Osberne

“ But Osberne spake again: "I ask thee, warrior, wilt thou enter the field that I shall hazel for thee?" Quoth the ruffler, but in a lower voice: "I cannot fight with a boy; whether I slay him or am slain I am shamed."
Spake Osberne: "Then depart from the house with as little shame as a ruffler and a churl may have. But if thou wilt neither of these things, then it will befal that I shall draw my blade and fall on thee to slay thee, and make the most of it that here stands by me my man Stephen, a true and fearless carle, with his whittle bare in his hand. ”

“ At the said house that even they were of one mind to gather a mote there the next morning, and they sent folk that same night to bear the war-arrow to the steads above and below, and all seemed like to go well; and ever Osberne spake his mind without fear or favour to the boldest and wisest that were there. ”

“ There was but some fifty feet of water between them, but all gurgling and rushing and talking, so the child raised a shrill and clear voice as she clapped her hands together and cried: O thou beauteous creature, what art thou? Osberne laughed, and said in a loud voice: I am a man, but young of years, so that they call me a boy, and a bairn, and a lad. ”

“ Now thou art dear, said Osberne; and wilt thou do something for my disport? wilt thou pipe thy sheep to thee? Nay, said she, I will not; I will not skip like an antic, and show thee my poor little spindle legs. ”

“ So when the herald was gone Sir Godrick turned to Osberne and said: "How sayest thou, Red Lad, is this any of thy business?" "All of my business, lord," said Osberne, "albeit I am none so wroth as thou art." Said the Knight, looking on him kindly: "Thou art not bound to run, Red Lad; the sharp spear is an unhappy beast, and these men are doubtless of the deftest." Said Osberne: "It all comes in the day's work, lord; I pray thee turn me not back."
"Well, do we on our basnets and make we speedy end of it," quoth Sir Godrick; "a wise man must ever wait upon a fool's pleasure." ”

“ There will be this profit, said the carline, that thou wilt set eyes on one of the fairest creatures that God ever made. Small profit therein, said Osberne, laughing again, if I set eyes on her beauty and am ensnared thereby; then maybe shall be another tale for this woodland. For belike thou deemest me old, but I am a young man, only I am haggard with the battle between life and death as I lay wounded yonder. Therewith he pulled aback his hood, and the carline came close up to him and looked him hard in the face, but said nothing. ”

“ And every one of those things would Stephen give to Osberne with a friendly grin, and Osberne took them with a joyful heart because now he had a new thing to give to Elfhild, and each one he shot across the river unto her the soonest that he might. But whiles, when his heart was full, Osberne would say to the smith: "Thou givest me so much, and doest so well by me, that I know not how ever I am to make it good to thee." And Stephen would say: "Fear not, master, the time will come when thou mayst do such good to me as shall pay for all at once." ”

“ Sir Knight, I am father of ten of these men and the grandsire of one score and five, and other good fellows I have with me to the tale of ten score and ten, and all these thou wilt make merry by thy presence here to-night. So he brought the Knight and his into the hall, and fair greeting he gave them; and to Osberne, though the land were other and the houses far bigger, for this David was as it were a king of the meadows, it was almost as if he were back at Wethermel, so yeomanly and free seemed all about him. And the folk were a fair folk, the women goodly and the men free and bold. ”

“ So we crept to the very edge of the wood and looked forth privily, and presently we saw our chapman riding off west with his saddle-bags and all, and his face was worn and doleful; at that Anna grinned spitefully, nor for my part might I altogether refrain my laughter. But thou dost not laugh, Osberne? He sprang up and cried out fiercely: I would I had been there to cleave his skull! Many a better man have I slain for less cause.
Then they were silent awhile, and she sat looking on him fondly, till she spake at last: Sweetheart, art thou angry with me for telling thee this tale? ”

“ O bairn Osberne, when thou art become a man and a great man, and art called maybe Earl Osberne Wulfgrimsson, will not thy face have changed, and thou with the beard and the fierce eyes, and the mouth that hath shouted in the battle? ”

