eat joy all your life long."

"As to 'great joy' I know not," replied he. "For if I be not the veriest
fool in all the land from Venice to Iceland, my name is not Kubbeling. I
scarce know myself! Howbeit, let that pass: I stand by my word, albeit
the pains I shall endure in the winter journey."

"The Saints will preserve you on so pious an errand," Ann declared. "And
if they should nevertheless come upon you, dear Father, I will tend you
as your own daughter would. And now again your hand, and a thousand,
thousand thanks."

Whereupon Kubbeling, with a melancholy growl, and yet a smile on his
face, held forth his hand, and Ann held it fast and cried to me: "You are
witness, Margery, that he has promised to do my will. Oh, Margery, I
could fly for gladness!"

And verily meseemed as though the wings had grown, and her eyes sparkled
right joyfully and thankfully. And I had discerned from her very first
words whereunto she had beguiled Kubbeling; and verily to me it was a
marvel, inasmuch as I myself had imagined the self-same thing in the
watches of the night, and while my hair was doing: namely, to beseech
Kubbeling to be my fellow and keeper on a voyage to Egypt. Who but he
knew the way so well? Howbeit, Ann had prevented me, and now, whereas I
heard the sound of voices on the stair, I yet found time to cry to her:
"We go together, Ann; that is a settled matter!"

Hereupon she looked at me, at first in amazement and then with a blissful
consenting smile, and said "You had imagined the same thing, I know. Yes,
Margery, we will go."

The others now trooped in, and I had no more time but hastily to clasp
her hand. Howbeit, when most of our guests had gone into the refectory,
where the morning meal was by this time steaming on the board, none were
left with us save Cousin Maud and Uncle Conrad and Uncle Christian; and
Uncle Conrad enquired of the Brunswicker whether he purposed indeed to
set forth this day, and the man answered No, if so be that his lordship
the grand-forester would grant him shelter yet awhile, and consent to a
plan to which he had been just now beguiled.

And my uncle gave him his hand, and said the longer he might stay the
better. And then he went on to ask with some curiosity what that plan
might be. Howbeit, I took upon me to speak, and I told him in few words
how that we had been thinking whom we might best send forth to help my
brethren, and that, with the morning sun, light had dawned on our mi