All sorts of people came to buy: fine ladies and poor women, rich knights and gentlemen, and humble workers, every one pushing and crowding together. Robin found it quite difficult to drive his pony through the crowd to the corner of the market-place where the butchers had their stalls.
He got there at last, however, laid out his meat, and began to cry with the best of them.
"Prime meat, ladies. Come and buy. Cheapest meat in all the market, ladies. Come buy, come buy. Twopence a pound, ladies. Twopence a pound. Come buy. Come buy."
"What!" said every one, "beef at twopence a pound! I never heard of such a thing. Why it is generally tenpence."
You see Robin knew nothing at all about selling meat, as he never bought any. He and his men used to live on what they shot in the forest.
When it became known that there was a new butcher, who was selling his meat for twopence a pound, every one came crowding round his stall eager to buy. All the other butchers stood idle until Robin had no more beef and mutton left to sell.
As these butchers had nothing to do, they began to talk among themselves and say, "Who is this man? He has never been here before."
"Do you think he has stolen the meat?"
"Perhaps his father has just died and left him a business."
"Well, his money won't last long at this rate."