Now Havelok grew restless, and wandered here and there looking at things, though not going far from me; and while I was thus alone on the bridge, a man I knew by sight came and leaned on the rail by me, and told me that he had just seen the most handsome man and the goodliest to look on that was in the kingdom, as he thought.

“Yonder he stands,” he said, “like a king who has fallen on bad times.  I mind that I thought that Alsi, our king, would look like that, before I saw him, and sorely disappointed was I in him therefore.  Now I wonder who yon man may be?”

I did not say that I knew, but I looked at Havelok, and for the first time, perhaps because I had never seen him among strangers before, I knew that he was wondrous to look on.  Full head and shoulders was he above all the folk, and the Lindseymen are no babes in stature.  And at the same moment it came to me that it were not well that men should know him as the son of Grim the fisher.  If my father, who was the wisest of men, had been so careful for all these years, I must not be less so; for if there were ever any fear of the spies of Hodulf, it would be now when his foe might be strong enough in years to think of giving trouble.  Not that I ever thought much of the said Hodulf, seeing how far off he was; but my father had brought me up to dread him for this brother of mine.  Certainly by this time Hodulf knew that Grim had come to England in safety, for the name of the new town must have come to his ears:  and if Grim, then the boy he had given to him.

The man who spoke to me went away soon, and Havelok strolled back to me.

“I would that the cook, or whoever he is, would come,” he said.  “I grow weary of this crowd that seems to have naught to do but stare at a stranger.”

“What shall we ask, when he does come? and supposing that there is a place for but one of us?” I said.

“Why, then, the one it fits best will take it, and the other must seek some other chance.  That is all.”

“As you will, brother,” I answered, “but I would rather that we should be together.”

“And I also.  But after all, both will be in Lincoln, and we must take what comes.  It is but for a little while, and we shall not like to burden that good old dame by being too hard to please.  We want somewhat to do until we can go home, not for a day longer, and I care not what it is.”

“That is right,” I said; “and the sooner I see one of our folk coming over this bridge with a full basket of fish, the better I shall like it.  But it may be a long day before that.  Now, I have been thinking that it were not well that you should say that you are the son of Grim.”

I did not quite know how he would take this, for he was proud of my father as I. But that very pride made it easy.

“Maybe not,” he said thoughtfully, “for it seems unworthy of his sons that we have to ask for service from any man.  But I do not think that he could blame us, as things are.  Nevertheless, folk shall not talk.”