to the chapel of a
hermit of the forest and that the light that he beheld came from within
the hermit's dwelling-place.

As Denneys drew nigh to the chapel and the hut a great horse neighed
from a cabin close by, and therewith he was aware that some other
wayfarer was there, and that he should have comradeship--and at that his
heart was elated with gladness.

[Sidenote: _Denneys cometh to the chapel of the hermit._]

So he rode up to the door of the hut and knocked, and in answer to his
knocking there came one and opened to him, and that one was a most
reverend hermit with a long beard as white as snow and a face very calm
and gentle and covered all over with a great multitude of wrinkles.

(And this was the hermit of the forest several times spoken of aforetime
in these histories.)

When the hermit beheld before him that young lad, all haggard and worn
and faint and sick with weariness and travel and hunger, he took great
pity and ran to him and catched him in his arms and lifted him down from
his horse and bare him into the hermitage, and sat him down upon a bench
that was there.

Denneys said: "Give me to eat and to drink, for I am faint to death."
And the hermit said, "You shall have food upon the moment," and he went
to fetch it.

Then Denneys gazed about him with heavy eyes, and was aware that there
was another in the hut besides himself. And then he heard a voice speak
his name with great wonderment, saying: "Denneys, is it then thou who
hast come here at this time? What ails thee? Lo! I knew thee not when I
first beheld thee enter."

Then Denneys lifted up his eyes, and he beheld that it was Sir Launcelot
of the Lake who spoke to him thus in the hut of the hermit.

[Sidenote: _Denneys findeth Sir Launcelot._]

At that, and seeing who it was who spake to him, Denneys leaped up and
ran to Sir Launcelot and fell down upon his knees before him. And he
embraced Sir Launcelot about the knees, weeping beyond measure because
of the many troubles through which he had passed.

Sir Launcelot said: "Denneys, what is it ails thee? Where is the Queen,
and how came you here at this place and at this hour? Why look you so
distraught, and why are you so stained with blood?"

Then Denneys, still weeping, told Sir Launcelot all that had befallen,
and how that the Lady Guinevere was prisoner in the castle of Sir
Mellegrans somewhere in the midst of that forest.

[Sidenote: _Sir Launcelot rides forth to save the Quee