him company? You would have done best to-day had he not been
there. He skulked as close by you, to be out of the buffets, as a hare
doth to the wood for the hounds. No business hath good knight to hold
company with a coward. I say not this for that I would make him out
worse that he is, for I remember the two knights he slew before this
tent."

The damsel heareth the dwarf talking and smileth thereat, for she
understandeth that blame enough hath Messire Gawain had at the
assembly. The knights said at their hostels that they knew not to whom
to give the Circlet of Gold, sith that the Knight of the Golden Armour
and he of the Red Armour were not there; for they did the best the
first day of the assembly, and much they marvelled that they should not
come when it was continued on the morrow.

"Gawain," saith the King, "Sore blame have you had this day, and I
myself have been all shamed for your sake. Never thought I that so
good a knight as you might ever have known how to counterfeit a bad
knight as you did. You have done much for the love of the damsel, and
right well had she avenged herself of you and you had done her great
annoy. Howbeit, and to-morrow your cowardize be such as it hath been
to-day, never will the day be when you shall not have blame thereof."

XII.

"By my faith." saith Messire Gawain, "Behoveth me do the damsel's
pleasure sith that we have fallen by ill-chance into her power."

They went to bed at night and took their rest as soon as they had
eaten, and on the morrow the damsel came to Messire Gawain.

"I will," saith she, "that you be clad in the same arms as was your
comrade on the first day, right rich, that I will lend you, and I will,
moreover, that you be knight so good as that never on any day were you
better. But I command you, by the faith you pledged me the other day,
to obey this caution, that you make yourself known to none, and so any
man in the world shall ask your name, you shall say that you are the
knight of the Golden Arms."

"Damsel," saith Gawain, "Gramercy, I will do your pleasure."

The younger damsel cometh back to the King: "Sir," saith she, "I will
that you wear new arms: You shall bear them red, the same as Messire
Gawain bore the first day, and I pray you be such as you were the first
day, or better."

XIII.

"Damsel, I will do my best to amend myself and my doings, and right
well pleased am I of that it pleaseth you to say."

Their horses were capar