And his sons, who were men of some forty summers, tall and warrior-like,
kissed my hands and made obeisance before me.

"Now when we had come to ourselves again, old Geoffrey,
who was now naught but glad, spake and said: 'It is told amongst
us that when our host departed from the Land of the Tower,
after thou hadst taken thy due seat upon the throne, that thou
didst promise our chieftains how thou wouldst one day come
back to the fellowship of the Dry Tree and dwell amongst us.
Wilt thou now hold to thy promise?' I said: 'O Geoffrey,
if thou art the last of those seekers, and thou wert but a boy
when I dwelt with you of old, who of the Dry Tree is left
to remember me?' He hung his head awhile then, and spake:
'Old are we grown, yet art thou fittest to be amongst young folk:
unless mine eyes are beguiled by some semblance which will
pass away presently.' 'Nay,' quoth I, 'it is not so;
as I am now, so shall I be for many and many a day.'
'Well,' said Geoffrey, 'wherever thou mayst be, thou shalt
be Queen of men.'

"'I list not to be Queen again,' said I. He laughed and said:
'I wot not how thou mayst help it.'

"I said: 'Tell me of the Dry Tree, how the champions
have sped, and have they grown greater or less.' Said he:
'They are warriors and champions from father to son;
therefore have they thriven not over well; yet they have left
the thick of the wood, and built them a great castle above the little
town hight Hampton; so that is now called Hampton under Scaur,
for upon the height of the said Scaur is our castle builded: