ached her hand to him, and helped him to climb the steps of the
temple, for he was very feeble with age. And when he was come to the
top, the Queen turned her to the maidens that stood by and inquired of
them whether they knew aught of the answer which the God had given to
her husband in the matter of his childlessness. But they were loath to
make answer, remembering that the King had bidden them to be silent
under pain of death; but at the last, for the thing pleased them not,
both for pity of their mistress and also for hatred that a stranger
should be King in Athens, they said, "O lady, thou must never hold a
child in thy arms or nurse a babe at thy breast." And when the old man
asked--for the Queen was distraught with grief--whether the King also
shared this trouble, they said, "Not so, old man; to him Apollo giveth a
son."

"How so?" said he; "is this son yet to be born, or doth he live
already?"

"He is a youth full grown. For the God said, 'He whom thou shalt first
meet, coming forth from this shrine, is thy son.' And know, lady, that
this youth is he who is wont to serve in this shrine, with whom thou
talkedst at the first. But more than this I know not; only that thy
husband is gone without thy knowledge to hold a great feast, and that
the lad sitteth thereat in much honour."

And when the old man heard these things he waxed wroth and said, "Lady,
there is treachery in this matter. We are betrayed by thy husband, and
of fixed purpose set at naught, that he may drive us out of the house of
thy father, King Erechtheus. And this I say not because I hate thy
husband, but that I love thee more. Hearken, then, to my words. He came
a stranger to the city of Athens, and took thee to wife, and had with
thee the inheritance of thy father's kingdom; and when he found thee
childless, he was not content to bear this reproach with thee, but
wedded secretly some slave woman, and gave the child whom she bare to
him to some citizen of Delphi to rear for him. And the child grew up, as
thou knowest, a minister in the temple of Apollo. And when thy husband
knew that he was come to full age he devised this device that thou and
he should come to this place, and make inquiry of the god, whether there
might be any remedy for thy childlessness. And now thou wilt suffer the
foulest wrong, for he will bring this son of a bondwoman to be lord in
thy house. Wherefore I give thee this counsel. Devise some device, and
be it with the sword