he not touch thine heart,
when thou thinkest of all the woe, and fear, and trouble of the World
beyond the Wood, which he hath escaped, to dwell in this little land
peaceably, and well-beloved both by the Mistress and the Maid? And thou,
my Squire, look a little at this fair slim Maiden, and say if she
pleaseth thee not: didst thou deem that we had any thing so fair in this
lonely place?"

Frank and kind was the smile on her radiant visage, nor did she seem to
note any whit the trouble on Walter's face, nor how he strove to keep his
eyes from the Maid. As for her, she had so wholly mastered her
countenance, that belike she used her face guilefully, for she stood as
one humble but happy, with a smile on her face, blushing, and with her
head hung down as if shamefaced before a goodly young man, a stranger.

But the Lady looked upon her kindly and said: "Come hither, child, and
fear not this frank and free young man, who belike feareth thee a little,
and full certainly feareth me; and yet only after the manner of men."

And therewith she took the Maid by the hand and drew her to her, and
pressed her to her bosom, and kissed her cheeks and her lips, and undid
the lacing of her gown and bared a shoulder of her, and swept away her
skirt from her feet; and then turned to Walter and said: "Lo thou,
Squire! is not this a lovely thing to have grown up amongst our rough oak-
boles? What! art thou looking at the iron ring there? It is nought,
save a token that she is mine, and that I may not be without her."

Then she took the Maid by the shoulders and turned her about as in sport,
and said: "Go thou now, and bring hither the good grey ones; for needs
must we bring home some venison to-day, whereas this stout warrior may
not feed on nought save manchets and honey."

So the Maid went her way, taking care, as Walter deemed, to give no side
glance to him. But he stood there shamefaced, so confused with all this
openhearted kindness of the great Lady and with the fresh sight of the
darling beauty of the Maid, that he went nigh to thinking that all he had
heard since he had come to the porch of the house that first time was but
a dream of evil.

But while he stood pondering these matters, and staring before him as one
mazed, the Lady laughed out in his face, and touched him on the arm and
said: "Ah, our Squire, is it so that now thou hast seen my Maid thou
wouldst with a good will abide behind to talk with her? But call to mi