And rattled off in echoes ’mong the hills;[396]
The black mass rising soon obscured[397] the stars
O’erhead; then plashing rain drops told the storm
Had burst. “To wed the hand and not the heart
Is sin, far greater than to disobey.
May God forgive me if I err: my heart[398]
Must be my guide.” Thus murmured Maud, as all
Alone she sped across the fields to reach
Yon rugged pass[399] where Clair had gone to wait,
That when she came they both might mount his steed,