sword, bearing a bright steel helm on his head, in his hand a long
spear with a gay red and white shaft done about with copper bands.
He looked merry and proud of his wain-load, and the woman was smiling
kindly on him from out of her scarlet and fur; but now she turned a
weary happy face on Gold-mane, for they knew him, as did all men of
the Dale.

So he stopped when they met, for the goodman had already stayed his
slow beasts, and the goodwife had risen a little on her cushions to
greet him, yet slowly and but a little, for she was great with child,
and not far from her time. That knew Gold-mane well, and what was
toward, and why the goodman wore his fine clothes, and why the wain
was decked with oak-boughs and the yoke-beasts with their best gilded
bells and copper-adorned harness. For it was a custom with many of
the kindreds that the goodwife should fare to her father's house to
lie in with her first babe, and the day of her coming home was made a
great feast in the house. So then Face-of-god cried out: 'Hail to
thee, O Warcliff! Shrewd is the wind this morning, and thou dost
well to heed it carefully, this thine orchard, this thy garden, this
thy fair apple-tree! To a good hall thou wendest, and the Wine of
Increase shall be sweet there this even.'

Then smiled Warcliff all across his face, and the goodwife hung her
head and reddened. Said the goodman: 'Wilt thou not be with us, son
of the Alderman, as surely thy father shall be?'

'Nay,' said Face-of-god, 'though I were fain of it: my own matters
carry me away.'

'What matters?' said Warcliff; 'perchance thou art for the cities