you continually devise mischief and
enchantments against all who come near you, and I well believe that
could you do so without danger to yourself, you would this moment
practise mischiefs against me. Nevertheless, I am not come hither to
chide you because of your shortcomings, for though all those things are
well known to me and to others, yet I leave it to God to judge you in
His own wisdom and am not come hither to be myself your judge. What I
have come for is this: not long since you sent my fellow, Sir Sagramore,
upon an adventure that brought great shame upon him. Now I pray you that
you will direct me to that same adventure so that I may undertake it,
for, if so be I have that good fortune, I would fain punish that
discourteous knight who so shamed my companion at arms."

Then the Lady Vivien laughed very high and shrill. "Sir," quoth she,
"you are very brave for to undertake that adventure wherein so good a
knight as Sir Sagramore failed so signally. Gladly will I direct you
upon your way, and all that I ask in return is that when you have sped
in that adventure, you will also return hither as did Sir Sagramore, so
that I may bestow a white mule upon you as I bestowed one to him."

To this Sir Ewaine bowed his head very gravely and said: "Be it so. Show
me the way to that adventure, and if I fail therein, then I will submit
myself to you so that you may humiliate me as you humiliated Sir
Sagramore."

[Sidenote: _Sir Ewaine entereth into the Adventure of the Fountain._]

Then the Lady Vivien called to her that youth who had afore spoken to
Sir Ewaine, and she bade him set Sir Ewaine upon the path that should
lead him to that adventure he sought. And after that Sir Ewaine left the
Lady Vivien without any further word and he took horse and departed
thence. And that fair youth with the golden hair went before Sir Ewaine
to the skirts of the forest that lay upon the other side of the valley
from that side upon which Sir Ewaine had entered it. Then the youth
showed Sir Ewaine a certain path that led into the forest and he said:
"Take that path, fair lord, and it will bring you to your adventure."

So Sir Ewaine took the path as the youth directed and he travelled upon
it for an hour or two and by and by he came to an open place in the
woodland. And in the midst of that open place there was a high mound of
earth covered with fair green grass and many sheep browsed upon the
slopes of the mound and coadjacent thereu