Kingsley_Westward_Ho.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
beyond aught that eye can reach. go, and leave
me alone with and with the dead ! "
retired a little space and watched him.
never stirred for many minutes ; then leaned his elbows
on his knees, and his head upon his hands, and so was
still again. remained so long thus, that the pair
became anxious, and went towards him. was asleep,
and breathing quick and heavily.
" will take a fever," said , " if he
sleeps much longer with his head down -in the sunshine."
" must wake him gently, if we wake him at all."
moved forward to him.
he did so, lifted his head, and, turning
it to right and left, felt round him with his sightless eyes.
" have been asleep, ."
" ? have not slept back my eyes, then.
up this great useless carcass of mine, and lead me
home. shall buy me a dog when get to ,
think, and make him tow me in a string, eh ? !
me your hand. , march ! "
guides heard with surprise this new cheerfulness.
" , sir, that your heart is so light already,"
said good . " makes me feel quite upraised
myself, like."
" have reason to be cheerful, ; have
left a heavy load behind me. have been wilful, and
proud, and a blasphemer, and swollen with cruelty and
pride ; and lias brought me low for it, and cut me
off from my evil delight. more -hunting
for me now, my masters. will send no such fools
as upon errands."
" do not repent of fighting the ? "
" ; but of hating even the worst of them.
to me, and . that man wronged me,
' " ! " cried , hurling his sword far into the sea ' 81
81
wronged him likewise. have been a fiend, when
thought myself the grandest of men yea, a very aveng-
ing angel out of heaven. has shown me my
sin, and we have made up our quarrel for ever."
" it up ? "
" it up, thank . am weary.
me down awhile, and 1 will tell you how it befell."
, they set him down upon the heather,
while the bees hummed round them in the sun ; and
felt for a hand of each, and clasped it in his own
hand, and began :
" you left me there upon the rock, lads,
looked away and out to sea, to get one last snuff of the
merry sea-breeze, which will never sail me again. as
loolvcd, 1 tell you truth, could see the water and the
sky as plain as ever saw them, till thought my sight
was come again. soon knew it was not so ; for
saw more than man could see right over the ocean,
as live, and away to the . saw
all the isles that we ever sailed by ; and , and
the house where she lived. saw him walking
with her, on the barbecu, and he loved her then. saw
what saw ; and he loved her ; and say he loves her still.
" saw the cliffs beneath me, and the ,
and the , and the ; saw them,
, and the weeds beneath the merry blue sea.
saw the grand old galleon, ; she has righted with
the sweeping of the tide. lies in fifteen fathoms, at
the edge of the rocks, upon the sand ; and her men are
all lying around her, asleep until the judgment day."
and looked at him, and then at each other.
eyes were clear, and bright, and full of meaning ; and
yet they knew that he was blind. voice was shaping
itself into a song. he inspired ? ?
88 !
it ? they listened with awestruck faces, as
the giant pointed down into the blue depths far below,
and went on :
" saw him sitting in his cabin, like a valiant
gentleman of ; and his officers were sitting round
him, with their swords upon the table, at the wine.
the prawns and the crayfish and the rockling, they swam
in and out above their heads ; but he never
heeded, but sat still, and drank his wine. he took
a locket from his bosom ; and heard him speak, ,
and he said, c 's the picture of my fair and true
lady ; drink to her, sefiors all.' he spoke to me,
, and called me, right up through the oar-weed and
the sea : ' have had a fair quarrel, senor ; it is time
to be friends once more. wife and your brother have
forgiven me, so your honour takes no stain.'
answered, c are friends, ; has
judged our quarrel, and not we.' he said, ' sinned,
and am punished. 5 said, c , sefior, so am .'
he held out his hand to me, , and stooped to
take it, and awoke. 5 '
ceased, and they looked in his face again.
was exhausted, but clear and gentle, like the face of a
new-born babe. his head dropped upon his
breast again. was either swooning or sleeping, and
they had much ado to get him home. he lay for
eight-and-f orty hours in a quiet doze ; then arose sud-
denly, called for food, ate heartily, and seemed, saving
his ej^esight, as w r hole and sound as ever, and willing
enough to go home. the next day the sailed,
leaving behind a dozen men to seize and keep in the
's name any goods which should be washed up from
the wreck.
