“I can’t see that at all,” said Menelaus. “Our troubles are in our own character, I think. Sacrifices are very well; I sacrificed with Agamemnon for a whole day. But if you overdo that sort of thing you cease to be religious, or conventional, and become fanatic, or even foolish. The war was finished; our business, as I saw it, was to take up our interrupted lives again. I don’t know what made Agamemnon do what he did; he usually is no stickler for rites and ceremonies. I teased him a bit about Clytemnestra—suggested he was afraid to go home and face her. Considering what really has happened in his house, I wish I hadn’t said that. He’ll recall it when he arrives, and perhaps he’ll imagine I’m on his wife’s side in this bad business. But he isn’t back yet—notice that, Helen. We came in fairly good time, allowing for delays of the wind, but he isn’t heard of. If our attitude toward the sacrifices counted for or against us, he ought to have got home first, don’t you think?”

“I never saw any connection between the sacrifices and the speed of the boat,” said Helen. “The question, as I understood it, was whether we were to get home at all. You didn’t make much headway, you remember, until we had those formal sacrifices in Egypt. Agamemnon will soon be back, I’ve no doubt, and we’ll have a sound explanation of his delay.”

“When he has had time to get settled,” said Menelaus, “we’ll ask him here to talk about Hermione and Orestes.”

“That will make another guest,” said Helen. “Menelaus, are you sure you’ve sent for Pyrrhus, as you said you would?”

“Certainly; the messenger went off that day—within the hour. Pyrrhus will be here on a friendly visit—that’s all we agreed on, you remember, and we’ll have Orestes too. Not at the same time, of course: before, don’t you think?”

“I’d like to see Orestes, if he can be found,” said Helen, “but Hermione doesn’t know where he is. I feel as you do that we should meet him before we come to a decision. And really I’ve no objection to Agamemnon. Since we all used to talk of the children’s marriage to one another, I dare say both sides of the house had better take part in the discussion now … There’s the gate-keeper coming up the walk. Shall I leave you two?”

“Stay here,” said Menelaus. “I don’t know what he wants. See for yourself whether I’m too intimate with him.”

“Menelaus, may I speak to him about—what he said of me?”

“You may not,” said Menelaus.

“Why not? Didn’t you give me the correct version?”