the old woman going before them till they came to the hall door, which
she opened to them, and taking the reins of their horses led them away
to the stable, while those twain entered the hall, which was as goodly
as might be. Roger led Ralph up to a board on the dais, whereon there
was meat and drink enow, and Ralph made his way-leader sit down by him,
and they fell to. There was no serving-man to wait on them nor a carle
of any kind did they see; the old woman only, coming back from the
horses, served them at table. Ever as she went about she looked long
on Ralph, and seemed as if she would have spoken to him, but as often,
she glanced at Roger and forbore.

So when they were well nigh done with their meat Ralph spake to the
carline and said: "Belike the lord or the lady of this house are abed
and we shall not see them till the morrow?"

Ere the carline could speak Roger broke in and said: "There is neither
lord nor lady in the castle as now, nor belike will there be to-morrow
morning, or rather, before noon on this day; so now ye were better to
let this dame lead thee to bed, and let the next hours take care of
themselves."

"So be it," said Ralph, who was by this time heartily wearied, "shall
we two lie in the same chamber?"

"Nay," said the carline shortly, "lodging for the master and lodging
for the man are two different things."

Roger laughed and said nought, and Ralph gave him good night, and
followed the carline nothing loth, who led him to a fair chamber over
the solar, as if he had been the very master of the castle, and he lay
down in a very goodly bed, nor troubled himself as to where Roger lay,
nor indeed of aught else, nor did he dream of Burg, or wood, or castle,
or man, or woman; but lay still like the image of his father's father
on the painted tomb in the choir of St. Laurence of Upmeads.

CHAPTER 18

Of Ralph in the Castle of Abundance

Broad lay the sun upon the plain amidst the wildwood when he awoke and
sprang out of bed and looked out of the window (for the chamber was in
the gable of the hall and there was nought of the castle beyond it). It
was but little after noon of a fair June day, for Ralph had slumbered
as it behoved a young man. The light wind bore into the chamber the
sweet scents of the early summer, the chief of all of them being the
savour of the new-cut grass, for about the wide meadows the carles and
queens were awork at the beginning of hay harvest; and late