But Ariadne, Minos' daughter, saw him, as she came out of her white
stone hall; and she loved him for his courage and his majesty, and
said, 'Shame that such a youth should die!' And by night she went
down to the prison, and told him all her heart; and said -
'Flee down to your ship at once, for I have bribed the guards
before the door. Flee, you and all your friends, and go back in
peace to Greece; and take me, take me with you! for I dare not stay
after you are gone; for my father will kill me miserably, if he
knows what I have done.'
And Theseus. stood silent awhile; for he was astonished and
confounded by her beauty: but at last he said, 'I cannot go home
in peace, till I have seen and slain this Minotaur, and avenged the
deaths of the youths and maidens, and put an end to the terrors of
my land.'
'And will you kill the Minotaur? How, then?'
'I know not, nor do I care: but he must be strong if he be too
strong for me.'
Then she loved him all the more, and said, 'But when you have
killed him, how will you find your way out of the labyrinth?'
'I know not, neither do I care: but it must be a strange road, if
I do not find it out before I have eaten up the monster's carcase.'
Then she loved him all the more, and said--'Fair youth, you are too
bold; but I can help you, weak as I am.
Pages:
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184