Alwy comes early

“Da, I think someone is coming!” Iylaine called from the door to the front room. A moment later her thought was confirmed by a knock.

“Alwy!” she cried when she opened the door, wrapping her arms around his legs.

“Good morning, Baby,” Alwy said. “May I come in?”

“Let him walk, Baby,” Egelric laughed. “You’re up early, Alwy.”

“Well, I guess you are too. I saw smoke in your chimney so I come on up.”

“You know this girl’s an early riser.”

“Well, I guess so.” And then he whispered, “Egelric, I got to tell you something that isn’t for little girl ears.”

“Baby, why don’t you go in the bedroom and get dressed and leave me talk to Alwy for a moment?”

Once she had gone, Alwy said, “Egelric, I come up to see if you heard anything last night. Them wolves was out again. I found one of my goats all torn to pieces this morning. Poor old girl. Your animals is all safe, though. I been out to your pasture.”

“No, Alwy, I never heard anything. It’s strange that these wolves aren’t making any noise. In the past we always heard them howling before they attacked.”

“Maybe they’re just getting smart. They know if we hear them howling, we put the animals away.”

“Didn’t your dogs bark?”

“I never heard nothing all night. They was real scared and shy this morning though. Maybe I’m just sleeping too hard.”

“You’re just working too hard. I think Gunnilda is beginning to worry about you. You shouldn’t work so much on the chapel after working on your house and doing your work on your farm.”

“I got to work on the chapel, Egelric, else I would be a liar if she asked me where I been. I can say I was working on the chapel, and it will be the truth.”

“Alwy, it’s not really a lie – it’s a surprise. His Grace said he would back you up.”

“Then he would be a liar too,” Alwy said stubbornly. “Besides, I like to work on the chapel. It would be a real fine thing to have a chapel for Saint Margaret, and next time Gunnie has a baby coming and she goes to pray, she can tell Saint Margaret that it was old Alwy what laid this stone and that stone, and maybe Saint Margaret will look more kindly on her.”

Egelric sighed in admiration. “You’re a good man, Alwy Hogge.”

“Well, I guess you are too,” Alwy said shyly. “Now I got to go clean up that poor goat before Gunnie or them kids see it. I guess I don’t want them to know. You won’t tell them, will you?”

“Isn’t that a sort of a lie?” Egelric asked with a smile.

Alwy looked perplexed. “I guess if she asks me what happened to that poor goat, I would tell her. But I don’t want her to be scared. Is that right?”

“That’s right, Alwy, I was only teasing you. We don’t want to frighten Gunnilda or the children. We shall simply have to start locking up the animals at night, whether the wolves howl or no.”