I
heard the King whistle low. Before I could speak he had flung
himself from his horse and, throwing the reins to one of the
pages, was bowing before her.
"We were about to sound the horn, Mademoiselle," he said,
smiling.
"The horn, Monsieur?" she exclaimed, opening her eyes in wonder,
and staring at him with the prettiest face of astonishment.
"Yes, Mademoiselle; to awaken the sleeping princess," he
rejoined. "But I see that she is already awake."
Through the innocence of her eyes flashed a sudden gleam of
archness. "Monsieur flatters himself," she said, with a smile
that just revealed the whiteness of her teeth.
It was such an answer as delighted the King; who loved, above all
things, a combination of wit and beauty, and never for any long
time wore the chains of a woman who did not unite sense to more
showy attractions. From the effect which the grace and freshness
of the girl had on me, I could judge in a degree of the
impression made on him; his next words showed not only its depth,
but that he was determined to enjoy the adventure to the full.
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