e daughter of a wealthy
house in marriage to bring with them their own sheep and oxen to make
good cheer for the friends of the bride; but ye sit here as unbidden
guests, and devour my living."

Odysseus smiled to himself with pleasure when he heard this artful
speech of Penelope, for he perceived her intention, which was to draw
gifts from the wooers, and raise their hopes by the prospect of her
approaching marriage. And the artifice was successful, for the wooers,
following the lead of Antinous and Eurymachus, at once despatched
their servants to bring the bride gifts from their houses. Antinous
gave a splendid embroidered robe, with twelve golden clasps,
Eurymachus a necklace of amber and gold, and Eurydamas a pair of
jewelled earrings. These and other costly offerings were brought to
Penelope in her chamber.

II

When evening came on, the wooers ordered three braziers to be set up
in the hall, to give them light as they sat at their pastimes. The
braziers were fed with dry chips of pine-wood, and the maid-servants
relieved each other from time to time in the duty of keeping up the
fires. Presently Odysseus drew near to the handmaids, and said: "Go ye
and attend the queen in her chamber, I will serve the fires, and give
light to the company. Yea, though they sit here all night they shall
not tire me out, for I am a much-enduring man."

The women laughed, and glanced at one another; and one of them, whose
name was Melantho, spoke bitterly to Odysseus, and reviled him,
saying: "Thou wretched old man, why goest thou not to find a bed in
the smithy, or wherever else thou canst, instead of loitering here,
and vexing us with thy prate? Either thou hast drunk a cup too much,
or else thou art stricken in thy wits. Get thee gone, lest a stronger
than Irus lay his hand upon thee and break thy bones."

"Now will I go straightway to Telemachus," answered Odysseus fiercely,
"yonder where he sits, and tell him what thou sayest, thou vixen, that
he may hew thee in pieces on the spot."

So menacing were his looks and his tones that the women fled quaking
from the hall and left him to tend the fires. So there he stood in
view of the whole company, to their eyes a poor outcast, intent on his
menial task; but thoughts other than of the fires filled his heart.

As he stooped over one of the braziers and stirred the fuel into a
blaze, Eurymachus noticed the red gleam which was reflected from the
smooth, bald crown of the suppose