Nay, she said, staying the words that
were coming from his mouth, I wot that thou canst do it if thine
heart can suffer it; for thou art stronger than I, and thou mayst
break my bow, and wrest this knife out of mine hand; and thou canst
bind me and make me fast to the saddle, and so lead my helpless body
into thraldom and death. But thou hast said that thou lovest me, and
I believe thee herein. Therefore I know that thou canst not will to
do this.
He answered in his surly voice: Thou art right, lady, I cannot.
Nay, hearken thou this time. I have been turning over night-long
what thou didst say about leaving my lord, that is, betraying him,
for it comes to that; and now I have made up my mind to do it, and I
will betray him for thy sake. Wherefore there is a third way to take
which thou hast not seen; we will ride out of this dale in an hour's
time, and I will bring thee to them who are only less the mortal foes
of the Red Knight than are thy fellows of the Quest, to wit, to the
captain and burgesses of the good town of Greenford by the Water; and
I will do them to wit that I have rescued thee from the hands of the
Red Knight, and am become his foe; and will show them all his
incomings and outgoings, and every whit of rede, and entrap him, so
that he fall into their hands.
Pages:
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305