he
reddened.

Said the Earl: "Didst thou hear what he was, this man?"

She said: "I deem from his own words that he was but a simple forester."

"Yea," quoth the Earl, "a simple forester? Nay, but a woodman, an
outlaw, a waylayer; so say our men, that he fell on them with the cry:
A-Tofts! A-Tofts! Hast thou never heard of Jack of the Tofts?"

"Nay, never," said she.

Said the Earl: "He is the king of these good fellows; and a perilous
host they be. Now I fear me, if he be proven to be one of these, there
will be a gallows reared for him to-morrow, for as fair and as doughty
as he may be."

She turned all pale, and her lips quivered: then she rose up, and fell
on her knees before the Earl, and cried out: "O sir, a grace, a grace, I
pray thee! Pardon this poor man who was so kind to me!"

The Earl raised her up and smiled, and said: "Nay, my Lady Queen,
wouldst thou kneel to me? It is unmeet. And as for this woodman, it is
for thee to pardon him, and not for me; and since, by good luck, he is
not hanged yet, thy word hath saved his neck." She sat down in her chair
again, but still looked white and scared. But the Earl spake again, and
kindly:

"Now to all these matters I shall give heed, my Lady; wherefore I will
ask leave of thee, and be gone; and to-morrow I will see thee again, and
lay some rede before thee. Meantime, be of good cheer, for thou shalt be
made as much of as may be, and live in mickle joy if thou wilt. And if
any so much as give thee a hard word, it shall be the worse for them."

Therewith he arose, and made obeisance to her, and departed. And she
abode quiet, and looking straight before her, till the door shut, and
then she put her hands to her face and fell a-weeping, and scarce knew
what ailed her betwixt hope, and rest of body, and love, though that she
called not by its right name.

CHAPTER XIX. EARL GEOFFREY SPEAKETH WITH CHRISTOPHER.

Now it is to be said that the Earl had had much tidings told him of
Christopher, and had no intent to put him to death, but rather meant to
take him into the company of his guard, to serve him in all honour;
and that which he said as to hanging him was but to try Goldilind; but
having heard and seen of her such as we have told, he now thought it
good to have a privy talk with this young man. So he bade a squire lead
him to where Christopher was held in ward, and went much pondering.

So the squire brought him to the self-same Littlest Guardroom