"It was in Warwick Castle that I came across the curious stranger whom I am going to talk about. He attracted me by three things: his candid simplicity his marvelous familiarity with ancient armor and the restfulness of his company for he did all the talking. We fell together as modest people will in the tail of the herd that was being shown through and he at once began to say things which interested me. As he talked along softly pleasantly flowingly he seemed to drift away imperceptibly out of this world and time and into some remote era and old forgotten country; and so he gradually wove such a spell about me that I seemed to move among the specters and shadows and dust and mold of a gray antiquity holding speech with a relic of it! Exactly as I would speak of my nearest personal friends or enemies or my most familiar neighbors he spoke of Sir Bedivere Sir Bors de Ganis Sir Launcelot of the Lake Sir Galahad and all the other great names of the Table Round and how old old unspeakably old and faded and dry and musty and ancient he came to look as he went on! Presently he turned to me and said just as one might speak of the weather or any other common matter."