The court retired.
The pause was long and painful. It afterwards transpired that the bishop pleaded in Alfgar's favour, while Herstan ably seconded him; but all was in vain. Edric's eloquence, and the strong circumstantial evidence against the prisoner, carried the day, and the ealdorman even proposed that execution should be speedy, "lest," he whispered, "Canute should interfere to screen his instrument."
It was a dangerous game, but he thought the services he had rendered the Danish cause enabled him to play it safely.
They returned. All men saw the verdict in their faces. Edric spoke with great solemnity.
"We find the prisoner guilty."
There was a dead pause.
"I appeal to the judgment of God. I demand the ordeal cf fire," said Alfgar[ {xix}].
"It cannot be denied," said the bishop, who had anticipated the appeal. "I myself will see to the preliminaries; and it may take place tomorrow morning in St. Frideswide's church."
Edric and his sympathisers would fain have denied the claim, but they could not resist the bishop, backed as he was by the popular voice, for the cry, "The ordeal! yes, the ordeal!" was taken up at once by the populace.
While he was hesitating, his brother Goda appeared amongst the crowd.