Sir Agravaine the Dolorous is neither strong nor handsome but he is a knight. So when a damsel arrives at King Arthur's court to ask for help with a fiery dragon (and you know what a nuisance they can be) he volunteers. In fact he is the only one to do so as the girl is much plainer than the average d. in distress. But he has fallen instantly in love with her.
Arriving at her father's castle they seem strangely reluctant to talk about the dragon ...
| Sir Agravaine | a short and ugly knight |
| Yvonne | a damsel in distress |
| Earl Dorm of the Hills | her father |
| Arthur | King of England |
| Dickon | a guard |
| Walt | another guard |
| a wise man |
First published 29 June 1912 in Colliers (US).
Also published in Pearson's Magazine (UK) December 1912.
(It might also have been published in the February 1961 edition of Escapade (US) as Roderick the Runt but I cannot confirm it is the same story.)
Malvoisie
- malmsey, a strong sweet wine.
Crupper
- horse's hindquarters or a strap buckled to the back of the saddle.
Malory
- a reference to Sir Thomas Malory's book Morte d'Arthur about King Arthur and the Round Table.
Tennyson
- referring to Idylls of the King, a set of poems about Arthur etc.
Camelot
- home of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Its whereabouts has been the subject of much speculation.
Churl
- a peasant, person of low birth.
Malapert
- impudent, saucy, such a person.
'He groaned in spirit.'
- from John: Chapter 11, Verse 33.
Scullion
- a dish washer.
S. O. S.
- signal of distress in Morse code, hence any call for assistance.
' ... a rogues' gallery smile ...'
- a rogues' gallery is a collection of pictures of criminals and suspects etc for witness identification.
Élan
- vivacity, dash.
Praxitales
- an Athenian sculptor in marble and bronze, active approximately 380 - 320 BC.