Chapter 8

CHAPTER VIII.
THE STORY OF LAUNCELOT.- THE LADY OF SHALOTT. KING ARTHUR proclaimed a solemn tournament to be held at Winchester.
The king, not less impatient than his knights for this festival, set
off some days before to superintend the preparations, leaving the
queen with her court at Camelot. Sir Launcelot, under pretence of
indisposition, remained behind also. His intention was to attend the
tournament in disguise; and having communicated his project to
Guenever, he mounted his horse, set off without any attendant, and,
counterfeiting the feebleness of age, took the most unfrequented
road to Winchester, and passed unnoticed as an old knight who was
going to be a spectator of the sports. Even Arthur and Gawain, who
happened to behold him from the windows of a castle under which he
passed, were the dupes of his disguise. But an accident betrayed
him. His horse happened to stumble, and the hero, forgetting for a
moment his assumed character, recovered the animal with a strength and
agility so peculiar to himself, that they instantly recognized the
inimitable Launcelot. They suffered him, however, to proceed on his
journey without interruption, convinced that his extraordinary feats
of arms must discover him at the approaching festival.
In the evening Launcelot was magnificently entertained as a stranger
knight at the neighboring castle of Shalott. The lord of this castle
had a daughter of exquisite beauty, and two sons lately received
into the order of knighthood, one of whom was at that time ill in bed,
and thereby prevented from attending the tournament, for which both
brothers had long made preparations. Launcelot offered to attend the
other, if he were permitted to borrow the armor of the invalid, and
the lord of Shalott, without knowing the name of his guest, being
satisfied from his appearance that his son could not have a better
assistant in arms, most thankfully accepted the offer. In the meantime
the young lady, who had been much struck by the first appearance of
the stranger knight, continued to survey him with increased attention,
and before the conclusion of supper, became so deeply enamored of him,
that, after frequent changes of color, and other symptoms which Sir
Launcelot could not possibly mistake, she was obliged to retire to her
chamber, and seek relief in tears. Sir Launcelot hastened to convey to
her, by means of her brother, the information that his heart was
already disposed of, but that it would be his pride and pleasure to
act as her knight at the approaching tournament. The lady, obliged
to be satisfied with that courtesy, presented him her scarf to be worn
at the tournament.
Launcelot set off in the morning with the young knight, who, on
their approaching Winchester, carried