uz STORIES FROM DAUDET

night and seated myself outside at the
door of the hut. Heaven knows, that
dearly as I loved her, my only thought
was pride to think that there, in a
corner of my hut, close to the curious
sheep who watched her slumbers, my
master’s daughter, like a lamb, whiter
and more precious than the rest of the
flock, slept safe in my charge. Never
had the sky seemed deeper to me or
the stars more bright. Suddenly the
door of the hut opened and the fair
Stephanette appeared. She could not
sleep. The sheep rustled the straw in
moving or bleated in their sleep. She
would rather sit by the fire. Seeing
this, I put my goatskin over her
shoulders, I stirred up the fire, and we
sat there together without speaking.
If you have ever passed a night in the
open air, you know that when we are
all asleep, a mysterious world wakes up
in the solitude and silence. Then the
brooks babble more shrilly and little
flames dance over the pools. The