With that, behold you the dwarf that cometh.
"By my head, damsels, your knights go from bad to worse! Of him in the
white arms one may even let pass, but Messire Gawain is the most coward
ever saw I yet, and so he were to run upon me to-morrow and I were
armed like as is he, I should think me right well able to defend me
against him. 'Tis the devil took him to a place where is such plenty of
knights, for the more folk that are there the better may one judge of
his ill conditions. And you, Sir," saith he to the King, "Wherefore do
you keep him company? You would have done best to-day had he not been
there. He skulked as close by you, to be out of the buffets, as a hare
doth to the wood for the hounds. No business hath good knight to hold
company with a coward. I say not this for that I would make him out
worse that he is, for I remember the two knights he slew before this
tent."
The damsel heareth the dwarf talking and smileth thereat, for she
understandeth that blame enough hath Messire Gawain had at the
assembly. The knights said at their hostels that they knew not to whom
to give the Circlet of Gold, sith that the Knight of the Golden Armour
and he of the Red Armour were not there; for they did the best the
first day of the assembly, and much they marvelled that they should not
come when it was continued on the morrow.
"Gawain," saith the King, "Sore blame have you had this day, and I
myself have been all shamed for your sake. Never thought I that so
good a knight as you might ever have known how to counterfeit a bad
knight as you did. You have done much for the love of the damsel, and
right well had she avenged herself of you and you had done her great
annoy. Howbeit, and to-morrow your cowardize be such as it hath been
to-day, never will the day be when you shall not have blame thereof."