was much too proud to share a mount with anyone but his father.Once established at Maesbury the little pack-pony, sedate andgood-humored, would become his riding pony for the summer, and thegroom who led it his discreet guardian on his forays, for like mostchildren who have never seen cause to be afraid, he was fearless onhorseback—Aline said foolhardy, but hesitated to issuewarnings, perhaps for fear of shaking his confidence, or perhapsout of the certainty that they would not be heeded.

They halted at noon under the hill at Ness, where there was atenant of Hugh’s installed, to rest the horses and takerefreshment. Before mid-afternoon they reached Felton, and thereAline and the escort turned aside to take the nearest way home, butHugh elected to ride on with his friends to the outskirts ofOswestry. Giles was transferred, protesting but obedient, to hismother’s arms.

“Go safely, and return safely!” said Aline, herprimrose head pale and bright as the child’s, the gloss ofspring on her face and the burnish of sunlight in her smile. Andshe signed a little cross on the air between them before shewheeled her jennet into the lefthand track.

Delivered of the baggage and the womenfolk, they rode on at abrisker pace the few miles to Whittington, where they halted underthe walls of the small timber keep. Oswestry itself lay to theirleft, on Hugh’s route homeward. Mark and Cadfael must go onnorthward still, but here they were on the very borderland, countrywhich had been alternately Welsh and English for centuries beforeever the Normans came, where the names of hamlets and of men weremore likely to be Welsh than English. Hugh lived between the twogreat dykes the princes of Mercia had constructed long ago, to markwhere their holding and writ began, so that no force should easilyencroach, and no man who crossed from one side to the other shouldbe in any doubt under which law he stood. The lower barrier layjust to the east of the manor, much battered and leveled now; thegreater one had been raised to the west, when Mercian power hadbeen able to thrust further into Wales.