plates were of cedar and eagle-wood,[1] the knife of stone, the table-napkins of large leaves of trees, very soft and pliable; there was a shell to drink out of, and another filled with beautiful water. The Prince expressed his gratitude to her by all the signs he could of head and of hands, and she with a sweet smile made him understand that all he did was agreeable to her. But the hour of separation having arrived, she made him so perfectly understand that they must part, that they both began to sigh, and hid their tears from each other. She arose, and would have gone, but the Prince uttered a loud cry, and threw himself at her feet, begging her to remain. She saw clearly what he meant, but she repulsed him with a little air of severity; and he felt he must accustom himself by times to obey her.
To tell the truth he passed a miserable night; that of the Princess was not any better. When she returned to the cavern, and found herself surrounded by the Ogres and their children,—when she contemplated the frightful little Ogre, as the monster that would become her husband, and thought of the charms of the stranger she had just quitted,—she felt inclined to throw herself head foremost into the sea;—added to all this, the fear that Ravagio, or Tourmentine, would smell fresh meat, and that they would go straightway to the rock, and devour Prince Aimé.
These various fears kept her awake all night; she arose at daybreak, and went to the seashore; she ran, she flew there, laden with parrots, monkeys, and a bustard; fruits, milk, and everything of the best. The Prince had not taken off his clothes, he had suffered so much from fatigue at sea, and had slept so little, that towards the morning he had fallen into a doze. "What!" said she, in awaking him; "I have thought of you ever since I left you; I have not even closed my eyes, and you are able to sleep!" The Prince looked at her, and listened without understanding her. In his turn he spoke, "What joy, my darling," said he to her, kissing her hands; "what joy it is to see you again! It appears an age since you left this rock." He talked some
- ↑ Canambour, Calambour, Calambuc, Bois d'Aigle, the odoriferous wood of a species of Aloe, a native of Mexico and of Cochin-China. It was much used in the manufacture of toys. Madame de Sevigne mentions a rosary of Calambuc in her letter of the 9th June, 1680.
