ter. Do you solemnly swear you heard Phormio call this stranger
'Glaucon'?"

"Yes, _kyrie_. Woe! woe!"

"And you say he is now asleep in your house?"

"Yes, the wine has made them both very heavy."

"You have done well." Democrates extended his hand again. "You are a
worthy daughter of Athens. In years to come they will name you with King
Codrus who sacrificed his life for the freedom of Attica, for have you not
sacrificed what should be dearer than life,--the fair name of your husband?
But courage. Your patriotism may extenuate his crime. Only the traitor
must be taken."

"Yes, he was breathing hard when I went out. Ah! seize him quickly."

"Retire," commanded Democrates, with a flourish; "leave me to concert with
this excellent Hiram the means of thwarting I know not what gross
villany."

The door had hardly closed behind Lampaxo, when Democrates fell as a heap
into the cushions. He was ashen and palsied.

"Courage, master,"--Hiram was drawing a suggestive finger across his
throat,--"the woman's tale is true metal. Critias shall sleep snug and
sweetly to-night, if perchance too soundly."

"What will you do?" shrieked the wretched man.

"The thing is marvellously simple, master. The night is not yet old.
Hasdrubal and his crew of Carthaginians are here and by the grace of Baal
can serve you. This cackling hen will guide us to the house. Heaven has
put your enemy off his guard. He and Phormio will never wake to feel their
throats cut. Then a good stone on each foot takes the corpses down in the
harbour."

But Democrates dashed his hand in negation.

"No, by the infernal gods, not so! No murder. I cannot bear the curse of
the Furies. Seize him, carry him to the ends of the earth, to hardest
slavery. Let him never cross my path again. But no bloodshed--"

Hiram almost lost his never failing smile, so much he marvelled.

"But, your Lordship, the man is a giant, mighty as Melkarth.(12) Seizing
will be hard. Sheol is the safest prison."

"No." Democrates was still shaking. "His ghost came to me a thousand
times, though yet he lived. It would hound me mad if I murdered him."

"_You_ would not murder him. Your slave is not afflicted by dreams."
Hiram's smile was extremely insinuating.

"Don't quibble with words. It would be I who slew him, though I never
struck the blow. You can seize him. Is he not asleep? Call Hasdrubal--bind
Glaucon, gag him, drag him to the ship. But he must not die."

"Very good, Exc