"Why, do you not know, sir," said one of the young women,
"that to-morrow is Gamwell feast?"
The knight was again obliged, with all humility, to confess his ignorance.
"Oh! sir," said his informant, "then you will have something to see,
that I can tell you; for we shall choose a Queen of the May, and we
shall crown her with flowers, and place her in a chariot of flowers,
and draw it with lines of flowers, and we shall hang all the trees
with flowers, and we shall strew all the ground with flowers,
and we shall dance with flowers, and in flowers, and on flowers,
and we shall be all flowers."
"That you will," said the knight; "and the sweetest and
brightest of all the flowers of the May, my pretty damsels."
On which all the pretty damsels smiled at him and each other.
"And there will be all sorts of May-games, and there will
be prizes for archery, and there will be the knight's ale,
and the foresters' venison, and there will be Kit Scrapesqueak
with his fiddle, and little Tom Whistlerap with his fife and tabor,
and Sam Trumtwang with his harp, and Peter Muggledrone with
his bagpipe, and how I shall dance with Will Whitethorn!"
added the girl, clapping her hands as she spoke, and bounding
from the ground with the pleasure of the anticipation.
A tall athletic young man approached, to whom the rustic maidens
courtesied with great respect; and one of them informed Sir Ralph
that it was young Master William Gamwell.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59