e could speak in all
voices, and they were silent; but Anticlus was still eager to answer,
till Ulysses held his strong hand over his mouth. There was only
silence, and Deiphobus led Helen back to his house. When they had gone
away Epeius opened the side of the horse, and all the chiefs let
themselves down softly to the ground. Some rushed to the gate, to open
it, and they killed the sleeping sentinels and let in the Greeks. Others
sped with torches to burn the houses of the Trojan princes, and terrible
was the slaughter of men, unarmed and half awake, and loud were the cries
of the women. But Ulysses had slipped away at the first, none knew
where. Neoptolemus ran to the palace of Priam, who was sitting at the
altar in his courtyard, praying vainly to the Gods, for Neoptolemus slew
the old man cruelly, and his white hair was dabbled in his blood. All
through the city was fighting and slaying; but Menelaus went to the house
of Deiphobus, knowing that Helen was there.

In the doorway he found Deiphobus lying dead in all his armour, a spear
standing in his breast. There were footprints marked in blood, leading
through the portico and into the hall. There Menelaus went, and found
Ulysses leaning, wounded, against one of the central pillars of the great
chamber, the firelight shining on his armour.

"Why hast thou slain Deiphobus and robbed me of my revenge?" said
Menelaus. "You swore to give me a gift," said Ulysses, "and will you
keep your oath?" "Ask what you will," said Menelaus; "it is yours and my
oath cannot be broken." "I ask the life of Helen of the fair hands,"
said Ulysses "this is my own life-price that I pay back to her, for she
saved my life when I took the Luck of Troy, and I swore that hers should
be saved."

Then Helen stole, glimmering in white robes, from a recess in the dark
hall, and fell at the feet of Menelaus; her golden hair lay in the dust
of the hearth, and her hands moved to touch his knees. His drawn sword
fell from the hands of Menelaus, and pity and love came into his heart,
and he raised her from the dust and her white arms were round his neck,
and they both wept. That night Menelaus fought no more, but they tended
the wound of Ulysses, for the sword of Deiphobus had bitten through his
helmet.

When dawn came Troy lay in ashes, and the women were being driven with
spear shafts to the ships, and the men were left unburied, a prey to dogs
and all manner of birds. Thus the grey