a slight mist had arisen. Through it the figure of a lady glided
over the surface of the water. Her robe appeared to be made of
waves which streamed away in flowing curves from her body. Her
head and shoulders seemed wrapped in foam tinted with the colors
of the rainbow, and her arms glittered with sparkles which came
from bubbles of water. She was so wonderful that Arthur looked at
her for some time before he asked softly:

"Who is she?"

[Illustration: _Arthur and the Lady of the Lake_]

"She is the Lady of the Lake," said Merlin. "She lives in a rock
in the middle of the lake. See, she is coming toward us. Look at
what is beyond her in the water."

Arthur looked and saw rising above the surface of the water an
arm clothed in pure white. This arm held a huge cross-hilted
sword, so brilliant that Arthur's eyes were dazzled.

When the Lady of the Lake approached nearer, he said:

"Damsel, what sword is that? I wish it were mine, for I have
none."

The lady smiled, saying:

"Step into yonder boat, row to the sword, and take it, together
with the scabbard."

So Arthur entered a little boat that was tied to the shore, and
rowed out to the sword. As he took it and the scabbard, all
gleaming with jewels, the hand and arm vanished into the water.
And when Arthur looked about, the three queens and the Lady of
the Lake were also gone.

As Arthur, still gazing at the sword, rowed to shore, Merlin said
to him:

"My lord Arthur, which pleases you more, sword or scabbard?"

"In truth, the sword," replied the king.

"Let me assure you," said Merlin, smiling gravely, "that the
scabbard is worth ten of the sword. While you have it with you
you shall never lose blood, no, no matter how sorely you are
wounded. So see that you guard it well."

The king, who was looking at the sword, sighed.

"There is writing on the sword," he said.

"True, my lord, written in the oldest tongue in the world."

"_Take me_ on one side," said Arthur, "and _Cast me away_ on the
other. I am glad to take the sword, but it saddens me to think of
casting it away."

Merlin's face grew sad, too. He was so wise that he knew what was
going to happen in the future, and he was well aware that when
the time came to cast the sword away, much evil would have
befallen the good King Arthur. But he knew that the time was yet
very far off; so he said:

"You have taken the sword. Now use it to make justice and right
prevail in all the land. Do no