gentle friend, who are those who now accuse you of treachery, and
have confined you in this lonely place?" "Sire, I shall not conceal it
from you, since you desire me to tell you all. It is a fact that I was
not slow in honestly aiding you. Upon my advice my lady received you,
after heeding my opinion and my counsel. And by the Holy Paternoster,
more for her welfare than for your own I thought I was doing it, and I
think so still. So much now I confess to you: it was her honour and
your desire that I sought to serve, so help me God! But when it became
evident that you had overstayed the year when you should return to my
mistress, then she became enraged at me, and thought that she had been
deceived by putting trust in my advice. And when this was discovered by
the seneschal--a rascally, underhanded, disloyal wretch, who was jealous
of me because in many matters my lady trusted me more than she trusted
him, he saw that he could now stir up great enmity between me and
her. In full court and in the presence of all he accused me of having
betrayed her in your favour. And I had no counsel or aid except my own;
but I knew that I had never done or conceived any treacherous act toward
my lady, so I cried out, as one beside herself, and without the advice
of any one, that I would present in my own defence one knight who should
fight against three. The fellow was not courteous enough to scorn
to accept such odds, nor was I at liberty to retreat or withdraw
for anything that might happen. So he took me at my word, and I was
compelled to furnish bail that I would present within forty days a
knight to do battle against three knights. Since then I have visited
many courts; I was at King Arthur's court, but found no help from any
there, nor did I find any one who could tell me any good news of you,
for they knew nothing of your affairs." "Pray tell me. Where then was my
good and gentle lord Gawain? No damsel in distress ever needed his aid
without its being extended to her." "If I had found him at court, I
could not have asked him for anything which would have been refused me;
but a certain knight has carried off the Queen, so they told me; surely
the King was mad to send her off in his company. [322] I believe it was
Kay who escorted her to meet the knight who has taken her away; and my
lord Gawain in great distress has gone in search for her. He will never
have any rest until he finds her. Now I have told you the whole truth of
my adv