to speak, delight plain on her face. "As for me, sir, I have given him much, very much. I gave him all the pleasures he craved, and he left me humbled at my feet. I gave him the sweet cup of pleasure, and he drained it to the dregs..."

"But — but what pleasure do you mean?" the doctor answered, rising in fury. "Wretched is the deadly poison you made him drink, until you laid him prostrate upon his bed."

But she answered, without a trace of agitation coming over her: "You contradict yourself by yourself. You told the goddess of Literature to look to the goddess of the West and take from her. And here I have carried out that counsel in the best of fashions."

"And what counsel?" the man answered, distress showing on his sad face. "I am sorry to say that you look only at the withered husks and not at the living kernel. The current has swept you along — the new civilization has dazzled you and made you see contrary to what the truth is. And my grief for you — how you look and how you think!"

"Allow me, sir, to say," she answered in anger, "that you are a decrepit old man who does not know the meaning of true civilization."

"Wretched is a civilization founded upon imitation — and, above that, upon a lame imitation; lame, sir..." And he made ready to leave the place, but the goddess of the Earth caught hold of him, saying:

"Your pardon, your pardon, sir. I beg you to excuse this reckless one. Sir, sir, do not forsake us."

The doctor entered the sick man's room, then turned his face away, his eyes brimming with tears. "No. I cannot leave him without a helper." He broke off his thought suddenly, for he saw the young man stirring in his doze. He drew near him quietly, and the goddesses followed him.

Only moments passed before the sick young man opened his eyes, turning toward the doctor, a sweet, artless smile spreading over his face; then he turned to the god-dess of the Earth, making ready to sit up, and addressed her, saying:

"Give me my crutches, give me my crutches. Quick, quick." And the goddess of the Earth came back to him, and he took the two crutches from her, then left his bed, leaning upon them, repeating: "No, I do not want to die."

He nearly fell to the ground, and the goddesses rushed to him, but he kept smiling, saying: "Do not

fear, do not fear. This is the first step." Then he added, as he raised himself onto a chair:

"I thank Thee, I thank Thee, my God."

And while all were in agitation and joy, the doctor smiled and wiped away the tears that had begun to fall upon his cheeks, then said in a whisper:

"No, I shall not leave you, I shall not leave you, dear young man. You will be healed and you will live, for the future is in your hands."