III. THE KNIGHT WHO GREW RUSTY. VERY rich and noble knight lived in riot and A revelry, and was proud and hard to the poor. Therefore, as a punishment, God let one side of him. grow rusty. His left arm, his left leg, and indeed one half of his body rusted, except his face, which remained as it had been. So the knight drew a glove on his left hand, had it sewn at the wrist, and did not take it off day or night, so that no one might see how very rusty he was. Then he resolved to try and lead a new life. He dismissed his old friends and boon companions, and married a beautiful and religious wife. She had probably heard much evil of the knight; but as his face remained quite free from rust, she only half believed the reports when she was alone and thought about what she had been told. When he was with her, and spoke softly to her, she believed not one word, so she accepted him. Soon after the wedding, she found out why he never took off the glove from his left hand, and a great fear |