ea of the princess to give me the _role_ of Diana, for I
have behind me a band of spies, and I assure you that my coy huntresses
are so fearfully modest, that the sight of a man fills them with dread,
and they flee before him into the wildest thicket of the woods."

"Perhaps because they have a lover concealed in the thicket," said
Endymion.

Camilla laughed aloud. "Perhaps you are right. But when my huntresses
fly, there still remains that horrible argus who guards me with his
thousand eyes and never leaves my side. It was from pure malice that the
prince gave that /role/ to my detestable stepfather, and thus fastened
him upon me."

"How did you succeed in escaping the watchfulness of your argus to come
here?"

"I escaped at the moment the princess was speaking to him, and my
huntresses were pursuing Actaeon, which character the Baron von
Kaphengst was representing with much humor. I wanted to speak with you,
for I have so much to relate to you. I must open to you my broken, my
unhappy heart. You are my dear, faithful cousin Kindar, and I hope you
will not leave your poor cousin, but give her counsel and assistance."

Baron von Kindar took Camilla's offered hand and pressed it to his lips.
"Count upon me as upon your faithful slave, who would gladly die for
you, as he cannot live for your sake."

"Listen then, beau cousin," whispered Camilla, smiling. "You know that
my stern, upright husband has left Berlin in order to receive the post
of an ambassador at Copenhagen. I would not accompany him because I was
daily expecting the birth of my child, and the little creature was so
sensible as not to enter the world until after the departure of its
honored father, who, before leaving, had delivered me a lecture on the
subject of his fidelity and tenderness, and of my duties as a lonely
wife and young mother. I was compelled to swear to him among other
things that I would not receive my beau cousin at my house."

"And you took that oath?" interrupted Kindar, reproachfully.

"I was forced to do so, or he would not have gone, or he would have
taken me with him. Besides this, he left behind his old confidant the
tutor, and told him that you should never be allowed to visit me. And
to place the crown upon his jealousy, he betrayed the secret of his
suspicions to my stepfather, and demanded of him the friendly service
of accompanying me to all fetes and balls, and to prevent you from
approaching me."

"Am I then so dange