"We call her the Lady of Abundance,"
said the old woman. Said Ralph: "Is she a good lady?"
"She is my lady," said the carline, "and doeth good to me,
and there is not a carle in the land but speaketh well of her--
it may be over well." "Is she fair to look on?" said Ralph.
"Of women-folk there is none fairer," said the carline;
"as to men, that is another thing."
Ralph was silent awhile, then he said: "What is the Well
at the World's End?"
"They talk of it here," said she, "many things too long to tell
of now: but there is a book in this house that telleth of it;
I know it well by the look of it though I may not read in it.
I will seek it for thee to-morrow if thou wilt."
"Have thou thanks, dame," said he; "and I pray thee forget it not;
but now I will go forth."
"Yea," said the carline, "but abide a little."
Therewith she went into the buttery, and came back bearing
with her a garland of roses of the garden, intermingled with
green leaves, and she said: "The sun is yet hot and over hot,
do this on thine head to shade thee from the burning.
I knew that thou wouldst go abroad to-day, so I made this
for thee in the morning; and when I was young I was called
the garland-maker. It is better summer wear than thy basnet."
He thanked her and did it on smiling, but somewhat ruefully;
for he said to himself: "This is over old a dame that I should
wear a love-token from her." But when it was on his head, the old
dame clapped her hands and cried: "O there, there! Now art thou
like the image of St.
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