Table."

"Now, Merlin," said Arthur, "tell me whether this Tor will be a good
knight or not."

"He should be so," answered Merlin, "for he comes of kingly blood. The
cowherd here is no more his father than I, but he is the son of the good
knight, King Pellinore, whose prowess you have much reason to know."

By good hap King Pellinore himself came next morning to the court, and
was glad to find what honor had been done his son, whom he gladly
acknowledged as his.

Then Merlin took Pellinore by the hand and led him to the seat next the
Seat Perilous.

"This is your place at the Round Table," he said. "There is none here so
worthy as yourself to sit therein."

At a later hour of that eventful day, in the city of London, and at the
Church of Saint Stephen, King Arthur was wedded unto Dame Guenever,
with the highest pomp and ceremony, and before as noble an assemblage of
knights and ladies as the land held.

Afterwards a high feast was made, and as the knights sat, each in his
appointed place, at the Round Table, Merlin came to them and bade them
sit still.

"For you shall see a strange and marvellous happening," he said.

Hardly had he spoken before there came running a white hart into the
hall, closely followed by a white brachet,[1] while thirty couple of
black hounds in full cry came after, and chased the hart round the
feasting boards and then round the Round Table.

[Footnote 1: A small scenting dog.]

As they ran the brachet caught the hart by the haunch, and bit out a
piece, whereupon the wounded animal made a great leap over a table, and
through a window, with such force as to overthrow a knight. Through the
window the hounds followed, in full cry.

The fallen knight quickly rose, took up the brachet in his arms, and
left the hall. Seeking his horse, he rode away, carrying the brachet
with him. But hardly had he gone when a lady came riding into the hall
on a white palfrey, and crying aloud to King Arthur,--

"Sir, suffer not yonder knight to do me this wrong. The brachet that he
has taken away is mine."

She had but ceased speaking when an armed knight rode up on a great
horse, and took her away by force, though she bitterly cried and called
for aid.

"This affair must not be taken lightly," said Merlin to the king. "The
honor of your court requires that you shall redress all wrongs, and
here, at your marriage feast, have great wrongs been done."

"What do you advise?" asked the king. "I shall