ch lay upon the soft green grass. Then
King Richard sat him down and feasted and drank, and when he was done he
swore roundly that he had never sat at such a lusty repast in all his
life before.

That night he lay in Sherwood Forest upon a bed of sweet green leaves,
and early the next morning he set forth from the woodlands for
Nottingham Town, Robin Hood and all of his band going with him. You may
guess what a stir there was in the good town when all these famous
outlaws came marching into the streets. As for the Sheriff, he knew not
what to say nor where to look when he saw Robin Hood in such high favor
with the King, while all his heart was filled with gall because of the
vexation that lay upon him.

The next day the King took leave of Nottingham Town; so Robin Hood and
Little John and Will Scarlet and Allan a Dale shook hands with all the
rest of the band, kissing the cheeks of each man, and swearing that they
would often come to Sherwood and see them. Then each mounted his horse
and rode away in the train of the King.

Epilogue

THUS END the Merry Adventures of Robin Hood; for, in spite of his
promise, it was many a year ere he saw Sherwood again.

After a year or two at court Little John came back to Nottinghamshire,
where he lived in an orderly way, though within sight of Sherwood, and
where he achieved great fame as the champion of all England with the
quarterstaff. Will Scarlet after a time came back to his own home,
whence he had been driven by his unlucky killing of his father's
steward. The rest of the band did their duty as royal rangers right
well. But Robin Hood and Allan a Dale did not come again to Sherwood so
quickly, for thus it was:

Robin, through his great fame as an archer, became a favorite with the
King, so that he speedily rose in rank to be the chief of all the
yeomen. At last the King, seeing how faithful and how loyal he was,
created him Earl of Huntingdon; so Robin followed the King to the wars,
and found his time so full that he had no chance to come back to
Sherwood for even so much as a day. As for Allan a Dale and his wife,
the fair Ellen, they followed Robin Hood and shared in all his ups and
downs of life.

And now, dear friend, you who have journeyed with me in all these merry
doings, I will not bid you follow me further, but will drop your hand
here with a "good den," if you wish it; for that which cometh hereafter
speaks of the breaking up of things, and shows how