lood will not be unavenged. And now, farewell!
Remember, if you have lost one royal friend, you have found another."

And Alfgar left the presence.

The next day the whole party from Aescendune returned home. Oxenford
was too full of bitter memories now. One grief of Alfgar was this--he
had not been able to stand by Edmund's grave.

CHAPTER XXV. FATHER CUTHBERT'S DIARY.

CHRISTMASTIDE 1017.

Ten years ago, this very day, God in His mercy delivered us from the
raging Danes at Cliffton, on Tamesis, and now He hath delivered us
again out of the hands of the raging lion, even of Edric Streorn, and
we are all spared to keep our Christmas in peace in the woods of
Aescendune.

It is probably the last I shall keep in this place, for the hall and
priory are fast rising from their ruins, and we shall soon return to
our old home, from which we have been banished ten years and more. It
will be sweet to be there once more, serving the Lord in peace, with
none daring to make us afraid.

Here we are, all of us who are near and dear by the ties of blood, in
this woodland Zoar, which hath indeed been a Zoar in the late
troublous years, utterly untouched, which again we regard as a proof
that Anlaf does not live, for he could have found us out had his
revenge led him to do so when Sweyn was in Mercia. Neither has he
appeared to claim his own estate, which he might easily regain now a
Dane is king.

Alfgar and Ethelgiva are now speedily to be united. Theirs is to be
the first marriage solemnised in the new minster church by my unworthy
hands. To see them now, one would think they had forgotten all the
past peril. The old people do not mean to abandon their woodland
abode; they love it all too well, and call it the Happy Valley. But
they say that a good road, now the times are safer, shall be made to
the old site, where we are again rearing hall and priory.

There is now quite a colony here, nearly 300 people. The church is
very commodious, and every day, for the whole period of these late
dreadful wars, mass has been said therein for our suffering brethren
"contra Paganos." Thank God that he hath at length heard our prayers;
our late foes are no longer Pagans but Christians, and are as eager to
build up as they were to cast down; in fact, several of them have
offered their zealous aid in the rebuilding of our priory.

We had such a happy Christmas evening. We sat by the fire, and Alfgar
was made to relate the whole stor