th that he gave her a violent blow on the ear, and tried to drag her
away out of the hall. And Enid shrieked and wept and cried for help,
but none of the knights that sat there dared to oppose their lord.

But suddenly men started up from their seats in terror to see the
corpse of Geraint rise from the hollow of the shield. Enid's cries had
roused him from his swoon, and his hand as he raised himself felt the
hilt of the sword beside him.

He leaped from the litter, and, drawing his sword, he ran towards the
earl, who by now had almost dragged Enid to the door. Raising the
sword, Geraint struck him with so fierce a blow that he cleft his head
in twain.

Then, for terror at seeing what they thought was a dead man rise up to
slay them, the knights ran from the hall and left Geraint and Enid
alone.

Enid threw her arms about Geraint, her face bright with happiness.

'My dear lord, I thank God thou art not dead, as this man said thou
wert. And I pray thy forgiveness for doubting that thou hadst forgotten
thy manhood, for of a truth none is so brave, so good as thou art.'

Geraint kissed his wife, smiling wanly the while.

'Sorry I am, my dear wife,' he said, 'that I was swooning when thou
hadst need of me. And as for any doubts thou hadst of me, why, let us
both forget them from this time forth. And now we must away, ere this
lord's men recover their fright and pursue us.'

Enid led him instantly to the stalls where she had seen the horses had
been led, and Geraint took the spear and the horse of the knight whom
the trolls had slain, and, when he had mounted, he took up Enid from
the ground and placed her before him.

Thus they rode out of the castle, and away as rapidly as they could.
And now that they were reconciled, much joyful and loving talk was
between them.

But night was coming on, and Geraint was weak from his wounds and loss
of blood, and Enid was full of trouble for the pain her husband
suffered. She prayed fervently that soon they might reach a town where
she could obtain help for him.

Suddenly she heard far away in the distance the tramp of horses, and
Enid could have wept for sorrow. But she kept her face calm, though her
lips trembled, Geraint also heard the beat of the hoofs, and turning in
his saddle he looked up, and saw on the skyline of the narrow road the
glint of spears between them and the sky.

'Dear wife,' he said, with a faint brave smile, 'I hear some one
following us. I will put