CHAPTER ELEVEN IN THE DARK CASTLE

WHEN the meal（which was pigeon pie，cold ham，salad， and cakes）had been brought，and all had drawn their chairs up to the table and begun，the Knight continued：“You must understand，friends，that I know nothing of who I was and whence I came into this Dark World. I remember no time when I was not dwelling，as now，at the court of this all but heavenly Queen；but my thought is that she saved me from some evil enchantment and brought me hither of her exceeding bounty. （Honest Frogfoot， your cup is empty. Suffer me to refill it.）And this seems to me the likelier because even now I am bound by a spell，from which my Lady alone can free me. Every night there comes an hour when my mind is most horribly changed，and，after my mind，my body. For first I become furious and wild and would rush upon my dearest friends to kill them，if I were not bound. And soon after that，I turn into the likeness of a great serpent，hungry，fierce， and deadly. （Sir，be pleased to take another breast of pigeon，I entreat you.）So they tell me，and they certainly speak truth， for my Lady says the same. I myself know nothing of it，for when my hour is past I awake forgetful of all that vile fit and in my proper shape and sound mind—saving that I am somewhat wearied. （Little lady，eat one of these honey cakes，which are brought for me from some barbarous land in the far south of the world.）Now the Queen’s majesty knows by her art that I shall be freed from this enchantment when once she has made me king of a land in the Overworld and set its crown upon my head. The land is already chosen and the very place of our breaking out. Her Earthmen have worked day and night digging a way beneath it，and have now gone so far and so high that they tunnel not a score of feet beneath the very grass on which the Updwellers of that country walk. It will be very soon now that those Uplanders’ fate will come upon them. She herself is at the diggings tonight，and I expect a message to go to her. Then the thin roof of earth which still keeps me from my kingdom will be broken through，and with her to guide me and a thousand Earthmen at my back，I shall ride forth in arms，fall suddenly on our enemies，slay their chief men，cast down their strong places，and doubtless be their crowned king within four and twenty hours.”

“It’s a bit rough luck on them，isn’t it ？ ”said Scrubb.

“Thou art a lad of a wondrous，quick-working wit ！” exclaimed the Knight. “For，on my honour，I had never thought of it so before. I see your meaning.”He looked slightly，very slightly troubled for a moment or two；but his face soon cleared and he broke out，with another of his loud laughs，“But fie on gravity ！ Is it not the most comical and ridiculous thing in the world to think of them all going about their business and never dreaming that under their peaceful fields and floors，only a fathom down，there is a great army ready to break out upon them like a fountain ！ And they never to have suspected ！ Why，they themselves，when once the first smart of their defeat is over，can hardly choose but laugh at the thought ！”

“I don’t think it’s funny at all,”said Jill. “I think you’ll be a wicked tyrant.”

“What ？”said the Knight，still laughing and patting her head in a quite infuriating fashion. “Is our little maid a deep politician ？ But never fear，sweetheart. In ruling that land，I shall do all by the counsel of my Lady，who will then be my Queen too. Her word shall be my law，even as my word will be law to the people we have conquered.”

“Where I come from,”said Jill，who was disliking him more every minute，“they don’t think much of men who are bossed about by their wives.”

“Shalt think otherwise when thou hast a man of thine own，I warrant you,”said the Knight，apparently thinking this very funny. “But with my Lady，it is another matter. I am well content to live by her word，who has already saved me from a thousand dangers. No mother has taken pains more tenderly for her child，than the Queen’s grace has for me. Why，look you，amid all her cares and business，she rideth out with me in the Overworld many a time and oft to accustom my eyes to the sunlight. And then I must go fully armed and with visor down，so that no man may see my face，and I must speak to no one. For she has found out by art magical that this would hinder my deliverance from the grievous enchantment I lie under. Is not that a lady worthy of a man’s whole worship ？”