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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/15948-h.zip b/15948-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..eba6731 --- /dev/null +++ b/15948-h.zip diff --git a/15948-h/15948-h.htm b/15948-h/15948-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2ab1af8 --- /dev/null +++ b/15948-h/15948-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2570 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ASCII"> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Hollow Land, by William Morris</title> +</head> +<body> +<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Hollow Land, by William Morris</h1> +<pre> +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre> +<p>Title: The Hollow Land</p> +<p>Author: William Morris</p> +<p>Release Date: May 31, 2005 [eBook #15948]</p> +<p>Language: English</p> +<p>Character set encoding: ASCII</p> +<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW LAND***</p> +<br><br><center><h3>This eBook was prepared by Andy Robertson.</h3></center><br><br> + +<h1 align="center">The Hollow Land</h1> +<h2 align="center">William Morris</h2> + +<p><i> + +"We find in ancient story wonders many told,<br /> + +Of heroes in great glory, with spirit free and bold;<br /> + +Of joyances and high-tides, of weeping and of woe,<br /> + +Of noble reckon striving, mote ye now wonders know."<br /> + +<br /> + +Niebelungen Lied (see Carlylefs Miscellanies)</i></p> + +<h2>STRUGGLING IN THE WORLD.</h2> + +<p>Do you know where it is -- the Hollow Land?</p> + +<p> + +I have been looking for it now so long, trying to find it again the +Hollow Land for there I saw my love first.</p> + +<p> + +I wish to tell you how I found it first of all; but I am old, my memory +fails me: you must wait and let me think if I perchance can tell you +how it happened. Yea, in my ears is a confused noise of trumpet-blasts +singing over desolate moors, in my ears and eyes a clashing and +clanging of horse-hoofs, a ringing and glittering of steel; drawn-back +lips, set teeth, shouts, shrieks, and curses.</p> + +<p> + +How was it that no one of us ever found it till that day? for it is +near our country: but what time have we to look for it, or any good +thing; with such biting carking cares hemming us in on every side-cares +about great things-mighty things: mighty things, 0 my brothers! or +rather little things enough, if we only knew it. Lives passed in +turmoil, in making one another unhappy; in bitterest misunderstanding +of our brothers' hearts, making those sad whom God has not made +sad, alas, alas! What chance for any of us to find the Hollow Land? What +time even to look for it?</p> + +<p> + +Yet who has not dreamed of it? Who, half miserable yet the while, for +that he knows it is but a dream, has not felt the cool waves round his +feet, the roses crowning him, and through the leaves of beech and lime +the many whispering winds of the Hollow Land?</p> + +<p> + +Now, my name was Florian, and my house was the house of the Lilies; and +of that house was my father lord, and after him my eldest brother +Amald; and me they called Florian de Liliis.</p> + +<p> + +Moreover, when my father was dead, there arose a feud between the +Lilies' house and Red Harald; and this that follows is the history of +it.</p> + +<p> + +Lady Swanhilda, Red Harald's mother, was a widow, with one son. Red +Harald; and when she had been in widowhood two years, being of +princely blood, and besides comely and fierce. King Urrayne sent to +demand her in marriage. And I remember seeing the procession leaving +the town, when I was quite a child; and many young knights and squires +attended the Lady Swanhilda as pages, and amongst them, Amald, my +eldest brother.</p> + +<p> + +And as I gazed out of the window, I saw him walking by the side of her +horse, dressed in white and gold very delicately; but as he went it +chanced that he stumbled. Now he was one of those that held a golden +canopy over the lady's head, so that it now sunk into wrinkles, and the +lady had to bow her head full low, and even then the gold brocade +caught in one of the long slim gold flowers that were wrought round +about the crown she wore. She flushed up in her rage, and her smooth +face went suddenly into the carven wrinkles of a wooden water-spout, +and she caught at the brocade with her left hand, and pulled it away +furiously, so that the warp and woof were twisted out of their place, +and many gold threads were left dangling about the crown; but Swanhilda +stared about when she rose, then smote my brother across the mouth with +her gilded sceptre, and the red blood flowed all about his garments; +yet he only turned exceeding pale, and dared say no word, though he was +heir to the house of the Lilies: but my small heart swelled with rage, +and I vowed revenge, and, as it seems, he did too.</p> + +<p> + +So when Swanhilda had been queen three years, she suborned many of King +Urrayne's knights and lords, and slew her husband as he slept, and +reigned in his stead. And her son, Harald, grew up to manhood, and was +counted a strong knight, and well spoken of, by then I first put on my +armour.</p> + +<p> + +Then, one night, as I lay dreaming, I felt a hand laid on my face, and +starting up saw Arnald before me fully armed. He said, "Florian, +rise and arm."</p> + +<p> + +I did so, all but my helm, as he was.</p> + +<p> + +He kissed me on the forehead; his lips felt hot and dry; and when they +bought torches, and I could see his face plainly, I saw he was very +pale. He said: "Do you remember, Florian, this day sixteen years +ago? It is a long time, but I shall never forget it unless this night +blots out its memory."</p> + +<p> + +I knew what he meant, and because my heart was wicked, I rejoiced +exceedingly at the thought of vengeance, so that I could not speak, but +only laid my palm across his lips.</p> + +<p> + +"Good; you have a good memory, Florian. See now, I waited long and +long: I said at first, I forgive her; but when the news came concerning +the death of the king, and how that she was shameless, I said I will +take it as a sign, if God does not punish her within certain years, +that he means me to do so; and I have been watching and watching now +these two years for an opportunity, and behold it is come at last; and +I think God has certainly given her into OUR hands, for she rests this +night, this very Christmas eve, at a small walled town on the frontier, +not two hours' gallop from this; they keep little ward there, and the +night is wild: moreover, the prior of a certain house of monks, just +without the walls, is my fast friend in this matter, for she has done +him some great injury. In the courtyard below a hundred and fifty +knights and squires, all faithful and true, are waiting for us: one +moment and we shall be gone."</p> + +<p> + +Then we both knelt down, and prayed God to give her into our hands: we +put on our helms, and went down into the courtyard.</p> + +<p> + +It was the first time I expected to use a sharp sword in anger, and I +was full of joy as the muffled thunder of our horse-hoofs rolled +through the bitter winter night.</p> + +<p> + +In about an hour and a half we had crossed the frontier, and in half an +hour more the greater part bad halted in a wood near the Abbey, while I +and a few others went up to the Abbey gates, and knocked loudly four +times with my sword-hilt, stamping on the ground meantime. A long, low +whistle answered me from within, which I in my turn answered: then the +wicket opened, and a monk came out, holding a lantern. He seemed yet in +the prime of life, and was a tall, powerful man. He held the lantern to +my face, then smiled, and said, "The banners hang low." I +gave the countersign, "The crest is lopped off." "Good +my son," said he; "the ladders are within here. I dare not +trust any of the brethren to carry them for you, though they love not +the witch either, but are timorsome."</p> + +<p> + +"No matter," I said, "I have men here." So they +entered and began to shoulder the tall ladders: the prior was very +busy. "You will find them just the right length, my son, trust me +for that." He seemed quite a jolly, pleasant man, I could not +understand his nursing furious revenge; but his face darkened strangely +whenever he happened to mention her name.</p> + +<p> + +As we were starting he came and stood outside the gate, and putting his +lantern down that the light of it might not confuse his sight, looked +earnestly into the night, then said: "The wind has fallen, the +snow flakes get thinner and smaller every moment, in an hour it will be +freezing hard, and will be quite clear; everything depends'upon the +surprise being complete; stop a few minutes yet, my son." He went +away chuckling, and returned presently with two more sturdy monks +carrying something: they threw their burdens down before my feet, they +consisted of all the white albs in the abbey: "There, trust an old +man, who has seen more than one stricken fight in his carnal days; let +the men who scale the walls put these over their arms, and they will +not be seen in the least. God make your sword sharp, my son."</p> + +<p>So we departed, and when I met Amald again, he said that what the +prior had done was well thought of; so we agreed that I should take +thirty men, an old squire of our house, well skilled in war, along with +them, scale the walls as quietly as possible, and open the gates to the +rest.</p> + +<p> + +I set off accordingly, after that with low laughing we had put the albs +all over us, wrapping the ladders also in white. Then we crept very +warily and slowly up to the wall; the moat was frozen over, and on the +ice the snow lay quite thick; we all thought that the guards must be +careless enough, when they did not even take the trouble to break the +ice in the moat So we listened- there was no sound at all, the +Christmas midnight mass had long ago been over, it was nearly three +o'clock, and the moon began to clear, there was scarce any snow falling +now, only a flake or two from some low hurrying cloud or other: the +wind sighed gently about the round towers there, but it was bitter +cold, for it had begun to freeze again; we listened for some minutes, +about a quarter of an hour I think, then at a sign from me, they raised +the ladders carefully, muffled as they were at the top with swathings +of wool. I mounted first, old Squire Hugh followed last; noiselessly we +ascended, and soon stood altogether on the walls; then we carefully +lowered the ladders again with long ropes; we got our swords and axes +from out of the folds of our priests' raiments, and set forward, till +we reached the first tower along the wall; the door was open, in the +chamber at the top there was a fire slowly smouldering, nothing else; +we passed through it, and began to go down the spiral staircase, I +first, with my axe shortened in my hand.-"What if we were +surprised there," I thought, and I longed to be out in the air +again;-"What if the door were fast at the bottom." </p> + +<p> + +As we passed the second chamber, we heard some one within snoring +loudly: I looked in quietly, and saw a big man with long black hair, +that fell off his pillow and swept the ground, lying snoring, with his +nose turned up and his mouth open, but he seemed so sound asleep that +we did not stop to slay him. Praise be! The door was open, without even +a whispered word, without a pause, we went on along the streets, on the +side that the drift had been on, because our garments were white, for +the wind being very strong all that day, the houses on that side had +caught in their cornices and carvings, and on the rough stone and wood +of them, so much snow, that except here and there where the black walls +grinned out, they were quite white; no man saw us as we stole along, +noiselessly because of the snow, till we stood within 100 yards of the +gates and their house of guard. And we stood because we heard the voice +of some one singing:</p> + +<p> + +"Queen Mary's crown was gold,<br /> + +King Joseph's crown was red,<br /> + +But Jesus' crown was diamond<br /> + +That lit up all the bed<br /> + +Mariae Virginis"</p> + +<p> + +So they had some guards after all; this was clearly the sentinel that +sang to keep the ghosts off;-Now for a fight.-We drew nearer, a few +yards nearer, then stopped to free ourselves from our monks' clothes. +</p> + +<p> + +"Ships sail through the Heaven<br /> + +With red banners dress'd,<br /> + +Carrying the planets seven<br /> + +To see the white breast<br /> + +Mariae Virginis"</p> + +<p> + +Thereat he must have seen the waving of some alb or other as it +shivered down to the ground, for his spear fell with a thud, and he +seemed to be standing open-mouthed, thinking something about ghosts; +then, plucking up heart of grace, he roared out like ten bull-calves, +and dashed into the guard-house.</p> + +<p> + +We followed smartly, but without hurry, and came up to the door of it +just as some dozen half-armed men came tumbling out under our axes: +thereupon, while our men slew them, I blew a great blast upon my horn, +and Hugh with some others drew bolt and bar and swung the gates wide +open.</p> + +<p>Then the men in the guard-house understood they were taken in a +trap, and began to stir with great confusion; so lest they should get +quite waked and armed, I left Hugh at the gates with ten men, and +myself led the rest into that house. There while we slew all those that +yielded not, came Arnald with the others, bringing our horses with +them; then all the enemy threw their arms down. And we counted our +prisoners and found them over fourscore; therefore, not knowing what to +do with them (for they were too many to guard, and it seemed unknightly +to slay them all), we sent up some bowmen to the walls, and turning our +prisoners out of gates, bid them run for their lives, which they did +fast enough, not knowing our numbers, and our men sent a few flights of +arrows among them that they might not be undeceived. </p> + +<p> + +Then the one or two prisoners that we had left, told us, when we had +crossed our axes over their heads, that the people of the good town +would not willingly fight us, in that they hated the queen; that she +was guarded at the palace by some fifty knights, and that beside, there +were no others to oppose us in the town; so we set out for the palace, +spear in hand. </p> + +<p> + +We had not gone far, before we heard some knights coming, and soon, in +a turn of the long street, we saw them riding towards us; when they +caught sight of us they seemed astonished, drew rein, and stood in some +confusion. </p> + +<p> + +We did not slacken our pace for an instant, but rode right at them with +a yell, to which I lent myself with all my heart.</p> + +<p> + +After all they did not run away, but waited for us with their spears +held out; I missed the man I had marked, or hit him rather just on the +top of the helm; he bent back, and the spear slipped over his head, but +my horse still kept on, and I felt presently such a crash that I reeled +in my saddle, and felt mad. He had lashed out at me with his sword as I +came on, hitting me in the ribs (for my arm was raised), but only +flatlings. </p> + +<p> + +I was quite wild with rage, I turned, almost fell upon him, caught him +by the neck with both hands, and threw him under the horse-hoofs, +sighing with fury: I heard Arnald's voice close to me, "Well +fought, Florian": and I saw his great stern face bare among the +iron, for he had made a vow in remembrance of that blow always to fight +unhelmed; I saw his great sword swinging, in wide gyres, and hissing as +it started up, just as if it were alive and liked it. </p> + +<p> + +So joy filled all my soul, and I fought with my heart, till the big axe +I swung felt like nothing but a little hammer in my hand, except for +its bitterness: and as for the enemy, they went down like grass, so +that we destroyed them utterly, for those knights would neither yield +nor fly, but died as they stood, so that some fifteen of our men also +died there. </p> + +<p> + +Then at last we came to the palace, where some grooms and such like +kept the gates armed, but some ran, and some we took prisoners, one of +whom died for sheer terror in our hands, being stricken by no wound; +for he thought we would eat him.</p> + +<p> + +These prisoners we questioned concerning the queen, and so entered the +great hall. There Arnald sat down in the throne on the dais, and laid +his naked sword before him on the table: and on each side of him sat +such knights as there was room for, and the others stood round about, +while I took ten men, and went to look for Swanhilda. </p> + +<p> + +I found her soon, sitting by herself in a gorgeous chamber. I almost +pitied her when I saw her looking so utterly desolate and despairing; +her beauty too had faded, deep lines cut through her face. But when I +entered she knew who I was, and her look of intense hatred was so +fiend-like, that it changed my pity into horror of her.</p> + +<p>"Knight", she said "who are you, and what do you +want, thus discourteously entering my chamber?" </p> + +<p> + +"I am Florian de Liliis, and I am to conduct you to +judgment."</p> + +<p> + +She sprang up, "Curse you and your whole house, you I hate worse +than any -- girl's face -- guards! guards!" and she stamped on the +ground, her veins on the forehead swelled, her eyes grew round and +flamed out, as she kept crying for her guards, stamping the while, for +she seemed quite mad.</p> + +<p> + +Then at last she remembered that she was in the power of her enemies, +she sat down, and lay with her face between her hands, and wept +passionately.</p> + +<p> + +"Witch," I said between my closed teeth, "will you come, +or must we carry you down to the great hall?"</p> + +<p> + +Neither would she come, but sat there, clutching at her dress and +tearing her hair.</p> + +<p> + +Then I said, "Bind her, and carry her down." And they did +so.</p> + +<p> + +I watched Arnald as we came in, there was no triumph on his stern white +face, but resolution enough, he had made up his mind.</p> + +<p> + +They placed her on a seat in the midst of the hall over against the +dais. He said, "Unbind her, Florian." They did so, she raised +her face, and glared defiance at us all, as though she would die +queenly after all.</p> + +<p> + +Then rose up Arnald and said, "Queen Swanhilda, we judge you +guilty of death, and because you are a queen and of a noble house, you +shall be slain by my knightly sword, and I will even take the reproach +of slaying a woman, for no other hand than mine shall deal the +blow."</p> + +<p> + +Then she said, "0 false knight, show your warrant from God, man, +or devil."</p> + +<p> +"This warrant from God, Swanhilda," he said, holding up his +sword, "listen! Fifteen years ago, when I was just winning my +spurs, you struck me, disgracing me before all the people; you cursed +me, and mean that curse well enough. Men of the house of the Lilies, +what sentence for that?"</p> + +<p> + +"Death!" they said.</p> + +<p> + +"Listen! Afterwards you slew my cousin, your husband, +treacherously, in the most cursed way, stabbing him in the throat, as +the stars in the canopy above him looked down on the shut eyes of him. +Men of the house of Lily, what sentence for that?"</p> + +<p> + +"Death!" they said.</p> + +<p> + +"Do you hear them. Queen? There is warrant from man; for the +devil, I do not reverence him enough to take warrant from him, but, as +I look at that face of yours, I think that even he has left +you."</p> + +<p> + +And indeed just then all her pride seemed to leave her, she fell from +the chair, and wallowed on the ground moaning, she wept like a child, +so that the tears lay on the oak floor; she prayed for another month of +life; she came to me and kneeled, and kissed my feet, and prayed +piteously, so that water ran out of her mouth.</p> + +<p> + +But I shuddered, and drew away; it was like hav ing an adder about one; +I cou'd have pitied her had she died bravely, but for one like her to +whine and whine! Pah!