"I am not your mother, and you must do as you choose, but if you think I belonged to you because we played with each other as children, and I was not unwilling to give you my hand in the dance, you are mistaken.

I care for, no man who turns day into night and night into day." At the last words Xanthe's eyes filled with tears, and Phaon noticed it with astonishment.
He gazed at her sadly and beseechingly, and then fixed his eyes on the ground.

At last he began to suspect the cause of her anger, and asked, smiling: "You probably mean that I riot all night ?" "Yes!" cried Xanthe; she withdrew her hand for the second time, and half turned away.
"Oh!" he replied, in a tone of mingled surprise and sorrow, "you ought not to have believed that." "Xanthe turned, raised her eyes in astonishment, and asked "Then where have you been these last nights ?" "Up in your olive-grove with the three Hermes." "You ?" "How amazed you look!" "I was only thinking of the wicked fellows who have robbed many trees of their fruit.

That savage Korax, with his thievish sons, lives just beside the wall." "For your sake, Xanthe, and because your poor father is ill and unable to look after his property, while Mopsus and your fishermen and slaves were obliged to go in the ship to Messina, to handle the oars and manage the sails, I always went up as soon as it grew dark." "And have you kept watch there ?" "Yes." "So many nights ?" "One can sleep after sunrise." "How tired you must be!" "I'll make up my sleep when my father returns." "They say he is seeking the rich Mentor's only daughter for your wife." "Not with my will, certainly." "Phaon!" "I am glad you will give me your hand again." "You dear, good, kind fellow, how shall I thank you ?" "Anything but that! If you hadn't thought such foolish things about me, I should never have spoken of my watch up yonder.

Who could have done it except myself, before Mopsus came back ?" "No one, no one but you! But now--now ask your question at once." "May I?
O Xanthe, dear, dear Xanthe, will you have me or our cousin Leonax for your husband ?" "You, you, only you, and nobody else on earth!" cried the girl, throwing both arms around him.