The Damsel and the Sage | Page 6

her white fingers the
water in the basin of the fountain that sprang from the rock close by.
Then she looked at the Sage from under the shadow of her brows and
answered, thoughtfully:
"The Fish was stunned at first by this truth being uttered so near it. It
suddenly realized what it had done and what it had lost. 'I, who swam
about freely and showed my glittering scales in the sun, am now caught

and in a basket, with no prospect but suffocation and death in front of
me,' it said to itself. 'I could have even supported that, and the
knowledge that my scales will become dull and unattractive in the near
future, if the Fisherman had only continued to lift the lid and admire me
a little longer.' And it sighed and began to feel the sense of suffocation.
But it was a Fish of great determination and resources. 'I have learned
my lesson,' it gasped; 'the Fisherman has taught it to me himself. Now I
will make a great jump and try to get out of the basket.'
"So it jumped and opened the lid. The Fisherman stirred in his sleep
and put out his hand vaguely to close it again, but he was too sleepy to
fasten the catch, and with less noise the Fish bounced up again and
succeeded in floundering upon the grass. It lay panting and in great
distress, but it looked at the beautiful Angler with regret. He was so
beautiful and so desirable. 'I could almost stay now,' the Fish sighed.
Then it braced itself up and gave one more bound, and this time
reached the rock at the edge of the stream.
"Again the Fisherman awoke, and now casually, with his eyes still
closed, fastened up the basket before he slept again; but the Fish with
its third bound reached the river, and darted out into the middle of the
stream.
"'Good-bye, Beautiful Angler!' it said, sadly. 'You were sweet, but you
have taught me a lesson, and freedom is sweeter.'
"The splash of its reaching the water fully awakened the Fisherman, but
he saw the basket with the lid shut, and had no anxieties until his eye
caught the pink of the water where the Fish sheltered under the rock. Its
gill was still bleeding from the hook wound, and colored a circle round
it. Then he opened the lid and found the basket empty.
"'Good-bye,' said the Fish. 'Your wish has been granted, and your
pleasure can begin all over again!'
"But the Fisherman suddenly realized that his rod, while he slept, had
fallen into the river, and was floating away down the stream.

"'Good-bye again,' said the Fish; 'I have suffered, but I have now
experience, and I am grateful to you, and my gill will heal up, and I
will smile at you sometimes from just under the surface of the water,
and so all is well!' And it flashed its glittering scales in the sun before it
darted away out of sight in the strong current."
And the Damsel folded her hands and looked into distance.
"Thank you, Damsel," said the Sage, gently for him; "but the
Fisherman could procure another rod--rods are not rarities. What then?"
"That would be for another day," said the Damsel; "and--for another
Fish!" And she tripped away down the hill, and was deaf to the Sage,
who gruffly called after her.
* * * * *
When you have caught your Fish, it may be wiser to cook it and eat it.
* * * * *
The sun was setting when the Damsel next came to the Cave. She had a
pet falcon with her, and kept caressing it as she propounded her
question.
"There lived a woman in a Castle who had three Knights devoted to her.
She loved one, and her vanity was pleased with the other two. While
she continued to play with them all, they all loved her to distraction;
but presently her preference for the one Knight became evident, and the
two others, after doing their utmost to supplant the third without
success, at last left the Castle and rode away. They were no sooner
gone, and things had become quiet, and no combats occurred to
interrupt the lovers' intercourse, when the chosen Knight began to
weary, and he, too, at last rode away, although before he had been the
most ardent of all. Why was this, Sage? And what should the woman
do?"
"It was because the Knight had won the prize and the woman gave him

no trouble to keep it," replied the Sage. "He was bound to weary. When
a man's profession is fighting and he has fought hard and succeeded,
after sufficient rest he wishes to fight again. So if