“ But O! she said, growing exceeding eager, dost thou know how good a gift thou hast given me? for the halves of the penny, we shall both keep them forever, as thou knowest, and by our having them we shall know each other if we meet in the world without and our faces have become changed. Said Osberne: I deem not that my face will change very much, at least not till I grow old, nor do I think that thine will either. ”

“ Now Hardcastle has Fiddle-bow bare in his fist, but Osberne takes Board-cleaver from his girdle and unwinds the peace-strings; then he stands still for a moment and looks toward his foeman, who cries out at him: Haste thee, lad, I were fain done with it. Then Osberne draws forth the blade, and it made a gleam of white in the grey day, and as the folk say who stood thereby, as Board-cleaver came forth bare there came a great humming sound all about. ”

“ Lo thou, lad, now thou knowest not only whereabouts thou mayest go to serve me, but also some deal of the quarrel wherein thou shalt draw sword, if it come to that. How sayest thou?
Wait a while, Sir Knight, said Osberne, and tell me first: if the King of the city overcome thee, will he take from thee that which is thine own of right, or that which thou hast taken from some other? He will take nothing more than my life, said Sir Godrick; but ye may add thereto some small matter of the remnants of houses and land which erst my fathers owned, well-beloved of all folk. ”

“ But therewith arose Osberne, and came before the guest, and louted to him and said: "Noble sir, I pray thee pardon our man Stephen, for thou seest how clumsy a man he is, and he knoweth not where to bestow his long legs; he is ever in everyone's way." ”

“ THE next day at even, when all the folk were gathered before the porch of the hall at Wethermel, making the most of that fair time, Osberne craved silence awhile, and when men were hushed he spake: Kinsmen and friends, I make it known to you that I must needs depart from you to-morrow morning, though wheresoever I may be I shall ever hold in my heart the hope of coming back to Wethermel; for it will be well enough known to most of you that I love the Dale with great love, and this stead in especial. ”

“ Call to mind what thou thyself saidst unto Elfhild, that the only way to bridge the Sundering Flood is for one of you, or both, to wander wide in the world. But now tell me, what hast thou in thy mind to do in these days that pass? Said Osberne: I have been thinking of it, that when the Midsummer Feast is over I shall say farewell to my folk and ride to East Cheaping to find Sir Medard; for meseems he is the man whom I know out in the world who will put me in the way of deeds. Said Steelhead: And wilt thou go alone, or hast thou a mind to take any with thee? ”

“ Osberne looked for him to pass by him, and stood a little aside; but the man stopped and said: "O famous warrior, might a carle of no worth speak with thee a few words this noon?"
"Why not?" said Osberne, smiling, for never might he bring himself to the fashion of great men to be rough and short with common folk. Said the newcomer: "Thou art far from the host today, and hast no angry look on thee, wherefore I shall risk thy wrath by saying that thou lookest somewhat less than gleeful, great warrior." Said Osberne: "I have a trouble on me, and I have been forced to let many men know thereof." ”

“ Then turned Osberne to Stephen and said: "Thou, Stephen, art more in the heart of my redes than any man else, and thou art both a wise man as I deem, and a proven champion: so if I leave thee here in my skin, wilt thou do the best for me, and be debonnaire with Master Nicholas here and with my grandam, and kind to all the folk?" ”

“ Awhile agone thou didst threaten to slay me with the help of yonder squinting loon, but now thou standest unarmed before me, and I have thy sword under my hand. Hast thou no fear of what I may do to thee, since so it is that forebodings weigh on mine heart? Nay, I am not afraid, said Osberne; thou mayest be a bad man, yet not so bad as that. ”

“ I say thou art great, and I love thee; wherefore thou hast a right to make thy choice, and least of all would I balk thee in thy desire. Belike we may meet again. Now wilt thou tell me what thou wilt do? Said Osberne: With a good will. For this is true, lord, that having been now five years amongst all sorts of folk, and some of them being such as might tell me some tidings of what I seek, I have had no tidings, and now needs must I say that lost is lost. But first, before I give all up, I will go to Longshaw and abide there, and hang about the Wood for a month, to give me one last chance ”

