f I
bear not the summer with me, and the heart that maketh increase and the
hand that giveth."

Lo then! as she spake, the faded flowers that hung about her gathered
life and grew fresh again; the woodbine round her neck and her sleek
shoulders knit itself together and embraced her freshly, and cast its
scent about her face. The lilies that girded her loins lifted up their
heads, and the gold of their tassels fell upon her; the eyebright grew
clean blue again upon her smock; the eglantine found its blooms again,
and then began to shed the leaves thereof upon her feet; the meadow-sweet
wreathed amongst it made clear the sweetness of her legs, and the mouse-
ear studded her raiment as with gems. There she stood amidst of the
blossoms, like a great orient pearl against the fretwork of the
goldsmiths, and the breeze that came up the valley from behind bore the
sweetness of her fragrance all over the Man-mote.

Then, indeed, the Bears stood up, and shouted and cried, and smote on
their shields, and tossed their spears aloft. Then the elder rose from
his seat, and came up humbly to where she stood, and prayed her to say
what she would have done; while the others drew about in knots, but durst
not come very nigh to her. She answered the ancient chief, and said,
that she would depart presently toward the mountains, whereby she might
send them the rain which they lacked, and that thence she would away to
the southward for a while; but that they should hear of her, or, it might
be, see her, before they who were now of middle age should be gone to
their fathers.

Then the old man besought her that they might make her a litter of
fragrant green boughs, and so bear her away toward the mountain pass
amidst a triumph of the whole folk. But she leapt lightly down from the
stone, and walked to and fro on the greensward, while it seemed of her
that her feet scarce touched the grass; and she spake to the ancient
chief where he still kneeled in worship of her, and said "Nay; deemest
thou of me that I need bearing by men's hands, or that I shall tire at
all when I am doing my will, and I, the very heart of the year's
increase? So it is, that the going of my feet over your pastures shall
make them to thrive, both this year and the coming years: surely will I
go afoot."

So they worshipped her the more, and blessed her; and then first of all
they brought meat, the daintiest they might, both for her and for Walter.
But they would no