His gifts would, as Ambrose observed, serve them as tokens, and with
the purpose of claiming them, they re-entered the hall, a long low
room, with a handsome open roof, and walls tapestried with dressed
skins, interspersed with antlers, hung with weapons of the chase.
At one end of the hall was a small polished barrel, always
replenished with beer, at the other a hearth with a wood fire
constantly burning, and there was a table running the whole length
of the room; at one end of this was laid a cloth, with a few
trenchers on it, and horn cups, surrounding a barley loaf and a
cheese, this meagre irregular supper being considered as a
sufficient supplement to the funeral baked meats which had abounded
at Beaulieu. John Birkenholt sat at the table with a trencher and
horn before him, uneasily using his knife to crumble, rather than
cut, his bread. His wife, a thin, pale, shrewish-looking woman, was
warming her child's feet at the fire, before putting him to bed, and
an old woman sat spinning and nodding on a settle at a little
distance.

"Brother," said Stephen, "we have thought on what you said. We will
put our stuff together, and if you will count us out our portions,
we will be afoot by sunrise to-morrow."

"Nay, nay, lad, I said not there was such haste; did I, mistress
housewife?"--(she snorted); "only that thou art a well-grown lusty
fellow, and 'tis time thou wentest forth. For thee, Ambrose, thou
wottest I made thee a fair offer of bed and board."

"That is," called out the wife, "if thou wilt make a fair scholar of
little Will. 'Tis a mighty good offer. There are not many who