comrade; it seemed personal to me.

"Tell me what you and he spoke of last night," Erling asked me
gravely, as I turned the matter over.

I told him all I could remember, and it came back to me clearly as
I went on. Then he said slowly:

"There was more in that talk of a service to be done for the queen
than he would care for you to know. Why should a stranger be asked
if he might be led to undertake one, when there are scores of
faithful Mercians who would be only too glad to do aught to
pleasure her? As it seems to me, they needed one who could be put
away without being missed afterward, when his errand was finished."

"No reason why Gymbert should have tried to end me now in that
case."

"The king's wine was potent last night. It may be that he cannot
rightly remember how far a loosened tongue led him," Erling said.
"Master, there is trouble in the air. I sorely misdoubt that errand
of Quendritha's."

"Faith," said I, "if you did not sleep across my door I would wear
my mail tonight."

"Ay," he answered, under his breath and earnestly. "Do so anywise.
These great palaces have strange tricks of passages and doors which
are hidden, and the like."

"Little shall I sleep tonight if you go on thus," I said, trying to
laugh; though it did indeed seem that he had somewhat more than
fancy in what he feared, and I grew strangely uneasy.

"Better so," he answered; and I gave it up.

Riding easily, we came back to the palace close after the kings;
and in the great courtyard I looked round for Gymbert, but could
not see him. There was nothing in that, of course; but when a man
has apparently tried twice to end one, it seems safer to have him
in sight. And Erling, as he took my horse, growled to me to have a
care and wear my mail under my tunic; which in itself was
disquieting.

Most of all it was so because the affair seemed unreasonable. I
tried honestly to think that all was accident, but two such mishaps
from the same hand looked unlike that.

So I went straight to my chamber and did as my comrade bade me,
somewhat angry with myself for thinking it needful. I took a light
chain-mail byrnie, of that wondrous Saracen make, which I had won
from a chief when we were warring on the western frontier mountains
by Roncesvalles, and belted it close to me that it should not
rattle as I moved. It was hardly so heavy as a helm, and fell into
a little handful of rings in one's hand when taken off; but there
was no sword