Page:The Garden of Romance - 1897.djvu/85

Rh ditched. "I will into the castle," said Balin, "and look if she be there." So he went in, and searched from chamber to chamber, and found her bed, but she was not there; then Balin looked into a fair little garden, and under a laurel tree he saw her lie upon a quilt of green samite, and a knight with her, and under their heads grass and herbs. When Balin saw her with the foulest knight that ever he saw, and she a fair lady, then Balin went through all the chambers again, and told the knight how he found her, as she had slept fast, and so brought him in the place where she lay fast sleeping.

And when Garnish beheld her so lying, for pure sorrow his mouth and nose burst out on bleeding, and with his sword he smote off both their heads, and then he made sorrow out of measure and said, "O Balin, much sorrow hast thou brought unto me, for hadst thou not shown me that sight I should have passed my sorrow." "Forsooth," said Balin, "I did it to this intent that it should better thy courage, and that ye might see and know her falsehood, and to cause you to leave love of such a lady: truly I did none other but as I would ye did to me." "Alas!" said Garnish, "now is my sorrow double that I may not endure: now have I slain that I most loved in all my life." And therewith suddenly he rove himself on his own sword unto the hilts. When Balin saw that, he dressed him thenceward, lest folks would say he had slain them, and so he rode forth, and within three days he came by a cross, and thereon were letters of gold written that said, "It is not for any knight alone to ride toward this castle." Then saw he an old hoar gentleman coming toward him that said, "Balin le Savage, thou passest thy bounds to come this way, therefore turn again and it will