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Little Gauvain and his mother were greatly astonished. They could
scarcely believe that such a thing had happened; for it seemed very
wonderful and beautiful that the king should send messengers to little
Gauvain. After the knights had repeated it, though, they understood; and
little Gauvain ran to his mother and put his arms around her; for he
knew that if he went with the knights he must leave her, and the mother
knew that if she let him go she must live without him.

The rooster up on the fence crowed a very loud “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” to
let everybody know he belonged to Gauvain; and a little chick that had
lost its mother cried, “Peep! peep!” And when the mother heard this, she
answered the knights and said:–

“I cannot spare my good child from my home. The king’s love is precious;
but I love my child more than the whole world, and he is dearer to me
than a thousand kingdoms.”

Little Gauvain was so glad when he heard her answer that he looked again
at the knights with a smiling face, and waved his hand to them as they
rode away. All day and all night they rode, and it was the peep of day
when they came to the king’s highway. Then they rode slowly, for they
were sad because of their news; but the king rejoiced when he heard it,
for he said: “Such a child, with such a mother, will grow into a knight
at home.”

The king’s words were true; for when the king was an old, old man,
Gauvain rode to his court and was knighted.

Gauvain had a beautiful name of his own then, for he was called “Gauvain
the Good”; and he was brave, happy, kind, pure, and true. And he was
beloved by all the people in the world, but most of all by his mother.