The old carle laughed outright now, and said: How so, dear child?
because ladies so sweet and lovesome as thou be sent by love, and
love rendeth apart that which was joined together.
She wondered at his word, and was bewildered by it, but she held her
peace; and he said: Now we may talk hereof later on; but the matter
to hand now is the quenching of thine hunger; for I will not ask thee
whereby thou camest, since by water thou needs must have come.
Wherefore now I bid thee to our house, and these little ones shall go
with us, and the three of these horned folk whom we are wont to
tether amidst the wrack and ruin of what once was fair; the rest have
our leave to depart, and these nibblers also; for we have a potherb
garden by our house, and are fain to keep the increase of the same
for ourselves. Birdalone laughed, and shook her skirts at the
coneys, and they all scuttled away after the manner of their kind.
Thereat the little lad looked downcast and well-nigh tearful, but the
maid stamped her foot, and roared well-favouredly.
Birdalone did her best to solace her, and plucked a bough from a
hawthorn bush far above the little ones' reach whereon was yet some
belated blossom, and gave it to her and stilled her.
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