r this kinship that ye say is between a man and his mother,
hearken to this. Had Pallas here a mother? Nay, for no womb bare her,
seeing that she came from the head of Zeus her father."

[Illustration: THE FURIES DEPARTING.]

Then said Athene, "It is enough. Judges, judge ye this cause, doing
justice therein. But first hear the statute that I make establishing
this court. On this hill did the Amazons in old time build their
fortress when they waged war with King Theseus and the men of this land;
and hence it is called the hill of Ares, who is the god of war. And here
do I make this as an ordinance for ever, that it may be a bulwark to
this land; that judges may sit herein, keen to avenge the wrong, not
blinding their eyes with gifts, but doing true judgment and justice
between man and man. And now rise, ye judges, from your place, and take
these pebbles in your hand, and vote according to right, not forgetting
your oath."

So the judges rose up from their place and dropped the pebbles into the
urns, Apollo on the one side and the Furies on the other urging them
with many promises and threats. And at the last Athene stood up and
said, "'Tis for me to give the casting vote; and I give it to Orestes.
For I myself was not born of a mother; wherefore I am on the father's
side. And I care not to avenge the death of a woman that slew her
husband, the ruler of her house. Now, if the votes be equal, Orestes is
free. Take the pebbles from the urns, ye to whom this office is given.
And see that ye do it justly and well, that no wrong be done."

So they that were appointed to this took the pebbles forth from the urns
and counted them. And lo! the votes were equal on this side and on that.
And Athene stood forth and said, "The man is free."

Thus was accomplished the loosing of Orestes.

THE STORY OF IPHIGENIA AMONG THE TAURIANS.

It has been told in the story of King Agamemnon that the Goddess
Artemis, being wroth with him because he had slain a hart which she
loved, suffered not the ships of the Greeks to sail till he had offered
his daughter Iphigenia for a sacrifice. But when the King consented, and
all things had been made ready for slaying the maiden, the goddess would
not that her blood should be shed, but put a fair hind in her place, and
carried away the maiden to the land of the Taurians, where she had a
temple and an altar. Now on this altar the King of the land was wont to
sacrifice any stranger, being Gre