enough for myself, save when love constraineth me, dear lord. Now,
my rede is that ye seek the golden cage again and yet again, because
I deem that these thralls have somehow learned some wisdom, and they
have enchanted the said cage for a defence against me, from whom they
might not hide as they did from you; for of me have they stolen their
wizardry, and I am their mistress therein.

This, therefore, is the new lie of her, and my rede is that we heed
it nought. For my mind is that she it is that hath made the
appearance of the cage and the women therein, and that she hath our
poor friends somewhere underneath her hand.

Now this we deemed most like; yet whereas we had nought to do with
the time, which, now that we had searched the isle throughly, hung
heavy on hand, we deemed it good to go to the dale of the golden cage
again, though we looked not to find the cage there any more. But
this betid, that we found the little dale easily enough, and there
stood the cage as we had seen it yesterday, but nought was there
within its bright bars save the grass and the flowers, and the water
of the brook a-running.

We loitered about that place a while, and went back to the house in
due time; and to shorten the tale, I shall tell that for many days it
betid that we went every day to seek the golden cage, but after the
first three days we saw it no more.

Now began sadness and weariness to overcome us as the days and weeks
wore, and belike the witch-wife noted it that we were worse company
than heretofore.