Forsooth it is now a good few days ago three of them brought in a woman as goodly as mine eyes have ever seen; and she sat on the bench yonder, and seemed to heed little that she was a captive and had shackles on her feet after the custom of these men, though indeed her hands were unbound, so that she might eat her meat; and the carle thief told me that he took her but a little way from the garth, and that she made a stout defence with a sword before they might take her, but being taken, she made but little of it." "Would he do her any hurt ?" said Ralph.

"Nay, surely," said the carle; "doth a man make a hole in a piece of cloth which he is taking to market?
Nay, he was courteous to her after his fashion, and bade us give her the best of all we had." "What like was she ?" said Ralph.

Said the carle: "She was somewhat tall, if I am to note such matters, grey-eyed and brown haired, and great abundance of it.

Her lips very red; her cheeks tanned with the sun, but in such wise that her own white and red shone through the sun's painting, so that her face was as sweet as the best wheat-ear in a ten-acre field when the season hath been good.

Her hands were not like those of a demoiselle who sitteth in a chamber to be looked at, but brown as of one who hath borne the sickle in the sun.