us, scowled on her, and she forebore; but she looked me on somewhat
kindly, and yet as one who is afeard.

"Thus it went for the rest of the day, and my lord had me to sit beside
him in the great hall when the banquet was holden, and I ate and drank
with him and beheld all the pageants by his side, and none meddled with
me either to help or to hinder, because they feared the king. Yet many
eyes I saw that desired my beauty. And so when night came, he took me
to his chamber and his bed, as if I were his bride new wedded, even as
it had been with us on the grass of the wilderness and the bracken of
the wildwood. And then, at last, he spake to me of our case, and bade
me fear not, for that a band of his friends, all-armed, was keeping
watch and ward in the cloister without. And when I left the chamber on
the morrow's morn, there were they yet, all in bright armour, and
amongst them the young knight who had delivered me from the felon
baron, and he looked mournfully at me, so that I was sorry for his
sorrow.

"And I knew now that the king was minded to slay me, else had he bidden
thrust me from my lord's side.

"So wore certain days; and on the seventh night, when we were come into
our chamber, which was a fair as any house outside of heaven, my lord
spake to me in a soft voice, and bade me not do off my raiment. 'For,'
said he, 'this night we must flee the town, or we shall be taken and
cast into prison to-morrow; for thus hath my father determined.' I
kissed him and clung to him, and he no less was good to me. And when
it was the dead of night we escaped out of our window by a knotted rope
which he had made ready, and beneath was the city wall; and that
company of knights, amongst whom was the young knight abovesaid, had
taken a postern thereby, and were abiding us armed and with good
horses. So we came into the open country, and rode our ways with the
mind to reach a hill-castle of one of those young barons, and to hold
ourselves there in despite of the king. But the king had been as wary
as we were privy, and no less speedy than we; and he was a mighty and
deft warrior, and he himself followed us on the spur with certain of
his best men-at-arms. And they came upon us as we rested in a woodside
not far from our house of refuge: and the king stood by to see the
battle with his sword in his sheath, but soon was it at an end, for
though our friends fought valiantly, they were everyone slain or hurt,
and but few