Page:The art of story-telling, with nearly half a hundred stories, y Julia Darrow Cowles .. (IA artofstorytellin00cowl).pdf/209

 to be one more pearl left on her Majesty's necklace!"

Robin Hood and Sir Richard-at-the-Lee

Listen, and I will tell you about a good yeoman whose name was Robin Hood. All his life he was a proud outlaw, but so courteous an outlaw as he was never found, and he would never do any harm to a company in which there was a woman, for he held all women in great respect and honor.

Now one day Robin Hood stood in the forest of Barnsdale and leant against a tree, and beside him stood his good yeoman, Little John, and Scarlet also, and Much, the miller's son.

Then Little John spoke to Robin, saying: "Master, 'tis time to dine."

But Robin answered, "I will not dine till I have some bold baron or a knight or a squire with me who will pay for his dinner."

Then Little John and Much and William Scarlet set out in search of a guest, and after a time they saw a knight riding towards them with his retinue. He made but a sorry ap-*