登陆注册
5390600000037

第37章 CHAPTER XXII: (2)

Walter stood over him a minute, and when be saw that he moved not, he went slowly down to the stream, whereby the Maid yet lay cowering down and quivering all over, and covering her face with her hands.

Then he took her by the wrist and said: "Up, Maiden, up! and tell me this tale of the slaying."

But she shrunk away from him, and looked at him with wild eyes, and said: "What hast thou done with him? Is he gone?"

"He is dead," said Walter; "I have slain him; there lies he with cloven skull on the bent-side: unless, forsooth, he vanish away like the lion I slew! or else, perchance, he will come to life again! And art thou a lie like to the rest of them? let me hear of this slaying."

She rose up, and stood before him trembling, and said: "O, thou art angry with me, and thine anger I cannot bear. Ah, what have I done?

Thou hast slain one, and I, maybe, the other; and never had we escaped till both these twain were dead. Ah! thou dost not know! thou dost not know! O me! what shall I do to appease thy wrath!"

He looked on her, and his heart rose to his mouth at the thought of sundering from her. Still he looked on her, and her piteous friendly face melted all his heart; he threw down his sword, and took her by the shoulders, and kissed her face over and over, and strained her to him, so that he felt the sweetness of her bosom.

Then he lifted her up like a child, and set her down on the green grass, and went down to the water, and filled his hat therefrom, and came back to her; then he gave her to drink, and bathed her face and her hands, so that the colour came aback to the cheeks and lips of her: and she smiled on him and kissed his hands, and said: "O now thou art kind to me."

"Yea," said he, "and true it is that if thou hast slain, I have done no less, and if thou hast lied, even so have I; and if thou hast played the wanton, as I deem not that thou hast, I full surely have so done. So now thou shalt pardon me, and when thy spirit has come back to thee, thou shalt tell me thy tale in all friendship, and in all loving-kindness will I hearken the same."

Therewith he knelt before her and kissed her feet. But she said:

"Yea, yea; what thou willest, that will I do. But first tell me one thing. Hast thou buried this horror and hidden him in the earth?"

He deemed that fear had bewildered her, and that she scarcely yet knew how things had gone. But he said: "Fair sweet friend, I have not done it as yet; but now will I go and do it, if it seem good to thee."

"Yea," she said, "but first must thou smite off his head, and lie it by his buttocks when he is in the earth; or evil things will happen else. This of the burying is no idle matter, I bid thee believe."

"I doubt it not," said he; "surely such malice as was in this one will be hard to slay." And he picked up his sword, and turned to go to the field of deed.

She said: "I must needs go with thee; terror hath so filled my soul, that I durst not abide here without thee."

So they went both together to where the creature lay. The Maid durst not look on the dead monster, but Walter noted that he was girt with a big ungainly sax; so he drew it from the sheath, and there smote off the hideous head of the fiend with his own weapon.

Then they twain together laboured the earth, she with Walter's sword, he with the ugly sax, till they had made a grave deep and wide enough; and therein they thrust the creature, and covered him up, weapons and all together.

同类推荐
  • 明伦汇编宫闱典乳保部

    明伦汇编宫闱典乳保部

    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。
  • 沈氏宣炉小志

    沈氏宣炉小志

    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。
  • 六十种曲红梨记

    六十种曲红梨记

    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。
  • 佛说金刚般若波罗蜜经略疏

    佛说金刚般若波罗蜜经略疏

    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。
  • 长阿含经

    长阿含经

    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。
热门推荐
  • 最后一个炼金师

    最后一个炼金师

    天启者降临,钢铁臣服于他的意志,火焰奉他为主宰,世界在他的力量面前颤抖。他将拯救一切苦难,他将天堂带到人间—《天启预言》贤者尼雅发布预言后,整个世界都为之骚动,怪物和人类都在寻找天启者。同一时间。罗森,物理系高材生,一不小心穿越到一个怪物肆虐、黑暗蒙昧的异界。在异界,他仍旧继承了牛顿牛老爵爷的衣钵,光荣地成为了一个......炼金学徒。有人说:‘牛顿是近代世界第一个科学家,也是蒙昧时代最后一位炼金师’。有诗曰:‘天不生牛顿,万古如长夜’。罗森发现,在异界,他也许......有可能......有机会把‘牛顿’这两个字替换成自己的名字。
  • 眸光恰似见星河

