ome yeoman's dwelling of that day, which is as much
as saying it was very beautiful. The house on the other side of it,
the last house in the village, was old or even ancient; all built of
stone, and except for a newer piece built on to it--a hall, it
seemed--had round arches, some of them handsomely carved. I knew that
this was the parson's house; but he was another sort of priest than
John Ball, and what for fear, what for hatred, had gone back to his
monastery with the two other chantrey priests who dwelt in that house;
so that the men of the township, and more especially the women, were
thinking gladly how John Ball should say mass in their new chancel on
the morrow.

Will Green's daughter was waiting for him at the door and gave him a
close and eager hug, and had a kiss to spare for each of us withal: a
strong girl she was, as I have said, and sweet and wholesome also. She
made merry with her father; yet it was easy to see that her heart was
in her mouth all along. There was a younger girl some twelve summers
old, and a lad of ten, who were easily to be known for his children; an
old woman also, who had her livelihood there, and helped the household;
and moreover three long young men, who came into the house after we had
sat down, to whom Will nodded kindly. They were brisk lads and smart,
but had been afield after the beasts that evening, and had not seen the
fray.

The room we came into was indeed the house, for there was nothing but
it on the ground floor, but a stair in the corner went up to the
chamber or loft above. It was much like the room at the Rose, but
bigger; the cupboard better wrought, and with more vessels on it, and
handsomer. Also the walls, instead of being panelled, were hung with a
coarse loosely-woven stuff of green worsted with birds and trees woven
into it. There were flowers in plenty stuck about the room, mostly of
the yellow blossoming flag or flower-de-luce, of which I had seen
plenty in all the ditches, but in the window near the door was a pot
full of those same white poppies I had seen when I first woke up; and
the table was all set forth with meat and drink, a big salt-cellar of
pewter in the middle, covered with a white cloth.

We sat down, the priest blessed the meat in the name of the Trinity,
and we crossed ourselves and fell to. The victual was plentiful of
broth and flesh-meat, and bread and cherries, so we ate and drank, and
talked lightly together when we were ful