the town of
Ephyre, which is now called Corinth. But as he cleansed himself in the
clear water, he heard a rustle in the boughs of the wood, and running
with sword drawn to the place whence the sound seemed to come, he heard
the whisper of a woman. Then he saw a strange sight. A tall and very
beautiful girl was kneeling in a thicket, in a patch of asparagus thorn,
and was weeping, and praying, in a low voice, and in a childlike
innocent manner, to the thorns, begging them to shelter and defend her.

Theseus wondered at her, and, sheathing his sword, came softly up to
her, and bade her have no fear. Then she threw her arms about his knees,
and raised her face, all wet with tears, and bade him take pity upon
her, for she had done no harm.

'Who are you, maiden? You are safe with me,' said Theseus. 'Do you dread
the Pine-Bender?'

'Alas, sir,' answered the girl, 'I am his daughter, Perigyne, and his
blood is on your hands.'

'Yet I do not war with women,' said Theseus, 'though that has been done
which was decreed by the gods. If you follow with me, you shall be
kindly used, and marry, if you will, a man of a good house, being so
beautiful as you are.'

When she heard this, the maiden rose to her feet, and would have put her
hand in his. 'Not yet,' said Theseus, kindly, 'till water has clean
washed away that which is between thee and me. But wherefore, maiden,
being in fear as you were, did you not call to the gods in heaven to
keep you, but to the asparagus thorns that cannot hear or help?'

'My father, sir,' she said, 'knew no gods, but he came of the race of
the asparagus thorns, and to them I cried in my need.'

Theseus marvelled at these words, and said, 'From this day you shall
pray to Zeus, the Lord of Thunder, and to the other gods.' Then he went
forth from the wood, with the maiden following, and wholly cleansed
himself in the brook that ran by the way.

So they passed down to the rich city of Ephyre, where the king received
him gladly, when he heard of the slaying of the Maceman, Periphetes, and
of Sinis the Pine-Bender. The Queen, too, had pity on Perigyne, so
beautiful she was, and kept her in her own palace. Afterwards Perigyne
married a prince, Deiones, son of Eurytus, King of Oechalia, whom the
strong man Heracles slew for the sake of his bow, the very bow with
which Ulysses, many years afterwards, destroyed the Wooers in his halls.
The sons of Perigyne and Deiones later crossed the seas to Asia, an