of Sherborne for a little while. I missed him sorely,
as did every man who knew him.

I do not think that if one searched all England through there could
have been found a more noble looking group than that at Ina's high
table. It is well known that our king and queen were beyond all
others for royalty of look and ways, and I will venture to say that
neither of the ealdormen had their equals, save in Nunna, anywhere.
But it is not my word only, for it was a common saying, that Owen
seemed most royal next to the king himself. Grave he always was,
but with a ready smile and pleasant, in the right place, and though
he was now about five-and-forty he had changed little to my eyes
from what he was twelve years ago, when he saved me from the
wolves. He was one of those men who age but slowly.

One other on the high place I have not mentioned in this way. That
was Elfrida, the Somerset ealdorman's daughter, of whom it was said
that she was the fairest maiden in all Wessex. Certainly at this
time I for one would have agreed in that saying. She was two years
younger than I, if I dare say it, and it seemed to me that in the
last three years she had suddenly grown from the child that I used
to play with to a very stately lady, well fitted to take the place
of her mother, who used to be kind to me when I first came here as
the queen's somewhat mischievous page, and had but died a year or
so ago. I think that this feast was the first Elfrida and her
father had been present at since then, and at least, that was the
reason I heard given for her presence on the high place.

Now I must say where my place was in the hall, for it may make more
plain what happened hereafter. The young nobles of the court who
had no relatives present sat at one of the cross tables at the
king's right hand, and at the head of these tables was my seat by
reason of my post as captain of the house-carles. So I sat with my
back to the long chief table, with its occupants just behind me,
and to my left was the open space in the centre of the hall, so
that if I was needed, or had to go out for the change of guard or
other house-carle business, all that I had to do, being at one end
of the bench, was to get up and go my way without disturbing any
one. At the same time I could see all the hall before me, and a
half turn of the head would set my eyes on the king himself.

The door of the hall was closed when the king entered from his own
chambers and took his p