Free A Perfect Gentle Knight by Kit Pearson Page A

the knife to the dining room and spent the rest of the afternoon making swords out of some scraps of wood they found in Mr. Cooper’s workshop.
    S IR PERCEVAL WAS a tricky secret to keep. “Is Meredith a knight too?” Orly asked when Corrie and Meredith were galloping down the street on imaginary horses.
    Corrie decided it was safer to include Orly and Juliet and Harry in the secret than to try to hide it from them. She took them out to Camelot and made them swear to secrecy on their swords. The twins did this readily, but Harry was reluctant. “If Sebastian doesn’t want Meredith to be a knight, I don’t think she should be.”
    â€œIt’s just for Meredith and me,” Corrie told him. “It’s an extra game, not the real game. Anyway, she’s going to be a knight whether we want her to be or not. And what’s wrong with that? Sebastian doesn’t need to know.”
    Finally Harry agreed. Corrie felt only slightly guilty. Mostly she was thrilled to have a fellow knight.
    Sir Gareth and Sir Perceval tried to turn their bikes into horses by attaching reins to the handlebars, but it was impossible to ride without falling off. They started a notebook with all their quests written in it. Then they began to pretend school was a school for knights, just as Corrie used to. Whenever Donna or Sharon talked about how dreamy Elvis was, Corrie and Meredith would exchange a smug look. They were knights of the Round Table! They would never be that silly.
    Corrie reasoned that as long as she kept the two knight games completely separate, everything would be all right. Meredith begged to play with her on Saturday afternoons after Round Table meetings, but Corrie tried to reserve Saturdays for her family.
    The school days they played at Corrie’s were difficult, however. Then she tried to persuade Meredith to play another game, in case Sebastian came home while she was there.
    One rainy afternoon Meredith asked if she could see inside Camelot.
    â€œCamelot!” said Corrie frantically. “No, I’m sorry but—”
    â€œSebastian wouldn’t like it,” finished Meredith. “He’s out though, isn’t he?”
    Sebastian had taken Harry on the bus downtown. They wouldn’t be back until dinner.
    â€œ Please , Corrie,” begged Meredith. “This could be the only time. I won’t touch anything and I won’t tell Harry or the twins. I just want to know what’s there . It would help me to be a better knight, to see all your stuff.”
    Finally Corrie led her into Camelot, after checking to make sure that Juliet and Orly were safely watching “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
    â€œThis is wonderful !” breathed Meredith. “The table is actually round !” She examined everything: the walls hung with coats of arms, the detailed drawings of every part of a knight’s armour, and the schedules for jousting and hawking.
    â€œThis is my siege,” said Corrie proudly, showing Meredith the stool with “Gareth” carved in it.
    â€œSiege?”
    â€œIt means seat.”
    They spent so long in Camelot that Corrie lost track of the time. Suddenly she noticed how dark it was. “Let’s go!” she urged. “What if they’re back?”
    As they burst through the back door, Sebastian and Harry were coming in the front, shaking water from their jackets. “We went to Woodward’s, Corrie,” said Harry. “Look what I bought with the allowance I saved up!” He pulled a model spaceship from a paper bag. “I didn’t have quite enough money, but Sebastian paid the difference.”
    Sebastian stared at their dripping hair. “Why are you two so wet?”
    A knight never lies. Corrie couldn’t answer.
    â€œI want to talk to you, Corrie,” said Sebastian, looking pointedly at Meredith.
    â€œI’ll go home now,” said Meredith hastily. “Bye, Corrie. I’ll