Part 21 (2/2)

”Sing,” said the Prince of the Stones, ”sing, coward that hast never wept to do evil, and now weepest at the time of punishment: sing, Miserable.”

”Ah,” said the head, ”have pity, Lord.”

”Sing,” said the Prince of the Stones, ”sing, 'tis the hour of G.o.d.”

”My lord Prince,” said the head, ”be not so hard in my evil hour.”

”Sing, Miserable,” said the Prince of the Stones, ”sing, 'tis the hour of the reckoning.”

”Ah,” said the head, weeping, ”I will sing, since you are my master.”

And the head sang the faery song.

And suddenly there spread abroad in the air a smell of cinnamon, frankincense, and sweet marjoram.

And the sixteen virgins, hearing the song, came down from the gallows and drew near to the body of Halewyn.

And Magtelt, crossing herself, watched them pa.s.s, but felt no fear.

And the first virgin, who was the daughter of the poor simpleton, Claes the Dog-beater, took the golden sickle, and cutting into the breast of the Miserable below the left nipple drew out a great ruby, and put this on her wound, where it melted into rich red blood in her breast.

And the head let a great pitiful cry of pain.

”So,” said the Prince of the Stones, ”did the poor virgins cry out when thou madest them pa.s.s from life unto death; sixteen times hast thou brought death about, sixteen times shalt thou die, besides the death thou hast suffered already. The cry is the cry of the body when the soul leaves it; sixteen times hast thou drawn this cry from other bodies, sixteen times shall cry out thine own; sing, Miserable, to call the virgins to the reckoning.”

And the head sang again the faery song, while the first virgin walked away silently towards the wood like a living person.

And the second virgin came to the body of the Miserable and did to it as the first had done.

And she also walked away into the wood like a living person.

So did each of the sixteen virgins, and for each of them a ruby was changed into good red blood.

And sixteen times the head sang the faery song, and sixteen times gave the death-cry.

And one by one all the virgins went away into the depth of the wood.

And the last of all, who was Anne-Mie, came to Magtelt, and kissing her right hand wherein she had held the sword: ”Blessed be thou,”

she said, ”who camest without fear, and, delivering us from the spell, leadest us into paradise.”

”Ah,” said Magtelt, ”must thou go so far away, Anne-Mie?”

But Anne-Mie, without hearing her, pa.s.sed like the others into the depth of the wood, walking silently over the snow like a living person.

While the head was weeping and uttering bitter plaints, came out from the forest the child of nine years old, whom the Miserable had killed first of all. Still wearing her shroud she approached and fell at the feet of the mannikin Prince of the Stones.

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