"Take thou thy blade, for I have not only reaped the grain, but I have reaped the reward of my bragging as well." And, behold! when I was come up to them with a drink o' water in a gourd, there was the blood falling down upon her white kirtle, as though the poppies in her crown had melted in the sunlight and did stain her garment.
He did cry out, saying, "O' my word, lass, thou art deeply hurt. Let me but look at it."
She saith unto him (winding her arm about in her long hair), "Nay, 'tis nothing, and belike if thou look upon it 'twill spoil thy dinner: so here's to thy health, and my father will bind it for me."
Then, when we were retired again into the shade, and I had torn a strip off of her kirtle wherewith to stanch the blood, she laughed outright, and saith,
"By my troth, father! I do verily believe thou thinkest me awkward without a purpose."
"Purpose!" saith I; for I could not believe my ears. "How dost thou mean—purpose?"
"That's neither here nor there," saith she, still laughing. "But I'll lay thee my heifer, father, that Mistress Ruth's sweetheart cometh on the morrow to inquire after Mistress Ruth's cousin Keren."
Wherewith she did make me a deep courtesy, and did get her back to the other lasses ere I could reply.
Well, as I live, and must some day die, and do hope when I do die to get to heaven, I was so taken aback with the hussy's cunning I could do naught but stand and stare after her for some minutes.
And on the morrow he did come, and on the day after that he came, and yet a third day and he was under my roof again.