Inside , lying on a soft bed of cotton , were two babies , a boy and a girl , who opened their eyes and smiled at him . The man was filled with pity at the sight , and throwing down his lines he took the cradle and the babies home to his wife . The good woman flung up her hands in despair when she beheld the contents of the cradle . ` Are not eight children enough , ' she cried , ` without bringing us two more ? How do you think we can feed them ? ' ` You would not have had me leave them to die of hunger , ' answered he , ` or be swallowed up by the waves of the sea ? What is enough for eight is also enough for ten . ' The wife said no more ; and in truth her heart yearned over the little creatures . Somehow or other food was never lacking in the hut , and the children grew up and were so good and gentle that , in time , their foster-parents loved them as well or better than their own , who were quarrelsome and envious . It did not take the orphans long to notice that the boys did not like them , and were always playing tricks on them , so they used to go away by themselves and spend whole hours by the banks of the river . Here they would take out the bits of bread they had saved from their breakfasts and crumble them for the birds . In return , the birds taught them many things : how to get up early in the morning , how to sing , and how to talk their language , which very few people know . But though the little orphans did their best to avoid quarrelling with their foster-brothers , it was very difficult always to keep the peace . Matters got worse and worse till , one morning , the eldest boy said to the twins : ` It is all very well for you to pretend that you have such good manners , and are so much better than we , but we have at least a father and mother , while you have only got the river , like the toads and the frogs . ' The poor children did not answer the insult ; but it made them very unhappy . And they told each other in whispers that they could not stay there any longer , but must go into the world and seek their fortunes . So next day they arose as early as the birds and stole downstairs without anybody hearing them . One window was open , and they crept softly out and ran to the side of the river . Then , feeling as if they had found a friend , they walked along its banks , hoping that by-and-by they should meet some one to take care of them . The whole of that day they went steadily on without seeing a living creature , till , in the evening , weary and footsore , they saw before them a small hut .
This raised their spirits XXXXX a moment ; but the door was shut , and the hut seemed empty , and so great was their disappointment that they almost cried .
In Inside for from on than that till to without