</p> + +<p> + +Then from the dais rang Amald's voice terrible, much changed. "Let +there be an end of all this." And he took his sword and strode +through the hall towards her; she rose from the ground and stood up, +stooping a little, her head sunk between her shoulders, her black +eyes turned up and gloaming, like a tigress about to spring. When he +came within some six paces of her something in his eye daunted her, or +perhaps the flashing of his terrible sword in the torch-light; she +threw her arms up with a great shriek, and dashed screaming about the +hall. Amald's lip never once curled with any scorn, no line in his face +changed: he said, "Bring her here and bind her."</p> + +<p> + +But when one came up to her to lay hold on her she first of all ran at +him, hitting with her head in the belly. Then while he stood doubled up +for want of breath, and staring with his head up, she caught his sword +from the girdle, and cut him across the shoulders, and many others she +wounded sorely before they took her. Then Arnald stood by the chair to +which she was bound, and poised his sword, and there was a great +silence.</p> + +<p> + +Then he said, "Men of the House of the Lilies, do you justify me +in this, shall she die?" Straightway rang a great shout through +the hall, but before it died away the sword had swept round, and +therewithal was there no such thing as Swanhilda left upon the earth, +for in no battle-field had Arnald struck truer blow.</p> + +<p>Then he turned to the few servants of the palace and said, "Go +now, bury this accursed woman, for she is a king's daughter." Then +to us all, "Now knights, to horse and away, that we may reach the +good town by about dawn." So we mounted and rode off.</p> + +<p> + +What a strange Christmas-day that was, for there, about nine o'clock in +the morning, rode Red Harald into the good town to demand vengeance; he +went at once to the king, and the king promised that before nightfall +that very day the matter should be judged; albeit the king feared +somewhat, because every third man you met in the streets had a blue +cross on his shoulder, and some likeness of a lily, cut out or painted, +stuck in his hat; and this blue cross and lily were the bearings of our +house, called "De Liliis." Now we had seen Red Harald pass +through the streets, with a white banner borne before him, to show that +he came peaceably as for this time; but I know he was thinking of other +things than peace.</p> + +<p> + +And he was called Red Harald first at this time, because over all his +arms he wore a great scarlet cloth, that fell in heavy folds about his +horse and all about him. Then, as he passed our house, some one pointed +it out to him, rising there with its carving and its barred marble, but +stronger than many a castle on the hill-tops, and its great overhanging +battlement cast a mighty shadow down the wall and across the street; +and above all rose the great tower, or banner floating proudly from the +top, whereon was emblazoned on a white ground a blue cross, and on a +blue ground four white lilies. And now faces were gazing from all the +windows, and all the battlements were thronged; so Harald turned, and +rising in his stirrups, shook his clenched fist at our house; +natheless, as he did so, the east wind, coming down the street, caught +up the corner of that scarlet cloth and drove it over his face, and +therewithal disordering his long black hair, well nigh choked him, so +that he bit both his hair and that cloth.</p> + +<p> + +So from base to cope rose a mighty shout of triumph and defiance, and +he passed on.</p> + +<p> + +Then Arnald caused it to be cried, that all those who loved the good +House of the Lilies should go to mass that morning in Saint Mary's +Church, hard by our house. Now this church belonged to us, and the +abbey that served it, and always we appointed the abbot of it on +condition that our trumpets should sound all together when on high +masses they sing the "Gloria in Excelsis." It was the largest +and most beautiful of all the churches in the town, and had two +exceeding high towers, which you could see from far off, even when you +saw not the town or any of its other towers: and in one of these towers +were twelve great bells, named after the twelve Apostles, one name +being written on each one of them; as Peter, Matthew, and so on; and in +the other tower was one great bell only, much larger than any of the +others, and which was called Mary. Now this bell was never rung but +when our house was in great danger, and it had this legend on it, +"When Mary rings the earth shakes;" and indeed from this we +took our war cry, which was, "Mary rings;" somewhat +justifiable indeed, for the last time that Mary rang, on that day +before nightfall there were four thousand bodies to be buried, which +bodies wore neither cross nor lily.</p> + +<p> + +So Arnald gave me in charge to tell the abbot to cause Mary to be +tolled for an hour before mass that day.</p> + +<p> + +The abbot leaned on my shoulder as I stood within the tower and looked +at the twelve monks laying their hands to the ropes. Far up in the +dimness I saw the wheel before it began to swing round about; then it +moved a little; the twelve men bent down to the earth and a roar rose +that shook the tower from base to spirevane: backwards and forwards +swept the wheel, as Mary now looked downwards towards earth, now looked +up at the shadowy cone of the spire, shot across by bars of light from +the dormers. </p> + +<p> + +And the thunder of Mary was caught up by the wind and carried through +all the country; and when the good man heard it, he said goodbye to +wife and child, slung his shield behind his back, and set forward with +his spear sloped over his shoulder, and many a time, as he walked +toward the good town, he tightened the belt that went about his waist, +that he might stride the faster, so long and furiously did Mary +toll.</p> + +<p> + +And before the great bell, Mary, had ceased ringing, all the ways were +full of armed men.</p> + +<p> + +But at each door of the church of Saint Mary stood a row of men armed +with axes, and when any came, meaning to go into the church, the two +first of these would hold their axes (whose helves were about four feet +long) over his head, and would ask him, "Who went over the moon +last night?" then if he answered nothing or at random they would +bid him turn back, which he for the more part would be ready enough to +do; but some, striving to get through that row of men, were slain +outright; but if he were one of those that were friends to the House of +the Lilies he would answer to that question, "Mary and +John."</p> + +<p> + +By the time the mass began the whole church was full, and in the nave +and transept thereof were three thousand men, all of our house and all +armed. But Arnald and myself, and Squire Hugh, and some others sat +under a gold-fringed canopy near the choir; and the abbot said mass, +having his mitre on his head. Yet, as I watched him, it seemed to me +that he must have something on beneath his priest's vestments, for he +looked much fatter than usual, being really a tall lithe man.</p> + +<p> + +Now, as they sung the "Kyrie," some one shouted from the +other end of the church, "My lord Arnld, they are slaying our +people without;" for, indeed, all the square about the church was +full of our people, who for the press had not been able to enter, and +were standing there in no small dread of what might come to pass.</p> + +<p> + +Then the abbot turned round from the altar, and began to fidget with +the fastenings of his rich robes. And they made a lane for us up to the +west door; then I put on my helm and we began to go up the nave, then +suddenly the singing of the monks and all stopped. I heard a clinking +and a buzz of voices in the choir. I turned, and saw that the bright +noon sun was shining on the gold of the priest's vestments, as they lay +on the floor, and on the mail that the priests carried.</p> + +<p> + +So we stopped, the choir gates swung open, and the abbot marched out at +the head of <i>his</i> men, all fully armed, and began to strike up the +psalm "Exsurgat Deus."</p> + +<p> + +When we got to the west door, there was indeed a tumult, but as yet no +slaying; the square was all a-flicker with steel, and we beheld a +great body of knights, at the head of them Red Harald and the king, +standing over against us; but our people, pressed against the houses, +and into the comers of the square, were, some striving to enter the +doors, some beside themselves with rage, shouting out to the others to +charge; withal, some were pale and some were red with the blood that +had gathered to the wrathful faces of them.</p> + +<p> + +Then said Arnald to those about him, "Lift me up." So they +laid a great shield on two lances, and these four men carried, and +thereon stood Arnald, and gazed about him.</p> + +<p> + +Now the king was unhelmed, and his white hair (for he was an old man) +flowed down behind him on to his saddle; but Amaid's hair was cut +short, and was red.</p> + +<p> + +And all the bells rang.</p> + +<p> + +Then the king said, "0 Arnald of the Lilies, will you settle this +quarrel by the judgment of God?" And Amaid thrust up his chin, and +said, "Yea." "How then," said the king, "and +where?" "Will it please you try now?" said Arnald.</p> + +<p> + +Then the king understood what he meant, and took in his hand from +behind tresses of his long white hair, twisting them round his hand in +his wrath, but yet said no word, till I suppose his hair put him in +mind of something, and he raised it in both his hands above his head, +and shouted out aloud, "0 knights, hearken to this traitor." +Whereat, indeed, the lances began to move ominously. But Arnald +spoke.</p> + +<p> + +"0 you king and lords, what have we to do with you? Were we not +free in the old time, up among the hills there? Wherefore give way, and +we will go to the hills again; and if any man try to stop us, his blood +be on his own head; wherefore now," (and he turned) "all you +House of the Lily, both soldiers and monks, let us go forth together +fearing nothing, for I think there is not bone enough or muscle enough +in these fellows here that have a king that they should stop us withal, +but only skin and fat."</p> + +<p> + +And truly, no man dared to stop us, and we went.</p> + + + <h2>FAILING IN THE WORLD</h2> + +<p>Now at that time we drove cattle in Red Harald's land. And we took +no hoof but from the Lords and rich men, but of these we had a mighty +drove, both oxen and sheep, and horses, and besides, even hawks and +hounds, and huntsman or two to take care of them.</p> + +<p> + +And, about noon, we drew away from the cornlands that lay beyond the +pastures, and mingled with them, and reached a wide moor, which was +called "Goliath's Land." I scarce know why, except that it +belonged neither to Red Harald or us, but was debatable.</p> + +<p> + +And the cattle began to go slowly, and our horses were tired, and the +sun struck down very hot upon us, for there was no shadow, and the day +was cloudless.</p> + +<p> + +All about the edge of the moor, except on the sidefrom which we had +come was a rim of hills, not very high, but very rocky and steep, +otherwise the moor itself was flat; and through these hills was one +pass, guarded by our men, which pass led to the Hill castle of the +Lilies.</p> + +<p> + +It was not wonderful, that of this moor many wild stories were told, +being such a strange lonely place, some of them one knew, alas to be +over true. In the old time, before we went to the good town, this moor +had been the mustering place of our people, and our house had done +deeds enough of blood and horror to turn our white lilies red, and our +blue cross to a fiery one. But some of those wild tales I never +believed; they had to do mostly with men losing their way without any +apparent cause, (for there were plenty of landmarks,) finding some +well-known spot, and then, just beyond it, a place they had never even +dreamed of.</p> + +<p> + +"Florian! FIorian!" said Arnald, "for God's sake stop! +as every one else is stopping to look at the hills yonder; I always +thought there was a curse upon us. What does God mean by shutting us up +here? Look at the cattle; 0 Christ, they have found it out too! See, +some of them are turning to run back again towards Harald's land. Oh! +unhappy, unhappy, from that day forward!"</p> + +<p> + +He leaned forward, rested his head on his horse's neck, and wept like a +child. I felt so irritated with him, that I could almost have slain him +then and there. Was he mad? had these wild doings of ours turned his +strong wise head?</p> + +<p> + +"Are you my brother Arnald, that I used to think such a grand man +when I was a boy?" I said, "or are you changed too, like +everybody, and everything else? What do you mean?"</p> + +<p> + +"Look! look!" he said, grinding his teeth in agony. I raised +my eyes: where was the one pass between the rim of stern rocks? +Nothing: the enemy behind us- that grim wall in front: what wonder that +each man looked in his fellow's face for help, and found it not. Yet I +refused to believe that there was any troth either in the wild stories +that I had heard when I was a boy, or in this story told me so clearly +by my eyes now.</p> + +<p> + +I called out cheerily, "Hugh, come here!" He came. "What +do you think of this? Some mere dodge on Harald's part? Are we cut +off?" "Think! Sir Florian? God forgive me for ever thinking +at all; I have given up that long and long ago, because thirty years +ago I thought this, that the House of Lilies would deserve anything in +the way of bad fortune that God would send them: so I gave up thinking, +and took to fighting. But if you think that Harald had anything to do +with this, why-why-in God's name, I wish <i>I</i> could think +so!"</p> + +<p> + +I felt a dull weight on my heart. Had our house been the devil's +servants all along? I thought we were God's servants.</p> + +<p> + +The day was very still, but what little wind there was, was at our +backs. I watched Hugh's face, not being able to answer him. He was the +cleverest man at war that I have known, either before or since that +day; sharper than any hound in ear and scent, clearer sighted than any +eagle; he was listening now intently. I saw a slight smile cross his +face; heard him mutter, "Yes! I think so: verily that is better, +a great deal better." Then he stood up in his stirrups, and +shouted, "Hurrah for the Lilies! Mary rings!" "Mary +rings!" I shouted, though I did not know the reason for his +exultation: my brother lifted his head, and smiled too, grimly. Then as +I listened I heard clearly the sound of a trumpet, and enemy's trumpet +too.</p> + +<p> + +"After all, it was only mist, or some such thing," I said, +for the pass between the hills was clear enough now.</p> + +<p> + +"Hurrah! only mist," said Amald, quite elated; "Mary +rings!" and we all began to think of fighting: for after all what +joy is equal to that?</p> + +<p> + +There were five hundred of us; two hundred spears, the rest archers; +and both archers and men at arms were picked men.</p> + +<p> + +"How many of them are we to expect?" said I. "Not under +a thousand, certainly, probably more, Sir Florian." (My brother +Arnald, by the way, had knighted me before we left the good town, and +Hugh liked to give me the handle to my name. How was it, by the way, +that no one had ever made him a +knight?)</p> + +<p> + +"Let every one look to his arms and horse, and come away from +these silly cows' sons!" shouted Arnald.</p> + +<p> + +Hugh said, "They will be here in an hour, fair Sir."</p> + +<p> + +So we got clear of the cattle, and dismounted, and both ourselves took +food and drink, and our horses; afterwards we tightened our +saddle-girths, shook our great pots of helmets on, except Amald, whose +rustyred hair had been his only head-piece in battle for years and +years, and stood with our spears close by our horses, leaving room for +the archers to retreat between our ranks; and they got their arrows +ready, and planted their stakes before a little peat moss: and there +we waited, and saw their pennons at last floating high above the corn +of the fertile land, then heard their many horse-hoofs ring upon the +hard-parched moor, and the archers began to shoot.</p> + +<p>It had been a strange battle; we had never fought better, and yet +withal it had ended in a retreat; indeed all along every man but Arnald +and myself, even Hugh, had been trying at least to get the enemy +between him and the way toward the pass; and now we were all drifting +that way, the enemy trying to cut us off, but never able to stop us, +because he could only throw small bodies of men in our way, whom we +scattered and put to flight in their turn.</p> + +<p> + +I never cared less for my life than then; indeed, in spite of all my +boasting and hardness of belief, I should have been happy to have died, +such a strange weight of apprehension was on me; and yet I got no +scratch even. I had soon put off my great helm, and was fighting in my +mail-coif only: and here I swear that three knights together charged +me, aiming at my bare face, yet never touched me. For, as for one, I +put his lance aside with my sword, and the other two in some most +wonderful manner got their spears locked in each other's armour, and so +had to submit to be knocked off their horses.</p> + +<p> + +And we still neared the pass, and began to see distinctly the ferns +that grew on the rocks, and the fair country between the rift in them, +spreading out there, blue-shadowed. Whereupon came a great rush of men +of both sides, striking side blows at each other, spitting, cursing, +and shrieking, as they tore away like a herd of wild hogs. So, being +careless of lfe, as I said, I drew rein, and turning my horse, waited +quietly for them. And I knotted the reins, and laid them on the horse's +neck, and stroked him, that he whinnied, then got both my hands to my +sword.</p> + +<p> + +Then, as they came on, I noted hurriedly that the first man was one of +Arnald's men, and one of our men behind him leaned forward to prod him +with his spear, but could not reach so far, till he himself was run +through the eye with a spear, and throwing his arms up fell dead with a +shriek. Also I noted concerning this first man that the laces of his +helmet were loose, and when he saw me he lifted his left hand to his +head, took off his helm and cast it at me, and still tore on; the +helmet flew over my head, and I sitting still there, swung out, hitting +him on the neck; his head flew right off, for the mail no more held +than a piece of silk. "Mary rings," and my horse whinnied +again, and we both of us went at it, and fairly stopped that rout, so +that there was a knot of quite close and desperate fighting, wherein we +had the best of that fight and slew most of them, albeit my horse was +slain and my mail-coif cut through. Then I bade a squire fetch me +another horse, and began meanwhile to upbraid those knights for running +in such a strange disorderly race, instead of standing and fighting +cleverly. Moreover we had drifted even in this successful fight still +nearer to the pass, so that the conies who dwelt there were beginning +to consider whether they should not run into their holes.</p> + +<p> + +But one of those knights said: "Be not angry with me. Sir Florian, +but do you think you will go to Heaven?"</p> + +<p> + +"The saints! I hope so," I said, but one who stood near him +whispered to him to hold his peace, so I cried out: "0 friend! I +hold this world and all therein so cheap now, that I see not anything +in it but shame which can any longer anger me; wherefore speak: +out."</p> + +<p> + +"Then, Sir Florian, men say that at your christening some fiend +took on him the likeness of a priest and strove to baptize you in the +Devil's name, but God had mercy on you so that the fiend could not +choose but baptize you in the name of the most holy Trinity: and yet +men say that you hardly believe any doctrine such as other men do, and +will at the end only go to Heaven round about as it were, not at all by +the intercession of our Lady; they say too that you can see no ghosts +or other wonders, whatever happens to other Christian men."