'Sister, I have learned thee all that thine heart can take of me,
and thou art strong in wisdom, and moreover again shall it be with thee,
as I told of thee long ago, that no man shall look on thee that shall
not love thee. Now I will not seek to see thy life that is coming,
nor what thine end shall be, for that should belike be grievous
to both of us; but this I see of thee, that thou wilt now guide thy
life not as I will, but as thou wilt; and since my way is not thy way,
and that I see thou shalt not long abide alone, now shall we sunder;
for I am minded to go to the most ancient parts of the world,
and seek all the innermost of wisdom whiles I yet live; but with kings
and champions and the cities of folk will I have no more to do:
while thou shalt not be able to refrain from these. So now I
bid thee farewell.'

"I wept at her words, but gainsaid them naught, for I wotted
that she spake but the truth; so I kissed her, and we parted;
she went her ways through the wildwood, and I abode at the House
of the Sorceress, and waited on the wearing of the days.

"But scarce a month after her departure, as I stood by the threshold one
morning amidst of the goats, I saw men come riding from out the wood; so I
abode them, and they came to the gate of the garth and there lighted down from
their horses, and they were three in company; and no one of them was young,
and one was old, with white locks flowing down from under his helm:
for they were all armed in knightly fashion, but they had naught but white
gaberdines over their hauberks, with no coat-armour or token upon them.
So they came through the garth-gate and I greeted them and asked them what
they would; then the old man knelt down on the grass before me and said:
'If I were as young as I am old my heart would fail me in beholding
thy beauty: but now I will ask thee somewhat: far away beyond