idril 's power of foreseeing and her foreboding of evil to come ; the secret way of her devising ( but in the tale this led south from the city , and the eagles ' cleft was in the southern mountains ) ; the loss of meglin in the hills while seeking for ore ; his capture by orcs , his treacherous purchase of life , and his return to gondolin to avert suspicion ( with the detail of his changed mood thereafter and 'smiling face ' ) -- all this remained .