Therewith he caught hold of Ralph’s hand, and sat himself down and drew Ralph down, and made him sit beside him.

“Thou seest I am become great?” said he.  “Yea,” said Ralph, “I give thee joy thereof!” Said the new Lord:  “Perchance thou wilt be deeming that since I was once thy war-taken thrall I should give myself up to thee:  but I tell thee I will not:  for I have much to do here.  Moreover I did not run away from thee, but thou rannest from me, lad.”

Thereat in his turn Ralph fell a laughing, and when he might speak he said:  “What needeth the lord of all these spears to beg off his service to the poor wandering knight?”

Then Bull put his arms about him, and said:  “I am fain at the sight of thee, time was thou wert a kind lad and a good master; yet naught so merry as thou shouldest have been; but now I see that gladness plays all about thy face, and sparkles in thine eyes; and that is good.  But these thy fellows?  I have seen the old carle before:  he was dwelling in the wildwood because he was overwise to live with other folk.  But this young man, who may he be?  Or else—­yea, verily, it is a young woman.  Yea, and now I deem that it is the thrall of my brother Bull Nosy.  Therefore by heritage she is now mine.”

Ralph heard the words but saw not the smiling face, so wroth he was; therefore the bare sword was in his fist in a twinkling.  But ere he could smite Bull caught hold of his wrist, and said:  “Master, master, thou art but a sorry lawyer, or thou wouldst have said:  ‘Thou art my thrall, and how shall a thrall have heritage?’ Dost thou not see that I cannot own her till I be free, and that thou wilt not give me my freedom save for hers?  There, now is all the matter of the service duly settled, and I am free and a Lord.  And this damsel is free also, and—­yea, is she not thy well-beloved, King’s Son?”

Ralph was somewhat abashed, and said:  “I crave thy pardon, Lord, for misdoubting thee:  but think how feeble are we two lovers amongst the hosts of the aliens.”

“It is well, it is well,” said Bull, “and in very sooth I deem thee my friend; and this damsel was my brother’s friend.  Sit down, dear maiden, I bid thee; and thou also, O man overwise; and let us drink a cup, and then we will talk about what we may do for each other.”

So they sat down all on the grass, and the Lord of Utterbol called for wine, and they drank together in the merry season of May; and the new Lord said:  “Here be we friends come together, and it were pity of our lives if we must needs sunder speedily:  howbeit, it is thou must rule herein, King’s Son; for in my eyes thou art still greater than I, O my master.  For I can see in thine eyes and thy gait, and in thine also, maiden, that ye have drunk of the Well at the World’s End.  Therefore I pray you gently and heartily that ye come home with me to Utterbol.”

Ralph shook his head, and answered:  “Lord of Utterbol, I bid thee all thanks for thy friendliness, but it may not be.”