Page:Celtic Stories by Edward Thomas.djvu/100

 Never had that herdsman lost a lamb out of his flock. Gwrhyr was sent to salute him and Menw to cast a spell upon the dog. They greeted the man and asked him who lived in the castle.

'This,' he answered, 'is known through the world as the Castle of Uspathadden Penkower'.

'And who art thou?'

'My name is Custennin and I am oppressed by my brother Uspathadden on account of my possessions. Who are ye?'

'We are an embassy from Arthur, seeking Olwen the daughter of Uspathadden.'

'The mercy of Heaven be upon you,' cried Custennin. 'None ever returned from that quest,' and he led them to his own house.

When they had eaten and were going out again to play a little before the trouble, Custennin's wife opened a stone chest in her chimney corner and let out a youth with curled yellow hair.

'Three and twenty of my sons,' she said, 'has Uspathadden slain, and I have no more hope of this one than of the others.'

He was a goodly young man, and Kay asked her if he might join their quest. Like her husband she implored them to turn back when she heard their errand. But when she saw that they were not to be frightened, she confessed that Olwen herself was in the habit of coming to that herdsman's dwelling to wash her hair. They gave a pledge not to harm the maid, and the woman consented to send for her to come that day. She entered, and before he had recovered from the astonishment of her light-footed beauty, Kilhugh found her sitting next to him upon his bench. The name Olwen came into his soul at the first sight of her, and he knew her.