The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 21

  Now They Drink of the Well at the World's End

  Ralph awoke from some foolish morning dream of Upmeads, wondering wherehe was, or what familiar voice had cried out his name: then he raisedhimself on his elbow, and saw Ursula standing before him with flushedface and sparkling eyes, and she was looking out seaward, while shecalled on his name. So he sprang up and strove with the slumber thatstill hung about him, and as his eyes cleared he looked down, and sawthat the sea, which last night had washed the face of the cliff, hadnow ebbed far out, and left bare betwixt the billows and the cliff somehalf mile of black sand, with rocks of the like hue rising out of ithere and there. But just below the place where they stood, right upagainst the cliff, was builded by man's hand of huge stones a garth ofpound, the wall whereof was some seven feet high, and the pound withinthe wall of forty feet space endlong and overthwart; and the said poundwas filled with the waters of a spring that came forth from the face ofthe cliff as they deemed, though from above they might not see theissue thereof; but the water ran seaward from the pound by some wayunseen, and made a wide stream through the black sand of the foreshore:but ever the great basin filled somewhat faster than it voided, so thatit ran over the lip on all sides, making a thin veil over the hugeashlar-stones of the garth. The day was bright and fair with no wind,save light airs playing about from the westward ort, and all thingsgleamed and glittered in the sun.

  Ralph stood still a moment, and then stretched abroad his arms, andwith a great sob cast them round about the body of his beloved, andstrained her to his bosom as he murmured about her, THE WELL AT THEWORLD'S END. But she wept for joy as she fawned upon him, and let herhands beat upon his body.

  But when they were somewhat calmed of their ecstasy of joy, they madeready to go down by that rocky stair. And first they did off theirarmour and other gear, and when they were naked they did on thehallowed raiment which they had out of the ark in the House of theSorceress; and so clad gat them down the rock-hewn stair, Ralph goingfirst, lest there should be any broken place; but naught was amiss withthose hard black stones, and they came safely to a level place of therock, whence they could see the face of the cliff, and how the watersof the Well came gushing forth from a hollow therein in a greatswelling wave as clear as glass; and the sun glistened in it and made afoam-bow about its edges. But above the issue of the waters the blackrock had been smoothed by man's art, and thereon was graven the Swordand the Bough, and above it these words, to wit:

  YE WHO HAVE COME A LONG WAY TO LOOK UPON ME, DRINK OF ME, IF YE DEEMTHAT YE BE STRONG ENOUGH IN DESIRE TO BEAR LENGTH OF DAYS: OR ELSEDRINK NOT; BUT TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND THE KINDREDS OF THE EARTH HOW YEHAVE SEEN A GREAT MARVEL.

  So they looked long and wondered; and Ursula said: "Deemest thou, myfriend, that any have come thus far and forborne to drink?"

  Said Ralph: "Surely not even the exceeding wise might remember thebitterness of his wisdom as he stood here."

  Then he looked on her and his face grew bright beyond measure, andcried out: "O love, love! why tarry we? For yet I fear lest we be cometoo late, and thou die before mine eyes ere yet thou hast drunken."

  "Yea," she said, "and I also fear for thee, though thy face is ruddyand thine eyes sparkle, and thou art as lovely as the Captain of theLord's hosts."

  Then she laughed, and her laughter was as silver bells rung tunably,and she said: "But where is the cup for the drinking?"

  But Ralph looked on the face of the wall, and about the height of hishand saw square marks thereon, as though there were an ambrye; andamidst the square was a knop of latten, all green with the weather andthe salt spray. So Ralph set his hand to the knop and drew strongly,and lo it was a door made of a squared stone hung on brazen hinges, andit opened easily to him, and within was a cup of goldsmith's work, withthe sword and the bough done thereon; and round about the rim writ thisposey: "THE STRONG OF HEART SHALL DRINK FROM ME." So Ralph took it andheld it aloft so that its pure metal flashed in the sun, and he said:"This is for thee, Sweetling."

  "Yea, and for thee," she said.

  Now that level place, or bench-table went up to the very gushing andgreen bow of the water, so Ralph took Ursula's hand and led her along,she going a little after him, till he was close to the Well, and stoodamidst the spray-bow thereof, so that he looked verily like one of thepainted angels on the choir wall of St. Laurence of Upmeads. Then hereached forth his hand and thrust the cup into the water, holding itstoutly because the gush of the stream was strong, so that the water ofthe Well splashed all over him, wetting Ursula's face and breastwithal: and he felt that the water was sweet without any saltness ofthe sea. But he turned to Ursula and reached out the full cup to her,and said: "Sweetling, call a health over the cup!"

  She took it and said: "To thy life, beloved!" and drank withal, andher eyes looked out of the cup the while, like a child's when hedrinketh. Then she gave him the cup again and said: "Drink, and tarrynot, lest thou die and I live."

  Then Ralph plunged the cup into the waters again, and he held the cupaloft, and cried out: "To the Earth, and the World of Manfolk!" andtherewith he drank.

  For a minute then they clung together within the spray-bow of the Well,and then she took his hand and led him back to the midst of thebench-table, and he put the cup into the ambrye, and shut it up again,and then they sat them down on the widest of the platform under theshadow of a jutting rock; for the sun was hot; and therewithal a sweetweariness began to steal over them, though there was speech betwixtthem for a little, and Ralph said: "How is it with thee, beloved?"

  "O well indeed," she said.

  Quoth he: "And how tasteth to thee the water of the Well?"

  Slowly she spake and sleepily: "It tasted good, and as if thy lovewere blended with it."

  And she smiled in his face; but he said: "One thing I wonder over: howshall we wot if we have drunk aright? For whereas if we were sick orold and failing, or ill-liking, and were now presently healed of allthis, and become strong and fair to look on, then should we know it forsure--but now, though, as I look on thee, I behold thee the fairest ofall women, and on thy face is no token of toil and travail, and theweariness of the way; and though the heart-ache of loneliness andcaptivity, and the shame of Utterbol has left no mark upon thee--yethast thou not always been sweet to my eyes, and as sweet as might be?And how then?"...But he broke off and looked on her and she smiled uponthe love in his eyes, and his head fell back and he slept with a calmand smiling face. And she leaned over him to kiss his face but eventherewith her own eyes closed and she laid her head upon his breast,and slept as peacefully as he.