CHAPTER V.HOW WILFRID MET THE FLINT FOLK, AND OTHERS.
It must not be supposed that the gifts of Carl the Great were given, and his greetings spoken, offhand, as it were, by us.

There must needs be a gathering of the Witan of the East Anglians, that all might be done with full honour both to Carl and his embassy.

I must say that it somewhat irked me to be treated with much ceremony, as a Frank and paladin of the great king, instead of being hailed in all good fellowship as a thane of England, who was glad to get home again.

However, there was no help for it till our errand was done; for it was out of his goodness that Carl had given me a place among his messengers, saying that they must have some one of their number who could act as interpreter, and I would not be ungrateful even in seeming.
So I had no chance yet of private speech with Ethelbert, when I might give the message from Ecgbert; which was indeed the main reason of my coming here instead of going straight home.

That chance would best be sought when the state business was done; for since no man in all England rightly knew where Ecgbert was at this time, and he had no mind that many should, my business would wait well enough.