That long winter's night was spent by the Vagre reading the legends of his family. On their part, Kervan, his wife and sister prolonged their reading until it was almost dawn. Contrary to their wont, they did not rise with the day. With the impressions of his family history fresh upon his mind, Ronan visited next morning the environs of the house. He found at every step mementos of his ancestors--the wide field on which his ancestor and his two sons, Guilhern and Mikael, indulged in the virile exercises of the _mahrek-ha-droad_ still spread before his eyes; the living spring, at the edge of which Sylvest and Syomara had in their infantine games built their little hut to protect themselves from the heat of the sun, still babbled along its course. The Vagre was drawn from his revery by the voice of his father's brother. "Ronan," said Kervan, "the frost has hardened the ground and the cattle can not be let out to-day. We shall have wheat to pound in the house. Let us go in. While we are at work you can narrate to us the events that complete your narrative. I promise you that I shall faithfully transcribe them and append them to the narrative that you wrote." CHAPTER II. ON THE HILL NEAR MARCIGNY. The family of Kervan are reassembled together with Ronan in the large hall of the farmhouse. After the morning repast the women take up their distaffs, or some other domestic work. The men pound the wheat, which they pour out of one set of large bags and then drop into another. Huge logs of beech and oak burn in the fireplace, seeing that outside the cold is intense. While each pursues his work in silence they cast from time to time inquisitive looks at Ronan, the Vagre son of the Bagauder. "Uncle," says Ronan, "did you read through the narrative that I gave you yesterday?" "Yes, and all the rest of us here assembled heard it read. But there is no mention made of my poor brother's death." "Before broaching that subject, uncle, I should inform you of what happened after the burning down of the burg of Neroweg. "The complete success of our raid threw the Franks and bishops of the region into consternation. All the slaves who were not too besotted, the colonists whom the seigneurs rack-rented, in short, a considerable number of determined men joined our band. From day to day its numbers swelled and it became more redoubtable. With good or evil grace the seigneurs felt themselves forced to improve the condition of their slaves.