ome of her affable sweetness of disposition. She felt as if
she were among strangers, and a peculiar anxiety harassed her until
evening, when the joyful song of some minstrel, who chanted the praises
of hope, and sang with magic inspiration of the wonders which follow
faith in the fulfilment of our wishes, filled her with consolation, and
lulled her with the sweetest dreams.

As soon as the princess had taken leave, the youth plunged into the
forest. He had followed her among the bushes as far as the garden gate,
and then sought to return by the road. As he was walking along, he saw
some bright object shining before his feet. He stooped and picked up a
dark red stone, one side of which was wonderfully brilliant, and the
other was graved with ciphers. He knew it to be a costly carbuncle, and
thought that he had observed it in the middle of the necklace which the
unknown lady wore. He hastened with winged footsteps home, as if she
were yet there, and brought the stone to his father. They decided that
the son should return next morning to the road, and see whether any one
was sent to look for it; if not, they would keep it till they received
a second visit from the lady, and then return it to her. The young man
passed much of the night gazing at the carbuncle, and felt towards
morning irresistibly inclined to write a few words upon the paper in
which he wrapt it. He hardly knew himself the meaning of the words
which he wrote:

A mystic token deeply graved is beaming
Within the glowing crimson of the stone,
Like to a heart, that, lost in pleasant dreaming,
Keepeth the image of the fair unknown.
A thousand sparks around the gem are streaming,
A softened radiance in the heart is thrown;
From that, the light's indwelling essence darts.
But ah, will this too have the heart of hearts?

As soon as the morning dawned, he took his way in haste to the garden
gate.

In the mean while the princess in undressing on the previous evening,
had missed the jewel from her necklace. It was a memento from her
mother, and moreover a talisman, the possession of which insured to her
the liberty of her person, since with it she could never fall into
another's power against her will.

This loss surprised more than it frightened her. She remembered that
she had it the day before when riding, and was quite certain that it
was lost, either in the house of the old man, or on the way back
through the woods