be told of Sir Kay that some while after Beaumains had
gone he bestirred himself and arose and looked about him, and for some
while he knew not what had befallen him nor where he was. Then anon he
remembered and he wist that he had suffered great shame and humiliation
at the hands of Beaumains the kitchen knave. And he saw that in that
encounter he had lost his shield and his spear and his horse and that
naught was left for him to ride upon saving only that poor gray mule
upon which the dwarf of Beaumains had been riding.

[Sidenote: _Sir Kay returneth to court, ashamed._]

Then Sir Kay wist not what to do, but there was naught else left for him
but to mount that mule and ride back again whence he had come. So he did
and when he reached the King's court there was such laughing and jesting
concerning his adventure that he scarce dared to lift his voice in
speech or to raise his face in the court for a week from that time. But
Sir Gawaine made no speech nor jest of the mishap that Sir Kay had
suffered, only he smiled very grimly and said, "Sir, you would have done
well to have hearkened to what I said to you," and Sir Kay, though at
most times he had bitter speech enough and to spare, had naught whatever
to say to Sir Gawaine in reply.

* * * * *

And now we turn again to Beaumains and Lynette as they rode onward upon
their way as aforetold.

[Sidenote: _They behold a white knight._]

For after that last speech of Lynette's, they went onward in silence,
and ever Lynette looked this way and that as though she wist not that
any such man as Beaumains was within the space of a league of that
place. So travelling they came, toward the sloping of the afternoon, to
a place nigh to the edge of a woodland where was a smooth and level
space of grass surrounded on all sides but one by the trees of the
forest. Here they beheld a knight who was just come out of the forest,
and he was clad all in white armor and he rode upon a white horse. And
the sun was shining so far aslant at that time that the light thereof
was very red, like to pure gold. And the beams of the sun fell upon the
skirts of the forest so that all the thick foliage of the woodland was
entirely bathed in that golden light. And the same light flashed upon
the polished armor of the knight and shone here and there very
gloriously as though several stars of singular radiance had fallen from
heaven and had catched upon that lonely knight