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To say truth, my heart was so crushed at first by this blow, that such matters did not occur to me when I left; for it is terrible to think of having to die of a slow disease without father, mother, or sister to comfort one!" "It is indeed, my son," returned Beniah with much feeling. "If you will accept it, I can give you a word of comfort."
"She's a poor creature who has sought refuge with me from her persecutors," said Beniah, turning to the prince, while the old woman fell to crooning a wild song in a low voice, accompanying the music if such it may be called by a swaying motion of her body to and fro.
"I was going to have said to you, Beniah, that I want your services very much." "You had said that much, prince, before Bran I mean Cor that is, the old woman interrupted us. How can I serve you?" "By going back with me to the Hot Swamp and helping to carry out a grand scheme that I have in my brain." The Hebrew shook his head. "I love not your grand schemes," he said, somewhat sternly.
"Who is this?" asked Bladud in surprise. Before the old man could reply, the old woman put her hand to her ear, and, looking up in the prince's face, shouted, in tones that were so unlike to her own natural voice that Beniah could scarce believe his ears "What say you, young man? Speak out; I'm very deaf." With a benignant smile Bladud said that he had merely asked who she was.
This revealed the fact that the place was used as a kitchen. "That is my chimney," said Beniah, taking up the lamp and holding it so that a large natural hole or crack could be seen overhead, it formed an outlet to the forest above though the opening was beyond the reach of vision. The same crack extended below in the form of a yawning chasm, five or six feet wide.
"This is indeed he," answered Beniah, "and I have but, but did not a lad a fair youth visit your camp yesterday?" "No no lad came near the camp yesterday," answered the chief gruffly. Here was cause for wonder, both for the Hebrew and the prince.
Moreover, your voice is not quite strange to me," added the old man with a perplexed look. "Surely I have heard it before?" "Ay, Beniah, you know my voice and have seen my face," said the woman, suddenly removing her shawl and revealing to the astonished eyes of the old man the pretty head and face of Branwen with her wealth of curling auburn hair.
She had not, indeed, been so foolish as to set out on her expedition without a certain amount of forethought what she deemed careful and wise consideration. She knew that by noting the position of the sun when at its highest point in the sky she could follow pretty closely the direction which Beniah had pointed out to her.
They spake not a single word except that once the prince took a turkey drumstick from between his teeth to look up and repeat, "All well at home, you say?" To which Beniah, checking the course of a great wooden spoon to his lips, replied, "All well."
Even robbers of whom there were not a few in those days respected the Hebrew's property; passed by his hut with looks of solemnity, if not of awe, and allowed him to come and go unchallenged. Most people liked Beniah. A few feared him, and a still smaller number cynics, who have existed since the days of Adam held him to be in league with evil spirits.
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