f the
palace to show him the strange red stone that floated on the river.
When Sir Galahad heard how the knights could not draw the sword out
of the stone, he knew that this adventure was his.

'I will try to take the sword,' said the boy-knight, 'and place it
in my sheath, for it is empty,' and he pointed to his side. Then
he laid his hand on the wonderful sword, and easily drew it out of
the stone, and placed it in his sheath.

'God has sent you the sword, now He will send you a shield as
well,' said King Arthur.

Then the King proclaimed that the next day there would be a
tournament in the meadows of Camelot. For before his knights went
out to new adventures, he would see Sir Galahad proved.

And in the morning the meadows lay bright in the sunshine. And the
boy-knight rode bravely to his first combat, and overthrew many
men; but Sir Lancelot and Sir Percivale he could not overthrow.

When the tournament was over the King and his knights went home to
supper, and each sat in his own seat at the Round Table.

All at once there was a loud crashing noise, a noise that was
louder than any peal of thunder. Was the King's wonderful palace
falling to pieces?

But while the noise still sounded a marvellous light stole into
the room, a light brighter than any sunbeam.

As the knights looked at one another, each seemed to the other to
have a new glory and a new beauty in his face.

And down the sunbeam glided the Holy Grail. It was the Sacred Cup
they had all longed to see. But no one saw it, for it was invisible
to all but the pure-hearted Sir Galahad.

As the strange light faded away, King Arthur heard his knights
vowing that they would go in search of the Holy Grail, and never
give up the quest till they had found it.

And the boy-knight knew that he too would go over land and sea,
till he saw again the wonderful vision.

That night the King could not sleep, for his sorrow was great. His
knights would wander into far-off countries, and many of them would
forget that they were in search of the Holy Grail. Would they not
have found the Sacred Cup one day if they had stayed with their
King and helped to clear the country of its enemies?

In the morning the streets of Camelot were crowded with rich and
poor. And the people wept as they watched the knights ride away on
their strange quest. And the King wept too, for he knew that now
there would be many empty chairs at the Round Table.

The knights rode together