Page:Stories from Old English Poetry-1899.djvu/50

28 became plain, and she had given birth to a horrible, fiend like creature, who, she said, was his son. This she put in place of the governor's letter, and dispatched the messenger at dawn. King Alla was nearly heart-broken when he read these bad tidings, but he wrote back to wait all things till he returned, and to harm neither Constance nor her son. Back rode the messenger to Donegilde once again. She played her tricks over again and got him sound asleep. Then she took the king’s letter and put one in its place commanding the governor to put Constance and her child aboard the ship in which she came to these shores and set her afloat.

The good governor could hardly believe his eyes when he read these orders, and the tears ran over his cheeks for grief. But he dared not disobey what he supposed was the command of his king and master, so he made the vessel ready and went and told Constance what he must do.

She, poor soul, was almost struck dumb with grief. But she uttered no complaint, only she prayed to the blessed Virgin to take pity on her and take care of her poor little baby. Then., [sic] kneeling before the governor, she cried, with many tears,

“If I must go again on the cruel seas, at least this poor little innocent, who has done no evil, may be spared. Keep my poor baby till his