at the door when my horse reared. I thought that he
was the man who picked up my dropped horn, and I was sorry for him.
However, that was not much concern of mine, so we passed to other
talk for a little, and then Elfrida said:

"Are there any tidings of my maiden? I fear for her."

"None at all," the ealdorman said. "Here is a strange thing,
Oswald; for that girl whom you so nearly rode over last evening is
as clean gone as if she had never been. None saw her go, but when
supper time came she was nowhere to be found. Nor is there any
trace of her now."

I felt as if I had expected to hear that the Welsh girl had gone as
well as the thrall, and I cannot say that I was surprised; though
as they had failed in whatever they meant to compass this time, I
could not see why they should not have tried again.

"Whence came she," I asked as carelessly as I could. "Maybe she has
only gone home, fearing blame for dropping that horn."

"She has no home to go to, that we ken. She came from Jago at
Norton only a little while ago, and she would hardly try to get
back there across the hills alone. She is an orphan serf of his,
and I fear that she has been stolen away."

"She has not been here long, then?"

"She came when you were with Owen. Jago sent to ask if Elfrida
would take her in, she being worth having as a maid. His wife had
no place for her, but would that she was well cared for. So she
came with the first chapman who travelled this way."

Now as I thought of this girl, in a moment it flashed across me
where I had seen her before. It was on board the ship at Tenby, and
she came with Dunwal and his daughter Mara. I was certain of it,
though I had only seen her that once, for there I was in a strange
land, and so noticed things and people at which I should hardly
have glanced elsewhere. The Danish and British dress over there was
strange to me also.

Then, as soon as I had a chance I asked the ealdorman for a few
moments of private speech, and we went into his own chamber that
opened on the high place of the hall where we had been sitting.
There I told him all the trouble, for surely I needed all help that
I could find, and at the last I said:

"Mara, the daughter of Dunwal, was at guest quarters with Jago."

Then I saw the face of my friend paling slowly under its ruddy tan,
and he rose and walked across the room once or twice, biting his
lip as though in wrath or sore trouble. I could not tell which it
was, but