say to her maidens 'Bring me now the
book wherein is the image of my beloved, that I may solace myself with
beholding it before the sun goes down and the night cometh.'"

Now Hallblithe was troubled when she read out these words, and he said:
"What is this tale about a book? I know not of any book that lieth
betwixt me and my beloved."

"O Spearman," said the damsel, "I may tell thee no more, because I know
no more. But keep up thine heart! For dost thou know any more than I do
what hath befallen thy beloved since thou wert sundered from her? and why
should not this matter of the book be one of the things that hath
befallen her? Go now with joy, and come again blessing us."

"Yea, go, faring-fellow," said the Sea-eagle, "and come back joyful, that
we may all be merry together. And we will abide thee here."

Hallblithe foreboded evil, but he held his peace and went his ways down
the path by the oak-tree; and they abode there by the water-side, and
were very merry talking of this and that (but no whit of Hallblithe), and
kissing and caressing each other; so that it seemed but a little while to
them ere they saw Hallblithe coming back by the oak-tree. He went
slowly, hanging his head like a man sore-burdened with grief: thus he
came up to them, and stood there above them as they lay on the fragrant
grass, and he saying no word and looking so sad and sorry, and withal so
fell, that they feared his grief and his anger, and would fain have been
away from him; so that they durst not ask him a question for a long
while, and the sun sank below the hill while they abided thus.

Then all trembling the damsel spake to the Sea-eagle: "Speak to him, dear
friend, else must I flee away, for I fear his silence."

Quoth the Sea-eagle: "Shipmate and friend, what hath betided? How art
thou? May we hearken, and mayhappen amend it?"

Then Hallblithe cast himself adown on the grass and said: "I am accursed
and beguiled; and I wander round and round in a tangle that I may not
escape from. I am not far from deeming that this is a land of dreams
made for my beguiling. Or has the earth become so full of lies, that
there is no room amidst them for a true man to stand upon his feet and go
his ways?"

Said the Sea-eagle: "Thou shalt tell us of what hath betid, and so ease
the sorrow of thy soul if thou wilt. Or if thou wilt, thou shalt nurse
thy sorrow in thine heart and tell no man. Do what thou wilt; am I not
become thy friend