Page:The Sundering Flood - Morris - 1898.djvu/76

 Maiden, and thou call me Swain, it had been enough. Nevertheless I am fain of calling thee Elfhild. And I am full fain of calling thee Osberne, she said. Besides, if at any time both thou and I were to depart from this country-side we might chance to meet amongst folk of many names, and thus we might the better know each other. But O! she said, growing exceeding eager, dost thou know how good a gift thou hast given me? for the halves of the penny, we shall both keep them forever, as thou knowest, and by our having them we shall know each other if we meet in the world without and our faces have become changed. Said Osberne: I deem not that my face will change very much, at least not till I grow old, nor do I think that thine will either. She laughed merrily: O bairn Osberne, when thou art become a man and a great man, and art called maybe Earl Osberne Wulfgrimsson, will not thy face have changed, and thou with the beard and the fierce eyes, and the mouth that hath shouted in the battle? As for me, Allhallows grant it that my face may change: look at me, a kind of red crow now, all skinny and spindle-legged, and yet I may grow to be a fair woman; and then indeed I would be fain for thee to see me. For somehow it seems to be shown to me that thou wilt be loved of women, and love them somewhat over-much. For my part, said Osberne, I seem to see of myself that I shall have much to do slaying wolves and evil things, and standing before kings and getting gifts of them, so that there will be little time for me to go about loving women; yet thee I shall ever