15.  The Booths and Shops in the Agora.—­At length out of the chaos there seems to emerge a certain order.  The major part of the square is covered with little booths of boards and wicker work, very frail and able to be folded up, probably every night.  There are little lanes winding amid these booths; and each manner of huckster has its own especial “circle” or section of the market.  “Go to the wine,” “to the fish,” “to the myrtles” (i.e. the flowers), are common directions for finding difficult parts of the Agora.  Trade is mostly on a small scale,—­the stock of each vendor is distinctly limited in its range, and Athens is without “department stores.”  Behind each low counter, laden with its wares, stands the proprietor, who keeps up a din from leathern lungs:  “Buy my oil!” “Buy charcoal!” “Buy sausage!” etc., until he is temporarily silenced while dealing with a customer.

In one “circle” may be found onions and garlic (a favorite food of the poor); a little further on are the dealers in wine, fruit, and garden produce.  Lentils and peas can be had either raw, or cooked and ready to eat on the spot.  An important center is the bread market.  The huge cylindrical loaves are handed out by shrewd old women with proverbially long tongues.  Whosoever upsets one of their delicately balanced piles of loaves is certain of an artistic tongue lashing.  Elsewhere there is a pottery market, a clothes market, and, nearer the edge of the Agora, are “circles,” where objects of real value are sold, like jewelry, chariots, good furniture.  In certain sections, too, may be seen strong-voiced individuals, with little trays swung by straps before them, pacing to and fro, and calling out, not foods, but medicines, infallible cure-alls for every human distemper.  Many are the unwary fools who patronize them.

16.  The Flower and the Fish Vendors.—­Two circles attract especial attention, the Myrtles and the Fish.  Flowers and foliage, especially when made up into garlands, are absolutely indispensable to the average Greek.  Has he a great family festival, e.g. the birth of a son, then every guest should wear a crown of olives; is it a wedding, then one of flowers.[*] Oak-leaves do the honors for Zeus; laurel for Apollo; myrtle for Aphrodite (and is not the Love-Goddess the favorite?).  To have a social gathering without garlands, in short, is impossible.  The flower girls of Athens are beautiful, impudent, and not at all prudish.  Around their booths press bold-tongued youths, and not too discreet sires; and the girls can call everybody familiarly by name.  Very possibly along with the sale of the garlands they make arrangements (if the banquet is to be of the less respectable kind) to be present in the evening themselves, perhaps in the capacity of flute girls.

[*]The Greeks lacked many of our common flowers.  Their ordinary flowers were white violets, narcissus, lilies, crocuses, blue hyacinths, and roses ("the Flower of Zeus").  The usual garland was made of myrtle or ivy and then entwined with various flowers.