noon
WHEN this was said , and there had been silence a while , Birdalone took up the word , and spake meekly and sweetly , saying : Dear friends , how it fared with you on the isle from the time of my leaving you , and how with you , true knights , from the time of your departure , I both were fain to know for the tale 's sake , and also I would take the telling thereof as a sign of your forgiveness of my transgression ; so I would crave the same of you but if it weary you overmuch . All they yeasaid her kindly , and Hugh spake and said : By your leave , fellows , I will tell in few words what betid us on our way to the Isle of Increase Unsought , and then shall Viridis take up the tale from the time that Birdalone left the said isle in the witch 's ferry . None said aught against it , and Hugh went on : Short is my tale of the journey : We came to the Isle of Nothing on the morrow 's morn of our departure , and being warned of thee , Birdalone , we abode there but a little while to rest us from the boat , and went nowhither from the strand , and so went on our way in a three hours ' space . Thence again we took the water , and came to the Isle of Kings , and that was in the middle of the night : we beheld the dead long and heedfully when the morning came , and departed again before noon , and came to the Isle of Queens a little after nightfall . The next morning we deemed we needs must go see the images of those ladies , lest aught might have befell since thou wert there which might be of import to the Quest , but all was unchanged , and we came away while the day was yet young . We made the Isle of the Young and the Old about sunset that day , and the boy and the girl came down to the strand to behold us and wonder at us , and we sported with them merrily a while ; and then they brought us to the house of the old man , who received us courteously and gave us to eat and drink . Forsooth , when the night was somewhat spent , he brought out strong drink to us , and took it somewhat amiss that we drank not overmuch thereof , as forsooth he did , and so fell asleep .