    眸光恰似见星河

    卖个东西而已嘛,虽然卖的东西比较特殊,可为啥遇到了这么个冰山男人?而且,还一不小心,把自己给卖了?她捶墙捶桌捶地板,如果再有一次机会,她一定一定不会接这个男人的单,更不会去送货上门!
  • 谋人谋职谋事业

    谋人谋职谋事业

    一个有着敏锐眼光的人,一个凡事善于琢磨的人,一个行动果断的人,一个善于把握机会的人,定能从平庸中脱颖而出,成大事、创大业。《谋人谋职谋事业》从识人、用人、管人、谋人、谋职五个不同角度告诉读者如何从一个普通平凡的人成为一个成功的人。
  • 倾城王妃:美男别跑

    倾城王妃:美男别跑

    只因她偷了条手链,就被妖孽王爷胁迫嫁给她!他为了争夺权利,把她卷入宫廷争斗!冷酷门主为她甘愿付出一切!风流剑客不惜生命,救她于危难!……她不过是想过平凡的生活,却次次陷于阴谋纷争里,生死茫茫,谁才能与她白首不相离……
  • 欧亨利短篇小说精选

    欧亨利短篇小说精选

    本书精选了欧·亨利以不同背景创作的二十八篇作品——所有著名代表作品均已包含其中,并特别收录了他一生中最后一篇尚未完成的小说《梦》。在这些作品中,欧·亨利以风趣犀利的语言解构了生存的种种窘迫,用峰回路转的结尾为人生扩展出无数的可能性。正如他在小说《麦琪的礼物》中所言:人世间所谓的生活是由哭泣、抽噎、破涕为笑组合而成的。而他的文章如同冬夜里一盏小小的烛火,让你在想要落泪的时候,绽开一个“泛着泪光的微笑”。
  • 快穿之女配太猖狂

    快穿之女配太猖狂

    某宝系统:“你困惑吗,你不甘吗,你想要虐死小婊砸吗,那就请来我们大千世界,系统带你逆袭带你飞!我是某宝系统,将成为你任务途中的完美伴侣。我的宣言是,道具在手,天下我有!”叶安玖:“我有积分么?”某宝系统:“…没有。”某宝系统:“玖玖,你的任务是消除bug,不是嫁给bug啊!”叶安玖:“我任务失败了吗?”某宝系统:“…没有。”我的宿主和bug私奔了,我该怎么办,在线等,急!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 虐恋情深之替身

    虐恋情深之替身

    她爱了他十年,他恨了她十年。结婚十年,才发现,她不过是一个替身。
  • 男生就是挨整命(倒霉蛋阿歪)

    男生就是挨整命(倒霉蛋阿歪)

    《倒霉蛋阿歪》系列丛书围绕主人公阿歪展开情节,分别讲述了阿歪在学校、家庭中遭遇到的种种事情,突出反映了小学校园里学生之间、师生之间的有趣情境,以及家庭生活中父母和孩子之间的相处艺术,反映了现代小学生群体活泼灵动的生活面貌及可爱无矫饰的个性特征。故事幽默搞笑,其中不乏关于善良、友谊、家庭教育、学习、成长等启示。
  • 用我的全世界去爱你

    用我的全世界去爱你

    梁毅青爱何依槿,让何依槿用尽了生命祁江言爱陆乔希,让陆乔希记住了一辈子陆宇堂爱宋沐妤,让宋沐妤念念不忘李沐皓爱凌枝沫,让凌枝沫心里容不下别人每一段我爱你,都是绵长的故事,每一句我爱你,都永恒到光年之外。那是最简单的话语,也是最绵长的纪念,更是用永恒作为了牵连。
  • 妖王独宠,羁绊

    妖王独宠,羁绊

    2017-02-092019-03-05你好,我叫孙以甜。(hhh正经不起来~)