“A gift!” She smiled rosily.
“I have brought thee thy wish, children. Ah, thou dost not see! We have taken two captives, the son and daughter of a great Pelasgian chief. If ransom cometh not, they are thine. Thou wilt care for them, wilt cause them to be taught our tongue and habits. Here, in this palace, will they stay to be treated as are the children of the king.”
Much did he enjoy her astonishment, and the yearning look that came into her eyes.
“But how old are they, Atlano?”
“The boy is sixteen years; the girl, thirteen.”
“And their parents are dead?”
“Nay, nay, they live!”
“They live, and without their children?”
“Yea, yea, and without their children!”
“It is a horror.”