hat her coming may be prepared for."

Now, as the earl said this, the king's smile went from his face, and
black enough he looked for a moment. The look passed quickly, and the
smile came back, but it seemed hard to keep it up.

"Why, that is well," he said; "so you fell in with her on the way."

"I have attended her from London," answered the earl, looking
steadfastly at Alsi, "and it was as well that I did so, as it happened."

"What has been amiss?" asked the king sharply, and trying to look
troubled. He let the smile go now altogether.

"Your henchman, Griffin the Welshman, had no guard with her that was
fitting for our princess," Ragnar said. "He had but twenty men, and
these not of the best. It is in my mind also that I should have been
told of this journey, for I am surely the right man to have guarded my
queen who is to be."

At that Alsi's face went ashy pale, and I did not rightly know why at
the time, but it seemed more in anger than aught else. But he had to
make some answer.

"We sent a messenger to you," he said hastily; "I cannot tell why he did
not reach you."

"He must have come too late, and after I had heard of this from others;
so I had already gone to meet the princess. I am glad that I was sent
for, and it may pass. Well, it is lucky that I was in time, for we were
attacked on the road, and but for my men there would have been trouble."

Then Alsi broke into wrath, which was real enough.

"This passes all. Where and by whom were you attacked? and why should
any fall on the party?"

"Five miles on the other side of Ancaster town, where the Ermin Street
runs among woods, we were fallen on, but who the men were I cannot say.
Why they should fall on us seems plain enough, seeing that the ransom of
a princess is likely to be a great sum."

"Was it a sharp fight?"

"It was not," answered Ragnar, "for it seemed to me that the men looked
only to find your Welsh thane Griffin and his men. When they saw my
Norfolk housecarls, they waited no longer, and we only rode down one or
two of them. But I have somewhat against this Griffin, for he helped me
not at all. Until this day he and his men had ridden fairly with us, but
by the time this attack came they were half a mile behind us."

"Do you mean to say that you think Griffin in league with these--
outlaws, as one may suppose them?" said Alsi, with wrath and more else
written in twitching mouth and crafty eyes.

"I would not have said that,"