clad but in a green coat that came
not down to his knees, and brogues were tied to his feet, and no more
raiment he had; and for hat he had made him a garland of white may
blossom, and well it sat there: and again she looked on him, and thought
him no worse than the running angel that goes before the throne of God
in the picture of the choir of Meadhamstead; and she looked on him and
marvelled.

Now she hung her head before him and wished he would speak, and even so
did he, and said: "Maiden, when I first saw thee from amidst of the bush
by the river yonder, I deemed thou wert a wood-wight, or some one of the
she-Gods of the Gentiles come back hither. For this is a lonely place,
and some might deem that the Devil hath might here more than in other
places; and when I saw thee, that thou wouldst do off thy raiment to
bathe thee, though soothly I longed to lie hidden there, I feared thee,
lest thou shouldst be angry with me if I were to see thee unclad; so I
came away; yet I went not far, for I was above all things yearning to
see thee; and sooth it is, that hadst thou not crossed the water, I
should presently have crossed it myself to seek thee, wert thou Goddess,
or wood-wife, or whatever might have come of it. But now thou art come
to us, and I have heard thy voice beseeching me not to bring thee to
Greenharbour, I see that thou art a woman of the kindred of Adam. And
yet so it is, that even now I fear thee somewhat. Yet I will pray thee
not to be wroth if I ask thee whether I may do aught for thy need."

Now she began somewhat to smile, and she looked him full in the face,
and said: "Forsooth, my need is simple, for I am hungry."

He smote himself on the breast, and said: "See now, what a great fool I
am, not to have known it without telling, instead of making long-winded
talk about myself. Come quickly, dear maiden, and leave thine horse to
crop the grass."

So he hurried on to the thorn-bush aforesaid, and she went foot to foot
with him, but he touched her not; and straightway she sat her down on
the root of the thorn, and smiled frankly on him, and said:

"Nay, sir, and now thou hast made me go all this way I am out of breath
and weary, so I pray thee of the victual at once."

But he had been busy with his scrip which he had left cast down there,
and therewithal reached out to her a mighty hunch of bread and a piece
of white cheese, and said:

"Now shall I fetch thee milk." Wherewith he took up a bowl of asp