noon
A Strange Meeting in the Wilderness On the morrow betimes they got to the road again ; the country at first , though it was scanty of tillage , was not unfurnished of sheep , being for the most part of swelling hills and downs well grassed , with here and there a deep cleft in them . They saw but few houses , and those small and poor . A few shepherds they fell in with , who were short of speech , after the manner of such men , but deemed a greeting not wholly thrown away on such goodly folk as those wayfarers . So they rode till it was noon , and Richard talked more than his wont was , though his daily use it was to be of many words : nor did the Sage spare speech ; but Ursula spoke little , nor heeded much what the others said , and Ralph deemed that she was paler than of wont , and her brows were knitted as if she were somewhat anxious . As for him , he was grave and calm , but of few words ; and whiles when Richard was wordiest he looked on him steadily for a moment whereat Richard changed countenance , and for a while stinted his speech , but not for long ; while Ralph looked about him , inwardly striving to gather together the ends of unhappy thoughts that floated about him , and to note the land he was passing through , if indeed he had verily seen it aforetime , elsewhere than in some evil dream . At last when they stopped to bait by some scrubby bushes at the foot of a wide hill-side , he took Richard apart , and said to him : `` Old friend , and whither go we ? '' Said Richard : `` As thou wottest , to the Burg of the Four Friths . ''