And although Melissa's eyes were almost closing with fatigue, she forced herself to attend to it all, for she saw now how much her sympathy pleased her kind friend.
Meanwhile the voices of the men, who had done eating and were now drinking, came louder and louder into the women's apartments.

When the merriment of her guests rose to a higher pitch than usual, or something amusing gave rise to a shout of laughter, Berenike shrank, and either muttered some unintelligible threat or besought the forgiveness of her daughter's manes.
It seemed to be a relief to her to rush from one mood to the other; but neither in her grief, nor when her motherly feeling led her to talk, nor yet in her wrath, did she lose her perfect dignity.

All Melissa saw and heard moved her to pity or to horror.

And meanwhile she was worn out with anxiety for her family, and with increasing fatigue.
At last, however, she was released.

A gay chorus of women's voices and flutes came up from the banqueting-hall.