a certain place and must have. Eight silken
smocks embroidered with gold, eight precious brooches of beaten gold,
three diadems of pure gold."

"At this hour," said the patient king, "the bed is better than the
road."

"Let it be so," said she.

"And moreover," he continued, "a Sunday journey brings bad luck."

"Let the luck come that will come," she answered.

"To keep a cat from cream or a woman from her gear is not work for a
king," said the monarch severely.

The Ard-Ri' could look on all things with composure, and regard all
beings with a tranquil eye; but it should be known that there was one
deed entirely hateful to him, and he would punish its commission with
the very last rigour--this was, a transgression of the Sunday. During
six days of the week all that could happen might happen, so far as
Dermod was concerned, but on the seventh day nothing should happen at
all if the High King could restrain it. Had it been possible he would
have tethered the birds to their own green branches on that day, and
forbidden the clouds to pack the upper world with stir and colour. These
the king permitted, with a tight lip, perhaps, but all else that came
under his hand felt his control.

It was his custom when he arose on the morn of Sunday to climb to the
most elevated point of Tara, and gaze thence on every side, so that
he might see if any fairies or people of the Shi' were disporting
themselves in his lordship; for he absolutely prohibited the usage of
the earth to these beings on the Sunday, and woe's worth was it for the
sweet being he discovered breaking his law.

We do not know what ill he could do to the fairies, but during Dermod's
reign the world said its prayers on Sunday and the Shi' folk stayed in
their hills.

It may be imagined, therefore, with what wrath he saw his wife's
preparations for her journey, but, although a king can do everything,
what can a husband do...? He rearranged himself for slumber.

"I am no party to this untimely journey," he said angrily.

"Let it be so," said Becfola.

She left the palace with one maid, and as she crossed the doorway
something happened to her, but by what means it happened would be hard
to tell; for in the one pace she passed out of the palace and out of the
world, and the second step she trod was in Faery, but she did not know
this.

Her intention was to go to Cluain da chaillech to meet Crimthann, but
when she left the palace she did not remember Crimth