Their labour was nowise irksome to them, since Ralph was deft
in all manner of sports and crafts, such as up-country folk follow,
and though he were a king's son, he had made a doughty yeoman:
and as for Ursula, she also was country-bred, of a lineage
of field-folk, and knew all the manners of the fields.
Withal in whatsoever way it were, they loved each other dearly,
and all kind of speech flowed freely betwixt them.
Sooth to say, Ralph, taking heed of Ursula, deemed that she
were fain to love him bodily, and he wotted well by now,
that, whatever had befallen, he loved her, body and soul.
Yet still was that fear of her naysay lurking in his heart,
if he should kiss her, or caress her, as a man with a maid.
Therefore he forbore, though desire of her tormented him
grievously at whiles.
They wore their armour but little now, save when they were about
some journey wherein was peril of wild beasts. Ursula had dight
her some due woman's raiment betwixt her knight's surcoat
and doe-skins which they had gotten, so that it was not unseemly
of fashion. As for their horses, they but seldom backed them,
but used them to draw stuff to their rock-house on sledges,
which they made of tree-boughs; so that the beasts grew fat,
feeding on the grass of the valley and the wild-oats withal,
which grew at the upper end of the bight of the valley,
toward the northern mountains, where the ground was sandy.
No man they saw, nor any signs of man, nor had they seen any
save the Sage, since those riders of Utterbol had vanished
before them into the night.
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