midnight
Thereat Bow-may reddened and looked down , like a scholar who hath been over-praised for his learning and diligence ; but the Alderman smiled on her and said : ` I thank thee , son , that thou hast let me know what these our two friends may be fain of : and as for this damsel-at-arms , it is a little thing that thou askest for her , and we might have found her something more worthy of her goodliness ; yet forsooth , since we are all bound for the place where shafts and staves shall be good cheap , a greater treasure might be of less avail to her . ' Thereat men laughed , and the Alderman went down the Hall with those bearers of gifts , and was away for a space while they drank and made merry : but presently back they came from the treasury bearing loads of goodly things which were laid on one of the endlong boards . Then began the gift-giving : and first he gave unto Folk-might six golden cups marvellously fashioned , the work of four generations of wrights in the Dale , and he himself had wrought the last two thereof . To Sun-beam he gave a girdle of gold , fashioned with great mastery , whereon were images of the Gods and the Fathers , and warriors , and beasts of the field and fowls of the air ; and as he girt it about her loins , he said in a soft voice so that few heard : ` Sun-beam , thou fair woman , time has been when thou wert to us as the edge of the poisonous sword or the midnight torch of the murderer ; but now I know not how it will be , or if the grief which thou hast given me will ever wear out or not . And now that I have beheld thee , I have little to do to blame my son ; for indeed when I look on thee I can not deem that there is any evil in thee . Yea , however it may be , take thou this gift as the reward of thine exceeding beauty . ' She looked on him with kind eyes , and said meekly : ` Indeed , if I have hurt thee unwittingly , I grieve to have hurt so good a man .