Then he went to his resting tent, and I walked with Odda to his quarters, and sat there, waiting for the king to send for me to speak with him, as I expected. But word came that he would wait till he had heard more of the Danish answer to his message before we spoke together of that he had written of to me. So he prayed me to wait in the camp till he had seen the Danes again, and told Odda to find quarters for us.
"So we shall have a good talk together," the ealdorman said. "I am glad you are not going back to the ships yet."
So was I, for all this fresh life that I had not seen before pleased me. Most of all I wished to see more of Alfred and the state in which he lived.
Now, just when I was ready for the feast, and was sitting with Odda, there came a guard to the tent and said that th
