Seeing her come in and fall on her knees before him, he said: “What wilt thou, little one?”
“My lord father,” she said, “may I go to Halewyn?”
At this he became afraid, and saw well enough that Magtelt, unable to rid her heart of the thought of Anne-Mie, was minded to avenge her. And he said with love and anger:
“No, my daughter, no, not thou; who goes there will not come again!”
But seeing her go out of the room he never supposed that she would fail in her obedience.
And Magtelt went thence to the lady Gonde, who was praying in the chapel for the repose of Anne-Mie’s soul; and she pulled at her mother’s dress, to show that she was there.
When the lady Gonde turned her head, Magtelt fell on her knees before her:
“Mother,” said she, “may I go to Halewyn?”
But her lady mother: “Oh no, child, no, not thou; who goes there will not come again!”
And so saying, she opened her arms and let fall the golden ball wherewith she warmed her hands, so that the embers spread this way and that on the floor. Then she fell to moaning, weeping, trembling, and chattering with her teeth, and embraced the girl tightly as if she would never let her go.