“I tell you what,” said the old butcher, “it is no use standing here doing nothing.  We had better go and talk to him, and find out, if we can, who he is.  We must ask him to come and have dinner with us and the Sheriff in the town hall to-day.”  For on market days the butchers used to have dinner all together in the town hall, after market was over, and the sheriff used to come and have dinner with them.

  “So, the butchers stepped up to jolly Robin,
    Acquainted with him for to be;
  Come, butcher, one said, we be all of one trade,
    Come, will you go dine with me?”

“Thank you,” said Robin, “I should like nothing better.  I have had a busy morning and am very hungry and thirsty.”

“Come along, then,” said the butchers.

The old man led the way with Robin, and the others followed two by two.

As they walked along, the old butcher began asking Robin questions, to try and find out something about him.

“You have not been here before?” he said.

“Have I not?” replied Robin.

“I have not seen you, at least.”

“Have you not?”

“You are new to the business?”

“Am I?”

“Well, you seem to be,” said the old butcher, getting rather cross.

“Do I?” replied Robin, laughing.

At last they came to the town hall, and though they had talked all the time the old butcher had got nothing out of Robin, and was not a bit the wiser.

The Sheriff’s house was close to the town hall, so as dinner was not quite ready all the butchers went to say “How do you do?” to the Sheriff’s wife.

She received them very kindly, and was quite interested in Robin when she heard that he was the new butcher who had been selling such wonderfully cheap meat.  Robin had such pleasant manners too, that she thought he was a very nice man indeed.  She was quite sorry when the Sheriff came and took him away, saying dinner was ready.

“I hope to see you again, kind sir,” she said when saying good-by.  “Come to see me next time you have meat to sell.”

“Thank you, lady, I will not forget your kindness,” replied Robin, bowing low.

At dinner the Sheriff sat at one end of the table and the old butcher at the other.  Robin, as the greatest stranger, had the place of honor on the Sheriff’s right hand.

At first the dinner was very dull.  All the butchers were sulky and cross, only Robin was merry.  He could not help laughing to himself at the idea of dining with his great enemy the Sheriff of Nottingham.  And not only dining with him, but sitting on his right hand, and being treated as an honored guest.

If the Sheriff had only known, poor Robin would very soon have been locked up in a dark dungeon, eating dry bread instead of apple-pie and custard and all the fine things they were having for dinner.

However, Robin was so merry, that very soon the butchers forgot to be cross and sulky.  Before the end of dinner all were laughing till their sides ached.