“It is a very fair place,” said the sub-prior, and meant it, forthe fold on fold of well-treed hills beyond the river made a pattern of springbeauty in a hundred different greens, and the water-meadows were strung like anecklace of emeralds along the fringes of a necklace of silver andlapis-lazuli.

“Good to look at, hard to work,” said Urien practically.“See, there’s an ox-team on the far side trying to break a newstrip, now all the rest are planted. Watch the beasts strain at it, andyou’ll know how the higher ground weighs.”

Across the river, some way below them and a great way off, the snaky curveof the furrows already won patterned the slope between cultivated fields andleaning trees, a dark brown writing upon the hillside, and on the higherfurrow, as yet uncompleted, the oxen leaned into their yokes and heaved, andthe ploughman behind them clung and dragged at the heavy share. Before theleading pair a man walked backwards, arms gently waving and beckoning, his goadonly a wand, flourished for magic, not for its sting, his high, pure callscarried aloft on the air, cajoling and praising. Towards him the beasts leanedwillingly, following his cries with all their might. The new-turned soil,greyish-brown and sluggish, heaved moist and fresh to light after the share.

“A harsh country,” said Urien, as one assessing, notcomplaining, and set his horse moving downhill towards the church. “Come,I’ll hand you over to Father Huw, and see you well-received.”

They followed him by a green path that wound out of the hills, and soon lostits view of the valley between scattered, flowering trees. A wooden house ortwo showed among the woods, surrounded by small garden plots, and again vanished.

“Did you see?” said Brother John in Cadfael’s ear, pacingbeside the sumpter mule. “Did you see how the beasts laboured towardsthat fellow not to escape the goad, only to go where he willed, only to pleasehim? And such labour! That I should like to learn!”