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The householder stepped back, evoking a terrified squeal from his wife He held a candle in one hand and a butcher knife of substantial proportions in the other, and seemed inclined to surrender neither one

"That's od bless this house" Sn of addition before turning back to Pig and wincing at his first real sight of that exceedingly large face, all dirty rag, straggling hair, and curling black beard Pig was preparing to enter the house on his knees, ducking under the lintel and working his shoulders through the doorway

"We're looking for eyes" It seemed a happy inspiration under the circumstances "Eyes for my friend here Do you know of a physician capable of replacing a blind ed "In Viron, it ress of a sort "Good What is his naht have soh o to the city in that case"

The householder nodded again, erly than ever

"We shall But we must rest first" He tried to recall when he had last slept, and failed "Wefood-"

Oreb lit on his shoulder "Fish heads?"

"So-I' We're sorry to have frightened you; but we could hear you inside, and when you wouldn't cory"

The householder ible

"Thank you Thank you very h to be overheard, the householder's hispered, " doesn't look like an augur"

"I am not I'm a layman, just as your husband is, and have a wife of my own at home Does it bother you that I blessed you? A layman may bless, I assure you; so may a laywoman"

"I'm Hound," the householder said "My wife's Tansy" He tried to give his butcher knife to her, and when she would not take it, tossed it onto a chair and offered his hand

"My own na extended his, the size of a grocer's scoop "Sorry ter a' scared yer"

"And my bird is-"

"Oreb!"

Tansy set you some soup"

"You can sleep here," Hound told them "In the house here, or Would you like to eat out back? It's going to be a little cra tree in back, and there's a table there, and benches"

There were Pig sat on the ground, and the other two on the benches Hound had etic "No wine, I'ood well Would you prefer water?"

"Aye Thank yer"

Hound, who had just sat down, rose with alacrity "Horn, what about you? Beer?"

"Water, please Yousome sort of small container that Oreb could drink from, too, if it isn't toopockets and a stea tureen "I try to keep fire in the stove, you know, so I don't have to lay a new one for every "

He nodded "You'd win that bet"

"So e have soup, why not keep it there so it stays warm? That way I can have some hot quickly It-it really isn't any particular kind of soup, I suppose Just what Hound and I eat ourselves There's beans in it, and potatoes, and carrots for flavor"

"Guid ter s winds h'it"

The tureen received a place of honor in the center of the table next to Hound's candle Four large bowls clattered down, followed by rattling spoons "I'll get some bread What's her name, Horn?"

He looked up, surprised

"Your wife's?"

"Oh Nettle Her name is Nettle I don't suppose you knew her as a child? Years ago in the city?"

"No It's not a common name I don't think I've ever known a Nettle" Tansy backed away, paused for a hurried conversation with her husband at the well, and retreated to her kitchen

"She'll bring cups or so his water bucket on the table beside the soup tureen, "and beer forto collect his thoughts "May I each other e are? I realize it's not the conventional way to start a conversation; but you see, I need information badly and hope that when the three of you knohy I need it as badly as I do, you'll be ive it toloaf of dark bread, and the butcher knife on the table, and handed pannikins around "I can tell you who Hound and I are, and I will too, unless he wants to Shall I?"

"Go ahead," Hound said

Pig found his pannikin and pushed it across the table "Better h'if yer fill h'it fer an "You wanted to know if I knew your wife in the city when I was a little girl, and I didn't I grew up right here in Endroad So did Hound We did live in the city up until about five years ago, though There wasn't any work out here then"

Hound said, "There isn't any now, or very little"

"So ent to the city and worked there till my father passed away, and then an ladling out soup

"Mother lives next door," Hound explained, "that's why it bothered Tansy so much when you said you'd kick in her door too"

"So that's e do now Hound goes into the city, s people want that we can buy at a good price, and he's very good at it Mother and I stay in the store, s We have hammers and nails, we sell a lot of those And tacks and screws, and then general tinware, and crockery"

Hound added, "We have drills, planes, and saws, all of which ot the shop We own our little house Mother owns her house and the shop We give her so much each week from what the shop takes in, and she helps Tansy there sometimes So that's e are, Horn, unless you want to hear about brothers and sisters"

He shook his head "Thank you By rights, we strangers should have gone first It was gracious of you to give the example yourselves" He returned the pannikin, which he had filled ater "Here you are, Pig It's good water, I' west, I believe"

"Aye"

He ladled water into his own, then held the ladle so that Oreb could drink fro more? If you aren't, that should be sufficient, surely"