Chapter XLIV: Part II

Now day was gone, and night was come,
And all were fast asleep,
All save the Lady Emmeline,
Who sate in her bower to weep:

And soon she heard her true love’s voice
Low whispering at the wall,
“Awake! awake! my dear Lady,
’Tis I, thy true love call.

“Awake! awake! my Lady dear,
Come, mount this fair palfray;
This ladder of ropes will let thee down,
I’ll carry thee hence away.”

“Now nay, now nay, thou gentle Knight,
Now nay, this may not be,
For aye should I tint my maiden fame,
If alone I should wend with thee.”

“O Lady, thou with a Knight so true,
Mayst safely wend alone;
To my lady-mother I will thee bring,
Where marriage shall make us one.”

“My father he is a Baron bold,
Of lineage proud and high;
And what would he say, if his daughter
Away with a Knight should fly?

“Ah! well I wot, he never would rest,
Nor his meat should do him no good,
Till he had slain thee, Child of Elle,
And seen thy dear heart’s blood!”.

“O Lady, wert thou in thy saddle set,
And a little space him fro,
I would not care for thy cruel father,
Nor the worst that he could do.

“O Lady, wert thou in thy saddle set,
And once without this wall,
I would not care for thy cruel father,
Nor the worst that might befall.”

Fair Emmeline sighed, Fair Emmeline wept,
And aye her heart was woe:
At length he seized her lily-white hand,
And down the ladder he drew.

And thrice he clasped her to his breast,
And kissed her tenderly,
The tears that fell from her fair eyes,
Ran like the fountain free.

He mounted himself on his steed so tall,
And her on a fair palfray,
And slung his bugle about his neck,
And roundly they rode away.

All this beheard her own damsel,
In her bed whereas she lay,
Quoth she, “My Lord shall know of this,
So I shall have gold and fee!”

“Awake! awake! thou Baron bold!
Awake! my noble Dame!
Your daughter is fled with the Child of Elle
To do the deed of shame!”

The Baron he woke, the Baron he rose,
And called his merry men all:
“And come thou forth, Sir John the Knight,
The Lady is carried to thrall!”