Page 124 - the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood

where they were, neither quickened his pace nor seemed to
see that such a man as Robin Hood was in the world. So
Robin stood in the middle of the road, waiting while the
other walked slowly forward, smelling his rose, and looking
this way and that, and everywhere except at Robin.
‘Hold!’ cried Robin, when at last the other had come close
to him. ‘Hold! Stand where thou art!’
‘Wherefore should I hold, good fellow?’ said the strang-
er in soft and gentle voice. ‘And wherefore should I stand
where I am? Ne’ertheless, as thou dost desire that I should
stay, I will abide for a short time, that I may hear what thou
mayst have to say to me.’
‘Then,’ quoth Robin, ‘as thou dost so fairly do as I tell
thee, and dost give me such soft speech, I will also treat thee
with all due courtesy. I would have thee know, fair friend,
that I am, as it were, a votary at the shrine of Saint Wilfred
who, thou mayst know, took, willy-nilly, all their gold from
the heathen, and melted it up into candlesticks. Wherefore,
upon such as come hereabouts, I levy a certain toll, which I
use for a better purpose, I hope, than to make candlesticks
withal. Therefore, sweet chuck, I would have thee deliver to
me thy purse, that I may look into it, and judge, to the best
of my poor powers, whether thou hast more wealth about
thee than our law allows. For, as our good Gaffer Swan-
thold sayeth, ‘He who is fat from overliving must needs lose
blood.’ ‘
All this time the youth had been sniffing at the rose that
he held betwixt his thumb and finger. ‘Nay,’ said he with a
gentle smile, when Robin Hood had done, ‘I do love to hear

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