of Blanchefleur; so with a laugh she dismissed the maidens who were her fellows, saying that a hornet springing out from amid the flowers had frighted her.  Reader, picture to yourself the terror of Fleur on finding he was discovered!  But fortune was kind, for Clarissa, the captive daughter of a Duke of Alemannia, was the bosom friend of lovely Blanchefleur, and often had the two together bemoaned their lot in being the pair appointed to wait morning and evening on the Admiral with the linen hand-towel and water in the golden bowl.

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Now as the chambers of these two maidens adjoined, and a door led from the one into the other, Clarissa with care closed her outer door and passed through the inner one into the chamber of Blanchefleur, whom she found sitting all woebegone and rapt in thought of her absent love.

‘Blanchefleur!’ cried Clarissa, ’come with me and I will show you flowers such as you never saw before.’

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‘Alas!  Clarissa,’ replied the mournful, drooping Blanchefleur, ’my heart is too heavy to be cheered by flowers, seeing that I am so far from my love and he from me.’

‘Cease your wailing,’ cried Clarissa, ’and dear as your love may be, yet come and see the lovely flowers!’

So Blanchefleur slowly rising came to see the flowers, whereupon Fleur, who heard the voice and knew his love was near, sprang from among the blossoms, all clad like the roses in rosy red, and Blanchefleur knew him, and he knew her, and they gazed speechless with love and joy face to face upon each other, and silently they fell on each other’s neck with kisses and fond embraces, until at length Blanchefleur found words to say, ’Clarissa! behold my love! my heart’s delight, my comfort, and my joy!’ Then the two joined in praying good Clarissa not to part their love by declaring it, as that would be their death.

‘Have no fear,’ replied Clarissa; ’I will help you as best I can; the food and wine that are brought for two will suffice for three, and you will find me ever true.’

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Then the two lovers went into Blanchefleur’s chamber, and sitting them down upon the bed, which was spread with a gold-embroidered silken cover, they told each other all that had befallen them since their parting.

‘Ah, love!’ sighed Fleur, ’what have I not suffered for your sake?  I had well-nigh died of sorrow.’

‘And I,’ said Blanchefleur, ’since the day on which you departed to Montorio, have known no joy, but have gone mourning for my love;’ and then again the lovers kissed each other, and Fleur showed Blanchefleur the ring, his mother’s parting gift, and told her of its magic power.

Meanwhile good Clarissa, trembling lest the secret of her friend should be betrayed, guarded it with jealous care as though it had been her own:  so these three lived and ate and drank together, letting no living soul share their secret, and the lovers, happy as the day was long, would gladly thus have lived and died together, but, alas! the course of true love never can run smooth, and all too soon was their joy turned into sorrow.