turned deadly pale, but dared not move; and there she sat
while they gazed at her, sitting there and wondering at her beauty, which
seemed to grow every minute; though she was plainly not young, oh no, but
rather very, very old, who could say how old? there she sat, and her
long, long hair swept down in one curve from her head and just touched
the floor. Her face had the tokens of a deep sorrow on it, ah! a mighty
sorrow, yet not so mighty as that it might mar her ineffable loveliness;
that sorrow-mark seemed to gather too, and at last the gloriously-slow
music of her words flowed from her lips: "Friends, has one with the
appearance of a youth come here lately; one with long brown hair,
interwoven with threads of gold, flowing down from out his polished steel
helmet; with dark blue eyes and high white forehead, and mail-coat over
his breast, where the light and shadow lie in waves as he moves; have you
seen such an one, very beautiful?"

Then withall as they shook their heads fearfully in answer, a great sigh
rose up from her heart, and she said: "Then must I go away again
presently, and yet I thought it was the last night of all."

And so she sat awhile with her head resting on her hand; after, she arose
as if about to go, and turned her glorious head round to thank the master
of the house; and they, strangely enough, though they were terrified at
her presence, were yet grieved when they saw that she was going.

Just then the wind rose higher than ever before, yet through the roar of
it they could all hear plainly a knocking at the door again; so the lady
stopped when she heard it, and, turning, looked full in the face of
Herman the youngest, who thereupon, being constrained by that look, rose
and went to the door; and as before with Osric, so now the wind blew
strong against him; and it blew into his face, so as to blind him,
tresses of soft brown hair mingled with glittering threads of gold; and
blinded so, he heard some one ask him musically, solemnly, if a lady with
golden hair and white raiment was in that house; so Herman, not answering
in words, because of his awe and fear, merely bowed his head; then he was
'ware of some one in bright armour passing him, for the gleam of it was
all about him, for as yet he could not see clearly, being blinded by the
hair that had floated about him.

But presently he followed him into the room, and there stood such an one
as the lady had described; the wavering flame of the l