If I give him to you, will you swear that you or he shall cross my path no more?
You need not trouble to go to Ina, for he will not hearken to a Briton in any case." Owen reddened under the last, but for my sake he did not answer, save to the first part of the saying.
"I will swear to take the child hence and let this matter be for us as if it had not been," he said, seeing that it was the best he could win for me.
What other thoughts were in his mind will be seen hereafter, but I will say now that it was not all so hopeless as it seemed to Erpwald.
"What of the other men," asked one or two of Erpwald's following.
"They shall bide here, where we can keep an eye on them," the priest answered.

"They will not hurt us, nor we them, save only if they try to make trouble." Then some of our house-caries said in a low tone to Owen: "Better to die with the master.

Let us out and fall on them." But he said: "This is for the boy's sake.

Let me be, my brothers; I have the thane's word to carry out." Then they knew that he was right, but they bade him make Erpwald swear to keep faith with them all.
So he spoke again with the priest, asking for honest pledges in return for his own oath.

Whereon from across the courtyard, where a few wounded men lay--a voice weak with pain cried, with a strange laugh: "Get him the holy ring, that he may be well bound.