ervants while the stout
men of my folk were in battle with a sort of reivers who had fallen on
our land. How might we defend us, two weak women against three
weaponed men?"

"Wert thou thrall or free before that day, damsel?" said the Knight.
She flushed red, and said: "Never has there been an unfree man of our
blood for generation after generation." Said the Knight: "Now thou art
here in this man's tent, wilt thou go with him freely and of thine own
will, if he swear to thee to take thee into his household and deal
honestly by thee?" She reddened again: "But he will not deal honestly
by me, lord," she said, "and never will I go with him uncompelled."
"How knowest thou that he is not a true man?" said the Knight. "Fair
sir," she said, "hast thou looked in the face of him? Look now with
what eyes he is beholding me!"

The Blue Knight was silent a while; then he said, but halted in his
speech: "And with me--wouldst thou go with me of thine own free
will, if I swore to deal with thee in all honour?"

"Yea," she said, "or without the swearing if thou make me the same
offer after I have said a word to thee; to wit, that there is a young
and goodly man whom I love, and he me again. And now I have lost him,
and know not how to come to him, but I will seek him the world over
till I find him, and he me: and if I find him not, then never shall I
come into any man's arms in this world. What sayest thou now?"

The Knight rose up and walked to and fro a while, casting a look on
the chapman every now and then. At last he came to the Maiden, and
said to her in a low voice: "I make the the same offer, and will swear
to thee on my father's sword, which here is." She looked on him, and
the tears came into her eyes: nor forsooth were they very far from
his. But she said: "This goes with it, that thou take along with thee
my foster-mother, who is hereby, and suffer her to be ever with me if
I will." "That is soon yeasaid," quoth he. Then he set her down in his
chair, and said: "Fear nothing, I will see to this matter
straightway."

Then he turned to the chapman, who sat scowling on the Maiden, and
said: "Now, chapman, wilt thou sell me thy thrall as thou hast sold me
those pretty things?" The other answered him not a while, and the
Knight said: "Nay, it avails nought to draw faces at me; one way or
the other the thing can soon be settled. For look to it, that thy
war-taken thrall my be mine by the same title. There are weapons
enoug