b encountered another cheering for
Alcibiades, and playing pitch and toss with drachmas and didrachmas and
tetradrachmas, yea, even with staters and darics.

"Long live Alcibiades," cried Timon's followers, as they attacked
Alcibiades's supporters to get their share.

"Long live Timon," cried Alcibiades's party, as they defended themselves.

Timon and Alcibiades extricated themselves from the scuffle, and walked
away arm in arm.

"My dear friend," said Timon, "how inexpressibly beholden I am to you for
taking the burden of my wealth upon yourself! There is nothing I would not
do to evince my gratitude."

"Nothing?" queried Alcibiades.

"Nothing," persisted Timon.

"Then," said Alcibiades, "I will thank thee to relieve me of Timandra, who
is as tired of me as I am of her."

Timon winced horribly, but his word was his bond, and Timandra accompanied
him to his cavern, where at first she suffered much inconvenience from the
roughness of the accommodation. But Timon, though a misanthrope, was not a
brute; and when in process of time Timandra's health required special care,
rugs and pillows were provided for her, and also for Timon; for he saw that
he could no longer pass for a churl if he made his wife more comfortable
than himself. And, though he counted gold as dross, yet was he not
dissatisfied that Timandra had saved the gold he had given her formerly
against a rainy day. And when a child was born, Timon was at his wits' end,
and blessed the old woman who came to nurse it. And she admonished him of
his duty to the Gods, which meant sacrifice, which meant merry-making. And
the child grew, and craved food and drink, and Timon possessed himself of
three acres and a cow. And not being able to doubt his child's affection
for him, he came to believe in Timandra's also. And when the tax-gatherer
oppressed his neighbours, he pleaded their cause, which was also his own,
in the courts of Athens, and gained it by the interest of Alcibiades. And
his neighbours made him demarch, and he feasted them. And Apemantus came to
deride him, and Timon bore with him; but he was impertinent to Timandra,
and Timon beat him.

And in fine, Timon became very like any other Attic country gentleman, save
that he always maintained that a young man did well to be a misanthrope
until he got a loving and sensible wife, which, as he observed, could but
seldom happen. And the Gods looked down upon him with complacency, and
deferred the ruin of