[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
knights, making in all the number of twentyfour.
And these were all the remnant of the one hundred and fifty that had gone
forth in the Quest of the Sangreal.
Among the guests were Sir Pinel and his cousin, Sir Mador.
Now Sir Gawaine had a custom of eating apples, which he used daily at dinner
and at supper. He loved all manner of fruit, and in especial a certain brown
or russet apple, which was called Afal Coch. Every one knew of this fondness
of Sir Gawaine's, and whoever dined or feasted him took care to provide such
apples for his pleasure.
The queen had known this, and among the fruit for the table she had ordered
such apples to be placed.
Now Sir Mordred, as Sir Gareth had suspected, hated Sir Gawaine with a deep
hatred, and therefore he had, by crafty dealing, taken all the russet apples
from the dish except one, and into this he had thrust a deadly poison. He
guessed that, as every one knew of Sir Gawaine's fondness for that sort of
fruit, no one would take it, but would leave it for Sir Gawaine, who would eat
it and die thereof.
When the feast was near an end, and men laughed and jested together, the dish
of fruit was handed round, and
Sir Pinel, the mean knight, noticed that there was but one of the apples which
Sir Gawaine loved; and to spite that knight, whom he hated, he took that
apple, ere the dish went to Sir Gawaine.
Sir Mordred saw him take it, yet would not cry out to warn his fellowtraitor,
for this would have revealed himself. He saw Sir Pinel's teeth sink into the
brown apple, and Sir Pinel's sneering look as he glanced across at Sir
Gawaine, who was searching vainly in the dish for his favourite fruit.
Then Sir Mordred saw Sir Pinel's face go red, and then deadly white. And as
the poison gripped him, Sir
Pinel rose shrieking from the table, crying out that some enemy had poisoned
Page 118
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
him.
Then he sank writhing to the ground, shrieking and moaning, clutching at the
ground and at the legs of the chairs. Suddenly, with a great groan, he lay
still and was dead.
Every knight leaped from the table, ashamed, full of rage and fear, nigh out
of their wits, but dumb. They looked at each other and then at the dead Sir
Pinel, and all their eyes kept from the face of the queen, where she sat on
the high seat, with two of her ladies beside her.
The reason they could not speak was that they knew the queen had heard of the
evil tales which Sir Pinel had spread about her, and that she must have hated
him bitterly. And she had made this feast, and had invited him thereto, and
now he was dead at the board by means of deadly poison placed in the food
which she had set before him.
KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS. THE TALES RETOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
X. OF THE PLOTS OF SIR MORDRED, AND HOW SIR LANCELOT SAVED THE QUEEN
129
Then the voice of Sir Mador rang out, and checked men from going from the
room, and drew all eyes to where he stood, a tall and burly man, red and angry
of face, and fierce of eyes.
"Look!" he cried, and held between his fingers and high above his head the
apple which Sir Pinel had bitten, "this is the thing whereof my kinsman, Sir
Pinel, hath lost his life. The matter shall not end here, for I have lost a
noble knight of my blood, and I will be revenged to the uttermost."
Then, turning, he savagely looked at the queen, and with fierce rolling eyes
he roared out:
"Thou art the murderess! Thouthe queen! Hear me, knights and chieftains. I
charge the queen with the murder of my kinsman, Sir Pinel, and justice upon
her will I have."
Every one in the hall stood still as if they were of stone. None could gainsay
him, none could utter a word on behalf of the queen, for all had suspicion
that she had slain Sir Pinel for his slanders of her.
Then suddenly the queen rose, white and trembling. "My lords and knights, I
did not cause it! she cried in a broken voice. "I am innocent! I know not how
it came!"
And therewith she fell down in a swoon.
Sir Mordred's pale face smiled with a bitter sneer. He knew not then whether
what had happened would help his evil plots or no; but he resolved to say
naught, and so went out with all the other silent knights, whilst the ladies
of the queen took her up lamenting, and bore her to her chamber.
With the noise and the sorrow that was in the court, King Arthur came and
craved to know what was the matter; but none of the silent knights would speak
until he met Sir Gawaine, who replied, and said:
"Sir, the queen did invite us to a privy feast with her. And one of the
knights did eat of the fruit on the table, and he is dead by poison.
Therefore, I dread lest the queen will be shamed for this."
King Arthur was passing heavy at the hearing of these words, and went unto the
queen to comfort her.
On the next day, when the king sat in hall with his two court judges, as was
his wont daily, to hear any causes or charges which might be brought before
him, all men stood with gloomy faces, and there was no laughing and jesting
talk, as was usual at this time.
Sir Mador came forward and charged the queen of murder, and required that
justice should be done upon her.
The king heard him with a sad face and in silence. Then he said:
"Fair lords and noble knights, heavy is my grief for this, and rather would I
give my life for my queen at this moment than that my tongue should frame so
evil a charge against my dear wife and your noble queen. But I
am here to see that law is done, as justly to the highest as to the lowest. I
Page 119
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
doubt not that God will soon clear her of this seeming evil."
"I know not how that may be," said Sir Mador angrily, "for the evil deed is
clear to any man's eyes.
"I deem this deed was never done by my queen, nor by her desire," said the
king sternly, "but by some traitor that would do her evil and wishes to see
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]