PARTISAN REVIEW
which Minos himself instituted, is that the lover assumes complete charge
of the child whom he covets, and takes him to live with him, under his
roof, for two months; after which period the child must announce pub–
licly whether or not his lover has given him satisfaction and treated him
properly. To take the supposed Glaucus under your roof, you must put
him aboard the ship which brought us here from Greece. Once we are
all assembled, with the crypto-Phaedra safe in our hand, we must
up-anchor; Ariadne will have to be there since she assumes that she
will be going with you; then we shall put out with all speed to the open
sea. The Cretans have a large fleet, but we shall have the legs of them,
and if they give chase we can easily out-distance them. Tell Minos about
his project. You may be sure that he'll smile on it, provided you let
him
believe that Glaucus, and not Phaedra, is involved; for, as for Glaucus,
he could hardly hope to secure a better master and lover than yourself.
But tell me: is Phaedra willing?"
"I don't know, as yet. Ariadne takes good care never to leave me
alone with her, so that I've had no chance to sound her.... But I don't
doubt that she will be ready to follow me, when she realizes that I
prefer her to her sister."
It was Ariadne who had to be approached first. I took her into
my confidence, but deceitfully of course, and according to our agreed
procedure.
"What a wonderful plan!" she cried. "And how I shall enjoy
traveling with my small brother! You've no idea how charming he can
be. I get on very well with him and in spite of the difference in our
ages I am still his favorite playmate. Nothing could be better for broad–
ening his mind than to visit a foreign country. At Athens he can perfect
his Greek, which he already speaks passably, though with a bad accent:
that will soon be put right. You will set him the best of examples, and
I only hope he will grow to be like you."
I let her talk. The wretched girl could not foresee what fate was in
store for her.
Glaucus had also to
be
warned, lest any hitch should occur. Pirithous
took charge of this, and told me later that the boy was at first bitterly
disappointed. Only after an appeal to his better sentiments did he de–
cide to join in the game (or, I should rather say, to drop out of it and
yield up his place to his sister). Phaedra had also to be informed. She
might have started screaming
if
we had tried to abduct her by force,
or by surprise. But Pirithous exploited with great skill the malicious
pleasure which both children would not fail to take in gulling their
elders-Glaucus his parents, and Phaedra her sister.
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