red about doing right. All the rest of the people, as
well as King Polydectes himself, were remarkably ill behaved and
deserved no better destiny than that which was now to happen.

Not finding his mother at home, Perseus went straight to the palace and
was immediately ushered into the presence of the king. Polydectes was by
no means rejoiced to see him, for he had felt almost certain, in his own
evil mind, that the Gorgons would have torn the poor young man to pieces
and have eaten him up out of the way. However, seeing him safely
returned, he put the best face he could upon the matter and asked
Perseus how he had succeeded.

"Have you performed your promise?" inquired he. "Have you brought me the
head of Medusa with the snaky locks? If not, young man, it will cost you
dear; for I must have a bridal present for the beautiful Princess
Hippodamia and there is nothing else that she would admire so much."

"Yes, please your Majesty," answered Perseus, in a quiet way, as if it
were no very wonderful deed for such a young man as he to perform. "I
have brought you the Gorgon's head, snaky locks and all!"

"Indeed! Pray, let me see it," quoth King Polydectes. "It must be a very
curious spectacle if all that travelers tell it be true!"

"Your Majesty is in the right," replied Perseus. "It is really an object
that will be pretty certain to fix the regards of all who look at it.
And if your Majesty think fit, I would suggest that a holiday be
proclaimed and that all your Majesty's subjects be summoned to behold
this wonderful curiosity. Few of them, I imagine, have seen a Gorgon's
head before and perhaps never may again!"

The king well knew that his subjects were an idle set of reprobates and
very fond of sight-seeing, as idle persons usually are. So he took the
young man's advice and sent out heralds and messengers in all directions
to blow the trumpet at the street corners and in the market places and
wherever two roads met, and summon everybody to court. Thither,
accordingly, came a great multitude of good-for-nothing vagabonds, all
of whom, out of pure love of mischief, would have been glad if Perseus
had met with some ill-hap in his encounter with the Gorgons. If there
were any better people in the island (as I really hope there may have
been, although the story tells nothing about any such), they stayed
quietly at home, minding their business and taking care of their little
children. Most of the inhabitants, at all ev