o straight up to him. Then he begins to call
again: "Damsel, come this way, here!" And the damsel guided toward him
her soft-stepping palfrey. By this ruse she made him think that she knew
nothing of him and had never seen him before; in so doing she was wise
and courteous. When she had come before him, she said: "Sir knight, what
do you desire that you call me so insistently?" "Ah," said he, "prudent
damsel, I have found myself in this wood by some mishap--I know not
what. For God's sake and your belief in Him, I pray you to lend me,
taking my word as pledge, or else to give me outright, that palfrey
you are leading in your hand." "Gladly, sire: but you must accompany me
whither I am going." "Which way?" says he. "To a town that stands near
by, beyond the forest." "Tell me, damsel, if you stand in need of me."
"Yes," she says, "I do; but I think you are not very well. For the next
two weeks at least you ought to rest. Take this horse, which I hold in
my right hand, and we shall go to our lodging-place." And he, who had no
other desire, takes it and mounts, and they proceed until they come to a
bridge over a swift and turbulent stream. And the damsel throws into the
water the empty box she is carrying, thinking to excuse herself to her
mistress for her ointment by saying that she was so unlucky as to let
the box fall into the water for, when her palfrey stumbled under her,
the box slipped from her gasp, and she came near falling in too, which
would have been still worse luck. It is her intention to invent this
story when she comes into her mistress' presence. Together they held
their way until they came to the town, where the lady detained my lord
Yvain and asked her damsel in private for her box and ointment: and the
damsel repeated to her the lie as she had invented it, not daring to
tell her the truth. Then the lady was greatly enraged, and said: "This
is certainly a very serious loss, and I am sure and certain that the
box will never be found again. But since it has happened so, there is
nothing more to be done about it. One often desires a blessing which
turns out to be a curse; thus I, who looked for a blessing and joy from
this knight, have lost the dearest and most precious of my possessions.
However, I beg you to serve him in all respects." "Ah, lady, how wisely
now you speak! For it would be too bad to convert one misfortune into
two."

(Vv. 3131-3254.) Then they say no more about the box, but minister in
ever