hat. But I will say
that I was somewhat lighter of heart to hear this, for it was plain
to me that Offa himself had no thought of guile toward Ethelbert;
and to this day I do not believe that he had. His mind was far too
great for that; and if he loved power, I hold that to have married
his daughter to a king was fully enough for him. Beyond that all
was from Quendritha. To tell the truth, if I feared for any one, it
was for Offa himself.

Now Ethelbert rose and said that he grew weary and would go to
rest. Sighard said that he would get him a light from the council
chamber; but he would rather bide in the moonlight, which was
enough to fill all the room. So we three went into his sleeping
chamber with him. At one side was the state bed with its heavy
hangings, and midway in the room, by its side, was a great chair,
softly cushioned. The smell of the sweet sedges with which the room
had been newly strown was pleasant and cool, and a little chill
breeze came in from the window with the moonlight.

"Leave me for a while, my thanes," he said; "I will call you anon.
Wilfrid will no doubt be glad to go to his place; so goodnight"

He smiled at me, and held out his hand, and I bent and kissed it.
So we went back to the other room to wait, for we knew that the
king would pray. The door swung softly to after us.

Now I thought I heard the chair creak as the king went to it. Then
there was a sound as of a fall somewhere near us, and a stifled
cry.

"What is that?" I said, turning to Sighard.

"Housecarls outside;" he said. "It was from the place whence we
heard the footsteps awhile ago. Listen! there they are again."

I heard the same sort of dull trampling as before, and there was
also a voice.

"It seems to be almost beneath us," I said.

But the footsteps were plainly going away from us, and growing
fainter in the distance. I climbed on a settle and looked out of
the high window, which was set aloft so that none could see into
the chamber as they passed it. But I could see no man. There were
some wood piles and sheds between the rampart and us, but nothing
stirred about them so far as I could see. Whereby I supposed that
they had passed round the corner. On the rampart an armed sentry
was pacing, black against the low moon, and beyond him the fires of
the Welsh--who watched us--burnt as brightly as last night.

Now there was a gentle knock on the outer door, and I opened it.
One of the thanes said that the man w