hollow, and somewhat thin thy lovely lips; and thy round chin so
goodly carven, as it might not be better done. And of thy body else
I will say as thou sayst of mine, though I deem these hands have done
more work than thine. But see thou! thy leg and mine as they stand
together; and thine arm, as if it were of my body. Slim and slender
thou art, or it may be lank; and I deem our dame would call thee also
bag-of-bones. Now is this strange. Who art thou? Art thou my very
own sister? I would thou wert.

Spake then to Birdalone that image of her, and said, smiling kindly
on her: As to our likeness, thou hast it now; so alike are we, as if
we were cast in one mould. But thy sister of blood I am not; nay, I
will tell thee at once that I am not of the children of Adam. As to
what I am, that is a long story, and I may not tell it as now; but
thou mayst call me Habundia, as I call thee Birdalone. Now it is
true that to everyone I show not myself in this fair shape of thee;
but be not aghast thereat, or deem me like unto thy mistress herein,
for as now I am, so ever shall I be unto thee.

Quoth Birdalone, looking on her anxiously: Yea, and I shall see thee
again, shall I not? else should I grieve, and wish that I had never
seen thee at all. Yea, forsooth, said Habundia, for I myself were
most fain to see thee oft. But now must thou presently get thee back
home, for evil as now is the mood of thy mistress, and she is rueing
the gift of the green gown, and hath in her mind to seek occasion to
chastise thee.

Now was Birdalone half weeping, as she did on her raiment while her
friend looked on her kindly. She said presently: Habundia, thou
seest I am hard bestead; give me some good rede thereto.