Then all the King’s household went to service at the minster, and when they came back to the palace they saw a strange sight.

In the dining-hall the Round Table at which the King and his knights always sat seemed strangely bright.

The King looked more closely, and saw that at one place on this Round Table were large letters.  And he read, “This is the seat of Sir Galahad, the Pure-hearted.”  But only Sir Lancelot knew that Sir Galahad was the boy-knight he had left behind him in the quiet old abbey.

“We will cover the letters till the Knight of the Pure Heart comes,” said Sir Lancelot; and he took silk and laid it over the glittering letters.

Then as they sat down to table they were disturbed by Sir Kay, the steward of the King’s kitchen.

“You do not sit down to eat at this festival,” Sir Kay reminded the King, “till you have seen or heard some great adventure.”  And the King told his steward that the writing in gold had made him forget his usual custom.

As they waited a squire came hastily into the hall.  “I have a strange tale to tell,” he said.  “As I walked along the bank of the river I saw a great stone, and it floated on the top of the water, and into the stone there has been thrust a sword.”

Then the King and all his knights went down to the river, and they saw the stone, and it was like red marble.  And the sword that had been thrust into the stone was strong and fair.  The handle of it was studded with precious stones, and among the stones there were letters of gold.

The King stepped forward, and bending over the sword read these words:  “No one shall take me away save him to whom I belong.  I will hang only by the side of the best knight in the world.”

The King turned to Sir Lancelot.  “The sword is yours, for surely there lives no truer knight.”

But Sir Lancelot answered gravely, “The sword is not mine.  It will never hang by my side, for I dare not try to take it.”

The King was sorry that his great knight’s courage failed, but he turned to Sir Gawaine and asked him to try to take the sword.

And at first Sir Gawaine hesitated.  But when he looked again at the precious stones that sparkled on the handle, he hesitated no longer.  But he no sooner touched the sword than it wounded him, so that he could not use his arm for many days.

Then the King turned to Sir Percivale.  And because Arthur wished it, Sir Percivale tried to take the sword; but he could not move it.  And after that no other knight dared to touch the fair sword; so they turned and went back to the palace.

In the dining-hall the King and his knights sat down once more at the Round Table, and each knight knew his own chair.  And all the seats were filled except the chair opposite the writing in gold.

It had been a day full of surprise, but now the most wonderful thing of all happened.  For as they sat down, suddenly all the doors of the palace shut with a loud noise, but no one had touched the doors.  And all the windows were softly closed, but no one saw the hands that closed them.