will agree
with me that Cuthbert, the son of Sir William de Lance, is fit for the
honor of knighthood."

A general chorus of approval arose from the assembly, and the king,
bidding Cuthbert kneel before him, drew his sword and laid it across his
shoulders, dubbing him Sir Cuthbert de Lance. When he had risen the
great barons of England pressed round to shake his hand, and Cuthbert,
who was a modest young fellow, felt almost ashamed at the honors which
were bestowed upon him. The usual ceremonies and penances which young
knights had to undergo before admission into the body--and which in
those days were extremely punctilious, and indeed severe, consisting,
among other things, in fasting, in watching the armor at night, in
seclusion and religious services--were omitted when the accolade was
bestowed for bravery in the field.

The king ordered his armorer at once to make for Cuthbert a suit of the
finest armor, and authorized him to carry on his shield a sword raising
a royal crown from the ground, in token of the deed for which the honor
of knighthood had been bestowed upon him.

Upon his return to the earl's camp the news of his new dignity spread at
once among the followers of Sir Walter, and many and hearty were the
cheers that went up from the throats of the Saxon foresters, led by
Cnut. These humble friends were indeed delighted at his success, for
they felt that to him they owed very much; and his kindness of manner
and the gayety of heart which he had shown during the hardships they had
undergone since their start had greatly endeared him to them.

Cuthbert was now to take rank among the knights who followed the banner
of the earl. A tent was erected for him, an esquire assigned to him, and
the lad as he entered his new abode felt almost bewildered at the
change which had taken place in one short day--that he, at the age of
sixteen, should have earned the honor of knighthood, and the approval of
the King of England, expressed before all the great barons of the realm,
was indeed an honor such as he could never have hoped for; and the
thought of what his mother would say should the news reach her in her
quiet Saxon home brought the tears into his eyes. He had not gone
through the usual religious ceremonies, but he knelt in his tent alone,
and prayed that he might be made worthy of the honors bestowed upon him;
that he might fulfill the duties of a Christian knight fearlessly and
honorably; that his sword might ne