Page:Tales of old Lusitania.djvu/172

156 entered it with his retinue to take refreshments, and occupied a suite of apartments for a few hours. The prince having expressed a wish to wash his hands, the father, who did not recognise his son, knelt down at his feet and presented him a silver ewer containing water. The prince, by an irresistible movement which he could not account for, shrank back and would not accept his services; he felt, he knew not why, that though he might be a prince, yet the man that knelt before him so humbly was his superior.

At this the innkeeper became strangely agitated, and began to tremble in every limb.

The prince noticed the landlord's odd behaviour, and asked him what had so affected him, to which he replied: "Because your refusal, prince, reminds me of a son I had who, if he were alive now, would be about your age. I wickedly cast him into the sea to perish, because, when a mere child, he told me the moon had said that some day I should bow to him and think it an honour to offer him water to wash his hands."

"But what have I to do with your son?"

"Nothing whatever, my lord, for you are a king's son and I am a poor, humble innkeeper."

When the prince came home and related the incident to the king, he immediately ordered a trusty officer to go and inquire into the matter and find out