Part 7 (1/2)

”And beef have I froreen, And veal as white as a maiden's brow, With its mother's milk, I ween

”Then come, ye lasses, and eke ye dames, Come, buy your meat froe of one penny”

Thus he sang blithely, while all who stood near listened amazedly Then, when he had finished, he clattered the steel and cleaver stilllustily, ”Noho'll buy? Who'll buy? Four fixed prices have I Three pennyworths of meat I sell to a fat friar or priest for sixpence, for I want not their custoe threepence, for it doth not matter to me whether they buy or not; to buxom dames I sell three pennyworths of meat for one penny for I like their custoood tight butcher I charge nought but one fair kiss, for I like her custoan to stare and wonder and crowd around, laughing, for never was such selling heard of in all Nottingham Town; but when they caoodwife or dame as much meat for one penny as they could buy elsewhere for three, and when aor a poor wo; but when a ed not one penny for his meat; and many such came to his stall, for his eyes were as blue as the skies of June, and he laughedto each full measure

Thus he sold his meat so fast that no butcher that stood near hi themselves, and some said, ”This must be some thief who has stolen cart, horse, and meat;” but others said, ”Nay, when did ye ever see a thief who parted with his goods so freely and al who hath sold his father's land, and would fain live reater number, the others ca

Then some of the butchers came to him to make his acquaintance ”Come, brother,” quoth one as the head of theo dine with us? For this day the Sheriff hath asked all the Butcher Guild to feast with him at the Guild Hall There will be stout fare and much to drink, and that thou likest, or I much mistake thee”

”Now, beshrew his heart,” quoth jolly Robin, ”that would deny a butcher

And, o dine with you all, my sweet lads, and that as fast as I can hie” Whereupon, having sold all his reat Guild Hall

There the Sheriff had already come in state, and with him many butchers

When Robin and those that ith hi them, those that were near the Sheriff whispered to hiht mad blade, for he hath sold more meat for one penny this day than we could sell for three, and to whatsoever ht” And others said, ”He is soold, and ht merrily”

Then the Sheriff called Robin to hi him in his butcher's dress, and ht hand; for he loved a rich young prodigal--especially when he thought that he al's pockets into his own hed and talked with him more than with any of the others

At last the dinner was ready to be served and the Sheriff bade Robin say grace, so Robin stood up and said, ”Now Heaven bless us all and eke good ood sack within this house, and may all butchers be and rehed, the Sheriff loudest of all, for he said to hial, and perchance I may empty his purse of some of the money that the fool throweth about so freely” Then he spake aloud to Robin, saying, ”Thou art a jolly young blade, and I love thee htily;” and he shed loudly too ”Yea,” quoth he, ”I know thou dost love a jolly blade, for didst thou not have jolly Robin Hood at thy shooting olden arrow for his own?”

At this the Sheriff looked grave and all the guild of butchers too, so that none laughed but Robin, only some winked slyly at each other

”Come, fill us some sack!” cried Robin ”Let us e'er be merry while we may, for man is but dust, and he hath but a span to live here till the worossip Swanthold sayeth; so let life be merry while it lasts, say I Nay, never look down i' the mouth, Sir Sheriff Who knowest but that thou ood sack and Malest down the fat about thy paunch and the dust frohed again, but not as though he liked the jest, while the butchers said, one to another, ”Before Heaven, never have we seen such a h, he will make the Sheriff mad”

”Ho, brothers,” cried Robin, ”be s, for by this and by that I will pay this shot h it cost two hundred pounds So let no er into his purse, for I swear that neither butcher nor Sheriff shall pay one penny for this feast”

”Now thou art a right merry soul,” quoth the Sheriff, ”and I wot thou must have many a head of horned beasts and many an acre of land, that thou dost spend thy hing loudly again, ”five hundred and more horned beasts have I and my brothers, and none of theht not have turned butcher As for my land, I have never asked my steward how many acres I have”

At this the Sheriff's eyes twinkled, and he chuckled to hiood youth,” quoth he, ”if thou canst not sell thy cattle, it may be I will find a man that will lift them from thy hands; perhaps that man may be myself, for I love athe path of life No much dost thou want for thy horned cattle?”

”Well,” quoth Robin, ”they are worth at least five hundred pounds”

”Nay,” answered the Sheriff slowly, and as if he were thinking within hi, but five hundred pounds in ood round suive thee three hundred pounds for theold”

”Now thou old miser!” quoth Robin, ”well thou knowest that so many horned cattle are worth seven hundred pounds and more, and even that is but sray hairs and one foot in the grave, wouldst trade upon the folly of a wild youth”

At this the Sheriff looked grih thou hadst sour beer in thy mouth, man I will take thine offer, for I and my brothers do need the money We lead a , so I will close the bargain with thee But ood three hundred pounds with thee, for I trust not one that driveth so shrewd a bargain”