The moon shone out presently, little clouded, but he saw her not,
for though he strove to wake awhile, slumber soon overcame him,
and nothing waked him till the night was passing, nor did
he see aught of that company of which the lady had spoken,
and which in sooth came not.
CHAPTER 10
A Meeting and a Parting in the Wood Perilous
When the first glimmer of dawn was in the sky he awoke in
the fresh morning, and sat up and hearkened, for even as he woke
he had heard something, since wariness had made him wakeful.
Now he hears the sound of horse-hoofs on the hard road,
and riseth to his feet and goeth to the very edge of the copse;
looking thence he saw a rider who was just come to the very
crossing of the roads. The new comer was much muffled
in a wide cloak, but he seemed to be a man low of stature.
He peered all round about him as if to see if the way were clear,
and then alighted down from horseback and let the hood fall off
his head, and seemed pondering which way were the best to take.
By this time it was grown somewhat lighter and Ralph,
looking hard, deemed that the rider was a woman; so he stepped
forward lightly, and as he came on to the open sward about the way,
the new comer saw him and put a foot into the stirrup to mount,
but yet looked at him over the shoulder, and then presently left
the saddle and came forward a few steps as if to meet Ralph,
having cast the cloak to the ground.
Pages:
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83