He had at the same time announced her name to herself and the world, and

she not only had a name, but she was a princess; she took a rank in the

company, and Count Paulo and Carlo had no reason to be ashamed of her.

But where was Carlo? At the thought of him this feeling of effervescing

pride vanished from the young maiden's heart; she even forgot that she

was a princess, to remember only that Carlo, her music-teacher, had

promised her to be present at this festival, and to wonder that she

could not discover him in this gay and confused assemblage.

She did not remark that, since her appearance, a deep stillness had

supervened in the hall, that all eyes were upon her, that people

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secretly whispered to each other, and gave utterance to murmured

expressions of astonishment and delight; she saw not how the beauties

here and there turned pale and indignantly bit their proud lips; she saw

not how the eyes of the men glowed and flashed, and what eagerly lusting

glances the cardinals and princes of the Church cast upon her.

She was so unconstrained, this charming child, she knew not how handsome

she was. But she was to-day of a wonderfully touching beauty. Like a

white and delicate lily stood she there in the heavy white satin robe

that enveloped her graceful form, and the brilliants that adorned her

hair, neck, and arms, shone and sparkled like sun-lighted dew-drops in

the calyx of the flower. So beautiful was she that even Cardinal Bernis

stood speechless and as if blinded before her, finding no expression for

his joyful surprise and astonishment.

"Oh," at length he smilingly said, with a low bow, "I shall have to

quarrel with Count Paulo! He promised us the presence of a mortal woman,

and now he leads into our circle a divinity who must look down upon us

poor human beings with a smile of contempt."

Natalie smiled. "I know," said she, with her clear, sweet, childish

voice--"I know that Cardinal Bernis is a poet, and therefore it will not

be very difficult for him to change a young maiden into a divinity. Nor

is this the first time he has done so! I remember a lovely poem of his,

the complaint of a shepherd, who considers the object of his love a

divinity because she is so beautiful, and at last she proves to be no

divinity, but on the contrary a regular little quarrelsome wrangler,

who has nothing beautiful about her but her hands and face. Take care,

cardinal, that it does not prove with you and me as with the shepherd in

your charming poem!"

She said that with such childish ingenuousness, and in so cheerful and

jesting a tone, that the cardinal listened to her as if intoxicated,

and with unconcealed admiration he looked into that delicate, childishly

pure face, over which no trace of sorrow nor any sign of care had ever

yet passed.




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