come
to seek her in this land?" my lord Gawain then inquires of them. And
they answer him: "Yes, indeed." "Who?" "Lancelot of the Lake," they say,
"who crossed the sword-bridge, and rescued and delivered her as well
as all the rest of us. But we have been betrayed by a pot-bellied,
humpbacked, and crabbed dwarf. He has deceived us shamefully in seducing
Lancelot from us, and we do not know what he has done with him." "When
was that?" my lord Gawain inquires. "Sire, near here this very day this
trick was played on us, while he was coming with us to meet you." "And
how has Lancelot been occupied since he entered this land?" Then they
begin to tell him all about him in detail, and then they tell him about
the Queen, how she is waiting for him and asserting that nothing could
induce her to leave the country, until she sees him or hears some
credible news of him. To them my lord Gawain replies: "When we leave
this bridge, we shall go to search for Lancelot." There is not one who
does not advise rather that they go to the Queen at once, and have the
king seek Lancelot, for it is their opinion that his son Meleagant has
shown his enmity by having him cast into prison. But if the king can
learn where he is, he will certainly make him surrender him: they can
rely upon this with confidence.

(Vv. 5199-5256.) They all agreed upon this plan, and started at once
upon their way until they drew near the court where the Queen and king
were. There, too, was Kay the seneschal, and that disloyal man, full
to overflowing of treachery, who has aroused the greatest anxiety for
Lancelot on the part of the party which now arrives. They feel they
have been discomfited and betrayed, and they make great lament in their
misery. It is not a gracious message which reports this mourning to
the Queen. Nevertheless, she deports herself with as good a grace as
possible. She resolves to endure it, as she must, for the sake of my
lord Gawain. However, she does not so conceal her grief that it does not
somewhat appear. She has to show both joy and grief at once: her heart
is empty for Lancelot, and to my lord Gawain she shows excessive joy.
Every one who hears of the loss of Lancelot is grief-stricken and
distracted. The king would have rejoiced at the coming of my lord
Gawain and would have been delighted with his acquaintance; but he is
so sorrowful and distressed over the betrayal of Lancelot that he is
prostrated and full of grief. And the Queen beseec