An hour after noon
Wherefore now is the City of the Five Crafts handy to us ; because when thou hast done with us , as I hope it may be long first , then are we others nigh home , and may all simply wend our way thither . Birdalone thanked him again full heartily ; but therewithal as they rode along there seemed to stir in her some memory of the earliest of her days in the witch 's house , and she began to have a longing to betake her to Utterhay and the skirts of Evilshaw . THUS rode they along and loitered not , though they talked blithely together ; and Birdalone wondered to herself that she might so much as hold up her head for bitter thoughts of the days and the longings but late passed away , but so it was , that it was only now and again that they stung her into despair and silence , and for the most part she hearkened to the talk of the old man and the lads about the days of Greenford and the alarms of lifting and unpeace , and the ways of the chapmen and the craftsmen . An hour after noon they rested in a little dale of the downland where was a pool and three thorn-bushes thereby ; and when they had lighted down , the old man knelt before Birdalone and took her hand , and swore himself her man to do her will , whatso it were ; and then he stood up and bade his sons do likewise ; so they two knelt before her in turn , somewhat shy and abashed , for all that they were such stout , bold fellows , and found it hard to take her hand , and then when they had it in theirs , hard to let it go again . A score of miles and five they rode that day , and had no roof over them at night save the naked heaven , but to Birdalone that was but little scathe : they made a shift to have some fire by them , and the three men sat long about it that even while Birdalone told them somewhat of her life ; and as she told of the House under the Wood and the Great Water , Gerard had some inkling of whereabouts it was ; but was nought so sure , because , as abovesaid in this tale , seldom did any from the world of men venture in Evilshaw , or know of the Great Water from its banks that gave unto the forest . In like wise they rode the next day , and came at eventide to a thorp in a fair little dale of the downland , and there they guested with the shepherd-folk , who wondered much at the beauty of Birdalone , so that at first they scarce durst venture to draw nigh unto her until Gerard and his sons had had some familiar converse with them ; then indeed they exceeded in kindness toward them , in their rough upland fashion , but ever found it hard to keep their eyes off Birdalone , and that the more after they had heard the full sweetness of her voice ; whereas she sang to them certain songs which she had learned in the Castle of the Quest , though it made her heart sore ; but she deemed she must needs pay that kindly folk for their guestful and blithe ways . And thereafter they sang to the pipe and the harp their own downland songs ; and this she found strange , that whereas her eyes were dry when she was singing the songs of love of the knighthood , the wildness of the shepherd-music drew the tears from her , would she , would she not .