Orestes (overcome with sudden terror).
Ah! Ah!
Ye bondmaids! They are here: like Gorgons, gowned
In darkness; all bewreathed and interwound
With serpents! . . . I shall never rest again.
Leader.
What fantasies, most father-loved of men,
Haunt thee? Be strong, thou conqueror! Have no fear!
Orestes.
These are no fantasies. They are here; they are here,
The Hounds of my dead Mother, hot to kill.
Leader.
The blood upon thine hand is reeking still:
For that the turmoil in thy heart is loud.
Orestes.
O Lord Apollo! More and more they crowd
Close, and their eyes drip blood, most horrible!
Leader.
One cleansing hast thou. Loxias can quell
Thy tempest with his touch, and set thee free.
Orestes.
You cannot see them. I alone can see.
I am hunted. . . . I shall never rest again.
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