Part 42 (2/2)
She saw the beast, standing as if irresolute, there, and held out her hand to it with a pretty gesture,a little sound with her lips as if to call it to her side ”For the love of God, dear lady----” cried Will
And then the words died on his throat With a savage snort of rage the beast had rushed at this easy victim, and with a side blow of its antlers had stretched her upon the ground It noered its head, preparing to gore her to death
Already its cruel horns had brushed across her once A piteous cry rang through the woods Will set his teeth, and swung hiround noiselessly
Then he quickly dropped to his knee, and was ai ready for a more deadly effort Will's arrow struck it with terrific force full in the center of its forehead The stag fell dead across the body of the fainting ed the beast fro arms He bore her swiftly to the side of one of the many brooks in the vale
He dashed cool water upon her face, roughly alony of fear that she was already dead, and he could have shed tears of joy to see those poor closed eyelids treave a little gasp: ”Where am I, what is't?”
”You are here, dear maid, in the forest of Sherwood, and are safe”
She opened her eyes then, and sat up ”Methinks that there was danger about nition shone in her face, and she incontinently began to bind her fallen hair and tidy her disordered dress ”Is it you, indeed, Master Scarlett?” she asked
”Ay, 'tis I And, thank Heaven, in time to do you a service” Will's tones were deep and full of feeling
”I a, ”and now you have e Tell me where you have been, and why you did leave cousin Richard and France?”
”Once I had no safety there,” replied Will, with , ”neither forRichard's Court, why, foolishly, I would be alhere you are”
”So you have followed me, then; is that what I am to believe?” The maid smiled ”I will confess, I did know that you were colad, Will, for I had not too land, nor have them now, it would seem But as there no safety for you in London? And where have you hidden yourself of late?”
”There is a price upon my head I am in exile You know me as Will Scarlett, but in sooth my name is not so Saxon”
”I hate the Saxons,” said the maid, pettishly She had risen to her feet, but still was troubled about her tumbled hair ”I am to be married to one, and so have run away That is why I a in this stupid wood”
”Call it not stupid, it hath brought you toher hands; ”and so you do not love this man after all? Is it so? Had I but known!”
”Didst leave London because of _that_?” asked she, lightly ”Ay, but , not if you were to tell it me a thousand times”
”I'll tell it to you once, sweetheart I did leave London because I learned that you were to be married to another Life had no h For as left for me to learn? I had loved you and loved you so well, and had loved you in vain”
”Had loved, Will? Is thy love so small, then, that it burns out like a candle, within an hour? I had believed----”
But Master Scarlett suddenly took this wilful maid to his heart ”I do love you, oh, my dear, with alland sleeping And so I pledge my troth”