forest, he was so hot and tired
that he dismounted, and tying his horse to a tree, he lay down
gratefully under a large oak and fell asleep.

Sounds of laughter and merriment woke him, and opening his eyes he
saw a group of maidens close by.

Pelleas was bewildered. Could they be wild woodland nymphs, he
thought, as, only half-awake, he lay there, and watched them
flitting in and out among the tall trees.

They wore bright dresses, blue and yellow and purple, and to
Pelleas the forest seemed all aglow.

The maidens were talking together, and looking first in one
direction and then in another. They were lost in the forest, on
their way to the great tournament at Carleon.

Then the lost maidens caught sight of the knight, lying
half-asleep under the oak-tree. 'He will be able to show us the
way,' they said joyfully to one another, for they guessed that he
too was on his way to the tournament.

'I will speak to the knight,' said the Lady Ettarde, the tallest
and most beautiful of all the maidens, and she left the others and
went towards Pelleas. But when she told the knight that she and her
lords and ladies had lost their way, and asked him to tell her how
to reach Carleon, he only looked at her in silence. Was she one of
the woodland nymphs? Was he still dreaming, and was she the lady of
his dreams?

As the lady still stood there, he roused himself and tried to
speak. But because he was bewildered by her beauty, he stammered
and answered foolishly.

The Lady Ettarde turned to the merry lords and ladies who had
followed her. 'The knight cannot speak, though he is so strong and
good-looking,' she said scornfully.

But Sir Pelleas was wide-awake at last. He sprang to his feet, and
told the Lady Ettarde that he had been dreaming, and that she had
seemed to him a part of his dream. 'But I too am going to Carleon,'
he added, 'and I will show you the way.'

And as they rode through the forest Sir Pelleas was always at his
lady's side. When the branches were in her way he pushed them
aside, when the path was rough he guided her horse. In the evening
when the Lady Ettarde dismounted, Pelleas was there to help her,
and in the morning again it was Pelleas who brought her horse and
helped her to mount.

Now the Lady Ettarde was a great lady in her own land; knights who
had fought many battles and won great fame had served her, and she
cared nothing for the young untried knight's love and service.

'Still he looks s