Hearken. The feast being finished the guests
went away at fall of night, but the wife-lady withdrew herself into the
chamber that is called sun-room (the solar), that up the stairs, which
looks out on the street. About one hour gone there came a knock at the
door. I who was watching, opened, thinking it was you returned, and
there stood that lord. He spoke to me, saying:
"'Moor-man, I know that your master is from home, but that the lady is
here. I would speak with her.'
"Now I would have turned him away, but at that moment the lady herself,
who it seemed was watching, came down the stairs, looking very white,
and said:
"'Kari, let the lord come in. I have matters of your master's business
about which I must talk with him.' So, Master, knowing that you had lent
money to this lord, I obeyed, though I liked it not, and having fetched
the sword which I thought perchance might be needed, I waited."
This was the substance of what he said, though his talk was more broken
since he never learned to speak English well and helped it out with
words of his own tongue, of which, as I have told, he had taught me
something.
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