CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

 

RALAS DUNWIN OF Forinth, scion of the noble but minor house of Parsleymaine, bard to the courts of Ilkand, was married to Gwenthyn, orphan of Tredyllant, which is somewhere far far to the South of Cinquetann on a nameless bend of river, at Cinquetann Temple. The happy couple were received at a modest roadside tavern and celebrated with a feast that went on for several days in which guests, at first few, then many as the word spread, stayed to eat and drink until they passed out only to wake later and find a silver polly in every pocket—though on the third day the Dunwins were nowhere to be found. Not that anyone minded.

As well as paying for their stay they had managed to leave behind a rather worn leather wallet which, when the lady of the house checked it, had but one copper scit in it but later, when she had decided to give it away to her nephew he found it had one scit in it and thereafter whenever he opened it to play with it he found it always had one scit in it no matter how many times you took one out and, unfortunately on one occasion, no matter how many pollys you put in.