the chamber was serving the queen with wine
in a golden goblet richly wrought, which Lancelot had taken from a
knight whom he had lately slain.

The stranger knight had alighted before the chair of Gwenevere, and all
had seen that full of rage and pride was his look. And he caught sight
of the goblet in the hand of Gwenevere, and he snatched it from her,
spilling the wine over her dress and dashing it even into her face.

'Now am I well lighted here,' he said, 'for this is the very goblet
which thy robber knight Sir Lancelot reaved from my brother, Sir
Wilder. And if any of you knights here desire to wrest this goblet from
me, or to avenge the insult I have done your queen, let him come to the
meadow beside the ford, and I will slay him, ay, if it be that traitor
Sir Lancelot himself.'

All the young knights hung their heads as he mounted his horse and
insolently rode out of the hall; for it seemed to them that no one
would have done so daring an outrage unless, like Sir Garlon whom Balin
slew, he fought with evil magic, so that the strength and prowess of
the mightiest knight would be put to naught.

Then Perceval entered the hall, and at sight of him upon his rough
piebald horse, with its uncouth trappings, and the old and mouldy
jerkin upon the youth, the knights and others broke forth in excessive
laughter, as much at the sight as to cover their discomfiture and fear
of the knight who had just gone.

But Perceval took no note of their laughter, but rode up the hall to
where Sir Kay the seneschal stood, wrathful at the outrage on the queen
which he had not dared to avenge instantly. And Perceval looked about
and saw a knight more richly dressed than the others, and, turning to
Kay, he said:

'Tell me, tall man, is that King Arthur yonder?'

'What wouldst thou with Arthur, knave?' asked Kay angrily.

'My mother told me to seek King Arthur,' responded Perceval,' and he
will give me the honour of knighthood.'

'By my faith, thou farmer's churl,' said Kay, 'thou art richly equipped
indeed with horse and arms to have that honour.'

Thereupon the others shouted with laughter, and commenced to throw
sticks at Perceval, or the bones left by the dogs upon the floor.

Then a dwarf pressed forward between the laughing crowd and saluted
Perceval. And the lad rejoiced to recognise him. It was Tod, who had
been his friend among the trolls of the mountains, and with Tod was his
wife. They had come to the court of Arth