The Well at the World's End: A Tale, William Morris [rainbow fish read aloud TXT] 📗

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WELL AT THE WORLD'S END *** Produced by John Hamm. HTML version by Al Haines.

The Well at the World's End
by William Morris


Table of Contents BOOK ONE The Road Unto Love Chapter   1   The Sundering of the Ways 2   Ralph Goeth Back Home to the High House 3   Ralph Cometh to the Cheaping-Town 4   Ralph Rideth the Downs 5   Ralph Cometh to Higham-on-the-Way 6   Ralph Goeth His Ways From the Abbey of St. Mary at Higham 7   The Maiden of Bourton Abbas 8   Ralph Cometh to the Wood Perilous. An Adventure Therein 9   Another Adventure in the Wood Perilous 10   A Meeting and a Parting in the Wood Perilous 11   Now Must Ralph Ride For It 12   Ralph Entereth Into the Burg of the Four Friths 13   The Streets of the Burg of the Four Friths 14   What Ralph Heard of the Matters of the Burg of the Four Friths 15   How Ralph Departed From the Burg of the Four Friths 16   Ralph Rideth the Wood Perilous Again 17   Ralph Cometh to the House of Abundance 18   Of Ralph in the Castle of Abundance 19   Ralph Readeth in a Book Concerning the Well at the World's End 20   Ralph Meeteth a Man in the Wood 21   Ralph Weareth Away Three Days Uneasily 22   An Adventure in the Wood 23   The Leechcraft of the Lady 24   Supper and Slumber in the Woodland Hall


BOOK TWO The Road Unto Trouble 1   Ralph Meets With Love in the Wilderness 2   They Break Their Fast in the Wildwood 3   The Lady Telleth Ralph of the Past Days of Her Life 4   The Lady Tells of Her Deliverance 5   Yet More of the Lady's Story 6   The Lady Tells Somewhat of Her Doings After She Left the Wilderness 7   The Lady Tells of the Strife and Trouble That Befell After Her Coming to the Country of the King's Son 8   The Lady Maketh an End of Her Tale 9   They Go On Their Way Once More 10   Of the Desert-House and the Chamber of Love in the Wilderness 11   Ralph Cometh Out of the Wilderness 12   Ralph Falleth in With Friends and Rideth to Whitwall 13   Richard Talketh With Ralph Concerning the Well at the World's End. Concerning Swevenham 14   Ralph Falleth in With Another Old Friend 15   Ralph Dreams a Dream Or Sees a Vision 16   Of the Tales of Swevenham 17   Richard Bringeth Tidings of Departing 18   Ralph Departeth From Whitwall With the Fellowship of Clement Chapman 19   Master Clement Tells Ralph Concerning the Lands Whereunto They Were Riding 20   They Come to the Mid-Mountain Guest-House 21   A Battle in the Mountains 22   Ralph Talks With Bull Shockhead 23   Of the Town of Cheaping Knowe 24   Ralph Heareth More Tidings of the Damsel 25   The Fellowship Comes to Whiteness 26   They Ride the Mountains Toward Goldburg 27   Clement Tells of Goldburg 28   Now They Come to Goldburg 29   Of Goldburg and the Queen Thereof 30   Ralph Hath Hope of Tidings Concerning the Well at the World's End 31   The Beginning of the Road To Utterbol 32   Ralph Happens on Evil Days 33   Ralph is Brought on the Road Towards Utterbol 34   The Lord of Utterbol Will Wot of Ralph's Might and Minstrelsy 35   Ralph Cometh To the Vale of the Tower 36   The Talk of Two Women Concerning Ralph 37   How Ralph Justed With the Aliens 38   A Friend Gives Ralph Warning 39   The Lord of Utterbol Makes Ralph a Free Man 40   They Ride Toward Utterness From Out of Vale Turris 41   Redhead Keeps Tryst


BOOK THREE The Road To The Well At World's End. 1   An Adventure in the Wood Under the Mountains 2   Ralph Rides the Wood Under the Mountains 3   Ralph Meeteth With Another Adventure in the Wood Under the Mountain 4   They Ride the Wood Under the Mountains 5   They Come on the Sage of Swevenham 6   Those Two Are Learned Lore by the Sage of Swevenham 7   An Adventure by the Way 8   They Come to the Sea of Molten Rocks 9   They Come Forth From the Rock-Sea 10   They Come to the Gate of the Mountains 11   They Come to the Vale of Sweet Chestnuts 12   Winter Amidst of the Mountains 13   Of Ursula and the Bear 14   Now Come the Messengers of the Innocent Folk 15   They Come to the Land of the Innocent Folk 16   They Come to the House of the Sorceress 17   They Come Through the Woodland to the Thirsty Desert 18   They Come to the Dry Tree 19   They Come Out of the Thirsty Desert 20   They Come to the Ocean Sea 21   Now They Drink of the Well at the World's End 22   Now They Have Drunk and Are Glad


