with such good
gifts as shall please thee? Thus shalt thou have no shame, and
everything untoward betwixt us shall be forgotten." Hardcastle shook
his head and said: "Nay, lad, nay, the tale would get about, and shame
would presently be on the wing towards me. We must stand within the
hazel-garth against each other." Then he spake again, and a somewhat
grim smile was on his face: "Awhile agone thou didst threaten to slay
me with the help of yonder squinting loon, but now thou standest
unarmed before me and I have thy sword under my hand. Hast thou no
fear of what I may do to thee, since so it is that forebodings weigh
on mine heart?"

"Nay, I am not afraid," said Osberne; "thou mayst be a bad man, yet
not so bad as that."

"Sooth it is," said Hardcastle; "but I say again, thou art a valiant
lad. Lo now, take thy sword again; but tell me, what armour of defence
hast thou for this battle?"

"Nought save my shield," said Osberne; "there is a rusty steel hood
stands yonder on the wall, but no byrny have we in the house."

Said Hardcastle: "Well, I may do so much as this for thee, I will
leave all my defences here and go down in the hazels with nought but
my sword in my fist, and thou shalt have thy shield; but I warn thee
that Fiddlebow is a good blade."

Said Osberne, and smiled: "Well I wot that if thou get in but one
downright stroke on me, little shall my shield avail me against
Fiddlebow. Yet I take thine offer and thank thee for it. But this
forthinketh me, that if thou live out this day thou wilt still betake
thee to the same insolency and greediness and wrong-doing as thou hast
shown yesterday and this morning."

Hardcastle laughed roughly and said: "Well, lad, I deem thou art
right; wherefore slay me hardily if thou mayst, and rid the world of
me. Yet hearken, of all my deeds I have no shame at all: though folk
say some of them were ugly--let it be."

Therewith came Stephen into the hall, and he did them to wit that the
hazels were pitched, and now he squinted no more.

Chapter XVII. The Slaying of Hardcastle

So they three went down together into the meadow, and there stood the
others by the hazel-garth: the goodman cowering and abject, Surly John
pale and anxious, and the two women clinging together in sore sorrow,
the grandam weeping sorely. But as they passed close by these last,
Stephen touched the grandam and said to her: "Sawest thou ever King
David the little?" "Nay," she said sobbing. "Loo