m, and some of them turned about
and laughed to each other, and praised the goodly boy, and knew not
that he had slain a stouter man than e'er a one of them.

Withal his eyes might be no longer while off the gay-clad young women
(for it was holy day, and they dressed out in their best), and he
stared so downrightly on them that his grandsire rebuked him aloud.
And that heard some of the women, and they who were fair amongst them
laughed and praised him, for they deemed him right welcome to look on
all he might see of them, so fair a boy as he was: and one of them, a
goodly woman of some thirty summers, came up to him and bade the old
carle hold his peace and not scold at the boy: "For," said she, "the
lad is so well-liking that he hath good right already to deal with any
woman as he will; and when he groweth older by a half-score years,
God-a-mercy, which of us shall be able to say him nay! Would I were
younger by that tale of years, that I might be able presently to
follow him all over the world." And therewith she kissed him betwixt
the eyes and went her ways. But as before, he was but half pleased to
be so kissed, as a mere child. Shortly to say, there they made great
feast for the joy of all these things, and rode back to the Dale in a
day or two and came safe and sound to Wethermel.

Now at the next meeting 'twixt the two children Osberne bore down all
those fair things; and he found Elfhild on the ness, and she looking
shy and dear, for he had told her that he was going to the cheaping.
And now was her hair no longer spread abroad but bound up close to her
head, and she was clad in a seemly gown of homespun, with black hosen
and skin shoes well laced.

Straightway after the first greetings was great ado about shooting
those fair things across the water; and when they were all across,
Elfhild undid them, and wept for sheer joy of them and for love of her
valiant friend, and at last she sat nigh the edge hugging them all to
her bosom, and said: "Now, sweetheart, is the tale on thy side; for
thou must tell me all that thou hast seen and done." So he fell to,
nought loth, and told everything at large, and the little maiden's
eyes sparkled and her face glowed; but when he had told last of all
about the women and of her who had kissed him, she said: "Ah, all that
is just what my carline saith of thee, that all women shall love thee;
and that is most like, and what shall I do then, I who shall be so far
away from the