登陆注册
5253600000167

第167章

Great joy they made together, and the wardens set meat and drink before the guests, and they ate and drank and were of good cheer.

But the elder who had brought them from Chestnut-dale said:

"Dear friends, I have told you that these two young men are my grand-children, and they are the sons of this man and woman whom ye see; for the man is my son. And so it is, that amongst us the care of the Quest of the Well at the World's End hath for long been the heritage of our blood, going with us from father to son.

Therefore is it naught wonderful, though I have been sundry times at this house, and have learned about the place all that may be learned. For my father brought me hither when I was yet a boy; that time it was that I saw the last man of whom we know for sure that he drank of the Water of the Well, and he was that old hoar man like unto me, but, as I said, far weaker in all wise; but when he came back to us from the Well he was strong and stalwart, and a better man than I am now; and I heard him tell his name to my father, that he was called the Sage of Swevenham."

Ralph looked on Ursula and said: "Yea, father, and it was through him that we had our lore concerning the way hither; and it was he that bade us abide your coming in the rock-house of the Vale of Sweet-chestnuts."

"Then he is alive still," said the elder. Said Ralph:

"Yea, and as fair and strong an old man as ye may lightly see."

"Yea, yea," said the elder, "and yet fifty years ago his course seemed run."

Then said Ralph: "Tell me, father, have none of your own folk sought to the Well at the World's End?" "Nay, none," said the elder.

Said Ralph: "That is strange, whereas ye are so nigh thereto, and have such abundant lore concerning the way."

"Son," said the elder, "true it is that the water of that Well shall cause a man to thrive in all ways, and to live through many generations of men, maybe, in honour and good-liking; but it may not keep any man alive for ever; for so have the Gods given us the gift of death lest we weary of life.

Now our folk live well and hale, and without the sickness and pestilence, such as I have heard oft befall folk in other lands: even as I heard the Sage of Swevenham say, and I wondered at his words. Of strife and of war also we know naught: nor do we desire aught which we may not easily attain to.

Therefore we live long, and we fear the Gods if we should strive to live longer, lest they should bring upon us war and sickness, and over-weening desire, and weariness of life.

Moreover it is little that all of us should seek to the Well at the World's End; and those few that sought and drank should be stronger and wiser than the others, and should make themselves earthly gods, and, maybe, should torment the others of us and make their lives a very burden to be borne.

Of such matters are there tales current amongst us that so it hath been of yore and in other lands; and ill it were if such times came back upon us."

Ralph hung his head and was silent; for the joy of the Quest seemed dying out as the old man's words dropped slowly from his mouth.

But he smiled upon Ralph and went on: "But for you, guests, it is otherwise, for ye of the World beyond the Mountains are stronger and more godlike than we, as all tales tell; and ye wear away your lives desiring that which ye may scarce get; and ye set your hearts on high things, desiring to be masters of the very Gods. Therefore ye know sickness and sorrow, and oft ye die before your time, so that ye must depart and leave undone things which ye deem ye were born to do; which to all men is grievous. And because of all this ye desire healing and thriving, whether good come of it, or ill.

Therefore ye do but right to seek to the Well at the World's End, that ye may the better accomplish that which behoveth you, and that ye may serve your fellows and deliver them from the thralldom of those that be strong and unwise and unkind, of whom we have heard strange tales."

Ralph reddened as he spake, and Ursula looked on him anxiously, but that talk dropped for the present, and they fell to talking of lighter and more familiar matters.

Thereafter they wandered about the woods with the wardens and the way-leaders, and the elder brought them to the ancient altar in the wood whereon the Sorceress had offered up the goat; and the howe of the woman dight with the necklace of the Quest whom the Lady found dead in the snow; and the place nigh the house where the Sorceress used to torment her thrall that was afterwards the Lady of Abundance; yea, and they went further afield till they came to the Vale of Lore, and the Heath above it where they met, the King's Son and the Lady.

All these and other places were now become as hallowed ground to the Innocent People, and to Ralph no less.

In the house, moreover, was a fair ark wherein they kept matters which had belonged to the Lady, as her shoes and her smock, wrapped in goodly cloth amidst well-smelling herbs; and these things they worshipped as folk do with relics of the saints.

In another ark also they showed the seekers a book wherein was written lore concerning the Well, and the way thereto.

But of this book had the Sage forewarned Ralph and his mate, and had bidden them look to it that they should read in it, and no otherwhere than at that ancient altar in the wood, they two alone, and clad in such-like gear as they wore when they hearkened to his reading by his hermitage.