BOOK FOUR The Road Home 1   Ralph and Ursula Come Back Again Through the Great Mountains 2   They Hear New Tidings of Utterbol 3   They Winter With the Sage; and Thereafter Come Again to Vale Turris 4   A Feast in the Red Pavilion 5   Bull Telleth of His Winning of the Lordship of Utterbol 6   They Ride From Vale Turris. Redhead Tells of Agatha 7   Of Their Riding the Waste, and of a Battle Thereon 8   Of Goldburg Again, and the Queen Thereof 9   They Come to Cheaping Knowe Once More. Of the King Thereof 10   An Adventure on the Way to the Mountains 11   They Come Through the Mountains Into the Plain 12   The Roads Sunder Again 13   They Come to Whitwall Again 14   They Ride Away From Whitwall 15   A Strange Meeting in the Wilderness 16   They Come to the Castle of Abundance Once More 17   They Fall in With That Hermit 18   A Change of Days in the Burg of the Four Friths 19   Ralph Sees Hampton and the Scaur 20   They Come to the Gate of Higham By the Way 21   Talk Between Those Two Brethren 22   An Old Acquaintance Comes From the Down Country to See Ralph 23   They Ride to Bear Castle 24   The Folkmote of the Shepherds 25   They Come to Wulstead 26   Ralph Sees His Father and Mother Again 27   Ralph Holds Converse With Katherine His Gossip 28   Dame Katherine Tells of the Pair of Beads, and Whence She Had Them 29   They Go Down to Battle in Upmeads 30   Ralph Brings His Father and Mother to Upmeads 31   Ralph Brings Ursula Home to the High House 32   Yet a Few Words Concerning Ralph of Upmeads


BOOK ONE The Road Unto Love
CHAPTER 1 The Sundering of the Ways

Long ago there was a little land, over which ruled a regulus or kinglet, who was called King Peter, though his kingdom was but little. He had four sons whose names were Blaise, Hugh, Gregory and Ralph: of these Ralph was the youngest, whereas he was but of twenty winters and one; and Blaise was the oldest and had seen thirty winters.

Now it came to this at last, that to these young men the kingdom of their father seemed strait; and they longed to see the ways of other men, and to strive for life. For though they were king's sons, they had but little world's wealth; save and except good meat and drink, and enough or too much thereof; house-room of the best; friends to be merry with, and maidens to kiss, and these also as good as might be; freedom withal to come and go as they would; the heavens above them, the earth to bear them up, and the meadows and acres, the woods and fair streams, and the little hills of Upmeads, for that was the name of their country and the kingdom of King Peter.

So having nought but this little they longed for much; and that the more because, king's sons as they were, they had but scant dominion save over their horses and dogs: for the men of that country were stubborn and sturdy vavassors, and might not away with masterful doings, but were like to pay back a blow with a blow, and a foul word with a buffet. So that, all things considered, it was little wonder if King Peter's sons found themselves straitened in their little land: wherein was no great merchant city; no mighty castle, or noble abbey of monks: nought but fair little halls of yeomen, with here and there a franklin's court or a shield-knight's manor-house; with many a goodly church, and whiles a house of good canons, who knew not the road to Rome, nor how to find the door of the Chancellor's house.

So these young men wearied their father and mother a long while with telling them of their weariness, and their longing to be gone: till at last on a fair and hot afternoon of June King Peter rose up from the carpet which the Prior of St. John's by the Bridge had given him (for he had been sleeping thereon amidst the grass of his orchard after his dinner) and he went into the hall of his house, which was called the High House of Upmeads, and sent for his four sons to come to him. And they came and stood before his high-seat and he said:

"Sons, ye have long wearied me with words concerning your longing for travel on the roads; now if ye verily wish to be gone, tell me when would ye take your departure if ye had your choice?"

They looked at one another, and the three younger ones nodded at Blaise the eldest: so he began, and said: "Saving the love and honour that we have for thee, and also for our mother, we would be gone at once, even with the noon's meat still in our bellies. But thou art the lord in this land, and thou must rule. Have I said well, brethren?" And they all said "Yea, yea." Then said the king;