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They had seen all that passed from the gallery above, which, as usual, hidden by a curtain, enabled the women to watch unseen what passed in the hall below. The Lady Godiva sat crouched together, all but alone, for her bower-maidens had fled or been carried off long since, upon a low stool beside a long dark thing covered with a pall.

For Adela of France, the Queen Countess, had heard so much of Torfrida's beauty, that she must needs have her as one of her bower-maidens; and her mother, who was an old friend of Adela's, of course was highly honored by such a promotion for her daughter. So they went to Bruges, and Hereward and his men went of course; and they feasted and harped and sang; and the saying was fulfilled,

When we were pages together the bower-maidens of the queen always made much of you, while they called me impudent, and would give me many a slap on the cheek." "Well, you deserved it richly, Wulf, for you were always playing tricks upon them-hiding their distaffs or tangling their thread, and giving them pert answers when they wanted you to do their errands.

Now is the dead corpse of Sigurd arrayed in olden wise, and a mighty bale is raised, and when it was somewhat kindled, there was laid thereon the dead corpse of Sigurd Fafnir's-bane, and his son of three winters whom Brynhild had let slay, and Guttorm withal; and when the bale was all ablaze, thereunto was Brynhild borne out, when she had spoken with her bower-maidens, and bid them take the gold that she would give; and then died Brynhild, and was burned there by the side of Sigurd, and thus their life-days ended.

Then she sat up and smote her needlework, and rent it asunder, and bade set open her bower doors, that far away might the wailings of her sorrow be heard; then great mourning and lamentation there was, so that folk heard it far and wide through that abode. Now Gudrun asked her bower-maidens why they sat so joyless and downcast.

Jane, as yet heiress and darling, a round, bright, wilful cherub, beautiful and loving, but mighty in her passionate force, and indomitable in her infant will, beyond all power of control the one most cared for, and on whom was anchored such a rich argosy of hopes and first fond love was one day given into the safe keeping of Maud, a young serving-girl, a rough, untutored peasant-girl, who was one of the underwomen to the bower-maidens.

How she went to Helmichis the shield-bearer, and he bade her get Peredeo the Kemper-man to do the deed: and how Peredeo intrigued with one of her bower-maidens, and how Rosamund did a deed of darkness, and deceived Peredeo; and then said to him, I am thy mistress; thou must slay thy master, or thy master thee.