THE GOOD KNIGHT AND THE FAIR UNKNOWN

  Now, once when this good knight was broke
  And all his chattels were in soak,
      The brave Sir Thompson came
  And saith:  “I’ faith accept this loan
  Of silver from a fair unknown—­
      But do not ask her name!”

  The Good Knight dropped his wassail cup
  And took the proffered bauble up,
      And cautiously he bit
  Its surface, but it would not yield,
  Which did convince the grand old Field
      It was not counterfeit.

  Then quoth the Good Knight, as he wept: 
  “Soothly this boon I must accept,
      Else would I sore offend
  The doer of this timely deed,
  The nymph who would allay my need—­
      My fair but unknown friend.

  “But take to her, O gallant knight,
  This signet with my solemn plight
      To seek her presence straight,
  When varlets or a caitiff crew
  Resolved some evil deed to do—­
      Besiege her castle gate.

  “Then when her faithful squire shall bring
  To him who sent this signet ring
      Invoking aid of me—­
  Lo, by my faith, with this good sword
  Will I disperse the base-born horde
      And set the princess free!

  “And yet, Sir Thompson, if I send
  This signet to my unknown friend,
      I jeopardize my life;
  For this fair signet which you see,
  Odds bobs, doth not belong to me,
      But to my brawny wife!

  “I should not risk so sweet a thing
  As my salvation for a ring,
      And all through jealous spite! 
  Haste to the fair unknown and say
  You lost the ring upon the way—­
      Come, there’s a courteous Knight!”

  Eftsoons he spake, the Good Knight drew
  His visor down, and waving to
      Sir Thompson fond farewell,
  He leapt upon his courser fleet
  And crossed the drawbridge to the street
      Which was ycleped La Salle._

Another bit of verse was inspired by this incident which is worth preserving:  One night I was dining at the house of a friend on the North Side where the “Fair Unknown” was one of the company—­a fact of which Field only became possessed when I left the office late in the afternoon.  The dinner had not progressed quite to the withdrawal of the ladies when, with some confusion, one of the waiting-men brought in and gave to me a large packet from the office marked “Personal; deliver at once.”  Thinking it had something to do with work for the Morning News, I asked to be excused and hastily tore the enclosure open.  One glance was enough to disclose its nature.  It was a poem from Field, neatly arranged in the form of a pamphlet, with an illustration by Sclanders.  The outside, which was in the form of a title page, ran thus: 

  HOW THE GOOD KNIGHT ATTENDED UPON SIR SLOSSON: 

  BEING A WOEFUL TALE
  OF
  THE MOST JOYOUS AND DIVERTING DAYS