hall with them. But at length they were silent. And when time was
that they should sleep, Peredur was brought into a fair chamber.

And the next day, with his uncle's permission, he rode forth. And he
came to a wood, and far within the wood he heard a loud cry, and he
saw a beautiful woman with auburn hair, and a horse with a saddle
upon it, standing near her, and a corpse by her side. And as she
strove to place the corpse upon the horse, it fell to the ground, and
thereupon she made a great lamentation. "Tell me, sister," said
Peredur, "wherefore art thou bewailing?" "Oh! accursed Peredur,
little pity has my ill-fortune ever met with from thee."
"Wherefore," said Peredur, "am I accursed?" "Because thou wast the
cause of thy mother's death; for when thou didst ride forth against
her will, anguish seized upon her heart, so that she died; and
therefore art thou accursed. And the dwarf and the dwarfess that
thou sawest at Arthur's Court were the dwarfs of thy father and
mother; and I am thy foster-sister, and this was my wedded husband,
and he was slain by the knight that is in the glade in the wood; and
do not thou go near him, lest thou shouldest be slain by him
likewise." "My sister, thou dost reproach me wrongfully; through my
having so long remained amongst you, I shall scarcely vanquish him;
and had I continued longer, it would, indeed, be difficult for me to
succeed. Cease, therefore, thy lamenting, for it is of no avail, and
I will bury the body, and then I will go in quest of the knight, and
see if I can do vengeance upon him." And when he had buried the
body, they went to the place where the knight was, and found him
riding proudly along the glade; and he inquired of Peredur whence he
came. "I come from Arthur's Court." "And art thou one of Arthur's
men?" "Yes, by my faith." "A profitable alliance, truly, is that of
Arthur." And without further parlance, they encountered one another,