“That,” said Alsi, “is as I thought.  I needed only to hear it said openly.  Now, therefore, it remains but to speak of one other thing and that is a weighty one.  It was her father’s will and I swore to carry it out, that she should be wedded to the most goodly and mightiest man in the realm.  It seems to me that on her marriage hangs all the wealth of her kingdom; and ill it would be if, after she took the throne, she took to herself one who made himself an evil adviser.  I would say that it were better to see her married first, for it does not follow that you would choose to have the man whom I thought fitting to be over you, as he certainly would be.”

Now all this was so straightforward in all seeming that none of the thanes could be aught but pleased.  Moreover, it took away a fear that they had had lest Griffin was to be the man.  None could say that he fulfilled the conditions of the will of Ethelwald.  The spokesman said, therefore, that it was well set before them, and that it was best to wait, saying at the end, “For, after all, we might have to change our minds concerning the princess, if with her we must take a man who will prove a burden or tyrant to us all.”

Then they asked the king to find a good husband for the princess as soon as might be, so that he was not against her liking.

“Well,” said Alsi, “it is a hard task for a man who has no wife to help him; but we will trust to the good sense of my niece.  Now, I had thought of Ragnar of Norwich; but it is in my mind that the old laws of near kin are somewhat against this.”

I suppose that he had no intention of letting the earl marry the princess; but this was policy, as it might please the thanes.  However, the matter of kinship did not please some, and that was all that he needed, for there was excuse then for him if he forbade that match, which was the last he wanted.

Ragnar sat in his place and heard all this, and he wished himself back at Norwich.

So there the matter ended, and that was the last sitting of the Witan.  There was to be a great breaking-up feast that night before the thanes scattered to their homes.

Now while this was going on I ended my spell of duty, and bethought me of Mord the chamberlain, and so went to Berthun and asked for him.  He said that if I had any special business with Mord I might see him; and I said, truly enough, that my errand was special, having to do with friends of his; so it was not long before they took me to him.  He was in a long room that was built on the side of the great hall, as it were, and I could hear the murmur of the voices of those who spoke at the Witan while I waited.

Now Mord was not so much changed as I, and at first he did not know me at all.

“Well, master housecarl, what may your message be, and from whom is it?” he said, without more than a glance at me.

“Why, there are some old friends of yours who are anxious to know if you have forgotten the feeling of a halter round your neck,” I said in good Danish.