And he said to himself: What matter
if he slay me or cast me into prison, if Birdalone be lost?
So he went his ways to the highest tower, which looked landward and
hight the Open Eye, deeming to find Sir Aymeris; but when he got to
the topmost, he found neither captain nor carle there: wherefore he
stayed a little and looked forth betwixt the battlements, if
perchance there were some wild chance of seeing Birdalone's coming
home again; but his keen eyes beheld nothing more than he looked to
see, as sheep and neat, and the field-folk of thereabouts. So he
turned away and went by the swale toward the next tallest tower,
which looked lakewards, and was called Hearts' Hope; and as he went
he fell to framing in his mind the words which he should say to the
castellan.
Thus came he, haggard and hapless, on the leads of the tower, which
were nought small; and there gathered together in a knot, and all
gazing eagerly out over the lake, he found a dozen of men-at-arms and
the castellan amongst them. They took no heed of him as he came up,
though he stumbled as he crossed the threshold and came clattering
over the lead floor, and he saw at once that there was something
unwonted toward; but he had but one thought in his mind, to wit, the
rescuing of Birdalone.
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