“Yes, not the old Thane, his uncle, whom Tosti has murdered; but Gospatrick, King Malcolm’s cousin, Dolfin’s father. Well, she was his ward. He gave me her to keep, for he wanted her out of harm’s way--the lass having a bonny dower, lands and money--till he could marry her up to one of his sons. I took her; of course I was not going to do other men’s work for naught; so I would have married her up to my poor boy, if he had but lived. But he would not live, as you know. Then I would have married her to you, and made you my heir, I tell you honestly, if you had not flown off, like a hot-headed young springald, as you were then.” “You were very kind. But how is she an Etheliza?” “Etheliza? Twice over. Her father was of high blood among those Saxons; and if not, are not all the Gospatricks Ethelings? Their grandmother, Uchtred’s wife, was Ethelred, Evil-Counsel’s daughter, King Edward of London’s sister; and I have heard that this girl’s grandfather was their son,--but died young,--or was killed with his father. Who cares?” “Not I,” quoth Hereward. “Well--he wants to marry her to Dolfin, his eldest son.” “Why, Dolfin had a wife when I was at Dunsinane.” “But she is dead since, and young Ulf, her son, murdered by Tosti last winter.” “I know.” “Whereon Gospatrick sends to me for the girl and her dowry. What was I to do? Give her up? Little it is, lad, that I ever gave up, after I had it once in my grip, or I should be a poorer man than I am now. Have and hold, is my rule. What should I do? What I did. I was coming hither on business of my own, so I put her on board ship, and half her dower,--where the other half is, I know; and man must draw me with wild horses, before he finds out;--and came here to my kinsman, Baldwin, to see if he had any proper young fellow to whom we might marry the lass, and so go shares in her money and the family connection. Could a man do more wisely?” “Impossible,” quoth Hereward. “But see how a wise man is lost by fortune. When I come here, whom should I find but Dolfin himself? The dog had scent of my plan, all the way from Dolfinston there, by Peebles. He hunts me out, the hungry Scotch wolf; rides for Leith, takes ship, and is here to meet me, having accused me before Baldwin as a robber and ravisher, and offers to prove his right to the jade on my body in single combat.” “The villain!” quoth Hereward. “There is no modesty left on earth, nor prudence either. To come here, where he might have stumbled on Tosti, who murdered his son, and I would surely do the like by him, himself. Lucky for him that Tosti is off to Norway on his own errand.” “Modesty and prudence? None now-a-days, young sire; nor justice either, I think; for when Baldwin hears us both--and I told my story as cannily as I could--he tells me that he is very sorry for an old vassal and kinsman, and so forth,--but I must either disgorge or fight.” “Then fight,” quoth Hereward. “‘Per se aut per campioneem,’--that’s the old law, you know.”