lp us indeed, if it were builded of stone!"

The Norman crossed himself, as if he had heard some signal impiety, and
then said:

"Thou lovest not Mother Church, worthy Sexwolf?"

"I was brought up," replied the sturdy Saxon, "to work and sweat hard,
and I love not the lazy who devour my substance, and say, 'the saints
gave it them.' Knowest thou not, Master Mallet, that one-third of all
the lands of England is in the hands of the priests?"

"Hem!" said the acute Norman, who, with all his devotion, could stoop to
wring worldly advantage from each admission of his comrade; "then in this
merrie England of thine thou hast still thy grievances and cause of
complaint?"

"Yea indeed, and I trow it," quoth the Saxon, even in that day a
grumbler; "but I take it, the main difference between thee and me is,
that I can say what mislikes me out like a man; and it would fare ill
with thy limbs or thy life if thou wert as frank in the grim land of thy
heretogh."

"Now, Notre Dame stop thy prating," said the Norman, in high disdain,
while his brow frowned and his eye sparkled. "Strong judge and great
captain as is William the Norman, his barons and knights hold their heads
high in his presence, and not a grievance weighs on the heart that we
give not out with the lip."

"So have I heard," said the Saxon, chuckling; "I have heard, indeed, that
ye thegns, or great men, are free enow, and plainspoken. But what of the
commons--the sixhaendmen and the ceorls, master Norman? Dare they speak
as we speak of king and of law, of thegn and of captain?"

The Norman wisely curbed the scornful "No, indeed," that rushed to his
lips, and said, all sweet and debonnair: "Each land hath its customs,
dear Sexwolf: and if the Norman were king of England, he would take the
laws as he finds them, and the ceorls would be as safe with William as
Edward."

"The Norman king of England!" cried the Saxon, reddening to the tips of
his great ears, "what dost thou babble of, stranger? The Norman!--How
could that ever be?"

"Nay, I did but suggest--but suppose such a case," replied the knight,
still smothering his wrath. "And why thinkest thou the conceit so
outrageous? Thy King is childless; William is his next of kin, and dear
to him as a brother; and if Edward did leave him the throne--"

"The throne is for no man to leave," almost roared the Saxon. "Thinkest
thou the people of England are like cattle and sheep, and chattels and
theowes, to be l