and many more of Wulfnoth's
thanes. But the old viking had gone to his place beyond the grave,
and I saw him no more after I left him at Berkeley.

Godwine is the greatest man in England now, and well loved. All men
speak of his deeds in Denmark, whither he took the king's English
host when troubles were there, and he is one of those who hold the
kingdoms together since Ulf and Thorkel and Eirik are dead. They
were slain in petty quarrels, and it is ever in my mind that it was
in judgment on them for treating with Streone the traitor in the
days when Cnut had not yet taken the kingship and rule into his own
hands. I hold him blameless of that, for what could a boy of
thirteen, however wise, do against their word and plans?

But Thrand of Colchester lives yet, being port reeve of his own
town under Egil, my good friend.

None have ever seen the White Lady of the Mere again, nor has aught
ill befallen my thrall, who thought he saw her. I gave him his
freedom when we were wedded, and he is over the herds for us. But
ever do I choose rather to call my dear one "Uldra," the name which
she borrowed from the White Lady when I met her at Bosham, and
asked what I should call her, for by that name I learnt to love
her.

Now one day she bade me take her to the great mound of Boadicea the
queen beyond the river, for she had somewhat to show me, and half
fearing I went. But she had no fear of the place, and one might see
that she knew her way through the pathless woods around it well, so
that I wondered. She led me across the water which stands around it
in the old trench, stepping on fallen trees which made a sort of
bridge, and then went to a place where the bushes grew thickly and
tangled.

"Can you see aught strange here?" she said to me.

I could see nothing but thicket of briar and sloe climbing the
steep side of the mound. And therefore she parted them, not easily
at first, for none had touched them for long; and there before me
was the opening of a low stone-sided-and-roofed passage, leading to
the heart of the mound.

"Enter," she said. "This is our hiding place in sorest need."

"Hardly dare I do so. It is ill to disturb the mighty dead," I
answered.

"The dead queen has sheltered us helpless women well," she
answered. "She is not disturbed, for this is not her resting
place."

So I went in, stooping double, for the stone passage was very low.
I cannot tell whence the stone came, nor why the place was made