Page 326 - the-merry-adventures-of-robin-hood

gotten there in that pouch by thy side and in that pottle?’
At these words the Cobbler looked down at those things
of which merry Robin spoke, for the thoughts of the golden
bird had driven them from his mind, and it took him some
time to scrape the memory of them back again. ‘Why,’ said
he at last, ‘in the one is good March beer, and in the other
is a fat capon. Truly, Quince the Cobbler will ha’ a fine feast
this day an I mistake not.’
‘But tell me, good Quince,’ said Robin, ‘hast thou a mind
to sell those things to me? For the hearing of them sounds
sweet in mine ears. I will give thee these gay clothes of blue
that I have upon my body and ten shillings to boot for thy
clothes and thy leather apron and thy beer and thy capon.
What sayst thou, bully boy?’
‘Nay, thou dost jest with me,’ said the Cobbler, ‘for my
clothes are coarse and patched, and thine are of fine stuff
and very pretty.’
‘Never a jest do I speak,’ quoth Robin. ‘Come, strip thy
jacket off and I will show thee, for I tell thee I like thy
clothes well. Moreover, I will be kind to thee, for I will feast
straightway upon the good things thou hast with thee, and
thou shalt be bidden to the eating.’ At these words he began
slipping off his doublet, and the Cobbler, seeing him so in
earnest, began pulling off his clothes also, for Robin Hood’s
garb tickled his eye. So each put on the other fellow’s clothes,
and Robin gave the honest Cobbler ten bright new shillings.
Quoth merry Robin, ‘I ha’ been a many things in my life be-
fore, but never have I been an honest cobbler. Come, friend,
let us fall to and eat, for something within me cackles aloud