bore the self-same skin wherewith she had come to Utterhay, and which
she had worn twice or thrice afterwards when she had an errand
thither.

The witch now glided swiftly to the door, and out into the night.
Birdalone lay still a little, lest she should fall into a trap, and
then arose very quietly and did on her smock, which lay ever under
her pillow with the ring sewn thereto again, and so went out adoors
also, and deemed she saw the witch some way on ahead; but it was
nothing for her light feet to overtake her. So she stayed to take
the ring from her smock, and set it on her finger; then in a low
voice she said:


To left and right,
Before, behind,
Of me be sight
As of the wind!


Then boldly she sped on, and was soon close on the heels of the
witch, who made her way to the edge of the lake, and then turned
east, and went even as Birdalone had gone when she came across the
Sending Boat.

So fared the witch-wife straight to the creek-side, and Birdalone
must needs stick close to her, or she had known nought, so black was
the night amongst the alder-boughs. But the witch-wife fumbled about
a while when she was stayed by the creek, and presently drew somewhat
from under her cloak, and the maiden saw that she was about striking