GOES the tale back now to the time when the kingship of ChildChristopher was scarce more than one month old; and tells that as theKing sat with his Queen in the cool of his garden on a morning of August,there came to him a swain of service, who did him to wit that an outlandlord was come, and would see him and give him a message.
So the King bade bring him in to the garden to him straight-way; sothe man went, and came back again leading in a knight somewhat strickenin years, on whose green surcoat was beaten a golden lion.
He came to those twain and did obeisance to them, but spake, as itseemed, to Goldilind alone: "Lady, and Queen of Meadham," said he, "itis unto thee, first of all, that mine errand is."
Then she spoke and said: "Welcome to thee, Sir Castellan ofGreenharbour, we shall hear thy words gladly."
Said the new-comer: "Lady, I am no longer the Burgreve ofGreenharbour, but Sir Guisebert, lord of the Green March, and thy trueservant and a suitor for thy grace and pardon."
"I pardon thee not, but thank thee for what thou didst of good to me,"said Goldilind, "and I think that now thine errand shall be friendly."
Then turned the Green Knight to the King, and he said: "Have I thyleave to speak, Lord King?" and he smiled covertly.
But Christopher looked on the face and coat-armour of him, and calledhim to mind as the man who had stood betwixt him and present death thatand said: "My leave thou hast, Sir Knight, to speak fully and freely, andthat the more as meseemeth I saw thee first when thou hadst weaponedmen at thy back, and wert turning their staves away from my breast."
"Even so it is, Lord King," said the Knight; "and to say sooth, I fearthee less for thy kingship, than because I wot well that thou mayst lightlytake me up by the small of my back and cast me over thy shoulder if thouhave a mind therefor."morning in the porch of the Littledale house; so he looked on him friendly,
Christopher laughed at his word, and bade him sit down upon thegreen grass and tell his errand straightway; and the Knight tarried not, butspake out: "Queen of Meadham, I am a friend and fellow, and in somesort a servant, to Earl Geoffrey, Regent of Meadham, whom thou knowest;and he hath put a word in my mouth which is both short and easy for meto tell. All goes awry in Meadham now, and men are arming against eachother, and will presently be warring, but if thou look to it; because all thisis for lack of thee. But if thou wilt vouchsafe to come to Meadhamstead,and sit on thy throne for a little while, commanding and forbidding; and ifthou wilt appoint one of the lords for thine Earl there, and others for thycaptains, and governors and burgreves and so forth; then if the people seethee and hear thee, the swords will go into their sheaths, and the spearswill hang on the wall again, and we shall have peace in Meadham, for allwill do thy bidding. Wherefore, Lady and Queen, I beseech thee to cometo us, and stave off the riot and ruin. What sayest thou?"
Goldilind made answer in a while: "Sir Guisebert, true it is that Ilong to see my people, and to look once more on my father's house, andthe place where he was born and died. But how know I but this is somewile of Earl Geoffrey, for he hath not been abounding in trustiness towardus?"