Odysseus left the hall and found Telemachus, where he reminded his son to take the suitor's weapons away with the excuse that the smoke was ruining them. Telemachus called his nanny, Eurycleia, over and told her he was going to put the weapons in the hall away, and asked her to make sure all of the maids were away in their rooms.
As father and son put away the armour and weapons, Athena went with them, invisible, with a bright lamp, which cast a bright light over everything. When Telemachus saw this, he was amazed that he could see all of the walls and the cieling, and said that a god must be among them to make a light like this. Odysseus quieted him, and told him to go back to his own room and go to sleep. Odysseus said that he wanted to talk to Penelope and the maids a little bit more.
As Odysseus was standing there, Penelope came out of her room and sat on a couch in the room. When one of the maids, Melantho, saw him, she began making fun of Odysseus as she had at diner. Odysseus threatened to tell Telemachus of the things she said. Penelope heard this, and agreed with Odysseus.
Penelope started her inquiry of Odysseus by asking him about his history. Odysseus replied with a fake story about being the Prince of Crete when Odysseus came to the island on his way to Troy. To really make sure that the "beggar" was telling the truth, Penelope gave a test to Odysseus at his house. She asked the "beggar" what clothes Odysseus was wearing and who was with him. Odysseus described the purple robe that he himself had been wearing before with such great detail, that Penelope began crying because of the memories that the description brought back. The "beggar" assured Penelope that the last time he had heard of Odysseus, he was at Phaiacia, and was coming home soon. Penelope prayed that what the "beggar" said was true.
After they had finished talking, Penelope ordered her maids to wash the "beggar's" feet. Odysseus said that he wouldn't trust anyone to touch his feet, unless they were old and hardened like him. Penelope called over Eurycleia, who had raised Odysseus, to wash the "baggar's" feet. As Eurycleia brought out a basin to wash his feet, Odysseus remembered a distinctive scar that he had above his knee. Odysseus had gotten this scar when he was child, and was hunting with some relatives of his. A boar had come out of the brush, and Odysseus had attacked it, not before it had put it's tusk into Odysseus's leg. When Eurycleia felt the scar, she dropped Odysseus's leg into the basin in surprise, spilling all of the water. She looked over at Penelope, eager to share the good news, but Odysseus grabbed her and made her promise not to tell anyone about his return. Eurycleia also agreed to tell Odysseus the name of all of the servants who had besmirched him while he was away.
Eurycleia went to get more water to finish washing Odysseus's feet, and when she had finished, Penelope asked the "beggar" if she could ask him another question. Penelope told Odysseus about a dream that she had, in which she saw geese by a pond who came out of the pond to be fed. But as they left the lake, an eagle had come and killed all of them. Penelope cried in her dream for the death of the geese until the eagle came back, perched on a branch, and began talking to her. The eagle told her to be courageous, and that this was not a dream, but something that was yet to come. She asked Odysseus what this dream meant.
Odysseus said that there was only one explanation as to what her dream could mean. He told her that the geese represented the suitors, and the eagle had come to kill them all, without leaving any of them alive. Penelope was still uncertain, and described the different gates that a dream could go through to get to a sleeper. One, made of horn, let truthful dreams through, and the other, made of polished elephant horn, only let through false dreams.
After she had finished this explanation she asked the "beggar's" opinion again. She told him of a contest she was planning to hold, so that she could pick the best suitor to marry, and get it over with. Odysseus urged her to put off the contest, because Odysseus was near by. After they had talked about all of this, Penelope suggested that they head to their beds and get some sleep.
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