ur lodging, he being the
king's marshal in charge of us, and also warden of the palace. He
was a huge man, burly and strong, somewhat too smooth spoken, as I
thought, but pleasant withal. He gave me a tent to myself, somewhat
apart from the king's pavilion, as a Frankish stranger, I suppose.

"Your thralls will bide with the rest," he said; "they can find
shelter in the tents there are yonder. If some of them have to bide
outside, it will not hurt them."

"Well enough you ken that, Gymbert," said Erling curtly, in good
Welsh.

I understood him, of course, for we had Welsh thralls enough at
home, but I wondered that he knew the tongue. Gymbert understood
him also, for his face flushed red and he bit his lip. But he
pretended not to do so.

"Your Frankish tongue is a strange one," he said. "What does the
man want?"

"I think that he means that outside the tent is as pleasant as in,
as you hint," I said. "But he will bide here across my door, as is
his wont."

"Outside, I suppose?" said Gymbert, with a laugh. "Well, as you
like."

He rode away, and I looked at Erling wonderingly. The Dane was
watching him with a black scowl on his face.

"Where on earth did you learn the British tongue?" I said; "and
what know you of Gymbert?"

"I learned the Welsh yonder," Erling answered, nodding westward. "I
lived in the little town men call Tenby for three years. There also
I heard of this man. He was a thrall himself once, and freed by
this queen for some service or another. He is a well-hated man,
both by Saxon and Welsh, being of both races, and therefore of
neither, as one may say."

"He seems to be trusted by the king, though!"

Erling shrugged his shoulders. "He has fought well for him, and is
rewarded. Were there aught to be had by betraying Offa, he would
betray him. Take a bad Saxon and a false Welshman, and that is
saying much, and weld them into one, and you have Gymbert."

"This is hearsay from the Welsh he has fought," said I; "one need
not heed it."

"I suppose not," quoth Erling; "but I never heard aught else of
him. And he has the face of a traitor."

With that he turned to his horses and began loosening the pack from
that one which bore it. There was no more to be got out of him, as
I knew, and so, leaving him to set the tent in order, I went my way
toward the river, being minded for a good swim therein after the
long, dusty way. And turning over what Erling had said of himself,
I remembered that