Fall of Knight (32 page)
And with that, he stood, tried to determine what the hell had just happened, decided that he would never, ever figure out women, and headed off to find Arthur. He would try not to be too demonstrative in the reunion, and there were several things that he would make sure to let Arthur know he could have handled far better in the Paracelsus business.
The worst thing he could do would be to let Wart get a swelled head about saving the world.
E
O
LDE
E
PILOGUE
A
RTHUR LOOKED AROUND
the assemblage of the Round Table and nodded with grim satisfaction. “We’ve done some solid work here today, gentlemen,” he said. “You have reason to be proud. By the interaction we have here, I am hoping—praying, really, if one can accept that notion—that we are not only going to put forward ideas that will be embraced by the leaders of our world…but that we will raise the level of discourse in our society. Thank you.”
There were nods and murmurs of “Thank
you
, Arthur.” “Thank you, sir.” “The same to you.”
Then Arthur swiveled in his chair, faced another direction, and said, “Next Sunday…the poor and downtrodden. How best to help them and yet let them maintain their sense of dignity. We will have a new panel of experts, including the return of Cardinal Ruehl…who regularly presents some very spirited controversy…and, as always, we’re anxious to hear your input via our website at double-u, double-u, double-u, Arthurs Round Table Tee Vee dot com.”
He leaned in toward the camera, keeping his shoulders squared as Merlin had drilled into him, and smiled that smile that had prompted
People
magazine to dub him “Mr. Charisma.” “These past thirteen weeks have been elevating, energizing…and the response we’ve received from you, our audience, has been nothing short of stellar. And I’m pleased to say that the fine folks here at PBS have renewed our little chat fest for the remainder of the year and well into the next. I couldn’t have done it without my executive producer, Merlin…my beloved director, Gwen…and, of course, viewers like you. And so, until next week, this is Arthur Pendragon and the denizens of Arthur’s Round Table, seeking to raise the quality of life in general and television talk shows in particular, wishing you a just and chivalrous good night.”
“Aaaaaand we’re out,” called Gwen.