"And I pray your pardon again, Villehardouin, for my very great clumsiness.

I pray your pardon a thousand times.

The fault was mine, though unintentioned.

In my haste to an engagement I was clumsy, most woful clumsy, but without intention." What could the dolt do but grudgingly accept the amends I so freely proffered him?
Yet I knew, as Lanfranc and I hastened on, that ere many days, or hours, the flame-headed youth would see to it that we measured steel together on the grass.
I explained no more to Lanfranc than my need of him, and he was little interested to pry deeper into the matter.

He was himself a lively youngster of no more than twenty, but he had been trained to arms, had fought in Spain, and had an honourable record on the grass.