Cast on thy raiment, and eat and strengthen thyself for the day's work.
Hast thou looked well on the mountains?" "Yea," said Ralph,
"and the sight of them has made me as little downhearted as thou art.
For thou art joyous of mood this morning." David nodded and smiled,
and looked so merry that Ralph wondered what was toward.
Then he went into his tent and clad himself, and ate his breakfast,
and then gat to horse and rode betwixt two of the men-at-arms,
he and Otter; for David was ridden forward to speak with the Lord.
Otter talked ever gaily enough; but Ralph heeded him little a while,
but had his eyes ever on the mountains, and could see that for all
they were so dark, and filled up so much of the eastward heaven,
they were so far away that he could see but little of them save
that they were dark blue and huge, and one rising up behind the other.
Thus they rode the down country, till at last, two hours before noon,
coming over the brow of a long down, they had before them
a shallow dale, pleasanter than aught they had yet seen.
It was well-grassed, and a little river ran through it,
from which went narrow leats held up by hatches, so that the more
part of the valley bottom was a water-meadow, wherein as now were
grazing many kine and sheep. There were willows about the banks
of the river, and in an ingle of it stood a grange or homestead,
with many roofs half hidden by clumps of tall old elm trees.
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