l had reached even to the court
at London Town. So straightway Allan took up his harp in his hand, and,
without more asking, touched the strings lightly till they all rang
sweetly, then he sang thus:

"_Gentle river, gentle river,
Bright thy crystal waters flow,
Sliding where the aspens shiver,
Gliding where the lilies blow,

"Singing over pebbled shallows,
Kissing blossoms bending low,
Breaking 'neath the dipping swallows,
Purpling where the breezes blow.

"Floating on thy breast forever
Down thy current I could glide;
Grief and pain should reach me never
On thy bright and gentle tide.

"So my aching heart seeks thine, love,
There to find its rest and peace,
For, through loving, bliss is mine, love,
And my many troubles cease_."

Thus Allan sang, and as he sang all eyes dwelled upon him and not a
sound broke the stillness, and even after he had done the silence hung
for a short space. So the time passed till the hour drew nigh for the
holding of the great archery match in Finsbury Fields.

A gay sight were famous Finsbury Fields on that bright and sunny morning
of lusty summertime. Along the end of the meadow stood the booths for
the different bands of archers, for the King's yeomen were divided into
companies of fourscore men, and each company had a captain over it; so
on the bright greensward stood ten booths of striped canvas, a booth for
each band of the royal archers, and at the peak of each fluttered a
flag in the mellow air, and the flag was the color that belonged to
the captain of each band. From the center booth hung the yellow flag of
Tepus, the famous bow bearer of the King; next to it, on one hand,
was the blue flag of Gilbert of the White Hand, and on the other the
blood-red pennant of stout young Clifton of Buckinghamshire. The seven
other archer captains were also men of great renown; among them were
Egbert of Kent and William of Southampton; but those first named were
most famous of all. The noise of many voices in talk and laughter came
from within the booths, and in and out ran the attendants like
ants about an ant-hill. Some bore ale and beer, and some bundles of
bowstrings or sheaves of arrows. On each side of the archery range were
rows upon rows of seats reaching high aloft, and in the center of the
north side was a raised dais for the King and Queen, shaded by canvas
of gay colors, and hung about with str