Garlotte found her ease in a moment. The whole tale came bubbling up
like water out of a spring. Pelleas's strong face beamed; he touched
Igraine's hair with his fingers and looked into her eyes as only a
man in love can look. Garlotte saw that she was giving pleasure, and
felt a glow from head to heart. Surely this great, grave-faced knight
was a noble soul; how gentle he was, and how he looked into Igraine's
eyes and bent over her like a tall elm over a slim cypress tree. She
caught the happiness of the two, and from that moment her heart was
singing and she had no more fear for herself and her poor cottage. Even
the horn cups took a golden dignity, and her tansy cake and her cream
seemed fit for a prince.
The three were soon at supper together round the wooden table, with
honeysuckle and roses climbing close above their heads. Garlotte would
have stood and waited on Pelleas and Igraine, but they would have none
of it; so she was set smiling at the head of her little table, and
constrained to play the lady under her own roof. It was a dull meal so
far as mere words were concerned. Pelleas's eyes were on Igraine in
the twilight, and he had no hunger save hunger of heart; yet that the
supper was a success there was no doubt whatever. Garlotte watched them
both with a quiet delight; young as she was she was wise in the simple
love of love, and so she mothered the pair to her heart's content in
her own imagination. If only Renan had been there to help her serve,
and touch her hand under the table, what a perfect guest-hour it would
have been.
When the meal was over she jumped up with a shy smile, took a rush
basket from the wall, and went out into the garden. Igraine called her
back.
"Where are you going, child?"
"Up the valley to the dead oak tree where herbs grow. I must make a
stew to-morrow."
"It will soon be dark."
Garlotte swung her basket and laughed from her cloud of hair.
"You gathered herbs on Sunday, Igraine."
"You squirrel!"
"Renan was here; you came home after dusk; good-by, good-by."
They heard her go singing through the garden, a soft _chant d'amour_
that would have gone wondrously to flute and cithern. It died away
slowly amid the trees like an elf's song coming from woodlands in the
moonlight. Pelleas drew a deep breath and listened in the shadow of
the room with his hands clasped before him on the table. He looked as
though he were praying. Igraine's eyes were glooms of violet mystery as
she watched him, her hands folded over a breast that rose and fell as
with the restless motion of a troubled sea. She called the man softly
by name; her body bent to him like a bow, her hair bathed his face with
dim ripples of gold as mouth touched mouth.
They went out into the garden together and stood under the cedar tree.
"Pelleas, my love, my own."
"Heart of mine."
"You will never leave me?"
"How should the sea put the earth from his bosom, or the moon pass from
the arms of the night?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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