“He made a few strange faces,” replied Glumm.
“The wound is but slight,” observed Ada, in a tone that indicated a little displeasure at the apparent indifference of her lover.
“It might have been worse,” replied Glumm.
“Do tell me all about it again,” entreated Alric.
“Not now,” said Glumm; “I’ll repeat it when Hilda is by; she has not heard it yet—methinks she would like to hear it.”
“Hilda like to hear it!” cried the lad, with a shout of laughter; “why, she detests fighting almost as much as the hermit does, though, I must say, for a man who hates it, he can do it wonderfully well himself! But do tell me, Glumm, what was the cut that Erling gave when he brought down that second man, you know—the big one—”
“Which? the man whose head he chopped off, with half of the left shoulder?”
“No; that was the fourth. I mean the other one, with—”
“Oh, the one he split the nose of by accident before battering down with—”
“No, no,” cried Alric, “I mean the one with the black beard.”