s).
Thou fool, may God's damnation strike thee dead,
Thou and Lord Tristram for the night that's passed!
I'll bring thy words into the Queen that she
May have thee slain in secret by Gwain!

SCENE II

BRANGAENE disappears above; the Strange Jester cowers motionless, his
head buried in his hands. After a moment ISEULT, in a white night robe,
comes down the stairs with BRANGAENE. She steps close in front of the
Jester, who does not move. BRANGAENE remains on the lowest step,
leaning against the post of the bannister.

ISEULT.
Thou gruesome fool, art thou some bird of prey.
Some wolf that comes to feed upon my soul?
Wilt thou not go? Why liest thou in wait
For me here in the dawning light like some
Wild beast that waits its quarry?

STR. JESTER (looking up heavily).
Queen Iseult!
Oh dearest, fairest, sweetest one!

ISEULT.
How dar'st
Thou call me by such names! My boiling blood
Turns cold and shudders! Go!

STR. JESTER (groaning softly).
Where, lady, can
I find a sea whose endless depths are deep
Enough to drown my bitter misery?
Where? Tell me where, and I will go.

ISEULT.
Go where
Thou wilt, so it be far away--so far
That the whole world shall sever thee and me,
And shall divide me from thy woe! My soul
Bleeds like an unheal'd wound when thou art near.
As though thou wert its murderer, and lo,
'Twill bleed to death from thy propinquity,
Thou fool! Hence, go, but give me first the ring
Thou stol'st last night and which in wanton jest
Thou torest from the hand of yon dead Knight.
It is Lord Tristram's ring.

STR. JESTER.
Ay, Queen Iseult,
The ring is his--above all other things
He values it!

ISEULT.
Give me the ring, else shalt
Thou die! I'll have thee slain, I swear, as sure
As I have suffered all this night such pangs
As suffered Mary at the cross of Christ.

STR. JESTER (standing up).
The ring is mine! I gave it yonder man
To cherish like his life.--He's died for thee
And me;--I gave him too my soul to guard
That by this ring he might compel and bring
Thee