While these whispers were passing , the sleeper 's heart did not throb , nor his breath become agitated , nor his features betray the least token of interest . Yet Fortune was bending over him , just ready to let fall a burden of gold . The old merchant had lost his only son , and had no heir to his wealth except a distant relative with whose conduct he was dissatisfied . In such cases people sometimes do stranger things than to act the magician and awaken a young man to splendor who fell asleep in poverty . `` Shall we not waken him ? '' repeated the lady , persuasively . `` The coach is ready , sir , '' said the servant , behind . The old couple started , reddened and hurried away , mutually wondering that they should ever have dreamed of doing anything so very ridiculous . The merchant threw himself back in the carriage and occupied his mind with the plan of a magnificent asylum for unfortunate men of business . Meanwhile , David Swan enjoyed his nap . The carriage could not have gone above a mile or two when a pretty young girl came along with a tripping pace which showed precisely how her little heart was dancing in her bosom . Perhaps it was this merry kind of motion that caused -- is there any harm in saying it ? -- her garter to slip its knot . Conscious that the silken girth -- if silk it were -- was relaxing its hold , she turned aside into the shelter of the maple trees , and there found a young man asleep by the spring . Blushing as red as any rose that she should have intruded into a gentleman 's bedchamber , and for such a purpose too , she was about to make her escape on tiptoe . But there was peril near the sleeper . A monster of a bee had been wandering overhead -- buzz , buzz , buzz -- now among the leaves , now flashing through the strips of sunshine , and now lost in the dark shade , till finally he appeared to be settling on the eyelid of David Swan . The sting of a bee is sometimes deadly . As free-hearted as she was innocent , the girl attacked the intruder with her handkerchief , brushed him soundly and drove him from beneath the maple shade . How sweet a picture !
This good deed accomplished , with quickened breath and a deeper blush she stole a glance at the youthful stranger for whom she had been battling XXXXX a dragon in the air .
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