etide, if thou come to
Utterbol, but that the Lord shall at once see that there is love
betwixt you two, and then there will be an end of the story."
"How so?" quoth Ralph. Said Redhead: "At Utterbol all do the will of
the Lord of Utterbol, and he is so lustful and cruel, and so false
withal, that his will shall be to torment the damsel to death, and to
geld and maim thee; so that none hereafter shall know how goodly and
gallant thou hast been."
"Redhead," quoth Ralph much moved, "though thou art in no knightly
service, thou mayst understand that it is good for a friend to die with
a friend."
"Yea, forsooth," said Redhead, "If he may do no more to help than that!
Wouldst thou not help the damsel? Now when thou comest back from the
quest of the Well at the World's End, thou wilt be too mighty and
glorious for the Lord of Utterbol to thrust thee aside like to an over
eager dog; and thou mayst help her then. But now I say to thee, and
swear to thee, that three days after thou hast met thy beloved in
Utterbol she will be dead. I would that thou couldst ask someone else
nearer to the Lord than I have been. The tale would be the same as
mine."
Now soothly to say it, this was even what Ralph had feared would be,
and he could scarce doubt Redhead's word. So he sat there pondering
the matter a good while, and at last he said: "My friend, I will trust
thee with another thing; I have a mind to flee to the wildwood, and yet
come to Utterbol for the damsel's deliverance." "Yea," said Redhead,
"and how wilt thou work in the matter?" Said Ralph; "How would it be if
I came hither in other guise than mine own, so that I should not be
known either by the damsel or her tyrants?"
Said Redhead: "There were peril in that; yet hope also. Yea, and in
one way thou mightest do it; to wit, if thou wert to find that Sage,
and tell him thy tale: if he be of good will to thee, he might then
change not thy gear only, but thy skin also; for he hath exceeding
great lore."
"Well," said Ralph, "Thou mayst look upon it as certain that on that
aforesaid night, I will do my best to shake off this company of tyrant
and thralls, unless I hear fresh tidings, so that I must needs change
my purpose. But I will ask thee to give me some token that all holds
together some little time beforehand." Quoth Redhead: "Even so shall
it be; thou shalt see me at latest on the eve of the night of thy
departure; but on the night before that if it be
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