party, therefore, set forth together. Cadmus,
Phoenix, Cilix, and Thasus clustered round
Queen Telephassa, grasping her skirts, and beg-
ging her to lean upon their shoulders, whenever
she felt weary. In this manner they went down
the p'alace steps, and began a journey, which
turned out to be a great deal longer than they
dreamed of. The last that they saw of King
Agenor, he came to the door, with a servant
holding a torch beside him, and called after them
into the gathering darkness: --

"Remember! Never ascend these steps again
without the child!"

"Never!" sobbed Queen Telephassa; and the
three brothers and Thasus answered, "Never
Never! Never! Never!"

And they kept their word. Year after year
King Agenor sat in the solitude of his beautiful
palace, listening in vain for their returning foot-
steps, hoping to hear the familiar voice of the
queen, and the cheerful talk of his sons and their
playfellow Thasus, entering the door together,
and the sweet, childish accents cf little Europa
in the midst of them. But so long a time went
by, that, at last, if they had really come, the king

[[118]]

p117 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p118w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p119

v?