Why, she was a perfect ass; and yet the king and his knights had listened to her as if she had been a leaf out of the gospel.

It kind of sizes up the whole party.

And think of the simple ways of this court: this wandering wench hadn't any more trouble to get access to the king in his palace than she would have had to get into the poorhouse in my day and country.

In fact, he was glad to see her, glad to hear her tale; with that adventure of hers to offer, she was as welcome as a corpse is to a coroner.
Just as I was ending-up these reflections, Clarence came back.
I remarked upon the barren result of my efforts with the girl; hadn't got hold of a single point that could help me to find the castle.

The youth looked a little surprised, or puzzled, or something, and intimated that he had been wondering to himself what I had wanted to ask the girl all those questions for.
"Why, great guns," I said, "don't I want to find the castle?
And how else would I go about it ?" "La, sweet your worship, one may lightly answer that, I ween.
She will go with thee.