nearly double, groped his way after the kind Dove, which safely conducted him to the fountain: it made so much noise, that he would have been deafened, had not the Dove given him two of her white feathers, with which he stopped up his ears. He was wonderfully surprised to see this water dance as correctly as though Favier and Pecourt[1] had taught it. It is true they were but old dances, such as the Bocane, the Mariée, and the Saraband.[2] Several birds, flying about, sang the airs the water wished to dance to. The Prince filled his golden vase; he took two draughts of it, which made him a hundred times handsomer than he was previously, and which refreshed him so much, that he scarcely felt that the luminous forest was the hottest place in the world.
He returned the same way he came. His horse had strayed, but, knowing his voice, returned at full gallop as soon as he called to him. The Prince leapt lightly upon his back, quite proud at possessing the dancing water. "Gentle Dove," said he, as he held her, "I know not by what miracle you have so much authority in this place, but I am very grateful for the benefit I have received from it; and as liberty is the greatest of blessings, I restore you to yours, in return for the favours you have conferred on me." So saying, he let her go. She flew away with an air as fierce as though he had detained her against her will. "How capricious!" exclaimed he, mentally. "Thou resemblest a human being more than a turtle-dove,—the one is inconstant, the other is not." The Dove replied to him, although high in air, "Ah! do you know who I am?"
Cheri was astonished that the Dove had thus answered his thoughts; he was convinced she was very clever, and was sorry he had let her go. "She would have been useful to me," said he; "and I might have learnt from her many things that would have contributed to my happiness." However, he considered within himself that one should never regret doing a good action; and he felt he was much indebted
- ↑ Celebrated dancers of that day. The names of Favier and Pecourt both appear in the lists of the dancers in the tragic ballet of Psyche; and Favier sustained several characters in the magnificent Fête de Versailles, July 18, 1668. There were two Faviers, "l'ainé," and "le cadet;" the senior is most probably the one alluded to.
- ↑ The Bocane was a stately kind of dance, so called from Bocan, the dancing master of Anne of Austria, queen of Louis XIII., who invented it. La Mariée, was a branle or brawl (see p. 457) so called; it is mentioned by Madame d'Aulnoy in her story of "Le Gentilhomme Bourgeois." The Saraband has been described, note, p. 65. It was generally accompanied by the castagnets.
