The Forest Lovers

She ceased her crying at this and looked him full in the face, deadly

pale. "What is the truth to you concerning me?" she said.

He answered her, "The truth is everything, for without it nothing can

have good beginning or good ending."

This made her meek again and her eyes misty. She held out a hand to

him, saying, "Come into the night, and I will tell my lord."

He took it. Hand-in-hand they went out of the cottage, and hand-in-

hand stood together alone under the sky. It was still black and heavy

weather, but without rain. Isoult dropped his hand and stood before

him. She shut her arms over her breast so that her two wrists crossed

at her throat. Looking full at him from under her brows she said-"By God and His Christ, and Saint Mary, and by the face of the sky, I

will tell you the truth, lord. If the witch's wax be not as abominable

as the witch, or the vessel not foul that hath held a foul liquor,

then thou couldst never point scorn at me."

"Speak openly to me, my child," said Prosper, "and fear nothing."

So she said, "I will speak openly. I am no witch, albeit I have seen

witchcraft and the revelry of witches on Deerleap. And though I have

seen evil also I am a maiden, my lord, and such as you would have your

own sister to be before she were wed."

But Prosper put her from him at an arm's-length. He was not yet

satisfied.

"What was thy meaning then," he asked, "to say that thou wouldst be

that which thou wert not?" He could not bring himself to use the word

which she had used; but she used it again.

"Ah, clean!" she said with a weary gesture. "Lord, how shall I be

clean in this place? Or how shall I be clean when all say that I am

unclean, and so use towards me?" She began to cry again, quite

silently. Prosper could hear the drips fall from her cheeks to her

breast, but no other sound. She began to moan in her trouble--"Ah, no,

no, no!" she whispered, "I would not wed with thee, I dare not wed

with thee."

"Why not?" said Prosper.

"I dare not, I dare not!" she answered through her teeth, and he felt

her trembling under his hand. He thought before he spoke again. Then

he said-"I have vowed a vow to my saint that I will save you, soul and body;

and if it can be done only by a wedding, then we will be married, you

and I, Isoult. But if by battle I can serve your case as well, and rid

the suspicion and save your neck, why, I will do battle."