Everybody in the castle noticed the change in their master,
and grieved over it.
One night, he invited a learned monk from the white monastery, not far
away, to come and take dinner with him. The table in the great
banqueting hall was spread with the most delicious viands, the lights
were magnificent, and the music gay.
But Wyland, the monk, was a man of magic and could see through things.
He noticed that some secret grief was preying upon the Prince's mind.
He discerned that, amidst all this splendor, he, Benlli, the lord of
the castle, was the most miserable person within its walls. So Wyland
went home, resolved to call again and find out what was the trouble.
When they met, some days later, Wyland's greeting was this:
"Christ save thee, Benlli! What secret sorrow clouds thy brow? Why so
gloomy?"
Benlli at once burst out with the story of how he met the Maid of the
Green Forest, and how she became his wife on three conditions.
"Think of it," said Benlli, groaning aloud. "When the owls cry and the
crickets chirp, my wife leaves my bed, and until the daystar appears,
I lie alone, torn with curiosity, to know where she is, and what she
is doing.
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