“That kind of talk is very distasteful, daughter,” said Menelaus. “I don’t refer to your manner toward me; the distressing thing is your lack of sympathy for people in difficulties. Your mother and I have had great sorrows recently, for which we were not responsible—scandalous sorrows. Fortunately, we can bear them without your help, but if you were as normal as you say you wish to be, you would be sorry for us, not take us to task. Adraste is the latest. I’m not responsible for her, as you would have known had you waited a minute—”

“Then prove it,” said Hermione. “Put her out of the house!”

“You mean, just put her out, to starve or die of suffering?” said Helen.

“Yes, that’s what I mean!” said Hermione.

“At times, as I’ve always remarked, you resemble your aunt,” said Helen, “but I never saw the likeness so strong.”

“The resemblance doesn’t interest me, and I can’t admire your attempt to divert the conversation,” said Hermione. “This revelation of the conditions in our house has put me beyond patience. It was bad enough when you went to Troy with Paris, and bad enough when you returned and insisted that you had been there, and had done all the wrong attributed to you; even at that, the scene of your exploits was far away, and people didn’t need to believe the worst unless they wanted to. But that girl has been misbehaving here, where you can’t keep a secret from the neighbours. Ever since she came she has been flirting with Damastor, a nice boy thoroughly unspoiled, until she led him astray. I don’t see why we should lend our good name—I won’t lend mine—to shelter her and her vulgar instincts!”

“Have you talked with her since you heard the news?” said Helen.

“I wouldn’t be seen talking with her!”

“Then do it surreptitiously. You could profit by it—any of us could. You can’t imagine yourself in her place, can you? Abandoned by a man you trusted—Orestes, for instance—and become a theme of household gossip?”

“I certainly can’t imagine myself,” said Hermione. “You can’t imagine me either!”

“I shan’t try to,” said Helen. “The point I would make is that until the thing happened to her, Adraste, like you, could not imagine herself caught in such misery. That’s life, daughter. Most of us are hard on others because we are unimaginative.”

“Did you warn her of this possibility when you were telling her to cultivate the love of life?” said Hermione.

Menelaus laughed.

“I warned her against the love of Damastor,” said Helen, “just as I tried to teach you the love of life, and advised you not to love Orestes. You both, in different ways, thought you knew better than I.”

“There’s some difference between Orestes and Damastor,” said Hermione.