the trees as he sat handling his axe doubtfully, but the woman was
fallen back again somewhat.

But even as Ralph raised his sword and pricked forward, the woman sprang
as light as a leopard on to the saddle behind the foeman, and wound her arms
about him and dragged him back just as he was raising his axe to smite her,
and as Ralph rode forward she cried out to him, "Smite him, smite!
O lovely creature of God!"

Therewith was Ralph beside them, and though he were loth to slay
a man held in the arms of a woman, yet he feared lest the man
should slay her with some knife-stroke unless he made haste;
so he thrust his sword through him, and the man died at once,
and fell headlong off his horse, dragging down the woman with him.

Then Ralph lighted down from his horse, and the woman rose
up to him, her white smock all bloody with the slain man.
Nevertheless was she as calm and stately before him, as if she
were sitting on the dais of a fair hall; so she said to him:

"Young warrior, thou hast done well and knightly, and I shall
look to it that thou have thy reward. And now I rede thee go
not to the Burg of the Four Friths; for this tale of thee shall
get about and they shall take thee, if it were out of the very
Frith-stool, and there for thee should be the scourge and the gibbet;
for they of that Burg be robbers and murderers merciless.
Yet well it were that thou ride hence presently; for those
be behind my tormentors whom thou hast slain, who will be
as an host to thee, and thou mayst not deal with them.
If thou follow my rede, thou wilt take the way that goeth hence