</p> + +<p> + +I smiled. "Well, friend, I scarcely call this a disadvantage, +moreover what has it to do with the matter in hand?"</p> + +<p> + +How was this in Heaven's name? We had been quite still, resting while +this talk was going on, but we could hear the hawks chattering from the +rocks, we were so close now.</p> + +<p> + +And my heart sunk within me, there was no reason why this should not be +true; there was no reason why anything should not be true.</p> + +<p> + +"This, Sir Florian," said the knight again, "how would +you feel inclined to fight if you thought that everything about you was +mere glamour; this earth here, the rocks, the sun, the sky? I do not +know where I am for certain, I do not know that it is not midnight +instead of undem: I do not know if I have been fighting men or only +simulacra but I think, we all think, that we have been led into some +devil's trap or other, and- and may God forgive me my sins! I wish I +had never been born."</p> + +<p> +There now! he was weeping - they all wept - how strange it was to see +those rough, bearded men blubbering there, and snivelling till the +tears ran over their armour and mingled with the blood, so that it +dropped down to the earth in a dim, dull, red rain.</p> + +<p> + +My eyes indeed were dry, but then so was my heart; I felt far worse +than weeping came to, but nevertheless I spoke cheerily.</p> + +<p> + +"Dear friends, where are your old men's hearts gone to now? See +now! This is a punishment for our sins, is it? Well, for our +forefathers' sins or our own? If the first, 0 brothers, be very sure +that if we bear it manfully God will have something very good in store +for us hereafter; but if for our sins, is it not certain that He cares +for us yet, for note that He suffers the wicked to go their own ways +pretty much; moreover brave men, brothers, ought to be the masters of +simulacra come, is it so hard to die once for all?"</p> + +<p> + +Still no answer came from them, they sighed heavily only. I +heard the sound of more than one or two swords as they rattled back to +the scabbards: nay, one knight, stripping himself of surcoat and +hauberk, and drawing his dagger, looked at me with a grim smile, and +said, "Sir Florian, do so!" Then he drew the dagger across +his throat and he fell back dead.</p> + +<p> + +They shuddered, those brave men, and crossed themselves. And I had no +heart to say a word more, but mounted the horse which had been brought +to me and rode away slowly for a few yards; then I became aware that +there was a great silence over the whole field.</p> + +<p> + +So I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold no man struck at another.</p> + +<p> + +Then from out of a band of horsemen came Harald, and he was covered all +over with a great scarlet cloth as before, put on over the head, and +flowing all about his horse, but rent with the fight. He put off his +helm and drew back his mail-coif, then took a trumpet from the hand of +a herald and blew strongly.</p> + +<p> + +And in the midst of his blast I heard a voice call out: "0 +Florian! come and speak to me for the last time!"</p> + +<p>So when I turned I beheld Arnald standing by himself, but near him +stood Hugh and ten others with drawn swords.</p> + +<p> + +Then I wept, and so went to him weeping; and he said, "Thou seest, +brother, that we must die, and I think by some horrible and unheard-of +death, and the House of the Lilies is just dying too; and now I repent +me of Swanhilda's death; now I know that it was a poor cowardly piece +of revenge, instead of a brave act of justice; thus has God shown us +the right.</p> + +<p> + +"0 Florian! curse me! So will it be straighter; truly thy mother +when she bore thee did not think of this; rather saw thee in the +tourney at this time, in her fond hopes, glittering with gold and doing +knightly; or else mingling thy brown locks with the golden hair of some +maiden weeping for the love of thee. God forgive me! God forgive +me!"</p> + +<p> + +"What harm, brother?" I said, "this is only failing in +the world; what if we had not failed, in a little while it would have +made no difference; truly just now I felt very miserable, but now it +has passed away, and I am happy."</p> + +<p> + +"0 brave heart!" he said, "yet we shall part just now, +Florian, farewell."</p> + +<p> + +"The road is long," I said, "farewell."</p> + +<p> + +Then we kissed each other, and Hugh and the others wept.</p> + +<p> + +Now all this time the trumpets had been ringing, ringing, great doleful +peals, then they ceased, and above all sounded Red Harald's voice.</p> + +<p> + +(So I looked round towards that pass, and when I looked I no longer +doubted any of those wild tales of glamour concerning Goliath's Land; +and for though the rocks were the same, and though the conies still +stood gazing at the doors of their dwellings, though the hawks still +cried out shrilly, though the fern still shook in the wind, yet beyond, +oh such a land! not to be described by any because of its great beauty, +lying, a great hollow land, the rocks going down on this side in +precipices, then reaches and reaches of loveliest country, trees and +flowers, and +corn, then the hills, green and blue, and purple, till their ledges +reached the white snowy mountains at last. Then with all manner of +strange feelings, "my heart in the midst of my body was even like +melting wax.")</p> + +<p> + +"0 you House of the Lily! you are conquered yet I will take +vengeance only on a few, therefore let all those who wish to live come +and pile their swords, and shields, and helms behind me in three great +heaps, and swear fealty afterwards to me; yes, all but the false +knights Arnald and Florian."</p> + +<p> + +We were holding each other's hands and gazing, and we saw all our +knights, yea, all but Squire Hugh and his ten heroes, pass over the +field singly, or in groups of three or four, with their heads hanging +down in shame, and they cast down their notched swords and dinted, +lilied shields, and brave-crested helms into three great heaps, behind +Red Herald, then stood behind, no man speaking to his fellow, or +touching him.</p> + +<p> + +Then dolefully the great trumpets sang over the dying House of the +Lily, and Red Harald led his men forward, but slowly: on they came, +spear and mail glittering in the sunlight; and I turned and looked at +that good land, and a shuddering delight seized my soul.</p> + +<p> + +But I felt my brother's hand leave mine, and saw him turn his horse's +head and ride swiftly toward the pass; that was a strange pass now.</p> + +<p> + +And at the edge he stopped, turned round and called out aloud, "I +pray thee, Harald, forgive mel now farewell all!"</p> + +<p> + +Then the horse gave one bound forward, and we heard the poor creature's +scream when he felt that he must die, and we heard afterwards (for we +were near enough for that even) a clang and a crash.</p> + +<p> + +So I turned me about to Hugh, and he understood me though I could not +speak.</p> + +<p> + +We shouted all together, "Mary rings," then laid our bridles +on the necks of our horses, spurred forward, and in five minutes they +were all slain, and I was down among the horse-hoofs.</p> + +<p> + +Not slain though, not wounded. Red Harald smiled grimly when he saw me +rise and lash out again; he and some ten others dismounted, and +holding their long spears out, I went back -- back, back, I saw what +it meant, and sheathed my sword, and their laughter rolled all about +me, and I too smiled.</p> + +<p> + +Presently they all stopped, and I felt the last foot of turf giving +under my feet; I looked down and saw the crack there widening; then in +a moment I fell, and a cloud of dust and earth rolled after me; then +again their mirth rose into thunder-peals of laughter. But through it +all I heard Red Harald shout, "Silence! Evil dogs!"</p> + +<p>For as I fell I stretched out my arms, and caughl a tuft of yellow +broom some three feet from the brow, and hung there by the hands, my +feet being loose in the air.</p> + +<p> + +Then Red Harald came and stood on the precipice above me, his great axe +over his shoulder; and he looked down on me not ferociously, almost +kindly, while the wind from the Hollow Land blew about his red raiment, +tattered and dusty now.</p> + +<p> + +And I felt happy, though it pained me to hold straining by the broom, +yet I said, "I will hold out to the last"</p> + +<p> + +It was not long, the plant itself gave way and I fell, and as I fell I +fainted.</p> + +<p>I had thought when I fell that I should never wake again; but I woke +at last: for a long time I was quite dizzied and could see nothing at +all: horrible doubts came creeping over me; I half expected to see +presently great half-formed shapes come rolling up to me to crush me; +some thing fiery, not strange, too utterly horrible to be strange, but +utterly vile and ugly, the sight of which would have killed me when I +was upon the earth, come rolling up to torment me. In fact I doubted if +I were in hell.</p> + +<p> + +I knew I deserved to be, but I prayed, and then it came into my mind +that I could not pray if I were in hell.</p> + +<p> + +Also there seemed to be a cool green light all about me, which was +sweet. +Then presently I heard a glorious voice ring outclear, close to me</p> + +<p> + +<br /> + +"Christ keep the Hollow Land<br /> + +Through the sweet spring-tide,<br /> + +When the apple-blossoms bless<br /> + +The lowly bent hill side."</p> + +<p> +Thereat my eyes were slowly unsealed, and I saw the blessedest sight I +have ever seen before or since: for I saw my Love.</p> + +<p> + +She sat about five yards from me on a great grey stone that had much +moss on it, one of the many scattered along the side of the stream by +which I lay; she was clad in loose white raiment close to her hands and +throat; her feet were bare, her hair hung loose a long way down, but +some of it lay on her knees: I said "white" raiment, but long +spikes of light scarlet went down from the throat, lost here and there +in the shadows of the folds, and growing smaller and smaller, died +before they reached her feet.</p> + +<p>I was lying with my head resting on soft moss that some one had +gathered and placed under me. She, when she saw me moving and awake, +came and stood over me with a gracious smile. She was so lovely and +tender to look at, and so kind, yet withal no one, man or woman, had +ever frightened me half so much.</p> + +<p> + +She was not fair in white and red, like many beautiful women are, being +rather pale, but like ivory for smoothness, and her hair was quite +golden, not light yellow, but dusky golden.</p> + +<p> + +I tried to get up on my feet, but was too weak, and sank back again. +She said: "No, not just yet, do not trouble yourself or try to +remember anything just at present."</p> + +<p> + +There withal she kneeled down, and hung over me closer.</p> + +<p> + +"To-morrow you may, perhaps, have something hard to do or bear, I +know, but now you must be as happy as you can be, quietly happy. Why +did you start and turn pale when I came to you? Do you not know who I +am? Nay, but you do, I see; and I have been waiting here so long for +you; so you must have expected to see me. You cannot be frightened of +me, are you?"</p> + +<p> + +But I could not answer a word, but all the time strange knowledge, +strange feelings were filling my brain and my heart, she said: +"You are tired; rest, and dream happily."</p> + +<p> + +So she sat by me, and sang to lull me to sleep, while I turned on my +elbow, and watched the waving of her throat: and the singing of all the +poets I had ever heard, and of many others too, not born till years +long after I was dead, floated all about me as she sang, and I did +indeed dream happily.</p> + +<p> + +When I awoke it was the time of the cold dawn, and the colours were +gathering themselves together, whereat in fatherly approving fashion +the sun sent all across the east long bars of scarlet and orange that +after faded through yellow to green and blue. And she sat by me still; +I think she had been sitting there and singing all the time; all +through hot yesterday, for I had been sleeping day-long and night-long, +all through the falling evening under moonlight and starlight the night +through.</p> + +<p> + +And now it was dawn, and I think too that neither of us had moved at +all; for the last thing I remembered before I went to sleep was the +tips of her fingers brushing my cheek, as she knelt over me with +downdrooping arm, and still now I felt them there. Moreover she was +just finishing some fainting measure that died before it had time to +get painful in its passion.</p> + +<p> + +Dear Lord! how I loved her! Yet did I not dare to touch her, or even +speak to her. She smiled with delight when she saw I was awake again, +and slid down her hand on to mine, but some shuddering dread made me +draw it away again hurriedly; then I saw the smile leave her face: what +would I not have given for courage to hold her body quite tight to +mine? But I was so weak.</p> + +<p>She said:</p> + +<p> + +"Have you been very happy?"</p> + +<p> + +"Yea," I said.</p> + +<p> + +It was the first word I had spoken there, and my voice sounded +strange.</p> + +<p> + +"Ah!" she said, "you will talk more when you get used to +the air of the Hollow Land. Have you been thinking of your past life at +all? If not, try to think of it. What thing in Heaven or Earth do you +Wish for most?"</p> + +<p> + +Still I said no word; but she said in a wearied way: "Well now, I +think you will be strong enough to get to your feet and walk; take my +hand and try." Therewith she held it out: I strove hard to be +brave enough to take it, but could not; I only turned away shuddering, +sick, and grieved to the heart's core of me; then struggling hard with +hand and knee and elbow, I scarce rose, and stood up totteringly; +while she watched me sadly, still holding out her hand.</p> + +<p> + +But as I rose, in my swinging to and fro the steel sheath of my sword +struck her on the hand so that the blood flowed from it, which she +stood looking at for a while, then dropped it downwards, and turned to +look at me, for I was going.</p> + +<p> + +Then as I walked she followed me, so I stopped and turned and said +almost fiercely: "I am going alone to look for my +brother."</p> + +<p> + +The vehemence with which I spoke, or something else, burst some +blood-vessel within my throat, and we both stood there with the blood +running from us on to the grass and summer flowers.</p> + +<p> + +She said: "If you find him, wait with him till I come."</p> + +<p> + +"Yea," and I turned and left her, following the course of the +stream upwards, and as I went I heard her low singing that almost broke +my heart for its sadness.</p> + +<p> + +And I went painfully because of my weakness, and because also of the +great stones; and sometimes I went along a spot of earth where the +river had been used to flow in flood-time, and which was now bare of +everything but stones; and the sun, now risen high, poured down on +everything a great flood of fierce light and scorching heat, and burnt +me sorely, so that I almost fainted.</p> + +<p> + +But about noontide I entered a wood close by the stream, a beech-wood, +intending to rest myself; the herbage was thin and scattered there, +sprouting up from amid the leaf-sheaths and nuts of the beeches, which +had fallen year after year on that same spot; the outside boughs swept +low down, the air itself seemed green when you entered within the +shadow of the branches, they over-roofed the place so with tender +green, only here and there showing spots of blue.</p> + +<p> + +But what lay at the foot of a great beech tree but some dead knight in +armour, only the helmet off? A wolf was prowling round about it, who +ran away snarling when he saw me coming.</p> + +<p> + +So I went up to that dead knight, and fell on my knees before him, +laying my head on his breast, for it was Arnald. He was quite cold, but +had not been dead for very long; I would not believe him dead, but went +down to the stream and brought him water, tried to make him drink-what +would you? He was as dead as Swanhilda: neither came there any answer +to my cries that afternoon but the moaning of the wood doves in the +beeches. So then I sat down and took his head on my knees, and closed +the eyes, and wept quietly while the sun sank lower. </p> + +<p> + +But a little after sunset I heard a rustle through the leaves, that was +not the wind, and looking up my eyes met the pitying eyes of that +maiden.</p> + +<p> + +Something stirred rebelliously within me; I ceased weeping, and said: +"It is unjust, unfair: What right had Swanhilda to live? Did not +God give her up to us? How much better was he than ten Swanhildas?</p> + +<p> + +And look you -- See! He is DEAD."</p> + +<p> + +Now this I shrieked out, being mad; and though I trembled when I saw +some stormy wrath that vexed her very heart and loving lips, gathering +on her face, I yet sat there looking at her and screaming, screaming, +till all the place rang.</p> + +<p> + +But when growing hoarse and breathless I ceased; she said, with +straitened brow and scornful mouth: "So! Bravely done! Must I +then, though I am a woman, call you a liar, for saying God is unjust? +You to punish her, had not God then punished her already? How many +times when she woke in the dead night do you suppose she missed seeing +King Urrayne's pale face and hacked head lying on the pillow by her +side? Whether by night or day, what things but screams did she hear +when the wind blew loud round about the Palace corners? And did not +that face too, often come before her, pale and bleeding as it was long +ago, and gaze at her from unhappy eyes! Poor eyesi With changed purpose +in them- no more hope of converting the world when that blow was once +struck, truly it was very wicked-no more dreams, but only fierce +struggles with the Devil for very life, no more dreams but failure at +last, and death, happier so in the Hollow Land." </p> + +<p> + +She grew so pitying as she gazed at his dead face that I began to weep +again unreasonably, while she saw not that I was weeping, but looked +only on Arnald's face, but after turned on me frowning. "Unjust! +Yes, truly unjust enough to take away life and all hope from her; you +have done a base cowardly act, you and your brother here, disguise it +as you may; you deserve all God's judgment - you"</p> + +<p> + +But I turned my eyes and wet face to her, and said: "Do not curse +me there - do not look like Swanhilda: for see now, you said at first +that you have been waiting long for me, give me your hand now, for I +love you so."</p> + +<p> + +Then she came and knelt by where I sat, and I caught her in my arms and +she prayed to be forgiven.</p> + +<p> + +"0, Florian! I have indeed waited long for you, and when I saw you +my heart was filled with joy, but you would neither touch me nor speak +to me, so that I became almost mad, forgive me, we will be so happy +now. 0! do you know this is what I have been waiting for all these +years; it made me glad, I know, when I was a little baby in my mother's +arms to think I was born for this; and afterwards, as I grew up, I used +to watch every breath of wind through the beech-boughs, every turn of +the silver poplar leaves, thinking it might be you or some news of +you."</p> + +<p> + +Then I rose and drew her up with me; but she knelt again by my +brother's side, and kissed him, and said:</p> + +<p> + +"0 brother! The Hollow Land is only second best of the places God +has made, for Heaven also is the work of His hand."</p> + +<p> + +Afterwards we dug a deep grave among the beechroots and there we buried +Amald de Liliis.</p> + +<p> + +And I have never seen him since, scarcely even in dreams; surely God +has had mercy on him, for he was very leal and true and brave; he loved +many men, and was kind and gentle to his friends, neither did he hate +any but Swanhilda.