The Greatest Adventure Books for Children - Люси Мод Монтгомери

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That he will give a tortured wight

       Sweet ease of mortal pain?'

       " `A wedded man,' quoth Arthur, King,

       `A wedded man I be

       Else would I deem it noble thing

       To kiss thee willingly.

       " `Now, Lancelot, in all men's sight

       Thou art the head and chief

       Of chivalry. Come, noble knight,

       And give her quick relief.'

       "But Lancelot he turned aside

       And looked upon the ground,

       For it did sting his haughty pride

       To hear them laugh around.

       " `Come thou, Sir Tristram,' quoth the King.

       Quoth he, `It cannot be,

       For ne'er can I my stomach bring

       To do it willingly.'

       " `Wilt thou, Sir Kay, thou scornful wight?'

       Quoth Kay, `Nay, by my troth!

       What noble dame would kiss a knight

       That kissed so foul a mouth_?'

       " `_Wilt thou, Gawaine?' `I cannot, King.'

       `Sir Geraint?' `Nay, not I;

       My kisses no relief could bring,

       For sooner would I die.'

       "Then up and spake the youngest man

       Of all about the board,

       'Now such relief as Christian can

       I'll give to her, my lord.'

       "It was Sir Keith, a youthful knight,

       Yet strong of limb and bold,

       With beard upon his chin as light

       As finest threads of gold.

       "Quoth Kay, `He hath no mistress yet

       That he may call his own,

       But here is one that's quick to get,

       As she herself has shown.'

       "He kissed her once, he kissed her twice,

       He kissed her three times o'er,

       A wondrous change came in a trice,

       And she was foul no more.

       "Her cheeks grew red as any rose,

       Her brow as white as lawn,

       Her bosom like the winter snows,

       Her eyes like those of fawn.

       "Her breath grew sweet as summer breeze

       That blows the meadows o'er;

       Her voice grew soft as rustling trees,

       And cracked and harsh no more.

       "Her hair grew glittering, like the gold,

       Her hands as white as milk;

       Her filthy rags, so foul and old,

       Were changed to robes of silk.

       "In great amaze the knights did stare.

       Quoth Kay, `I make my vow

       If it will please thee, lady fair,

       I'll gladly kiss thee now_.'

       "_But young Sir Keith kneeled on one knee

       And kissed her robes so fair.

       `O let me be thy slave,' said he,

       `For none to thee compare.'

       "She bent her down, she kissed his brow,

       She kissed his lips and eyes.

       Quoth she, `Thou art my master now,

       My lord, my love, arise!

       " `And all the wealth that is mine own,

       My lands, I give to thee,

       For never knight hath lady shown

       Such noble courtesy.

       " `Bewitched was I, in bitter pain,

       But thou hast set me free,

       So now I am myself again,

       I give myself to thee_.' "

      "Yea, truly," quoth Robin Hood, when the Tanner had made an end of singing, "it is as I remember it, a fair ditty, and a ballad with a pleasing tune of a song."

      "It hath oftentimes seemed to me," said Will Scarlet, "that it hath a certain motive in it, e'en such as this: That a duty which seemeth to us sometimes ugly and harsh, when we do kiss it fairly upon the mouth, so to speak, is no such foul thing after all."

      "Methinks thou art right," quoth Robin, "and, contrariwise, that when we kiss a pleasure that appeareth gay it turneth foul to us; is it not so, Little John? Truly such a thing hath brought thee sore thumps this day. Nay, man, never look down in the mouth. Clear thy pipes and sing us a ditty."

      "Nay," said Little John, "I have none as fair as that merry Arthur has trolled. They are all poor things that I know. Moreover, my voice is not in tune today, and I would not spoil even a tolerable song by ill singing."

      Upon this all pressed Little John to sing, so that when he had denied them a proper length of time, such as is seemly in one that is asked to sing, he presently yielded. Quoth he, `Well, an ye will ha' it so, I will give you what I can. Like to fair Will, I have no title to my ditty, but thus it runs:

      "_O Lady mine, the spring is here,

       With a hey nonny nonny;

       The sweet love season of the year,

       With a ninny ninny nonny;

       Now lad and lass

       Lie in the grass

       That groweth green

       With flowers between.

       The buck doth rest

       The leaves do start,

       The cock doth crow,

       The breeze doth blow,

       And all things laugh in_--"

      "Who may yon fellow be coming along the road?" said Robin, breaking into the song.

      "I know not," quoth Little John in a surly voice. "But this I do know, that it is an ill thing to do to check the flow of a good song."

      "Nay, Little John," said Robin, "be not vexed, I prythee; but I have been watching him coming along, bent beneath that great bag over his shoulder, ever since thou didst begin thy song. Look, Little John, I pray, and see if thou knowest him."

      Little John looked whither Robin Hood pointed. "Truly," quoth he, after a time, "I think yon fellow is a certain young miller I have seen now and then around the edge of Sherwood; a poor wight, methinks, to spoil a good song about."

      "Now thou speakest of him," quoth Robin Hood, "methinks I myself have seen him now and then. Hath he not a mill over beyond Nottingham Town, nigh to the Salisbury road?"

      "Thou art right; that is the man," said Little John.

      "A good stout fellow," quoth Robin. "I saw him crack Ned o' Bradford's crown about a fortnight since, and never saw I hair lifted more neatly in all my life before."

      By this time the young miller had come so near that they could see him clearly. His clothes were dusted with flour, and over his back he carried a great sack of meal, bending so as to bring the whole weight upon his shoulders, and across the sack was a thick quarterstaff. His limbs were stout and strong, and he strode along the dusty road right sturdily with the heavy sack across his shoulders. His cheeks

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