y, having found a
listener who was no courtier, and did not heed that I was silent.
And so we paced the garden, while he chatted hopefully, and I
turned over somewhat heavier matters in my mind.

Once I did well-nigh tell him of Ecgbert, and then forbore; for at
that moment he said somewhat of Quendritha which almost made me
think that he feared her. Whereon I was troubled to think that this
bright and happy young king should be drawn into the net of her
pride and policy, and again thought myself foolish for giving two
thoughts to a matter which did not concern me. If the king was
happy and yon fair maiden was content, they knew more of the queen
than I. So I ended my questionings by a hearty wish that old Thrond
had never told me that wild tale of his, and said naught of my
prince, but listened patiently to the king until some one came and
prayed him to meet the council, which he had forgotten.

I followed him to the great hall, and thence went to the stables,
and so met with Werbode and Erling, and rode hawking with them all
that afternoon. And when we came back we heard that tomorrow was
the day for the meeting of the Witan, to hear and see what King
Carl had to say and had sent.

Now, of all that wonderful gathering in the hall at Thetford I need
say little. I know that our Franks had somewhat despised our
buildings, for indeed they seemed somewhat poor to me after the
mighty piles which Carl had reared. But such a wealth of colour and
jewels decking so gallant an assemblage of brave men and fair
ladies even Carl's court could not match, and so they told me. As
we stood before the high place our Frankish dress seemed almost
plain beside the English, richly as we were clad.

Then I found that I, by reason of having to interpret, was thrust
somewhat more forward than I liked; but there was no help for it,
and I went through it all as well as I knew how. Maybe it was lucky
that I had that talk in all confidence with the king in the garden,
for I was now in nowise afraid of him, though he sat there crowned
and with his sceptre. I was afraid, however, of the Lady Hilda,
knowing just where she stood behind the queen, and one would have
thought that with her I might have claimed more close acquaintance
than with the king; which is curious, for if I had not known her at
all, I should have cared naught for all the ladies present, having
business that needed other thoughts on hand.

However, after it was all over, the