ut spells
upon the Moon, that Hecate may weaken that man in his hour of trial."
Medea turned away from her father's eyes, and went to her chamber.

II. MEDEA THE SORCERESS

She turned away from her father's eyes and she went into her own
chamber. For a long time she stood there with her hands clasped
together. She heard the voice of Chalciope lamenting because AEetes had
taken a hatred to her sons and might strive to destroy them. She heard
the voice of her sister lamenting, but Medea thought that the cause
that her sister had for grieving was small compared with the cause
that she herself had.

She thought on the moment when she had seen Jason for the first
time--in the courtyard as the mist lifted and the dove flew to her; she
thought of him as he lifted those bright eyes of his; then she thought
of his voice as he spoke after her father had imposed the dreadful
trial upon him. She would have liked then to have cried out to him, "O
youth, if others rejoice at the doom that you go to, I do not rejoice."

Still her sister lamented. But how great was her own grief compared to
her sister's! For Chalciope could try to help her sons and could lament
for the danger they were in and no one would blame her. But she might
not strive to help Jason nor might she lament for the danger he was in.
How terrible it would be for a maiden to help a stranger against her
father's design! How terrible it would be for a woman of Colchis to
help a stranger against the will of the king! How terrible it would be
for a daughter to plot against King AEetes in his own palace!

And then Medea hated Aea, her city. She hated the furious people who
came together in the assembly, and she hated the brazen bulls that
Hephaestus had given her father. And then she thought that there was
nothing in Aea except the furious people and the fire-breathing bulls.
O how pitiful it was that the strange hero and his friends should have
come to such a place for the sake of the Golden Fleece that was watched
over by the sleepless serpent in the grove of Ares!

Still Chalciope lamented. Would Chalciope come to her and ask her,
Medea, to help her sons? If she should come she might speak of the
strangers, too, and of the danger they were in. Medea went to her couch
and lay down upon it. She longed for her sister to come to her or to
call to her.

But Chalciope stayed in her own chamber. Medea, lying upon her couch,
listened to her sister's laments. At las