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XVIII.
- The Touchstone. THE King was a man that
stood well before the world; his
smile was sweet as clover, but his soul withinsides was as little as a
pea. He
had two sons; and the younger son was a boy after his heart, but the
elder was
one whom he feared. It befell one morning that the drum sounded in the
dun
before it was yet day; and the King rode with his two sons, and a brave
array
behind them. They rode two hours, and came to the foot of a brown
mountain that
was very steep. “Where do we ride?” said
the elder son. “Across this brown
mountain.” said the King, and smiled to
himself. “My father knows what he
is doing,” said the younger son. And they rode two hours
more, and came to the sides of a
black river that was wondrous deep. “And where do we ride?”
asked the elder son. “Over this black river,”
said the King, and smiled to
himself. “My father knows what he
is doing,” said the younger son. And they rode all that
day, and about the time of the
sunsetting came to the side of a lake, where was a great dun. “It is here we ride,”
said the King; “to a King’s house, and
a priest’s, and a house where you will learn much.” At the gates of the dun,
the King who was a priest met them;
and he was a grave man, and beside him stood his daughter, and she was
as fair
as the morn, and one that smiled and looked down. “These are my two sons,”
said the first King. “And here is my
daughter,” said the King who was a priest. “She is a wonderful fine
maid,” said the first King, “and I
like her manner of smiling,” “They are wonderful
well-grown lads,” said the second, “and
I like their gravity.” And then the two Kings
looked at each other, and said, “The
thing may come about”. And in the meanwhile the
two lads looked upon the maid, and
the one grew pale and the other red; and the maid looked upon the
ground
smiling. “Here is the maid that I
shall marry,” said the elder. “For
I think she smiled upon me.” But the younger plucked
his father by the sleeve. “Father,”
said he, “a word in your ear. If I find favour in your sight, might not
I wed
this maid, for I think she smiles upon me?” “A word in yours,” said
the King his father. “Waiting is
good hunting, and when the teeth are shut the tongue is at home.” Now they were come into
the dun, and feasted; and this was a
great house, so that the lads were astonished; and the King that was a
priest
sat at the end of the board and was silent, so that the lads were
filled with
reverence; and the maid served them smiling with downcast eyes, so that
their
hearts were enlarged. Before it was day, the
elder son arose, and he found the
maid at her weaving, for she was a diligent girl. “Maid,” quoth he, “I
would
fain marry you.” “You must speak with my
father,” said she, and she looked
upon the ground smiling, and became like the rose. “Her heart is with me,”
said the elder son, and he went down
to the lake and sang. A little after came the
younger son. “Maid,” quoth he, “if
our fathers were agreed, I would like well to marry you.” “You can speak to my
father,” said she; and looked upon the
ground, and smiled and grew like the rose. “She is a dutiful
daughter,” said the younger son, “she will
make an obedient wife.” And then he thought, “What shall I do?” and he
remembered the King her father was a priest; so he went into the
temple, and
sacrificed a weasel and a hare. Presently the news got
about; and the two lads and the first
King were called into the presence of the King who was a priest, where
he sat
upon the high seat. “Little I reck of gear,”
said the King who was a priest,
“and little of power. For we live here among the shadow of things, and
the
heart is sick of seeing them. And we stay here in the wind like raiment
drying,
and the heart is weary of the wind. But one thing I love, and that is
truth;
and for one thing will I give my daughter, and that is the trial stone.
For in
the light of that stone the seeming goes, and the being shows, and all
things
besides are worthless. Therefore, lads, if ye would wed my daughter,
out foot,
and bring me the stone of touch, for that is the price of her.” “A word in your ear,”
said the younger son to his father. “I
think we do very well without this stone.” “A word in yours,” said
the father. “I am of your way of
thinking; but when the teeth are shut the tongue is at home.” And he
smiled to
the King that was a priest. But the elder son got to
his feet, and called the King that
was a priest by the name of father. “For whether I marry the maid or
no, I will
call you by that word for the love of your wisdom; and even now I will
ride
forth and search the world for the stone of touch.” So he said
farewell, and
rode into the world. “I think I will go, too,”
said the younger son, “if I can
have your leave. For my heart goes out to the maid.” “You will ride home with
me,” said his father. So they rode home, and
when they came to the dun, the King
had his son into his treasury. “Here,” said he, “is the touchstone
which shows
truth; for there is no truth but plain truth; and if you will look in
this, you
will see yourself as you are.” And the younger son
looked in it, and saw his face as it
were the face of a beardless youth, and he was well enough pleased; for
the
thing was a piece of a mirror. “Here is no such great
thing to make a work about,” said he;
“but if it will get me the maid I shall never complain. But what a fool
is my
brother to ride into the world, and the thing all the while at home!” So they rode back to the
other dun, and showed the mirror to
the King that was a priest; and when he had looked in it, and seen
himself like
a King, and his house like a King’s house, and all things like
themselves, he
cried out and blessed God. “For now I know,” said he, “there is no
truth but
the plain truth; and I am a King indeed, although my heart misgave me.”
And he
pulled down his temple, and built a new one; and then the younger son
was
married to the maid. In the meantime the elder
son rode into the world to find
the touchstone of the trial of truth; and whenever he came to a place
of
habitation, he would ask the men if they had heard of it. And in every
place
the men answered: “Not only have we heard of it, but we alone, of all
men,
possess the thing itself, and it hangs in the side of our chimney to
this day”.
