The Lord looked
on her greedily, and let his hand and arm go over her shoulder,
and about her side, and he drew her to him, and kissed her, and said:
"What, Agatha! and why art thou not bringing forth thy mistress to us?"
She raised her face to him, and murmured softly, as one afraid,
but with a wheedling smile on her face and in her eyes:
"Nay, my Lord, she will abide within to-day, for she is ill at ease;
if your grace goeth in, she will tell thee what she will have."
"Agatha," quoth he, "I will hear her, and I will do her pleasure if thou
ask me so to do." Then Agatha cast down her eyes, and her speech was
so low and sweet that it was as the cooing of a dove, as she said:
"O my Lord, what is this word of thine?"
He kissed her again, and said: "Well, well, but dost thou ask it?"
"O yea, yea, my Lord," said she.
"It is done then," said the Lord; and he let her go;
for he had been stroking her arm and shoulder, and she
hurried away, laughing inwardly, to the Lady's women.
But he went into the pavilion after he had cast one look at her.
CHAPTER 37
How Ralph Justed With the Aliens
Meanwhile Captain Otter had brought Ralph into the staked-out lists,
which, being hastily pitched, were but slenderly done, and now
the Upmeads stripling stood there beside a good horse which they
had brought to him, and Otter had been speaking to him friendly.
But Ralph saw the Lord come forth from the pavilion and take
his seat on an ivory chair set on a turf ridge close to
the stakes of the lists: for that place was used of custom
for such games as they exercised in the lands of Utterbol.
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