登陆注册
5253600000106

第106章

The Fellowship Comes to Whiteness Two days thereafter the chapmen having done with their matters in Cheaping Knowe, whereas they must needs keep some of their wares for other places, and especially for Goldburg, they dight them to be gone and rode out a-gates of a mid-morning with banners displayed.

It was some fifty miles thence to Whiteness, which lay close underneath the mountains, and was, as it were, the door of the passes whereby men rode to Goldburg. The land which they passed through was fair, both of tillage and pasture, with much cattle therein.

Everywhere they saw men and women working afield, but no houses of worthy yeomen or vavassors, or cots of good husbandmen.

Here and there was a castle or strong-house, and here and there long rows of ugly hovels, or whiles houses, big tall and long, but exceeding foul and ill-favoured, such as Ralph had not yet seen the like of. And when he asked of Clement concerning all this, he said: "It is as I have told thee, that here be no freemen who work afield, nay, nor villeins either. All those whom ye have seen working have been bought and sold like to those whom we saw standing on the Stone in the market of Cheaping Knowe, or else were born of such cattle, and each one of them can be bought and sold again, and they work not save under the whip.

And as for those hovels and the long and foul houses, they are the stables wherein this kind of cattle is harboured."

Then Ralph's heart sank, and he said: "Master Clement, I prithee tell me; were it possible that the damsel whom I seek may be come to such a pass as one of these?"

"Nay," quoth Clement, "that is little like to be; such goodly wares are kept for the adornment of great men's houses.

True it is that whiles the house-thralls be sent into the fields for their punishment; yet not such as she, unless the master be wholly wearied of them, or if their wrath outrun their wits; for it is more to the master's profit to chastise them at home; so keep a good heart I bid thee, and maybe we shall have tidings at Whiteness."

So Ralph refrained his anxious heart, though forsooth his thought was much upon the damsel and of how she was faring.

It was not till the third day at sunset that they came to Whiteness; for on the last day of their riding they came amongst the confused hills that lay before the great mountains, which were now often hidden from their sight; but whenever they appeared through the openings of the near hills, they seemed very great and terrible; dark and bare and stony; and Clement said that they were little better than they looked from afar. As to Whiteness, they saw it a long way off, as it lay on a long ridge at the end of a valley: and so long was the ridge, that behind it was nothing green; naught but the huge and bare mountains. The westering sun fell upon its walls and its houses, so that it looked white indeed against those great cliffs and crags; though, said Clement, that these were yet a good way off. Now when, after a long ride from the hither end of the valley, they drew nigh to the town, Ralph saw that the walls and towers were not very high or strong, for so steep was the hill whereon the town stood, that it needed not.

Here also was no great castle within the town as at Cheaping Knowe, and the town itself nothing so big, but long and straggling along the top of the ridge. Cheaping Knowe was all builded of stone; but the houses here were of timber for the most part, done over with pargeting and whitened well. Yet was the town more cheerful of aspect than Cheaping Knowe, and the folk who came thronging about the chapmen at the gates not so woe-begone, and goodly enough.

Of the lord of Whiteness, Clement told that he paid tribute to him of Cheaping Knowe, rather for love of peace than for fear of him; for he was no ill lord, and free men lived well under him.

So the chapmen lodged in the market-place; and in two days time Ralph got speech of the Deacon of the Chapmen of the Town; who told him two matters; first that the lord of Utterbol had not been in Whiteness these six months; and next that the wild man had verily brought the damsel into the market; but he had turned away thence suddenly with her, without bringing her to the stone, and that it was most like that he would have the lord of Utterbol buy her; who, since he would be deeming that he might easily bend her to his will, would give him the better penny for her.

"At the last," quoth the Deacon, "the wild man led her away toward the mountain pass that goeth to Goldburg, the damsel and he alone, and she with her hands unbound and riding a little horse."

Of these tidings Ralph deemed it good that all traces of her were not lost; but his heart misgave him when he thought that by this time she must surely be in the hands of the lord of Utterbol.