Then would the elder son be glad, and beg for a sight of it. And
sometimes it
would be a piece of mirror, that showed the seeming of things; and then
he
would say, “This can never be, for there should be more than seeming”.
And
sometimes it would be a lump of coal, which showed nothing; and then he
would
say, “This can never be, for at least there is the seeming”. And
sometimes it
would be a touchstone indeed, beautiful in hue, adorned with polishing,
the
light inhabiting its sides; and when he found this, he would beg the
thing, and
the persons of that place would give it him, for all men were very
generous of
that gift; so that at the last he had his wallet full of them, and they
chinked
together when he rode; and when he halted by the side of the way he
would take
them out and try them, till his head turned like the sails upon a
windmill. “A murrain upon this
business!” said the elder son, “for I
perceive no end to it. Here I have the red, and here the blue and the
green;
and to me they seem all excellent, and yet shame each other. A murrain
on the
trade! If it were not for the King that is a priest and whom I have
called my
father, and if it were not for the fair maid of the dun that makes my
mouth to
sing and my heart enlarge, I would even tumble them all into the salt
sea, and
go home and be a King like other folk.” But he was like the
hunter that has seen a stag upon a mountain,
so that the night may fall, and the fire be kindled, and the lights
shine in
his house; but desire of that stag is single in his bosom. Now after many years the
elder son came upon the sides of
the salt sea; and it was night, and a savage place, and the clamour of
the sea
was loud. There he was aware of a house, and a man that sat there by
the light
of a candle, for he had no fire. Now the elder son came in to him, and
the man
gave him water to drink, for he had no bread; and wagged his head when
he was
spoken to, for he had no words. “Have you the touchstone
of truth?” asked the elder son and
when the man had wagged his head, “I might have known that,” cried the
elder
son. “I have here a wallet full of them!” And with that he laughed,
although
his heart was weary. And with that the man
laughed too, and with the fuff of his
laughter the candle went out. “Sleep,” said the man,
“for now I think you have come far
enough; and your quest is ended, and my candle is out.” Now when the morning
came, the man gave him a clear pebble
in his hand, and it had no beauty and no colour; and the elder son
looked upon
it scornfully and shook his head; and he went away, for it seemed a
small
affair to him. All that day he rode, and
his mind was quiet, and the desire
of the chase allayed. “How if this poor pebble be the touchstone, after
all?”
said he: and he got down from his horse, and emptied forth his wallet
by the
side of the way. Now, in the light of each other, all the touchstones
lost
their hue and fire, and withered like stars at morning; but in the
light of the
pebble, their beauty remained, only the pebble was the most bright. And
the
elder son smote upon his brow. “How if this be the truth?” he cried,
“that all
are a little true?” And he took the pebble, and turned its light upon
the
heavens, and they deepened about him like the pit; and he turned it on
the
hills, and the hills were cold and rugged, but life ran in their sides
so that
his own life bounded; and he turned it on the dust, and he beheld the
dust with
joy and terror; and he turned it on himself, and kneeled down and
prayed. “Now, thanks be to God,”
said the elder son, “I have found
the touchstone; and now I may turn my reins, and ride home to the King
and to
the maid of the dun that makes my mouth to sing and my heart enlarge.” Now when he came to the
dun, he saw children playing by the
gate where the King had met him in the old days; and this stayed his
pleasure,
for he thought in his heart, “It is here my children should be
playing”. And
when he came into the hall, there was his brother on the high seat and
the maid
beside him; and at that his anger rose, for he thought in his heart,
“It is I
that should be sitting there, and the maid beside me”. “Who are you?” said his
brother. “And what make you in the
dun?” “I am your elder
brother,” he replied. “And I am come to
marry the maid, for I have brought the touchstone of truth.” Then the younger brother
laughed aloud. “Why,” said he, “I
found the touchstone years ago, and married the maid, and there are our
children playing at the gate.” Now at this the elder
brother grew as gray as the dawn. “I
pray you have dealt justly,” said he, “for I perceive my life is lost.” “Justly?” quoth the
younger brother. “It becomes you ill,
that are a restless man and a runagate, to doubt my justice, or the
King my
father’s, that are sedentary folk and known in the land.” “Nay,” said the elder
brother, “you have all else, have
patience also; and suffer me to say the world is full of touchstones,
and it
appears not easily which is true.” “I have no shame of
mine,” said the younger brother. “There
it is, and look in it.” So the elder brother
looked in the mirror, and he was sore
amazed; for he was an old man, and his hair was white upon his head;
and he sat
down in the hall and wept aloud. “Now,” said the younger
brother, “see what a fool’s part you
have played, that ran over all the world to seek what was lying in our
father’s
treasury, and came back an old carle for the dogs to bark at, and
without chick
or child. And I that was dutiful and wise sit here crowned with virtues
and
pleasures, and happy in the light of my hearth.” “Methinks you have a
cruel tongue,” said the elder brother;
and he pulled out the clear pebble and turned its light on his brother;
and
behold the man was lying, his soul was shrunk into the smallness of a
pea, and
his heart was a bag of little fears like scorpions, and love was dead
in his
bosom. And at that the elder brother cried out aloud, and turned the
light of
the pebble on the maid, and, lo! she was but a mask of a woman, and
withinside’s she was quite dead, and she smiled as a clock ticks, and
knew not
wherefore. “Oh, well,” said the
elder brother, “I perceive there is
both good and bad. So fare ye all as well as ye may in the dun; but I
will go forth
into the world with my pebble in my pocket.” |