a little
adjoining room, and there came forth alone a fair and charming maiden
who closed the door again after her. When she found my lord Yvain, at
first she was sore dismayed. [311] "Surely, sir knight," she says, "I
fear you have come in an evil hour. If you are seen here, you will be
all cut to pieces. For my lord is mortally wounded, and I know it is you
who have been the death of him. My lady is in such a state of grief, and
her people about her are crying so that they are ready to die with rage;
and, moreover, they know you to be inside. But as yet their grief is
such that they are unable to attend to you. The moment they come
to attack you, they cannot fail to kill or capture you, as they may
choose." And my lord Yvain replies to her: "If God will they shall never
kill me, nor shall I fall into their hands." "No," she says, "for I
shall do my utmost to assist you. It is not manly to cherish fear. So
I hold you to be a man of courage, when you are not dismayed. And rest
assured that if I could I would help you and treat you honourably, as
you in turn would do for me. Once my lady sent me on an errand to the
King's court, and I suppose I was not so experienced or courteous or
so well behaved as a maiden ought to be; at any rate, there was not a
knight there who deigned to say a word to me except you alone who stand
here now; but you, in your kindness, honoured and aided me. For the
honour you did me then I shall now reward you. I know full well what
your name is, and I recognised you at once: your name is my lord Yvain.
You may be sure and certain that if you take my advice you will never be
caught or treated ill. Please take this little ring of mine, which you
will return when I shall have delivered you." [312] Then she handed him
the little ring and told him that its effect was like that of the bark
which covers the wood so that it cannot be seen; but it must be worn so
that the stone is within the palm; then he who wears the ring upon his
finger need have no concern for anything; for no one, however sharp his
eyes may be, will be able to see him any more than the wood which is
covered by the outside bark. All this is pleasing to my lord Yvain. And
when she had told him this, she led him to a seat upon a couch covered
with a quilt so rich that the Duke of Austria had none such, and she
told him that if he cared for something to eat she would fetch it for
him; and he replied that he would gladly do so. Running qui