t bethought thee of a gift to crave of me, a
reward for the slaying of mine enemy, and the saving of me from death?"

"O my Lady," he said, "even so much would I have done for any other lady,
or, forsooth, for any poor man; for so my manhood would have bidden me.
Speak not of gifts to me then. Moreover" (and he reddened therewith, and
his voice faltered), "didst thou not give me my sweet reward yesterday?
What more durst I ask?"

She held her peace awhile, and looked on him keenly; and he reddened
under her gaze. Then wrath came into her face, and she reddened and knit
her brows, and spake to him in a voice of anger, and said: "Nay, what is
this? It is growing in my mind that thou deemest the gift of me
unworthy! Thou, an alien, an outcast; one endowed with the little wisdom
of the World without the Wood! And here I stand before thee, all
glorious in my nakedness, and so fulfilled of wisdom, that I can make
this wilderness to any whom I love more full of joy than the kingdoms and
cities of the world--and thou!--Ah, but it is the Enemy that hath done
this, and made the guileless guileful! Yet will I have the upper hand at
least, though thou suffer for it, and I suffer for thee."

Walter stood before her with hanging head, and he put forth his hands as
if praying off her anger, and pondered what answer he should make; for
now he feared for himself and the Maid; so at last he looked up to her,
and said boldly: "Nay, Lady, I know what thy words mean, whereas I
remember thy first welcome of me. I wot, forsooth, that thou wouldst
call me base-born, and of no account, and unworthy to touch the hem of
thy raiment; and that I have been over-bold, and guilty towards thee; and
doubtless this is sooth, and I have deserved thine anger: but I will not
ask thee to pardon me, for I have done but what I must needs."

She looked on him calmly now, and without any wrath, but rather as if she
would read what was written in his inmost heart. Then her face changed
into joyousness again, and she smote her palms together, and cried out:
"This is but foolish talk; for yesterday did I see thy valiancy, and to-
day I have seen thy goodliness; and I say, that though thou mightest not
be good enough for a fool woman of the earthly baronage, yet art thou
good enough for me, the wise and the mighty, and the lovely. And whereas
thou sayest that I gave thee but disdain when first thou camest to us,
grudge not against me therefor, because it