</p> + +<p> + +But as for us two, Margaret and me, I cannot tell you concerning our +happiness, such things cannot be told; only this I know, that we abode +continually in the Hollow Land until I lost it.</p> + +<p> + +Moreover this I can tell you. Margaret was walking with me, as she +often walked near the place where I had first seen her; presently we +came upon a woman sitting, dressed in scarlet and gold raiment, with +her head laid down on her knees; likewise we heard her sobbing.</p> + +<p> + +"Margaret, who is she?" I said: "I knew not that any +dwelt in the Hollow Land but us two only."</p> + +<p> + +She said, "I know not who she is, only sometimes; these many +years, I have seen her scarlet robe flaming from far away, amid the +quiet green grass: but I was never so near her as this. </p> + +<p> + +Florian, I am afraid: let us come away." + + + <H2>FYTTE THE SECOND</h2> + +<p>Such a horrible grey November day it was, the + fog-smell all about, the fog creeping into our very bones. +</p> + +<p> +And I sat there, trying to recollect, at any rate +something, under those fir-trees that I ought to have +known so well. +</p> + +<p> +Just think now; I had lost my best years some- where; for I was past +the prime of life, my hair and beard were scattered with white, my +body was growing weaker, my memory of all things was very faint +</p> + +<p> +My raiment, purple and scarlet and blue once, was +so stained that you could scarce call it any colour, +was so tattered that it scarce covered my body, +though it seemed once to have fallen in heavy folds +to my feet, and still, when I rose to walk, though the +miserable November mist lay in great drops upon my +bare breast, yet was I obliged to wind my raiment +over my arm, it dragged so (wretched, slimy, textureless thing! ) in +the brown mud. +</p> + +<p> +On my head was a light morion, which pressed on +my brow and pained me; so I put my hand up to +take it ofi; but when I touched it I stood still in my +walk shuddering; I nearly fell to the earth with shame +and sick horror; for I laid my hand on a lump of +Slimy earth with worms coiled up in it I could scarce +forbear from shrieking, but breathing such a prayer +as I could think of, I raised my hand again and seized +it firmly. Worse horror stilll The rust had eaten it +into holes, and I gripped my own hair as well as the +rotting steel, the sharp edge of which cut into my +fingers; but setting my teeth, gave a great wrench, +for I knew that if I let go of it then, no power on the +earth or under it could make me touch it again. God +be praised! I tore it off and cast it far from me; I saw +the earth, and the worms and green weeds and sun- +begotten slime, whirling out from it radiatingly, as it +spun round about.</p> + +<p>I was girt with a sword too, the leathern belt of +which had shrunk and squeezed my waist: dead +leaves had gathered in knots about the buckles of it, +the gilded handle was encrusted with clay in many +parts, the velvet sheath miserably worn. +</p> + +<p> +But, verily, when I took hold of the hilt, and +pent in my hand; lo! then, I drew out my own true +blade and shook it flawless from hilt to point, gleaming white in that +mist. +</p> + +<p> +Therefore it sent a thrill of joy to my heart, to +know that there was one friend left me yet: I +sheathed it again carefully, and undoing it from my +waist, hung it about my neck. +</p> + +<p> +Then catching up my rags in my arms, I drew +them up till my legs and feet were altogether clear +from them, afterwards folded my arms over my +breast, gave a long leap and ran, looking downward, +but not giving heed to my way. +</p> + +<p> +Once or twice I fell over stumps of trees, and such- +like, for it was a cut-down wood that I was in, but +I rose always, though bleeding and confused, and +went on still; sometimes tearing madly through briars +and gorse bushes, so that my blood dropped on the +dead leaves as I went. +</p> + +<p> +I ran in this way for about an hour; then I heard a +gurgling and splashing of waters; I gave a great shout +and leapt strongly, with shut eyes, and the black +water closed over me. +</p> + +<p> +When I rose again, I saw near me a boat with a +man in it; but the shore was far off; I struck out +toward the boat, but my clothes which I had knotted +and folded about me, weighed me down terribly. +</p> + +<p> +The man looked at me, and began to paddle +toward me with the oar he held in his left hand, +having in his right a long, slender spear, barbed like +a fish-hook; perhaps, I thought, it is some fishing +spear; moreover his raiment was of scarlet, with upright stripes of +yellow and black all over it.</p> + +<p> +When my eye caught his, a smile widened his +mouth as if some one had made a joke; but I was +beginning to sink, and indeed my head was almost +under water just as he came and stood above me, but +before it went quite under, I saw his spear gleam, +then felt it in my shoulder, and for the present, felt +nothing else. +</p> + +<p> +When I woke I was on the bank of that river; the flooded waters went +hurrying past me; no boat on them now; from the river the ground went +up in gentle slopes till it grew a great hill, and there, on that +hill-top, Yes, I might forget many things, almost everything, but not +that, not the old castle of my fathers up among the hills, its towers +blackened now and shattered, yet still no enemy's banner waved from +it. +</p> + +<p> +So I said I would go and die there? and at this +thought I drew my sword, which yet hung about my +neck, and shook it in the air till the true steel quivered, then began +to pace towards the castle. I was +quite naked, no rag about me; I took no heed of +that only thanking God that my sword was left, and +so toiled up the hill. I entered the castle soon by the +outer court; I knew the way so well, that I did not +lift my eyes from the groimd, but walked on over the +lowered drawbridge through the unguarded gates, +and stood in the great hall at lastmy father's hall +as bare of everything but my sword as when I came +into the world fifty years before: I had as little +clothes, as little wealth, less memory and thought, +I verily believe, than then.</p> + +<p>So I lifted up my eyes and gazed; no glass in the +windows, no hangings on the walls; the vaulting yet +held good throughout, but seemed to be going; the +mortar had fallen out from between the stones, and +grass and fern grew in the joints; the marble pavement was in some +places gone, and water stood about +in puddles, though one scarce knew how it had got +there. +</p> + +<p> +No hangings on the walls- no; yet, strange to say, +instead of them, the walls blazed from end to end +with scarlet paintings, only striped across with green +damp-marks in many places, some falling bodily from +the wall, the plaster hanging down with the fading +colour on it. +</p> + +<p> +In all of them, except for the shadows and the +faces of the figures, there was scarce any colour but +scarlet and yellow. Here and there it seemed the +painter, whoever it was, had tried to make his trees +or his grass green, but it would not do; some ghastly +thoughts must have filled his head, for all the green +went presently into yellow, out-sweeping through +the picture dismally. But the faces were painted to the +very life, or it seemed so; there were only five of +them, however, that were very marked or came much +in the foreground; and four of these I knew well, +though I did not then remember the names of those +that had borne them. They were Red Harald, Swanhilda, Amald, and +myself. The fifth I did not know; +it was a woman's and very beautiful. +</p> + +<p> +Then I saw that in some parts a small penthouse +roof had been built over the paintings, to keep them +from the weather. Near one of these stood a man +painting, clothed in red, with stripes of yellow and +black: Then I knew that it was the same man who +had saved me from drowning by spearing me +through the shoulder; so I went up to him, and saw +furthermore that he was girt with a heavy sword. +He turned round when he saw me coming, and +asked me fiercely what I did there. +I asked why he was painting in my castle. +</p> + +<p> +Thereupon, with that same grim smile widening his +mouth as heretofore, he said, "I paint God's judgments." +</p> + +<p> +And as he spoke, he rattled the sword in his scabbard; but I said, +</p> + +<p> +"Well, then, you paint them very badly. Listen; I +know God's judgments much better than you do. See +now; I will teach you God's judgments, and you +shall teach me painting." +</p> + +<p> +While I spoke he still rattled his sword, and when +I had done, shut his right eye tight, screwing his +nose on one side; then said: +</p> + +<p> +"You have got no clothes on, and may go to the +devil! What do you know about God's judgments?" +</p> + +<p> +"Well, they are not all yellow and red, at all +events; you ought to know better." +</p> + +<p> +He screamed out, "0 you fool! Yellow and red! +Gold and blood, what do they make?" +</p> + +<p> +"Well," I said; "what?" +</p> + +<p> +"HELL!" And, coming close up to me, he struck +me with his open hand in the face, so that the +colour with which his hand was smeared was dabbed +about my face. The blow almost threw me down; +and, while I staggered, he rushed at me furiously with +his sword. Perhaps it was good for me that I had +got no clothes on; for, being utterly unencumbered, +I leapt this way and that, and avoided his fierce, +eager strokes till I could collect myself somewhat; +while he had a heavy scarlet cloak on that trailed on +the ground, and which he often trod on, so that he +stumbled. +</p> + +<p> +He very nearly slew me during the first few minutes, for it was not +strange that, together with other +matters, I should have forgotten the art of fence: +but yet, as I went on, and sometimes bounded about +the hall under the whizzing of his sword, as he rested +sometimes, leaning on it, as the point sometimes +touched my head and made my eyes start out, I remembered the old joy +that I used to have, and the +swy, swy, of the sharp edge, as one gazed between +one's horse's ears; moreover, at last, one fierce swift +stroke, just touching me below the throat, tore up +the skin all down my body, and fell heavy on my +thigh, so that I drew my breath in and turned white; +then first, as I swung my sword round my head, our +blades met, oh! to hear that tchink again! and I felt +the notch my sword made in his, and swung out at +him; but he guarded it and returned on me; I +guarded right and left, and grew warm, and opened +my mouth to shout, but knew not what to say; and +our sword points fell on the floor together: then, +when we had panted awhile, I wiped from my face +the blood that had been dashed over it, shook my +sword and cut at him, then we spun round and round +in a mad waltz to the measured music of our meeting swords, and +sometimes either wounded the other +somewhat but not much, till I beat down his sword +on to his head, that he fell grovelling, but not cut +through. Verily, thereupon my lips opened mightily +with "Mary rings." +</p> + +<p> +Then, when he had gotten to his feet, I went at him +again, he staggering back, guarding wildly; I cut at +his head; he put his sword up confusedly, so I fitted +both hands to my hilt, and smote him mightily under +the arm: then his shriek mingled with my shout, +made a strange sound together; he rolled over and +over, dead, as I thought. +</p> + +<p> +I walked about the hall in great exultation at first, +striking my sword point on the floor every now and +then, till I grew faint with loss of blood; then I went +to my enemy and stripped off some of his clothes +to bind up my wounds withal; afterwards I found in +a corner bread and wine, and I eat and drank thereof. +</p> + +<p> +Then I went back to him, and looked, and a +thought struck me, and I took some of his paints and +brushes, and kneeling down, painted his face thus, +with stripes of yellow and red, crossing each other at +right angles; and in each of the squares so made I +put a spot of black, after the manner of the painted +letters in the prayer-books and romances when they +are ornamented. +</p> + +<p> +So I stood back as painters use, folded my arms, +and admired my own handiwork. Yet there struck +me as being something so utterly doleful in the man's +white face, and the blood running all about him, +and washing off the stains of paint from his face +and hands, and splashed clothes, that my heart mis- +gave me, and I hoped that he was not dead; I took +some water from a vessel he had been using for his +painting, and, kneeling, washed his face. +</p> + +<p> +Was it some resemblance to my father's dead face, +which I had seen when I was young, that made me +pity him? I laid my hand upon his heart, and felt it +beating feebly; so I lifted him up gently, and carried +him towards a heap of straw that he seemed used to +lie upon; there I stripped him and looked to his +wounds, and used leech-craft, the memory of which +God gave me for this purpose, I suppose, and within +seven days I found that he would not die. +</p> + +<p> +Afterwards, as I wandered about the castle, I +came to a room in one of the upper storeys, that had +still the roof on, and windows in it with painted glass, +and there I found green raiment and swords and +armour, and I clothed myself. +</p> + +<p> +So when he got well I asked him what his name +was, and he me, and we both of us said, "Truly I +know not." Then said I, "but we must call each +other some name, even as men call days." +</p> + +<p> +"Call me Swerker," he said, "some priest I knew +once had that name." +</p> + +<p> +"And me Wulf," said I, "though wherefore I +know not." +</p> + +<p> +Then I tried to learn painting till I thought I +should die, but at last learned it through very much +pain and grief. +</p> + +<p> +And, as the years went on and we grew old and +grey, we painted purple pictures and green ones +instead of the scarlet and yellow, so that the walls +looked altered, and always we painted God's judgments. +</p> + +<p>And we would sit in the sunset and watch them +with the golden light changing them, as we yet +hoped God would change both us and our works. +Often too we would sit outside the walls and look +at the trees and sky, and the ways of the few men +and women we saw; therefrom sometimes befell adventures. +</p> + +<p> +Once there went past a great funeral of some +king going to his own country, not as he had hoped +to go, but stiff and colourless, spices filling up the +place of his heart. +</p> + +<p> +And first went by very many knights, with long +bright hauberks on, that fell down before their knees +as they rode, and they all had tilting-helms on with +the same crest, so that their faces were quite hidden: +and this crest was two hands clasped together tightly +as though they were the hands of one praying forgiveness from the one +he loves best; and the crest was +wrought in gold. +</p> + +<p> +Moreover, they had on over their hauberks surcoats which were half +scarlet and half purple, strewn +about with golden stars. +</p> + +<p> +Also long lances, that had forked knights'-pennons, half purple and +half scarlet, strewn with golden +stars. +</p> + +<p> +And these went by with no sound but the fall of +their horse-hoofs. +</p> + +<p> +And they went slowly, so slowly that we counted +them all, five thousand five hundred and fifty-five. +Then went by many fair maidens whose hair was +loose and yellow, and who were all clad in green +raiment ungirded, and shod with golden shoes. +These also we counted, being five hundred; moreover some of the +outermost of them, viz., one maiden +to every twenty, had long silver trumpets, which they +swung out to right and left, blowing them, and their +sound was very sad. +</p> + +<p> +Then many priests, and bishops, and abbots, who +wore white albs and golden copes over them; and +they all sang together mournfully, "Propter amnen +Babylonis;" and these were three hundred. +</p> + +<p> +After that came a great knot of the Lords, who +were tilting helmets and surcoats emblazoned with +each one his own device; only each had in his hand +a small staff two feet long whereon was a pennon +of scarlet and purple. These also were three hundred. +</p> + +<p> +And in the midst of these was a great car hung +down to the ground with purple, drawn by grey +horses whose trappings were half scarlet, half purple. +And on this car lay the King, whose head and +hands were bare; and he had on him a surcoat, half +purple and half scarlet, strewn with golden stars. +And his head rested on a tilting helmet, whose +crest was the hands of one praying passionately for +forgiveness. +</p> + +<p> +But his own hands lay by his side as if he had just +fallen asleep. +</p> + +<p> +And all about the car were little banners, half +purple and half scarlet, strewn with golden stars. +Then the King, who counted but as one, went by +also. +</p> + +<p> +And after him came again many maidens clad in +ungirt white raiment strewn with scarlet flowers, and +their hair was loose and yellow and their feet bare: +and, except for the falling of their feet and the +rustle of the wind through their raiment, they went +past quite silently. These also were five hundred. +</p> + +<p> +Then lastly came many young knights with long +bright hauberks falling over their knees as they rode, +and surcoats, half scarlet and half purple, strewn with golden stars; +they bore long lances with forked pen- +nons which were half purple, half scarlet, strewn +with golden stars; their heads and their hands were +bare, but they bore shields, each one of them, which +were of bright steel wrought cunningly in the midst +with that bearing of the two hands of one who prays +for forgiveness; which was done in gold. These were +but five hundred. +</p> + +<p> +Then they all went by winding up and up the hill +roads, and, when the last of them had departed out of +our sight, we put down our heads and wept, and I +said, "Sing us one of the songs of the Hollow Land." +Then he whom I had called Swerker put his hand +into his bosom, and slowly drew out a long, long +tress of black hair, and laid it on his knee and +smoothed it, weeping on it: So then I left him there +and went and armed myself, and brought armour for +him. +</p> + +<p> +And then came back to him and threw the armour +down so that it clanged, and said: +</p> + +<p> +"0 Harald, let us go!" +</p> + +<p> +He did not seem surprised that I called him by +the right name, but rose and armed himself, and +then be looked a good knight; so we set forth. +And in a turn of the long road we came suddenly +upon a most fair woman, clothed in scarlet, who sat +and sobbed, holding her face between her bands, and +her hair was very black. +</p> + +<p> +And when Harald saw her, he stood and gazed at +her for long through the bars of bis helmet, then +suddenly turned, and said: +</p> + +<p> +"Florian, I must stop here; do you go on to the +Hollow Land. Farewell." +</p> + +<p> +"Farewell." And then I went on, never turning +back, and him I never saw more. +</p> + +<p> +And so I went on, quite lonely, but happy, till I +had reached the Hollow Land. </p> + +<p> +Into which I let myself down most carefully, by +the jutting rocks and bushes and strange trailing +flowers, and there lay down and fell asleep.</p> + + +<h2>FYTTE THE THIRD</h2> + +<p>And I was waked by some one singing; I felt very +happy; I felt young again; I had fair delicate raiment +on, my sword was gone, and my armour; I tried to +think where I was, and could not for my happiness; +I tried to listen to the words of the song. Nothing, +only an old echo in my ears, only all manner of +strange scenes from my wretched past life before my +eyes in a dim, far-off manner: then at last, slowly, +without effort, I heard what she sang. +</p> + +<p> +"Christ keep the Hollow Land <br /> +All the summer-tide; <br /> +Still we cannot understand<br /> +Where the waters glide; <br /> +</p> + +<p> +Only dimly seeing them<br /> +Coldly slipping through<br /> +Many green-lipp'd cavern mouths.<br /> +Where the hills are blue."