cheeks were ruddy with the flush of youth and her cherry lips were parted with a smile she was looking for her sister and she held in her hands a dainty piece of with which she had been the morning hours when her surprised eyes saw the strangers in the hall she started quickly back and shrieked with alarm in a moment the came running from the weaving room with their and in their hands and following them came s elderly sister the mother of when they beheld the strange young prince so noble in form and so richly clad they stopped suddenly and stood speechless for wonder then all at once looking beyond saw her son standing in the hall and with a cry of glad surprise she ran to meet him in the halls of king o my child she cried hast thou indeed come home again hast thou had enough of savage and hast thou come back to stay with thy mother in her old age while she was clinging to his neck and sobbing aloud for joy the king himself came into the hall was very old yet he walked erect and proud and his eyes blazed like beneath his gray forehead men said that he was the child of the sun and none could remember the time when he began to rule over the people of ea like a lion roused in his he strode forward eager to learn what was the cause of the commotion but when he saw the strangers and among them his he his anger and in pleasant tones bade each of them welcome then without further words he went back the way he had come calling aloud to his servants forthwith there was running to and fro throughout the palace some hastened to carry wood into the kitchen some quickly the fires others hurried to the and to prepare a feast for the unexpected guests one of s maidens led them to pleasant chambers set apart for strangers another brought them clean linen and warm water for the bath another their clothes and stood ready to do the golden any service they might wish but no one asked them questions or sought to know the reason of their coming at length when they had rested and refreshed themselves they were led into the long dining hall where meat and drink for the were placed before them there with the old king as their host they merrily while soft music played by unseen hands filled their hearts with joy and drove all fear of danger from their minds from a gallery above dark eyes looked down upon them � the eyes of and of her young maiden sister and as gazed upon the form of she thought that nowhere in the world could there be another prince so full of grace and noble courage and all that goes to the making of a perfect man when the meal was finished and it was right and courteous to ask the questions that were uppermost in his mind said to now tell me my why have you returned to a and who are these noble strangers whom you have brought hither to be my guests then answered humbly as becomes a young man speaking to his i went as you did bid me to to claim the kingdom which should be mine but the m the halls of king in that city would not receive me and i barely escaped from them with my life the race of is accursed and it is that no one of his descendants shall sit upon his throne until the golden is carried back to greece ah indeed said scornfully then i suppose that your errand here is to rob your of his richest treasure and you have brought these strangers to help you is it not so judge me not so harshly grandfather answered i will tell you the truth the young prince who sits beside us is whose grandfather was the brother of he is therefore my own cousin he is heir to the rich kingdom of w hich lies at the foot of old mount by the sea but a certain lawless man robbed him of his while he was still a lad and bade him win it back by bringing the golden from a so we together built a ship greater than any other that has ever sailed the sea and gathered around him all the chosen heroes of the race for a quest the like of which no other man has ever undertaken he has come hither to and the city of ea bringing great treasures with which to buy the golden indeed indeed muttered and his face the golden began to grow purple with rage then arose and spoke soothingly to him great king he said the words that has spoken are true and now that we may remove the curse which rests so heavily upon the house of we come to you as merchants with a fair store of goodly things to offer you in exchange for the we have in the hold of our ship rich golden cups and well wrought arms and brazen and rare from distant and much else to please the eyes of kings and deck their halls take these and let us have the that hangs useless in your treasure house then the curse will be removed from the family of and your son will be his just rights the old face of changed from purple to an hue as he listened to these words but he checked his anger and answered for he planned not only to keep the but also to possess himself of all the riches of which had spoken i am no merchant that i should trade with you he said the is not for sale and even though it were there is not enough in the world to pay for 