t he could allow her to destroy the peace
of mind he needed to enable him to carry out his calling in the spirit
of his friend Rufinus. He knew his house-mate well and felt that he
would only pour vitriol into his wounds, but it was best so. The old
man had already often tried to bring down Paula's image from its high
pedestal in his soul, but always in vain; and even now he should not
succeed. He would mar nothing, scatter nothing to the winds, tread
nothing in the dust but the burning passion, the fevered longing
for her, which had fired his blood ever since that night when he had
vanquished the raving Masdakite. That old sage by the table, on whose
stern, cold features the light fell so brightly, was the very man to
accomplish such a work of destruction, and Philippus awaited his first
words as a wounded man watches the surgeon heating the iron with which
to cauterize the sore.

Poor disappointed wretch, sorely in need of a healing hand!

He lay back on the divan, and saw how his friend leaned over his scroll
as if listening, and fidgeted up and down in his arm-chair.

It was clear that Horapollo was uneasy at Philippus' long silence, and
his pointed eyebrows, raised high on his brow, plainly showed that he
was drawing his own conclusions from it--no doubt the right ones. The
peace must soon be broken, and Philippus awaited the attack. He was
prepared for the worst; but how could he bring himself to make his
torturer's task easy for him. Thus many minutes slipped away; while
the leech was waiting for the old man to speak, Horapollo waited for
Philippus. However, the impatience and curiosity of the elder were
stronger than the young man's craving for comfort; he suddenly laid down
the roll of manuscript, impatiently snatched up the ivory stick which he
had thrown aside, set his heavy seat at an angle with a shove of amazing
vigor for his age, turned full on Philippus, and asked him, in a loud
voice, pointing his ruler at him as if threatening him with it:

"So the play is out. A tragedy, of course!"

"Hardly, since I am still alive," replied the other.

"But there is inward bleeding, and the wound is painful," retorted the
old man. Then, after a short pause, he went on: "Those who will not
listen must feel! The fox was warned of the trap, but the bait was too
tempting! Yesterday there would still have been time to pull his foot
out of the spring, if only he had sincerely desired it; he knew the
hunter's guile. N