red to death, for you
are the most abominable wretches in the whole wide world."

"Who accuses me of crime?" cried the shepherd, indignant.

"I accuse you," said the king; "but you shall see, face to face, the
chief witness to your villany. Officer, bring the girl."

Silence filled the hall while they waited. The king's face was swollen
with anger. The queen hid hers behind her handkerchief. The shepherd
and shepherdess bent their eyes on the ground, wondering. It was with
difficulty Rosamond could keep her place, but so wise had she already
become that she saw it would be far better to let every thing come out
before she interfered.

At length the door opened, and in came the officer, followed by Agnes,
looking white as death and mean as sin.

The shepherdess gave a shriek, and darted towards her with arms spread
wide; the shepherd followed, but not so eagerly.

"My child! my lost darling! my Agnes!" cried the shepherdess.

"Hold them asunder," shouted the king. "Here is more villany! What!
have I a scullery-maid in my house born of such parents? The parents of
such a child must be capable of any thing. Take all three of them to
the rack. Stretch them till their joints are torn asunder, and give
them no water. Away with them!"

The soldiers approached to lay hands on them. But, behold! a girl all
in rags, with such a radiant countenance that it was right lovely to
see, darted between, and careless of the royal presence, flung herself
upon the shepherdess, crying,--

"Do not touch her. She is my good, kind mistress."

But the shepherdess could hear or see no one but her Agnes, and pushed
her away. Then the princess turned, with the tears in her eyes, to the
shepherd, and threw her arms about his neck and pulled down his head
and kissed him. And the tall shepherd lifted her to his bosom and kept
her there, but his eyes were fixed on his Agnes.

"What is the meaning of this?" cried the king, starting up from his
throne. "How did that ragged girl get in here? Take her away with the
rest. She is one of them, too."

But the princess made the shepherd set her down, and before any one
could interfere she had run up the steps of the dais and then the steps
of the king's throne like a squirrel, flung herself upon the king, and
begun to smother him with kisses.

All stood astonished, except the three peasants, who did not even see
what took place. The shepherdess kept calling to her Agnes, but she was
so ashamed t