Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 69 THE RETURN OF AGAMEMNON. was ten years since Agamemnon, the mighty Argive monarch, had left his kingdom (somewhat suddenly, and after a stormy interview with the Queen, as those said who had the best opportunities of knowing), with the avowed intention of going to assist at the siege of Troy. He had never written once since, but so many reports of his personal daring and his terrible wounds had reached the palace that Clytemnestra would oftenobserve, with a touch of annoyance, that, if not actually dead by that time, he must be nearly as full of holes as a fishing-net. So that she was scarcely surprised when they broke the intelligence to her one day that he really had gone at last, having fallen, fighting desperately, against the most fearful odds, upon the Trojan plain ; and when, a little later, she formally announced to her faithful subjects her betrothal to Egisthus, her youngest and favourite courtier, they were not surprised in their turn. They told one another, with ribald facetiousness, that they had rather expected something of the kind. They were celebrating their Queen's betrothal day with the wildest enthusiasm, for they were a simple affectionate people, and foresaw an impetus to local trade. It had been but a dull time for Argos during those weary ten years, and the city had become well-nigh deserted, as, one by one, all her bravest and her best had left her, to seek, as they poetically put it, 'a soldier's tomb.' Several married men, in whom no such patriotic enthusiasm had ever been previously suspected, found out that their country required their services, left their wives and their little ones, and started for the field of battle. There were many pushing Argive tradesmen, too, who abandoned their ...