Marmie it was grip, after the usual remedies had had no effect whatever on the generally wretched feeling that made both Rose and Ruth as as wet kittens.
“I feel as though I had been broken to pieces and then put together again all wrong,” Ruth told her sister, as they lay in their little white beds, and Rose coughed and sneezed something that sounded like “So do I.”
However, this terrible sensation lasted only a couple of days. After that they began to weary of staying in bed. The sun was bright outdoors, and they could hear exciting noises downstairs, and at mealtimes Marmie and Dad laughed several times, but when the girls wanted to know what all the fun had been, Marmie couldn’t remember at all.
“Why, we didn’t laugh any more than we ever do, dears. Indeed, I thought we were rather .”
“Can’t we get up, Marmie?”
“Perhaps for a bit to-morrow. But just stay 164quiet to-day and get strong. You’ve had fever, you know.”
And she piled their beds with toys and books, and went away to attend to other things, leaving a big bell within reach so that either of them could ring if anything was wanted.
But they didn’t feel like playing or like reading. It seemed as though the bedclothes all the fun out of that sort of thing.
“Why are people sick?” asked Ruth, fretfully.
“Probably to make them appreciate being well. Just think how we go on almost all the time bursting with health, and never stop to like it.”
“I do like it,” Ruth returned indignantly.
“But just the way you like to breathe, without thinking about it. Now we think about it, though. Golly, I’d like a big piece of pie this minute.”
They both sighed.
“Well, well, well!” exclaimed that raindrop-falling voice they loved so much to hear. “What’s all this ?”
“Oh, Fairy, Fairy Honeysqueak! We’ve been sick, but we’re better. How splendid of you to come. We were just wishing we could do something besides lie here and think about good things to eat we can’t have. Can you take us on an adventure? Or can’t we go till we are well again?”
Rose had poured out these questions and explanations in a breath, and when she stopped 165Honeysqueak laughed in her most delicious fashion.
“This being ill is one of the absurd ways of mortals that I simply cannot understand,” she said, finally. “But I don’t believe there’s much sickness in you two any longer. Certainly not enough to keep us from going on an adventure. Indeed, that’s what I came for. And as I want to see an old friend of mine, I’m going to choose this time.”
“And where will you choose to go? Darling fairy, tell us, because we want to know who your old friend is.”
“I’m going to take you to see little Guinevere, and have a chat with old Merlin myself.”
“Queen Guinevere?” Ruth.
“Well, she isn’t queen anything yet, because she’s only a little girl. But she lives in a castle, and her mother’s a queen.”
“Hurry up and let’s go,” begged both the excited girls, stretching their hands toward the sound of Honeysqueak’s voice.
Her tiny hands slipped into theirs, and immediately their eyes closed. Off they floated ... floated ... !
Before them a huge grey arch of stone curved into the air, barred by a great iron . Through the bars of this gate they could see a moat full of dark water, and hanging in the air, or so it seemed, was a bridge.
166“Blow the horn hanging by the gate,” said the voice of Honeysqueak.
“Why, you haven’t gone this time, fairy, have you! How lovely! Will you stay with us all through our visit?” asked Rose delightedly.
“I’ll be about,” returned the fairy. “You see, they are all used to fairies here, and one more or less won’t matter. But blow the horn.”
Ruth had found the horn while Rose talked, a golden hanging from a ring in the stone arch; now she set it to her lips and blew with all her might.
At once the barred gate rose upward, while the bridge fell. The way lay straight across the moat. But all this while never a man showed himself.
The girls walked rather fearfully across the bridge, for they weren’t sure that it might not spring up into the air again and shake them off. It remained quiet, however. On the further side a strip of greensward separated the moat from the wall of a castle. The castle was built with two round towers and a square middle portion, in which a huge and heavy door of wood strengthened with bands and bolts of iron, with a small window in the upper part, frowned inhospitably. A kind of bronze gong hung beside this door.
“Strike the gong,” said Honeysqueak.
This time Rose stepped forward, took up an iron hammer that rested on the ground, and struck the gong a couple of thwacks. The hollow that ensued rolled on and on, first strength, then diminishing, then once more into a perfect sea of sound; it seemed as though all the echoes in the world had collected there, and were playing with the voice of the gong.
“My crikey,” murmured Rose.
And then the door swung slowly open. In the entrance stood a man dressed in chain , over which hung a splendid silken of with in gold. A sword hung at his side, the visor of his helmet was closed, and in his hand he held a spear.
“Who comes?” he asked gruffly.
“Friends of the great Merlin,” answered the voice of the fairy. “Let us pass.”
“Ye are welcome,” answered the , stepping aside. “Enter.”
So the two sisters walked hand and hand into the castle, the knight going on before. He led them into a lofty room hung with , with rushes strewn over the floor. High windows with thick glass in small irregular let through a soft light, and working near them at a great frame on which was stretched a piece of , sat a young girl. Her long golden hair curled down her back, while on top of her head she wore a sort of cap of threads of pearls. Her dress was straight and narrow, of shining white with silver threads, a golden chain hung round her neck, and there were on her arms. Rose and Ruth 168looked at her in wonder. Never had they seen a fairer sight.
“Princess Guinevere,” said the knight, bowing low, “here are friends of the great Merlin. I brought them here, according to thy command.”
