hanes and franklins present to feast in our
honour.

Then rose up a man, in a long brown hooded habit girt with a cord,
from below the salt where he sat among the servants. He had a long
beard, but was very bald. His hair grew in a thick ring round his
head; which was strange, for he seemed young.

"I am here, ealdorman," he said to Odda; "I will read for King
Ranald."

Now all eyes turned to see who spoke, and in a moment Odda rose up
hastily and went down the long room till he came to where the man
stood. Then I was amazed, for the ealdorman went on one knee before
him, and said:

"Good my lord, I knew not that you were here among the crowd. I
pray you come to the high seat."

"When will you remember that titles and high places are no longer
pleasing to me?" the man said wearily. "I tire of them all. Rise
up, Odda, my friend, and let me be."

"I will not rise without your blessing, nevertheless," said the
ealdorman.

Whereon the man spoke a few words to him softly and quickly,
signing with his hand crosswise over him.

Then I said to those about me, who were watching all this in
silence:

"Who is this strange man?"

"It is Neot the holy, King Alfred's cousin," one answered,
whispering.

"That is a strange dress for an atheling," I said; but they hushed
me.

Now it seemed that Odda tried again to draw this Neot to the high
table, but he would not come.

Then I said to old Thord, who sat over against me beyond Odda's
empty chair:

"This is foolishness; or will he not honour the king's guests?"

But a thane shook his head at me, whispering behind his hand:

"It is humbleness. He has put his rank from him, and will not be
held as being above any man."

Then spoke old Thord:

"Maybe he can put his rank away among men who know him not, and
that is a good humbleness in a way. But where all know what his
birth is, he has but to be humble and kind in ways and speech, and
then men will think more thereof than they will if they see him
pretending to be a churl."

Now Thord's voice was rough with long years of speaking against the
wash of the waves, and the thunder of wind in sail and rigging, and
the roll and creak of oars; and as he said this, every one turned
towards him, for a silence had fallen on the crowd of folk who
watched Neot the king's cousin and his strife with Odda.

So Neot heard, and his face flushed a little, and he looked hard at
Thord and smiled curiously, saying:

"In good trut