"Little Tumbledown is a friend of the princess,"I answered;"so is Luva:I saw them both,more than once,trying to feed her with grapes!""Little Tumbledown is good!Luva is very good!""That is why they are her friends."
"Will the cat-woman--I mean the woman that isn't the cat-woman,and has no claws to her toes--give her grapes?""She is more likely to give her scratches!"
"Why?--You say she is her friend!"
"That is just why.--A friend is one who gives us what we need,and the princess is sorely in need of a terrible scratching."They were silent again.
"If any of you are afraid,"I said,"you may go home;I shall not prevent you.But I cannot take one with me who believes the giants rather than me,or one who will call a good lady the cat-woman!""Please,king,"said one,"I'm so afraid of being afraid!""My boy,"I answered,"there is no harm in being afraid.The only harm is in doing what Fear tells you.Fear is not your master!
Laugh in his face and he will run away."
"There she is--in the door waiting for us!"cried one,and put his hands over his eyes.
"How ugly she is!"cried another,and did the same.
"You do not see her,"I said;"her face is covered!""She has no face!"they answered.
"She has a very beautiful face.I saw it once.--It is indeed as beautiful as Lona's!"I added with a sigh.
"Then what makes her hide it?"
"I think I know:--anyhow,she has some good reason for it!""I don't like the cat-woman!she is frightful!""You cannot like,and you ought not to dislike what you have never seen.--Once more,you must not call her the cat-woman!""What are we to call her then,please?"
"Lady Mara."
"That is a pretty name!"said a girl;"I will call her `lady Mara';then perhaps she will show me her beautiful face!"Mara,drest and muffled in white,was indeed standing in the doorway to receive us.
"At last!"she said."Lilith's hour has been long on the way,but it is come!Everything comes.Thousands of years have I waited--and not in vain!"She came to me,took my treasure from my arms,carried it into the house,and returning,took the princess.Lilith shuddered,but made no resistance.The beasts lay down by the door.We followed our hostess,the Little Ones looking very grave.She laid the princess on a rough settle at one side of the room,unbound her,and turned to us.
"Mr.Vane,"she said,"and you,Little Ones,I thank you!This woman would not yield to gentler measures;harder must have their turn.I must do what I can to make her repent!"The pitiful-hearted Little Ones began to sob sorely.
"Will you hurt her very much,lady Mara?"said the girl I have just mentioned,putting her warm little hand in mine.
"Yes;I am afraid I must;I fear she will make me!"answered Mara.
"It would be cruel to hurt her too little.It would have all to be done again,only worse.""May I stop with her?"
"No,my child.She loves no one,therefore she cannot be WITH any one.There is One who will be with her,but she will not be with Him.""Will the shadow that came down the hill be with her?""The great Shadow will be in her,I fear,but he cannot be WITH her,or with any one.She will know I am beside her,but that will not comfort her.""Will you scratch her very deep?"asked Odu,going near,and putting his hand in hers."Please,don't make the red juice come!"She caught him up,turned her back to the rest of us,drew the muffling down from her face,and held him at arms'length that he might see her.
As if his face had been a mirror,I saw in it what he saw.For one moment he stared,his little mouth open;then a divine wonder arose in his countenance,and swiftly changed to intense delight.
For a minute he gazed entranced,then she set him down.Yet a moment he stood looking up at her,lost in contemplation--then ran to us with the face of a prophet that knows a bliss he cannot tell.
Mara rearranged her mufflings,and turned to the other children.
"You must eat and drink before you go to sleep,"she said;"you have had a long journey!"She set the bread of her house before them,and a jug of cold water.
They had never seen bread before,and this was hard and dry,but they ate it without sign of distaste.They had never seen water before,but they drank without demur,one after the other looking up from the draught with a face of glad astonishment.Then she led away the smallest,and the rest went trooping after her.With her own gentle hands,they told me,she put them to bed on the floor of the garret.