Page:Tales of old Lusitania.djvu/14

4 do not respond to my passion for you I shall set the king against you."

The only reply that Antonia made was: "Your majesty may act as it best pleases you, but I could not respond to your majesty's love without being disloyal to my king."

The queen in a rage went and sought the king, saying: "I have let a ring fall into the sea, and Antonio says that he is sure he can dive to the bottom of the sea and find my ring. If he is so clever, tell him, O king, to go and do it."

Antonia was again called up before the king, who said: "The queen tells me that you boast of being able to find her ring which has fallen into the sea. What say you to this?"

"I have not said that I could, but I am willing to try, sire."

Antonia called upon her godfather to assist her, and he appeared to her as before, and said: "Go to the beach, and throw out a line; the first fish you catch, cut it open and inside it you will find the ring."

Antonia did as she was instructed, and having found the ring, gave it back to the queen. The queen, exasperated to find that all her plans to ruin her page were thwarted by some unaccountable adroitness in him, tried once more to bring Antonia into disgrace with the king: "Do you know, oh king! that my page has the impudence to boast that he can rescue