a sunbeam. Constancia's eyes were not able to look at it steadily enough to discover her protectress in it.
The charming girl had observed, with some mortification, that the Prince had neglected her so completely, that he might never have seen her again, had not chance led him to the spot where she was singing. She endeavoured to stifle her inclination for him; and if it be possible to love and hate a person at the same time, I may say she hated him because she loved him too well! How many tears did she shed in secret! Ruson was the only witness of them; to him she frequently confided her sorrows, as if he were capable of understanding her; and when he frisked about the fields with the ewes, she would say to him, "Beware, Ruson!—beware! Let not love inflame thy heart; of all evils, 'tis the greatest: and shouldst thou love, and not be loved in return, poor little ram, what wouldst thou do!"
These reflections were followed by a thousand reproaches, which she heaped upon herself for cherishing an affection for a Prince who manifested so much indifference for her. She had determined to forget him, when she accidentally found him in that pleasant spot, to which he had retired to muse uninterruptedly on the lovely shepherdess he avoided. Sleep had stolen upon him, and he had stretched himself on the grass. She saw him, and her affection for him received fresh force. She could not resist stringing together the words which had caused so much anxiety to the Prince; but what did she not suffer in her turn, when Mirtain informed her that Constancio was in love! All the command she could exercise over herself could not prevent her frequently changing colour. Mirtain, who had his reasons for observing her, noticed and was delighted at it, and hastened to report what had passed to his master.
The Prince was much less inclined to flatter himself than his confidant was. He saw nothing but indifference in the conduct of the shepherdess. He attributed it to the happy Constancio whom she loved, and the next morning he went in search of her. The instant she perceived him, she flew from him as though she had seen a tiger or a lion. Flight was the only remedy she could imagine for her pain. Ever since her conversation with Mirtain she felt she ought to neglect no
