Stories from the Ballads | Page 7

open the gates
that my daughter may come in to me.'
Into the hall came Margaret, her six little sons by her side. Before the
earl she fell upon her knee, but the earl he lifted her up and said, 'Ye
shall dine with me to-day, ye and your seven bonny little sons.'
'No food can I eat,' said Margaret, 'until I see again my dear husband.
For he knows not where he may find me and his seven dear little sons.'
'Now will I send my hunters, and they shall search the forest high and
low and bring Hynde Etin unto me,' said the earl.
Then up and spake the little wee Etin.
'Search for my father shall ye not, until ye do send to him a pardon full
and free.'
And the earl smiled at the young Etin.
'In sooth a pardon shall your father have,' said he.
With his own hand the earl wrote the pardon, and he sealed it with his
own seal. Then the hunters were off and away to search for Hynde Etin.
They sought for him east and they sought for him west, they sought all
over the countryside. And at length they found him sitting alone in his
home in Elmond wood. Alone, and tearing his yellow locks, was Hynde
Etin.
'Get up, Hynde Etin, get up and come with us, for the earl has sent for
you,' cried the merry hunters.

'The earl may do as he lists with me,' said Etin. 'He may cut off my
head, or he may hang me on a greenwood tree. Little do I care to live,'
moaned Etin, 'now that I have lost my lady Margaret.'
'The lady Margaret is in her father's hall, Hynde Etin,' said the hunters,
'nor food will she eat until ye do come to her. There is a pardon for you
here sealed by the earl's own hand.'
Then Hynde Etin smoothed his yellow locks, and gay was he as he
went with the hunters to the castle.
Down on his knee before the earl fell Hynde Etin. 'Rise, Etin, rise!'
cried the earl. 'This day shall ye dine with me.'
Around the earl's table sat the lady Margaret, her husband dear, and her
seven little wee sons. And the little Etin looked and looked and never a
tear did he see on his mother's face.
'A boon I have to ask,' cried then the little wee boy; 'I would we were
all in the holy church that the good priest might christen me and my six
little brothers. For in the greenwood gay never a church did we see, nor
the sound of church bells did we hear.'
'Soon shall your boon be granted,' cried the earl, 'for this very day to
the church shall ye go, and your mother and your six little wee brothers
shall be with you.'
To the door of the holy church they came, but there did the lady
Margaret stay.
'For twelve long years and more,' she cried, and bowed her head, 'for
twelve long years have I never been within the holy church, and I fear
to enter now.'
Then out to her came the good priest, and his smile was sweet to see.
Come hither, come hither, my lily-white flower,' said he, 'and bring
your babes with you that I may lay my hands upon their heads.'

Then did he christen the lady Margaret's seven little wee sons. And
their names, beginning with the tiniest, were these--Charles, Vincent,
Sam, Dick, James, John. And the eldest little wee son was, as you
already know, named after his father, Etin.
And back to the earl's gay castle went the lady Margaret with Hynde
Etin and her seven little new-christened sons. And there they lived
happy for ever after.
[Illustration: 'For twelve long years have I never been within the Holy
Church, and I fear to enter now']

HYNDE HORN
Hynde Horn was a little prince. It was because he was so courteous, so
kind a little lad that Prince Horn was always called Hynde Horn. For
hend or hynde in the days of long ago meant just all the beautiful things
which these words, courteous, kind, mean in these days.
Hynde Horn lived a happy life in his home in the distant East. For it
was in the bright glowing land of the sun that his father, King Allof,
reigned.
The Queen Godylt loved her little son too well to spoil him. She wished
him to learn to share his toys, to play his games with other boys.
Thus, much to the delight of little Prince Horn, two boys, almost as old
as he was, came to live with him in the palace. Athulph and Fykenyld
were their names.
They were merry playmates