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there was Nimue, who wedded Sir Pelleas, the Good Knight, and the rest were their attendants. And so then they rowed from the land, and Sir Bedivere cried out as he saw them go: "Ah, my lord Arthur, what will become of me now ye go from me, leaving me here alone among mine enemies."

"Comfort thyself," said King Arthur, "and do as well as thou mayest, for these will bear me into the vale of Avilion, where the wind never blows loudly, and where perpetual summer reigns."

Then the black-draped barge, with its sorrowful company, disappeared from Sir Bedivere's sight, and the sound of wailings died on the wind; and as soon as he had lost sight of the barge he wept and lamented, and, taking to the forest, he travelled all night.

As day broke, he saw, between two hills, a little chapel and an hermitage. Then Sir Bedivere was glad, and, entering the chapel, he saw a hermit praying devoutly beside a new-dug grave.

"Reverend sir," said Sir Bedivere, "what man is there buried that ye pray so fast for?"

"My fair son," said the hermit, "I can only guess who lies here; but last night at midnight there came a great number of ladies, clothed in black, who brought a dead body, and prayed me to bury it."

"Alas!" cried Sir Bedivere, "that was King Arthur," and he fell down in a swoon.

The hermit tended him carefully, and when he came to himself, Sir Bedivere begged that he might live with him all his days with fasting and prayers. "For," said he, "from hence will I never go by my will, but will spend what time remaineth to me in prayer for my lord King Arthur."

So the knight put off his armor, and dressed himself in the poor clothes such as the hermit wore, and lived there till his death.

And when Queen Guinevere understood that the King and all that noble host were slain, she stole away by night from the Court, and five faithful ladies went with her. With the dawn they reached the Convent at Amesbury, and, summoning the portress, she begged audience of the Abbess. When admitted to the presence of the reverend mother, she said: "I have lost all that I hold dearest in this world, and crave to be allowed to live among you unknown by name."

Touched by her beauty and the earnestness of her entreaties, the Abbess granted her wish; and so Queen Guinevere, the pride of Arthur's Court, ended her life in prayer and fasting.

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CHILDE HORN

HERE dwelt once in Southland a King named Altof, who was rich, powerful, and gentle. His Queen was named Gotthild, and they had a young son called Horn. The rain never rained, the sun never shone upon a fairer boy; his skin was like roses and lilies, and as clear as glass; and he was as brave as he was handAt fifteen years old his like was not to be seen in all the kingdoms around. He had a band of playfellows, twelve boys of noble birth, but not one of them could throw the ball so high as Horn. Out of the twelve, two were his special companions, and one of them, Athulf, was the best of the company, while the other, Figold, was altogether the worst.

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some.

It came to pass one summer morning that good King Altof was riding on the sea-shore with only two attendants, and he looked out to sea and saw fifteen ships lying in the offing. It was the heathen Vikings who had come from Northland, bent on plundering Christian lands. When these saw the three Norsemen, they swarmed on to shore like a pack of wolves, all armed and full of battle fury. They slew the King and his knights, and made themselves masters of the whole land.

Queen Gotthild wept much for her lord, and more for her son, Childe Horn, who could not now ascend his father's throne. She clad herself in mourning garments, the meanest she could find, and went to dwell in a cave, where she prayed night and day for her son, that he might be preserved from the malice of his enemies, at whose mercy he and his comrades lay. At first they thought to have slain him, but one of their leaders was touched by his glorious beauty, and so he said to the boy, "Horn, you are a fair stripling and a bold, and when you come to years, you and your band here, you are like to prove too many for us, so I am going to put you all in a boat and let it drift out to sea where may the Gods preserve you, or else send you to the bottom; but, for all our sakes, you cannot remain here."

Then they led the boys down to the shore, placed them in a little skiff, and pushed it off from the land. All but Horn wrung their hands in fear. The waves rose high, and, as the boat was tossed up and down, the lads gave themselves up for lost, not knowing whither they were driven; but when the morning of the second day broke, Horn sprang up from where he sat in the forepart of the skiff, crying, "I hear the birds sing, and I see the grass growing green-we are at the land!" Then they sprang right gladly on shore, and Horn called after the boat as it floated away, "A good voyage to thee, little boat! speed thee back to Southland. me, and chiefly the good Queen And tell the heathen King that some day he shall meet his death at my hand."

May wind and wave.
Greet all who knew
Gotthild, my mother.

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Then the boys went on till they came to a city, where reigned King Aylmer of Westland-whom God reward for his kindness to them. He asked them in mild words whence they came, "for in good sooth," said he, never have I seen so well-favored a company"; and Horn answered proudly, "We are of good Christian blood, and we come from Southland, which has just been raided by pagans, who slew many of our people, and sent us adrift in a boat, to be the sport of the winds and waves. For a day and a night we have been at sea without a rudder; and now we have been cast upon your coast, you may enslave or slay us, but, if it please thee, show us mercy."

Then the good King asked, "What is your name, my child?" and the boy answered, "Horn, at your pleasure, my Lord King; and if you need a servant, I will serve you well and truly."

"Childe Horn," said the King, "you bear a mighty name for one so young and tender.

"Over hills and valleys oft the horn has rung,

In the royal palace long the horn has hung.

So shall thy name, O Hornchild, through every land resound, And the fame of thy wondrous beauty in all the West be found."

So Horn found great favor with the King, and he put him in charge of Athelbrus, the house-steward, that he might teach him all knightly duties, and he spared no pains with him, nor yet with his companions; but well trained as they all were, Horn was far ahead of them both in stature and noble bearing. Even a stranger looking at him could guess his lofty birth, and the splendor of his marvellous beauty, lit up all the

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