sighed, yet
touched him not.

"Thou'rt hurt," said she, "so must we bide here awhile, thou to win thy
strength again, and I to--minister unto thee."

Mutely awhile my Beltane gazed upon her shy, sweet loveliness, what
time her bosom rose and fell tempestuous, and she bowed her head full
low.

"Helen!" he whispered at last, "O, art thou indeed the Duchess Helen?"

"Not so," she murmured, "Helen was duchess whiles she was in Mortain,
but I that speak with thee am a lonely maid--indeed a very lonely maid
--who hath sighed for thee, and wept for thee, and for thee hath left
her duchy of Mortain, Beltane."

"For me?" quoth Beltane, leaning near, "was it for me--ah, was it so in
very sooth?"

"Beltane," said she, looking not toward him, "last night did'st thou
bear a nun within thine arms, and, looking on her with love aflame
within thine eyes, did yet vow to her you loved this duchess. Tell me,
who am but a lonely maid, is this so?"

"Thou knowest I love her ever and always," he answered.

"And yet," quoth she, shaking her head and looking up with eyes of
witchery, "thou did'st love this nun also? Though 'tis true thou did'st
name her 'reverend mother'! O, wert very blind, Beltane! And yet thou
did'st love her also, methinks?"

"Needs must I--ever and always!" he answered.

"Ah, Beltane, but I would have thee love this lonely maid dearest of
all henceforth an it may be so, for that she is so very lonely and hath
sought thee so long--"

"Sought me?" he murmured, gazing on her wide-eyed, "nay, how may this
be, for with my kisses warm upon thy lips thou did'st bid me farewell
long time since at Mortain, within the green."

"And thou," she sighed, "and thou did'st leave me, Beltane! O, would
thou had kissed me once again and held me in thine arms, so might we
have known less of sorrow. Indeed methinks 'twas cruel to leave me so.
Beltane."

"Cruel!" says my Beltane, and thereafter fell silent from sheer amaze
the while she sighed again, and bowed her shapely head and plucked a
daisy from the grass to turn it about and about in gentle fingers.

"So, Beltane," quoth she at last, "being young and cruel thou did'st
leave the Duchess a lonely maid. Yet that same night did she, this
tender maid, seek out thy lowly dwelling 'mid the green to yield
herself joyfully unto thee thenceforth. But ah, Beltane! she found the
place a ruin and thou wert gone, and O, methinks her heart came nigh to
breaking. Then did she vow th