</p> + +<p> +"Then," she said, "come now and look for it, love, +a hollow city in the Hollow Land." +</p> + +<p> +I kissed Margaret, and we went. +</p> + +<p> +Through the golden streets under the purple shadows of the houses we +went, and the slow fanning +backward and forward of the many-coloured banners +cooled us: we two alone: there was no one with us. +No soul will ever be able to tell what we said, how +we looked. +</p> + +<p> +At last we came to a fair palace, cloistered off in +the old time, before the city grew golden from the +din and hubbub of traffic; those who dwelt there in +the old ungolden times had had their own joys, their +own sorrows, apart from the joys and sorrows of the +multitude: so, in like manner, was it now cloistered +off from the eager leaning and brotherhood of the +golden dwellings: so now it had its own gaiety, its +own solemnity, apart from theirs; unchanged, and +changeable, were its marble walls, whatever else +changed about it. +</p> + +<p> +We stopped before the gates and trembled, and +clasped each other closer; for there among the marble leafage and +tendrils that were round and under +and over the archway that held the golden valves +were wrought two figures of a man and woman +winged and garlanded, whose raiment flashed with +stars; and their faces were like faces we had seen or +half seen in some dream long and long and long ago +so that we trembled with awe and delight; and +turned, and seeing Margaret, saw that her face was +that face seen or half seen long and long and long +ago; and in the shining of her eyes I saw that other +face, seen in that way and no other long and long and +long ago - my face. +</p> + +<p> +And then we walked together toward the golden +gates, and opened them, and no man gainsaid us. +</p> + +<p> +And before us lay a great space of flowers.</p> + +<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW LAND***</p> +<p>******* This file should be named 15948-h.txt or 15948-h.zip *******</p> +<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> +<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/5/9/4/15948">https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/9/4/15948</a></p> +<p>Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed.</p> + +<p>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: The Hollow Land + + +Author: William Morris + +Release Date: May 31, 2005 [eBook #15948] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW LAND*** + + +This eBook was prepared by Andy Robertson. + + + + + The Hollow Land + + William Morris + + "We find in ancient story wonders many told, + Of heroes in great glory, with spirit free and bold; + Of joyances and high-tides, of weeping and of woe, + Of noble reckon striving, mote ye now wonders know." + - Niebelungen Lied (see Carlylefs Miscellanies) + + +STRUGGLING IN THE WORLD. + +Do you know where it is -- the Hollow Land? + +I have been looking for it now so long, trying to find it again the +Hollow Land for there I saw my love first. + +I wish to tell you how I found it first of all; but I am old, my +memory fails me: you must wait and let me think if I perchance can +tell you how it happened. Yea, in my ears is a confused noise of +trumpet-blasts singing over desolate moors, in my ears and eyes a +clashing and clanging of horse-hoofs, a ringing and glittering of +steel; drawn-back lips, set teeth, shouts, shrieks, and curses. + +How was it that no one of us ever found it till that day? for it is +near our country: but what time have we to look for it, or any good +thing; with such biting carking cares hemming us in on every +side-cares about great things-mighty things: mighty things, 0 my +brothers! or rather little things enough, if we only knew it. Lives +passed in turmoil, in making one another unhappy; in bitterest +misunderstanding of our brothers' hearts, making those sad whom God +has not made sad, alas, alas! What chance for any of us to find the +Hollow Land? What time even to look for it? + +Yet who has not dreamed of it? Who, half miserable yet the while, for +that he knows it is but a dream, has not felt the cool waves round his +feet, the roses crowning him, and through the leaves of beech and lime +the many whispering winds of the Hollow Land? + +Now, my name was Florian, and my house was the house of the Lilies; +and of that house was my father lord, and after him my eldest brother +Amald; and me they called Florian de Liliis. + +Moreover, when my father was dead, there arose a feud between the +Lilies' house and Red Harald; and this that follows is the history of +it. + +Lady Swanhilda, Red Harald's mother, was a widow, with one son. Red +Harald; and when she had been in widowhood two years, being of +princely blood, and besides comely and fierce. King Urrayne sent to +demand her in marriage. And I remember seeing the procession leaving +the town, when I was quite a child; and many young knights and squires +attended the Lady Swanhilda as pages, and amongst them, Amald, my +eldest brother. + +And as I gazed out of the window, I saw him walking by the side of her +horse, dressed in white and gold very delicately; but as he went it +chanced that he stumbled. Now he was one of those that held a golden +canopy over the lady's head, so that it now sunk into wrinkles, and +the lady had to bow her head full low, and even then the gold brocade +caught in one of the long slim gold flowers that were wrought round +about the crown she wore. She flushed up in her rage, and her smooth +face went suddenly into the carven wrinkles of a wooden water-spout, +and she caught at the brocade with her left hand, and pulled it away +furiously, so that the warp and woof were twisted out of their place, +and many gold threads were left dangling about the crown; but +Swanhilda stared about when she rose, then smote my brother across the +mouth with her gilded sceptre, and the red blood flowed all about his +garments; yet he only turned exceeding pale, and dared say no word, +though he was heir to the house of the Lilies: but my small heart +swelled with rage, and I vowed revenge, and, as it seems, he did too. + +So when Swanhilda had been queen three years, she suborned many of +King Urrayne's knights and lords, and slew her husband as he slept, +and reigned in his stead. And her son, Harald, grew up to manhood, and +was counted a strong knight, and well spoken of, by then I first put +on my armour. + +Then, one night, as I lay dreaming, I felt a hand laid on my face, and +starting up saw Arnald before me fully armed. He said, "Florian, rise +and arm." + +I did so, all but my helm, as he was. + +He kissed me on the forehead; his lips felt hot and dry; and when they +bought torches, and I could see his face plainly, I saw he was very +pale. He said: "Do you remember, Florian, this day sixteen years ago? +It is a long time, but I shall never forget it unless this night blots +out its memory." + +I knew what he meant, and because my heart was wicked, I rejoiced +exceedingly at the thought of vengeance, so that I could not speak, +but only laid my palm across his lips. + +"Good; you have a good memory, Florian. See now, I waited long and +long: I said at first, I forgive her; but when the news came +concerning the death of the king, and how that she was shameless, I +said I will take it as a sign, if God does not punish her within +certain years, that he means me to do so; and I have been watching and +watching now these two years for an opportunity, and behold it is come +at last; and I think God has certainly given her into OUR hands, for +she rests this night, this very Christmas eve, at a small walled town +on the frontier, not two hours' gallop from this; they keep little +ward there, and the night is wild: moreover, the prior of a certain +house of monks, just without the walls, is my fast friend in this +matter, for she has done him some great injury. In the courtyard below +a hundred and fifty knights and squires, all faithful and true, are +waiting for us: one moment and we shall be gone." + +Then we both knelt down, and prayed God to give her into our hands: we +put on our helms, and went down into the courtyard. + +It was the first time I expected to use a sharp sword in anger, and I +was full of joy as the muffled thunder of our horse-hoofs rolled +through the bitter winter night. + +In about an hour and a half we had crossed the frontier, and in half +an hour more the greater part bad halted in a wood near the Abbey, +while I and a few others went up to the Abbey gates, and knocked +loudly four times with my sword-hilt, stamping on the ground meantime. +A long, low whistle answered me from within, which I in my turn +answered: then the wicket opened, and a monk came out, holding a +lantern. He seemed yet in the prime of life, and was a tall, powerful +man. He held the lantern to my face, then smiled, and said, "The +banners hang low." I gave the countersign, "The crest is lopped off." +"Good my son," said he; "the ladders are within here. I dare not trust +any of the brethren to carry them for you, though they love not the +witch either, but are timorsome." + +"No matter," I said, "I have men here." So they entered and began to +shoulder the tall ladders: the prior was very busy. "You will find +them just the right length, my son, trust me for that." He seemed +quite a jolly, pleasant man, I could not understand his nursing +furious revenge; but his face darkened strangely whenever he happened +to mention her name. + +As we were starting he came and stood outside the gate, and putting +his lantern down that the light of it might not confuse his sight, +looked earnestly into the night, then said: "The wind has fallen, the +snow flakes get thinner and smaller every moment, in an hour it will +be freezing hard, and will be quite clear; everything depends'upon the +surprise being complete; stop a few minutes yet, my son." He went away +chuckling, and returned presently with two more sturdy monks carrying +something: they threw their burdens down before my feet, they +consisted of all the white albs in the abbey: "There, trust an old +man, who has seen more than one stricken fight in his carnal days; let +the men who scale the walls put these over their arms, and they will +not be seen in the least. God make your sword sharp, my son." + +So we departed, and when I met Amald again, he said that what the +prior had done was well thought of; so we agreed that I should take +thirty men, an old squire of our house, well skilled in war, along +with them, scale the walls as quietly as possible, and open the gates +to the rest. + +I set off accordingly, after that with low laughing we had put the +albs all over us, wrapping the ladders also in white. Then we crept +very warily and slowly up to the wall; the moat was frozen over, and +on the ice the snow lay quite thick; we all thought that the guards +must be careless enough, when they did not even take the trouble to +break the ice in the moat So we listened- there was no sound at all, +the Christmas midnight mass had long ago been over, it was nearly +three o'clock, and the moon began to clear, there was scarce any snow +falling now, only a flake or two from some low hurrying cloud or +other: the wind sighed gently about the round towers there, but it was +bitter cold, for it had begun to freeze again; we listened for some +minutes, about a quarter of an hour I think, then at a sign from me, +they raised the ladders carefully, muffled as they were at the top +with swathings of wool. I mounted first, old Squire Hugh followed +last; noiselessly we ascended, and soon stood altogether on the walls; +then we carefully lowered the ladders again with long ropes; we got +our swords and axes from out of the folds of our priests' raiments, +and set forward, till we reached the first tower along the wall; the +door was open, in the chamber at the top there was a fire slowly +smouldering, nothing else; we passed through it, and began to go down +the spiral staircase, I first, with my axe shortened in my hand.-"What +if we were surprised there," I thought, and I longed to be out in the +air again;-"What if the door were fast at the bottom." + +As we passed the second chamber, we heard some one within snoring +loudly: I looked in quietly, and saw a big man with long black hair, +that fell off his pillow and swept the ground, lying snoring, with his +nose turned up and his mouth open, but he seemed so sound asleep that +we did not stop to slay him. Praise be! The door was open, without even +a whispered word, without a pause, we went on along the streets, on +the side that the drift had been on, because our garments were white, +for the wind being very strong all that day, the houses on that side +had caught in their cornices and carvings, and on the rough stone and +wood of them, so much snow, that except here and there where the black +walls grinned out, they were quite white; no man saw us as we stole +along, noiselessly because of the snow, till we stood within 100 yards +of the gates and their house of guard. And we stood because we heard +the voice of some one singing: + + "Queen Mary's crown was gold, + King Joseph's crown was red, + But Jesus' crown was diamond + That lit up all the bed + Mariae Virginis" + +So they had some guards after all; this was clearly the sentinel that +sang to keep the ghosts off;-Now for a fight.-We drew nearer, a few +yards nearer, then stopped to free ourselves from our monks' clothes. + + "Ships sail through the Heaven + With red banners dress'd, + Carrying the planets seven + To see the white breast + Mariae Virginis" + +Thereat he must have seen the waving of some alb or other as it +shivered down to the ground, for his spear fell with a thud, and he +seemed to be standing open-mouthed, thinking something about ghosts; +then, plucking up heart of grace, he roared out like ten bull-calves, +and dashed into the guard-house. + +We followed smartly, but without hurry, and came up to the door of it +just as some dozen half-armed men came tumbling out under our axes: +thereupon, while our men slew them, I blew a great blast upon my horn, +and Hugh with some others drew bolt and bar and swung the gates wide +open. + +Then the men in the guard-house understood they were taken in a trap, +and began to stir with great confusion; so lest they should get quite +waked and armed, I left Hugh at the gates with ten men, and myself led +the rest into that house. There while we slew all those that yielded +not, came Arnald with the others, bringing our horses with them; then +all the enemy threw their arms down. And we counted our prisoners and +found them over fourscore; therefore, not knowing what to do with them +(for they were too many to guard, and it seemed unknightly to slay +them all), we sent up some bowmen to the walls, and turning our +prisoners out of gates, bid them run for their lives, which they did +fast enough, not knowing our numbers, and our men sent a few flights +of arrows among them that they might not be undeceived. + +Then the one or two prisoners that we had left, told us, when we had +crossed our axes over their heads, that the people of the good town +would not willingly fight us, in that they hated the queen; that she +was guarded at the palace by some fifty knights, and that beside, +there were no others to oppose us in the town; so we set out for the +palace, spear in hand. + +We had not gone far, before we heard some knights coming, and soon, in +a turn of the long street, we saw them riding towards us; when they +caught sight of us they seemed astonished, drew rein, and stood in +some confusion. + +We did not slacken our pace for an instant, but rode right at them +with a yell, to which I lent myself with all my heart. + +After all they did not run away, but waited for us with their spears +held out; I missed the man I had marked, or hit him rather just on the +top of the helm; he bent back, and the spear slipped over his head, +but my horse still kept on, and I felt presently such a crash that I +reeled in my saddle, and felt mad. He had lashed out at me with his +sword as I came on, hitting me in the ribs (for my arm was raised), +but only flatlings. + +I was quite wild with rage, I turned, almost fell upon him, caught him +by the neck with both hands, and threw him under the horse-hoofs, +sighing with fury: I heard Arnald's voice close to me, "Well fought, +Florian": and I saw his great stern face bare among the iron, for he +had made a vow in remembrance of that blow always to fight unhelmed; I +saw his great sword swinging, in wide gyres, and hissing as it started +up, just as if it were alive and liked it. + +So joy filled all my soul, and I fought with my heart, till the big +axe I swung felt like nothing but a little hammer in my hand, except +for its bitterness: and as for the enemy, they went down like grass, +so that we destroyed them utterly, for those knights would neither +yield nor fly, but died as they stood, so that some fifteen of our men +also died there. + +Then at last we came to the palace, where some grooms and such like +kept the gates armed, but some ran, and some we took prisoners, one of +whom died for sheer terror in our hands, being stricken by no wound; +for he thought we would eat him. + +These prisoners we questioned concerning the queen, and so entered the +great hall. There Arnald sat down in the throne on the dais, and laid +his naked sword before him on the table: and on each side of him sat +such knights as there was room for, and the others stood round about, +while I took ten men, and went to look for Swanhilda. + +I found her soon, sitting by herself in a gorgeous chamber. I almost +pitied her when I saw her looking so utterly desolate and despairing; +her beauty too had faded, deep lines cut through her face. But when I +entered she knew who I was, and her look of intense hatred was so +fiend-like, that it changed my pity into horror of her. + +"Knight", she said "who are you, and what do you want, thus +discourteously entering my chamber?" + +"I am Florian de Liliis, and I am to conduct you to judgment." + +She sprang up, "Curse you and your whole house, you I hate worse than +any -- girl's face -- guards! guards!" and she stamped on the ground, +her veins on the forehead swelled, her eyes grew round and flamed out, +as she kept crying for her guards, stamping the while, for she seemed +quite mad. + +Then at last she remembered that she was in the power of her enemies, +she sat down, and lay with her face between her hands, and wept +passionately. + +"Witch," I said between my closed teeth, "will you come, or must we +carry you down to the great hall?" + +Neither would she come, but sat there, clutching at her dress and +tearing her hair. + +Then I said, "Bind her, and carry her down." And they did so. + +I watched Arnald as we came in, there was no triumph on his stern +white face, but resolution enough, he had made up his mind. + +They placed her on a seat in the midst of the hall over against the +dais. He said, "Unbind her, Florian." They did so, she raised her +face, and glared defiance at us all, as though she would die queenly +after all. + +Then rose up Arnald and said, "Queen Swanhilda, we judge you guilty of +death, and because you are a queen and of a noble house, you shall be +slain by my knightly sword, and I will even take the reproach of +slaying a woman, for no other hand than mine shall deal the blow." + +Then she said, "0 false knight, show your warrant from God, man, or +devil." + +"This warrant from God, Swanhilda," he said, holding up his sword, +"listen! Fifteen years ago, when I was just winning my spurs, you +struck me, disgracing me before all the people; you cursed me, and +mean that curse well enough. Men of the house of the Lilies, what +sentence for that?" + +"Death!" they said. + +"Listen! Afterwards you slew my cousin, your husband, treacherously, in +the most cursed way, stabbing him in the throat, as the stars in the +canopy above him looked down on the shut eyes of him. Men of the house +of Lily, what sentence for that?" + +"Death!" they said. + +"Do you hear them. Queen? There is warrant from man; for the devil, I +do not reverence him enough to take warrant from him, but, as I look +at that face of yours, I think that even he has left you." + +And indeed just then all her pride seemed to leave