the
country, and there were signs of two or three villages and hamlets in
sight besides the one near me, between which and me there was some
orchard-land, where the early apples were beginning to redden on the
trees. Also, just on the other side of the road and the ditch which
ran along it, was a small close of about a quarter of an acre, neatly
hedged with quick, which was nearly full of white poppies, and, as far
as I could see for the hedge, had also a good few rose-bushes of the
bright-red nearly single kind, which I had heard are the ones from
which rose-water used to be distilled. Otherwise the land was quite
unhedged, but all under tillage of various kinds, mostly in small
strips. From the other side of a copse not far off rose a tall spire
white and brand-new, but at once bold in outline and unaffectedly
graceful and also distinctly English in character. This, together with
the unhedged tillage and a certain unwonted trimness and handiness
about the enclosures of the garden and orchards, puzzled me for a
minute or two, as I did not understand, new as the spire was, how it
could have been designed by a modern architect; and I was of course
used to the hedged tillage and tumbledown bankrupt-looking surroundings
of our modern agriculture. So that the garden-like neatness and
trimness of everything surprised me. But after a minute or two that
surprise left me entirely; and if what I saw and heard afterwards seems
strange to you, remember that it did not seem strange to me at the
time, except where now and again I shall tell you of it. Also, once
for all, if I were to give you the very words of those who spoke to me
you would scarcely understand them, although their language was English
too, and at the time I could understand them at once.

Well, as I stretched myself and turned my face toward the village, I
heard horse-hoofs on the road, and presently a man and horse showed on
the other end of the stretch of road and drew near at a swinging trot
with plenty of clash of metal. The man soon came up to me, but paid me
no more heed than throwing me a nod. He was clad in armour of mingled
steel and leather, a sword girt to his side, and over his shoulder a
long-handled bill-hook.

His armour was fantastic in form and well wrought; but by this time I
was quite used to the strangeness of him, and merely muttered to
myself, "He is coming to summon the squire to the leet;" so I turned
toward the village in good e