Now the maiden’s face flushed with pleasure, and she held out her hand to me in frank welcome.  Yet I saw a little wondering look on her face as she let her eyes linger on mine for a moment, and that puzzled me.

“You are most welcome, Thane,” she said.  “It is a wonderful thing that here I should learn that my lost godfather yet lives.  You will come to Pembroke with us, and tell me of him there?”

Then Howel laughed as if he had a jest that would not keep, and he cried:  “Why, Nona, that is a mighty pretty speech, but surely one asks a sick man of his health first.”

She blushed a little, and glanced again at me.

“Surely the thane is not hurt?” she said.

“Yesterday he was, and that sorely.  What was it, Thane?—­Slipped shoulder, broken thigh, and broken jaw?  All of which a certain maiden pitied most heartily, even to lending a blanket to the poor man.”

Then Nona blushed red, and I made haste to get rid of some of the thanks that were heartfelt enough if they came unreadily to my lips, and Howel laughed at both of us.  I think that the princess found her way out of the little constraint first, for she began to smile merrily.

“There must be a story for me to hear about all this,” she said.  “But I was sure that I had seen your eyes before.  I was wondering where it could have been.”

“Well,” said Howel, “I have sat with the thane for close on an hour, and now I do not know what colour his eyes are.”

“They were all that I could see of him, father,” laughed the princess, and then she put the matter aside.  “Now we have been here long enough, and good Govan shivers on the hilltop.  Surely the thane will ride home with us, and we can talk on the way.”

Howel added at once that this was the best plan for me, and what he was about to ask me himself.

“I know you will want to get home again as soon as may be,” he said.  “No doubt Thorgils will take you at once.  I will have word sent to him at Tenby to stay for you.”

“Father, you have forgotten,” the princess said, somewhat doubtfully, as I thought.

“Nay, but I have not,” answered Howel grimly.  “But honest Thorgils is a white heathen, and those Tenby men are black heathen.  He does not come into our quarrels, and will heed me, if they will not.”

I minded that I had heard of trouble between the Tenby Danes and this prince, and it seemed that he spoke of it again.  However, that I might hear by and by.  So I thanked him, and said that I could wish for nothing better than to be his guest until I could go on my way hence.

Now the princess went to the cliff top and called Govan, while I armed myself.  The hermit came back, and I bade him farewell, with many thanks for his kindnesses during the hours I had been with him; and so I went from the little cell with the blessing of Govan the Hermit on me, and that was a bright ending to hours which had been dark enough.  Govan the Saint, men call him, now that he has gone from among them, and rightly do they give him that name, as I think.