him at first but seldom--more seldom than she would have wished;
but she dreaded the tongue of scandal, heathen as well as Christian,
and contented herself with inquiring daily from her father about the
progress of the boy. And when at times she entered for a moment the
library, where he sat writing, or passed him on her way to the Museum, a
look was interchanged, on her part of most gracious approval, and on his
of adoring gratitude, which was enough for both. Her spell was working
surely; and she was too confident in her own cause and her own powers to
wish to hurry that transformation for which she so fondly hoped.

'He must begin at the beginning,' thought she to herself. 'Mathematics
and the Parmenides are enough for him as yet. Without a training in the
liberal sciences be cannot gain a faith worthy of those gods to whom
some day I shall present him; and I should find his Christian ignorance
and fanaticism transferred, whole and rude, to the service of those gods
whose shrine is unapproachable save to the spiritual man, who has passed
through the successive vestibules of science and philosophy.'

But soon, attracted herself, as much as wishing to attract him, she
employed him in copying manuscripts for her own use. She sent back his
themes and declamations, corrected with her own hand; and Philammon laid
them by in his little garret at Eudaimon's house as precious badges of
honour, after exhibiting them to the reverential and envious gaze of the
little porter. So he toiled on, early and late, counting himself
well paid for a week's intense exertion by a single smile or word of
approbation, and went home to pour out his soul to his host on the
one inexhaustible theme which they had in common--Hypatia and her
perfections. He would have raved often enough on the same subject to
his fellow-pupils, but he shrank not only from their artificial city
manners, but also from their morality, for suspecting which he saw but
too good cause. He longed to go out into the streets, to proclaim to the
whole world the treasure which he had found, and call on all to come and
share it with him. For there was no jealousy in that pure love of his.
Could he have seen her lavishing on thousands far greater favours than
she had conferred on him, he would have rejoiced in the thought that
there were so many more blest beings upon earth, and have loved them
all and every one as brothers, for having deserved her notice. Her
very beauty, when