fectorium a beaker of wine, and pointing
to long rows of bottles and glasses said, "Here are my head-quarters."
Erastus joined to his expression of admiration for Paolo's self-denying
energy, a few strong remarks on the baseness of the officials who had
run away, on the heartlessness of members of families who had left, and
on the sordidness of the population.

"Do not say that, Sir," answered Paul, and a gentle tone of sympathy
lay in his fine, deep voice. "I have in these days of struggle learnt,
on the contrary, that more love exists among us, than I formerly used
to think. I have seen proofs of self-sacrifice, which made my heart
melt, not only from the mother to her children, or the daughter to her
father. Go over there and see these delicate pale women, still for the
most part suffering from the fever, who nevertheless indefatigably
listen for every impatient groan uttered by the sick."

Erastus interrupted him with an account of how he had found matters in
Petersthal.

"Thus was it here also," replied Paolo, "but who is to blame for this
state of things? The Prince's government, no one else. The people only
needed guiding. Out of shere despair they raged against one another.
But it was sufficient, in order to restore confidence among them,
merely to tell them that they could help each other, and the apparent
coarseness and selfishness gave way to the uttermost self-sacrifice and
generosity. Since everything has been organized, since each one knows
that he will be found a fitting position for his energies and that he
is necessary and indispensable, the people have developed a
conscientiousness and faithfulness, which have quite astonished me. I
have learnt to think better of your people, since I have led them
against this most terrible enemy, than before, when I only saw
occasionally the youth of Schoenau lounging on Sundays along the country
roads."

"But how did you manage to bring about this miracle?" asked Erastus.

Paul smiled but did not answer this question. "Unfortunately we are in
want of many necessaries," said he. "Our vinegar is all consumed, all
sweat-exciting herbs have been plucked from the mountains; we want lime
to spread over the corpses and render the exhalations innocuous. We
have now to make large fires, and these are costly and take up time."

"You can have all these things from me," replied the physician. "Here
is a list I have made of all the things which we bring you," and he
pulled