The Night Land

. Now, I walked then, maybe twenty good miles, before I came to my own

home; for there was no rest in me all that night, or ever, because that

I was grown deadly in love of Mirdath the Beautiful; and all my spirit

and heart and body of me pained with the dreadful loss that I was come

so sudden upon.

And for a great week I had my walks in another direction; but in the end

of that week, I must take my walk along the olden way, that I might

chance to have but a sight of My Lady. And, truly, I had all sight that

ever man did need to put him in dread pain and jealousy; for, truly, as

I came in view of the gap, there was the Lady Mirdath walking just

without the borders of the great wood; and beside her there walked the

clever-drest man of the Court, and she suffered his arm around her, so

that I knew they were lovers; for the Lady Mirdath had no brothers nor

any youthful men kin.

Yet, when Mirdath saw me upon the road, she shamed in a moment to be so

caught; for she put her lover's arm from about her, and bowed to me, a

little changed of colour in the face; and I bowed very low--being but a

young man myself--; and so passed on, with my heart very dead in me. And

as I went, I saw that her lover came again to her, and had his arm once

more about her; and so, maybe, they looked after me, as I went very

stiff and desperate; but, indeed, I looked not back on them, as you may

think. And for a great month then, I went not near to the gap; for my love

raged in me, and I was hurt in my pride; and, truly, neither had a true

justice been dealt to me by the Lady Mirdath. Yet in that month, my love

was a leaven in me, and made slowly a sweetness and a tenderness and an

understanding that were not in me before; and truly Love and Pain do

shape the Character of Man.

And in the end of that time, I saw a little way into Life, with an

understanding heart, and began presently to take my walks again past the

gap; but truly Mirdath the Beautiful was never to my sight; though one

evening I thought she might be not a great way off; for one of her great

boar-hounds came out of the wood, and down into the road to nose against

me, very friendly, as a dog oft doth with me.