"But the day was not to end with this sad ceremony; for at twilight a
sentinel ran in with the glad news that two well-beloved citizens, sent
on an embassy to a distant country, and who had remained so long away
that they had been given up for dead, were returning: in fact, were at
that moment coming up the avenue to the gate. Then was there great
rejoicing, the whole city turning out to welcome them; and the poor
travelers, footsore and weary, and ready but now to lie down and die by
the road-side, so spent were they by the perils and hardships they had
undergone, suddenly found themselves within sight of home, surrounded by
friends, companions, brothers, who embraced them rapturously, praising
them for their fortitude and bravery, pitying their present weakness,
caressing, cheering, comforting them. So they were brought in triumph
back to their beloved city, where a banquet was prepared in honor of
their return.
"So general and engrossing was the interest felt in this event, that a
public calamity had well-nigh followed. The attendants on the princes
and princesses (usually most vigilant and faithful), in the excitement
of the occasion, forgot their charge, and the young folks instantly
seized the opportunity to rush out of the city by a side gate; and when
they were discovered were half-way across the meadow, and making for the
wood beyond.
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