and said: "Never will I bid thee depart." Then he
took her hand and said: "Sweetling, fair daughter, what is thy name?"
"Ursula," she said. Said he: "Ursula, thy palms are harder than be
the hands of the dainty dames of the cities, but there is no churls'
blood in thee meseemeth. What is thy kindred of the yeoman?" She
said: "We be come of the Geirings of old time: it may be that the
spear is broken, and the banner torn; but we forget not our
forefathers, though we labour afield, and the barons and the earls call
us churls. It is told amongst us that that word is but another way of
saying earl and that it meaneth a man."

Then spoke Ralph: "Father and mother both, I may well thank thee and
bless thee that your eyes look upon this half of me with kind eyes.
And now I shall tell thee that for this woman, her heart is greater
than a king's or a leader of folk. And meseemeth her palms have
hardened with the labour of delivering me from many troubles."

Then the Dame of Upmeads put her arms about Ursula's neck again, and
bade her all welcome once more, with sweet words of darling and dear,
and well-beloved daughter.

But King Peter said: "Son, thou hast not told me what thou are become;
and true it is that thou hast the look of a great one."

Said Ralph: "Father and King, I have become the Lord of the Little
Land of Abundance, the sworn brother of the Champions of the Dry Tree,
the Lord of the Castle of the Scaur, the brother and Warduke of the
Shepherds; and to-morrow shall I be the Conqueror of the robbers and
the devils of the Burg. And this be not enough for me, hearken! I and
my wife both, yea and she leading me, have drunk of the Well at the
World's End, and have become Friends thereof."

And he looked at his father with looks of love, and his father drew
nigh to him again, and embraced him once more, and stroked his cheeks
and kissed him as if he had become a child again: "O son," said he,
"whatsoever thou dost, that thou dost full well. And lo, one while
when I look on thee thou art my dear and sweet child, as thou wert
years agone, and I love thee dearly and finely; and another while thou
art a great and mighty man, and I fear thee; so much greater thou
seemest than we poor upland folk."

Then smiled Ralph for love and happiness, and he said: "Father, I am
thy child in the house and at the board, and that is for thine helping.
And I am thy champion and the fierce warrior afield, and that also is