HOW RALPH WENT TO COURT
The next day, Ralph, having thought much on what he had undertaken,
loaded his mare, as he was wont to do, with two panniers full of
coals, and made ready to start on his journey to the court. "This is
not of my counsel," said Gillian his wife; "this journey will not be
to your profit. Remember the shrewd blow that you dealt him. Keep
from the Court, say I." "Nay, Gill," said the Charcoal-burner, "I
must have my way. I promised that I would go, and go I will, whether
my going be for profit or for harm." So he loaded the panniers and
went his way to the Court.
Meanwhile King Charles had not forgotten the matter. He called
Roland to him, for, indeed, there was no man whom he trusted more,
and said to him, "To-morrow morning take your horse and your harness,
and watch well the road by which we went on the day that I was lost,
and if you see anyone coming this way, whatever his errand may be,
bring him with you to this place, and take care that he sees no one
before he sees me."
Roland wondered much what the King might mean, for it seemed a
strange thing that on the very day of Yuletide, when a man should
rest, he should be sent on such an errand. Nevertheless he took his
horse and his harness and rode forth early in the morning, and
watched the roads as he had been commanded. For a long time he saw
nothing either far or near; but a little past midday he saw the
Charcoal-burner come driving his mare before him with two panniers
filled with coals. The sight pleased him well; so he rode up to him
with all the speed that he could. The man saluted him courteously,
and Roland, in his turn, also saluted him. Their greetings ended, he
said to the man, "Come now to the King; let nothing hinder you."
"Nay," said Ralph, "I am not so foolish. This is a jest, Sir Knight,
and it is ill courtesy for a knight to jest with a common man. There
be many men better than I that come and go to Paris, and the King has
no thought of them, whether it be morning or night. If you are in
mind to trick me, I can hold my own, for all that I am ill-clad."
"This is but foolishness," said Roland, "the King has straightly
commanded that you should be brought to him." "Nay," answered Ralph,
"I am on my way, according to promise made to one Wymond, and to him
I will go and to none other." "Have done with your Wymond," cried
Roland, "I must take you to the King as the King has commanded."
So they wrangled a long time, and still the churl was firmly set that
he would go to Wymond and to none other. "And where dwells this
Wymond of yours?" said Roland. "He dwells with the Queen at Paris,
if his tale be true." "If that be so," answered Roland, "seeing that
I know well the Queen and her ladies, and you are on your way to
them, I will trust to your going. Only you must give me a pledge
that this is truly your purpose." "Nay," said the Charcoal-burner,
"I will pledge you no pledge. And as for you, get you out of my way,
or it will be the worse for you."
Roland said to himself, "Now this is but folly to continue any longer
with this fellow." And he took his leave of the man full pleasantly.
But Ralph liked not such ways; for he thought that this knight that
was so gaily clad had him in scorn. "Come hither, Sir Knight,
to-morrow when we can be alone together, you and I; surely you shall
see how I will deal with you."
Then Roland rode back to the King. By this time Mass was ended, and
the King had put on his robes. "You are well come, Sir Roland," said
he, "have you done my errand?" "Sire," answered Sir Roland, "I went
as you gave me commandment, and watched the ways, but saw no man, but
one only." "And who was this one?" asked the King. "He," said
Roland, "was but a churl that had with him two panniers of coal."
"Why did you not bring this said churl to me, as I bid you? It may
be you durst not."
Roland saw that the King was wroth, and was not a little glad to go
forth from his presence. Going forth he met a porter, "Whither go
you, lazy loon?" said he. Said the porter, "There is one at the
gate, a churl that has a mare and two panniers of coals, and he
clamours to be let in at the gate." "Whom does he want?" said
Roland. The porter answered, "He asks for one Wymond." Then Roland
said, "Go back to your place, porter, and open the gate and bid him
enter. But say that it does not lie within your office to go to this
Wymond, but that he must himself seek him."
So the porter went back to the gate and opened it, saying to the
Charcoal-burner, "Enter, man; but I have no leisure to seek for this
Wymond for whom you ask. You must seek him yourself." Said Ralph,
"If you will not seek the man, I must needs do it myself; see you
then that no harm come to the mare and the coals, and I will look for
Wymond, for certainly it was he that bade me come hither."
[Illustration: RALPH IN THE PALACE OF CHARLEMAGNE.]
So the Charcoal-burner went his way through the palace asking for
Wymond. There was not one that knew the man, or had so much as heard
the name. They seemed to Ralph to lack courtesy; nevertheless he
would not cease from his quest, nor was there any one of whom he
failed to inquire. After he had passed through many chambers he came
to one that was more splendid than all that he had seen before. It
was a great hall finely painted and hung about with tapestries, and
there the King sate at dinner in great state. On the table were many
dainties, and there was a store of dishes, both silver and gold, and
many other adornments. "Here is royalty enough," cried Ralph. "If I
could only have speech with Wymond, I would away, for this methinks
is no place for a simple man." And still he went on. Many sought to
put him back, for he seemed to press on in an unmannerly fashion; but
he was a stalwart man that gave as much as he took.
At last, after not a little trouble, he got sight of the King, where
he sat in state at the table. "See," he cried, "that is Wymond,
yonder, the man whom I seek. Well do I know him, though, indeed, he
is otherwise clad than when I last saw him. Now he is in cloth of
gold. Truly he must be some greater man than he said. Alas, that I
have been wiled hither. Truly this man has beguiled me." When the
King heard this he laughed.
Ralph looked about on the company that sat with the King, for many
worshipful men were there. But when he saw the Queen, then he was
greatly troubled. "Lady," he said, "I am sorely troubled to see your
fine attire, so splendid is it. Now if I can but escape hence this
day, nothing in the whole world shall bring me hither again."
And now, dinner being over, the King rose from the table; and he told
before the whole company how he had fared with the Charcoal-burner.
The churl quaked as he heard the tale. And he said, "Would I were on
the moor again this very hour, and the King alone, or any one of his
knights, be he the bravest and strongest of them all."
Then the lords laughed aloud. Some, however, were angry, and would
have had the man hanged. "What is this churl," said they, "that he
should so misuse the King?" But Charles would have none of such
doings. "He is a stalwart man, and can strike a hard blow. Heaven
forbid that I should harm him. Rather will I make him a knight." So
he dubbed Ralph the Charcoal-burner a knight, and gave him a revenue
of £300 by the year, and "the next fee in France that shall come into
my hands, that," said he, "will I give you. But now you must win
your spurs." So the King gave him his armour and arms, and sixty
squires of good degree to be his company. And Ralph was in after
time a very perfect, noble knight, and did good service to the King.