The governor wrote letters to the king to tell him the glad news, and gave them to a messenger to carry with all haste.  But the queen-mother was jealous of Constance, and, when the messenger passed, called him in and made him drunk with wine.  Then, while he slept, she opened his pouch, took out his letters and changed them, so that when he came to the king the letters that he delivered were false ones written by the queen, which said:  “Your wife is an elf, and has borne a baby so ugly and horrible that all are afraid of it.”  The king was sad at this news, but he so loved Constance that he wrote back:  “Keep the child till I return; I would obey the will of God.”

Again, as the messenger passed the palace of the king’s mother, she called him in and made him drunk with wine.  Then, while he slept, she opened his pouch, took out the letters and changed them, so that the letters which the governor received were false ones and said:  “Constance must not abide in this land longer than three days.  It is my will and decree that she be placed in an open boat with her young son, and left to the mercy of the winds and waves.”

The governor wept, and so did all the townsfolk, for they loved Constance.  Yet, as the letter bore the king’s seal, they could not but obey it, thinking it true.

On the fourth day Constance, with deadly pale face, went towards her little boat.  Her baby cried piteously, but she lulled it to sleep, and placed her kerchief over its face to protect it from the sun.  When she was afloat she prayed:  “O Mary, Mother of God, help me now, a poor mother with her little child, alone, at sea.”

On went the boat; but again, amid storm and calm, wind and rain, it was unhurt.  For five years it drifted, now north, now south, now east, now west, about the wide ocean.  God’s hand guided it, and God protected it, so that Constance and her child were fed and happy.

Now when the emperor heard of the treachery of the Syrians, he sent a great army in ships to punish them, and as this army was returning to Rome the captain suddenly saw a little boat travelling without oar or sail.  As it came nearer he saw that it contained a woman, and when he took her aboard, he quickly perceived that she was noble.  Her baby boy was in her arms.  The captain in pity took her to his home, but the woman would not say who she was, though she lived with his family and served them well. You have guessed by now that the woman was Constance.

Some years afterwards the good God put it into Alla’s heart to go to Rome.  His host there was the very captain with whom Constance was living.  When she heard of his coming she hid herself, but arranged that her boy should stand before Alla at the feast.  The child was very like his mother, and at once the king asked his history.  The captain told him of the coming of these two sea wanderers.  Alla eagerly asked to see the mother.