by force? Who are these boys?"
cried the emperor in the same breath.

"We know not, your majesty," replied the lackey, "but there must be
something uncommon about them, for the lads are as strong as young
lions, they overpowered the guard at the gate, and have given us
plenty to do. Besides, they are proud, they don't lift their caps from
their heads."

The emperor flushed scarlet with rage.

"Throw them out!" he cried. "Set the dogs on them."

"Never mind, we will go," said the princes, weeping at the harsh
words, as they went down the steps again.

As they reached the gate, they were stopped by a servant, who was out
of breath from running to overtake them.

"The emperor has commanded you to come back, the empress wants to see
you."

The princes hesitated, then turned, climbed the stairs, and still with
their caps on their heads appeared before the emperor.

There stood a long, wide table, at which sat all the imperial guests;
at the head was the emperor, and beside him the empress, reclining on
twelve silk cushions.

As the princes entered, one of these twelve cushions fell to the
floor, only eleven remaining under the royal lady.

"Take off your caps!" cried a courtier.

"To wear the head covered is a token of rank among men. We wish to be
what we are."

"Why, yes!" exclaimed the emperor, softened by the musical words that
fell from the boys' lips. "Remain what you are, but who are you?
Whence do you come, and what do you want?"

"We are twin brothers, members of a family that is broken in twain,
half in the earth, half at the head of the table; we come from whence
we went, and have reached the place whence we came; we have had a
long journey, have spoken in the sighing of the wind, given a voice to
wood, sang in the ripples of the water, but now we wish to chant in
human language a song you know without knowing it."

A second cushion fell from under the empress.

"Let them go home with their nonsense!" she said to her husband.

"Oh! no, let them sing," replied the emperor. "You only wanted to see
them, but I wish to hear them. Sing, boys!"

The empress was silent, and the princes began to sing the story of
their lives.

"There was once an emperor," they began, and a third cushion fell from
under the empress.

When they described the emperor's departure to the war, three cushions
fell at once, and when the princes had finished their song not a
single one remained. But when they took off th