But she turned the leaf, and, lo! on one side the Hostage again, standing in a fair garden of the spring with the lilies all about her feet, and behind her the walls of a house, grey, ancient, and lovely: and on the other leaf over against her was painted a sea rippled by a little wind and a boat thereon sailing swiftly, and one man alone in the boat sitting and steering with a cheerful countenance; and he, who but Hallblithe himself.

Hallblithe looked thereon for a while and then the King's daughter shut the book, and the dream flowed into other imaginings of no import.
In the grey dawn Hallblithe awoke, and called to mind his dream, and he leapt from his bed and washed the night from off him in the stream, and clad himself and went the shortest way through the wood to that House of folk aforesaid: and as he went his face was bright and he sang the second part of the carven posy; to wit: Along the grass I lie forlorn That when a while of time is worn, I may be filled with war and peace And bridge the sundering of the seas.
He came out of the wood and hastened over the flowery meads of the Glittering Plain, and came to that same house when it was yet very early.
At the door he came across a damsel bearing water from the well, and she spake to him and said: "Welcome, Wood-lover! Seldom art thou seen in our garth; and that is a pity of thee.

And now I look on thy face I see that gladness hath come into thine heart, and that thou art most fair and lovely.

Here then is a token for thee of the increase of gladness." Therewith she set her buckets on the earth, and stood before him, and took him by the ears, and drew down his face to hers and kissed him sweetly.

He smiled on her and said: "I thank thee, sister, for the kiss and the greeting; but I come here having a lack." "Tell us," she said, "that we may do thee a pleasure." He said: "I would ask the folk to give me timber, both beams and battens and boards; for if I hew in the wood it will take long to season." "All this is free for thee to take from our wood-store when thou hast broken thy fast with us," said the damsel.