At the close a shout rang round
the galleries as Ettarre caught the gold crown from his lance and
crowned herself before all the people.
the galleries as Ettarre caught the gold crown from his lance and
crowned herself before all the people.
Tennyson
"
Pelleas' heart danced. "Yes! Yes! " he cried, "and will you love me if I
win? "
"Yes, that I will," answered Ettarre laughing and flinging away his hand
as she peeped round to her knights and ladies until they all laughed
with her.
"O what a happy world! " thought glad Pelleas, "everybody seems happy and
I am the happiest of all. "
He couldn't sleep that night for joy and on the next day when he was
knighted he swore to love one maiden only. As he came away from the
king's hall the men who met him all turned around to look at his face,
for it flamed with happiness, and at the great banquets which Arthur
gave to knights from all parts of the country Pelleas looked the noblest
of the noble. For he dreamed that his lady loved him and he knew that he
was loved by the king.
On the morning when the jousts began the first that was called was the
tournament of youth. Arthur wanted to keep the older, stronger men out
of it so that young Pelleas might win his lady's love as she had
promised, and be lord of the tourney. Down by the field along the river
Usk where it was held the gilded parapets were crowned with faces and
the great tower filled with eyes up to its top. Then the trumpets blew
for the tournament to begin.
All day long Sir Pelleas held the field.
At the close a shout rang round
the galleries as Ettarre caught the gold crown from his lance and
crowned herself before all the people. Her eyes sparkled as she looked
at him, but that was the last time she was kind to her knight.
She lingered a few days at Caerleon, sunny to all the other people but
always frowning at him.
Still when she left for home with her knights and maidens Sir Pelleas
followed.
"Damsels," cried she as she saw him coming, "I ought to be ashamed to
say it and yet I can't bear that Sir Baby. Keep him back with
yourselves. I'd rather have some rough old knight who knows the ways of
the world to chatter and joke with; so don't let him come near me.
Tell him all sorts of baby fables that good mothers tell their little
boys, and if he runs off for us--it doesn't matter. "
[Illustration: ETTARRE CROWNED HERSELF BEFORE ALL THE PEOPLE. ]
So the young women didn't let him go near Ettarre but made him stay with
them, and as soon as they had all passed into Ettarre's castle gate up
sprang the drawbridge, down rang the iron grating, and Sir Pelleas was
left outside all alone.
"These are only the ways of ladies with their lovers when the ladies
want to find out whether the lovers are true or not. Well, she can try
me with anything, I'll be true through all. "
So he stayed there until dark, then went to a priory not far off and the
next morning came back. Every day he did the same whether it rained or
shone, armed on his charger, and stayed all the day beneath the walls,
although nobody opened the gate for him.
This made Ettarre's scorn turn to anger. She told her three knights to
go out and drive him away.
Pelleas' heart danced. "Yes! Yes! " he cried, "and will you love me if I
win? "
"Yes, that I will," answered Ettarre laughing and flinging away his hand
as she peeped round to her knights and ladies until they all laughed
with her.
"O what a happy world! " thought glad Pelleas, "everybody seems happy and
I am the happiest of all. "
He couldn't sleep that night for joy and on the next day when he was
knighted he swore to love one maiden only. As he came away from the
king's hall the men who met him all turned around to look at his face,
for it flamed with happiness, and at the great banquets which Arthur
gave to knights from all parts of the country Pelleas looked the noblest
of the noble. For he dreamed that his lady loved him and he knew that he
was loved by the king.
On the morning when the jousts began the first that was called was the
tournament of youth. Arthur wanted to keep the older, stronger men out
of it so that young Pelleas might win his lady's love as she had
promised, and be lord of the tourney. Down by the field along the river
Usk where it was held the gilded parapets were crowned with faces and
the great tower filled with eyes up to its top. Then the trumpets blew
for the tournament to begin.
All day long Sir Pelleas held the field.
At the close a shout rang round
the galleries as Ettarre caught the gold crown from his lance and
crowned herself before all the people. Her eyes sparkled as she looked
at him, but that was the last time she was kind to her knight.
She lingered a few days at Caerleon, sunny to all the other people but
always frowning at him.
Still when she left for home with her knights and maidens Sir Pelleas
followed.
"Damsels," cried she as she saw him coming, "I ought to be ashamed to
say it and yet I can't bear that Sir Baby. Keep him back with
yourselves. I'd rather have some rough old knight who knows the ways of
the world to chatter and joke with; so don't let him come near me.
Tell him all sorts of baby fables that good mothers tell their little
boys, and if he runs off for us--it doesn't matter. "
[Illustration: ETTARRE CROWNED HERSELF BEFORE ALL THE PEOPLE. ]
So the young women didn't let him go near Ettarre but made him stay with
them, and as soon as they had all passed into Ettarre's castle gate up
sprang the drawbridge, down rang the iron grating, and Sir Pelleas was
left outside all alone.
"These are only the ways of ladies with their lovers when the ladies
want to find out whether the lovers are true or not. Well, she can try
me with anything, I'll be true through all. "
So he stayed there until dark, then went to a priory not far off and the
next morning came back. Every day he did the same whether it rained or
shone, armed on his charger, and stayed all the day beneath the walls,
although nobody opened the gate for him.
This made Ettarre's scorn turn to anger. She told her three knights to
go out and drive him away.
