half of his best, every man of them armed with shield and
helm and byrny, with green coats over their armour, and wreaths of young
oak about their basnets; there they stood amidst of the hall, and every
man with his naked sword in his fist. Jack stood before his folk clad in
like wise with them, save that his head was bare but for an oak wreath.
Men looked on a while and said nought, while Jack looked proudly and
keenly over the hall, and at last his eye caught Christopher's, but he
made the youngling no semblance of greeting. Christopher's heart fell,
and he misdoubted if something were not wrong; but he spake softly to
one who stood by him, and said: "Is aught amiss, Will Ashcroft? this is
not the wont here."

Said the other: "Not in thy time; but for the last seven days it hath
been the wont, and then off weapons and to supper peaceably."

CHAPTER XXVI. OF THE KING OF OAKENREALM.

Even therewith, and while the last word had but come to Christopher's
ears, rang out the voice of Jack of the Tofts again, louder and clearer
than before: and he said: "Men in this hall, I bear you tidings! The
King of Oakenrealm is amongst us to-night."

Then, forsooth, was the noise and the turmoil, and cries and shouts and
clatter, and fists raised in air and weapons caught down from the wall,
and the glitter of spear-points and gleam of fallow blades. For the name
of Rolf, King of Oakenrealm, was to those woodmen as the name of the
Great Devil of Hell, so much was he their unfriend and their dastard.
But Jack raised up his hand, and cried: "Silence ye! Blow up, horns, The
Hunt's Up!"

Blared out the horns then, strong and fierce, under the hall-roof, and
when they were done, there was more silence in the hall than in the
summer night without; only the voice of the swords could not be utterly
still, but yet tinkled and rang as hard came against hard here and there
in the hush.

Again spake Jack: "Let no man speak! Let no man move from his place! I
SEE THE KING! Ye shall see him!"

Therewith he strode up the hall and on to the dais, and came up to
where stood Christopher holding Goldilind's hand, and she all pale
and trembling; but Jack took him by the shoulder, and turned him about
toward a seat which stood before the board, so that all men in the hall
could see it; then he set him down in it, and took his sword from his
girdle, and knelt down before the young man, and took his right hand,
and said in a loud voice: "I, J