clear sky, and the cry of unseen herons was heard from the sedges. Far
as the eye could reach, the river rolled its broad green waters o'er
which white sails, like the wings of birds, glided, and here and there
on the shores, a white house shone out. A light mist floated along the
banks, and from out the shadow of the islands, which were laden
with palms, flowers, and fruits, came noisy flocks of ducks, geese,
flamingoes, and teal. To the left, the grassy valley extended to the
desert its fields and orchards in joyful abundance; the sun shone on
the yellow wheat, and the earth exhaled forth its fecundity in odorous
wafts. At this sight, Paphnutius fell on his knees, and cried--

"Blessed be the Lord, who has given a happy issue to my journey. O God,
who spreadest Thy dew upon the fig trees of the Arsiniote, pour Thy
grace upon Thais, whom Thou hast formed with Thy love, as Thou hast the
flowers and trees of the field. May she, by Thy loving care, flourish
like a sweet-scented rose in the heavenly Jerusalem."

And every time that he saw a tree covered with blossom, or a bird of
brilliant plumage, he thought of Thais. Keeping along the left arm of
the river and through a fertile and populous district, he reached, in
a few days, the city of Alexandria, which the Greeks have surnamed the
Beautiful and the Golden. The sun had risen an hour, when he beheld,
from the top of a hill, the vast city, the roofs of which glittered in
the rosy light. He stopped, and folded his arms on his breast.

"There, then," he said, "is the delightful spot where I was born in sin;
the bright air where I breathed poisonous perfumes; the sea of pleasure
where I heard the songs of the sirens. There is my cradle, after the
flesh; my native land--in the parlance of the men of these days! A rich
cradle, an illustrious country, in the judgment of men! It is natural