er him. He looked again and saw
the brother and sister, the former with the sun on his forehead, and
the latter with the moon on her brow. "Gracious! if I did not know
that my wife had given birth to puppies, I should say that those were
my children," exclaimed the king. Another day he stood by the window
and enjoyed the Dancing Water and the Singing Apple, but the bird was
silent.

After the king had heard all the music, the bird said: "What does
your Majesty think of it?" The king was astonished at hearing the
Speaking Bird, and answered: "What should I think? It is marvellous."

"There is something more marvellous," said the bird; "just wait."

Then the bird told his mistress to call her brother, and said: "There
is the king; let us invite him to dinner on Sunday. Shall we not?"

"Yes, yes," they said. So the king was invited and accepted, and on
Sunday the bird had a grand dinner prepared and the king came. When he
saw the young people near, he clapped his hands and said: "They must
be my children."

He went over the palace and was astonished at its richness. Then they
went to dinner, and while they were eating the king said: "Bird, every
one is talking; you alone are silent."

"Ah! your Majesty, I am ill; but next Sunday I shall be well and able
to talk, and will come and dine at your palace with this lady and this
gentleman."

The next Sunday the bird directed his mistress and her brother to put
on their finest clothes; so they dressed in royal style and took the
bird with them. The king showed them through his palace and treated
them with the greatest ceremony; the aunts were nearly dead with fear.
When they had seated themselves at the table, the king said: "Come,
bird, you promised me you would speak; have you nothing to say?" Then
the bird began and related all that had happened from the time the
king had listened at the door until his poor wife had been sent to the
tread-mill; then the bird added: "These are your children, and your
wife was sent to the tread-mill, and is dying."

[Illustration: The King Begs Pardon]

When the king heard all this, he hastened to embrace his children, and
then went to find his poor wife, who was reduced to skin and bones and
was at the point of death. He knelt before her and begged her pardon,
and then summoned her sisters and the nurse, and when they were in his
presence he said to the bird: "Bird, you who have told me everything,
now pronounce their sentence." Then