“He won’t come if he hears there’s another quarrel,” said Hermione. “I’m sure he’ll think father wants help in more wars.”

“I’ve no doubt he’ll think just that,” said Helen. “I can hear him now. He has his father’s hearty laugh.”

“I suppose I must come to it,” said Menelaus. “If you’ll stay, Helen, I’ll send the invitation to Pyrrhus at once.”

“You ought to send it at once whether I go or stay,” said Helen. “You know you ought. I’ll make no bargain with you, never again. Send for him or don’t send for him. The decision is now entirely yours. I was your wife an hour ago, trying to plan with you for our daughter. Now you are a free man, with all the choice and all the responsibility.”

“I’ll put it the other way round,” said Menelaus. “If I send for him, will you stay?”

“You couldn’t have heard what I said. I will make no bargain with you.”

“Very well,” said Menelaus. “You win. I’ll send for Pyrrhus at once. Is that perfectly clear? At once. It’s my own decision, entirely. I thought of it all myself. Nobody could persuade me not to. I’ll go and send the messenger now … Will you stay?”

“You have made a wise decision,” said Helen, “and you’d better go now and send the messenger.”

“And you’ll stay? That’s the whole point!” said Menelaus.

“Oh, is it?” said Helen, “then it was a bargain, after all? In that case I won’t stay.”

“My word, what a woman!” said Menelaus. “I’ll go and send the messenger.”

“Mother, you won’t leave me, will you, till after Pyrrhus comes?” said Hermione. “I couldn’t say it while father was here, but I dread being inspected as a possible wife, and I can’t meet him naturally now, after all this talk. Besides, I shall feel like a hypocrite, with my mind already made up to marry Orestes.”

“I promise to stay at least till Pyrrhus comes, or till Orestes comes,” said Helen. “My own rule ought to work both ways; if you ought to see Pyrrhus first, I certainly ought to give Orestes a chance to prove himself what you think him. Your father is sending for Pyrrhus, but he’s a long way off and can’t arrive for some time. Meanwhile I should like to have your cousin here. Will you see to it that he comes?”

“There’s nothing I’d rather do,” said Hermione, “but I don’t know where he is. I never know. He’s hiding from Ægisthus. We’ll have to wait till he comes.”