, and on the ingle stood a chapel of stone (whether
of the heathen or Christian men Ralph wotted not, for it was uncouth of
fashion), and by the door of the said chapel, on a tussock of grass,
sat a knight all-armed save the head, and beside him a squire held his
war-horse, and five other men-at-arms stood anigh bearing halberds and
axes of strange fashion. The knight rose to his feet when he saw the
wayfarers coming up the rising ground, and Ralph had his hand on his
sword-hilt; but ere they met, the minstrel said,--

"Nay, nay, draw thy let-pass, not thy sword. This knight shalt bid
thee to a courteous joust; but do thou nay-say it, for he is a mere
felon, and shalt set his men-at-arms on thee, and then will rob thee
and slay thee after, or cast thee into his prison."

So Ralph drew out his parchment which Morfinn had given into his
keeping, and held it open in his hand, and when the knight called out
on him in a rough voice as they drew anigh, he said: "Nay, sir, I may
not stay me now, need driveth me on." Quoth the knight, smoothing out a
knitted brow: "Fair sir, since thou art a friend of our lord, wilt
thou not come home to my house, which is hard by, and rest awhile, and
eat a morsel, and drink a cup, and sleep in a fair chamber thereafter?"

"Nay, sir," said Ralph, "for time presses;" and he passed on withal,
and the knight made no step to stay him, but laughed a short laugh,
like a swine snorting, and sat him down on the grass again. Ralph
heeded him naught, but was glad that his let-pass was shown to be good
for something; but he could see that the minstrel was nigh sick for
fear and was shaking like an aspen leaf, and it was long ere he found
his tongue again.

Forth then they rode till dusk, when the minstrel stayed Ralph at a
place where a sort of hovels lay together about a house somewhat better
builded, which Ralph took for a hostelry, though it had no sign nor
bush. They entered the said house, wherein was an old woman to whom
the minstrel spake a word or two in a tongue that Ralph knew not, and
straightway she got them victual and drink nowise ill, and showed them
to beds thereafter.

In spite of both victuals and drink the minstrel fell silent and moody;
it might be from weariness, Ralph deemed; and he himself had no great
lust for talk, so he went bedward, and made the bed pay for all.

CHAPTER 32

Ralph Happens on Evil Days

Early on the morrow they departed, and now in the mornin