n's
bower, he felt himself the sturdy fellow he was when the soles of his
feet pressed green grass again; so he said boldly, "Now, blessings on
thy sweet face, say I. An there lived a man that would not do his best
for thee--I will say nought, only I would like to have the cracking of
his knave's pate!

"Peace, Little John!" said Robin Hood hastily, in a low voice; but good
Queen Eleanor laughed aloud, and a ripple of merriment sounded all over
the booth.

The Bishop of Hereford did not laugh, neither did the King, but he
turned to the Queen, and quoth he, "Who are these men that thou hast
brought before us?"

Then up spoke the Bishop hastily, for he could hold his peace no longer:
"Your Majesty," quoth he, "yon fellow in blue is a certain outlawed
thief of the mid-country, named Robin Hood; yon tall, strapping villain
goeth by the name of Little John; the other fellow in green is a certain
backsliding gentleman, known as Will Scarlet; the man in red is a rogue
of a northern minstrel, named Allan a Dale."

At this speech the King's brows drew together blackly, and he turned to
the Queen. "Is this true?" said he sternly.

"Yea," said the Queen, smiling, "the Bishop hath told the truth; and
truly he should know them well, for he and two of his friars spent three
days in merry sport with Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. I did little
think that the good Bishop would so betray his friends. But bear in mind
that thou hast pledged thy promise for the safety of these good yeomen
for forty days."

"I will keep my promise," said the King, in a deep voice that showed the
anger in his heart, "but when these forty days are gone let this outlaw
look to himself, for mayhap things will not go so smoothly with him as
he would like." Then he turned to his archers, who stood near the
Sherwood yeomen, listening and wondering at all that passed. Quoth he,
"Gilbert, and thou, Tepus, and thou, Hubert, I have pledged myself that
ye shall shoot against these three fellows. If ye outshoot the knaves I
will fill your caps with silver pennies; if ye fail ye shall lose your
prizes that ye have won so fairly, and they go to them that shoot
against you, man to man. Do your best, lads, and if ye win this bout ye
shall be glad of it to the last days of your life. Go, now, and get you
gone to the butts."

Then the three archers of the King turned and went back to their booths,
and Robin and his men went to their places at the mark from which