“My bridge,” said the king, “how strangely thou speakest, Sir Knight; my bridge is made of stones and mortar, and is half a mile long, and yet thou sayest, why have I not my bridge? Thou art foolish, Sir Knight!”
“Perhaps,” replied the knight, “my folly may turn thee to wisdom.”
And as they rode on, the king asked of the knight what hour of the day it was.
“For those that are hungry,” replied the knight, “it is time to eat; dismount therefore, my lord, and honor me by partaking of the food I have with me.”
So they both sat down under a tree, and ate of the food that was in the knight’s wallet, and drank of the clear stream that ran beside them. When their meal was finished, and they were once more mounted, the knight said:
“O king, why didst not thou bring with thee thy father and thy mother?”
“My father, Sir Knight, is dead, and my mother is old and cannot travel; how then could I bring them? Verily, thou art the most foolish man that I did ever meet with.”
“That is as it may be,” said the knight with a smile, “every thing is judged by its end. Now, O king, farewell! I may not ride with thee to the emperor’s palace, thither lies thy road, farewell.”
“But stay, Sir Knight,” said the king, “whither ridest thou then?”
“Seven years ago, I left a net in a place, and now I go to see. If I find it not broken, then will I take it home, and keep it, as a precious jewel; if it be broken, I will leave it to thee. O king, once more, farewell.”