同类推荐
  • Marquise de Brinvilliers

    Marquise de Brinvilliers

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 上清金真玉光八景飞经

    上清金真玉光八景飞经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 词说

    词说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 答洛阳主人

    答洛阳主人

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 元丰九域志

    元丰九域志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 内经知要

    内经知要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 快穿之男主又来要名分

    快穿之男主又来要名分

    颜如玉发现,自从她开始快穿后,除了越来越美越来越牛,好像还越来越忍不住要黑化?直到某人凑到了她眼前,不顾她的逃避和躲闪,将她强势搂入怀中——“你美着就好,其他的,我来。”当某人笑嘻嘻问:“为什么后来每回你都能一下子把我认出来?是因为我太帅?还是你对我太爱?”颜如玉面无表情推开这个粘人的家伙:“因为那么多人里面,就!你!最!浪!”1V1宠文,身心干净~~放心入坑~……新书【男主怎么老崩坏】延续多多的故事~完结坑【逆天小凤妃:上神,独家宠】【异能系统:男神,撩上瘾】欢迎移步~~书友裙半缘修道半缘君群号1,2,7,3,0,7,1,5,有缘千里来相会,么么哒~
  • 羽逆轩辕

    羽逆轩辕

    重生异界,是机缘巧合,还是冥冥注定?神秘玉佩,到底藏着怎样的玄机?血与火的磨练,情与恨的纠缠,现实与梦境的交织,宿命中的相遇,到底在暗示着什么?当天下苍生与一己私利,他会如何抉择?大陆将变,看他如何力挽狂澜,还大陆安宁!
  • 心灵甘泉·自然与人生

    心灵甘泉·自然与人生

    德富芦花以“美的农民”的身份,将自己的全部身心融入大自然中,践行着自己“自耕自食,晴耕雨读”的生活理念。其作品以独特的观点探讨社会与个人、自然与人类等主题,被定为近代日本国民实行“情感教育”的通读书目。读本书,你可以随着德富芦花的文笔,走近散发着泥土芳香的原野,白云缱绻的天空,长满花草的山岗,清澈见底的小溪。在以文字点染大自然的山野林木、霜晨月夜、倒影炊烟的同时,并不忘人生的现实一面。
  • 正心

    正心

    以小说的形式解读儒家思想。儒家的主题不是诗词歌赋,而是仁义礼智信。
  • 御龙武仙

    御龙武仙

    龙衍大陆,无比辽阔,浩瀚无边。百族争雄,战事不断。弱者受人欺凌,强者掌控弱者的命运。
  • 宽度

    宽度

    一个人纵然不能决定自己的人生长度,但至少可以拓展自己人生的宽度。——题记一八年前的同一天。周平是带着一颗失落的心离开家的,今天她怀着八年前同样的心情又回到了这座当初令她痛心疾首的城市。当年,她是坐着火车离开的,今天也是。所不同的是,当初她是带着愤懑和希望出走的,今天心里却只有绝望!火车在隆隆的轰鸣中颠簸着,而此时周平的心里却平静如水。自从得知自己得了宫颈癌晚期,经过一个星期的震惊、彷徨、萎靡,已从极度的绝望中渐渐摆脱了出来。
  • 杭商故事Ⅲ

    杭商故事Ⅲ

    本书收录50余篇刊发于《每日商报》的企业家报道,每篇介绍一位杭州企业家的创业故事。这些企业家来自各行各业,从制造业、服务业、纺织业到互联网行业等等,通过介绍他们的奋斗心路和企业发展壮大历程,弘扬创新奋进的精神。
  • 食道升仙

    食道升仙

    大道三千,做饭也是一种修行。花小宓从小千世界闯到大千世界,也只是为了尝到更多的美食,食道亦可升仙!花小宓(fú),二声,通“伏”ps:正统修仙,美食修仙,升级流,前期慢热偷偷告诉你们,我建了个群,683341408
  • 被渣后魔帝他偏执了

    被渣后魔帝他偏执了

    凤天国神女一朝穿越成白家庶女五小姐,她一心只想变强复仇,谁料却突然桃花朵朵开,其中一位还是魔帝,神女与魔族势不两立,于是她渣了魔帝,万万没想到魔帝被渣后回来不是要找她报仇,而是……