smiled upon him and treated him with all courtesy and
kindness although she loved him not, dissembling her regard for him.

[Sidenote: Sir Tristram is displeased] All this Sir Tristram beheld from
aside and it displeased him a very great deal to see how Sir Palamydes was
always beside the lady. But Belle Isoult beheld how Sir Tristram was
displeased, wherefore she took occasion to say to him: "Tramtris, be not
displeased, for what am I to do? You know very well that I do not love this
knight, but I am afraid of him because he is so fierce and so strong."

To this Sir Tristram said: "Lady, it would be a great shame to me if I,
being by, should suffer any knight to come betwixt you and me and win your
regard through fear of him."

She said: "Tramtris, what would you do? Would you give challenge to this
knight? Lo, you are not yet entirely healed of your hurt, and Sir Palamydes
is in perfect strength of body. For indeed it is for you I am most of all
afraid lest you and Sir Palamydes should come to battle and lest he should
do you a harm before you are entirely healed."

[Sidenote: Sir Tristram desires to do battle] "Lady," quoth Sir Tristram,
"I thank God that I am not at all afraid of this knight, or of any other
knight, and I have to thank you that I am now entirely recovered and am as
strong as ever I was. Wherefore I have now a mind to deal with this knight
in your behalf. So if you will provide me with armor I will deal with him
so that maybe he will not trouble you again. Now I will devise it in this
way:--tell your father, King Angus, to proclaim a great jousting. In that
jousting I will seek out Sir Palamydes and will encounter him, and I hope
with God's aid that I shall overcome him, so that you shall be free from
him."

Belle Isoult said, "Tramtris, are you able for this?" He said, "Yea, I am
as ready as ever I shall be in all of my life." Whereat Belle Isoult said,
"It shall be as you will have it."

Then Sir Tristram charged Belle Isoult that she should keep secret all this
that had been said betwixt them. And more especially she was to keep it
secret that he was to take part in such a tournament as that which they had
devised. And he said to her: "Lady, I lie here under a great peril to my
life, though I cannot tell you what that peril is. But I may tell you that
if my enemies should discover me at this place, it would go hard with me to
preserve my life from them. Wherefore, if I take part in any such a