ove for Offa, but he is a warrior and a
man; whereas--Well, I will bid you promise to say no word of this
meeting, and you shall go."

That promise we gave freely, as may be supposed. If the Welsh chose
to swarm over the border and burn Sutton Palace, it might be but
just recompense for what those walls had seen; but I thought that,
with their fear of the gathering at an end, the man who had lit
yonder hillside fires would disband his levies for the time. So we
parted very good friends, in a way, and this chief bade one of his
men guide us for the mile or so which he could pass in safety. We
were closer then to Fernlea than I thought, and in half an hour we
were at the gates.

Where our Welshman left us I cannot say. Somewhere he slipped from
my side into the darkness, and when next I spoke to him there was
no answer.

Now we had to wait outside the town gates--for the place was, as
might be supposed, strongly stockaded against the Welsh--until one
went to the town reeve and fetched him, seeing that we had not the
password for the night. But at last they let us in, and took us to
the house of the reeve himself, for the archbishop was there. And
there is no need to say that when he heard our story he welcomed us
most kindly, promising Hilda his protection. There, too, the good
wife of the reeve cared for the maiden as if she were her own
daughter, and I saw her no more that night.

As for myself, I sat down at supper, which they had but half
finished, with the archbishop and his little train; and glad enough
I was of it, and I and Erling ate as famished men who do not know
when their next meal may be.

The archbishop watched us, smiling at first, and then grew
thoughtful. After I had fairly done, he said:

"My son, I thought you had come to me with news of the finding of
the body of your poor king. That is a matter which lies heavily on
my mind. It must be done."

"I think I can tell you within a few yards, father, where it must
needs be, for today I and my comrade have searched where it was
taken. We have found, at least, the cart Gymbert used, and it
cannot be far thence. We think that the cart was left close to the
hiding place."

Then one of the priests said eagerly:

"Father, the moon lies bright on all the meadows, and we might well
seek in the place the thane has found. This is a thing done at
night in most seemly wise, as I think."

"Ay," answered the archbishop thoughtfully. "Yet it were hard to