Lives of Alcyone

to Aries, so that he was able to live out what remained of his life
without actual anxiety as to food and lodging.
Ulysses sent to his father the Maharaja a highly coloured
account of all that had occurred, which so interested Mars that he
promptly ordered Ulysses to send both Alcyone and Mercury to his
capital. The visit was duly paid, and Mars received them with great
pomp, and after a series of interviews with them desired that
Alcyone should settle in his capital, offering to put him in charge of
one of the principal temples there. It was difficult to refuse this
munificent offer; but, after long consultation with his mother, Alcyone
respectfully begged to be allowed to return to his own temple,
representing that he felt the carrying on of its work to be a duty
which he owed to his dead father, and also urging his earnest desire
to help and guide the Maharaja’ s son Ulysses, for whom he felt a
serious responsibility. Mars regretted this decision, but yet
eventually granted the request influenced thereto principally by the
strong regard which he had for Mercury. The most intimate
understanding seemed immediately to spring up between them, and
though Mars would fain have had them both remain with him
permanently, yet he would not oppose the clearly stated wish of the
lady for whom he felt so deep a respect. In due course Mercury and
Alcyone returned home, but from that time onward constant
correspondence was kept up between the Maharaja and Mercury,
and the Maharaja more than once visited Dorasamudra in order to
see her.
Alcyone’ s influence over Ulysses was emphatically a good
one, for without it the young ruler would certainly have fallen into
dissolute ways. He had distinctly two sides to his character. Both of
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