her, she fell from +the chair, and wallowed on the ground moaning, she wept like a child, +so that the tears lay on the oak floor; she prayed for another month +of life; she came to me and kneeled, and kissed my feet, and prayed +piteously, so that water ran out of her mouth. + +But I shuddered, and drew away; it was like hav ing an adder about +one; I cou'd have pitied her had she died bravely, but for one like +her to whine and whine! Pah! + +Then from the dais rang Amald's voice terrible, much changed. "Let +there be an end of all this." And he took his sword and strode through +the hall towards her; she rose from the ground and stood up, stooping +a little, her head sunk between her shoulders, her black eyes turned +up and gloaming, like a tigress about to spring. When he came within +some six paces of her something in his eye daunted her, or perhaps the +flashing of his terrible sword in the torch-light; she threw her arms +up with a great shriek, and dashed screaming about the hall. Amald's +lip never once curled with any scorn, no line in his face changed: he +said, "Bring her here and bind her." + +But when one came up to her to lay hold on her she first of all ran at +him, hitting with her head in the belly. Then while he stood doubled +up for want of breath, and staring with his head up, she caught his +sword from the girdle, and cut him across the shoulders, and many +others she wounded sorely before they took her. Then Arnald stood by +the chair to which she was bound, and poised his sword, and there was +a great silence. + +Then he said, "Men of the House of the Lilies, do you justify me in +this, shall she die?" Straightway rang a great shout through the hall, +but before it died away the sword had swept round, and therewithal was +there no such thing as Swanhilda left upon the earth, for in no +battle-field had Arnald struck truer blow. + +Then he turned to the few servants of the palace and said, "Go now, +bury this accursed woman, for she is a king's daughter." Then to us +all, "Now knights, to horse and away, that we may reach the good town +by about dawn." So we mounted and rode off. + +What a strange Christmas-day that was, for there, about nine o'clock +in the morning, rode Red Harald into the good town to demand +vengeance; he went at once to the king, and the king promised that +before nightfall that very day the matter should be judged; albeit the +king feared somewhat, because every third man you met in the streets +had a blue cross on his shoulder, and some likeness of a lily, cut out +or painted, stuck in his hat; and this blue cross and lily were the +bearings of our house, called "De Liliis." Now we had seen Red Harald +pass through the streets, with a white banner borne before him, to +show that he came peaceably as for this time; but I know he was +thinking of other things than peace. + +And he was called Red Harald first at this time, because over all his +arms he wore a great scarlet cloth, that fell in heavy folds about his +horse and all about him. Then, as he passed our house, some one +pointed it out to him, rising there with its carving and its barred +marble, but stronger than many a castle on the hill-tops, and its +great overhanging battlement cast a mighty shadow down the wall and +across the street; and above all rose the great tower, or banner +floating proudly from the top, whereon was emblazoned on a white +ground a blue cross, and on a blue ground four white lilies. And now +faces were gazing from all the windows, and all the battlements were +thronged; so Harald turned, and rising in his stirrups, shook his +clenched fist at our house; natheless, as he did so, the east wind, +coming down the street, caught up the corner of that scarlet cloth and +drove it over his face, and therewithal disordering his long black +hair, well nigh choked him, so that he bit both his hair and that +cloth. + +So from base to cope rose a mighty shout of triumph and defiance, and +he passed on. + +Then Arnald caused it to be cried, that all those who loved the good +House of the Lilies should go to mass that morning in Saint Mary's +Church, hard by our house. Now this church belonged to us, and the +abbey that served it, and always we appointed the abbot of it on +condition that our trumpets should sound all together when on high +masses they sing the "Gloria in Excelsis." It was the largest and most +beautiful of all the churches in the town, and had two exceeding high +towers, which you could see from far off, even when you saw not the +town or any of its other towers: and in one of these towers were +twelve great bells, named after the twelve Apostles, one name being +written on each one of them; as Peter, Matthew, and so on; and in the +other tower was one great bell only, much larger than any of the +others, and which was called Mary. Now this bell was never rung but +when our house was in great danger, and it had this legend on it, +"When Mary rings the earth shakes;" and indeed from this we took our +war cry, which was, "Mary rings;" somewhat justifiable indeed, for the +last time that Mary rang, on that day before nightfall there were four +thousand bodies to be buried, which bodies wore neither cross nor +lily. + +So Arnald gave me in charge to tell the abbot to cause Mary to be +tolled for an hour before mass that day. + +The abbot leaned on my shoulder as I stood within the tower and looked +at the twelve monks laying their hands to the ropes. Far up in the +dimness I saw the wheel before it began to swing round about; then it +moved a little; the twelve men bent down to the earth and a roar rose +that shook the tower from base to spirevane: backwards and forwards +swept the wheel, as Mary now looked downwards towards earth, now +looked up at the shadowy cone of the spire, shot across by bars of +light from the dormers. + +And the thunder of Mary was caught up by the wind and carried through +all the country; and when the good man heard it, he said goodbye to +wife and child, slung his shield behind his back, and set forward with +his spear sloped over his shoulder, and many a time, as he walked +toward the good town, he tightened the belt that went about his waist, +that he might stride the faster, so long and furiously did Mary toll. + +And before the great bell, Mary, had ceased ringing, all the ways were +full of armed men. + +But at each door of the church of Saint Mary stood a row of men armed +with axes, and when any came, meaning to go into the church, the two +first of these would hold their axes (whose helves were about four +feet long) over his head, and would ask him, "Who went over the moon +last night?" then if he answered nothing or at random they would bid +him turn back, which he for the more part would be ready enough to do; +but some, striving to get through that row of men, were slain +outright; but if he were one of those that were friends to the House +of the Lilies he would answer to that question, "Mary and John." + +By the time the mass began the whole church was full, and in the nave +and transept thereof were three thousand men, all of our house and all +armed. But Arnald and myself, and Squire Hugh, and some others sat +under a gold-fringed canopy near the choir; and the abbot said mass, +having his mitre on his head. Yet, as I watched him, it seemed to me +that he must have something on beneath his priest's vestments, for he +looked much fatter than usual, being really a tall lithe man. + +Now, as they sung the "Kyrie," some one shouted from the other end of +the church, "My lord Arnld, they are slaying our people without;" for, +indeed, all the square about the church was full of our people, who +for the press had not been able to enter, and were standing there in +no small dread of what might come to pass. + +Then the abbot turned round from the altar, and began to fidget with +the fastenings of his rich robes. And they made a lane for us up to +the west door; then I put on my helm and we began to go up the nave, +then suddenly the singing of the monks and all stopped. I heard a +clinking and a buzz of voices in the choir. I turned, and saw that the +bright noon sun was shining on the gold of the priest's vestments, as +they lay on the floor, and on the mail that the priests carried. + +So we stopped, the choir gates swung open, and the abbot marched out +at the head of his men, all fully armed, and began to strike up the +psalm "Exsurgat Deus." + +When we got to the west door, there was indeed a tumult, but as yet no +slaying; the square was all a-flicker with steel, and we beheld a +great body of knights, at the head of them Red Harald and the king, +standing over against us; but our people, pressed against the houses, +and into the comers of the square, were, some striving to enter the +doors, some beside themselves with rage, shouting out to the others to +charge; withal, some were pale and some were red with the blood that +had gathered to the wrathful faces of them. + +Then said Arnald to those about him, "Lift me up." So they laid a +great shield on two lances, and these four men carried, and thereon +stood Arnald, and gazed about him. + +Now the king was unhelmed, and his white hair (for he was an old man) +flowed down behind him on to his saddle; but Amaid's hair was cut +short, and was red. + +And all the bells rang. + +Then the king said, "0 Arnald of the Lilies, will you settle this +quarrel by the judgment of God?" And Amaid thrust up his chin, and +said, "Yea." "How then," said the king, "and where?" "Will it please +you try now?" said Arnald. + +Then the king understood what he meant, and took in his hand from +behind tresses of his long white hair, twisting them round his hand in +his wrath, but yet said no word, till I suppose his hair put him in +mind of something, and he raised it in both his hands above his head, +and shouted out aloud, "0 knights, hearken to this traitor." Whereat, +indeed, the lances began to move ominously. But Arnald spoke. + +"0 you king and lords, what have we to do with you? Were we not free +in the old time, up among the hills there? Wherefore give way, and we +will go to the hills again; and if any man try to stop us, his blood +be on his own head; wherefore now," (and he turned) "all you House of +the Lily, both soldiers and monks, let us go forth together fearing +nothing, for I think there is not bone enough or muscle enough in +these fellows here that have a king that they should stop us withal, +but only skin and fat." + +And truly, no man dared to stop us, and we went. + + +FAILING IN THE WORLD + +Now at that time we drove cattle in Red Harald's land. And we took no +hoof but from the Lords and rich men, but of these we had a mighty +drove, both oxen and sheep, and horses, and besides, even hawks and +hounds, and huntsman or two to take care of them. + +And, about noon, we drew away from the cornlands that lay beyond the +pastures, and mingled with them, and reached a wide moor, which was +called "Goliath's Land." I scarce know why, except that it belonged +neither to Red Harald or us, but was debatable. + +And the cattle began to go slowly, and our horses were tired, and the +sun struck down very hot upon us, for there was no shadow, and the day +was cloudless. + +All about the edge of the moor, except on the sidefrom which we had +come was a rim of hills, not very high, but very rocky and steep, +otherwise the moor itself was flat; and through these hills was one +pass, guarded by our men, which pass led to the Hill castle of the +Lilies. + +It was not wonderful, that of this moor many wild stories were told, +being such a strange lonely place, some of them one knew, alas to be +over true. In the old time, before we went to the good town, this moor +had been the mustering place of our people, and our house had done +deeds enough of blood and horror to turn our white lilies red, and our +blue cross to a fiery one. But some of those wild tales I never +believed; they had to do mostly with men losing their way without any +apparent cause, (for there were plenty of landmarks,) finding some +well-known spot, and then, just beyond it, a place they had never even +dreamed of. + +"Florian! FIorian!" said Arnald, "for God's sake stop! as every one +else is stopping to look at the hills yonder; I always thought there +was a curse upon us. What does God mean by shutting us up here? Look +at the cattle; 0 Christ, they have found it out too! See, some of them +are turning to run back again towards Harald's land. Oh! unhappy, +unhappy, from that day forward!" + +He leaned forward, rested his head on his horse's neck, and wept like +a child. I felt so irritated with him, that I could almost have slain +him then and there. Was he mad? had these wild doings of ours turned +his strong wise head? + +"Are you my brother Arnald, that I used to think such a grand man when +I was a boy?" I said, "or are you changed too, like everybody, and +everything else? What do you mean?" + +"Look! look!" he said, grinding his teeth in agony. I raised my eyes: +where was the one pass between the rim of stern rocks? Nothing: the +enemy behind us- that grim wall in front: what wonder that each man +looked in his fellow's face for help, and found it not. Yet I refused +to believe that there was any troth either in the wild stories that I +had heard when I was a boy, or in this story told me so clearly by my +eyes now. + +I called out cheerily, "Hugh, come here!" He came. "What do you think +of this? Some mere dodge on Harald's part? Are we cut off?" "Think! +Sir Florian? God forgive me for ever thinking at all; I have given up +that long and long ago, because thirty years ago I thought this, that +the House of Lilies would deserve anything in the way of bad fortune +that God would send them: so I gave up thinking, and took to fighting. +But if you think that Harald had anything to do with this, why-why-in +God's name, I wish I could think so!" + +I felt a dull weight on my heart. Had our house been the devil's +servants all along? I thought we were God's servants. + +The day was very still, but what little wind there was, was at our +backs. I watched Hugh's face, not being able to answer him. He was the +cleverest man at war that I have known, either before or since that +day; sharper than any hound in ear and scent, clearer sighted than any +eagle; he was listening now intently. I saw a slight smile cross his +face; heard him mutter, "Yes! I think so: verily that is better, a +great deal better." Then he stood up in his stirrups, and shouted, +"Hurrah for the Lilies! Mary rings!" "Mary rings!" I shouted, though I +did not know the reason for his exultation: my brother lifted his +head, and smiled too, grimly. Then as I listened I heard clearly the +sound of a trumpet, and enemy's trumpet too. + +"After all, it was only mist, or some such thing," I said, for the +pass between the hills was clear enough now. + +"Hurrah! only mist," said Amald, quite elated; "Mary rings!" and we +all began to think of fighting: for after all what joy is equal to +that? + +There were five hundred of us; two hundred spears, the rest archers; +and both archers and men at arms were picked men. + +"How many of them are we to expect?" said I. "Not under a thousand, +certainly, probably more, Sir Florian." (My brother Arnald, by the +way, had knighted me before we left the good town, and Hugh liked to +give me the handle to my name. How was it, by the way, that no one had +ever made him a knight?) + +"Let every one look to his arms and horse, and come away from these +silly cows' sons!" shouted Arnald. + +Hugh said, "They will be here in an hour, fair Sir." + +So we got clear of the cattle, and dismounted, and both ourselves took +food and drink, and our horses; afterwards we tightened our +saddle-girths, shook our great pots of helmets on, except Amald, whose +rustyred hair had been his only head-piece in battle for years and +years, and stood with our spears close by our horses, leaving room for +the archers to retreat between our ranks; and they got their arrows +ready, and planted their stakes before a little peat moss: and there +we waited, and saw their pennons at last floating high above the corn +of the fertile land, then heard their many horse-hoofs ring upon the +hard-parched moor, and the archers began to shoot. + +It had been a strange battle; we had never fought better, and yet +withal it had ended in a retreat; indeed all along every man but +Arnald and myself, even Hugh, had been trying at least to get the +enemy between him and the way toward the pass; and now we were all +drifting that way, the enemy trying to cut us off, but never able to +stop us, because he could only throw small bodies of men in our way, +whom we scattered and put to flight in their turn. + +I never cared less for my life than then; indeed, in spite of all my +boasting and hardness of belief, I should have been happy to have +died, such a strange weight of apprehension was on me; and yet I got +no scratch even. I had soon put off my great helm, and was fighting in +my mail-coif only: and here I swear that three knights together +charged me, aiming at my bare face, yet never touched me. For, as for +one, I put his lance aside with my sword, and the other two in some +most wonderful manner got their spears locked in each other's armour, +and so had to submit to be knocked off their horses. + +And we still neared the pass, and began to see distinctly the ferns +that grew on the rocks, and the fair country between the rift in them, +spreading out there, blue-shadowed. Whereupon came a great rush of men +of both sides, striking side blows at each other, spitting, cursing, +and shrieking, as they tore away like a herd of wild hogs. So, being +careless of lfe, as I said, I drew rein, and turning my horse, waited +quietly for them. And I knotted the reins, and laid them on the +horse's neck, and stroked him, that he whinnied, then got both my +hands to my sword. + +Then, as they came on, I noted hurriedly that the first man was one of +Arnald's men, and one of our men behind him leaned forward to prod him +with his spear, but could not reach so far, till he himself was run +through the eye with a spear, and throwing his arms up fell dead with +a shriek. Also I noted concerning this first man that the laces of his +helmet were loose, and when he saw me he lifted his left hand to his +head, took off his helm and cast it at me, and still tore on; the +helmet flew over my head, and I sitting still there, swung out, +hitting him on the neck; his head flew right off, for the mail no more +held than a piece of silk. "Mary rings," and my horse whinnied again, +and we both of us went at it, and fairly stopped that rout, so that +there was a knot of quite close and desperate fighting, wherein we had +the best of that fight and slew most of them, albeit my horse was +slain and my mail-coif cut through. Then I bade a squire fetch me +another horse, and began meanwhile to upbraid those knights for +running in such a strange disorderly race, instead of standing and +fighting cleverly. Moreover we had drifted even in this successful +fight still nearer to the pass, so that the conies who dwelt there +were beginning to consider whether they should not run into their +holes. + +But one of those knights said: "Be not angry with me. Sir Florian, but +do you think you will go to Heaven?" + +"The saints! I hope so," I said, but one who stood near him whispered +to him to hold his peace, so I cried out: "0 friend! I hold this world +and all therein so cheap now, that I see not anything in it but shame +which can any longer anger me; wherefore speak: out." + +"Then, Sir Florian, men say that at your christening some fiend took +on him the likeness of a priest and strove to baptize you in the +Devil's name, but God had mercy on you so that the fiend could not +choose but baptize you in the name of the most holy Trinity: and yet +men say that you hardly believe any doctrine such as other men do, and +will at the end only go to Heaven round about as it were, not at all +by the intercession of our Lady; they say too that you can see no +ghosts or other wonders, whatever happens to other Christian