she put on a black robe of
mourning.

Her brothers, the only sons of her father, had been slain, and for the
sake of a girl. The image of Atalanta came before her, and she felt she
could punish dreadfully her son. But her son was not there to punish;
he was far away, and the girl for whose sake he had killed Plexippus
and Toxeus was with him.

The rage she had went back into her heart and made her truly mad. "I
gave Meleagrus life when I might have let it go from him with the
burning billet of wood," she cried, "and now he has taken the lives of
my brothers." And then her thought went to the billet of wood that was
hidden in the chest.

Back to her house she went, and when she went within she saw a fire of
pine knots burning upon the hearth. As she looked upon their burning a
scorching pain went through her. But she went from the hearth,
nevertheless, and into the inner room. There stood the chest that she
had not opened for years. She opened it now, and out of it she took the
billet of wood that had on it the mark of the burning.

She brought it to the hearth fire. Four times she went to throw it into
the fire, and four times she stayed her hand. The fire was before her,
but it was in her too. She saw the images of her brothers lying dead,
and, saying that he who had slain them should lose his life, she threw
the billet of wood into the fire of pine knots.

Straightway it caught fire and began to burn. And Althaea cried, "Let
him die, my son, and let naught remain; let all perish with my
brothers, even the kingdom that Oeneus, my husband, founded."

Then she turned away and remained stiffly standing by the hearth, the
life withered up within her. Her daughters came and tried to draw her
away, but they could not--her two daughters, Gorge and Deianira.

Meleagrus was crouching upon the ground with Atalanta watching beside
him. Now he stood up, and taking her hand he said, "Let me go with you
to the temple of the gods where I shall strive to make atonement for
the deed I have done to-day."

She went with him. But even as they came to the street of the city a
sharp and a burning pain seized upon Meleagrus. More and more burning
it grew, and weaker and weaker he became. He could not have moved
further if it had not been for the aid of Atalanta. Jason and Peleus
lifted him across the threshold and carried him into the temple of the
gods.

They laid him down with his head upon Atalanta's lap. The pain within
him