lied by an equally
courteous message; put the ring on his finger; bound the girdle round
his loins; offered a rich present to the chamberlain, who declined it;
but avoided all discussion on the subject of his message. The impatient
princess was almost driven to despair by the report of her chamberlain,
who, though convinced that Eliduc could not be insensible to the
kindness of his mistress, was unable to satisfy her mind, or even his
own, concerning the cause of such extreme discretion. Both, indeed, were
ignorant of the conflicts by which he was agitated. To recall his former
fondness for his wife, and to conciliate his duty and affection, was no
longer possible: to betray and dishonour the amiable Guilliadun would be
infamous; and to encourage her passion and his own, without being
hurried too far, was extremely difficult; yet on this he ultimately
resolved; and, having mounted his horse, set off for the palace under
pretence of paying his court to the king, but with the real view of
obtaining an interview with his daughter. The monarch was at that moment
in the apartment of the princess, to whom, while be played a game of
chess with a foreign knight, he explained the moves. On the entrance of
Eliduc he immediately introduced him to her, enjoining her to entertain
and form an acquaintance with a knight, who had few equals in merit; and
the young lady, gladly obeying the injunction, retired with her lover to
the farther end of the apartment. After a long silence equally painful
to both, and which each ineffectually attempted more than once to
interrupt, Eliduc luckily bethought himself of returning thanks for the
ring and girdle; which, as he assured her, he valued far beyond all his
earthly possessions. This warmth of expression encouraging the princess,
she frankly proceeded to make an avowal of her passion, declaring, if he
should reject her hand, there was no other man on earth whom she would
ever accept as a husband; and, when he mysteriously replied, that, as
far as his wishes were concerned, there could be no bar, but that it was
his purpose, after the year of service for which he was pledged to her
father, to return and establish himself in his own country, she told him
she had full confidence in his honour, and was persuaded, when the time
arrived, he would make all proper arrangements for her future destiny.
Thus ended the interview to their mutual satisfaction. Eliduc, watchful,
enterprizing, and indefatigabl