knight. This was Sir Lancelot's own son, Galahad, whom he had never seen,
and did not yet know. That evening Sir Lancelot remained at the abbey with
the boy, that he might keep his vigil there, and on the morrow's dawn he
was made a knight. Sir Lancelot put on one of his spurs, and Bors,
Lancelot's cousin, the other, and then Sir Lancelot said to the boy, "Fair
son, attend me to the court of the king;" but the abbess said, "Sir, not
now, but we will send him when it shall be time."

On Whitsunday, at the time called "underne," which was nine in the
morning, King Arthur and his knights sat at the Round Table, where on
every seat there was written, in letters of gold, the name of a knight
with "here ought to sit he," or "he ought to sit here;" and thus went the
inscriptions until they came to one seat (or _siege_ in French)
called the "Siege Perilous," where they found newly written letters of
gold, saying that this seat could not be occupied until four hundred and
fifty years after the death of Christ; and that was this very day. Then
there came news of a marvellous stone which had been seen above the water,
with a sword sticking in it bearing the letters, "Never shall man take me
hence, but only he by whose side I ought to hang, and he shall be the best
knight of the world." Then two of the knights tried to draw the sword and
failed to draw it, and Sir Lancelot, who was thought the best knight in
all the world, refused to attempt it. Then they went back to their seats
around the table.

Then when all the seats but the "Siege Perilous" were full, the hall was
suddenly darkened; and an old man clad in white, whom nobody knew, came
in, with a young knight in red armor, wearing an empty scabbard at his
side, who said, "Peace be with you, fair knights." The old man said, "I
bring you here a young knight that is of kings' lineage," and the king
said, "Sir, ye are right heartily welcome." Then the old man bade the