Page:The Sundering Flood - Morris - 1898.djvu/361

 timid these days, and her loathing of these thieves of folk's bodies and souls made her downcast.

Two nights after, when they were resting at the day's end, the Carline, she hidden in the brake, came across the three men contending together in speech, and the words of the elder ending his talk she just caught: Two thousand nobles at the least would the Lord James pay down for her; he hath none like her in the house. Nor will have ever, said the second man. And for my part I will not give her up for my share of a two thousand nobles. Spake the third thereon, and he was the stoutest built and the gallantest looked of the three: Thou wilt not, thou! What sayest thou to me then? The beginning and the end of it is this, that I will take her to myself alone and sell her to none. Yea, yea, said the elder, jeering, and what shall we do? Thou shalt give her to me for a price, said the youngest. Nay, but to me, said the second: every one of thy pieces can I cover with a piece. Now, said the elder, we get on swimmingly; since, forsooth, I know not where either thou or he shall get all that gold from. Wherefore now the best thing ye two may do at this present is to fall both upon me, and slay me; and after that ye two can try it out betwixt yourselves, and he who is left can go back to our carles, who will straightway slay him when they have found the other two corpses. How say ye, my masters, is this a good game to play? They sat looking surlily on him, but said nought. Then he said: Since this is come above ground,