hand and led
me into an adjoining apartment where there was a feast set with all
sorts of meats and wines, and we two took our places at the board side
by side. And as we feasted so together, there came some who sang and
others who made sweet music and I felt such great pleasure as I have
hardly ever felt in all of my life before. Meanwhile, as we sat at the
table, the Lady Vivien conversed with me upon such matters as she deemed
would be of entertainment to me. And she inquired of many lords and
ladies at the court of the King and spake well of them all. Then after a
considerable while she inquired of me whether it would be pleasant to me
to tell her upon what errand I was bound, and so I told her I was errant
in search of Sir Launcelot.

"'Ha!' quoth she, 'if thou wert in search of adventure, I could bring
you to one that would be well worth undertaking.'

"I said to her: 'Lady, though I am errant upon a certain business, yet I
am very ready to stay my affairs for a while if so be I may meet with an
adventure that may bring me any credit.'

[Sidenote: _The Lady Vivien telleth Sir Sagramore of an adventure._]

"At that the Lady Vivien laughed, and she said: 'Sir Sagramore, I know
not what credit you may obtain in this adventure, but I will tell you
what you are to do to enter into it. To-morrow I will ordain that one of
the youths who brought you hither shall conduct you to a certain path
that leads through the forest that lies beyond this valley. If you will
follow that path, you will by and by come to a mound of earth, and on
that mound you will very likely behold a man of gigantic stature who is
herdsman to a herd of cattle thereabouts. Ask him where is the enchanted
fountain, and he will direct you still farther upon the way.'

"I said to her: 'Lady, I am very much beholden to you for the
information you give me, and I will very gladly take up with this
adventure.' Upon this she laughed a very great deal and said: 'Sir
Knight, it may be that after you have passed through this adventure, you
will not be so pleased either with me or with yourself. Now I have this
to ask of you in return for my entertainment of to-night. My request is
that you will return hitherward to me after you have finished this
adventure so that I may see how it hath happened with you.' I said to
the lady, 'It shall be as you ask.'

[Sidenote: _Sir Sagramore departs upon the adventure._]

"So when the next morning had come I arose very ea