fter three days first: and then the next time it must be longer."
Quoth Osberne: "Let the next time take care of itself; but I will come
in three days. Now I bid thee depart, and I will go home; but I would
kiss thee were it not for the Sundering Flood." "That is kind and dear
of thee," said the maiden. "Farewell, and forget me not in three days,
since thou hast sung that song to me." "I shall not forget so soon,"
said he. "Farewell!"

She turned about and ran down the ness with the pipe in her hand, and
Osberne heard the sweet voice of the pipe thereafter, and the bleating
of the sheep and the paddling of their hoofs as they all ran toward
her, and he went his ways home with all that in his ears, and was well
content with his day's work; and he deemed that he understood the rede
which Steelhead had given him. Withal he had an inkling that Stephen
the Eater was somehow his friend in more special way than he was to
the rest of the household; so he came home to Wethermel in good case.

Chapter XI. Osberne Shoots a Gift Across the Flood

Now when the three days were over he went his ways to the Bight of the
Cloven Knoll, and Stephen smiled and nodded to him friendly as he went
out of the door, and once more he was clad in his red-scarlet raiment.
He had his bow in his hand, and besides the three arrows which the
hillman had given, he had two others out of the goodman's quiver.
Moreover he had thought over from time to time what he might give to
the maiden, and now he had in his pouch a fair gold piece which his
mother had given him when he was yet very young, and he thought that
this were a fair gift might he but get it over to the other side of
the Sundering Flood.

Now when he was within eyeshot of the ness, he looked thither, and saw
a little figure on the crest thereof, and knew that the maiden had
prevented him and was there already, so he hastened all he might to
his own vantage ground, and straightway he gave her the sele of the
day, and she greeted him kindly. Then he looks and sees that she is
somewhat decked out for this meeting, for not only did the Dwarfs'
gift, the necklace, gleam and glitter on her little flat child's
bosom, but also she had made her a wreath for her head of the spring
flowers, and another had she done about her loins. She stood there
saying nothing a while, and it seemed to him that she was waiting for
him to praise this new-wrought adornment. So he said: "Thou art in
fairer guise th