toward.

Thereof Lord Rolf heeded nought, but went his ways straight
to the Castle, and was brought with all honour into the
hall, and thither came Lord Richard the Lean, hastening and
half afeard, and did obeisance to him; and there were but a
few in the hall, and they stood out of earshot of the two
lords.

The Marshal spoke graciously to Lord Richard, and made him
sit beside him, and said in a soft voice: "We have come to
see thee, Lord, and how the folk do in the Uttermost
Marches. Also we would wot how it goes with a lad whom we
sent to thee when he was yet a babe, whereas he was some
byblow of the late King, our lord and master, and we deemed
thee both rich enough and kind enough to breed him into
thriving without increasing pride upon him: and, firstly,
is the lad yet alive?"

He knitted his brow as he spake, for carefulness of soul;
but Lord Richard smiled upon him, though as one somewhat
troubled, and answered: "Lord Marshal, I thank thee for
visiting this poor house; and I shall tell thee first that
the lad lives, and hath thriven marvellously, though he be
somewhat unruly, and will abide no correction now these last
six years. Sooth to say, there is now no story of his being
anywise akin to our late Lord King; though true it is that
the folk in this faraway corner of the land call him King
Christopher, but only in a manner of jesting. But it is no
jest wherein they say that they will gainsay him nought, and