Hyla stared stupidly from one to the other. His eyes fell upon Cerdic himself, a kennel serf, and something of a veterinary surgeon. It was he who cut off two toes from each dog used for droving, so that they should not hunt the deer.
Fastened to his girdle was the ring through which the feet of the "lawed" dogs were passed, and he carried his operating knife in a sheath at his side.
"My woman is in your hut, Cerdic," said Hyla, "and why is she with?"
"She is with," said Cerdic, "because she is in sore trouble, and walks in fear of worse. Go you to her, Hyla, and hear her words, and then come you here again to me."
A deep sigh burst from all of them as Cerdic spoke, and one woman fell crying.
Hyla turned, and strode hastily to Cerdic's hut. He heard a low moaning coming from it, which rose and fell unceasingly, and was broken in upon by a woman's voice cooing kind words of comfort.
He pushed into the hut. It was quite dark and full of fœtid smoke and a most evil odour.
"Gruach," he said, "Gruach! why are you not home? What hurts you?"
The moaning stopped, and there was a sound of some one rising.
Then a voice, which Hyla recognised as belonging to Cerdic's wife, said, "Here is your man, Gruach! Rise and tell him what bitter things have been afoot."