And so she to wash and to make herself happy with a sweet cleanness that
did be proper to her; and afterward, when she did be done, she to act
watch whilst I to mine; and to help me in all matters, that she was
able; and truly, I to be happy indeed that she did so have delight to
attend upon me and to treat me mother-wise; yet truly with her
maid-heart not all hid, as you have perceived, this time and that. And surely thus did we go alway in these matters; and oft that I have
not space to have told; and oft that you shall remember, if that I do be
too full of other happenings to give heed to tell upon. And afterward we to our journeying again; and to talk upon this thing
and that thing; and I to be watchful as we talked, and to tell the Maid
that she keep her eyes wary, but yet not to be of unease. And when we did go thiswise for seven good hours, we were come nigh
opposed to the bright-burning fire-hill that did be offward in the sea,
and had made me a warm light in that time when I did sleep in the tree,
as you do remember. And truly, as I shall here mind you, we did be past
seven hours coming to this place, from the part where the steam did be;
yet had I gone that space upon the outward way at a speed that was
greater; but truly I might not set so great a pace to the Maid, save,
mayhap, odd whiles; and this thing I beg that you have alway in your
mind, and so to understand why that we did be oft long upon this part of
the journey and that, by compare with mine outward going. And, in verity, I had set off our hour for food, because that I saw we
did come nigh to the place where the tree did be; and I to know that the
Maid should like to eat and drink anigh to that place, and to know that
I did sleep there. And surely I took her to the tree, and when that I told her, she to beg
me that I indulge her and that we go upward to that branch where I did
sleep, and there to eat our tablets. And I to be willing, and to enter into her wishing; for, indeed, there
was no danger in the climb, and I to go alway below her, so that I could
be surety for her safeness. And we came up to the great branch; and she
to make how we should sit, and I to have to show just where I did lie,
and she to look very close, and to see that my weight had surely marked
the hardness of the armour upon the bark; and she then to be upon that
branch alone, as she did eat and drink; and to look outward at the light
from the fire-hill, and to be very husht, and to think, and I not to
disturb her with speech. And when she did be done, she gat from the branch, and kist the place
where I did lie; and lo! in a moment a thought came into her, and she
drew her knife, and cut out a piece of the bark, and put it into her
breast to be for a keepsake; and so to seem somewise contented. And truly, I told her about the great beast, when we were come down
again to the earth; and she to cry out and to show me that there did be
yet the mark where the belly of the monstrous beast did brush upon the
earth, as it ran, and moreover the broken places of the foot-marks; and
she by this to see how great a beast it did be; but yet did it be a
little thing beside the Slug; only that it did be a thing of horn and
hardness of skin, as you have perceived. And truly, I do mind how that the observings of the Maid did bring very
keen to me how that there had past but seventeen days since that I did
go onward from this place; and this to seem very strange and scarce
credible unto me; for I had thought it, somewise, as a great time; and
truly this to be because it was so marked by stress of the mind and
great happenings; and you to agree in this thing. But yet, also, we
shall truly mind that those times that I have called days, did hold oft
the hours of two days, and mayhap three, as you do remember. Now we
went onward then to our journeying; and I to make to carry the Maid, as
ever, after that she had walked twelve hours, though she did walk
thirteen hours this time as you have seen. And she to say that she go
now upon her own feet through the next six hours, and so to ease me from
the labour that did be needful to carry her. But I to know how that she did be like to be all gone of her strength
thiswise, in but a day or two, and we to make the better speed, if that
I keep to my way, and to have her to walk twelve hours of every journey,
and afterward to come into mine arms; for, truly, she did be bred less
hardy than I, as you shall think from all that I have told concerning
the Peoples of the Lesser Pyramid; and moreover she was yet something
weakened, as I did think, by the dreadful month of her lonesomeness and
escapings, before that I was come to succour her. And truly, as I did carry her, the Maid did make remark of her
wonderment concerning me, in that I did be so hard of my body and set in
the determination of my mind. And, in verity, I did be exceeding strong
and of great hardness of body; and mayhap my will did be somewhat this
way also, else do I think I had never borne to come unto Mine Own
through so much desolation. And I to smile very happy upon her; for I
did love that I was so strong, and very truly in delight that Mine Own
Maid did take gladness in this thing. And you to mind how you did be
also in the love-days; and so to have nice understanding of my
naturalness and human pride. And surely the Maid did nestle unto me, as she did talk; even, somewise,
as a Child shall come nigh to the Mother, but yet also as a Maid doth
love to be nigh unto her Man, if that she doth truly love. And I to lift
her more nigh to my lips; but she to refuse to kiss me, and to be a
Sweet Impertinence that did lie in mine arms; yet when I did make to
lower her again to the way that had her easy to carry, she to slip her
pretty face very snug under my chin, and to kiss me there, after her own
fashion; and afterward to be willing that she be as usual into mine
arms. Now, as I set the Maid again comfortable, it seemed to me that she was
something tender; and sudden it came to me that mayhap the armour to be
very hard and painful unto her; and I to ask this thing of her, in a
moment; and she to see that I would not be put off; and so to tell me. And, truly, I was utter angered with myself; and somewise also with her,
in that she did not waken mine unthinkingness to this thing. And I set her instant to the earth, and made her to bare her shoulders
to me; and truly they did be much bruised where that she had lain so oft
in mine arms, against the hardness of mine armour. And I to be so angered that I near shook her, and she to see how I did
be, and that she did be nigh to be shaken, because that I was grown so
angry that she should let herself come to this foolish hurt, that yet I
did know was very dear unto her secret heart. And, in truth, she put up
her lips to me, very sudden, and with a strange naughtiness, that she
have her own way with me to tempt me from mine anger, that yet she did
half to like.