, "I will not." "Yea," said
the Knight, "thou wilt not live? Then must I shape me to thy humour.
Stand on thy feet and fight it out; for now I am cool I will not slay a
swordless man."

Ralph staggered up to his feet, but was so feeble still, that he sank
down again, and muttered: "I may not; I am sick and faint;" and
therewith swooned away again. But the Knight stood a while leaning on
his sword, and looking down on him not unkindly. Then he turned about
to the Lady, but lo! she had left his side. She had glided away, and
got to her horse, which was tethered on the other side of the oak-tree,
and had loosed him and mounted him, and so sat in the saddle there, the
reins gathered in her hands. She smiled on the knight as he stood
astonished, and cried to him; "Now, lord, I warn thee, draw not a
single foot nigher to me; for thou seest that I have Silverfax between
my knees, and thou knowest how swift he is, and if I see thee move, he
shall spring away with me. Thou wottest how well I know all the ways
of the woodland, and I tell thee that the ways behind me to the Dry
Tree be all safe and open, and that beyond the Gliding River I shall
come on Roger of the Ropewalk and his men. And if thou thinkest to
ride after me, and overtake me, cast the thought out of thy mind. For
thy horse is strong but heavy, as is meet for so big a knight, and
moreover he is many yards away from me and Silverfax: so before thou
art in the saddle, where shall I be? Yea," (for the Knight was
handling his anlace) "thou mayst cast it, and peradventure mayst hit
Silverfax and not me, and peradventure not; and I deem that it is my
body alive that thou wouldest have back with thee. So now, wilt thou
hearken?"

"Yea," quoth the knight, though for wrath he could scarce bring the
word from his mouth.

"Hearken," she said, "this is the bargain to be struck between us: even
now thou wouldst not refrain from slaying this young man, unless
perchance he should swear to depart from us; and as for me, I would not
go back with thee to Sunhome, where erst thou shamedst me. Now will I
buy thy nay-say with mine, and if thou give the youngling his life, and
suffer him to come his ways with us, then will I go home with thee and
will ride with thee in all the love and duty that I owe thee; or if
thou like this fashion of words better, I will give thee my body for
his life. But if thou likest not the bargain, there is not another
piece of goods for thee