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of me persisted in thinking that it
was my love which had given him a little of that peace.
The bard tells that the merchant came into our garden and
stole a rose. I've already told you that such was impossible, since
the entire estate was sorcerously warded from intrusion. The truth is
that he came there having heard that we were selling some of the
treasures from the estate. The money which we'd brought with us was
disappearing rapidly, and I saw no recourse but to sell some things to
get money for us to continue living there. He arrived around noon, as
I was eating my midday meal. But I brought him inside and served him
some wine, then showed him the things we were considering selling.
He bought three of the items, and paid a decent price for
them, though I knew well he'd sell them for far more. He wanted a
fourth, but offered much less than I felt the piece was worth. We
haggled for a time, and then he made his offer. He had three
daughters, and would allow one of them to come to serve me for a year,
if I'd agree to his price.
I thought about it for a while. It would be nice to have
someone to take over some of the household chores, leaving me free to
do more
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