d
position, for his ministers and courtiers who were very indignant at
having a tailor's daughter for their queen, conspired to ruin her. And
they availed themselves of the first opportunity. During the king's
absence beautiful twins were born, a boy and a girl; but the wicked
conspirators sent to tell him that the queen had for children a cat
and a serpent.

"When the king received this intelligence, he was furious and sent off
a royal mandate that the queen should be entombed alive, and the
children cast into the river. This was done: the beautiful queen was
shut up in a stone vault, and her little darling twins were placed in
a crystal coffer, and left to the mercy of the stream."

When they heard the fate of the poor queen and her innocent babes, the
swallows, who are very kind and affectionate, began to lament most
heartily, whilst the twins looked at each other in amazement,
suspecting it to be very probable that they themselves were the
castaway children.

The city swallow continued her narrative:

"But now hear how God frustrated the plots of these traitors. The
queen was entombed; but her attendant, who was very devoted to her,
contrived to make a hole in the wall, and supplied her with food
through it, as we do to our little ones through our nests, and thus
the lady lives, although a life of misery. Her children were rescued
by a good fisherman, who has brought them up, so a friend of mine,
Martin Fisher, who lives on the banks of the river, has informed me."

The twins, who had heard the whole story, were delighted that they had
learned the language of birds; which indeed, is a proof that we should
never neglect any opportunity of learning for, when least we think it,
what we have learned may prove of great utility to us.

"So then," said the swallows joyfully, "when these children are older,
they will be able to regain their place at their father's side, and
liberate their mother."

"That is not so easy," said the narrator, "because they will not be
able to prove their identity, nor prove their mother's innocence, nor
the malice of the Ministry. There is only one method by which they
would be able to undeceive the king."

"And what is that? What is that?" cried all the swallows together.
"And how do you know it?"

"I know it," responded the narrator, "because one day when I was
passing by the palace garden, I met and had a chat with a cuckoo, who,
as you know, is a conjuror, and can foretell what