“Ye are right welcome, princesses,” said Guinevere, smiling sweetly, and coming forward. “I trust ye are not weary with travel ...” and she clapped her hands together lightly. At once two entered, carrying bread and honey and milk, which they placed on a table. In the meanwhile Guinevere had taken each of the girls by the hand and now she led them to two stools by the table.
“Will ye not eat and refresh yourselves?” she said.
“Thanks, Princess Guinevere,” replied Rose. Ruth was too thunderstruck at finding herself a princess to say anything. Looking at Rose and herself she found they were dressed much as Guinevere, except that instead of white she wore a gold-coloured silk, and Rose a lovely lavender with palest green. In spite of her she set to at the bread and honey, as did Rose.
“Merlin told me ye would arrive to-day,” Guinevere continued. “And fain am I to see ye. There have been strange doings in the castle, and I wot well that ye can help me if ye will. The King, my father, is away on a quest, and except for the knight ye saw and my maidens I am alone. 169Sure are we that there is some afoot, for yesternight there were strange sounds throughout the castle, and this morning at cockcrow a loud voice summoned all my , one by one by name, to come and do battle. They rode out, armed and with swords in their hands, and vanished forthwith, nor have we seen ought of them since.”
“Good gracious, I should think some of them would have stayed here to look after the castle,” ejaculated Rose.
“It would scarcely beseem them to refuse battle,” returned the Princess, “and the castle is safe from attack. Unless there be evil enchantment at work. But Merlin will soon be here, and there is none so great in magic as he.”
“It would be too bad if he didn’t come,” Ruth said, as she admired the golden chain that hung round her neck and reached as far as her waist, “for the fairy came especially to see him.”
“What fairy?”
“Our fairy. Fairy Honeysqueak. You know she brought us, and she said she wanted to have a chat with Merlin.”
“Ah,” said Guinevere. “Perhaps she too will help my knights and me.”
“I guess so. But couldn’t we do something?” It was Rose that wanted to know.
“Let us go up into the tower and watch,” replied Guinevere. “Possibly some knight sore 170might fly back here, and it were well to be prepared to give him speedy ingress.”
So up into the tower they went, by a stairway, narrow and slippery, so worn were the stones of which it was built. Every few steps a long in the wall gave a glimpse of the outdoor world, a of blue and green, a flash of meadow or a glint of water shining in the sun. And presently the three girls emerged on top of the and were able to overlook the country between the battlements that formed a screen behind which they could keep hidden.
It was a strange sight for Rose and Ruth.
A great forest stretched on three sides of the castle, beyond the square enclosed by the moat and the high wall. This forest was open, however, with , and you could see far into the green, shadowy expanse. On the fourth side stretched a rolling meadow, through which a stream , while far away a lake lay gleaming. But what was strange was not forest or lake or meadow, but the fact that, wherever the girls looked, they saw two knights in furious combat.
In one of the glades a large knight in black armour was at a smaller knight, who wore a scarlet sleeveless sort of a jacket over his armour. The smaller knight didn’t seem to mind the blows showered upon him, but back in good measure, rising in his stirrups and whirling his sword with both hands. 171The horses stamped and circled, kicking up the dust.
These two were the nearest, but in all the glades and about the meadows were other combatants, and always a knight in scarlet fought a knight in black.
“Yonder are my knights, the noble lords in scarlet,” Guinevere informed them. “Would Merlin were here to help us.”
“Here is Merlin, Princess.”
Rose and Ruth turned quickly toward the new voice. There stood a fine looking old man with a long grey beard, and singularly bright and piercing eyes that shone under heavy . He was wrapped in a long black cloak embroidered in many colours with strange figures, and on his head was a close-fitting cap of black .
“Oh, Merlin,” cried Guinevere, “what does this mean, this calling of all my knights to do battle with these black ? And see them fighting in a circle, nor can I mark that one among them all hath the advantage.”
Merlin shook his head slowly.
“It has taken all the powers of my magic, lady, to prevent thy knights from being overborne. There is a wicked and fierce queen, called by the name of Carla of the Quaking Pool, who hath laid a spell upon this castle and all those who would fight for thee. And unless some one come soon 172to our succour, I do fear ...” and again he shook his grey head.
“What, Merlin, thou afeard?” asked a voice, and Rose and Ruth were rejoiced to recognise the Fairy Honeysqueak. “’Tis not like thee. Who is this wicked queen that she should so prevail upon thee?”
“She is a sister to the Lady of the Lake, but she is evil,” returned Merlin, sadly. “But right glad am I to see thee again, my lady fairy. thou not give me help in this danger?”
“I had come hoping for some quiet talk with thee, Merlin, but it is not to be,” said the fairy. “What with this danger and thy weakness. Yet help cometh.”
“It is sore needed,” returned the wizard. “See, even now, my magic avails little.”
Rose and Ruth, looking eagerly between the protecting walls, saw that the ring of red champions was weakening. One by one they began to give way, though still fighting .
“Lordy!” exclaimed Rose, breathlessly, “just look at the fearful that big black Knight is giving to the little red one—there, he nearly got him down that time. Can’t we do something? It seems awful to stand here and watch our soldiers getting the worst of it.”
At this moment there was a great shout from all the black knights, and with the roar of that shout the red knights dropped their weapons, or fell from their horses, or stumbled, if they were 173afoot, and fell to the ground. It seemed indeed as though some b............