a tall and very stark carle, and said in courteous wise:
"Sir Knight, thou art a stranger to me and I know thee not;
so I must needs ask for a sight of thy license to buy weapons,
under the seal of the Burg."

"Hear a wonder," said Ralph, "that a free man for his money
shall not buy wares set out to be bought, unless he have
the Burg-Reeve's hand and seal for it! Nay, take thy florins,
master, and give me the axe and let the jest end there."
"I jest not, young rider," quoth the armourer. "When we know
thee for a liegeman of the Burg, thou shalt buy what thou wilt
without question; but otherwise I have told thee the law,
and how may I, the master of the craft, break the law?
Be not wrath, fair sir, I will set aside thine axe for thee,
till thou bring me the license, or bid me come see it, and thou
shalt get the said license at the Town Hall straight-way,
when they may certify thee no foeman of the Burg."

Ralph saw that it availed nothing to bicker with the smith,
and so went his way somewhat crestfallen, and that the more
as he saw Roger grinning a little.

Now they come into the market-place, on one side whereof was the master
church of the town, which was strongly built and with a tall tower
to it, but was not very big, and but little adorned. Over against it
they saw the sign of the Flower de Luce, a goodly house and great.
Thitherward they turned; but in the face of the hostelry amidmost the place
was a thing which Roger pointed at with a grin that spoke as well as words;
and this was a high gallows-tree furnished with four forks or arms,
each carved and wrought in the fashion of the very bough of a tree,