Page:The Sundering Flood - Morris - 1898.djvu/152

thee in the forefront of the press amongst the very knighthood? Noble lord, quoth I, I fear me if I came within push of spear thou wouldst presently see me running, so long are my legs. I am a big man, so please you, great lord, but I have the heart of a hare in me. He looked upon me somewhat grimly, then he said: Meseems thou hast a fox's tongue in thee, carle, and I promise thee I have half a mind to it to hand thee over to the provost-marshal's folk, to see what they could make of whipping thee. Thou man-at-arms, hast thou heard him lay his bow over the strings? Yea, lord, said the man; he playeth not ill for an uplander. Let him try it now before us, and do it well withal if he would save the skin of his back. Speedily I had my fiddle in my hand, and fell to, and if I played not my best, I played at least something better than my worst. And when I had done, the Baron said: Friend, how many such tunes canst thou play? and canst thou sing aught? It would not be so easy to tell up the tunes I can play, lord, said I; and sing I can withal, after a fashion. Said the Baron to the man-at-arms: Bring thou this man to my lodging to-night some two hours before midnight, and he shall play and sing to us, and if we be not sleep-eager he shall tell us some old tale also; and I will reward him. And thou, I shall not make thee a man-at-arms this time, though trust me, I misdoubt thy hare-heart. There is no such look in thine eyes. And he turned away and left us. So we wore the night