"He'd be glad tosee anybody else, if Xanthos just left," Sostratos said with a laugh. Theother merchant was honest and reliable, but deadly dull.

Sostratos walked throughthe courtyard on the way to the andron -  the men's room -  where he expectedto find his father. His sister Erinna was out there, watering some of theplants in the herb garden with a jar. "Hail," she said. "What'sthe news out in the city? I think Xanthos had some, but I stayed in till heleft."

"Some business Iwant to tell Father first," Sostratos said. "Other than that, Ididn't hear much. The Aphrodite will be ready to sail whenever we decide theweather's good enough."

Erinna sighed. "Andthen you and Menedemos will be gone till fall." She was eighteen; she'dbeen married for three years, but had returned to her father's household afterher husband died. The dark, curly hair she'd cut short in mourning had finallygrown out to close to its proper length.

With a sly smile,Sostratos said, "You know we're only leaving to annoy you."

"I believeit," Erinna said, and went back to watering the herbs. "Well, go onand tell Father whatever you've got to tell him. I suppose I'll hear about iteventually." She made a point of looking put-upon.

If Father reacts the wayI'm afraid he will, you'll hear about it right away, when he starts bellowing,Sostratos thought. Taking a deep breath, he went into the andron.

Lysistratos was sittingin a chair, flicking pebbles back and forth on a counting board and mutteringto himself. Sostratos' father looked up when the light changed as the youngerman came in. Lysistratos was more than a palm shorter than his gangling son,but otherwise looked much like him. His hair had been darker brown thanSostratos' -  almost black, in fact -  but gray streaked it these days, forhe'd seen more than fifty years.

He smiled. His teethwere still good, which helped give him the appearance of a younger man despitethe gray. "Hail, son," he said, and waved Sostratos to another chair."I have news."