He went up then till he came to the place where he was sitting. “What is it you say about the barrel?”
“It is a two-ended barrel the old man found by the sea. He took you out of the barrel; he took you home. The king heard he had found two children in the barrel. He did not believe it. He went down to the old man to see if he had found them. The old man said he had. He brought down the youngsters. The king sat down. He took hold of them by the hand. He viewed them. He said they had royal blood.”
“‘Give me the children. I will care for them better than you.’
“‘It is hard for me to give them from me.’
“He could not refuse the king. The king said he would not let them have a day of want. ‘I will support you and your old woman as long as you are alive.’
“The King of Greece is not your father,” said the man. “He had no family but the one young girl in the house.”
“I am grateful to you for all that you have told me about the way I came here. If I live, I will do you a service.”
They were troubled. They knew not whence they had come. They went home. The King of Greece welcomed his two sons.
“Put not your sonship upon us. We are only the children of a poor man who had no means to rear us. I will sleep no night but this night in your house till I find out how I came hither.”