Then Face-of-god said: 'Welcome, Guests, who erewhile guested me so
well: now beginneth the day of your well-doing to the men of
Burgdale; therefore will we do to you as well as we may.'
Then Folk-might and the Sun-beam sat them down with the chieftains,
one on either side of the Alderman, but Face-of-god passed forth to
the others, and greeted them one by one: of them was Wood-father and
his three sons, and Bow-may; and they rejoiced exceedingly to see
him, and Bow-may said:
'Now it gladdens my heart to look upon thee alive and thriving, and
to remember that day last winter when I met thee on the snow, and
turned thee back from the perilous path to thy pleasure, which the
Dusky Men were besetting, of whom thou knewest nought. Yea, it was
merry that tide; but this is better. Nay, friend,' she said, 'it
availeth thee nought to strive to look out of the back of thine head:
let it be enough to thee that she is there. Thou art now become a
great chieftain, and she is no less; and this is a meeting of
chieftains, and the folk are looking on and expecting demeanour of
them as of the Gods; and she is not to be dealt with as if she were
the daughter of some little goodman with whom one hath made tryst in
the meadows.
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