The Roots of the Mountains, page 349 by William Morris
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hot through his heart, as he heard Folk-might say: 'Where then is the Shield-may of Burgstead? where is the Bride?'
And Face-of-god said under his breath: 'She is dead, she is dead!' And then he stared out straight before him and waited till someone else should say it aloud. But Bow-may stepped forward and said: 'Chief of the Wolf, be of good cheer; our kinswoman is hurt, but not deadly.'
The Alderman's face changed, and he said: 'Hast thou seen her, Bow- may?'
'Nay,' she said. 'How should I leave the battle? but others have told me who have seen her.'
Folk-might stared into the ranks of men before him, but said nothing. Said the Alderman: 'Is she well tended?'
'Yea, surely,' said Bow-may, 'since she is amongst friends, and there are no foemen behind us.'
Then came a voice from Folk-might which said: 'Now were it best to send good men and deft in arms, and who know Silver-dale, from house to house, to search for foemen who may be lurking there.'
The Alderman looked kindly and sadly on him and said:
'Kinsman Stone-face, and Hall-face my son, the brunt of the battle is now over, and I am but a simple man amongst you; therefore, if ye will give me leave, I will go see this poor kinswoman of ours, and comfort her.'
They bade him go: so he sheathed his sword, and went through the press with two men of the Steer toward the southern road; for the Bride had been brought into a house nigh the corner of the Market- place.
But Face-of-god looked after his father as he went, and remembrance of past days came upon him, and such a storm of grief swept over him, as he thought of the Bride lying pale and bleeding and brought anigh to her death, that he put his hands to his face and wept as a child that will not be comforted; nor had he any shame of all those bystanders, who in sooth were men good and kindly, and had no shame of his grief or marvelled at it, for indeed their own hearts were sore for their lovely kinswoman, and many of them a