ue, and the birds were singing in
heavenly choir, and he scarce thought it good to go back speedily to
the dark cell. So he went on a little further and a little further,
till he was ware in the glade before him [of one] whom, as she drew
nigher to him, he saw to be a seemly dame as for her years, straight
and tall; neither was she clad in rags, but in a comely black gown and
white coif. Nevertheless, as 't is said, Once bit, twice shy, so it
was with him, and he was for giving her the go-by. But she would not
have it so, and she greeted him and said: "Hail to thee, noble; whence
art thou last?" Her voice was clear and good, and now as he looked in
her face he deemed he saw no evil in it, but goodwill rather. But he
said: "Hail to thee, dame; I am last from a sick-bed, where guile and
felony laid me."

"Well," said she, "but there is something else than guile and felony
in the world, is there not?"

"I know not," said he shortly.

"I have seen somewhat else, if only once," she said. "I have seen
truth and good-faith and constancy and hope without reward; and five
years have worn no whit of that away."

"Hah," said he; "was it a man, a warrior? Meseems I know one such,
were it not for the hope."

"Nay," said she, "it is a woman."

"And what like is she to look on?" said he. She answered: "If thou
wilt come with me, she is no great way hence abiding my home-coming."
Said Osberne: "But what or who is it she is true to? or for whom doth
she long, hoping against hope? Is it father, brother, son, sister, or
what?" Said the carline: "It is her troth-plight man; and verily I, as
well as she, deem that he is worthy of it; or was, when she saw him."

Osberne laughed, and said: "Good dame, if this be so, what profit were
it to me to see her? I am not her troth-plight man, and if it be as
thou sayest, I shall be unto her as one of the trees of the wood."
"There will be this profit," said the carline, "that thou wilt set
eyes on one of the fairest creatures that God ever made." "Small
profit therein," said Osberne, laughing again, "if I set eyes on her
beauty and am ensnared thereby; then maybe shall be another tale for
this woodland. For belike thou deemest me old, but I am a young man,
only I am haggard with the battle between life and death as I lay
wounded yonder." Therewith he pulled aback his hood, and the carline
came close up to him and looked him hard in the face, but said
nothing. Then he said: "Dame, to be short