rciful and forgive," said the younger of the sisters. "After all,
had we not caused you to be spirited away, you never would have found
the emerald."

"Yes, that is true," said the sailor. "My brothers shall decide for
themselves. Break, then, the spell which binds them to the under-waters,
restore to them their memory of the past, and if then they choose to
remain, I shall not try to lead them away. Reverse the spell!"

"That is easily done," said the elder sister. "Let them but touch the
food or drink of the upper world and their memory will return."

And in less time than it takes to tell it, the sisters offered the
enchanted brothers water from the rivulet. When they had drunk of it,
both the brothers became pale as death, their eyes opened wide, and they
stared as strangely as men suddenly waked from sleep. Then, seeing their
younger brother, they ran to him and threw their arms about him, and
asked a thousand questions about their father and the quest of the
emerald.

The golden-eyed brides watched them with sad faces, and finally broke
into quiet tears. Imagine their joy, when their husbands returned to
them and bade them be of good cheer.

Thus was true love found to be mightier than the mightiest spell.

Now, when the princesses of the sea had dried their tears, the sailor
and his brothers took counsel as to how the Emerald of the Sea might be
brought to the King in time to save their father's life. You may judge
of the sailor's horror when he discovered that because of a bad error in
the calendars and clocks of Sixes and Sevens (a city he had visited in
his search for the emerald), the life of his father had been forfeited
to the King three days before!

But now we must return to the poor merchant himself.

All the third year the poor man had lain in a small cell in the royal
dungeons, waiting anxiously, oh, so anxiously, to hear the quick step of
the sailor son on the winding stairs just outside his prison door. But
the year came to an end, as you know, without his return. For the third
and last time, the castle guards led the poor man before the King. Now
the King had never forgiven the merchant for the loss of the jewel; his
chagrin, indeed, had increased with the years, and he was very glad that
he could at last take his revenge.

"Have you found the Emerald of the Sea?" said the King, harshly. He
stood erect on the steps of his judgment-seat, arms folded, eyes fixed
in a fierce, black frown.