Page 133 of The Pillars of the Earth

Aliena shook her head. “You have to become a knight, not a carpenter. Have we ever met anyone who had an independent livelihood but no skills?”

“Yes,” Richard said unexpectedly. “Meg in Winchester.”

He was right. Meg was a wool merchant although she had never been an apprentice. “But Meg has a market stall.” They passed the red-haired peasant who had given them directions. His four shorn sheep were grazing in the field, and he was tying their fleeces into bundles with cord made of reeds. He looked up from his work and waved. It was people such as he who took their wool into the towns and sold it to wool merchants. But the merchant had to have a place of business. ...

Or did he?

An idea was forming in Aliena’s mind.

She turned back abruptly.

Richard said: “Where are you going?”

She was too excited to answer him. She leaned on the peasant’s fence. “How much did you say you could get for your wool?”

“Penny a fleece,” he said.

“But you have to spend all day going to Gloucester and back.”

“That’s the trouble.”

“Suppose I buy your wool? That would save you the journey.”

Richard said: “Allie! We don’t need wool!”

“Shut up, Richard.” She did not want to explain her idea to him now—she was impatient to try it out on the peasant.

The peasant said: “That would be a kindness.” But he looked dubious, as if he suspected trickery.

“I couldn’t offer you a penny a fleece, though.”

“Aha! I thought there’d be a snag.”

“I could give you twopence for four fleeces.”

“But they’re worth a penny each!” he protested.

“In Gloucester. This is Huntleigh.”

He shook his head. “I’d rather have fourpence and lose a day in the field than have twopence and gain a day.”

“Suppose I offer you threepence for four fleeces.”

“I lose a penny.”

“And save a day’s journey.”

He looked bewildered. “I never heard of nothing like this before.”

“It’s as if I were a carter, and you paid me a penny to take your wool to market.” She found his slowness exasperating. “The question is, is an extra day in the fields worth a penny to you, or not?”

“It depends what I do with the day,” he said thoughtfully.

Richard said: “Allie, what are we going to do with four fleeces?”

“Sell them to Meg,” she said impatiently. “For a penny each. That way we’re a penny better off.”

“But we have to go all the way to Winchester for a penny!”