s were all carven and made beautiful for her royal
hands. There were two ladies helping her, and they rose as the king
entered, as did all the others, and there was a sudden silence.

I should have been happier if only they had paid no heed to us, and
with all my heart I wished myself elsewhere. Nor did I dare look
round for the Lady Hilda, and so kept my eyes fixed more or less on
the ground, or else trying to seem unconcerned, looking foolish, no
doubt, in that effort. It came to me that one of my shoes was
muddy, and that I could not remember having combed my hair this
morning.

Then the queen rose and came to meet her son with a smile and
morning greeting, setting her hands on his shoulder and kissing
him, and so turned to me as if to ask Ethelbert to say who I was.
And when she heard, I knelt and kissed the hand she held to me; and
my shyness went, for I was no longer at a loss for somewhat to
think of besides myself. I suppose the king or queen made some sign
at this time, for the ladies rustled back to their seats, and their
pleasant talk began again as if we were not present, only so low
that it was like the murmur of the bees outside as we came past the
hives.

Now the queen asked me just a question or two of my journey--if the
crossing had been rough, and so on, and then said smiling:

"But you have had another journey since then, and that handsome
horse of yours bore a double burden, they tell me. Here is the Lady
Hilda, who would thank you for somewhat you did for her."

She beckoned, and a lady rose up from the window seat near by and
came forward. Truly I had to look twice before I was quite sure
that this was she, for here was a wonderfully stately young lady,
clad in white and gold and blue, all unlike the maiden who had
clung to her father as we rode yestereven. And if I had thought her
fair then, I saw now that she was the fairest of all those who
attended this homely and kindly-faced queen. She held out her hand
to me, and I bent and kissed it; and on the white wrist I saw the
blue marks of the clutch of the wild men, which made a great wrath
rise in my heart straightway. Yet I must say somewhat or seem
mannerless.

"You have fared none the worse for your ride, lady?" I said. "I
fear you were weary."

"I am black and blue with the claws of those folk," she said,
laughing ruefully; "they were grimy also. But I meant to try to
thank you for much kindness."

She blushed somewhat, and I made h