men." + +I smiled. "Well, friend, I scarcely call this a disadvantage, +moreover what has it to do with the matter in hand?" + +How was this in Heaven's name? We had been quite still, resting while +this talk was going on, but we could hear the hawks chattering from +the rocks, we were so close now. + +And my heart sunk within me, there was no reason why this should not +be true; there was no reason why anything should not be true. + +"This, Sir Florian," said the knight again, "how would you feel +inclined to fight if you thought that everything about you was mere +glamour; this earth here, the rocks, the sun, the sky? I do not know +where I am for certain, I do not know that it is not midnight instead +of undem: I do not know if I have been fighting men or only simulacra +but I think, we all think, that we have been led into some devil's +trap or other, and- and may God forgive me my sins! I wish I had never +been born." + +There now! he was weeping - they all wept - how strange it was to see +those rough, bearded men blubbering there, and snivelling till the +tears ran over their armour and mingled with the blood, so that it +dropped down to the earth in a dim, dull, red rain. + +My eyes indeed were dry, but then so was my heart; I felt far worse +than weeping came to, but nevertheless I spoke cheerily. + +"Dear friends, where are your old men's hearts gone to now? See now! +This is a punishment for our sins, is it? Well, for our forefathers' +sins or our own? If the first, 0 brothers, be very sure that if we +bear it manfully God will have something very good in store for us +hereafter; but if for our sins, is it not certain that He cares for us +yet, for note that He suffers the wicked to go their own ways pretty +much; moreover brave men, brothers, ought to be the masters of +simulacra come, is it so hard to die once for all?" + +Still no answer came from them, they sighed heavily only. I heard the +sound of more than one or two swords as they rattled back to the +scabbards: nay, one knight, stripping himself of surcoat and hauberk, +and drawing his dagger, looked at me with a grim smile, and said, "Sir +Florian, do so!" Then he drew the dagger across his throat and he fell +back dead. + +They shuddered, those brave men, and crossed themselves. And I had no +heart to say a word more, but mounted the horse which had been brought +to me and rode away slowly for a few yards; then I became aware that +there was a great silence over the whole field. + +So I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold no man struck at another. + +Then from out of a band of horsemen came Harald, and he was covered +all over with a great scarlet cloth as before, put on over the head, +and flowing all about his horse, but rent with the fight. He put off +his helm and drew back his mail-coif, then took a trumpet from the +hand of a herald and blew strongly. + +And in the midst of his blast I heard a voice call out: "0 Florian! +come and speak to me for the last time!" + +So when I turned I beheld Arnald standing by himself, but near him +stood Hugh and ten others with drawn swords. + +Then I wept, and so went to him weeping; and he said, "Thou seest, +brother, that we must die, and I think by some horrible and unheard-of +death, and the House of the Lilies is just dying too; and now I repent +me of Swanhilda's death; now I know that it was a poor cowardly piece +of revenge, instead of a brave act of justice; thus has God shown us +the right. + +"0 Florian! curse me! So will it be straighter; truly thy mother when +she bore thee did not think of this; rather saw thee in the tourney at +this time, in her fond hopes, glittering with gold and doing knightly; +or else mingling thy brown locks with the golden hair of some maiden +weeping for the love of thee. God forgive me! God forgive me!" + +"What harm, brother?" I said, "this is only failing in the world; what +if we had not failed, in a little while it would have made no +difference; truly just now I felt very miserable, but now it has +passed away, and I am happy." + +"0 brave heart!" he said, "yet we shall part just now, Florian, +farewell." + +"The road is long," I said, "farewell." + +Then we kissed each other, and Hugh and the others wept. + +Now all this time the trumpets had been ringing, ringing, great +doleful peals, then they ceased, and above all sounded Red Harald's +voice. + +(So I looked round towards that pass, and when I looked I no longer +doubted any of those wild tales of glamour concerning Goliath's Land; +and for though the rocks were the same, and though the conies still +stood gazing at the doors of their dwellings, though the hawks still +cried out shrilly, though the fern still shook in the wind, yet +beyond, oh such a land! not to be described by any because of its +great beauty, lying, a great hollow land, the rocks going down on this +side in precipices, then reaches and reaches of loveliest country, +trees and flowers, and corn, then the hills, green and blue, and +purple, till their ledges reached the white snowy mountains at last. +Then with all manner of strange feelings, "my heart in the midst of my +body was even like melting wax.") + +"0 you House of the Lily! you are conquered yet I will take vengeance +only on a few, therefore let all those who wish to live come and pile +their swords, and shields, and helms behind me in three great heaps, +and swear fealty afterwards to me; yes, all but the false knights +Arnald and Florian." + +We were holding each other's hands and gazing, and we saw all our +knights, yea, all but Squire Hugh and his ten heroes, pass over the +field singly, or in groups of three or four, with their heads hanging +down in shame, and they cast down their notched swords and dinted, +lilied shields, and brave-crested helms into three great heaps, behind +Red Herald, then stood behind, no man speaking to his fellow, or +touching him. + +Then dolefully the great trumpets sang over the dying House of the +Lily, and Red Harald led his men forward, but slowly: on they came, +spear and mail glittering in the sunlight; and I turned and looked at +that good land, and a shuddering delight seized my soul. + +But I felt my brother's hand leave mine, and saw him turn his horse's +head and ride swiftly toward the pass; that was a strange pass now. + +And at the edge he stopped, turned round and called out aloud, "I pray +thee, Harald, forgive mel now farewell all!" + +Then the horse gave one bound forward, and we heard the poor +creature's scream when he felt that he must die, and we heard +afterwards (for we were near enough for that even) a clang and a +crash. + +So I turned me about to Hugh, and he understood me though I could not +speak. + +We shouted all together, "Mary rings," then laid our bridles on the +necks of our horses, spurred forward, and in five minutes they were +all slain, and I was down among the horse-hoofs. + +Not slain though, not wounded. Red Harald smiled grimly when he saw me +rise and lash out again; he and some ten others dismounted, and +holding their long spears out, I went back -- back, back, I saw what +it meant, and sheathed my sword, and their laughter rolled all about +me, and I too smiled. + +Presently they all stopped, and I felt the last foot of turf giving +under my feet; I looked down and saw the crack there widening; then in +a moment I fell, and a cloud of dust and earth rolled after me; then +again their mirth rose into thunder-peals of laughter. But through it +all I heard Red Harald shout, "Silence! Evil dogs!" + +For as I fell I stretched out my arms, and caughl a tuft of yellow +broom some three feet from the brow, and hung there by the hands, my +feet being loose in the air. + +Then Red Harald came and stood on the precipice above me, his great +axe over his shoulder; and he looked down on me not ferociously, +almost kindly, while the wind from the Hollow Land blew about his red +raiment, tattered and dusty now. + +And I felt happy, though it pained me to hold straining by the broom, +yet I said, "I will hold out to the last" + +It was not long, the plant itself gave way and I fell, and as I fell I +fainted. + +I had thought when I fell that I should never wake again; but I woke +at last: for a long time I was quite dizzied and could see nothing at +all: horrible doubts came creeping over me; I half expected to see +presently great half-formed shapes come rolling up to me to crush me; +some thing fiery, not strange, too utterly horrible to be strange, but +utterly vile and ugly, the sight of which would have killed me when I +was upon the earth, come rolling up to torment me. In fact I doubted +if I were in hell. + +I knew I deserved to be, but I prayed, and then it came into my mind +that I could not pray if I were in hell. + +Also there seemed to be a cool green light all about me, which was +sweet. Then presently I heard a glorious voice ring outclear, close to +me + + "Christ keep the Hollow Land + Through the sweet spring-tide, + When the apple-blossoms bless + The lowly bent hill side." + +Thereat my eyes were slowly unsealed, and I saw the blessedest sight I +have ever seen before or since: for I saw my Love. + +She sat about five yards from me on a great grey stone that had much +moss on it, one of the many scattered along the side of the stream by +which I lay; she was clad in loose white raiment close to her hands +and throat; her feet were bare, her hair hung loose a long way down, +but some of it lay on her knees: I said "white" raiment, but long +spikes of light scarlet went down from the throat, lost here and there +in the shadows of the folds, and growing smaller and smaller, died +before they reached her feet. + +I was lying with my head resting on soft moss that some one had +gathered and placed under me. She, when she saw me moving and awake, +came and stood over me with a gracious smile. She was so lovely and +tender to look at, and so kind, yet withal no one, man or woman, had +ever frightened me half so much. + +She was not fair in white and red, like many beautiful women are, +being rather pale, but like ivory for smoothness, and her hair was +quite golden, not light yellow, but dusky golden. + +I tried to get up on my feet, but was too weak, and sank back again. +She said: "No, not just yet, do not trouble yourself or try to +remember anything just at present." + +There withal she kneeled down, and hung over me closer. + +"To-morrow you may, perhaps, have something hard to do or bear, I +know, but now you must be as happy as you can be, quietly happy. Why +did you start and turn pale when I came to you? Do you not know who I +am? Nay, but you do, I see; and I have been waiting here so long for +you; so you must have expected to see me. You cannot be frightened of +me, are you?" + +But I could not answer a word, but all the time strange knowledge, +strange feelings were filling my brain and my heart, she said: "You +are tired; rest, and dream happily." + +So she sat by me, and sang to lull me to sleep, while I turned on my +elbow, and watched the waving of her throat: and the singing of all +the poets I had ever heard, and of many others too, not born till +years long after I was dead, floated all about me as she sang, and I +did indeed dream happily. + +When I awoke it was the time of the cold dawn, and the colours were +gathering themselves together, whereat in fatherly approving fashion +the sun sent all across the east long bars of scarlet and orange that +after faded through yellow to green and blue. And she sat by me still; +I think she had been sitting there and singing all the time; all +through hot yesterday, for I had been sleeping day-long and +night-long, all through the falling evening under moonlight and +starlight the night through. + +And now it was dawn, and I think too that neither of us had moved at +all; for the last thing I remembered before I went to sleep was the +tips of her fingers brushing my cheek, as she knelt over me with +downdrooping arm, and still now I felt them there. Moreover she was +just finishing some fainting measure that died before it had time to +get painful in its passion. + +Dear Lord! how I loved her! Yet did I not dare to touch her, or even +speak to her. She smiled with delight when she saw I was awake again, +and slid down her hand on to mine, but some shuddering dread made me +draw it away again hurriedly; then I saw the smile leave her face: +what would I not have given for courage to hold her body quite tight +to mine? But I was so weak. + +She said: + +"Have you been very happy?" + +"Yea," I said. + +It was the first word I had spoken there, and my voice sounded +strange. + +"Ah!" she said, "you will talk more when you get used to the air of +the Hollow Land. Have you been thinking of your past life at all? If +not, try to think of it. What thing in Heaven or Earth do you Wish for +most?" + +Still I said no word; but she said in a wearied way: "Well now, I +think you will be strong enough to get to your feet and walk; take my +hand and try." Therewith she held it out: I strove hard to be brave +enough to take it, but could not; I only turned away shuddering, sick, +and grieved to the heart's core of me; then struggling hard with hand +and knee and elbow, I scarce rose, and stood up totteringly; while she +watched me sadly, still holding out her hand. + +But as I rose, in my swinging to and fro the steel sheath of my sword +struck her on the hand so that the blood flowed from it, which she +stood looking at for a while, then dropped it downwards, and turned to +look at me, for I was going. + +Then as I walked she followed me, so I stopped and turned and said +almost fiercely: "I am going alone to look for my brother." + +The vehemence with which I spoke, or something else, burst some +blood-vessel within my throat, and we both stood there with the blood +running from us on to the grass and summer flowers. + +She said: "If you find him, wait with him till I come." + +"Yea," and I turned and left her, following the course of the stream +upwards, and as I went I heard her low singing that almost broke my +heart for its sadness. + +And I went painfully because of my weakness, and because also of the +great stones; and sometimes I went along a spot of earth where the +river had been used to flow in flood-time, and which was now bare of +everything but stones; and the sun, now risen high, poured down on +everything a great flood of fierce light and scorching heat, and burnt +me sorely, so that I almost fainted. + +But about noontide I entered a wood close by the stream, a beech-wood, +intending to rest myself; the herbage was thin and scattered there, +sprouting up from amid the leaf-sheaths and nuts of the beeches, which +had fallen year after year on that same spot; the outside boughs swept +low down, the air itself seemed green when you entered within the +shadow of the branches, they over-roofed the place so with tender +green, only here and there showing spots of blue. + +But what lay at the foot of a great beech tree but some dead knight in +armour, only the helmet off? A wolf was prowling round about it, who +ran away snarling when he saw me coming. + +So I went up to that dead knight, and fell on my knees before him, +laying my head on his breast, for it was Arnald. He was quite cold, +but had not been dead for very long; I would not believe him dead, but +went down to the stream and brought him water, tried to make him +drink-what would you? He was as dead as Swanhilda: neither came there +any answer to my cries that afternoon but the moaning of the wood +doves in the beeches. So then I sat down and took his head on my +knees, and closed the eyes, and wept quietly while the sun sank lower. + +But a little after sunset I heard a rustle through the leaves, that +was not the wind, and looking up my eyes met the pitying eyes of that +maiden. + +Something stirred rebelliously within me; I ceased weeping, and said: +"It is unjust, unfair: What right had Swanhilda to live? Did not God +give her up to us? How much better was he than ten Swanhildas? + +And look you -- See! He is DEAD." + +Now this I shrieked out, being mad; and though I trembled when I saw +some stormy wrath that vexed her very heart and loving lips, gathering +on her face, I yet sat there looking at her and screaming, screaming, +till all the place rang. + +But when growing hoarse and breathless I ceased; she said, with +straitened brow and scornful mouth: "So! Bravely done! Must I then, +though I am a woman, call you a liar, for saying God is unjust? You to +punish her, had not God then punished her already? How many times when +she woke in the dead night do you suppose she missed seeing King +Urrayne's pale face and hacked head lying on the pillow by her side? +Whether by night or day, what things but screams did she hear when the +wind blew loud round about the Palace corners? And did not that face +too, often come before her, pale and bleeding as it was long ago, and +gaze at her from unhappy eyes! Poor eyesi With changed purpose in +them- no more hope of converting the world when that blow was once +struck, truly it was very wicked-no more dreams, but only fierce +struggles with the Devil for very life, no more dreams but failure at +last, and death, happier so in the Hollow Land." + +She grew so pitying as she gazed at his dead face that I began to weep +again unreasonably, while she saw not that I was weeping, but looked +only on Arnald's face, but after turned on me frowning. "Unjust! Yes, +truly unjust enough to take away life and all hope from her; you have +done a base cowardly act, you and your brother here, disguise it as +you may; you deserve all God's judgment - you" + +But I turned my eyes and wet face to her, and said: "Do not curse me +there - do not look like Swanhilda: for see now, you said at first +that you have been waiting long for me, give me your hand now, for I +love you so." + +Then she came and knelt by where I sat, and I caught her in my arms +and she prayed to be forgiven. + +"0, Florian! I have indeed waited long for you, and when I saw you my +heart was filled with joy, but you would neither touch me nor speak to +me, so that I became almost mad, forgive me, we will be so happy now. +0! do you know this is what I have been waiting for all these years; +it made me glad, I know, when I was a little baby in my mother's arms +to think I was born for this; and afterwards, as I grew up, I used to +watch every breath of wind through the beech-boughs, every turn of the +silver poplar leaves, thinking it might be you or some news of you." + +Then I rose and drew her up with me; but she knelt again by my +brother's side, and kissed him, and said: + +"0 brother! The Hollow Land is only second best of the places God has +made, for Heaven also is the work of His hand." + +Afterwards we dug a deep grave among the beechroots and there we +buried Amald de Liliis. + +And I have never seen him since, scarcely even in dreams; surely God +has had mercy on him, for he was very leal and true and brave; he +loved many men, and was kind and gentle to his friends, neither did he +hate any but Swanhilda. + +But as for us two, Margaret and me, I cannot tell you concerning our +happiness, such things cannot be told; only this I know, that we abode +continually in the Hollow Land until I lost it. + +Moreover this I can tell you. Margaret was walking with me, as she +often walked near the place where I had first seen her; presently we +came upon a woman sitting, dressed in scarlet and gold raiment, with +her head laid down on her knees; likewise we heard her sobbing. + +"Margaret, who is she?" I said: "I knew not that any dwelt in the +Hollow Land but us two only." + +She said, "I know not who she is, only sometimes; these many years, I +have seen her scarlet robe flaming from far away, amid the quiet green +grass: but I was never so near her as this. + +Florian, I am afraid: let us come away." + + +FYTTE THE SECOND + +Such a horrible grey November day it was, the fog-smell all about, the +fog creeping into our very bones. + +And I sat there, trying to recollect, at any rate something, under +those fir-trees that I ought to have known so