His property rapidly diminished under the unceasing demands of his appetite, but his hunger continued unabated. At length he had spent all, and had only his daughter left, a daughter worthy of a better parent. Her, too, he sold. She scorned to be the slave of a purchaser, and, as she stood by the sea-side, raised her hands in prayer to Neptune. He heard her prayer, and, though her new master was not far off, and had his eyes on her a moment before, Neptune changed her form, and made her assume that of a fisherman busy at his occupation. Her master, looking for her and seeing her in her altered form, addressed her and said: “Good fisherman, whither went the maiden whom I saw just now, with hair dishevelled and in humble garb, standing about where you stand? Tell me truly, so may your luck be good, and not a fish nibble at your hook and get away.” She perceived that her prayer was answered, and rejoiced inwardly at hearing herself inquired of about herself. She replied: “Pardon me, stranger, but I have been so intent upon my line that I have seen nothing else; but I wish I may never catch another fish if I believe any woman or other person except myself to have been hereabouts for some time.” He was deceived and went his way, thinking his slave had escaped. Then she resumed her own form. Her father was well pleased to find her still with him, and the money, too, that he got by the sale of her; so he sold her again. But she was changed by the favor of Neptune as often as she was sold—now into a horse, now a bird, now an ox, and now a stag—got away from her purchasers, and came home. PAN AND SYRINX (_Greek_) Once there was a beautiful nymph of the woods whose name was Syrinx. She was much admired by all the satyrs and spirits of the wood, but she was a faithful worshipper of Artemis and did not respond to the attentions of any of her admirers. One day, however, Pan met her, and was so delighted with her that he persistently wooed her with many compliments. Away she ran from him without stopping to hear what he had to say, but on the bank of the river he overtook her. Then she called on her friends the water-nymphs to help her. They heard her, and just as Pan was about to throw his arms around her they changed her into a tuft of reeds. As he breathed a sigh, the air sounded through the reeds and produced a plaintive melody. Pan, delighted with the music and with the novelty of the experience, exclaimed, “Thus, then, at least, you shall be mine.” So he took some of the reeds, of unequal lengths, and placing them together side by side, he made an instrument and called it Syrinx, in honor of the nymph. POMONA AND VERTUMNUS (_Roman_)