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As any mother? Ay, but such a one As all day long hath rated at her child, And vext his day, but blesses him asleep

Good lord, how sweetly smells the honeysuckle

In the hush'd night, as if the world

were one

Of utter peace, and love, and gentle

ness!

O Lancelot, Lancelot "—and she clapt her hands

“Full merry am I to find my goodly knave

Is knight and noble. See now, sworn have I,

Else yon black felon had not let me pass,

To bring thee back to do the battle with him.

Thus an thou goest, he will fight thee first:

Who doubts thee victor? so will my knight-knave

Miss the full cower of this accomplish ment."

Said Lancelot, "Peradventure he ye name,

my

May know shield. Let Gareth, an he will,

Change his for mine, and take my charger, fresh,

Not to be spurr'd, loving the battle as

well

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Streams virtue-fire-thro' one that will not shame

Even the shadow of Lancelot under shield.

Hence: let us go.

Silent the silent field

They traversed. Arthur's harp tho'

summer-wan,

In counter motion to the clouds, allured

The glance of Gareth dreaming on his liege.

A star shot: "Lo," said Gareth, "the foe falls!"

An owl whoopt: "Hark the victor pealing there!"

Suddenly she that rode upon his left Clung to the shield that Lancelot lent him crying,

"Yield, yield him this again: 'tis he must fight:

I curse the tongue that all thro' yesterday

Reviled thee, and hath wrought on Lancelot now

To lend thee horse and shield: wonders ye have done; Miracles ye cannot here is glory enow In having flung the three: I see thee maim'd,

Mangled: I swear thou canst not fling

the fourth"

"And wherefore, damsel? tell me all ye know.

Ye cannot scare me; nor rough face, or voice, [ery Brute bulk of limb, or boundless savagAppall me from the quest."

"Nay, Prince," she cried, "God wot, I never look'd upon the face,

Seeing he never rides abroad by day; But watch'd him have I like a phantom pass

Chilling the night: nor have I heard the voice.

Always he made his mouthpiece of a page

Who came and went, and still reported him

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Then Gareth, "Here he rules. I know but one

To dash against mine enemy and to

win.

[joust, Yet have I watch'd thee victor in the And seen thy way." "Heaven help thee," sigh'd Lynette.

Then for a space, and under cloud that grew

To thunder-gloom palling all stars, they rode

In converse till she made her palfrey halt,

Lifted an arm, and softly whisper'd, "There."

And all the three were silent seeing, pitch'd

Beside the Castle Perilous on flat field, A huge pavilion like a mountain peak Sunder the glooming crimson on the

marge,

Black, with black banner, and a long black horn

Beside it hanging; which Sir Gareth graspt,

And so, before the two could hinder him,

Sent all his heart and breath thro' all

the horn.

Echo'd the walls; a light twinkled;

anon

Came lights and lights, and once again he blew;

Whereon were hollow tramplings up and down [past;

And muffled voices heard, and shadows Till high above him, circled with her maids,

The Lady Lyonors at a window stood, Beautiful among lights, and waving to him

White hands, and courtesy; but when the Prince

Three times had blown-after long hush-at last

The huge pavilion slowly yielded up, Thro' those black foldings, that which housed therein.

High on a nightblack horse, in night

black arms,

With white breast-bone, and barren ribs of Death,

And crown'd with fleshless laughter

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A bitterness to me !-ye look amazed, Not knowing they were lost as soon as given

Slid from my hands, when I was leaning out

Above the river-that unhappy child Past in her barge: but rosier luck will go

With these rich jewels, seeing that they came

Not from the skeleton of a brotherslayer,

But the sweet body of a maiden babe. Perchance-who knows?-the purest of thy knights

May win them for the purest of my maids."

She ended, and the cry of a great jousts

With trumpet-blowings ran on all the

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A hundred goodly ones. -the Red
Lord, I was tending swine, and the Red
Knight, he-
Knight

Brake in upon me and drave them to his tower;

And when I called upon thy name as

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