g were such a knight as
Sir Tristram!"

[Sidenote: King Mark takes hatred to Sir Tristram] All this King Mark
overheard, and the words that they said were like a very bitter poison in
his heart. For their words entered into his soul and abided there, and
thereupon at that same hour all his love for Tristram was turned into hate.
Thus it befell that, after that day, King Mark ever pondered and pondered
upon that which he had heard, and the longer he pondered it, the more
bitter did his life become to him, and the more he hated Sir Tristram. So
it came to pass that whenever he was with Sir Tristram and looked upon him,
he would say in his heart: "So they say that you are a better knight than
I? Would God you were dead or away from this place, for I believe that some
day you will be my undoing!" Yea; there were times when he would look upon
Sir Tristram in that wise and whisper to himself: "Would God would send a
blight upon thee, so that thou wouldst wither away!"

But always the King dissembled this hatred for Sir Tristram, so that no one
suspected him thereof; least of all did Sir Tristram suspect how changed
was the heart of the King toward him.

Now one day Sir Tristram was playing upon his harp and singing before King
Mark, and the King sat brooding upon these things as he gazed at Tristram.
And Sir Tristram, as he ofttimes did nowadays, sang of the Lady Belle
Isoult, and of how her face was like to a rose for fairness, and of how her
soul was like to a nightingale in that it uplifted the spirit of whosoever
was near her even though the darkness of sorrow as of night might envelop
him. And whilst Sir Tristram sang thus, King Mark listened to him, and as
he listened a thought entered his heart and therewith he smiled. So when
Sir Tristram had ended his song of the Belle Isoult, King Mark said: "Fair
nephew, I would that you would undertake a quest for me." Sir Tristram
said, "What quest is that, Lord?" "Nay," said King Mark, "I will not tell
you what quest it is unless you will promise me upon your knighthood to
undertake it upon my behalf." Then Sir Tristram suspected no evil,
wherefore he smiled and said: "Dear Lord, if the quest is a thing that it
is in my power to undertake, I will undertake it upon your asking, and unto
that I pledge my knighthood." King Mark said, "It is a quest that you may
undertake." Sir Tristram said, "Then I will undertake it, if you will tell
me what it is."

[Sidenote: King Mark betray