hich Ralph, not without some peril, slew two great bears, of
which beasts, indeed, there was somewhat more than enough, as they came
into the dale to feed upon the nuts and the berry-trees. So they soon
had good store of peltries for their beds and their winter raiment,
which Ursula fell to work on deftly, for she knew all the craft of
needlework; and, shortly to tell it, they had enough and to spare of
victual and raiment.

CHAPTER 12

Winter Amidst of the Mountains

In all this they had enough to be busy with, so that time hung not
heavy on their hands, and the shadow of the Quest was nowise burdensome
to them, since they wotted that they had to abide the wearing of the
days till spring was come with fresh tidings. Their labour was nowise
irksome to them, since Ralph was deft in all manner of sports and
crafts, such as up-country folk follow, and though he were a king's
son, he had made a doughty yeoman: and as for Ursula, she also was
country-bred, of a lineage of field-folk, and knew all the manners of
the fields.

Withal in whatsoever way it were, they loved each other dearly, and all
kind of speech flowed freely betwixt them. Sooth to say, Ralph, taking
heed of Ursula, deemed that she were fain to love him bodily, and he
wotted well by now, that, whatever had befallen, he loved her, body and
soul. Yet still was that fear of her naysay lurking in his heart, if
he should kiss her, or caress her, as a man with a maid. Therefore he
forbore, though desire of her tormented him grievously at whiles.

They wore their armour but little now, save when they were about some
journey wherein was peril of wild beasts. Ursula had dight her some
due woman's raiment betwixt her knight's surcoat and doe-skins which
they had gotten, so that it was not unseemly of fashion. As for their
horses, they but seldom backed them, but used them to draw stuff to
their rock-house on sledges, which they made of tree-boughs; so that
the beasts grew fat, feeding on the grass of the valley and the
wild-oats withal, which grew at the upper end of the bight of the
valley, toward the northern mountains, where the ground was sandy. No
man they saw, nor any signs of man, nor had they seen any save the
Sage, since those riders of Utterbol had vanished before them into the
night.

So wore autumn into winter, and the frost came, and the snow, with
prodigious winds from out of the mountains: yet was not the weather so
hard but that they