“Oh! her lot is most pitiful; for Heaven’s sake tell me who she is,” said the lad.
“She is our mother, the one who gave us our existence,” said she.
“How! how!” exclaimed the lad, impatiently.
The maiden told him everything. She also told him that it was their cruel aunts who, wanting to destroy him, had persuaded the King to send him on dangerous errands. Then sister and brother planned how to entertain the King on the following day. They at first pitched the tent sent by the fairies, and lo! it was so large that a whole kingdom could be entertained in it. Then they stretched the rug, and lo! it was as large as the tent. Then they put in the middle of it the wishing-table, which served as much and as many kinds of food as one desires. On the following day the King with all the court and the army came, and seeing the tent the King said to himself:
“Aha! this is the tent that my oldest daughter-in-law would weave.”
Entering in, he saw the immense rug, and he said to himself:
“This is the rug which my second daughter-in-law was boasting about.”
All his army was entertained and there was still room for as many more people. The King fell into deep meditation and thought there must be something at the bottom of it all. The foods served from the wishing-table were so various and delicious that the King was very much pleased, and at the end of the banquet, while all the crowd was listening, he said to the twins:
“Ask of me whatever you want, and I will give it to you, even to the half of my kingdom.”
“Is there anything more precious than father and mother?” said the twins; “mighty King, give us our father and mother.”