The little fellow had a great opinion of his
own strength. So, grasping the rough protuber-
ances of the rock, he tugged and toiled amain,
and got himself quite out of breath, without
being able to stir the heavy stone. It seemed to
be rooted into the ground. No wonder he could
not move it; for it would have taken all the
force of a very strong man to lift it out of its
earthy bed.

His mother stood looking on, with a sad kind
of a smile on her lips and in her eyes, to see the
zealous and yet puny efforts of her little boy.
She could not help being sorrowful at finding
him already so impatient to begin his adventures
in the world.

"You see how it is, my dear Theseus," said
she. "You must possess far more strength than
now before I can trust you to go to Athens, and
tell King Aegeus that you are his son. But when
you can lift this rock, and show me what is hid-
den beneath it, I promise you my permission to
depart."

Often and often, after this, did Theseus ask
his mother whether it was yet time for him to go
to Athens; and still his mother pointed to the

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v?