g 'Doth the king make a marriage for
his daughter; or hath he sent for her, desiring to see her?' But I know
thy purpose, my lord; wherefore we will dance and shout and make merry,
for this is a happy day for the maiden."

But the King Agamemnon was sore dismayed when he knew that the queen was
come, and spake to himself, "Now what shall I say to my wife? For that
she is rightly come to the marriage of her daughter, who can deny? But
what will she say when she knoweth my purpose? And of the maiden, what
shall I say? Unhappy maiden whose bridegroom shall be death! For she
will cry to me, 'Wilt thou kill me, my father?' And the little Orestes
will wail, not knowing what he doeth, seeing he is but a babe. Cursed be
Paris, who hath wrought this woe!"

And now King Menelaues came back, saying that it repented him of what he
had said, "For why should thy child die for me? What hath she to do with
Helen? Let the army be scattered, so that this wrong be not done."

Then said King Agamemnon, "But how shall I escape from this strait? For
the whole host will compel me to this deed?"

"Not so," said King Menelaues, "if thou wilt send back the maiden to
Argos."

"But what shall that profit," said the king; "for Calchas will cause the
matter to be known, or Ulysses, saying that I have failed of my promise;
and if I fly to Argos, they will come and destroy my city and lay waste
my land. Woe is me! in what a strait am I set! But take thou care, my
brother, that Clytaemnestra hear nothing of these things."

And when he had ended speaking, the queen herself came unto the tent,
riding in a chariot, having her daughter by her side. And she bade one
of the attendants take out with care the caskets which she had brought
for her daughter, and bade others help her daughter to alight and
herself also, and to a fourth she said that he should take the young
Orestes. Then Iphigenia greeted her father, saying, "Thou hast done well
to send for me, my father."

"'Tis true and yet not true, my child."

"Thou lookest not well pleased to see me, my father."

"He that is a king and commandeth a host hath many cares."

"Put away thy cares awhile and give thyself to me."

"I am glad beyond measure to see thee."

"Glad art thou? Then why dost thou weep?"

"I weep because thou must be long time absent from me."

"Perish all these fightings and troubles!"

"They will cause many to perish, and me most miserably of all."

"Art thou going a jo