fering, and bent her eyes pleadingly on the devoted maiden.

Then Percivale's sister bared her arm, and bade them bleed her. This
they did till a silver dish was filled with her life blood. Then she
blessed the lady, and said,--

"Madam, I have given my life for yours; for God's love, pray for me!"
and she fell in a swoon.

Galahad and his fellows hastened to stanch the blood, but it was too
late, her life was ebbing fast.

"Fair brother Percivale," she said, "death is upon me. But before I die
I have this to tell you. It is written that I shall not be buried in
this country. When I am dead, seek you the sea-shore near by, and put my
body in a boat, and let it go where fortune bears it. But when you three
arrive at the city of Sarras, in Palestine, which you will in God's good
time, you shall find me arrived there before you. There bury me in
consecrated soil. This further I may say, that there the holy Grail
shall be achieved, and there shall Galahad die and be buried in the same
place."

And as they stood there weeping beside her a voice came to them,
saying,--

"Lords and comrades, to-morrow at sunrise you three must depart, each
taking his own way, and you shall not meet again till adventure bring
you to the maimed king."

After that all was done as had been foreseen and desired. The maiden
died, and the same day the sick lady was healed, through the virtue of
her blood. Then Percivale wrote a letter telling who she was and what
things she had done. This he put in her right hand, and laid her body in
a vessel that was covered with black silk. The wind now arose and drove
it far from the land, while all stood watching it till it was out of
sight.

Then they returned towards the castle. But suddenly a tempest of wind,
thunder, and rain broke from the sky, so furious that the very earth
seemed to be torn up. And as they looked they saw the turrets of the
castle and part of its walls totter and fall, and in a moment come
crashing in ruin to the earth.

That night they slept in a chapel, and in the morning rode to the
castle, to see how it had fared in the storm. But when they reached it
they found it in ruins, while of all that had dwelt there not one was
left alive. All of them, man and woman alike, had fallen victims to the
vengeance of God. And they heard a voice that said,--

"This vengeance is for the shedding of maidens' blood."

But at the end of the chapel was a church-yard in which were threescore