Page:The Sundering Flood - Morris - 1898.djvu/297

 shall be another tale for this woodland. For belike thou deemest me old, but I am a young man, only I am haggard with the battle between life and death as I lay wounded yonder. Therewith he pulled aback his hood, and the carline came close up to him and looked him hard in the face, but said nothing. Then he said: Dame, to be short with thee, I have walked into the trap once, and will not again if I may help it. Now I know not what thou art; for all I know thou mayst be a bait of my foes, or even a sending from evil things. Nor hast thou yet said any word why specially I should come with thee.

She was still standing close to him, and now she laid her hand on his breast and said: This I say as a last word, and thou must take it how thou wilt. If thou dost not come with me now, thou shalt rue it only once, to wit, all thy life long.

He looked on her and knit his brows, and said at last: Well, it is little to throw away the end of my life, and there may be some tidings or tracks of tidings to be found. I will go with thee, dame. Only this time, he muttered, let there be no coming to life again.

Thou art wise, said the carline; let us lose no time. So they set off, and up and down by rough and smooth, till the Wood was quite dark, and the stars were overhead when they came to a clearing, and sweet was the peace of the May night. At last they saw before them a glimmer of light, which as they wound about became pre-