af waiting for me in the moonlight. He was armed, and his face was
wan and tired.

"Come apart, friend," he said; "I have a message from the king."

"To me?"

"No, to Havelok. But you must hear it first, and then tell him as you will."

We walked away from the tent and across the hillside for some way, and
then he said without more words, "This is the message that Alsi sends to
Havelok, whose name was Curan. 'Forgive the things that are past, for
many there are that need forgiving. I have no heir, and it is for myself
that I have schemed amiss. In Lincoln town lies a great treasure, of
which Eglaf and I alone know. Give it, I pray you, to your Danes, that
they may harm the land not at all, and so shall I ward off some of the
evil that might come through me even yet. I think that, after me, you
shall be king.'"

"That is wise of Alsi; but is there no word for Goldberga?"

"Ay, but not by my mouth. I fetched David the priest two hours ago, and
he bears those messages."

"Is there yet more to say?" I asked, for it seemed to me that there was.

"There is," he answered. "Alsi is dead."

So there was an end of all his schemings, and I will say no more of
them. It was Eglaf's thought that it was not so much his hurts that had
killed the king, but a broken heart because of this failure. For the
second time now I knew that it is true that "old sin makes new shame."

Now how we told Havelok this, and how Goldberga was somewhat comforted
by the words that David the priest brought her from her uncle, there is
no need to say. But when the news was known in all the host of Lindsey,
there was a great gathering of all in the wide meadow, and we sat in the
camp and wondered what end should be to the talk. Ragnar had come; but
his host was now no great one, for we had sent word to him of the peace,
and there was a great welcome for him and his men.

The Lindsey thanes did not talk long, and presently some half dozen of
the best of them came to us, and said that with one accord the gathering
would ask that Havelok and Goldberga should reign over them.

"We will answer for all in the land," they said. "If there are other
thanes who should have had a word in the matter, they are not here
because, knowing more than we, they would not fight for Alsi in this
quarrel. If there is any other man to be thought of, he cannot go
against the word of the host."

"I have my kingdom in Denmark," said Havelok, "and my wife has hers in
Angl