e Porte, and he will be here
in an hour with the license for thee to wage men to go with thee to
Cheaping Knowe. As for me, I must needs go see the King, and give him
a letter sealed by my lord's hand; and when I come back from him, I
will go round to the alehouses which be haunted of the men-at-arms to
see after strong carles for thine avail. But to the King hast thou no
need to go, save he send for thee, whereas thou art not come hither to
chaffer, and he needeth not men of war."

Ralph stared at him and said: "The King, sayst thou? is there no Queen
of Goldburg?" Said Redhead: "There is the King's wedded wife, but her
they call not Queen, but Lady." "But the Queen that was," said Ralph,
"where is she then?" "Yea truly," said Redhead, "a Queen sat alone as
ruler here a while ago; but whether she died, or what befell her, I
know nothing. I had little to do with Goldburg till our lord conquered
Utterbol. Lo here the host! he may tell thee the tale thereof."

Therewith he departed, and left Ralph with the host, whom Ralph
questioned of the story, for his heart was wrung lest such a fair woman
and so friendly should have come to harm.

So the host sat down by Ralph and said: "My master, this is a tale
which is grievous to us: for though the saints forbid I should say a
word against my lord that is now, nor is there any need to, yet we
deemed us happy to be under so dear a lady and so good and fair as she
was. Well, she is gone so that we wot not whether she be living or
dead. For so it is that in the early spring, somewhat more than a year
ago that is, one morning when folk arose, the Queen's place was empty.
Riding and running there was about and about, but none the more was she
found. Forsooth as time wore, tales were told of what wise she left
us, and why: but she was gone. Well, fair sir, many deemed that
though her lineage was known by seeming, yet she was of the fairy, and
needed neither steed nor chariot to go where she would. But her women
and those that knew her best, deemed that whatso she were, she had
slain herself, as they thought, for some unhappiness of love. For
indeed she had long gone about sad and distraught, though she neither
wept, nor would say one word of her sorrow, whatsoever it might be.

"But, fair sir, since thou art a stranger, and art presently departing
from our city, I will tell thee a thing. To wit; one month or so after
she had vanished away, I held talk with a certain