speakest. For in most cases a knight would rather serve a lady who may
smile upon him nigh at hand, and not stand so far off from him as a star in
the sky." But to this Sir Launcelot made no reply but only smiled. Then in
a little Croisette said: "Dost thou never think of a lady in that wise, Sir
Launcelot?"

[Sidenote: Sir Launcelot speaketh of the Lady Guinevere] "Nay," said Sir
Launcelot, "and neither do I desire so to serve any lady. For it is thus
with me, Croisette--for all that while of my life until I was eighteen
years of age I lived in a very wonderful land beneath a magical lake, of
which I may not tell thee. Then I came out of that lake and into this world
and King Arthur made me a knight. Now because I was so long absent from
this world of mankind and never saw aught of it until I was grown into a
man, meseems I love that world so greatly that I cannot tell thee how
beautiful and wonderful it seems to me. For it is so wonderful and so
beautiful that methinks my soul can never drink its fill of the pleasures
thereof. Yea; methinks I love every blade of grass upon the fields, and
every leaf upon every tree: and that I love everything that creepeth or
that flyeth, so that when I am abroad under the sky and behold those things
about me I am whiles like to weep for very joy of them. Wherefore it is,
Croisette, that I would rather be a knight-errant in this world which I
love so greatly than to be a king seated upon a throne with a golden crown
upon my head and all men kneeling unto me. Yea; meseems that because of my
joy in these things I have no room in my heart for such a love of lady as
thou speakest of, but only for the love of knight-errantry, and a great
wish for to make this world in which I now live the better and the happier
for my dwelling in it. Thus it is, Croisette, that I have no lady for to
serve in the manner thou speakest of. Nor will I ever have such, saving
only the Lady Guinevere, the thought of whom standeth above me like that
bright star afore spoken of."

"Ha," quoth Croisette, "then am I sad for the sake of some lady, I know not
who. For if thou wert of another mind thou mightest make some lady very
glad to have so great a knight as thou art to serve her." Upon this Sir
Launcelot laughed with a very cheerful spirit, for he and the damsel were
grown to be exceedingly good friends, as you may suppose from such
discourse as this.

[Sidenote: Sir Launcelot perceives the Castle of Sir Peris]