She laughed, I tell ye, heartily
At the jest he deemed so hard."
"Ha!~ that jest you shall dearly rue," whispered Pallé, in a rage. "You sing sweetly," he said aloud; "remember you the whole ballad, fair lady? If you sing another verse," he whispered, "it shall cost you dear."
"Hush, dearest sister!" said Margaretha, in a tone of earnest entreaty; and Ulrica was silent.
Sir Pallé now rode round to Drost Aagé's side, and did not again address himself to the captive maiden. He was silent and gloomy. He had observed with great wrath a repressed smile on the Drost's countenance; and the huntsmen who followed them laughed, and whispered together in a manner which too plainly indicated that Sir Pallé and his unfortunate love adventure were the subject of their ridicule. The two younger huntsmen were strongly, attached to Aagé; they had remarked how little acceptable Sir Pallé's company was to him; and they now, as if to beguile the time, began to hum the well-known ballad of the brave knight Helmer Blaa. In one of the many scenes of violence which were the consequences of the proscription of the outlawed regicides, Helmer Blaa had slain Sir Pallé's uncle. On this account he had for a long time been barbarously persecuted by Sir Pallé and his six brothers, until he at last vanquished all the six in honourable self-defence, and compelled Pallé to give him his sister in marriage, who, before this feud, had been betrothed to the gallant knight. This occurrence (so derogatory to Sir Pallé's reputation) had attracted general attention, and almost every young fellow in the country could repeat a ballad in honour of the bold Helmer Blaa, who had not only been acquitted by the king and whole body of knighthood, but stood also high in favour with Eric. The burden of the song,--
"In the saddle he rides so free,"
fell on Sir Pallé's ear.
He looked back towards the huntsmen, with a face glowing with rage, but they appeared not to notice it; and one of them sang aloud,--
"Better I cannot counsel thee,
That thou tarry not, but hence should'st flee,
In the saddle he rides so free."
"Your huntsmen, Sir Drost, would drive me hence with vile songs, I perceive," said Sir Pallé, turning to Aagé. "Is it you, or yonder pretty maiden, who have inspired them with this pleasant conceit?"