ng that none of the
thanes could be aught but pleased. Moreover, it took away a fear that
they had had lest Griffin was to be the man. None could say that he
fulfilled the conditions of the will of Ethelwald. The spokesman said,
therefore, that it was well set before them, and that it was best to
wait, saying at the end, "For, after all, we might have to change our
minds concerning the princess, if with her we must take a man who will
prove a burden or tyrant to us all."

Then they asked the king to find a good husband for the princess as soon
as might be, so that he was not against her liking.

"Well," said Alsi, "it is a hard task for a man who has no wife to help
him; but we will trust to the good sense of my niece. Now, I had thought
of Ragnar of Norwich; but it is in my mind that the old laws of near kin
are somewhat against this."

I suppose that he had no intention of letting the earl marry the
princess; but this was policy, as it might please the thanes. However,
the matter of kinship did not please some, and that was all that he
needed, for there was excuse then for him if he forbade that match,
which was the last he wanted.

Ragnar sat in his place and heard all this, and he wished himself back
at Norwich.

So there the matter ended, and that was the last sitting of the Witan.
There was to be a great breaking-up feast that night before the thanes
scattered to their homes.

Now while this was going on I ended my spell of duty, and bethought me
of Mord the chamberlain, and so went to Berthun and asked for him. He
said that if I had any special business with Mord I might see him; and I
said, truly enough, that my errand was special, having to do with
friends of his; so it was not long before they took me to him. He was in
a long room that was built on the side of the great hall, as it were,
and I could hear the murmur of the voices of those who spoke at the
Witan while I waited.

Now Mord was not so much changed as I, and at first he did not know me
at all.

"Well, master housecarl, what may your message be, and from whom is it?"
he said, without more than a glance at me.

"Why, there are some old friends of yours who are anxious to know if you
have forgotten the feeling of a halter round your neck," I said in good
Danish.

Then, after one look, he knew me at once, and ran to me, and took my
hand, and almost kissed me in his pleasure, for since I could handle an
oar he had known me, and had taught m