and while I was thus alone on thebridge, a man I knew by sight came and leaned on the rail by me, andtold me that he had just seen the most handsome man and the goodliest tolook on that was in the kingdom, as he thought.
"Yonder he stands," he said, "like a king who has fallen on bad times. Imind that I thought that Alsi, our king, would look like that, before Isaw him, and sorely disappointed was I in him therefore. Now I wonderwho yon man may be?"
I did not say that I knew, but I looked at Havelok, and for the firsttime, perhaps because I had never seen him among strangers before, Iknew that he was wondrous to look on. Full head and shoulders was heabove all the folk, and the Lindseymen are no babes in stature. And atthe same moment it came to me that it were not well that men should knowhim as the son of Grim the fisher. If my father, who was the wisest ofmen, had been so careful for all these years, I must not be less so; forif there were ever any fear of the spies of Hodulf, it would be now whenhis foe might be strong enough in years to think of giving trouble. Notthat I ever thought much of the said Hodulf, seeing how far off he was;but my father had brought me up to dread him for this brother of mine.Certainly by this time Hodulf knew that Grim had come to England insafety, for the name of the new town must have come to his ears: and ifGrim, then the boy he had given to him.
The man who spoke to me went away soon, and Havelok strolled back to me.
"I would that the cook, or whoever he is, would come," he said. "I growweary of this crowd that seems to have naught to do but stare at astranger."
"What shall we ask, when he does come? and supposing that there is aplace for but one of us?" I said.
"Why, then, the one it fits best will take it, and the other must seeksome other chance. That is all."
"As you will, brother," I answered, "but I would rather that we shouldbe together."
"And I also. But after all, both will be in Lincoln, and we must takewhat comes. It is but for a little while, and we shall not like toburden that good old dame by being too hard to please. We want somewhatto do until we can go home, not for a day longer, and I care not what itis."
"That is right," I said; "and the sooner I see one of our folk comingover this bridge with a full basket of fish, the better I shall like it.But it may be a long day before that. Now, I have been thinking that itwere not well that you should say that you are the son of Grim."
I did not quite know how he would take this, for he was proud of myfather as I. But that very pride made it easy.
"Maybe not," he said thoughtfully, "for it seems unworthy of his sonsthat we have to ask for service from any man. But I do not think that hecould blame us, as things are. Nevertheless, folk shall not talk."
"Men know me," said I, "but that cannot be helped."
He laughed gaily at that.
"Why, here we speak as if one man in a hundred knew you. And after allit may be that we shall get a place that none need be ashamed of. Look,here comes a mighty fine lord from the gateway."
It was Berthun the steward, for whom we were waiting, and I knew himwell by sight. Often had he bought our fish, but I did not think that hewould remember me by name, if he had ever heard it. He was a portly andwell-favoured man, not old, and as he came down the street to themarketplace at the hill foot he laughed and talked with one and anotherof the townsfolk, whether high or low, in very pleasant wise.
Presently he stopped at a stall, and priced some meat; and when he hadbought it he looked round and called for some men to carry it for him;and at that the idlers made a rush for him, tripping over one another inhaste to be first, while he laughed at them.
He chose two or three, and sent them up the hill to the palace withtheir burdens, and then went to another booth and bought.
"This is work at which I should make a good hand," said Havelok,laughing at the scrambling men who ran forward when the steward againcalled for porters. "Well paid also the job must be, to judge of theireagerness."
The three men who had been chosen took their burden and went away, andthe steward came near us, to a bakery that was close to the bridge end.
"I have a mind to do porter for once," Havelok said. "Then I can atleast earn somewhat to take back to the dame tonight."
"If you do so," I answered, "I will wait here for you. But you will haveto fight for the place."
Now the steward bought all that he needed, and that was bread for thewhole palace for the day, and again he called for porters. WhereonHavelok got up from the bridge rail and went towards him in no greathurry, so that the idlers were in a crowd before him.
"Ho! friends," cried Havelok, "let the good cook see all of us and makehis choice. He can only take one at a time."
"One, forsooth," said a man from the crowd; "why, there is a load forfour men there."
"Well, then, let him pick four little ones, and give these little ones achance of being seen."
Now I do not think that he would have troubled with the matter any more;but whether the men knew that this was the last load that the stewardhad to send home, or whether they quarrelled, I cannot say, but in theireagerness to raise the two great baskets they fell to struggling overthem, and the steward tried to quiet the turmoil by a free use of hisstaff, and there was a danger that the bread should be scattered.
"Here will be waste of what there is none too much of just now," saidHavelok; and with that he went to the aid of the steward, picking up andsetting aside the men before him, and then brushing the strugglingrivals into a ruefully wondering heap from about the baskets, so that heand the steward faced each other, while there fell a silence on thelittle crowd that had gathered. Even the men who had been put asidestayed their abuse as they saw what manner of man had come to the rescueof the baskets, and Havelok and the cook began to laugh.
"Fe, fi, fo, fum!" said Berthun; "here is surely a Cornish giant amongus! Now I thank you, good Blunderbore, or whatever your name is, forbrushing off these flies."
"The folk in this place are unmannerly," said Havelok; "hut if you wantthe bread carried up the hill I will do it for you."
Berthun looked him up and down in a puzzled sort of way once or twiceere he answered, "Well, as that is your own proposal, pick your helpersand do so; I would not have asked such a thing of you myself."
"There is not much help needed," said Havelok. "I think this may bemanaged if I get a fair hold."
Now we were used to seeing him carry such loads as would try thestrength of even Raven and myself, who could lift a load for three men;but when he took the two great baskets of bread and swung them intoplace on either arm, a smothered shout went round the crowd, and morethan once I heard the old Welsh name that the marsh folk had given himspoken.
"Let us be going," said Havelok to the steward on that. "One would thinkthat none of these had ever hefted a fair load in his life, to listen tothem."
So he nodded to me across the heads of the crowd, and followed Berthun,and the idlers followed him for a little. The guard turned these back atthe gate, and Havelok went through, and I could see him no more.
Presently the crowd drifted back to their places, and I heard themtalking. Havelok and his strength was likely to be a nine days' wonderin Lincoln, and I was glad that I had asked him not to say whence he was.
"He is some thane's son who is disguised," said one.
"Maybe he is under a vow," said another; and then one chimed in with astory of some prince of Arthur's time, by name Gareth, who hid his stateat his mother's command.
"As for me," said the baker, "I think that he is a fisher, as he looks--at least, that is, as his clothes make him."
So even he had his doubts, and I will say that I understood well enoughnow why my father never brought him here before.
Havelok was long in coming back, as I thought, and I seemed to bewasting time here, and so I bethought me of the other man to whom theold dame had said we might go--namely, the captain of the gate. Ishould see Havelok if I stood there.
The captain was talking with some of his men as I came up, and of courseit
was of Havelok that they spoke; and seeing that I wore the same dressas he, they asked me if I knew who he was.
"He is a fisher from the coast," I answered. "I have heard him calledCuran."
"Welsh then," the captain answered, somewhat disappointed, as it seemed."If he had been a Mercian, or even a Saxon, I would have had him here,but a fisher has had no training in arms after all."
"Some of us have," said I.
The captain looked me up and down, and then walked round me, sayingnothing until we were face to face again.
"That, I take it, is a hint that you might like to be a housecarl of theking's," he said. "Are you a Lindseyman?"
"I am the son of Grim of
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