about two hours after noon
Amidmost of the Dale a little toward the north end he saw a doom-ring of black stones , and hard by it an ancient hall builded of the same black stone both wall and roof , and thitherward was Sure-foot now running . Face-of-god looked up and down the Dale and could see no break in the wall of sheer rock : toward the southern end he saw a few booths and cots built roughly of stone and thatched with turf ; thereabout he saw a few folk moving about , the most of whom seemed to be women and children ; there were some sheep and lambs near these cots , and a herd of fifty or so of somewhat goodly mountain-kine were feeding higher up the valley . He could look down into the river from where he stood , and he saw that it ran between rocky banks going straight down from the face of the meadow , which was rather high above the water , so that it seemed little likely that the water should rise over its banks , either in summer or winter ; and in summer was it like to be highest , because the vale was so near to the high mountains and their snows . IT was now about two hours after noon , and a broad band of sunlight lay upon the grass of the vale below Gold-mane 's feet ; he went lightly down the scree , and strode forward over the level grass toward the Doom-ring , his helm and war-gear glittering bright in the sun . He must needs go through the Doom-ring to come to the Hall , and as he stepped out from behind the last of the big upright-stones , he saw a woman standing on the threshold of the Hall-door , which was but some score of paces from him , and knew her at once for the Friend . She was clad like himself in a green kirtle gaily embroidered and fitting close to her body , and had no gown or cloak over it ; she had a golden fillet on her head beset with blue mountain stones , and her hair hung loose behind her . Her beauty was so exceeding , and so far beyond all memory of her that his mind had held , that once more fear of her fell upon Face-of-god , and he stood still with beating heart till she should speak to him .