out for death to
deliver thee from the anguish; and if thou wert a woman grown, even so
would I deal with thee. But thou art yet but a child, therefore I will
keep thee to see what shall befall betwixt us. Yet must I do somewhat
to grieve thee, and moreover something must be slain and offered up
here on this altar, lest all come to naught, both thou and I, and that
which we have to do. Hold thy white goat now, which thou lovest more
than aught else, that I may redden thee and me and this altar with the
blood thereof.'

"I durst do naught but obey her, and I held the poor beast, that licked
my hands and bleated for love of me: and now since my terror and the
fear of death was lessened at her words, I wept sore for my dear friend.

"But the woman drew a strong sharp knife from her girdle and cut the
beast's throat, and dipped her fingers in the blood and reddened both
herself and me on the breast, and the hands, and the feet; and then she
turned to the altar and smote blood upon the uprights, and the face of
the stone plank. Then she bade me help her, and we laid the seven
faggots on the alter, and laid the carcase of the goat upon them: and
she made fire, but I saw not how, and set it to the wood, and when it
began to blaze she stood before it with her arms outspread, and sang
loud and hoarse to a strange tune; and though I knew not the words of
her song, it filled me with dread, so that I cast myself down on the
ground and hid my face in the grass.

"So she went on till the beast was all burned up and the fire became
naught but red embers, and then she ceased her song and sank down upon
the grass, and laid her head back and so fell asleep; but I durst not
move from the place, but cowered in the grass there, I know not how
long, till she arose and came to me, and smote me with her foot and
cried: 'Rise up, fool! what harm hast thou? Go milk thy goats and
lead them to pasture.' And therewith she strode away home, not heeding
me.

"As for me, I arose and dealt with my goats as she bade me; and
presently I was glad that I had not been slain, yet thenceforth was the
joy of my life that I had had amongst my goats marred with fear, and
the sounds of the woodland came to me mingled with terror; and I was
sore afraid when I entered the house in the morning and the evening,
and when I looked on the face of the woman; though she was no harder to
me than heretofore, but maybe somewhat softer.

"So wore the autumn, and