The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-01-04
CHAPTER XII.
rhe. Green knIaht.

The Green Knight.
The Duchess OF Breakwater had
made Dan promise at osdene the day
he went back to London that he
would take her over to her own place.
stainer Court, and with her see the
beauty, ruins and traditions Of the
place.
When Dan got up well on in the
morning, Ruggles had gone to the
bank. Dams thoughts turned from
everything to Lefty Lane. With irri'
tstion ne put her out Of his mind
There had come up between himself
and the girl he had known slightly In
his own town two years ago wall OF
partition. Every time he saw her Pont-
otowsky was there, condescending, ar
rogant, rude and proud. The prince
the night before had given the tips
of his fingers to Dan, nodded to Rug
giles as If the Westerner had been his
tailor, and had appropriated Lefty
Lane, and she had gone away under.
his shadow. The simplicity of Dams
life, his decent bringing up, his i'm
macuiate youth, for such 1t was, his
aloofness from the world, made him
naive, butrhe was not dull. He waited
NOT like skeptic who would ut
every one into his pigeonholes-on
the contrary, he waited to find every
one as perfect as he knew they must
be. and every timethe tried to think OF
Lefty Lane, Poniotowsky troubled him
horribly and seemed to rise before
him, and sardonlcally look at him
through his eye-glass, making the
boys belief in good things ridiculous.
He wrote note to Ruggles, saying
that he would be back late and not to
wait for him, and set out in his own
car for Blankshire, where the dlch'
ess was to meet him at stainer Court
at noon. On his way out he decided
that he had been a fool to discuss Let
ty Lane with the Duchess Of Breakwa-
ter and that it had been none OF his
business to put her duty before her,
and that he had judged her quickly
and unfairly He fell in love with the
lovely English country over which his
motor took him, and 1t made him
more affectionate toward the English
woman. He sat back in his car, look
ing over the fine shooting land, the
misty golden forests, as through the
misty country his motor took Its way
The breath OF England was on bis
cheeks, he breathed in its odors fresh
and sweet, the wildness air was cool
and. fragrant. His cheeks grew red
his eyes shone like stars, and he was
content with his youth and his lot
When they stopped at Gastelen, the
property belonging to Statner Court
he felt something Of proprietorship
stir in him, and at stainer Arms or
dered drink, bought petroleum, and
then pushed up the avenue under tue
leafess giant trees, whose roots were
older than his fathers name or than
any state of the Union. And he felt
admiration and something like emo.
tion as he saw, the first towers Of
stainer Court finally appear.
The duchess waited for him in the
room known as the Green Knights
Room" because OF figure In tapes
try on the walls. The legend In wool
had been woven in Spain, somewhere
about the time when Isabelle was
kind, and when In turn a continent
doomed up for the world In general
out of the mist. The subject Of the
Green Knights tapestry was simple
and convincing. On a. sheer-cut VII
lage Of low ferns, where daisies stood
up like trees, slender lady poised
her dark sandaled feet on the pin.ike
turf. Her figure was all swathed
round with spotless dress' OF Woody
white, softened by age into golden
misty tone, and pair of friendly and
confidential rabbits sat close to her
golden slippers. The lady's face was
candid and mild; her eyes were soft,
and around her head was wound q
filet Of woven threads. mellow in
tone, a red, no doubt, originally, but
softened to a, corakpink by time. This
lady in all her grace and virginia.
sweetness was only half Of the woven
story. To her right stood g youth in
forest green, his sword drawn, and
his intention evidently to kill crea.
ture which, near to the gentle rabbits,
out Of the daisIed grass lifted ifs cruel
snakelike head. For nearly Eve hun.
dred years the serpent's venom had
been poised, and II the serpent should
atart the Green knight, would strike,
too. at the same magic moment 50
Close to the tapestry FIRE had been
laid in the broad fireplace, and the
ITO be Coutlnued.)