Page:Fairytales00auln.djvu/215

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THE BEE AND THE ORANGE TREE.
175

our young Princess. Her beauty increased with her age, and they might well say of her that Love, the Graces, and all the goddesses combined, never possessed so many charms. It appeared, when she was in the dark cavern with Ravagio, Tourmentine, and the young Ogres, that the sun, stars, and skies had descended into it. The cruelty of these monsters had the effect of making her still gentler; and from the moment she was aware of their terrible inclination for human flesh, she was always endeavouring to save the unfortunate people who fell into their hands, so much so that she often exposed herself to their fury. She would have been sacrificed to it had not the young Ogre guarded her like the apple of his eye. Ah! what will not love do? This little monster's nature had become softened by seeing and loving this beautiful Princess; but, alas! what was her grief when she thought she must marry this detestable lover! Although she knew nothing of her birth, she had rightly guessed from her rich clothes, the gold chain, and the turquoise, that she was of good birth, and she believed so still more from the feelings of her heart. She neither knew how to read or write, nor any language; she spoke the jargon of the Ogres; she lived in perfect ignorance of all worldly matters; she possessed, however, as fine principles of virtue, and as sweet and unaffected manners, as though she had been brought up in the most polished court in the universe. She had made herself a tiger-skin dress, her arms were half naked, she wore a quiver and arrows over her shoulder, and a bow at her side. Her fair hair was fastened only by a platted band of sea-rushes, and floated in the breeze over her neck and shoulders. She also wore buckskins, made of the same rush. In this attire, she walked about the woods like a second Diana; and she would never have known she was beautiful if the crystal fountains had not been innocent mirrors for her—which she gazed into without their inducing her to be vain, or think more of herself. The sun had a similar effect upon her complexion, as upon wax; it made it whiter, and the sea air could not tan it. She never ate anything but what she took in hunting or fishing, and under this pretext she often absented herself from the horrible cavern, to avoid looking at the most deformed objects in nature. "Heavens!" cried she, in shedding tears, "what have I done, that thou hast destined me to be the