air; wherefore joy has come to you
of it, and it has made you a good knight. Yet, nevertheless,
this way is not that of knights who make great matter to
many a lady of many a thing which they have little at heart.
And your seeming shows me that you love one or other of
these ladies better than you love me. For you wept for fear
and dared not look straight at them: so that I well see that
your thought is not so much of me as you pretend. So, by the
faith you owe the thing you love best in the world, tell me
which one of the three you love so much?" "Ah! Lady," said
he, "for the mercy of God, as God shall keep me, never had
one of them my heart in her keeping." "This will not do,"
said the Queen, "you cannot dissemble. For many another such
thing have I seen, and I know that your heart is there as
surely as your body is here." And this she said that she
might well see how she might put him ill at ease. For she
thought surely enough that he meant no love save to her, or
ill would it have gone on the day of the Black Arms.[54] And
she took a keen delight in seeing and considering his
discomfort. But he was in such anguish that he wanted little
of swooning, save that fear of the ladies before him kept
him back. And the Queen herself perceived it at the sight of
his changes of colour, and caught him by the shoulder that
he might not fall, and called to Galahault. Then the prince
sprang forward and ran to his friend, and saw that he was
disturbed thus, and had great pain in his own heart for it,
and said, "Ah, Lady! tell me, for God's sake, what has
happened." And the Queen told him the conversation. "Ah,
Lady!" said Galahault, "mercy, for God's sake, or you may
lose me him by such wrath, and it would be too great pity."
"Certes," said she, "that is true. But know you why he has
done such feats of arms?" "Nay, surely, Lady," said he.
"Sir," said she, "if what he tells me is true, it was for
me." "Lady," said he, "as God shall keep me, I can believe
it. For just as he is more valiant than other men, so is
his heart truer than all theirs." "Verily," said she, "you
would say well that he is valiant if you knew what deeds he
has done since he was made knight," and then she told him
all the chivalry of Lancelot ... and how he had done it all