ing had never fared better than at the table of the
Green Knight, whilst his host himself was so clever and agreeable,
that he was delighted, and thought 'what a charming son-in-law this
knight would make!'

Next morning, when he was about to set forth on his journey home, the
Green Knight put into his hand a jewelled casket, saying:

'Will your highness graciously condescend to carry this gift to the
princess, your daughter? It contains my portrait, that when I come she
may know me; for I feel certain that she is the lady I have seen night
after night in a dream, and I must win her for my bride.'

The king gave the knight his blessing, and promised to take the gift
to his daughter. With that he set off, and ere long reached his own
country.

The princess was awaiting him anxiously when he arrived, and ran to
his arms in her joy at seeing her dear father again.

'And did you see the Green Knight?' she asked.

'Yes,' answered the king, drawing out the casket the knight had sent,
'and he begged me to give you this that you may know him when he
arrives and not mistake him for somebody else.'

When the princess saw the portrait she was delighted, and exclaimed:
'It is indeed the man whom I have seen in my dreams! Now I shall be
happy, for he and no other shall be my husband.'

Very soon after the Green Knight arrived, and he looked so handsome in
his green armour, with a long green plume in his helmet, that the
princess fell still more in love with him than before, and when he saw
her, and recognised her as the lady whom he had so often dreamt of, he
immediately asked her to be his bride. The princess looked down and
smiled as she answered him:

'We must keep the secret from my step-mother until the wedding-day,'
said she, 'for otherwise she will find a way to do us some evil.'

'As you please,' replied the prince; 'but I must visit you daily, for
I can live no longer without you! I will come early in the morning and
not leave until it is dark; thus the queen will not see me row across
the lake.'

For a long time, the Green Knight visited the princess every day, and
spent many hours wandering with her through the beautiful gardens
where they knew the queen could not see them. But secrets, as you
know, are dangerous things, and at last, one morning, a girl who was
in service at the palace happened to be walking by the lake early in
the morning and beheld a wonderfully handsome young man, in a
beautiful suit of