For their words entered into his soul and abided there, and
thereupon at that same hour all his love for Tristram was turned into hate.
Thus it befell that, after that day, King Mark ever pondered and pondered
upon that which he had heard, and the longer he pondered it, the more
bitter did his life become to him, and the more he hated Sir Tristram. So
it came to pass that whenever he was with Sir Tristram and looked upon him,
he would say in his heart: "So they say that you are a better knight than
I? Would God you were dead or away from this place, for I believe that some
day you will be my undoing!" Yea; there were times when he would look upon
Sir Tristram in that wise and whisper to himself: "Would God would send a
blight upon thee, so that thou wouldst wither away!"
But always the King dissembled this hatred for Sir Tristram, so that no one
suspected him thereof; least of all did Sir Tristram suspect how changed
was the heart of the King toward him.
Now one day Sir Tristram was playing upon his harp and singing before King
Mark, and the King sat brooding upon these things as he gazed at Tristram.
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