[Footnote 1:  Demons, to whom sudden disappearance was attributed.]

“Sweet lady,” answered Eurycleia, who was sitting among the women, “I will tell thee all the truth, and then thou shalt slay me, if it be thy will.  I was privy to this journey, and Telemachus made me swear a solemn oath not to reveal it to thee until twelve days were passed, or thou hadst heard of it from others.  For he feared that thou wouldst waste thy fair cheeks with weeping.  But be not cast down; I am sure that the gods hate not so utterly the house of Odysseus, nor purpose to destroy it altogether.  Vex not the old man Laertes in his sorrow, but go wash thyself, put on clean raiment, and go up and pray to Athene in thy upper chamber to guard and keep thy son from harm.”

Then Penelope was comforted, and dried her tears, and went up with her handmaids to the upper chamber.  There she made her offering before the shrine of Athene, and lifted up her voice in prayer:  “Daughter of Zeus, stern warrior maiden, if ever my lord Odysseus offered acceptable sacrifice to thee, remember now his service, save my son, and let not the wooers work evil against him.”  When her prayer was ended the women joined their voices with hers, and called again and again on the awful name of Athene.  After that they left her, and she sank down on a couch, exhausted by her emotions, and full of anxious thought.  At length she ceased her weary tossing, and fell into a quiet and refreshing sleep.

Athene had heard her prayer, and being full of pity for the sorely tried lady she resolved to find means to soothe her troubled spirit.  So she made a phantom, like in form and in feature to Iphthime, a sister of Penelope, who lived with her husband in distant Pherae.  And the phantom came to the house of Penelope, and entering her chamber by the keyhole, stood by her bedside and spake to her thus:  “Sorrow not at all, nor vex thy soul for the sake of Telemachus.  The gods love thy son, and will bring him safe home.”

Then wise Penelope made answer, slumbering right sweetly at the gates of dreams:  “Dear sister, what has brought thee hither from thy far distant home?  Thou biddest me take comfort, but my heart is torn with fear and grief for my brave lord, and yet more for Telemachus, who is encompassed with perils by sea and by land.”  “Fear nothing,” answered the dim phantom.  “He has a mighty helper by his side, even Pallas Athene, who sent me hither to strengthen and console thee.”  With that the ghostly visitor vanished as it came, and left Penelope much cheered by the clear vision which had brought her words of healing at the blackest hour of the night.

Meanwhile Antinous had taken steps to carry out his villainous design.  At nightfall he went down to the sea with twenty picked men, boarded the vessel which had been prepared for their use, and sailed out to a little island which lies in the middle of the strait between Samos and Ithaca.  There they anchored in a sheltered bay, and waited for the coming of Telemachus.