a lad as I deemed; belike I shall yet make something out of
thee."

Therewith the meat was borne in and they all sat to table, and
Hardcastle was well at ease; and the goodman, if he were not quite
happy, yet made a shift to seem as if he were. The guest sat at the
right hand of the goodman, and after he had eaten a while he said:
"Goodman, thy women here have doubtless once been fair, but now they
are somewhat stricken in years. Hast thou in hiding somewhere, or
belike lying out in the field or at some cot, anything prettier?
something with sleek sides and round arms and dainty legs and feet? It
would make us merrier, and belike kinder, if such there were."

The goodman turned pale, and stammered out that these were all the
women at Wethermel; and John cried out: "It is even as I told thee,
warrior. Heed it not; there be fair women up and down the Dale, and
thou shalt have one or two of these with little pains, either for love
or for fear." Hardcastle laughed and said: "Thou shalt go and fetch
them for me, Surly John, and see which shall serve thee best, love or
fear." All laughed thereat, for they well knew his ill temper and his
cowardice, and he turned red and blue for rage. But as for Osberne, he
could not help thinking of the pretty maid whose hand he had held at
the Cloven Mote last winter; and he thought that if Hardcastle did her
any wrong, Boardcleaver might well look on the sun in her behalf.

A little after Osberne turns to John and sees his knife lying on the
board, a goodly one, well carven on the heft. So he says: "Thy whittle
seems to me both good and strange, John, reach it into my hand." John
did so, and the youngling takes hold of it by the back near the point
with his thumb and finger, and twists it till it is like a ram's horn.
Then he gives it back to John and says: "Thy knife is now stranger
than it was, John, but 'tis not of so much use as erst." All marvelled
at this feat, all save the fool Surly John, who raises a great outcry
that his knife is marred. But Hardcastle, whose head was now pretty
much filled with drink, cried out: "Hold thy peace, John; doubtless
this youngling here hath enough craft to straighten thy whittle even
as he has crooked and winded it. By the mass he is a handy smith and
will be of much avail to me." Osberne reached out his hand for the
knife, and John gave it to him, and he took it by the point as
aforetime, and lo, in a moment it was once more straight again, so t