w his arms round
her, and coaxed her to let him go, she thought, 'Surely I can keep
him a little longer.' And she said, 'Your father is old, and your
brothers have left me, you will not leave me alone, Gareth. You
will stay and be a great huntsman and follow the deer.' But all the
time her heart whispered, 'He will not stay.'

And Gareth said, 'Let me go, sweet mother. Now I am a man, I must
do a man's work. "Follow the deer!" No; now I must follow the
King.'

But still his mother would not let him go. 'The next time he asks
me, I will try another way,' she thought. And when Gareth came
again and pleaded to be allowed to go to the court, she said, 'Yes,
you may go, if for one whole year you will tell no one your name,
or that you are a prince, and if for that whole year you will go
into the King's kitchen and work there.' 'These things will be too
difficult for my princely boy,' she thought.

But Gareth wanted to go so much, that he promised not to tell any
one his name, nor that he was a prince. 'And I will go to the
court, only to work in the King's kitchen for a year,' promised
Gareth proudly. And then his mother knew that her plan had failed,
and she wept.

But Gareth was glad. He got up early one morning, and without
saying good-bye to his mother, for he could not bear to see her sad
face again, he left his mountain home, and went out into the wide
world.

When three men, dressed like ploughmen, left the castle, no one
would have known that one of them was a prince. For Gareth had left
all his beautiful clothes behind him, and was dressed just like the
two servants he took with him. But still he was glad, for though he
remembered he was going to work in a kitchen, he thought a year
would soon pass, and then, perhaps, King Arthur would make him one
of his knights.

On a certain day, every year, there was a great feast at Arthur's
court. Now the King would not sit down to the feast till he had
heard if any of his people were in trouble, and if they wished one
of his knights to go to help them. And on this day too, people
could come into the King's presence to ask for any boon or good
thing they wished. Gareth reached the court, with his two servants,
on one of these feast-days.

'The King will listen to my wish to-day. I will go to him at once,'
thought Gareth. And leaning on the shoulders of his servants, so as
to look less princely, he came into the large dining-hall.

'Grant me only this boon,' Gareth