And she saw nothing, except the air whitened with snow, and white also the long road, and white also the leafless trees.
And she heard nothing, except, in the heavy silence, the still sound of snowflakes falling quietly like feathers.
And she wound her horn.
XXIX. Of the crow and the sparrow, of the hound, the horse and the seven echoes.
When she reached the middle part of the forest, she saw through the thick snowflakes Sir Halewyn coming towards her.
The Miserable had that day on his body a fine dress of blue cloth, on which was broidered in two colours his ugly arms. Round his waist he had a fair belt studded with lumps of gold, and at his belt the golden sickle, and over his dress a fair opperst-kleed of corn-coloured cloth-of-scarlet.
Riding on his roan horse he came up to Magtelt, and she saw that he was handsome.
Before his horse, barking and making a great noise, ran a hound like a wolf, which, on seeing Schimmel, leapt at him and bit him. But Schimmel, with a great kick which he let fly, set him dancing a sorry dance, and singing a pitiful song over his broken paw.
“Ah,” thought the maid, “God grant, brave Schimmel, that I may do better for the master than thou hast done for the dog.”