the Queen's cheeks
were hot and the Queen's eyes were bright, as though she had been
talking with high words. Then Sir Robert came straight forward to where
Robin Hood stood, and he spoke to the yeoman in a cold, stern voice.
Quoth he, "Our gracious Sovereign the King hath mitigated his wrath
toward thee, fellow, and hath once more promised that thou shalt depart
in peace and safety. Not only hath he promised this, but in three days
he will send one of his pages to go with thee and see that none arrest
thy journey back again. Thou mayst thank thy patron saint that thou
hast such a good friend in our noble Queen, for, but for her persuasion
and arguments, thou hadst been a dead man, I can tell thee. Let this
peril that thou hast passed through teach thee two lessons. First, be
more honest. Second, be not so bold in thy comings and goings. A man
that walketh in the darkness as thou dost may escape for a time, but in
the end he will surely fall into the pit. Thou hast put thy head in the
angry lion's mouth, and yet thou hast escaped by a miracle. Try it not
again." So saying, he turned and left Robin and was gone.

For three days Robin abided in London in the Queen's household, and at
the end of that time the King's head Page, Edward Cunningham, came, and
taking Robin with him, departed northward upon his way to Sherwood. Now
and then they passed bands of the King's men coming back again to
London, but none of those bands stopped them, and so, at last, they
reached the sweet, leafy woodlands.

Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbourne

A LONG TIME passed after the great shooting match, and during that time
Robin followed one part of the advice of Sir Robert Lee, to wit, that of
being less bold in his comings and his goings; for though mayhap he may
not have been more honest (as most folks regard honesty), he took good
care not to travel so far from Sherwood that he could not reach it both
easily and quickly.

Great changes had fallen in this time; for King Henry had died and King
Richard had come to the crown that fitted him so well through many hard
trials, and through adventures as stirring as any that ever befell Robin
Hood. But though great changes came, they did not reach to Sherwood's
shades, for there Robin Hood and his men dwelled as merrily as they had
ever done, with hunting and feasting and singing and blithe woodland
sports; for it was little the outside striving of the world troubled
them.

The dawn