Accompanied by them alone, he resumed his journey. That day they
rode from morn till evening without encountering any adventure.
When it was now very late, and while they were riding rapidly out
of a forest, they saw a house belonging to a knight, and seated
at the door they saw his wife, who had the bearing of a gentle
lady. As soon as she espied them coming, she rose to her feet to
meet them, and greeted them joyfully with a smile: "Welcome! I
wish you to accept my house; this is your lodging; pray dismount"
"Lady, since it is your will, we thank you, and will dismount; we
accept your hospitality for the night." When they had
dismounted, the lady had the horses taken by members of her well-
ordered household. She calls her sons and daughters who come at
once: the youths were courteous, handsome, and well-behaved, and
the daughters were fair. She bids the lads remove the saddles
and curry the horses well; no one refused to do this, but each
carried out her instructions willingly. When she ordered the
knights to be disarmed, her daughters step forward to perform
this service. They remove their armour, and hand them three
short mantles to put on. Then at once they take them into the
house which was very handsome. The master was not at home, being
out in the woods with two of his sons.
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