Lives of Alcyone

and bad alike, which savored of the high Atlantean civilisation, and
this feeling was rather intensified than modified by the fact that in the
district in which they settled the Aryans and Atlanteans had
arranged to live together in comparative harmony. Alcyone soon
doubted the wisdom of his father's position for there were many
things about the civilisation which attracted him strongly, and even
as a boy he made friends equally with Atlantean and Aryan children.
Indeed, his favorite companion , Psyche, was the son of a wealthy
Atlantean dignitary, Orpheus, but his father's fanaticism was so
great that he never dared to invite his friend to his home, or even to
let his father know of that friend's existence. He contrived
incidentally to get a good deal more education than his father would
have given him, for he learnt at second-hand from his friend a good
deal of what the later was taught.
All these facts had a serious influence over the direction of his
future life, for his visits to this boy-friend continued over a period of
some years, until they were both young men, when he complicated
the situation by falling deeply in love with his friend's sister Mizar.
The feeling was strongly reciprocated, but the prospect before the
two young people was not hopeful. It was impossible even to think of
proposing such an alliance to the father Algol, while the Atlantean
dignitary on his side was little likely to welcome an arrangement
which linked him to one who was so fiercely opposed to his race. So
the young people found themselves to some extent in a dilemma--
unable to do anything without taking the parents into their
confidence, and yet at the same time unable to tell either of the
parents, because of the feelings with which they regarded each
other.
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