"
I suppose that he had no intention of letting the earl marry the
princess; but this was policy, as it might please the thanes. However,
the matter of kinship did not please some, and that was all that he
needed, for there was excuse then for him if he forbade that match,
which was the last he wanted.
Ragnar sat in his place and heard all this, and he wished himself back
at Norwich.
So there the matter ended, and that was the last sitting of the Witan.
There was to be a great breaking-up feast that night before the thanes
scattered to their homes.
Now while this was going on I ended my spell of duty, and bethought me
of Mord the chamberlain, and so went to Berthun and asked for him. He
said that if I had any special business with Mord I might see him; and I
said, truly enough, that my errand was special, having to do with
friends of his; so it was not long before they took me to him. He was in
a long room that was built on the side of the great hall, as it were,
and I could hear the murmur of the voices of those who spoke at the
Witan while I waited.
Now Mord was not so much changed as I, and at first he did not know me
at all.
"Well, master housecarl, what may your message be, and from whom is it?"
he said, without more than a glance at me.
"Why, there are some old friends of yours who are anxious to know if you
have forgotten the feeling of a halter round your neck," I said in good
Danish.
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