Seven waxen candles burned at her head, and seven others at her feet, and the flames of the candles spread and wavered as the cold wind blew upon them.  And the hair of her head (as black as those raven feathers that Sir Percival had beheld lying upon the snow) moved like threads of black silk as the wind blew in through the window—­but the Lady Yvette moved not nor stirred, but lay like a statue of marble all clad in white.

Then at the first Sir Percival stood very still at the door-way as though he had of a sudden been turned into stone.  Then he went forward and stood beside the couch and held his hands very tightly together and gazed at the Lady Yvette where she lay.  So he stood for a long while, and he wist not why it was that he felt like as though he had been turned into a stone, without such grief at his heart as he had thought to feel thereat. (For indeed, his spirit was altogether broken though he knew it not.)

[Sidenote:  Of the grief of Sir Percival] Then he spake unto that still figure, and he said:  “Dear lady, is it thus I find thee after all this long endeavor of mine?  Yet from Paradise, haply, thou mayst perceive all that I have accomplished in thy behalf.  So shalt thou be my lady always to the end of my life and I will have none other than thee.  Wherefore I herewith give thee thy ring again and take mine own in its stead.”  Therewith, so speaking, he lifted that hand (all so cold like the snow) and took his ring from off her finger and put her ring back upon it again.

Then King Pecheur said, “Percival, hast thou no tears?”

And Percival said, “Nay, I have none.”  Therewith he turned and left that place, and King Pecheur went with him.

After that Sir Percival abided in that place for three days, and King Pecheur and his lady Queen and their two young sons who dwelt at that place made great pity over him, and wept a great deal.  But Sir Percival said but little in reply and wept not at all.

* * * * *

And now I shall tell you of that wonderful vision that came unto Sir Percival at this place upon Christmas day.

[Sidenote:  Sir Percival beholds the grail] For on the third day (which was Christmas day) it chanced that Sir Percival sat alone in the hall of the castle, and he meditated upon the great sorrow that lay upon him.  And as he sat thus this very wonderful thing befell him:  He suddenly beheld two youths enter that hall.  And the faces of the two youths shone with exceeding brightness, and their hair shone like gold, and their raiment was very bright and glistering like to gold.  One of these youths bare in his hand a spear of mighty size, and blood dropped from the point of the spear; and the other youth bare in his hand a chalice of pure gold, very wonderful to behold, and he held the chalice in a napkin of fine cambric linen.