Oswin, who had held his tongue admirably while his eyes devoured thestranger, departed in a flurry of zeal to do his errands. Liliwin watched himgo, and then turned to watch Cadfael no less warily. Small wonder if he feltlittle trust in anyone just now.

“You won’t leave me? They’ll be peering in at the door again before the night’sout.”

“I won’t leave you. Be easy!”

Advice difficult to follow, he admitted wryly, in Liliwin’s situation. Butwith enough mulled wine in him he might sleep. Oswin came again glowing withhaste and the flush of bending over the brazier, and brought two thick, roughblankets, in which Liliwin thankfully wound himself. The spiced draught wentdown gratefully. A little colour came back to the gaunt, bruised face.

“You go to your bed, lad,” said Cadfael, leading Oswin towards the nightstairs. “You can, now, he’ll do till morning. Then we shall see.”

Brother Oswin looked back in some wonder at the swaddled body almostswallowed up in Prior Robert’s capacious stall, and asked in a whisper: “Do youthink he can really be a murderer, though?”

“Child,” said Cadfael, sighing, “until we get some sensible account ofwhat’s happened in Walter Aurifaber’s burgage tonight, I doubt if there’s been murderdone at all. With enough drink in them, the fists may well have started flying,and a few noses been bloodied, and some fool may very well have started apanic, with other fools ready enough to take up the cry. You go to your bed,and wait and see.”

And so must I wait and see, he thought, watching Oswin obediently climb the