r sleep."

"I am not tired," said the sick man, "and if you had gone through such
things as I have, it would trouble your rest at night too."

"I know, I know," said Paulus soothingly. "It was a Gaul that persuaded
your wretched wife into quitting your house and her child."

"And I loved, oh! how I loved Glycera!" groaned the old man. "She lived
like a princess and I fulfilled her every wish before it was uttered. She
herself has said a hundred times that I was too kind and too yielding,
and that there was nothing left for her to wish. Then the Gaul came to
our house, a man as acrid as sour wine, but with a fluent tongue and
sparkling eyes. How he entangled Glycera I know not, nor do I want to
know; he shall atone for it in hell. For the poor lost woman I pray day
and night. A spell was on her, and she left her heart behind in my house,
for her child was there and she loved Hermas so fondly; indeed she was
deeply devoted to me. Think what the spell must be that can annihilate a
mother's love! Wretch, hapless wretch that I am! Did you ever love a
woman, Paulus?"

"You ought to be asleep," said Paulus in a warning tone. "Who ever lived
nearly half a century without feeling love! Now I will not speak another
word, and you must take this drink that Petrus has sent for you." The
senator's medicine was potent, for the sick man fell asleep and did not
wake till broad day lighted up the cave.

Paulus was still sitting on his bed, and after they had prayed together,
he gave him the jar which Hermas had filled with fresh water before going
down to the oasis.

"I feel quite strong," said the old man. "The medicine is good; I have
slept well and dreamed sweetly; but you look pale and as if you had not
slept."

"I," said Paulus, "I lay down there on the bed. Now let me go out in the
air for a moment." With these words he went out of the cave.

As soon as he was out of sight of Stephanus he drew a deep breath,
stretched his limbs, and rubbed his burning eyes; he felt as if there was
sand gathered under their lids, for he had forbidden them to close for
three days and nights. At the same time he was consumed by a violent
thirst, for neither food nor drink had touched his lips for the same
length of time. His hands were beginning to tremble, but the weakness and
pain that he experienced filled him with silent joy, and he would
willingly have retired into his cave and have indulged, not for the first
time, in the ecstatic pain