"A thief," said he, "that I found robbing me."
"What kind of thief may it be, lord, that thou couldst put into thy glove?" said she.
"Behold, I will tell thee," he answered. Then he showed her how his fields had been wasted and destroyed, and how the mice came to the last of the fields in his sight. "And one of them was less nimble than the rest, and is now in my glove: to-morrow I will hang it. And before Heaven, if I had them, I would hang them all."
"My lord," said she, "this is marvellous. But yet it would be unseemly for a man of dignity like thee to be hanging such a reptile as this. And if thou doest right, thou wilt not meddle with the creature, but wilt let it go."
"Woe betide me," said he, "if I would not hang them all, could I catch them; and such as I have I will hang."
"Verily, lord," said she, "there is no reason that I should succor this reptile, except to prevent discredit unto thee. Do therefore, lord, as thou wilt."
"If I knew of any cause in the world wherefore thou shouldst succor it, I would take thy counsel concerning it," said Manawyddan; "but as I know of none, lady, I am minded to destroy it."
"Do so willingly, then," said she.
And then he went to the Gorsedd of Narberth, taking the mouse with him. And he set up two forks on the highest part of the Gorsedd. And while he was doing this, behold he saw a scholar coming towards him in old and poor and tattered garments. And it was now seven years since he had seen in that place either man or beast, except those four persons who had remained together until two of them were lost.
"My lord," said the scholar, "good day to thee."