looked upon me
somewhat grimly, then he said: 'Meseems thou hast a fox's tongue in
thee, carle, and I promise thee I have half a mind to it to hand the
over to the provost-marshal's folk, to see what they could make of
whipping thee. Thou man-at-arms, hast thou heard him lay his bow over
the strings?' 'Yea, lord,' said the man; 'he playeth not ill for an
uplander.' 'Let him try it now before us, and do it well withal if he
would save the skin of his back.' Speedily I had my fiddle in my hand,
and fell to, and if I played not my best, I played at least something
better than my worst. And when I had done, the Baron said: 'Friend,
how many such tunes canst thou play? and canst thou sing aught?' 'It
would not be so easy to tell up the tunes I can play, lord,' said I;
'and sing I can withal, after a fashion.' Said the Baron to the
man-at-arms: 'Bring thou this man to my lodging tonight some two hours
before midnight, and he shall play and sing to us, and if we be not
sleep-eager he shall tell us some old tale also; and I will reward
him. And thou, I shall not make thee a man-at-arms this time, though
trust me, I misdoubt thy hare-heart. There is no such look in thine
eyes.' And he turned away and left us. So we wore the night merrily
enough till the time appointed, what with minstrelsy and some deal of
good wine.

"To the Baron's lodgings I went, which was not right great, but hung
goodly with arras of Troy. And I had the luck to please the lord; for
I both played and sang somewhat near my best. And he bade give me a
handful of silver pennies, though I must needs share them with my
soldier friend, unto whom the lord forgat to give aught, and bade me
come the next night at the same time, which I did, after I had spent
the day looking into everything about that side of the leaguer. But
when I came forth with my friend from the lord's lodging that second
night (and I the richer therefor), I did him to wit that the next
morning early I should take my soles out of the leaguer and make for
my own country, whatever might happen, so that no so many questions
might be asked if I were missed on the morrow, as belike I was. Well
the end of this long story is, that a little before midnight I crept
away and over the dyke and came to the postern and my friend, who let
me into the town, and here I am safe and sound. Now, Captain, canst
thou tell me why I took so much trouble in my disport, with no little
peril withal?"

Now for some ti