So speaking, the knight turned away from the high road, and went by a shorter way toward Rome, to the emperor’s palace. The king rode upon the highway. Now, as the king drew near to Rome, one of the emperor’s servants met him, and went and told the emperor, how that the King of Hungary was riding all alone towards the city, and was wet and weary with his journey. Then the emperor set out to meet the king, and received him royally, and took his wet clothes off him, and clothed him with his own imperial robes. Then the trumpets sounded for dinner, and the emperor and the king descended to the hall; but Aglae was not there, for she kept her chamber, and her father refused her not, as it was the last day of her seven years’ vow.
“Brother,” said the emperor, as soon as the meats were removed from the table, “I pray thee tell me of thy journey.”
Then the king told him how he left his own company to come after, and fell in with the Crusader on his journey, and how he was dressed, and what he said as they rode together.
“Surely,” said the emperor, “that knight was a wise man: for the house of which he spoke was thy cloak; the bridge was thy squire, that should have ridden before thee to try the depth of the stream; and what was thy father and mother save bread and wine, which thou shouldest have brought with thee? But why did he leave thee?”
“When we came where two roads met,” rejoined the king, “he left me, saying, that seven years since he left a net in a private place, and he went to see whether it were broken or not, that he might treasure it as a jewel if it were unbroken, and if broken, resign it to me.”
Then the emperor cried with a loud voice, “Ho! my knights and servants, go ye to my daughter’s chamber.”
So the knights and servants went, and found not the lady, for her lover had stolen her away while the kings dined.
“Even so, as I expected,” said the emperor; “brother, the knight’s folly has taught thee wisdom.”
“Yea, brother,” rejoined the king, sorrowfully, “truly said the knight, every deed is judged by its end.”
So the king returned to Hungary ashamed; and when the knight and the maiden returned to her father, his heart yearned toward her, and he wept over her, and received them with joy.