And so it was that they found the due raiment in the ark along with the book. Therefore day after day betimes in the morning they bore the said book to the altar and read therein, till they had learned much wisdom.

Thus they did for eight days, and on the ninth they rested and were merry with their hosts: but on the tenth day they mounted their horses and said farewell, and departed by the ways they had learned of, they two alone.

And they had with them bread and meal, as much as they might bear, and water-skins moreover, that they might fill them at the last sweet water before they came to the waterless desert.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 问剑征天

    问剑征天

    道有千条万道,剑有千变万化,幽幽指弹人间情,不过三两声。若以白刃断命织,从何起剑?剑仙三声笑来,自为人间潇洒。子孝请雷惊天,亦使苍天低眉。月影萧声悠扬,低眉掩含杀机。玉楼倩影弄舞,软香胜过天仙。痴剑着利身伤,入意三分天绝。天道苍茫,触不及,望无边,敢与剑问。
  • 吴陆争霸

    吴陆争霸

    吴大陆,距今有5000年的历史,谁来揭开他神秘而古老的面纱?战国分崩的时代,吴陆会迎来一个真正的大一统帝君吗?他将会给吴陆带来怎样的变化,选择怎样的结局?金戈铁马,气吞万里如虎;铁骨铮铮,笑傲吴陆春秋!
  • 双轮月

    双轮月

    寞,你是来代替我存活这个时空吗?我变成了你的影子?你不要走,你一走我的身体就开始分散了。寞,你的那个时空是什么样子的?难道我存在的这个时空是假的吗?突然好想去到你存在的那个时空。寞,月亮又圆了,你又开始了你的祭拜吗?你在为谁祭拜?我吗?
  • 千古圣人:孔子(创造历史的风云人物)

    千古圣人:孔子(创造历史的风云人物)

    古往今来,有多少中外名人不断地涌现在人们的目光里,这些出类拔萃、彪炳千古、流芳百世的名人中,有家国天下的政治家,有叱咤风云的军事家,有超乎凡人的思想家,有妙笔生花的文学家,有造福人类的科学家,有想象非凡的艺术家……他们永远不会被人们忘记!本书遴选了人类历史上最富影响力、最具个性的名人——千古圣人孔子,作者结合青少年的阅读习惯,用生动活泼、严谨细腻的笔触向读者介绍了这些世界知名人士的生平故事、理想追求和光辉业绩,为广大读者描绘了一幅幅极具传奇色彩而又引人入胜的名人人生画卷,是青少年学生最佳的成长伴侣。
  • 实用金融文书写作大全

    实用金融文书写作大全

    本书详细介绍了金融文书的种类及写作方法,实用客观,案例丰富,一书在手,别无所求!
  • 狂妃权倾天下

    狂妃权倾天下

    她是相府嫡出的小姐,圣上特封的公主。却因从小体弱多病,又没有习武天赋,被父亲冷落。爹爹不疼,姨娘欺凌,姐妹算计,最终惨死在独门小院,身体差点就被炼成傀儡。她行踪诡异,杀伐果断,是世界杀手之王,却因一块血玉让她的灵魂穿越。杀手之王成为相府千金那日,风云变换,星象紊乱,护国神兽惶惶不安,国师开坛问卜不得其要却遭反噬。百姓传言天人下凡,故不可窥探也……她要的很简单,来去自如的世界,俯首称臣的众生,恩爱无双的男人。且看无能草包,如何扶摇九天。...--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 大机场

    大机场

    美军上尉安迪史密斯,是荣获美国国会勋章的空中英雄;家住大机场边上孙林盘的静姝,是美丽善良的大二女生,二人偶然邂逅,虽然文化背景迥异,却倾心相爱。静姝只知安迪驾驶的B-29飞机轰炸日本后坠毁在太湖上空,却不知造成飞机爆炸的罪魁是追求过她的双面间谍、军统特派员杨国雄。她不顾父亲的坚决反对,远走他乡,生下了安迪的骨血孙少安。安迪等蒙难的美军飞行员,在孙林盘人氏、国军敌后别动队队长尹朴修的营救和护送下,历尽艰险,历时五个月,终于回到大后方的新津机场时,所见到的却是静姝“暴病身亡”的坟墓。
  • 神级反派系统

    神级反派系统

    叶轩穿越了,却悲催的发现自己穿成了大反派,满世界的主角全都是他的敌人。不过没关系,我有系统在身,主角们,给我等着!
  • 小八义

    小八义

    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。
  • 七域修真证品图

    七域修真证品图

    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。