Page:The Lady's Book Vol. V.pdf/41

 BERTHA. 39

youth is ripening in its last summer into woman- hood. Her stature exhibited the golden mean between short and tall; and her complexion was so brilliantly fair, and her eyes so dazzlingly bright, that the young Greek was uncertain for a moment whether his imagination had not con- jured up one of those aerial forms which exist only in the day - dreams of poetry. In another moment she moved - retreated; the sapphire cup fell from his hand, and he stepped forward, as if to catch the vision ere it faded. Gracefully bending, sweetly smiling, and brightly blushing, the maid of France gained the door; her eyes lightened for an instant upon his heart, and she melted from his view.

The Greek smote his brow with his two hands; he gasped for breath; his thoughts in vain de- manded utterance- " Bertha! Bertha! Bertha! " was the only sound emitted by his trembling lips. " Bertha! Bertha! Bertha! " he repeated, in a succession of sighs, rather than of breathings, and sank upon his knees on the floor. At this moment the door opened, and an officer of the court entered.

" Sir, " said he " Oh Jesu! " starting back at the singular posture of the stranger. " Oh Bertha! "

" The king desires thy company- " " Bertha! "

" In the great bath. "

" Bertha! Bertha! Bertha! Why - what- who art thou? what dost thou want? "

" I? -nothing. It is the king who wants thee, and I am commanded to wait upon thee to the great bath, where he is. " The Greek followed his conductor like a man in a dream; and when at length he found himself in the midst of the thick vapours of an immense bath, where he could see a number of naked figures plunging in the smoking waters, he began to doubt whether he were really awake.

The bath, supplied by the celebrated hot mi- neral springs of the place, * was so large and so deep as to admit of many persons swimming in it at once. It was completely surrounded by a flight of marble steps, which conducted to the water's edge; and here and there luxurious couches were placed for the accommodation of the bathers. Our adventurer, however, had lit- tle time for examination; his conductor, finding him stand idly staring around, snatched off his cloak without ceremony, and then began to tug at his tunic. The stranger, accustomed to un- dress himself, and seeing that it was here abso- lutely necessary, then pulled off his clothes with- out resistance; and in another moment found himself swimming in hot water with the King of France, his sons Charles, Louis, and Pepin, and several officers and soldiers of the guard. †


 * These baths, before the time of Charlemagne, had been fitted up by some Roman lord or governor, named Granus, and the place, therefore, was known by the Latin name of Aquis - Granum.

↑ In præemat. Alcuin. de Carol. Magn. Collect. Duchesnian; Eginhard, in Vit. Carol. Eginhard assures us, that not one of the company usually assembled in the bath, swam better than Charlemagne.

" And the Princess Bertha? " said Charles, laughing, " what think'st thou of the little French maid? Is she a jewel worthy to be set in the crown of the East? "

" Ay, in the crown of heaven! " cried the Greek. " Angilbert was right; the proudest diadem of the world will show but as worthless lead beside that glorious gem! "

The fond father appeared to be as much de- lighted with the enthusiasm of the stranger as the latter was with the frankness of the king and the beauty of his daughter; and we shall now leave them for a space, to follow to her apartment the fair subject of their conversation.

Bertha retired to her chamber, wondering at the fancy her father had taken to send her so stealthily, without form or introduction, into the presence of a stranger; but, attributing his con- duct, in this instance, to an ebullition of the play- ful and social feelings he so often manifested in his intercourse with his children, she resumed her work without bestowing farther considera- tion on the subject. This work was nothing more than spinning, which was an accomplish- ment, it should be said, not shared by every young lady of the time; but Charlemagne is al- lowed in history to have been particularly atten- tive to the education of his children. Bertha, also inheriting her father's love of music, knew how to wile away the hours of her task with sing- ing; and on the present occasion, instead of the church hymns, which had been her usual amuse- ment ever since the king had kindled a religious war by importing the Italian tunes, she sang one of the lais d'amour of the day, which probably resembled more nearly the song adopted as a motto to this historiette than any modern compo- sition.

The natural melody of her voice, like the wind " breathing on a bank of violets, " stole new soft- ness from the subject, till at length it seemed to become languid with its own richness; and the concluding lines of the lay fell in broken and dy- ing gusts of harmony from her lips- "Est miens leigement,‡ Je le sai de fy- J'aim' bein lolaument, Et s'ai l bel amy. " The silence which followed the song was in- terrupted by a whispering sound at the door, and, supposing one of her maids was there, she desired her to come in. The door slowly opened, and a man entered the chamber.

" What, Angilbert! cousin! How now, sir? " said the maiden, blushing, half with modesty, half with anger; - " in my own apartment! "

" Thou may'st forgive it, Bertha, " said Angil- " bert, taking both her hands gently and mourn- fully; " it is for the last time! "

" In the name of the Virgin, what means this? Thine eyes are wild, and yet thy cheeks pale; thy hands burn and tremble, and thy step is fee- ble and uncertain! Art thou unwell, my cousin, my dear Angilbert? Yet, haste, O haste thee

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D'assurance.