“ What is thine! Elfhild, my child, said he, my name is Osberne, Wulfgrim's son, and I am of Wethermel, as I told thee. Yet belike it is not so strange that we have not told our names hitherto, and I hope no ill-luck will go with our telling them, for I suppose that people give each other names when there are many of them, and they would know one from another. But as to us, there be only two of us, so that if I call thee Maiden, and thou call me Swain, it had been enough. Nevertheless I am fain of calling thee Elfhild. And I am full fain of calling thee Osberne, she said. ”

“ For somehow it seems to be shown to me that thou wilt be loved of women, and love them somewhat over-much. For my part, said Osberne, I seem to see of myself that I shall have much to do slaying wolves and evil things, and standing before kings and getting gifts of them, so that there will be little time for me to go about loving women; yet thee I shall ever love, Elfhild. ”

“ But for Osberne, sick at heart at first he was, and he strode hurrying along if that might ease him a little, and after a while he took some deal of courage, but still hastened on leaving the waterside; and then in a while himseemed to hear the voice of a great horn afar off, and he called to mind that the Mote had been summoned; and his mind turned toward what was to do. ”

“ So the man strode on and through the stream, and went his ways up the further bent, and Osberne sat down on a stone and abode him in no little wonder. The man was gone somewhat more than an hour, and then Osberne sees the sheep topping the crest of the bent and pouring down into the dale, and the newcomer came next driving them down; and when they came to the stream they stood there and moved no more than if they were penned. ”

“ I looked to have much praise from thee for my deed. Dost thou know that this man was as the pest to all the country-side, and that I have freed men of peace from a curse? Be not wrath with me, Osberne, she said, indeed I am somewhat downcast; for I see that now thou wilt be no playmate for me, but will be a man before thy time, and will be looking towards such things as men desire; and that tall maidens come to womanhood will be for thee, not quaint rags of children such as I be. Now, Elfhild, said he, why wilt thou run to meet trouble half way? ”

“ For I will not have it that thou my fosterling shouldst be a kill-joy among men of the kindred; wherefore ill-luck will come of it.
Said Osberne, knitting his brows: I will not be healed in this way. For do I not know that she also is wrapped in sorrow and tormented by longing. Shall I leave her, therefore, as the dastard leaves a wounded friend before the on-coming foeman? ”

“ And some of the tale was piteous enough, for the two kinswomen, who were by no means old, for the eldest was only of thirty summers, were somewhat hard with the child and right careless of her, as shall be shown afterwards. But after a little she broke off and said: But Osberne, dear, these be no fair tales for thee, though thou art kind to hearken to them. I have better tales than that, of champions to wit, and ladies and castles and dragons and the like, that I have heard; some of my kinswomen, some of folk that come to our house at a pinch, for it is a poor house. ”

“ At last they saw before them a glimmer of light, which as they wound about became presently a little window, yellow-litten, and casting its light upon a space of greensward and a little tinkling brook.
So came they to a little cot, seemly enough thatched with reed from the woodland meres. Osberne made up toward the door, but the carline put forth her hand and thrust him back, and said: "Not yet; abide where thou art a minute;" and straightway fell to going withershins round the house. This she did three times, while Osberne gat his anlace bare in his hand. ”

“ Yet were not the stay-at-homes to be put off with so little, and they called a cup for Osberne the captain of the warriors; and when it had been drunk, then all folk looked toward the captain to see what he would do; but he rose up and stood in his place, his cheek flushed and his eyes sparkling: and the word came into his mouth, and he sang:
The War-god's gale
Drave down the Dale
And thrust us out
To the battle-shout. ”

“ Grows the speech in the mouth.
And from father to son speeds the tale of the true,
Of the brave that forbore that the brethren might do.
When this was sung then each man went home to his house. But it is said that these staves were made by Osberne, and that he taught them to the Western men as well as to the Eastern. ”

“ Said the Knight: "But gainsay thee I will, for unless thou gettest thee back to thine own people I will break up my whole purpose." "And why?" said Osberne. "Thou art blind not to see," said the Knight. "I come and find thee here as happy as any man in the world, wedded to a fair wife, the lord of a stout and stalwart people who love thee above all things. And I have that in me that tells me that if I carry thee away I carry thee away to death. For I have seen thee in a dream of the night and in a dream of the day living at Wethermel and dying on a field near the City of the Sundering Flood." ”