me, my friend, and my friend that I deemed I had won. And then let come what will come! But if thou be nought26 changed, and the oath yet holds, then, when a little while hath passed, may we thrust all evil and guile27 and grief behind us, and long joy shall lie before us, and long life, and all honour in death: if only thou wilt do as I bid thee, O my dear, and my friend, and my first friend!”
He looked on her, and his breast heaved up as all the sweetness of her kind love took hold on him, and his face changed, and the tears filled his eyes and ran over, and rained down before her, and he stretched out his hand toward her.
Then she said exceeding sweetly: “Now indeed I see that it is well with me, yea, and with thee also. A sore pain it is to me, that not even now may I take thine hand, and cast mine arms about thee, and kiss the lips that love me. But so it has to be. My dear, even so I were fain to stand here long before thee, even if we spake no more word to each other; but abiding28 here is perilous29; for there is ever an evil spy upon my doings, who has now as I deem followed the King’s Son to the house, but who will return when he has tracked him home thither30: so we must sunder31. But belike there is yet time for a word or two: first, the rede which I had thought on for our deliverance is now afoot, though I durst not tell thee thereof, nor have time thereto. But this much shall I tell thee, that whereas great is the craft of my Mistress in wizardry, yet I also have some little craft therein, and this, which she hath not, to change the aspect of folk so utterly32 that they seem other than they verily are; yea, so that one may have the aspect of another. Now the next thing is this: whatsoever33 my Mistress may bid thee, do her will therein with no more nay-saying than thou deemest may please her. And the next thing: wheresoever thou mayst meet me, speak not to me, make no sign to me, even when I seem to be all alone, till I stoop down and touch the ring on my ankle with my right hand; but if I do so, then stay thee, without fail, till I speak. The last thing I will say to thee, dear friend, ere we both go our ways, this it is. When we are free, and thou knowest all that I have done, I pray thee deem me not evil and wicked, and be not wroth with me for my deed; whereas thou wottest well that I am not in like plight34 with other women. I have heard tell that when the knight35 goeth to the war, and hath overcome his foes36 by the shearing37 of swords and guileful38 tricks, and hath come back home to his own folk, they praise him and bless him, and crown him with flowers, and boast of him before God in the minster for his deliverance of friend and folk and city. Why shouldst thou be worse to me than this? Now is all said, my dear and my friend; farewell, farewell!”
Therewith she turned and went her ways toward the house in all speed, but making somewhat of a compass. And when she was gone, Walter knelt down and kissed the place where her feet had been, and arose thereafter, and made his way toward the house, he also, but slowly, and staying oft on his way.
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1
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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2
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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3
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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4
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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6
thrall
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| n.奴隶；奴隶制 | |
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7
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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8
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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9
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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10
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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11
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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12
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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13
undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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14
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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15
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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16
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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17
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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18
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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19
aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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20
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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21
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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22
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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24
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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25
dastard
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| n.卑怯之人，懦夫；adj.怯懦的，畏缩的 | |
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26
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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guile
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| n.诈术 | |
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28
abiding
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| adj.永久的，持久的，不变的 | |
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29
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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30
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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31
sunder
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| v.分开；隔离；n.分离，分开 | |
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32
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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33
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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34
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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35
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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36
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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37
shearing
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| n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切 | |
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38
guileful
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| adj.狡诈的，诡计多端的 | |
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