cart, and Sir Mellegrans kneeled down before him,
and he set his palms together and he said, "Sir Launcelot, I crave thy
pardon for what I have done."

Sir Launcelot said: "Sir Knight, if indeed thou meanest no further
treachery, thou hast my pardon and I will also intercede with the Queen
to pardon thee as well. So take me straightway to her, for until I
behold her with mine own eyes I cannot believe altogether in thy
repentance." Then Sir Mellegrans arose and said, "Come, and I will take
thee to her."

So Sir Mellegrans led the way into the castle and Sir Launcelot followed
after him with his naked sword in his hand. And Sir Mellegrans led the
way deep into the castle and along several passageways and still Sir
Launcelot followed after him with his drawn sword, ready for to slay him
if he should show sign of treason.

[Sidenote: _Sir Launcelot falleth into the pit._]

Now there was in a certain part of that castle and in the midst of a
long passageway a trap-door that opened through the floor of the
passageway and so into a deep and gloomy pit beneath. And this trap-door
was controlled by a cunning latch of which Sir Mellegrans alone knew the
secret; for when Sir Mellegrans would touch the latch with his finger,
the trap-door would immediately fall open into the pit beneath. So
thitherward to that place Sir Mellegrans led the way and Sir Launcelot
followed. And Sir Mellegrans passed over that trap-door in safety, but
when Sir Launcelot had stepped upon the trap-door, Sir Mellegrans
touched the spring that controlled the latch with his finger, and the
trap-door immediately opened beneath Sir Launcelot and Sir Launcelot
fell down into the pit beneath. And the pit was very deep indeed and the
floor thereof was of stone, so that when Sir Launcelot fell he smote the
stone floor so violently that he was altogether bereft of his senses and
lay there in the pit like to one who was dead.

Then Sir Mellegrans came back to the open space of the trap-door and he
looked down into the pit beneath and beheld Sir Launcelot where he lay.
Thereupon Sir Mellegrans laughed and he cried out, "Sir Launcelot, what
cheer have you now?" But Sir Launcelot answered not.

Then Sir Mellegrans laughed again, and he closed the trap-door and went
away, and he said to himself: "Now indeed have I such hostages in my
keeping that King Arthur must needs set right this wrong he hath
aforetime done me. For I now have in my keeping not only his Queen