Then Birdalone looked up
and said eagerly: Yea, but it was her other shape belike: therein
was she a tall woman, dark-haired, hook-nosed, and hawk-eyed, as if
of thirty summers; a stark woman. Hast thou seen such? dost thou
remember her?
The woman sprang up and cried out, and was like to have fallen, but
Birdalone arose and held her in her arms and comforted her, and set
her in her seat again and knelt before her; and presently the poor-
wife came to herself and said: My child, thou sayest do I remember
her; how shall I ever forget her? she was the thief who stole my
child.
Therewith she slid from off her seat, and knelt by Birdalone, and
stooped low down on the floor as if the tall maiden were but a little
one, and she fell to kissing her and patting her, her face and her
hands, and all about; and said, sobbing and yet smiling: Suffer me a
little, my child, mine own lovely child! For in good sooth I am thy
mother, and it is long since I have seen thee: but hearken, when I
come quite to myself I shall pray thee not to leave me yet awhile,
and I shall pray thee to love me.
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