So then must Face-of-god keep his soul in
patience till those few days were over, doing what work came to hand;
and he held his head high among the people, and was well looked to of
every man.
In all matters the Sun-beam helped him, both in doing and in
forbearing; and now so wonderful and rare was her beauty, that folk
looked on her with somewhat of fear, as though she came from the very
folk of the Gods.
Indeed she seemed somewhat changed from what she had been of late;
she was sober of demeanour during these last days of her maidenhood,
and sat amongst the kindred as one communing with herself: of few
words she was and little laughter; but her face clear, not overcast
by any gloom or shaken by passion: soft and kind was she in converse
with others, and sweet were the smiles that came into her face if
others' faces seemed to crave for them. For it must be said that as
some folk eat out their hearts with fear of the coming evils, even so
was she feeding her soul with the joy of the days to be, whatever
trouble might fall upon them, whereof belike she foreboded some.
So wore the days toward Midsummer, when the wheat was getting past
the blossoming, and the grass in the mown fields was growing deep
green again after the shearing of the scythe; when the leaves were
most and biggest; when the roses were beginning to fall; when the
apples were reddening, and the skins of the grape-berries gathering
bloom.
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