he wine was
splashed all in the Queen's face and over her stomacher.

Thereupon the Queen shrieked with terror, and one of her maidens ran to her
aid and others came with napkins and wiped her face and her apparel and
gave her words of cheer.

Then Sir Kay found courage to say: "Ha! thou art a churlish knight to so
affront a lady."

With that Sir Boindegardus turned very fiercely upon him and said: "And
thou likest not my behavior, thou mayst follow me hence into a meadow a
little distance from this to the eastward where thou mayst avenge that
affront upon my person if thou art minded to do so."

Then Sir Kay knew not what to reply for he wist that Sir Boindegardus was a
very strong and terrible knight. Wherefore he said, "Thou seest that I am
altogether without arms or armor." Upon that Sir Boindegardus laughed in
great scorn, and therewith seized the golden goblet from the hands of the
page and went out from the pavilion, and mounting his horse rode away
bearing that precious chalice with him.

[Sidenote: Percival berates Sir Kay] Then the Queen fell aweeping very
sorely from fright and shame, and when young Percival beheld her tears, he
could not abide the sight thereof. So he cried out aloud against Sir Kay,
saying: "Thou tall man! that was very ill done of thee; for, certes, with
or without armor thou shouldst have taken the quarrel of this lady upon
thee. For my mother told me I should take upon me the defence of all such
as needed defence, but she did not say that I was to wait for arms or armor
to aid me to do what was right. Now, therefore, though I know little of
arms or of knighthood, I will take this quarrel upon myself and will do
what I may to avenge this lady's affront, if I have her leave to do so."

And Queen Guinevere said: "Thou hast my leave, since Sir Kay does not
choose to assume my quarrel."

[Sidenote: The damsel praises Percival] Now there was a certain very
beautiful young damsel of the court of the Queen hight Yelande, surnamed
the "Dumb Maiden," because she would hold no commerce with any knight of
the court. For in all the year she had been at the court of the King, she
had spoken no word to any man, nor had she smiled upon any. This damsel
perceiving how comely and noble was the countenance of Percival, came to
him and took him by the hand and smiled upon him very kindly. And she said
to him: "Fair youth, thou hast a large and noble heart, and I feel very
well assured that thou art o