Yea verily, said he; but in what wise wilt thou have
it? He spake as a man distraught and redeless;
but she smiled on him pleasantly, and said:
Now by this time shouldst thou have devised what was
to do, and spared me the pain thereof. Two things
I need of thee: the first and most, to be put
out of the castle privily betimes in the morning when
nought is stirring; the second, to have my palfrey
awaiting me somewhat anigh the gate, so that I may
not have to go afoot: for I am become soft and
feeble with all this house-life.
Leonard seemed to wake up with that word, and said:
I have the key of the priest’s door of the
chapel, and the postern beyond it; that shall be thine
out-gate, lady. I will come and scratch at thy
chamber-door much betimes, and I will see to it that
thy palfrey is bestowed in the bower wherein thou
didst rest the first night thou camest amongst us.
She said: I trust thee, friend. And she
thanked him sweetly, and then rose up and fell to
pacing the hall up and down. Leonard hung about
watching her a while, she nought forbidding him, for
her thoughts were elsewhere, and she had forgotten
him; and at last he went his ways to set about doing
what she would.
CHAPTER VIII. BIRDALONE FARES ON HER ADVENTURE
Dawn was but just beginning when Birdalone awoke,
and though she had not heard Leonard at the door,
she sprang out of bed and clad herself, doing on her
black gown; and she had a scrip with some bread therein,
and a sharp knife at her girdle. Then even as
she had done she heard the priest’s nail on
the door, and she turned thereto; but as she went,
her eye caught her bow and quiver of arrows where they
hung on the wall, so she took the bow in her hand and
slung the quiver over her shoulder ere she opened
the door and found Leonard standing there. Neither
of them spake aught, but they stole downstairs, and
so to the chapel and out by the priest’s door
and the postern in the wall-nook, and were presently
out in the fresh morning air; and Birdalone was joyous
and lightfoot, and scarce felt the earth beneath her
soles for pleasure of her hope, whereas she deemed
she had a thing to crave of the Stony Folk, if they
should come alive before her. Fain were she,
if she might withal, to give a joy to some other;
so that when they were gone but a little way from the
castle she reached out her hand to Leonard and took
his, and said: Hand in hand we walked when first
I went this way, and I deemed thee kind and friendly
then, and even so hast thou been sithence.
He was dumbfoundered at first for joy of the touch
of her hand and the sweetness of her words; but presently
he spake to her confused and stammering, and praised
her that she had thought to take her bow and arrows;
for, said he, that they might stand her in stead for
defence or for getting of food, or for an excuse for
wending the woods. She nodded yeasay unto him,
and bade him again to bide three days for her, and
if she came not again in that time, to make a clean
breast of it to Sir Aymeris.