well. + +Just think now; I had lost my best years some- where; for I was past +the prime of life, my hair and beard were scattered with white, my +body was growing weaker, my memory of all things was very faint + +My raiment, purple and scarlet and blue once, was so stained that you +could scarce call it any colour, was so tattered that it scarce +covered my body, though it seemed once to have fallen in heavy folds +to my feet, and still, when I rose to walk, though the miserable +November mist lay in great drops upon my bare breast, yet was I +obliged to wind my raiment over my arm, it dragged so (wretched, +slimy, textureless thing! ) in the brown mud. + +On my head was a light morion, which pressed on my brow and pained me; +so I put my hand up to take it ofi; but when I touched it I stood +still in my walk shuddering; I nearly fell to the earth with shame and +sick horror; for I laid my hand on a lump of Slimy earth with worms +coiled up in it I could scarce forbear from shrieking, but breathing +such a prayer as I could think of, I raised my hand again and seized +it firmly. Worse horror stilll The rust had eaten it into holes, and I +gripped my own hair as well as the rotting steel, the sharp edge of +which cut into my fingers; but setting my teeth, gave a great wrench, +for I knew that if I let go of it then, no power on the earth or under +it could make me touch it again. God be praised! I tore it off and +cast it far from me; I saw the earth, and the worms and green weeds +and sun- begotten slime, whirling out from it radiatingly, as it spun +round about. + +I was girt with a sword too, the leathern belt of which had shrunk and +squeezed my waist: dead leaves had gathered in knots about the buckles +of it, the gilded handle was encrusted with clay in many parts, the +velvet sheath miserably worn. + +But, verily, when I took hold of the hilt, and pent in my hand; lo! +then, I drew out my own true blade and shook it flawless from hilt to +point, gleaming white in that mist. + +Therefore it sent a thrill of joy to my heart, to know that there was +one friend left me yet: I sheathed it again carefully, and undoing it +from my waist, hung it about my neck. + +Then catching up my rags in my arms, I drew them up till my legs and +feet were altogether clear from them, afterwards folded my arms over +my breast, gave a long leap and ran, looking downward, but not giving +heed to my way. + +Once or twice I fell over stumps of trees, and such- like, for it was +a cut-down wood that I was in, but I rose always, though bleeding and +confused, and went on still; sometimes tearing madly through briars +and gorse bushes, so that my blood dropped on the dead leaves as I +went. + +I ran in this way for about an hour; then I heard a gurgling and +splashing of waters; I gave a great shout and leapt strongly, with +shut eyes, and the black water closed over me. + +When I rose again, I saw near me a boat with a man in it; but the +shore was far off; I struck out toward the boat, but my clothes which +I had knotted and folded about me, weighed me down terribly. + +The man looked at me, and began to paddle toward me with the oar he +held in his left hand, having in his right a long, slender spear, +barbed like a fish-hook; perhaps, I thought, it is some fishing spear; +moreover his raiment was of scarlet, with upright stripes of yellow +and black all over it. + +When my eye caught his, a smile widened his mouth as if some one had +made a joke; but I was beginning to sink, and indeed my head was +almost under water just as he came and stood above me, but before it +went quite under, I saw his spear gleam, then felt it in my shoulder, +and for the present, felt nothing else. + +When I woke I was on the bank of that river; the flooded waters went +hurrying past me; no boat on them now; from the river the ground went +up in gentle slopes till it grew a great hill, and there, on that +hill-top, Yes, I might forget many things, almost everything, but not +that, not the old castle of my fathers up among the hills, its towers +blackened now and shattered, yet still no enemy's banner waved from +it. + +So I said I would go and die there? and at this thought I drew my +sword, which yet hung about my neck, and shook it in the air till the +true steel quivered, then began to pace towards the castle. I was +quite naked, no rag about me; I took no heed of that only thanking God +that my sword was left, and so toiled up the hill. I entered the +castle soon by the outer court; I knew the way so well, that I did not +lift my eyes from the groimd, but walked on over the lowered +drawbridge through the unguarded gates, and stood in the great hall at +lastmy father's hall as bare of everything but my sword as when I came +into the world fifty years before: I had as little clothes, as little +wealth, less memory and thought, I verily believe, than then. + +So I lifted up my eyes and gazed; no glass in the windows, no hangings +on the walls; the vaulting yet held good throughout, but seemed to be +going; the mortar had fallen out from between the stones, and grass +and fern grew in the joints; the marble pavement was in some places +gone, and water stood about in puddles, though one scarce knew how it +had got there. + +No hangings on the walls- no; yet, strange to say, instead of them, +the walls blazed from end to end with scarlet paintings, only striped +across with green damp-marks in many places, some falling bodily from +the wall, the plaster hanging down with the fading colour on it. + +In all of them, except for the shadows and the faces of the figures, +there was scarce any colour but scarlet and yellow. Here and there it +seemed the painter, whoever it was, had tried to make his trees or his +grass green, but it would not do; some ghastly thoughts must have +filled his head, for all the green went presently into yellow, +out-sweeping through the picture dismally. But the faces were painted +to the very life, or it seemed so; there were only five of them, +however, that were very marked or came much in the foreground; and +four of these I knew well, though I did not then remember the names of +those that had borne them. They were Red Harald, Swanhilda, Amald, and +myself. The fifth I did not know; it was a woman's and very beautiful. + +Then I saw that in some parts a small penthouse roof had been built +over the paintings, to keep them from the weather. Near one of these +stood a man painting, clothed in red, with stripes of yellow and +black: Then I knew that it was the same man who had saved me from +drowning by spearing me through the shoulder; so I went up to him, and +saw furthermore that he was girt with a heavy sword. He turned round +when he saw me coming, and asked me fiercely what I did there. I asked +why he was painting in my castle. + +Thereupon, with that same grim smile widening his mouth as heretofore, +he said, "I paint God's judgments." + +And as he spoke, he rattled the sword in his scabbard; but I said, + +"Well, then, you paint them very badly. Listen; I know God's judgments +much better than you do. See now; I will teach you God's judgments, +and you shall teach me painting." + +While I spoke he still rattled his sword, and when I had done, shut +his right eye tight, screwing his nose on one side; then said: + +"You have got no clothes on, and may go to the devil! What do you know +about God's judgments?" + +"Well, they are not all yellow and red, at all events; you ought to +know better." + +He screamed out, "0 you fool! Yellow and red! Gold and blood, what do +they make?" + +"Well," I said; "what?" + +"HELL!" And, coming close up to me, he struck me with his open hand in +the face, so that the colour with which his hand was smeared was +dabbed about my face. The blow almost threw me down; and, while I +staggered, he rushed at me furiously with his sword. Perhaps it was +good for me that I had got no clothes on; for, being utterly +unencumbered, I leapt this way and that, and avoided his fierce, eager +strokes till I could collect myself somewhat; while he had a heavy +scarlet cloak on that trailed on the ground, and which he often trod +on, so that he stumbled. + +He very nearly slew me during the first few minutes, for it was not +strange that, together with other matters, I should have forgotten the +art of fence: but yet, as I went on, and sometimes bounded about the +hall under the whizzing of his sword, as he rested sometimes, leaning +on it, as the point sometimes touched my head and made my eyes start +out, I remembered the old joy that I used to have, and the swy, swy, +of the sharp edge, as one gazed between one's horse's ears; moreover, +at last, one fierce swift stroke, just touching me below the throat, +tore up the skin all down my body, and fell heavy on my thigh, so that +I drew my breath in and turned white; then first, as I swung my sword +round my head, our blades met, oh! to hear that tchink again! and I +felt the notch my sword made in his, and swung out at him; but he +guarded it and returned on me; I guarded right and left, and grew +warm, and opened my mouth to shout, but knew not what to say; and our +sword points fell on the floor together: then, when we had panted +awhile, I wiped from my face the blood that had been dashed over it, +shook my sword and cut at him, then we spun round and round in a mad +waltz to the measured music of our meeting swords, and sometimes +either wounded the other somewhat but not much, till I beat down his +sword on to his head, that he fell grovelling, but not cut through. +Verily, thereupon my lips opened mightily with "Mary rings." + +Then, when he had gotten to his feet, I went at him again, he +staggering back, guarding wildly; I cut at his head; he put his sword +up confusedly, so I fitted both hands to my hilt, and smote him +mightily under the arm: then his shriek mingled with my shout, made a +strange sound together; he rolled over and over, dead, as I thought. + +I walked about the hall in great exultation at first, striking my +sword point on the floor every now and then, till I grew faint with +loss of blood; then I went to my enemy and stripped off some of his +clothes to bind up my wounds withal; afterwards I found in a corner +bread and wine, and I eat and drank thereof. + +Then I went back to him, and looked, and a thought struck me, and I +took some of his paints and brushes, and kneeling down, painted his +face thus, with stripes of yellow and red, crossing each other at +right angles; and in each of the squares so made I put a spot of +black, after the manner of the painted letters in the prayer-books and +romances when they are ornamented. + +So I stood back as painters use, folded my arms, and admired my own +handiwork. Yet there struck me as being something so utterly doleful +in the man's white face, and the blood running all about him, and +washing off the stains of paint from his face and hands, and splashed +clothes, that my heart mis- gave me, and I hoped that he was not dead; +I took some water from a vessel he had been using for his painting, +and, kneeling, washed his face. + +Was it some resemblance to my father's dead face, which I had seen +when I was young, that made me pity him? I laid my hand upon his +heart, and felt it beating feebly; so I lifted him up gently, and +carried him towards a heap of straw that he seemed used to lie upon; +there I stripped him and looked to his wounds, and used leech-craft, +the memory of which God gave me for this purpose, I suppose, and +within seven days I found that he would not die. + +Afterwards, as I wandered about the castle, I came to a room in one of +the upper storeys, that had still the roof on, and windows in it with +painted glass, and there I found green raiment and swords and armour, +and I clothed myself. + +So when he got well I asked him what his name was, and he me, and we +both of us said, "Truly I know not." Then said I, "but we must call +each other some name, even as men call days." + +"Call me Swerker," he said, "some priest I knew once had that name." + +"And me Wulf," said I, "though wherefore I know not." + +Then I tried to learn painting till I thought I should die, but at +last learned it through very much pain and grief. + +And, as the years went on and we grew old and grey, we painted purple +pictures and green ones instead of the scarlet and yellow, so that the +walls looked altered, and always we painted God's judgments. + +And we would sit in the sunset and watch them with the golden light +changing them, as we yet hoped God would change both us and our works. +Often too we would sit outside the walls and look at the trees and +sky, and the ways of the few men and women we saw; therefrom sometimes +befell adventures. + +Once there went past a great funeral of some king going to his own +country, not as he had hoped to go, but stiff and colourless, spices +filling up the place of his heart. + +And first went by very many knights, with long bright hauberks on, +that fell down before their knees as they rode, and they all had +tilting-helms on with the same crest, so that their faces were quite +hidden: and this crest was two hands clasped together tightly as +though they were the hands of one praying forgiveness from the one he +loves best; and the crest was wrought in gold. + +Moreover, they had on over their hauberks surcoats which were half +scarlet and half purple, strewn about with golden stars. + +Also long lances, that had forked knights'-pennons, half purple and +half scarlet, strewn with golden stars. + +And these went by with no sound but the fall of their horse-hoofs. + +And they went slowly, so slowly that we counted them all, five +thousand five hundred and fifty-five. Then went by many fair maidens +whose hair was loose and yellow, and who were all clad in green +raiment ungirded, and shod with golden shoes. These also we counted, +being five hundred; moreover some of the outermost of them, viz., one +maiden to every twenty, had long silver trumpets, which they swung out +to right and left, blowing them, and their sound was very sad. + +Then many priests, and bishops, and abbots, who wore white albs and +golden copes over them; and they all sang together mournfully, +"Propter amnen Babylonis;" and these were three hundred. + +After that came a great knot of the Lords, who were tilting helmets +and surcoats emblazoned with each one his own device; only each had in +his hand a small staff two feet long whereon was a pennon of scarlet +and purple. These also were three hundred. + +And in the midst of these was a great car hung down to the ground with +purple, drawn by grey horses whose trappings were half scarlet, half +purple. And on this car lay the King, whose head and hands were bare; +and he had on him a surcoat, half purple and half scarlet, strewn with +golden stars. And his head rested on a tilting helmet, whose crest was +the hands of one praying passionately for forgiveness. + +But his own hands lay by his side as if he had just fallen asleep. + +And all about the car were little banners, half purple and half +scarlet, strewn with golden stars. Then the King, who counted but as +one, went by also. + +And after him came again many maidens clad in ungirt white raiment +strewn with scarlet flowers, and their hair was loose and yellow and +their feet bare: and, except for the falling of their feet and the +rustle of the wind through their raiment, they went past quite +silently. These also were five hundred. + +Then lastly came many young knights with long bright hauberks falling +over their knees as they rode, and surcoats, half scarlet and half +purple, strewn with golden stars; they bore long lances with forked +pen- nons which were half purple, half scarlet, strewn with golden +stars; their heads and their hands were bare, but they bore shields, +each one of them, which were of bright steel wrought cunningly in the +midst with that bearing of the two hands of one who prays for +forgiveness; which was done in gold. These were but five hundred. + +Then they all went by winding up and up the hill roads, and, when the +last of them had departed out of our sight, we put down our heads and +wept, and I said, "Sing us one of the songs of the Hollow Land." Then +he whom I had called Swerker put his hand into his bosom, and slowly +drew out a long, long tress of black hair, and laid it on his knee and +smoothed it, weeping on it: So then I left him there and went and +armed myself, and brought armour for him. + +And then came back to him and threw the armour down so that it +clanged, and said: + +"O Harald, let us go!" + +He did not seem surprised that I called him by the right name, but +rose and armed himself, and then be looked a good knight; so we set +forth. And in a turn of the long road we came suddenly upon a most +fair woman, clothed in scarlet, who sat and sobbed, holding her face +between her bands, and her hair was very black. + +And when Harald saw her, he stood and gazed at her for long through +the bars of bis helmet, then suddenly turned, and said: + +"Florian, I must stop here; do you go on to the Hollow Land. +Farewell." + +"Farewell." And then I went on, never turning back, and him I never +saw more. + +And so I went on, quite lonely, but happy, till I had reached the +Hollow Land. + +Into which I let myself down most carefully, by the jutting rocks and +bushes and strange trailing flowers, and there lay down and fell +asleep. + +FYTTE THE THIRD + +And I was waked by some one singing; I felt very happy; I felt young +again; I had fair delicate raiment on, my sword was gone, and my +armour; I tried to think where I was, and could not for my happiness; +I tried to listen to the words of the song. Nothing, only an old echo +in my ears, only all manner of strange scenes from my wretched past +life before my eyes in a dim, far-off manner: then at last, slowly, +without effort, I heard what she sang. + + "Christ keep the Hollow Land + All the summer-tide; + Still we cannot understand + Where the waters glide; + + Only dimly seeing them + Coldly slipping through + Many green-lipp'd cavern mouths. + Where the hills are blue." + +"Then," she said, "come now and look for it, love, a hollow city in +the Hollow Land." + +I kissed Margaret, and we went. + +Through the golden streets under the purple shadows of the houses we +went, and the slow fanning backward and forward of the many-coloured +banners cooled us: we two alone: there was no one with us. No soul +will ever be able to tell what we said, how we looked. + +At last we came to a fair palace, cloistered off in the old time, +before the city grew golden from the din and hubbub of traffic; those +who dwelt there in the old ungolden times had had their own joys, +their own sorrows, apart from the joys and sorrows of the multitude: +so, in like manner, was it now cloistered off from the eager leaning +and brotherhood of the golden dwellings: so now it had its own gaiety, +its own solemnity, apart from theirs; unchanged, and changeable, were +its marble walls, whatever else changed about it. + +We stopped before the gates and trembled, and clasped each other +closer; for there among the marble leafage and tendrils that were +round and under and over the archway that held the golden valves were +wrought two figures of a man and woman winged and garlanded, whose +raiment flashed with stars; and their faces were like faces we had +seen or half seen in some dream long and long and long ago so that we +trembled with awe and delight; and turned, and seeing Margaret, saw +that her face was that face seen or half seen long and long and long +ago; and in the shining of her eyes I saw that other face, seen in +that way and no other long and long and long ago - my face. + +And then we walked together toward the golden gates, and opened them, +and no man gainsaid us. + +And before us lay a great space of flowers. + + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW LAND*** + + +******* This file should be named 15948.txt or 15948.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/5/9/4/15948 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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