tterness of his wisdom as he stood here."

Then he looked on her and his face grew bright beyond measure, and
cried out: "O love, love! why tarry we? For yet I fear lest we be come
too late, and thou die before mine eyes ere yet thou hast drunken."

"Yea," she said, "and I also fear for thee, though thy face is ruddy
and thine eyes sparkle, and thou art as lovely as the Captain of the
Lord's hosts."

Then she laughed, and her laughter was as silver bells rung tunably,
and she said: "But where is the cup for the drinking?"

But Ralph looked on the face of the wall, and about the height of his
hand saw square marks thereon, as though there were an ambrye; and
amidst the square was a knop of latten, all green with the weather and
the salt spray. So Ralph set his hand to the knop and drew strongly,
and lo it was a door made of a squared stone hung on brazen hinges, and
it opened easily to him, and within was a cup of goldsmith's work, with
the sword and the bough done thereon; and round about the rim writ this
posey: "THE STRONG OF HEART SHALL DRINK FROM ME." So Ralph took it and
held it aloft so that its pure metal flashed in the sun, and he said:
"This is for thee, Sweetling."

"Yea, and for thee," she said.

Now that level place, or bench-table went up to the very gushing and
green bow of the water, so Ralph took Ursula's hand and led her along,
she going a little after him, till he was close to the Well, and stood
amidst the spray-bow thereof, so that he looked verily like one of the
painted angels on the choir wall of St. Laurence of Upmeads. Then he
reached forth his hand and thrust the cup into the water, holding it
stoutly because the gush of the stream was strong, so that the water of
the Well splashed all over him, wetting Ursula's face and breast
withal: and he felt that the water was sweet without any saltness of
the sea. But he turned to Ursula and reached out the full cup to her,
and said: "Sweetling, call a health over the cup!"

She took it and said: "To thy life, beloved!" and drank withal, and
her eyes looked out of the cup the while, like a child's when he
drinketh. Then she gave him the cup again and said: "Drink, and tarry
not, lest thou die and I live."

Then Ralph plunged the cup into the waters again, and he held the cup
aloft, and cried out: "To the Earth, and the World of Manfolk!" and
therewith he drank.

For a minute then they clung together within the spray-bow of the Well,
a