Page:The Children Who Followed the Piper.djvu/49

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WHO FOLLOWED THE PIPER

into the pitcher. He saw the wine bubbling within it, as if it were rising up out of a spring. Just then the other guest had offered an apple to Baucis. She shook, her head, thinking as Philemon had said. But the guest pointed to the basket, and when Baucis looked into it she thought there were as many apples and nuts and grapes and slices of bread and as much honey as when she had taken all these out of the cupboard.

Philemon took the cup of wine, and Baucis took the apple that was offered. They tasted what they had taken, and they knew that neither their wine nor their apples had such savor. They looked upon their guests, and they saw the majesty that was in the face of one and the all-knowingness that was in the face of the other; and they knew that they had for guests two of the gods.

Philemon would have knelt down before them but Baucis plucked at him; her thought was that they should prepare another and a better meal

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