

Transcribed from the 1897 Longmans, Green, and Co. edition by David
Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org





                             THE WATER OF THE
                            WONDROUS ISLES BY
                              WILLIAM MORRIS


                                * * * * *

                         LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
                       LONDON, NEW YORK, AND BOMBAY
                                MDCCCXCVII

                                * * * * *

               Copyright, 1897, by Longmans, Green, and Co.

                                * * * * *




_CONTENTS_

            _The First Part_: _Of the House of Captivity_
                                                                  PAGE
    _Chap. I._  _Catch at Utterhay_                                  1
         _II._  _Now shall be told of the House by the               8
                Waterside_
        _III._  _Of Skin-changing_                                  10
         _IV._  _Of the Waxing of the Stolen Child_                 12
          _V._  _Of Birdalone_, _and how she is grown into          15
                Maidenhood_
         _VI._  _Herein is told of Birdalone’s Raiment_             18
        _VII._  _Birdalone hath an Adventure in the Wood_           22
       _VIII._  _Of Birdalone and the Witch-wife_                   30
         _IX._  _Of Birdalone’s Swimming_                           33
          _X._  _Birdalone comes on New Tidings_                    36
         _XI._  _Of Birdalone’s Guilt and the Chastisement          39
                thereof_
        _XII._  _The Words of the Witch-wife to Birdalone_          43
       _XIII._  _Birdalone meeteth the Wood-woman again_            46
        _XIV._  _Of Birdalone’s Fishing_                            51
         _XV._  _Birdalone weareth her Serpent-ring_                54
        _XVI._  _Birdalone meeteth Habundia again_; _and            59
                learneth her First Wisdom of her_
       _XVII._  _The Passing of the Year into Winter_               62
      _XVIII._  _Of Springtide and the Mind of Birdalone_           65
        _XIX._  _They bid Farewell_, _Birdalone and the             68
                Wood-mother_
         _XX._  _Of Birdalone and the Sending Boat_                 70
              _The Second Part_: _Of the Wondrous Isles_
    _Chap. I._  _The First Isle_                                    75
         _II._  _Birdalone falleth in with New Friends_             77
        _III._  _Birdalone is brought before the                    82
                Witch-wife’s Sister_
         _IV._  _Of the Witch’s Prison in the                       85
                Wailing-tower_
          _V._  _They feast in the Witch’s Prison_                  89
         _VI._  _Atra tells of how they three came unto the         97
                Isle of Increase Unsought_
        _VII._  _The three Damsels take Birdalone out of           109
                the Witch’s Prison_
       _VIII._  _In what Wise Birdalone was clad_, _and how        112
                she went her Ways from the Isle of Increase
                Unsought_
         _IX._  _How Birdalone came to the Isle of the             117
                Young and the Old_
          _X._  _Birdalone comes to the Isle of the Queens_        131
         _XI._  _And now she comes to the Isle of the              136
                Kings_
        _XII._  _Of Birdalone_, _how she came unto the Isle        141
                of Nothing_
            _The Third Part_: _Of the Castle of the Quest_
  _  Chap. I._  _Birdalone comes to the Castle of the              146
                Quest_
         _II._  _Of Birdalone_, _and how she rested the            152
                Night through in a Bower without the Castle
                of the Quest_
        _III._  _How Birdalone dight her for meeting the           157
                Champions of the Quest_
         _IV._  _And now she meets the Champions_                  160
          _V._  _Birdalone has True Tokens from the                167
                Champions of the Quest_
         _VI._  _How the Champions would do Birdalone to be        177
                clad anew in the Castle of the Quest_
        _VII._  _Of Birdalone_, _how she told the Champions        180
                all her Tale_
       _VIII._  _In the Meanwhile of the Departing of the          184
                Champions_, _they would pleasure Birdalone
                with Feats of Arms and Games of Prowess_
         _IX._  _Birdalone cometh before