His arms, after one quick motion, hung still at
His sides, and I heard Him murmur again, "I will not fight!" Then a
wrath seized me, and swinging my sword on high I stepped slowly towards
Him and let my point drop back slowly over my shoulder till it hung down
to the snow, then wheeling suddenly and bringing it forward with a
shortening of the arms and a yell that echoed through the empty forest,
I hit Him with the rusty blade where the neck branches to go to the
shoulder, and my blade travelled till it struck the hip-bone on the
other side. Then with my foot on His waist, I drew my sword out and
wiped it on the snow; wiping it many times till it was quite clean, then
picking up the sheath and buckling the belt around me, I covered my
sword and passed between two of the wolves and up the hill, and away to
where the horse was tied. The moon fell down straight into the valley,
and as I rode back again the way I had come under the dark trees and
past the glittering hill-tops, I heard behind me melancholy howling
coming from the place where the wolves danced.

This is all of my tale, except that I stabled the horse before dawn at
the farmer's, and gave him food and drink, and then walked by the sea
road as the dawn broke.

THE SACRILEGE

The hall was raised at one end into a square stage, where the smoke
would gather when the men sat late near the fire, and from this stage
two doors opened at the back corners. One of these doors was curtained
and led to the apartments of the men of the castle. The other was carved
with strange images, and by it stood a long square table of carved oak.
We men sat below at the long board which ran the length of the hall. It
was my lord and the monks who lived upon us who sat upon the raised
staging; the monks eating at their carved table apart.

It was after the dinner, and Father Peter rose in his place. Motioning
to his followers to pass through the door that led to the chapel, he
came and bent and whispered to my lord, who set down his beer-mug on the
instant, frowning; then, after a moment's thought my lord lifted his
hand and spoke to us all in a loud, clear voice:

"Father Peter and I would speak alone in the hall. It would please me
that you men take your beer on the battlements."

The men went shuffling, all but myself, for I was my lord's own man and
counted as nothing more than his follower, doing things which women
usually do for men, for he would have no women-folk a