y, and
had set free, and tamed, and which always sat on a perch by his window.

One evening, when he was sitting dreaming sadly of the days at Windsor,
stroking his favourite's plumage meanwhile, he was startled to hear the
bird begin to speak. "What mischance hath befallen thee, my master?" it
said, "that thou lookest so pale and unhappy. Hast been defeated in a
tourney by some Southron loon, or dost still mourn for that fair maiden,
the lovely Lady Katherine? Can I not help thee?"

Then a strange light shone in Lord William's eye, and he looked at the
bird thoughtfully as it nestled closer to his heart.

"Thou shalt help me, my gay gos-hawk," he whispered, "for, for this
reason, methinks, thou hast received the gift of speech. Thy wings are
strong, and thou canst go where I cannot, and bring no harm to my love.
Thou shalt carry a letter to my dear one, and bring back an answer," and
in delight at the thought, the young man rose and walked up and down the
room, the gos-hawk preening its wings on his shoulder, and crooning
softly to itself.

"But how shall I know thy love?" it said at last.

"Ah, that is easy," answered Lord William. "Thou must fly up and down
merrie England, especially where any great mansion is, and thou canst
not mistake her. She is the fairest flower of all the fair flowers that
that fair land contains. Her skin is white as milk, and the roses on her
cheeks are red as blood. And, outside her chamber, by a little postern,
there grows a nodding birch tree, the leaves of which dance in the
slightest breeze, and thou must perch thereon, and sing thy sweetest,
when she goes with her sisters and maids to hear Mass in the little
chapel."

That night, when all the country folk were asleep, a gay gos-hawk flew
out from a window in the square tower, and sped swiftly through the
quiet air, on and on, above lonely houses, and sleeping towns, and when
the sun rose it was still flying, hovering now and then over some great
castle, or lordly manor house, but never resting long, never satisfied.
Day and night it travelled, up and down the country, till at last it
came one evening to a great mansion on the borders of Wales, in one side
of which was a tiny postern, with a high latticed window near it, and by
the door grew a birch tree, whose branches nodded up and down against
the panes.

"Ah," said the gos-hawk to itself, "I will rest here." And it perched on
a branch, and put its head under its wing, and sl