er thereafter might
Osberne do what he would, and go where he would, for as little a lad
as he was; but he worked with a good will if he were uncompelled, and
if he were suffered to wander at whiles as his will drave him.
Forsooth, since he had no fellows of a like age to him, it was whiles
that he found the open field or the waste gave him better fellowship
than the older folk, yea even than the women.

Winter came, and the snow and the frost, which was not very hard in
that land, as many would have been glad if it were, for then might the
Sundering Flood have been laid with ice, which never betid. On the
morning of Yule day, Osberne and his grandsire and grandam got under
way long before daylight, that they might go to the Cloven Mote, and
hear the Christmass in the church of Allhallows, which had been
builded on the east side of the water to be the church of the Mote;
but on the other side of the water was another church like to it in
all ways, and under the same invocation, for the Western folk. This
was the first time that Osberne had been boun to the Mote, and withal
both the women were wont to stay at home: but this time nought would
serve the goodwife but she must wend with her man, that she might show
her darling and her champion to the neighbours. It was a matter of
seven miles down the water to the Mote-stead, and they went aslant
over the snow-covered fields, and hit the riverbank about half way,
and went thence along the very lip of the water. And by then it was
pretty much daylight; and Osberne looked over the water and saw about
a half mile off (for the day was clear) two little knolls rising from
the field, and betwixt them and about them a shaw of small wood; and
he asked his grandsire what that might be, for hitherto he had never
been so far down the water; whereas before he slew the wolves, down
the water was banned to him, and after that he had been busy about the
houses and folds, or driving the sheep to the bents day by day.

So his grandsire answered him: "That is hight Hartshaw, and we are
told that on the other side of the shaw and the knolls looking west is
a stead with houses inhabited, and the whole place is hight Hartshaw
Knolls." Said Osberne: "I would we were there a while, for as I look
at the stead it seemeth friendly to me, and I fare to feel that the
folk thereof shall come into my life some day." Answered the goodman:
"We hear that little dwelleth there save a widow-woman and her one