you to go
thitherward at this present." Whereunto the Lady Helen replied: "Foliot, I
cannot wait, for if I stay here and wait I believe I shall go mad." Upon
this, Foliot did not try to persuade her any more but made ready to take
her whither she would go.

Now the young child Launcelot was then asleep upon the Queen's knees,
wherefore she took her cloak and wrapped the child in it and laid him very
gently upon the ground, so that he did not wake. Then she mounted upon her
palfrey and Foliot led the palfrey up the hill whither King Ban had gone a
short time since.

[Sidenote: The Lady Helen findeth the King] When they came to that place
of open rocks above told of, they found King Ban lying very quiet and still
upon the ground and with a countenance of great peace. For I believe of a
surety that God had forgiven him all his sins, and he would now suffer no
more because of the cares and the troubles of this life. Thus Queen Helen
found him, and finding him she made no moan or outcry of any kind, only she
looked for a long while into his dead face, which she could see very
plainly now, because that the dawn had already broken. And by and by she
said: "Dear Lord, thou art at this time in a happier case than I." And by
and by she said to Foliot: "Go and bring his horse to this place, that we
may bear him hence." "Lady," said Foliot, "it is not good for you to be
left here alone." "Foliot," said the Queen, "thou dost not know how much
alone I am; thy leaving me here cannot make me more alone." Therewith she
fell to weeping with great passion.

Then Foliot wept also in great measure and, still weeping like rain, he
went away and left her. When he came again with King Ban's horse the sun
had risen and all the birds were singing with great jubilation and
everything was so blithe and gay that no one could have believed that care
and trouble could dwell in a world that was so beautiful.

[Sidenote: The Lady Helen bringeth her dead down from the Mountain] So
Queen Helen and Foliot lifted the dead king to his horse and then the Queen
said: "Come thou, Foliot, at thine own gait, and I will go ahead and seek
my child, for I have yet Launcelot to be my joy. Haply he will be needing
me at this moment." So the Queen made haste down the steep hill ahead of
Foliot and by and by she came to the margin of that little lake where they
had rested awhile since.

By now the sun had risen very strong and warm so that all the lake, and the
m