So did he, smiling as one who loved her, and again she fell to kissing and clipping him.  Then his father came up and thrust her aside gently and embraced him also, and said:  “Tell me, son, what thou are become?  Thou art grown much of a man since thou stolest thyself away from me.  Is there aught behind this goodly raiment of thine?  And this fair lady, hath she stolen thee away from thy foes to bring thee home to us?”

Ralph laughed and said:  “No less than that, father; I will tell thee all presently; but this first, that I am the captain of a goodly company of men-at-arms; and”——­“Ah, son, sweetheart,” said his mother, “and thou wilt be going away from us again to seek more fame:  and yet, as I look on thee thou seemest to have grown great enough already.  I deem thou wilt not leave us.”

“Mother, my dear,” said Ralph, “to-morrow morn we shall go down to battle in Upmeads, and the day after I shall come hither again, and bring you back to the High House with all honour and glory.  But look, mother,” and he took Ursula’s hand, “here is a daughter and a darling that I have brought back to thee, for this is my wedded wife.”

Then Ursula looked beseechingly at the Dame, who took her in her arms and clipped her and kissed her; and said, “Welcome, daughter; for I feel thy body that thou lovest me.”

Then said King Peter; “Forsooth, son, she is a sweet and dainty creature.  If there be a fairer than her, I wot not; but none so fair have mine eyes looked on.  Tell me whose daughter she is, and of what lineage?” And therewith he took her hand and kissed her.

But Ursula said:  “I am come of no earl or baron.  I am a yeoman’s daughter, and both my father and my mother are dead, and I have no nigh kin save one brother who loveth me not, and would heed it little if he never saw my face again.  Now I tell thee this:  that if my lord biddeth me go from him, I will depart; but for the bidding of none else will I leave him.”

King Peter laughed and said:  “Never will I bid thee depart.”  Then he took her hand and said:  “Sweetling, fair daughter, what is thy name?” “Ursula,” she said.  Said he:  “Ursula, thy palms are harder than be the hands of the dainty dames of the cities, but there is no churls’ blood in thee meseemeth.  What is thy kindred of the yeoman?” She said:  “We be come of the Geirings of old time:  it may be that the spear is broken, and the banner torn; but we forget not our forefathers, though we labour afield, and the barons and the earls call us churls.  It is told amongst us that that word is but another way of saying earl and that it meaneth a man.”

Then spoke Ralph:  “Father and mother both, I may well thank thee and bless thee that your eyes look upon this half of me with kind eyes.  And now I shall tell thee that for this woman, her heart is greater than a king’s or a leader of folk.  And meseemeth her palms have hardened with the labour of delivering me from many troubles.”