hat he was to do, when
the next morning he was brought before the king and the judges.

The hall was full to overflowing when the prisoner entered it, and all
marvelled at the brightness of his face. The king inquired if he had any
excuse to plead for the high treason he had committed by striking the
heir to the throne, and, if so, to be quick in setting it forth. With a
low bow the youth made answer in a clear voice:

'O my lord and gracious king, and you, nobles and wise men of the land,
I leave my cause without fear in your hands, knowing that you will
listen and judge rightly, and that you will suffer me to speak to the
end, before you give judgment.

'For four years, you, O king, had been married to the queen and yet had
no children, which grieved you greatly. The queen saw this, and likewise
that your love was going from her, and thought night and day of some
plan that might put an end to this evil. At length, when you were
away fighting in distant countries, she decided what she would do, and
adopted in secret the baby of a poor quarryman, sending a messenger to
tell you that you had a son. No one suspected the truth except a priest
to whom the queen confessed the truth, and in a few weeks she fell ill
and died, leaving the baby to be brought up as became a prince. And now,
if your highness will permit me, I will speak of myself.'

'What you have already told me,' answered the king, 'is so strange that
I cannot imagine what more there is to tell, but go on with your story.'

'One day, shortly after the death of the queen,' continued the young
man, 'your highness was hunting, and outstripped all your attendants
while chasing the deer. You were in a part of the country which you did
not know, so seeing an orchard all pink and white with apple-blossoms,
and a girl tossing a ball in one corner, you went up to her to ask your
way. But when she turned to answer you, you were so struck with her
beauty that all else fled from your mind. Again and again you rode back
to see her, and at length persuaded her to marry you. She only thought
you a poor knight, and agreed that as you wished it, the marriage should
be kept secret.

'After the ceremony you gave her three rings and a charm with a cross
on it, and then put her in a cottage in the forest, thinking to hide the
matter securely.

'For some months you visited the cottage every week; but a rebellion
broke out in a distant part of the kingdom, and called for your