her cloak, saying that her name was Perdita, and that she came of noble
parents.

The shepherd, being a kind-hearted man, took home the little baby to
his wife, and they brought it up as their own child. She had no more
teaching than a shepherd's child generally has, but she inherited from
her royal mother many graces and charms, so that she was quite different
from the other maidens in the village where she lived.

One day Prince Florizel, the son of the good King of Bohemia, was
bunting near the shepherd's house and saw Perdita, now grown up to a
charming woman. He made friends with the shepherd, not telling him that
he was the Prince, but saying that his name was Doricles, and that he
was a private gentleman; and then, being deeply in love with the pretty
Perdita, he came almost daily to see her.

The King could not understand what it was that took his son nearly every
day from home; so he set people to watch him, and then found out that
the heir of the King of Bohemia was in love with Perdita, the pretty
shepherd girl. Polixenes, wishing to see whether this was true,
disguised himself, and went with the faithful Camillo, in disguise
too, to the old shepherd's house. They arrived at the feast of
sheep-shearing, and, though strangers, they were made very welcome.
There was dancing going on, and a peddler was selling ribbons and laces
and gloves, which the young men bought for their sweethearts.

Florizel and Perdita, however, were taking no part in this gay scene,
but sat quietly together talking. The King noticed the charming manners
and great beauty of Perdita, never guessing that she was the daughter of
his old friend, Leontes. He said to Camillo--

"This is the prettiest low-born lass that ever ran on the green
sward. Nothing she does or seems but smacks of something greater than
herself--too noble for this place."

And Camillo answered, "In truth she is the Queen of curds and cream."

But when Florizel, who did not recognize his father, called upon the
strangers to witness his betrothal with the pretty shepherdess, the King
made himself known and forbade the marriage, adding that if ever she saw
Florizel again, he would kill her and her old father, the shepherd; and
with that he left them. But Camillo remained behind, for he was charmed
with Perdita, and wished to befriend her.

Camillo had long known how sorry Leontes was for that foolish madness of
his, and he longed to go back to Sicily to see his ol