89
was the first of . morning was bright
and still ; the skies were dappled modestly from east to
west with soft grey autumn cloud, as if all heaven and
earth were resting after those fearful summer months of
battle and of storm. slid over the bar,
and passed the sleeping sand-hills, and dropped her anchor
off . boat pulled off from the ship, and
away to the western end of the strand ; and and
helped out , and led him
slowly up the hill towards his home.
seemed to know perfectly when they had reached
the gates, opened the lock with his own hands, and went
boldly forward along the gravel path, while and
followed him trembling ; for they expected
some violent burst of emotion, either from him or his
mother, and the two good fellows' tender hearts were
fluttering like a girl's. to the door he went, as if he
had seen it, felt for the entrance, stood therein, and
called quietly, " ! "
a moment his mother was on his bosom.
spoke for a while she sobbing inwardly,
with tearless eyes, he standing firm and cheerful, with
his great arms clasped around her.
" ," he said at last, " am come home, you
see, because needs must come. you take me in
and look after this useless carcass ? shall not be so
very troublesome, mother, shall ? " and he looked
down, and smiled upon her, and kissed her brow.
answered not a word, but passed her arm gently
round his waist, and led him in.
90 !
" care of your head, dear child, the doors are
low." they went in together.
" ! ! " called , turning round ;
but the two good fellows had walked briskly off.
was sitting all alone. mother had
gone out for a few minutes to speak to the seamen who
had brought up ' s luggage, and set them down to
eat and drink ; and sat in the old bay window,
where he had sat when he was a little tiny boy.
was a disli of apples on the table : he knew it by their
smell ; the very same old apples which he used to gather
when he was a boy. put out his hand, and took
them, and felt them over, and played with them, just as
if the twenty years had never been.
last one of them slipped through his fingers, and
fell on the floor. stooped and felt for it, but he could
not find it. turned hastily to search in another
direction, and struck his head sharply against the table.
it the pain, or the little disappointment ? was
it the sense of his blindness brought home to him ?
had he become indeed a child once more ? know
not ; but so it was, that he stamped on the floor with
pettishness, and then, checking himself, burst into a
violent flood of tears.
quick rustle passed him, the apple was replaced
in his hand, and 's voice sobbed out -
" ! there it is ! not weep ! , do not
weep ! cannot bear it ! will get you all you want !
let me fetch and carry for you, tend you, feed you,
lead you, like your slave, your dog ! that may be
your slave ! " and, falling on her knees at his feet, she
seized both his hands, and covered them with kisses.
" ! " she cried, " will be your slave ! must
be ! cannot help it ! cannot escape from me
91
now ! cannot go to sea ! cannot turn your
back upon poor wretched me. have you safe now !
! " and she clutched his hands triumphantly. " !
and what a wretch am, to rejoice in that ! to taunt him
with his blindness ! , forgive me ! am but a poor
wild girl a wild savage, you know ; but
but " and she burst into tears.
great spasm shook the body and soul of
. sat quite silent for a minute, and then said
solemnly
" is this still possible ? have mercy
upon me a sinner ! "
looked up in his face inquiringly ; but
before she could speak again, he had bent down, and,
lifting her as the lion lifts the lamb, pressed her to his
bosom, and covered her face with kisses.
door opened. was the rustle of a gown.
sprang from him with a little cry, and stood,
half trembling, half defiant, as if to say, " is mine
now ; no one dare part him from me ! "
" is it ? " asked .
" mother."
" see that am bringing forth fruits meet for
repentance, mother," said he, with a smile.
heard her approach. a kiss and a sob
passed between the women, and he felt sink
once more upon his bosom.
" , my son," said the silver voice of .
, " fear not to take her to your heart again, for it
is your mother who has laid her there."
" is true after all," said to himself.
" has joined together, man cannot put
asunder."