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King Richard Comes to Sherwood Forest
ButRobin,withhisfeetwideapart,stoodfirmlyplanted,waitingtheother,smiling.ThentheKingswungbackhisarm,and,balancinghimselfamoment,hedeliveredabuffetatRobinthatfelllikeathunderbolt.DownwentRobinheadlonguponthegrass,forthestrokewouldhavefelledastonewall.Thenhowtheyeomenshoutedwithlaughtertilltheirsidesached,forneverhadtheyseensuchabuffetgiveninalltheirlives.AsforRobin,hepresentlysatupandlookedallaroundhim,asthoughhehaddroppedfromacloudandhadlitinaplacehehadneverseenbefore.Afterawhile,stillgazingabouthimathislaughingyeomen,heputhisfingertipssoftlytohisearandfeltallaroundittenderly."WillScarlet,"saidhe,"countthisfellowouthisfiftypounds;Iwantnothingmoreeitherofhismoneyorofhim.Amurrainseizehimandhisbuffeting!IwouldthatIhadtakenmyduesfromthee,forIverilybelievehehathdeafenedmineearfromeverhearingagain."
Then,whilegustsoflaughterstillbrokefromtheband,WillScarletcountedoutthefiftypounds,andtheKingdroppeditbackintohispurseagain."Igivetheethanks,fellow,"saidhe,"andifeverthoushouldstwishforanotherboxoftheeartomatchtheonethouhast,cometomeandIwillfittheewithitfornought."
SospakethemerryKing;but,evenasheended,therecamesuddenlythesoundofmanyvoices,andoutfromthecovertburstLittleJohnandthreescoremen,withSirRichardoftheLeainthemidst.
