The Talk of Two Women Concerning Ralph But when dinner was done, came David and a man with him bringing Ralph's war gear, and bade him do it on, while the folk were fencing the lists, which they were doing with such stuff as they had at the Tower; and the Lord had been calling for Otter that he might command him what he should tell to the marshals of the lists and how all should be duly ordered, wherefore he went up unto the Tower whither the Lord had now gone.
So Ralph did on his armour, which was not right meet for tilting, being over light for such work; and his shield in especial was but a target for a sergent, which he had brought at Cheaping Knowe; but he deemed that his deftness and much use should bear him well through.
Now, the Lady had abided in her pavilion when her Lord went abroad; anon after she sent all her women away, save one whom she loved, and to whom she was wont to tell the innermost of her mind; though forsooth she mishandled her at whiles; for she was hot of temper, and over-ready with her hands when she was angry; though she was nowise cruel.
But the woman aforesaid, who was sly and sleek, and somewhat past her first youth, took both her caresses and her buffets with patience, for the sake of the gifts and largesse wherewith they were bought.
So now she stood by the board in the pavilion with her head drooping humbly, yet smiling to herself and heedful of whatso might betide.
But the Lady walked up and down the pavilion hastily, as one much moved.
At last she spake as she walked and said: "Agatha, didst thou see him when my Lord pointed him out?" "Yea," said the woman lifting her face a little.
"And what seemed he to thee?" said the Lady. "O my Lady," quoth Agatha, "what seemed he to thee?" The lady stood and turned and looked at her; she was slender and dark and sleek; and though her lips moved not, and her eyes did not change, a smile seemed to steal over her face whether she would or not.
The Lady stamped her foot and lifted her hand and cried out.
"What! dost thou deem thyself meet for him?"
And she caught her by the folds over her bosom. But Agatha looked up into her face with a simple smile as of a child:
"Dost thou deem him meet for thee, my Lady--he a thrall, and thou so great?" The Lady took her hand from her, but her face flamed with anger and she stamped on the ground again:
"What dost thou mean?" she said; "am I not great enough to have what I want when it lieth close to my hand?"
Agatha looked on her sweetly, and said in a soft voice:
"Stretch out thine hand for it then." The Lady looked at her grimly, and said: "I understand thy jeer; thou meanest that he will not be moved by me, he being so fair, and I being but somewhat fair.
Wilt thou have me beat thee? Nay, I will send thee to the White Pillar when we come home to Utterbol."
The woman smiled again, and said: "My Lady, when thou hast sent me to the White Pillar, or the Red, or the Black, my stripes will not mend the matter for thee, or quench the fear of thine heart that by this time, since he is a grown man, he loveth some other. Yet belike he will obey thee if thou command, even to the lying in the same bed with thee; for he is a thrall."
The Lady hung her head, but Agatha went on in her sweet clear voice:
"The Lord will think little of it, and say nothing of it unless thou anger him otherwise; or unless, indeed, he be minded to pick a quarrel with thee, and hath baited a trap with this stripling.
But that is all unlike: thou knowest why, and how that he loveth the little finger of that new-come thrall of his (whom ye left at home at Utterbol in his despite), better than all thy body, for all thy white skin and lovely limbs. Nay, now I think of it, I deem that he meaneth this gift to make an occasion for the staying of any quarrel with thee, that he may stop thy mouth from crying out at him--well, what wilt thou do? he is a mighty Lord."
The Lady looked up (for she had hung her head at first), her face all red with shame, yet smiling, though ruefully, and she said:
"Well, thou art determined that if thou art punished it shall not be for naught. But thou knowest not my mind."
"Yea, Lady," said Agatha, smiling in despite of herself, "that may well be."
Now the Lady turned from her, and went and sat upon a stool that was thereby, and said nothing a while; only covering her face with her hands and rocking herself to and fro, while Agatha stood looking at her. At last she said:
"Hearken, Agatha, I must tell thee what lieth in mine heart, though thou hast been unkind to me and hast tried to hurt my soul.
Now, thou art self-willed, and hot-blooded, and not unlovely, so that thou mayst have loved and been loved ere now.
But thou art so wily and subtle that mayhappen thou wilt not understand what I mean, when I say that love of this young man hath suddenly entered into my heart, so that I long for him more this minute than I did the last, and the next minute shall long still more.
And I long for him to love me, and not alone to pleasure me."
"Mayhappen it will so betide without any pushing the matter," said Agatha.
"Nay," said the Lady, "Nay; my heart tells me that it will not be so; for I have seen him, that he is of higher kind than we be; as if he were a god come down to us, who if he might not cast his love upon a goddess, would disdain to love an earthly woman, little-minded and in whom perfection is not." Therewith the tears began to run from her eyes; but Agatha looked on her with a subtle smile and said: "O my Lady! and thou hast scarce seen him! And yet I will not say but that I understand this. But as to the matter of a goddess, I know not.
Many would say that thou sitting on thine ivory chair in thy golden raiment, with thy fair bosom and white arms and yellow hair, wert not ill done for the image of a goddess; and this young man may well think so of thee.
However that may be, there is something else I will say to thee;(and thou knowest that I speak the truth to thee--most often-- though I be wily). This is the word, that although thou hast time and again treated me like the thrall I am, I deem thee no ill woman, but rather something overgood for Utterbol and the dark lord thereof."
