o caresses. Despairing of making himself heard, and
feeling but too sure that he could not save his friend either by force
or persuasion, Nicias resigned himself to the will of the gods--in
whom he had little confidence--when the idea occurred to him to use a
stratagem which his contempt for men had suddenly suggested to him. He
took from his girdle his purse, which was full of gold and silver, for
he was a pleasure-loving and charitable man, and running up to the men
who were throwing the stones, he chinked the money in their ears. At
first they paid no attention to him, their fury being too great; but
little by little their looks turned towards the chinking gold, and soon
their arms dropped and no longer menaced their victim. Seeing that he
had attracted their eyes and minds, Nicias opened his purse and threw
some pieces of gold and silver amongst the crowd. The more greedy
of them stooped to pick it up. The philosopher, pleased at his first
success, adroitly threw deniers and drachmas here and there. At the
sound of the pieces of money rattling on the pavement, the persecutors
of Paphnutius threw themselves on the ground. Beggars, slaves, and
tradespeople scrambled after the money, whilst, grouped round Cerons,
the patricians watched the struggle and laughed heartily. Cerons
himself quite forgot his wrath. His friends encouraged the rivals, chose
competitors, and made bets, and urged on the miserable wretches as they
would have done fighting dogs. A cripple without legs having succeeded
in seizing a drachma, the applause was frenetic. The young men
themselves began to throw money, and nothing was to be seen in the
square but a multitude of backs, rising and falling like waves of the
sea, under a shower of coins. Paphnutius was forgotten.

Nicias ran up to him, covered him with his cloak, and dragged him and
Thais into by-streets where they were safe from pursuit. They ran for
some time in silence, and when they thought they were out of reach
of their enemies, they ceased running, and Nicias said, in a tone of
raillery in which a little sadness was mingled--

"It is finished then! Pluto ravishes Proserpine, and Thais will follow
my fierce-looking friend whithersoever he will lead her."

"It is true, Nicias," replied Thais, "that I am tired of living with men
like you, smiling, perfumed, kindly egoists. I am weary of all I know,
and I am, therefore, going to seek the unknown. I have experienced joy
that was not joy,