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"How could you?"

"I lied to him," you answered casually, and commenced to brush your hair "There’s a riddle for you, my virtuous child: Is it worse to deny the truth, or to hide it? I doubt you’ll hurry to set hiht"

I did not knohat to answer As I hesitated, the guards woman at the door entered; she said tofor you"

"Send hihed I had forgotten in o dressed like this"

"Why not?" you answered And Caius exclaihed, and slau="justcame to stand before me and clasp e You know the costumes were made to fit over our clothes"

"Even so"

"No fear, we’ll et you a cloak No one must see you yet"

"Medraut!"

I turned back to you before I left the rooht when all is over"

We took the pageant froe, nay and shapeless costumes Our small party had become a parade e arrived back at the estate, for ers had followed us on their way to the feast at Camlan War into the crowd gathered in the Great Hall, who returned our shouts for greeting Then Gofan in his great voice called out the opening lines of the pageant:

"Way! Make way!

Yield the floor, clear the way!

We’ll mend all evil’s ill with mirth

On this Midwinter’s Day"

He co crowd stood still

"Under your green-girt bea nor borrow;

Happy we play upon your hearth

To speed away all sorrow

We are the season’s rhymers!

Cry welco to field and fold

At the closing of the year"

Now our audience was rapt The words were old and fa since they had been spoken in this hall Caius stepped forward into the sround, the red, holly-tri his face so that the white linen limpsed

"In come I, the Old Year,

Keeper of this fruitful land

Your stout hoards of grain, ale, and meat

Are blessed beneath ed cheer went up They were apt words from the steward of the estate, but no one was sure that it was Caius

"Here is your hope, here is your bread,

Your shield against the dark’s sharp blast:

Who boldly dares before me stand

To lay h king’s swords with icicles of silver foil and mica

"In come I, the New Year;

The snow falls at ,

Ice-edged as er than all

Who ay retainers, lord,

Dare turn aside my blade?"

Marcus, in his crown of forced flowers:

"In coone;

Green ivy, hawthorn, and holly I bear

For pledges of the returning Sun

I will fight for the Old Year:

Though the gri Sun

Will stir the Spring’s triumphant sod"

Bedwyr as the New Year answered:

"Pull out your sword, young Harvest Lord,

Defender of the Sun!

As the Year dies, so you shall fall--

You and the Old Year both I shall have

Before I quit this hall"

Gofan brought forth the swords, staves bound with ribbons and green leaves Half serious, half in jest, Marcus and Bedwyr began the ritual duel Marcus cried out in feigned innocence: "The New Year has only one hand! How is he to fight hed, full well aware of Bedwyr’s skill with a sword, and guessing his opponent to be untrained and woefully ood-natured jeers of the spectators; but when Bedwyr casually knocked Marcus’s staff aside with his useless arhted laughter Marcus whipped around to face hied He tore the wreath of flowers froht tiht one who can defend himself!" Faceless still, masked in white linen, he advanced upon Lleu and snatched away the golden circlet to replace it with his own "A worthy chaing the protesting Bright One to the center of the floor

"Pull out your sword, young Harvest Lord,

Defender of the Sun!"