safety to her mistress. To say sooth, now it was come so nigh to the
deed, she shrank aback a little, and was fain to dally with the time,
and, if it might be, thrust something of no import betwixt her and
the terror of the last moment.

Now she took the water, and rowed strongly with her lovely limbs till
she came to the eyot, and there she went aland, and visited every
place which had been kind to her; and kissed the trees and flowers
that had solaced her, and once more drew the birds and rabbits to
sport with her; till suddenly it came into her head that the time was
wearing overfast. Then she ran down to the water and plunged in, and
swam over to the strand as fast as she might, and came aland there,
thinking of nothing less than what had befallen.

For lo! when she looked around for her raiment and her scrip, it was
nowhere to be seen; straightway then it came into her mind, as in one
flash, that this was the witch's work; that she had divined this deed
of the flight, and had watched her, and taken the occasion of her
nakedness and absence that she might draw her back to the House of
Captivity. And this the more as the precious ring was sewn to
Birdalone's smock, and the witch would have found it there when she
handled the raiment.

Birdalone wasted no time in seeking for the lost; she looked down on
to the smooth sand, and saw there footprints which were not her own,
and all those went straight back home to the house. Then she turned,
and for one moment of time looked up toward the house, and saw
plainly the witch come out adoors, and the sun flashed from something
bright in her hand.