were no men of
Gymbert's, but Welshmen from the hills spying on the doings of Offa
at Sutton. Some one had told me that they were in doubt as to what
his great gathering meant.

Now, if Hilda had not been with us, there would have been some sort
of a fight here in the dark, for I should certainly have drawn
sword first and spurred afterward. As it was, my only thought must
needs be to save Hilda from any harm.

"Hold hard!" I cried in Welsh; "this is a lady travelling."

"Yes, indeed," one of the men who had hold of my bridle answered;
"he says truly."

"A lady?" said the voice which had spoken first. "Let her bid her
men be still, and we will speak with her!"

Then Hilda answered very bravely, "So it shall be. Bid your men
free us, and we shall harm none."

The leader spoke in Welsh, and his men fell back from us. Then he
came to my side and asked what we did here so late. And as he spoke
it came to me that the best thing to do would be to tell him the
very truth. No more than himself were we friends of Offa and
Quendritha.

"To tell the truth, we are flying from Sutton," I said. "We
belonged to the train of Ethelbert of East Anglia."

"Why fly, then?"

"Have you heard nothing of what has been done?" I asked.

"No. We heard that there was a king with Offa; that is all."

Then I told him what our trouble was, and the men round me--for I spoke
in Welsh, learned when I was a child from our thralls--understood me;
and more than once I heard them speak low words of pity for the young
king. They had no unfriendliness for East Anglia.

"Then that is all that the gathering was for?" asked the leader.

And then he suddenly seemed suspicious, and said sharply, with his
hand on the neck of my horse:

"But to come hither from Sutton you had to cross the river. Your
horse is dry. He has not had time to shake the water from him yet."

"That is a longer story," I said. "But he was on this side; we had
to wade to reach him."

The chief set his hand on my leg and gripped it. Then he laughed.
"Reach down your arm," he said.

I did so, and he laughed again.

"Very wet," he said. "But the lady?"

"Very wet also," answered Hilda. "I pray you, sir, let us pass on,
if only for that reason. I would fain get to the archbishop at
Fernlea shortly."

"Why to him, lady?"

"Because even Quendritha will fear to take me thence."

"Eh, but you are flying from her! Then speed you well, lady and
good sirs. We have little l