ight gleamed from
his polished helmet, touched the golden threads that mingled with his
hair, ran along the rings of his mail.

They stood opposite to each other for a little, he and the lady, as if
they were somewhat shy of each other after their parting of a hundred
years, in spite of the love which they had for each other: at last he
made one step, and took off his gleaming helmet, laid it down softly,
then spread abroad his arms, and she came to him, and they were clasped
together, her head lying over his shoulder; and the four men gazed, quite
awe-struck.

And as they gazed, the bells of the church began to ring, for it was New-
Year's-eve; and still they clung together, and the bells rang on, and the
old year died.

And there beneath the eyes of those four men the lovers slowly faded away
into a heap of snow-white ashes. Then the four men kneeled down and
prayed, and the next day they went to the priest, and told him all that
had happened.

So the people took those ashes and buried them in their church, in a
marble tomb, and above it they caused to be carved their figures lying
with clasped hands; and on the sides of it the history of the cave in the
red pike.

And in my dream I saw the moon shining on the tomb, throwing fair colours
on it from the painted glass; till a sound of music rose, deepened, and
fainted; then I woke.

GOLDEN WINGS

Lyf lythes to nee,
Twa wordes or three,
Of one who was fair and free,
And fele in his fight.

--_Sir Percival_.

I suppose my birth was somewhat after the birth of Sir Percival of
Galles, for I never saw my father, and my mother brought me up quaintly;
not like a poor man's son, though, indeed, we had little money, and lived
in a lone place: it was on a bit of waste land near a river; moist, and
without trees; on the drier parts of it folks had built cottages--see, I
can count them on my fingers--six cottages, of which ours was one.

Likewise, there was a little chapel, with a yew tree and graves in the
church-yard--graves--yes, a great many graves, more than in the yards of
many Minsters I have seen, because people fought a battle once near us,
and buried many bodies in deep pits, to the east of the chapel; but this
was before I was born.

I have talked to old knights since who fought in that battle, and who
told me that it was all about a lady that they fought; indeed, this lady,
who was a queen, was afterwards, by her own wish,