rose hastily, dressed, and left the castle. Then for
many days I prayed and mourned. At last I sought a holy hermit,
and told him all I had done and thought since I had left Arthur's
Court.

"The good hermit, after a short silence, said: 'My son, you have
not true humility. You have been too proud of your strength, and
too sure in the beginning that you were fit for the vision. You
have always thought first of yourself and your own glory, and not
of the good you could do.'

"I went into the chapel of this hermit, and prayed to be relieved
of the sin of pride. As I prayed, Sir Galahad entered. He was
clad in silver armor, and his face looked like that of an angel.

"'Oh, my brother,' he said, 'have you not seen the Grail?' And
after I had answered, he said:

"'From the moment when I left the court of our king, the vision
has been with me. It is faint in the daytime, but at night it
shines blood red. I see it on the mountains, and in the lakes,
and on the marshes. It has made me so strong that everywhere I am
able to do good. I have broken down many evil customs. I have
fought with pagan hordes and been victor, all because of this
blessed vision. Perceval, I have not long to live. I am going to
the great city above, which is more beautiful than any earthly
city. Come out with me this night, and before you die you shall
see this vision.'

"Then I followed Sir Galahad out of the chapel. We climbed a hill
which was steep and rugged, Sir Galahad going first, and his
silver armor guiding me. When we came to the top, a storm broke
over us, and the lightning seemed to follow us as we descended
the hill on the other side. At the bottom of it there was a great
black swamp, leading to the sea. It was crossed by a huge bridge
built by some forgotten king. Here Sir Galahad left me and ran
over the bridge till he reached the sea. His armor shone like a
star, far away at the edge of the water. And then I saw him no
more.

[Illustration: _"And across it slowly moved the Holy Grail"_]

"I knelt on the black ground and wept, and wished that I were as
good as Sir Galahad, and could do deeds as he did, not to win
glory, but to help those who needed help. And as I wept, I was
aware of a great light over me. I looked up and saw a silver
beam, and across it slowly moved the Holy Grail. It was no longer
muffled in a cloud, but shone crimson as a ruby.

"I made my way back to the chapel and prayed all the rest of the
night. In the m