bread with me, such as ye aliens must needs eat: take it!"

Therewith he drew a loaf from a satchel which he bore, and thrust it
towards Walter, who took it somewhat doubtfully for all his hunger.

The dwarf yelled at him: "Art thou dainty, alien? Wouldst thou
have flesh? Well, give me thy bow and an arrow or two, since thou
art lazy-sick, and I will get thee a coney or a hare, or a quail
maybe. Ah, I forgot; thou art dainty, and wilt not eat flesh as I
do, blood and all together, but must needs half burn it in the fire,
or mar it with hot water; as they say my Lady does: or as the
Wretch, the Thing does; I know that, for I have seen It eating."

"Nay," said Walter, "this sufficeth;" and he fell to eating the
bread, which was sweet between his teeth. Then when he had eaten a
while, for hunger compelled him, he said to the dwarf: "But what
meanest thou by the Wretch and the Thing? And what Lady is thy
Lady?"

The creature let out another wordless roar as of furious anger; and
then the words came: "It hath a face white and red, like to thine;
and hands white as thine, yea, but whiter; and the like it is
underneath its raiment, only whiter still: for I have seen It--yes,
I have seen It; ah yes and yes and yes."

And therewith his words ran into gibber and yelling, and he rolled
about and smote at the grass: but in a while he grew quiet again
and sat still, and then fell to laughing horribly again, and then
said: "But thou, fool, wilt think It fair if thou fallest into Its
hands, and wilt repent it thereafter, as I did. Oh, the mocking and