rsooth,
was her queenhood forgotten, and better and better to her seemed
Christopher's valiant love; and the meeting in the hall of the eventide
was so sweet to her, that she might do little but stand trembling whiles
Christopher came up to her, and Joanna's trim feet were speeding her
over the floor to meet her man, that she might be a sharer in his deeds
of the day.

Many tales withal Joanna told the Queen of the deeds of her husband and
his kindred, and of the freeing of her and the other three from their
captivity at Wailing Knowe, and of the evil days they wore there before
the coming of their lads, which must have been worser by far, thought
Goldilind, than the days of Greenharbour; so with all these tales, and
the happy days in the house of the wild-woods, Goldilind now began to
deem of this new life as if there had been none other fated for her,
so much a part was she now become of the days of those woodmen and
wolf-heads.

But when the last of those ten days was wearing to an end and those five
were sitting happy in the hall (albeit David sat somewhat pensive, now
staring at Goldilind's beauty, now rising from his seat to pace the
floor restlessly), Gilbert spake and said: "Brethren, and thou, Queen
Goldilind, it may be that the time is drawing near for other deeds
than letting fly a few shafts at the dun deer, and eating our meat, and
singing old songs as we lie at our ladies' feet; for though we be at
peace here in the wild-wood, forgetting all things save those that are
worthy to be remembered, yet in the cities and the courts of kings guile
is not forgotten, and pride is alive, and tyranny, and the sword is
whetted for innocent lives, and the feud is eked by the destruction of
those who be sackless of its upheaving. Wherefore it behoveth to defend
us by the ready hand and the bold heart and the wise head. So, I say,
let us loiter here no longer, but go our ways to-morrow to the Tofts,
and take the rede of our elders. How say ye, brethren?"

Quoth Christopher: "Time was, brother, when what thou sayest would have
been as a riddle to me, and I would have said: Here are we merry, though
we be few; and if ye lack more company, let me ride to the Tofts and
come back with a half score of lads and lasses, and thus let us eke our
mirth; and maybe they will tell us whitherward to ride. But now there is
a change, since I have gained a gift over-great for me, and I know that
they shall be some of the great ones who