yet he deemed when he looked on them that they would scarce
have the souls of men in their bodies, but that they were utterly
vile through and through, like the shapes of an evil dream.
Therefore he thought shame of it to show the Queen's letter
to them, even as if he had shown them the very naked body of her,
who had been so piteous kind to him. Also he had no mind
to wear his heart on his sleeve, but would keep his own counsel,
and let his foemen speak and show what was in their minds.
For this cause he now made himself sweet, and was of good
cheer with old David, deeming him to be a great man there;
as indeed he was, being the chief counsellor of the Lord
of Utterbol; though forsooth not so much his counsellor
as that he durst counsel otherwise than as the Lord desired
to go; unless he thought that it would bring his said Lord,
and therefore himself, to very present peril and damage.
In short, though this man had not been bought for money, he was
little better than a thrall of the higher sort, as forsooth were
all the Lord's men, saving the best and trustiest of his warriors:
and these were men whom the Lord somewhat feared himself:
though, on the other hand, he could not but know that they
understood how the dread of the Lord of Utterbol was a shield
to them, and that if it were to die out amongst men, their own
skins were not worth many days' purchase.

So then David spake pleasantly with Ralph, and ate and drank
with him, and saw that he was well bedded for the night,
and left him in the first watch. But Ralph lay down in little
more trouble than the night before, when, though he were being
led friendly to Utterness, yet he had not been able to think
what he should do when he came there: whereas now he thought: