But, indeed, I left the matter,
along with some silver, to the servants; and very sound justice they
dealt out to the men; for I heard their cries a good while after we had
gone away. Now, when we were come up to the Hall, my cousin must take me in to her
Guardian, Sir Alfred Jarles, an old man and venerable that I knew a
little in passing and because our estates abounded. And she praised me
to my face, yet quaintly-wise; and the old man, her Guardian thanked me
most honourably and with a nice courtesy; so that I was a welcome
house-friend from that time onward. And I stayed all that evening, and dined, and afterward went out again
into the home-grounds with the Lady Mirdath; and she more friendly to me
than ever any woman had been; and seemed to me as that she had known me
always. And, truly, I had the same feeling in my heart towards her; for
it was, somehow, as though we knew each the way and turn of the other,
and had a constant delight to find this thing and that thing to be in
common; but no surprise; save that so pleasant a truth had so natural a
discovery. And one thing there was that I perceived held the Lady Mirdath all that
dear fore-night; and this was, indeed, the way that I had my pleasure so
easy with the three foot-pads. And she asked me plainly whether I was
not truly very strong; and when I laughed with young and natural pride,
she caught my arm suddenly to discover for herself how strong I might
be. And, surely, she loosed it even the more sudden, and with a little
gasping of astonishment, because it was so great and hard. And
afterward, she walked by me very silent, and seeming thoughtful; but she
went never any great way off from me. And, truly, if the Lady Mirdath had a strange pleasure in my strength, I
had likewise a constant wonder and marvel in her beauty, that had shown
but the more lovely in the candle-light at dinner. But there were further delights to me in the days that came; for I had
happiness in the way that she had pleasure of the Mystery of the
Evening, and the Glamour of Night, and the Joy of Dawn, and all
suchlike. And one evening, that I ever remember, as we wandered in the park-lands,
she began to say--half unthinking--that it was truly an elves-night. And
she stopped herself immediately; as though she thought I should have no
understanding; but, indeed, I was upon mine own familiar ground of
inward delight; and I replied in a quiet and usual voice, that the
Towers of Sleep would grow that night, and I felt in my bones that it
was a night to find the Giant's Tomb, or the Tree with the Great Painted
Head, or--And surely I stopped very sudden; for she gripped me in that
moment, and her hand shook as she held me; but when I would ask her what
ailed, she bid me, very breathless, to say on, to say on. And, with a
half understanding, I told her that I had but meant to speak of the Moon
Garden, that was an olden and happy fancy of mine. And, in verity, when I said that, the Lady Mirdath cried out something
in a strange low voice, and brought me to a halt, that she might face
me. And she questioned me very earnest; and I answered just so earnest
as she; for I was grown suddenly to an excitement, in that I perceived
she knew also. And, in verity, she told me that she had knowledge; but
had thought that she was alone in the world with her knowledge of that
strange land of her dreams; and now to find that I also had travelled in
those dear, strange dream lands. And truly the marvel of it--the marvel
of it! As she to say time and oft. And again, as we walked, she gave out
word that there was little wonder she had been urged to call to me that
night, as she saw me pause upon the road; though, indeed, she had
learned of our cousin-ship before, having seen me go by on my horse
pretty oft, and inquired concerning me; and mayhap daintily irked that I
had so little heed of Lady Mirdath the Beautiful. But, indeed, I had
thought of other matters; yet had been human enough, had I but met her
proper before I see her. Now you must not think that I was not utter stirred by the wonder of
this thing, that we had both a dreamful knowledge of the same matters,
of which each had thought none other knew. Yet, when I questioned more,
there was much that had been in my fancies that was foreign to her, and
likewise much that had been familiar to her, that was of no meaning to
me. But though there was this, that brought a little regret to us, there
would be, time and again, some new thing that one told, that the other
knew and could finish the telling of, to the gladness and amazement of
both. And so shall you picture us wandering and having constant speech, so
that, hour by hour, we grew gladly aged in dear knowledge and sweet
friendship of the other. And truly, how the time passed, I know not; but there came presently a
hullabaloo, and the shouts of men's voices and the baying of dogs, and
the gleam of lanthorns, so that I knew not what to think; until, very
sudden, and with a sweet and strange little laughter, the Lady Mirdath
to perceive that we had missed the hours utter in our converse; so that
her Guardian (made uneasy because of the three foot-pads) had ordered a
search. And we all that time a-wander together in happy forgetfulness. And we turned homeward, then, and came towards the lights; but indeed,
the dogs found us before we were come there; and they had grown to know
me now, and leaped about me, barking very friendly; and so in a minute
the men had discovered us, and were gone back to tell Sir Jarles that
all was well. And this was the way of our meeting and the growing of our acquaintance,
and the beginning of my great love for Mirdath the Beautiful. Now, from that time onward, evening by evening would I go a-wander along
the quiet and country road that led from my estate to the estate of Sir
Jarles. And always I went inward by the hedge-gap; and oft I should find
the Lady Mirdath walking in that part of the woods; but always with her
great boar-hounds about her; for I had begged that she do this thing for
her sweet safety; and she to seem wishful to pleasure me; but truly to
be just so oft utter perverse in diverse matters; and to strive to
plague me, as though she would discover how much I would endure and how
far she might go to anger me. And, truly, well I remember how that one night, coming to the hedge-gap,
I saw two country-maids come thence out from the woods of Sir Jarles';
but they were naught to me, and I would have gone upward through the
gap, as ever; only that, as they passed me, they curtseyed somewhat
over-graceful for rough wenches. And I had a sudden thought, and came up
to them to see them more anigh; and truly I thought the taller was
surely the Lady Mirdath. But, indeed, I could not be sure; for when I
asked who she did be, she only to simper and to curtsey again; and so
was I very natural all in doubt; but yet sufficient in wonder (having
some knowledge of the Lady Mirdath) to follow the wenches, the which I
did.