When Sir Launcelot beheld her come thus gloriously into his room he rose
and greeted her with a very profound salutation, for he was astonished
beyond measure at beholding that shining vision. Then Queen Morgana gave
him her hand, and he kneeled, and took her jewelled fingers in his and set
her hand to his lips. "Welcome, Sir Launcelot!" quoth she; "welcome to this
place! For it is indeed a great honor to have here so noble and famous a
knight as you!"

"Ha, Lady," said Sir Launcelot, "you are gracious to me beyond measure! But
I pray you tell me how I came to this place and by what means? For when I
fell asleep yesterday at noon I lay beneath an apple-tree upon a hillside;
and when I awoke--lo! I found myself in this fair chamber."

[Sidenote: Queen Morgana seeks to beguile Sir Launcelot] To this Queen
Morgana le Fay made smiling reply as follows: "Sir, I am Queen Morgana le
Fay, of whom you may have heard tell, for I am the sister of King Arthur,
whose particular knight you are. Yesterday, at noon, riding with certain
other queens and a small court of knights, esquires, and demoiselles, we
went by where you lay sleeping. Finding you lying so, alone and without any
companion, I was able, by certain arts which I possess, to lay a gentle
enchantment upon you so that the sleep wherein you lay should remain
unbroken for three or four hours. So we brought you to this place in hopes
that you would stay with us for two or three days or more, and give us the
pleasure of your company. For your fame, which is very great, hath reached
even as far as this place, wherefore we have made a gentle prisoner of you
for this time being."

"Lady," said Sir Launcelot, "such constraint as that would be very pleasing
to me at another time. But when I fell asleep I was with my cousin, Sir