Beale Isoud. "The Romance of King Arthur" was a fascinating book,
and Missy was amazed that, up to this very summer, she had passed by
the rather ponderous volume, which was kept on the top shelf of the
"secretary," as uninteresting-looking. Uninteresting!

It was "The Romance of King Arthur" that, this July afternoon, lay
open on Missy's lap while she minded the baby in the summerhouse.
Already she knew by heart its "deep" and complicated story, and,
now, she was re-reading the part which told of Sir Tristram de
Liones and his ill-fated love for La Beale Isoud. It was all very
sad, yet very beautiful.

Sir Tristram was a "worshipful knight" and a "harper passing all
other." He got wounded, and his uncle, King Mark, "let purvey a fair
vessel, well victualled," and sent him to Ireland to be healed.
There the Irish King's daughter, La Beale Isoud, "the fairest maid
and lady in the world," nursed him back to health, while Sir
Tristram "learned her to harp."

That last was an odd expression. In Cherryvale it would be
considered bad grammar; but, evidently, grammar rules were different
in olden times. The unusual phraseology of the whole narrative
fascinated Missy; even when you could hardly understand it, it was--
inspiring. Yes, that was the word. In inspiring! That was because it
was the true language of Romance. The language of Love . . . Missy's
thoughts drifted off to ponder the kind of language the army officer
used to Miss Smith; Uncle Charlie to Aunt Isabel . . .

She came back to the tale of La Beale Isoud.