“Very heartily I’ll have you,” said Cadfael, “ifyou’ll take to this outdoor work with me. And what’s your name,boy?”

“Godric, sir,” said the young thing, in a small, gruff voice,appraising Cadfael just as earnestly as he was being appraised.

“Good, then, Godric, you and I will get on well enough. And first, ifyou will, walk around the gardens here with me and see what we have in hand,and get used to being within these walls. Strange enough I daresay you’llfind it, but safer than in the town yonder, which I make no doubt is why yourgood aunt brought you here.”

The blue, bright eyes flashed him one glance and were veiled again.

“See you come to Vespers with Brother Cadfael,” the almonerinstructed, “and Brother Paul, the master of the novices, will show youyour bed, and tell you your duties after supper. Pay attention to what BrotherCadfael tells you, and be obedient to him as you should.”

“Yes, sir,” said the boy virtuously. Under the meek accents asmall bubble of laughter seemed to be trying, though vainly, to burst. WhenBrother Oswald hurried away, the blue eyes watched him out of sight, and thenturned their intent gaze upon Cadfael. A demure, oval face, with a wide, firmmouth shaped properly for laughter, but quick to revert to a very sombregravity. Even for those meant to be light-hearted, these were grave times.

“Come, see what manner of labour you’re taking onyourself,” said Cadfael cheerfully, and downed his spade to take his newboy round the enclosed garden, showing him the vegetables, the herbs that madethe noon air heady and drunken with fragrance, the fish ponds and the beds ofpease that ran down almost to the brook. The early field was already dried andflaxen in the sun, all its harvest gathered, even the later-sown hung heavy andfull in pod.