But he stood still, gazing on her in wonderment, and now she wasdrawn near to him she stood still before him, panting. Then he said:"Nay, Lady, for this night there was no need of thy disguising thee, to-morrow it had been soon enough."
She said: "I were fain if thou wouldst take my hand, and lead meback to our resting-place."
Even so he did, and as their palms met he felt how her hand loved him,and a flood of sweetness swept over his heart, and made an end of all itssoreness. But he led her quietly back again to their place. Then sheturned to him and said: "Now art thou the woodland god again, and thecourtier no more; so now will I worship thee." And she knelt downbefore him, and embraced his knees and kissed them; but he drew her upto him, and cast his arms about her, and kissed her face many times, andsaid: "Now art thou the poor captive again."
She said: "Now hast thou forgiven me; but I will tell thee that mywilfulness and folly was not all utterly feigned; though when I was aboutit I longed for thee to break it down with the fierceness of a man, and bidme look to it how helpless I was, and thou how strong and my onlydefence. Not utterly feigned it was: for I will say it, that I was grieved tothe heart when I bethought me of Meadhamstead and the seat of myfathers. What sayest thou then? Shalt thou be ever a woodman in thesethickets, and a follower of Jack of the Tofts? If so thou wilt, it is well."
He took her by the shoulders and bent her backwards to kiss her, andheld her up above the earth in his arms, waving her this way and that, tillshe felt how little and light she was in his grasp, though she was no punywoman; then he set her on her feet again, and laughed in her face, and said:"Sweetling, let to-morrow bring counsel. But now let it all be: thouhast said it, thou art weary; so now will I dight thee a bed of our mantles,and thou shalt lie thee down, and I shall watch thee as thou badest me."
Therewith he went about, and plucked armfuls of the young bracken,and made a bed wide and soft, and spread the mantles thereover.
But she stood awhile looking on him; then she said: "Dost thou thinkto punish me for my wilful folly, and to shame me by making me speak tothee?"
"Nay," he said, "it is not so."
She said: "I am not shamed in that I say to thee: if thou watch thisnight, I will watch by thee; and if I lie down to rest this night, thou shaltlie by me. For my foemen have given me to thee, and now shalt thou give thyself to me."
So he drew near to her shyly, like unto one who hath been forgiven.And there was their bridal bed, and nought but the oak boughs betwixtthem and the bare heavens.