whereby thou mightest not for very
knighthood forbear to succour her and bring her whither she would,
which in the long run had been Utterbol, but for the present time was
to have been a certain strong-house appertaining to Utterbol, and nigh
unto it. This is all the tale, and now if thou wilt, thou mayst pardon
me; or if thou wilt, thou mayst draw out thy sword and smite off my
head. And forsooth I deem that were the better deed."

She knelt down before him and put her palms together, and looked up at
him beseechingly. His face darkened as he beheld her thus, but it
cleared at last, and he said: "Damsel, thou wouldst turn out but a
sorry maker, and thy play is naught. For seest thou not that I should
have found out all the guile at Utterbol, and owed thy lady hatred
rather than love thereafter."

"Yea," she said, "but my lady might have had enough of thy love by
then, and would belike have let thee alone to fall into the hands of
the Lord. Lo now! I have delivered thee from this, so that thou art
quit both of the Lord and the lady and me: and again I say that thou
couldst scarce have missed, both thou and thy damsel, of a miserable
ending at Utterbol."

"Yea," said Ralph, softly, and as if speaking to himself, "yet am I
lonely and unholpen." Then he turned to Agatha and said: "The end of
all this is that I pardon thee, and must depart forthwith; for when ye
two come back to the camp, then presently will the hunt be up."

She rose from her knees, and stood before him humbly and said: "Nay, I
shall requite thee thy pardon thus far, that I will fashion some tale
for my lady which will keep us in the woods two days or three; for we
have provided victual for our adventure."

Said Ralph: "I may at least thank thee for that, and will trust in
thee to do so much." Quoth she: "Then might I ask a reward of thee:
since forsooth other reward awaiteth me at Utterbol."

"Thou shalt have it," said Ralph. She said: "The reward is that thou
kiss me ere we part."

"It must needs be according to my word," said Ralph, "yet I must tell
thee that my kiss will bear but little love with it."

She answered naught but laid her hands on his breast and put up her
face to him, and he kissed her lips. Then she said: "Knight, thou hast
kissed a thrall and a guileful woman, yet one that shall smart for
thee; therefore grudge not the kiss nor repent thee of thy kindness."

"How shalt thou suffer?" said he. She looked on him s