things that way nowadays. I'd hate to be brought
up by one of the neighbors without knowing that you were my papa."

"Must have been worse than going to boarding-school," said Mollie.

[Illustration: JOURNEYING TOWARDS LONDON.]

"Well, however that may be," said the story-teller, "it was a good thing
for Arthur, for he was well brought up, and he made a good friend in Sir
Ector's son Kaye, with whom he spent most of his time, and whom he
believed to be his brother, and when Uther died and it became necessary
to put some one in his place, he made his claims to the office of King
much greater by having to prove that he was fitted for it, not so much
because of the fact that he was Uther's son, which some ill-natured,
jealous Princes who wanted to be King said he was not, but because of
his wonderful prowess, which he showed when the time came. It was but
two years after Arthur was born that King Uther was taken sick, and all
the rebellious lords in his kingdom thought that the time had come for
them to rise up against him, but Merlin went to the King and told him
that even though he was ill it was necessary for him to go out and fight
the enemy, and Uther, sick as he was, went into the battle carried on a
litter and took command of his forces. Aided by two splendid knights,
who were among his closest friends, Sir Ulfius and Sir Brastias, Uther
fought a great battle at St. Albans with the forces from the North, in
which he was victorious, and after which he returned to London. Here
within a short while he died, first having gathered his Barons about
him, and at the suggestion of Merlin proclaimed his son Arthur his
successor. Then, as the chronicles tell, the kingdom was in great danger
for a long time. Years passed, and all the lords who were strong and
possessed of small armies of their own wished to make themselves King,
and doubtless one of them would have succeeded had it not been for
Merlin, who, when Arthur had become old enough to make his plans
possible, went to the Archbishop of Canterbury and persuaded him to
summon all the lords and gentlemen at arms to appear in London on
Christmas eve. Now these men all stood in great fear of the Archbishop,
because the Archbishop stood for the Church, and not one of them dared
disobey. So Christmas eve found them, one and all, gathered in London as
Merlin had wished, for Merlin hoped, in the words of the legend, that,
gathered on Christmas eve, the lords of the kingdom migh