Читать книгу Galahad - John Erskine - Страница 6
IV
ОглавлениеLancelot was up first, before the household were ready to serve his breakfast. Elaine was up before her father. She came down with the stout spaniel at her heels, and found Lancelot walking back and forth in the garden just outside the window.
“I hope you slept well,” she said.
“Very. And you?”
“I haven’t slept the whole night.”
“What on earth have you been doing?”
“I’ve been thinking.”
“Thinking!” said Lancelot. “Your father told me you overdid it, but he didn’t say you did it at night. What were you thinking about?”
“You, Sir Lancelot. I came to two conclusions about you. I got up early to tell you one of them.”
“Why not both?”
“After the first, perhaps you won’t listen to the second.”
“What’s the first?”
“I love you, Sir Lancelot.”
“You mean—”
“Just that. Since you may not come here again, I thought I’d better tell you. If you don’t love me, I’m no worse off, and anyway I’d like you to know.... I suppose you really don’t?”
“To be frank,” said Lancelot, “I don’t.”
“Not marriage,” said Elaine. “That would be too much, of course. But just your love, for a little while?”
“I can’t.”
“Never?”
“Never.”
“Well, I shan’t give up thinking about you. You don’t mind, do you?”
“You know, I’m sorry about this!” said Lancelot.
“You needn’t be. It might happen to anybody.”
She leaned over and petted the spaniel at her feet. Lancelot looked down at her hair in the sunlight.
“It’s hardly decent of me to mention it,” he said, “but you’ve roused my curiosity. There was another conclusion?”
She straightened up and laughed. “Yes; I’m sorry you are in love with Guinevere.”
“Who says I am?”
“It makes it hard for me to solve my problem—you can see that.”
“What problem, Elaine?”
“Why, of winning your love—or of winning you! I suppose I can’t have everything.”
King Pelles came out of the door so fast that he slipped and had to recover his balance.
“I’m shocked to be late, Sir Lancelot. I gave orders to have your breakfast ready half an hour ago, but they didn’t wake me in time. It’s on the table now—don’t lose a minute. When was it you have to meet Arthur?”
