r and another,
and ten more squires and knights and men of estate, who were now indeed
woodmen and wolf-heads, but who, the worst of them, were sackless of
aught save slaying an unfriend, or a friend's unfriend, in fair fight;
and all these kneeled before him, and put their hands in his, and gave
themselves unto him.

When this was done, there came thrusting through the throng of the hall
a tall woman, old, yet comely as for her age; she went right up on to
the dais, and came to where sat Christopher, and without more ado
cast her arms about him and kissed him, and then she held him by the
shoulders and cried out: "O, have I found thee at last, my loveling,
and my dear, and my nurse-chick? and thou grown so lovely and yet so big
that I may never more hold thee aloft in mine arms, as once I was wont;
though high enough belike thou shalt be lifted; and I say praise be to
God and to his Hallows that thou art grown so beauteous and mighty a
man!"

Therewith she turned about toward the hall-throng and said: "Thou, duke
of these woodmen, and all ye in this hall, I have been brought hither
by one of you; and though I have well-nigh died of joy because of the
suddenness of this meeting, yet I thank him therefor. For who is
this goodly and gracious young man save the King's son of Oakenrealm,
Christopher that was; and that to my certain knowledge; for he is my
fosterling and my milk-child, and I took him from the hands of the
midwife in the High House of Oakenham a twenty-one years ago; and they
took him from Oakenham, and me with him to the house of Lord Richard the
Lean, at Longholms, and there we dwelt; but in a little while they took
him away from Longholms to I wot not whither, but would not suffer me
to go along with him, and ever sithence have I been wandering about and
hoping to see this lovely child again, and now I see him, what he is,
and again I thank God and Allhallows therefor."

Once more then was there stir and glad tumult in the hall. But Goldilind
stood wondering, and fear entered into her soul; for she saw before her
a time of turmoil and unpeace, and there seemed too much between her and
the sweetness of her love. Withal it must be said, that for as little
as she knew of courts and war-hosts, she yet seemed to see lands without
that hall, and hosts marching, and mighty walls glittering with spears,
and the banners of a great King displayed; and Jack of the Tofts and his
champions and good fellows seemed bu