"all things should be possible."
"Yes," said Ann dubiously, "I suppose they should."
"We of course," went on Robin, "would accompany you as far as possible, stand by to be of what aid we can, et cetera."
"What about me? Can't I go along?" asked Roger. Ann threw him a grateful look.
"Under certain circumstances," admitted Robin, " 'tis said that a small boy also may enter those hideous halls."
"Me too?" asked Jack.
Robin Hood looked at him, and there seemed to be a twinkle in his eye. "Thou art grown near to man's estate, boy," he said. "But while the legend runneth that the door standeth open only for a little girl, there is another legend that only a certain youth may conquer the dread monsters within. I should say that if the lady meaneth to undertake this journey, she would do very well to have thee along!"
"Good," said Jack. He grinned at Ann, and winked.
"Count me in," said Roger. "Me, too," said Eliza.
Everybody seemed to be waiting for Ann to say something. She looked round at them all, and swallowed. She thought of how much she liked Ivanhoe and Rebecca, and how, even though Brian de Bois-Guilbert might be wicked as wicked, he was still a knight and deserved a knightly death, not one at horrid giant hands (or teeth). And she hoped she sounded brave, because she didn't feel brave at all.
"All right," she said. "I'll try."
A cheer burst from the lips of Robin Hood and his men. Eliza threw her arms round Ann. Jack thumped her on the back.
Ann looked at Roger. Roger looked at Ann. "Pretty good," he said, "for a girl."
And that made Ann feel best of all.
6. The Giants' Lair
Once the die was cast, Ann wanted to start for the Giants' Lair right away and get it over with, and so did Roger and Jack and Eliza. But Robin Hood shook his head.
"Ye must rest and store up your strength," he told them. "Who knoweth what ordeals ye may undergo before ye see old Sherwood again?" And Ann and Roger and Jack and Eliza had to agree that who knew, indeed?
But getting to sleep that night was not easy for any of them, particularly Ann, even though their couches were of fragrant bracken and their pillows scented with pine needles, and even though Maid Marian came and told them soothing stories of the sunnier side of outlaw life.
And when Ann finally did drop off, she had the most bloodcurdling dreams all night.
But the forest birds woke them cheerfully in the morning, and tomorrow was, as usual, another day, and all was swash and buckle as they made ready for the journey, and then all too soon they
were
ready, and the procession started off through the trees, in the opposite direction from Torquilstone Castle.
At first the going was easy, and foxgloves glowed like purple and white candles, and birds warbled their native woodnotes wild, and Allan-a-Dale sang tirra lirra, and Ann might almost have believed they were bound on a party of pleasure, instead of a deed of derring-do.
But as the day wore on things got different. No more flowers bloomed under the trees, which were mostly dead or blasted by lightning, anyway. And around their splintered trunks hung stringy, thorny briers that slapped the travelers scratchingly in the face and seemed to be trying to hold them back. The sun went behind a cloud. A thin cold wind blew down their necks. A carrion crow flew over.
"We're getting near," said Robin Hood.
And Ann and Eliza and Roger and Jack could see that the forest ended just ahead, not thinning out and trailing away gradually, like a respectable forest, but stopping suddenly, as though all life had been cut off at one fell swoop.
"The Giants' Lair!" said Robin, pointing.
Ann and Eliza and Roger and Jack knew what they expected to see—a grim, half-ruined castle like one of the drawings of Mr. Charles Addams in
The New Yorker
, with bats flying around and toads on the terrace and a wolf at the door, and maybe a horrible head glaring from a window.
They stopped at the edge of the forest.
"Hideous, isn't it?" said
"Yes," said Ann dubiously, "I suppose they should."
"We of course," went on Robin, "would accompany you as far as possible, stand by to be of what aid we can, et cetera."
"What about me? Can't I go along?" asked Roger. Ann threw him a grateful look.
"Under certain circumstances," admitted Robin, " 'tis said that a small boy also may enter those hideous halls."
"Me too?" asked Jack.
Robin Hood looked at him, and there seemed to be a twinkle in his eye. "Thou art grown near to man's estate, boy," he said. "But while the legend runneth that the door standeth open only for a little girl, there is another legend that only a certain youth may conquer the dread monsters within. I should say that if the lady meaneth to undertake this journey, she would do very well to have thee along!"
"Good," said Jack. He grinned at Ann, and winked.
"Count me in," said Roger. "Me, too," said Eliza.
Everybody seemed to be waiting for Ann to say something. She looked round at them all, and swallowed. She thought of how much she liked Ivanhoe and Rebecca, and how, even though Brian de Bois-Guilbert might be wicked as wicked, he was still a knight and deserved a knightly death, not one at horrid giant hands (or teeth). And she hoped she sounded brave, because she didn't feel brave at all.
"All right," she said. "I'll try."
A cheer burst from the lips of Robin Hood and his men. Eliza threw her arms round Ann. Jack thumped her on the back.
Ann looked at Roger. Roger looked at Ann. "Pretty good," he said, "for a girl."
And that made Ann feel best of all.
6. The Giants' Lair
Once the die was cast, Ann wanted to start for the Giants' Lair right away and get it over with, and so did Roger and Jack and Eliza. But Robin Hood shook his head.
"Ye must rest and store up your strength," he told them. "Who knoweth what ordeals ye may undergo before ye see old Sherwood again?" And Ann and Roger and Jack and Eliza had to agree that who knew, indeed?
But getting to sleep that night was not easy for any of them, particularly Ann, even though their couches were of fragrant bracken and their pillows scented with pine needles, and even though Maid Marian came and told them soothing stories of the sunnier side of outlaw life.
And when Ann finally did drop off, she had the most bloodcurdling dreams all night.
But the forest birds woke them cheerfully in the morning, and tomorrow was, as usual, another day, and all was swash and buckle as they made ready for the journey, and then all too soon they
were
ready, and the procession started off through the trees, in the opposite direction from Torquilstone Castle.
At first the going was easy, and foxgloves glowed like purple and white candles, and birds warbled their native woodnotes wild, and Allan-a-Dale sang tirra lirra, and Ann might almost have believed they were bound on a party of pleasure, instead of a deed of derring-do.
But as the day wore on things got different. No more flowers bloomed under the trees, which were mostly dead or blasted by lightning, anyway. And around their splintered trunks hung stringy, thorny briers that slapped the travelers scratchingly in the face and seemed to be trying to hold them back. The sun went behind a cloud. A thin cold wind blew down their necks. A carrion crow flew over.
"We're getting near," said Robin Hood.
And Ann and Eliza and Roger and Jack could see that the forest ended just ahead, not thinning out and trailing away gradually, like a respectable forest, but stopping suddenly, as though all life had been cut off at one fell swoop.
"The Giants' Lair!" said Robin, pointing.
Ann and Eliza and Roger and Jack knew what they expected to see—a grim, half-ruined castle like one of the drawings of Mr. Charles Addams in
The New Yorker
, with bats flying around and toads on the terrace and a wolf at the door, and maybe a horrible head glaring from a window.
They stopped at the edge of the forest.
"Hideous, isn't it?" said
Similar Books
