Delphi Works of Ford Madox Ford (Illustrated) Read Online Free PDF Page B

cage against the enemy.’
    ‘I promised my father never to go out of its sight — no, I must go.’
    ‘I beseech you then, your Majesty, to allow me to accompany you, for the road to the camp is full of danger.’
    ‘But your horse is tired, and even if he were not he could never keep up with me.’
    ‘But if you will excuse the contradiction, I think I shall.’
    ‘Well then, have your own way, but mark me, if you lag behind I shall not stop. However, we are losing time. Let us go.’
    And they set off — the Princess ignoring the entreaties of the ladies that she should not go.
    The Princess immediately started at the full speed of her horse, expecting that the knight would soon fall behind; but no, he galloped at her side as if the speed were not more than usual, and his great black charger seemed to enjoy the exercise as though he had not already galloped over a hundred miles that morning.
    The Princess could not understand how it was, but she thought he would soon get tired and fall behind, but an hour passed and he showed no signs of being fatigued. So she leant over her horse and whispered softly in his ear. Instantly the horse bounded forward more swiftly than ever — so fast, indeed, that she could hardly keep her eyes open against the wind, and her golden crown was suddenly whisked away, and her beautiful golden hair streamed far out behind. Still the knight kept up, and seemed not the least distressed at the speed. The Owl meanwhile was flying far overhead, but she was not at all surprised at his keeping up, for nothing seemed impossible to him. After they had been riding thus for nearly two hours they came to a place where the path was crossed by a river, and here the Princess thought it advisable to stop and rest a moment and to let the horses drink. So she called to the knight to stop, as she was going to get off for a moment, and he at once sprang off his horse, and coming to her saddle-bow held her stirrup for her to dismount When she was off she leaned against a tree looking at the horses as they drank eagerly from the river, and then came out to browse for a moment on the bank. Then she went to where the knight’s horse stood, and patted him on the neck, for you see he was not a very fierce-looking animal, and she was not at all afraid of him.
    ‘He’s a wonderfully swift horse, Sir Knight,’ she said suddenly, ‘and I believe there is no other horse in the world as swift — not even Selim — the horse I spoke about — that belongs to the Prince of India.’
    The knight nodded.
    ‘He is a good horse, but he is no better than Selim, your Majesty, for I know Selim very well.’
    All this while he had kept his vizor down, and the Princess had been too polite to ask him to raise it, even though it was rather rude of him to keep it down. So she could not tell who he was. She knew all the knights of her own kingdom by sight, as well as most of her allies, for you must know that a great many foreign princes had sent her troops to assist her against the rebel. She looked at the device on his shield; it was a crowned tiger, but that did not help her, for she did not know whose crest it was. So at last when she could bear her curiosity no longer, she determined to ask him. So she said:
    ‘Sir Knight, should you think me very rude if I were to ask you whether you are under a vow of hiding your face?’
    ‘I am bound by no such vow; but why do you ask, your Majesty?’
    ‘Because ever since I have seen you you have kept your vizor down, and I thought perhaps it was on account of some such vow.’
    ‘Oh, I beg your pardon a thousand times, your Majesty,’ said the knight. ‘But I did not remember that I had let it down, for you see I look through its bars without noticing the difference. But I hope your Majesty will pardon the absent-mindedness,’ and he raised the vizor, at the same time bowing low to her. But it was now the Princess’s turn to be confused, for she saw before her Sir Alured the