"Are you of King Clotaire's suite?"
"Yes, holy man."
"Is he still at the village of Ryonne?"
"Yes; he will be there till this evening.—I am to ride ahead and prepare his lodgings on the route."
"Is Duke Roccon among the seigneurs who accompany the King?"
"Yes, monk; Duke Roccon is with the King."
"Is it true, as I hear, that Queen Brunhild has been taken prisoner and carried to King Clotaire, who has also captured her grandchildren?"
"That is all old news. Where do you come from that you do not know what has happened?"
"I come from Chalon.—What did the King do with his prisoner and her grandchildren?"
"The steep ascent has taken the wind out of my horse and he needs a little rest. So I shall tell you what has happened—all the more willingly, seeing that it is a good augury to meet a priest, especially a monk, at the start of a journey."