y among the rest; and being
unskilled in such labour, received many curses and stripes in the cause
of the Church--the which I trust are laid to my account hereafter.
Moreover, Satan entered into me, desiring to slay me, and almost tore
me asunder, so that I vomited much, and loathed all manner of meat.
Nevertheless, I rowed on valiantly, being such as I am, vomiting
continually, till the heathens were moved with wonder, and forbore to
beat me, giving me strong liquors in pity; wherefore I rowed all the
more valiantly day and night, trusting that by my unworthiness the cause
of the Catholic Church might be in some slight wise assisted.'

'And so it is,' quoth Cyril. 'Why do you not sit down, man?'

'Pardon me,' quoth the monk, with a piteous gesture; 'of sitting, as of
all carnal pleasure, cometh satiety at the last.'

'And now' said Cyril, 'what reward am I to give you for your good
service?'

'It is reward enough to know that I have done good service. Nevertheless
if the holy patriarch be so inclined without reason, there is an ancient
Christian, my mother according to the flesh--'

'Come to me to-morrow, and she shall be well seen to. And mind--look to
it, if I make you not a deacon of the city when I promote Peter.'

The monk kissed his superior's hand and withdrew. Cyril turned to
Arsenius, betrayed for once into geniality by his delight, and smiting
his thigh--

'We have beaten the heathen for once, eh?' And then, in the usual
artificial tone of an ecclesiastic--'And what would my father recommend
in furtherance of the advantage so mercifully thrown into our hand?'

Arsenius was silent.

'I,' went on Cyril, 'should be inclined to announce the news this very
night, in my sermon.'

Arsenius shook his head.

'Why not? why not?' asked Cyril impatiently.

'Better to keep it secret till others tell it. Reserved knowledge is
always reserved strength; and if the man, as I hope he does not, intends
evil to the Church, let him commit himself before you use your knowledge
against him. True, you may have a scruple of conscience as to the
lawfulness of allowing a sin which you might prevent. To me it seems
that the sin lies in the will rather than in the deed, and that
sometimes--I only say sometimes--it may be a means of saving the sinner
to allow his root of iniquity to bear fruit, and fill him with his own
devices.'

'Dangerous doctrine, my father.'

'Like all sound doctrine--a savour of life or of death