“I’m sorry,” said Hermione. “I know without asking that Charitas won’t do what you want—and really, I don’t care to ask her.”

“Why not, pray?” said Menelaus.

“I think she is right in sending Damastor out of that girl’s influence. It would not be for his happiness to marry her.”

“Doesn’t he love her any more? And oughtn’t people to marry if they love each other?” said Helen. “You ought to be giving me the arguments I’m urging. I’m such a liberal that I begin to seem conservative. If people do wrong, they ought to mend and do right—you still think so, don’t you? You think people ought not to live together if they’re not married. I hope you think people ought to marry if they love each other, and not otherwise. Well, let us give Damastor and Adraste the chance to conform to society, even though it’s a bit late. They wish to conform.”

“I don’t know that they do,” said Hermione. “Charitas has no confidence in Adraste, and neither have I.”

“You don’t know Adraste very well. But look at it from Damastor’s point of view. When you were talking about Pyrrhus and what you called his brutalities, I thought you condemned the men who abandoned women. Damastor didn’t abandon Adraste, but his mother has produced the same effect by abducting him. Wouldn’t it be well if Charitas now gave him the opportunity to act as I suppose he’d like to—as a loyal man?”

“I don’t agree with you,” said Hermione.

“I’m shocked at you, Hermione,” said Menelaus; “I’m really shocked. You told me that you and Orestes are practically married, that nothing must be allowed to separate you. Adraste and Damastor are more married than you are, yet you think they should be kept apart at any inconvenience to them or to others.”