He hung his head a while as they stood there face to face, for both ofthem had arisen from the board; but presently he looked up to her with glittering eyes, and said: "Yea, for an hour or two; why then do we tarryand linger, and say what we have no will to say, and refrain from what ourhearts bid us?"
Therewith he caught hold of her right wrist, and laid his hand on herleft shoulder, and this first time that he had touched her, it was as if a fireran through all his body and changed it into the essence of her: neitherwas there any naysay in her eyes, nor any defence against him in theyielding body of her. But even in that nick of time he drew back a little,and turned his head, as a man listening, toward the door, and said: "Hist!hist! Dost thou hear, maiden?" She turned deadly pale: "O what is it?What is it? Yea, I hear; it is horses drawing nigh, and the sound of houndsbaying. But may it not be thy fellows coming back?"
"Nay, nay," he said; "they rode not in armour. Hark to it! and thesehounds are deep-voiced sleuth-dogs! But come now, there may yet betime."
He turned, and caught up axe and shield from off the wall, and drewher toward a window that looked to the north, and peered out of it warily;but turned back straightway, and said: "Nay, it is too late that way, theyare all round about the house. Maiden, get thou up into the solar by thisstair, and thou wilt find hiding-place behind the traverse of the bed; and ifthey go away, and my fellows come in due time, then art thou safe. Butif not, surely they shall do thee no hurt; for I think, indeed, that thou artsome great one."
And he fell to striding down the hall toward the door; but she ran afterhim, and caught his arm, and said: "Nay, nay, I will not hide, to bedragged out of my refuge like a thief: thou sayest well that I am of thegreat; I will stand by thee and command and forbid as a Queen. O go notto the door! Stay by me, stay!"
"Nay, nay," he said, "there is nought for it but the deed of arms. Look!seest thou not steel by the porch?"
And therewith he broke from her and ran to the door, and was metupon the very threshold by all-armed men, upon whom he fell withoutmore ado, crying out: "For the Tofts! For the Tofts! The woodman to therescue!" And he hewed right and left on whatsoever was before him, so that what fell not, gave back, and for a moment of time he cleared theporch; but in that nick of time his axe brake on the basnet of a huge man-at-arms, and they all thrust them on him together and drave him back intothe hall, and came bundling after him in a heap. But he drave his shieldat one, and then with his right hand smote another on the bare face, so thathe rolled over and stirred no more till the day of doom. Then was there aweapon before him, might he have stooped to pick it up; but he might not;so he caught hold of a sturdy but somewhat short man by the collar andthe lap of his leather surcoat, and drew aback, and with a mighty heavecast him on the rout of them, who for their parts had drawn back a littlealso, as if he had been a huge stone, and down went two before thatartillery; and they set up a great roar of wonder and fear. But he followedthem, and this time got an axe in his hand, so mazed they were by hisonset, and he hewed at them again and drave them aback to the thresholdof the door: but could get them no further, and they began to handle longspears to thrust at him.
But then came forward a knight, no mickle man, but clad in verygoodly armour, with a lion beaten in gold on his green surcoat; this mansmote up the spears, and made the men go back a little, while he stood onthe threshold; so Christopher saw that he would parley with him, andforbore him, and the knight spake: "Thou youngling, art thou mad? Whatdoest thou falling on my folk?"
"And what do ye," said Christopher fiercely, "besetting the houses offolk with weapons? Now wilt thou take my life. But I shall yet slay one ortwo before I die. Get thee back, lord, or thou shalt be the first."
But the knight, who had no weapon in his hand, said: "We come butto seek our own, and that is our Lady of Meadham, who dwelleth atGreenharbour by her own will. And if thou wilt stand aside thou maystgo free to the devil for us."
Now would Christopher have shouted and fallen on, and gone to hisdeath there and then; but even therewith a voice, clear and sweet, spake atthe back of him, and said: "Thou kind host, do thou stand aside and let usspeak that which is needful." And therewith stepped forth Goldilind andstood beside Christopher, and said: "Sir Burgreve, we rode forth to drink the air yesterday, and went astray amidst the wild-wood, and were belated,so that we must needs lie down under the bare heaven; but this morningwe happened on this kind forester, who gave us to eat, and took us to hishouse and gave us meat and drink; for which it were seemlier to rewardhim than threaten him. Now it is our pleasure that ye lead us back toGreenharbour; but as for this youth, that ye do him no hurt, but let him gofree, according to thy word spoken e'en now, Sir Burgreve."
She spake slowly and heavily, as one who hath a lesson to say, and itwas to be seen of her that all grief was in her heart, though her words werequeenly. Some of them that heard laughed; but the Burgreve spake, andsaid: "Lady, we will do thy will in part, for we will lead thee toGreenharbour in all honour; but as to this young man, if he will not beslain here and now, needs must he with us. For he hath slain two of ourmen outright, and hath hurt many, and, methinks, the devil of the woods isin his body. So do thou bid him be quiet, if thou wouldst not see hisblood flow."
She turned a pale unhappy face on Christopher, and said: "My friend,we bid thee withstand them no more, but let them do with thee as theywill."
Christopher stood aside therewith, and sat down on a bench andlaughed, and said in a high voice: "Stout men-at-arms, forsooth, to take amaid's kirtle to their shield."
But therewith the armed men poured into the hall, and a half dozen ofthe stoutest came up unto Christopher where he sat, and bound his handswith their girdles, and he withstood them no whit, but sat laughing in theirfaces, and made as if it were all a Yule-tide game. But inwardly his heartburned with anger, and with love of that sweet Lady.
Then they made him stand up, and led him without the house, and sethim on a horse, and linked his feet together under the belly thereof. Andwhen that was done he saw them lead out the Lady, and they set her in ahorse litter, and then the whole troop rode off together, with two menriding on either side of the said litter. In this wise they left Littledale.