said:--

"I cannot spare my good child from my home. The king's love is precious;
but I love my child more than the whole world, and he is dearer to me
than a thousand kingdoms."

Little Gauvain was so glad when he heard her answer that he looked again
at the knights with a smiling face, and waved his hand to them as they
rode away. All day and all night they rode, and it was the peep of day
when they came to the king's highway. Then they rode slowly, for they
were sad because of their news; but the king rejoiced when he heard it,
for he said: "Such a child, with such a mother, will grow into a knight
at home."

The king's words were true; for when the king was an old, old man,
Gauvain rode to his court and was knighted.

Gauvain had a beautiful name of his own then, for he was called "Gauvain
the Good"; and he was brave, happy, kind, pure, and true. And he was
beloved by all the people in the world, but most of all by his mother.

_THE CLOSING DOOR_

MOTTO FOR THE MOTHER

_Keep thou an open door between thy child's life
and thine own_.

There was once a little girl (her best and sweetest name was Little
Daughter), who had a dear little room, all her own, which was full of
treasures, and was as lovely as love could make it.

You never could imagine, no matter how you tried, a room more beautiful
than hers; for it was white and shining from the snowy floor to the
ceiling, which looked as if it might have been made of a fleecy cloud.
The curtains at the windows were like the petals of a lily, and the
little bed was like swan's down.

There were white pansies, too, that bloomed in the windows, and a dove
whose voice was sweet as music; and among her treasures she had a string
of pearls which she was to wear about her neck when the king of the
country sent for her, as he had promised to do some day.

This string of pearls grew longer and more beautiful as the little girl
grew older, for a new pearl was given her as soon as she waked up each
morning; and every one was a gift from this king, who bade her keep them
fair.

Her mother helped her to take care of them and of all the other
beautiful things in her room. Every morning, after the new pearl was
slipped on the string, they would set the room in order; and every
evening they would look over the treasures and enjoy them together,
while they carefully wiped away any specks of dust that had gotten in
during the day and made the room less lo