The combat is now over and the Black Knight rides off. ~~ Dame Melancholy is gone ~ in her place there is another lady, Hope ( Esperance ). It is she who pulls Cueur from the muddy stream, his horse having already scrambled out. In the stream float broken pieces of Sorrows Lance, but Cueur's lance , too, has fallen
into the water. Cueur has tied his shield to his back and is supporting himself on the riverbank with his left arm. Hope is holding her left arm out for balance as she tugs at Cueur's wrist. Desire bows to her in mute homage, but from the text we learn that he also lends her a hand in her rescue work.

The scene is the same as in the previous illustration, though it has shifted a bit, with the bridge and the hills and trees behind it further off to the left. This brings more of the stream into the picture, with the new trees visible, among them a flourishing willow. The figure of Hope can be seen only from the back, but her violet-blue gown with its graceful folds, her abundant golden hair and crown bring fresh color into the picture, just as her appearance gives the story a new impetus.

It seems that Hope has followed the two riders out of concern for their fate. On the way she was able to free young Welcome from the bonds of Jealousy, and send him on his back to Amour. She herself continues on to the Spring of Chance, where she saw the tracks of their horses, and so arrived just in time at the Dangerous Crossing. Again, she counsels them on the journey ahead: "My children, heed my advice, you will find none better anywhere, I shall always care for you, trust me, for I never lie...." Cueur asks her to stay with them, but she siezes the reins of her horse and suddenly vanishes into thin air. ...
.. [ Next folio No.25 ]

Enlarged inset of Page Desire
Enlarged inset of Knight LeCueur
showing intricate painting style of Rene
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