Jupiter played piquette with Mercury.
‘Everything goes wrong to-day,’ said the King of Heaven; ‘cards wretched, and kept waiting for dinner, and by——-a mortal!’
‘Your Majesty must not be surprised,’ said the good-natured Mercury, with whom Ixion was no favourite. ‘Your Majesty must not be very much surprised at the conduct of this creature. Considering what he is, and where he is, I am only astonished that his head is not more turned than it appears to be. A man, a thing made of mud, and in Heaven! Only think, sire! Is it not enough to inflame the brain of any child of clay? To be sure, keeping your Majesty from dinner is little short of celestial high treason. I hardly expected that, indeed. To order me about, to treat Ganymede as his own lacquey, and, in short, to command the whole household; all this might be expected from such a person in such a situation, but I confess I did think he had some little respect left for your Majesty.’
‘And he does order you about, eh?’ inquired Jove. ‘I have the spades.’
‘Oh! ‘tis quite ludicrous,’ responded the son of Maia. ‘Your Majesty would not expect from me the offices that this upstart daily requires.’
‘Eternal destiny! is’t possible? That is my trick. And Ganymede, too?’
‘Oh! quite shocking, I assure you, sire,’ said the beautiful cupbearer, leaning over the chair of Jove with all the easy insolence of a privileged favourite. ‘Really, sire, if Ixion is to go on in the way he does, either he or I must quit.’
‘Is it possible?’ exclaimed Jupiter. ‘But I can believe anything of a man who keeps me waiting for dinner. Two and three make five.’
‘It is Juno that encourages him so,’ said Ganymede.
‘Does she encourage him?’ inquired Jove.